$42,085 and climbing.

I am meeting with other officers of my NRHS Chapter tomorrow morning to see if I have enough support to authorize a second donation above and beyond our own--$100 plus $25 from our online surplus-stuff seller who donated part of his commissions to the cause.

$42,280..............

....... and at this rate, said extra donation may not be strictly necessary, though I think they'll OK it anyway. I mean, we just took in $500 net (after shipping and commissions) from a bunch of model railroad material that was donated to us by an estate seller that just wanted to go home early at the last train show we worked, so we HAVE the cash......

Our online seller and I have speculated openly that somebody out there might just be waiting with a larger donation for the right moment to get the publicity of pushing the fundraising over the top with the final $1,000 or $2,000 or even $5,000.

$42,447...........

$42,882. . .

$43,157. . .

I second that. She will look beautiful pulling a string of Pullmans at 40mph around palm trees! She is well proportioned for a 10 wheeler!

$44,180.00...

$45,010. Only $5,000 to go!

Good lord, I don't think I've ever been this tense for a fundraiser before this is some monumental work going on. Supposedly the scrapper has buffed the price to 55k in response to our recent progress. If we lose this one I'm calling for a boycott of this scrapper. The idea that someone in this age would scrap a steamer is absolutely treasonous.

This effort should really be considered a serious wake up call for not only park engines, but for many engines, period.

Not every situation is going to be able to pull this kind of fundraising out of a hat...

I've heard this rumor once already in the past hour. Has anyone got a cite?

Further:
How does the rail preservation field boycott a company in a business field none of us want to go near in the first place, even voluntarily, for reasons just like this?

The better strategy--assuming this is true--would be to go to the media and "expose" this scrapper as a money-grubbing, thieving opportunist exploiting city government ignorance to extort a sincerely grass-roots preservation effort for more money. I mean, didn't he already get PAID by the city in addition to what he would have recouped in scrap metal?

The city is already going to look bad/incompetent "losing its history" for having wool pulled over its eyes by the scrapper who said "the only way out is to scrap it." Then to show that the guy they picked makes out like a bandit in the process?

Again, all this assumes the story about the scrapper wanting more money is actually true, and not just an ugly rumor. (Though what I've seen of scrappers in the past makes me think "yeah, this would be just like them.....")

This is my critical concern, in spades. You have all the "cool" factor this first time, for a relatively handsome and economical piece that apparently multiple places are offering a home.

Then someone tries it for that totally impractical 0-6-0F. Or those multiple Santa Fe steamers scattered in parks across the Southwest. Or Strasburg's Camelback (never mind that it's private property).

Then someone tries it for the entire East Broad Top.

And then they'll be crying when it doesn't work the 385th time

It wouldn't surprise me. Most scrappers aren't ethical.

I'm in contact right now with one of the two individuals directly involved in this save - that rumor/info is false. Directly from the source.

Just $1425 left to go.

Thanks Jim. Glad to hear that the rumor is false. Whew!

So, the target just went up to $65,000?