Hello All,

In an attempt to get ahead of the rumor mill I am pleased to announce that the 614 will soon move, dead-in-tow courtesy of NS from Port Clinton,Pa. where she has been stored since 2000 to Roanoke,Va. to be part of an upcoming celebration at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

Details of the VMT program will be issued soon by the VMT on their website.

Mechanical preparatory work is now in progress at Port Clinton in a non-public area of this busy freight railroad and visitors are NOT permitted in this area so please do NOT attempt to come on the property at this time.

There will be ample opportunites in the near future for that, as will be announced by the VMT. Your cooperation is solicited and will be appreciated.

Thank you, Ross Rowland

That great, Ross. Will she return there or go somewhere else afterwards?

Steve

Well done, Ross. Very positive.

Wow, this is exciting news. Can't wait for 614 to come to the VMT soon.

Thanks Ross!!!

Martin

Thanks Ross for the update! ^_^

It's been a while since Virginia Museum of Transportation had a C&O steamer. C&O 1604 was moved from VMT to the B&O Museum back in day. C&O 614 would look good next to N&W 611 & 1218. Hopefully, you can get the locomotive put back together in time for that special VMT party.

In answer to Steve's question above, yes, there will be future moves after her time at the VMT.

The VMT will be issueing a press release in the near future with all the details of the program ( www.vmt.org) and will include in that release the facts about her future moves.

Best to all for a peaceful Thanksgiving.

Ross Rowland

Does this mean there will be a change in ownership in the 614?

Bob H

No change in ownership.

Ross Rowland

No change in ownership, she's on the move and may be again? I call that a winner. Getting anything done in this economy is a minor miracle. It's also a good excuse to go to Roanoke again if we can swing it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pleased to report that the 614 weathered her 10 years stored outside amazingly well.

We did do all possible to preserve her exposed surfaces with Cosmolean when we stored her in 2000 and the addition of shrink wrapping her boiler jacket made a HUGE difference. I very much recommend properly vented shrink wrapping for anything that has to spend extended periods exposed to the elements.

The mechanical prep work under the direction of Scott Lindsay is going well and her move to Roanoke should happen before Dec. 15.

So far so good!!

Ross Rowland

Ross: Are we looking at a pairing of your locomotive with the N&W 611, for shall we say, more than display purposes? You once wrote of a trio of r/b equipped steam locos for operation. Will you post a short list in the near future?
I think I can honestly say, we are all enthused at the reports of 614's good health!

Umm---isn't this the forum where 'loose lips sink ships' has become somewhat of a watchword? I'm sure when Mr. Rowland is ready he'll tell us what his plans are.

Shrink wrap is a new one on me, but sounds very practical, such as IRM using tarps protecting from weather, I wonder if heavy duty shrink wrap would survive the elements better and not get whipped about by heavy winds.

For well known reasons the Greenbrier Express operation will be an all diesel experience powered by a fleet of 3 C39-8 locomotives. 2 will be on the train with the 3rd. being in cycle maintenance.

As to the issue of shrink wrap vs. tarps we have found the shrink wrap is VERY superior. It has been our experience that tarps sooner than later get torn loose by the wind no matter how well secured while the shrink wrap we just removed from 614 had been on there for 5 years and was still in good shape and doing the job. The best we ever got from a tarp was one year.

The key to a successful shrink wrap is to properly ventilate it so there's no sweating underneath!!

Ross Rowland

Ok Ross I have a question about the shrink wrap. I have used this when I was driving truck to secure freight on pallets and a few other innovated uses. One should always keep a roll handy. Almost as good as duct tape depending. I know they have been shrink wrapping stored boats and when shipping fire trucks over seas {Pierce Mfg}. So the uses are not new and are used in industrial applications all the time. Question, on something as odd shaped as a steam locomotive and all the piping and appliances how does one go about ventalating the shrink wrap to avoid sweating. In much smaller applications I find sweating under tarps or shrink wrap a real problem to keep up with. Trapped moisture can obviously be worse than the elements without protected coverage. Of course rust proofing or cosmoline helps, but it is the ventilation I am interested in. Thanks in advance and well done on your storage success. Cheers, John.