This came through on railpictures.net. She does not look good by any means and I know her condition is lamented by many but all in all I have to say that I've seen worse.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 71&nseq=79

Tom, with all due respect, unless you've seen a locomotive with daylight showing plainly through the tender, virtually no cab floor, every projection inside the cab either bent, broken off, or missing, its journals filled with rocks and sand, and only her bell and headlight skeleton remaining, you haven't seen worse. This locomotive has no future, and the City of Waterville has no interest in doing anything about it. Mayor LePage is now running for Governor. Expect nothing except the locomotive will eventually be cut down and her bell enshrined on a piece of granite someplace.

It would almost be a worthwhile thread to list park locomotive in desperate shape. Unfortunately, I think it would be a long thread, too.

We have seen worse--N&W 4-8-0s in Roanoke. . .

This does not dispute Richard's comments, though. As noted in the Generations-NIMBY discussion, we have had some generations that didn't care. . .and they are closing doors to people who do. . .

Tom, that picture makes her look good. She's a hulk.





Stephen

In all honesty, I visited the "Lost Engines" back in 2001, while they were still "lost".
I can tell you, they look, except for missing parts, so much better than MEC 470.

All that being said, and I think Stephen will bear me out, if a funded organization took the big Pacific, moved it to a shop, tore her down completely, then fabricated all that's destroyed or missing, 470 might be a terrific long haul steamer. Other participants in RYPN have opened her and looked inside, and furthermore, have undertaken to lube and clean whatever they could. There is still a locomotive under that wreckage, if somebody like Jerry Jacobsen would we willing to step forward. Sending it to Steamtown for placement on the long list of potential overhauls would be a great improvement.

"if a funded organization took the big Pacific"

I know of a good place for 470. A place where the track and shop already exist, and where 470 would be right at home, stretching her legs in New England. Funding? Ah, there's the rub....

And would the Mainers let her go???

Howard P.