The ALCO Historical & Technical Society is looking for help from the preservation community in saving a rare ALCO RSC2, currently located in Utica NY from scrapping. We are not asking for your money (although if you would like to donate we will gladly accept it), instead we are seeking the services of a professional mover/crane company to bid on moving the locomotive, along with a former Santa Fe diner and PRR caboose from their current display location, approximately one city block across a parking lot to active RR track. So far estimates through local companies are coming in much higher than expected.

Here is some background: The equipment is currently owned by the Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter, NRHS and on display next to the Utica Children's Museum. Well publicized has been the situation that has taken place between the current management at the Children's Museum and the NRHS chapter that has resulted in the need for the equipment to be removed from the property. This has resulted in our organization and our partner in the project, the Remsen Development Corporation (RDC, of Remsen Depot fame) having the opportunity to acquire the equipment from the Utica Chapter. Both of our organizations have what we believe to be reasonable budgets in place to pay for the job, but we have been un-successful in finding a company willing to do the job for real-world numbers. If anyone here has a company they have worked with before that will work with non-profits and is capable of doing the job, we are looking for suggestions. Time is of the essence, because the Utica chapter has decided that if a plan cannot be made in the next few months, scrapping will be put on the table in order to remove it from Museum property.

Pics can be found here:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=315741
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1694765
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2622254

Websites with little info on the project (sorry):

http://remsendepot.com/
http://ahts.org/

I thought that diner had been sold and moved several years ago. Did the sale fall through?

The situation leading up to these events has been playing out for years and has gone though the courts. Plus the equipment was listed for sale at one point. Maybe that is what you are thinking of.

Where might one send a donation? This is, of course, a worthy cause!!

Right now donations can be mailed to the ALCO Historical &Technical Society, P.O. Box 1029, Schenectady NY 12301. Specify "RSC2 Project". We are working on a page on our website with a PayPal link and more info, but is not yet up.

I was just wondering if anything has been done with the cab from the ALCO FA ? What a neat discovery that was !

Kevin K.

If I am seeing things correctly on google maps it looks like you are sitting at 90* to the live rail just across the parking lot. Is panel track not an option here? It looks like there is enough room to get them turned around and tied in with a little ingenuity. I would think this would be much more appealing cost wise.

jb

The first two quotes were done using panel track with volunteer labor assistance, from the back of the display. The main problem is that there is a 4 to 5 ft. height difference between the parking lot and the display track, which will require fill and/or cribbing. It is much more level to the road at the front of the display and this is how the second quote was done, with rolling the equipment forward and using jacks and dollies. A contractor with heavy lifting equipment will need to be there regardless to assist in rolling or lifting. Incidentally all three companies came in around the same price range but all groups involved agree that the prices are still too high.



The FA cab was displaced when we were forced to vacate our museum site in Schenectady last year. It was placed into storage over the winter and then moved next to my hobby shop in the spring. It was then given a mild cosmetic restoration (cleaning and paint) which still needs completing (lettering/numbering). We still have long term plans for a more thorough cosmetic/structural restoration and conversion to a locomotive simulator. This has been put on the back burner though, until we can find a more permanent museum location.

That possibility was discussed in this earlier RYPN thread: Update on Utica & Mohawk Valley NRHS Equipment (9/6/2013)