I did receive a pleasant response to my email. I fully understand their position with the scrapping of the car, but went on to do a little research on how it came to this, especially the role of social media.

Having been around this kind of thing for a lot of years now, and having made very positive use of RyPN and facebook, I have seen where such platforms can bring out the worst in people via unnecessary, even insane, often vial attacks on a project or organization. Over the past few months I have witnessed some real ugliness spouted by people who have no clue what it is they are talking about, but sure can be ugly in their words. In one case, such ugliness killed a key steam project not long ago.

With that in mind, as we look at the LEV2, it looks like the parties involved took the cautious approach, keeping it mostly off social media and avoiding the crap that would be thrown at them. Hard to argue with that position. It’s understandable. However, while it reduced the vial comment scenario, it prevented others who could have helped from knowing that there was a problem.

I would dare say, the LEV2 loss was not due to people not trying, if you peel back the onion it was due to the nuts on facebook and such platforms who make the lives of those who are trying to do the right thing miserable and thus not posting regular updates. There were issues here, no doubt, but in a kinder, gentler social media world such issues could have been positively addressed via regular updates without the fear of insulting, vial, useless responses.

J.R. May

The "truth" is always somewhere in the middle.

If I look objectively at the testimonies presented here, with the assumption (dangerous, I know) that everyone speaking here is being truthful, it seems much more obvious that "blame" should go to the last owner's non-response to willing saviors, not "people being mean on social media."

Whether that was due to lack of interest, lack of assigned responder or proper authority, or their realizing the thing was just too far gone to foist off an albatross on another "victim" is another discussion.

ADM, you certainly missed the point of my post, but that is not a surprise. Yes, there was an issue, I never said there wasn't, but via a lack of social media support no one who might help knew it. The reason there was little social media support is that people just don't want to deal with the BS that comes with it these days. The so called "community" does it to itself.

Is there any news on the rest of the items?

The MP54 is an example of a class that has no preserved representatives on Long Island proper.

I'm sure some museum near Montreal could find a home for 6714.

Who doesn't need a 44 tonner?

Are these all doomed by lack of communication too?

I believe "...some museum near Montreal..." already has one in good condition.....

Thread drift, but wasn't there another one which was donated to a Municipality along their original route out of Montreal (Mount Royal?) who were threatening to scrap theirs in recent years as they considered it a liabillity??
Biggest loss was one of the English Electric built ones (originally used by Montreal Harbours Board prior to CN) which was offered to and turned down by the UK National Railway Museum....so none of those got saved.

Someone in a territory where 44-tonners never ran, and/or who wants/needs to actually RUN it. Parts to keep the engines running have become "unobtanium."

Review why the Strasburg RR, a PRR-connected RR with a rail museum across the street, got rid of its PRR 44-tonner--albeit going to one of the only places where PR 44-tonners ran.................

You misspelled "no one who guaranteed the outcome I desired posted on social media about it."

For every sincere, well-intention, AND CAPABLE effort posted on social media, there are probably 5-10 pie-in-the-sky dreamers with fantasies not firmly based in reality--ill-advised "GoFundMe" pages to "rescue/fire up UP 3985/N&W 1218," rebuild a main line from nowhere to nowhere, etc. Verbal social media support is virtually worthless absent many aspects of a greater plan--financial support, a mission plan and purpose, etc.

The price of "free" social media is ignoring and putting up with the mockery and naysaying that is usually inevitable, and listening only for the people who respond with "Tell me more........." or "Outline your plan and let's discuss further......"