This is something that I have a stake in as my little Porter fireless is a key part of their collection. Looks like they have taken a slightly different direction which will hopefully move things forward.
J.R. May

For anyone not that familiar with the line, this is a large tract of land between Rodeo Road and the railroad's shops, just south of (and most visible from) Interstate 40. If you've driven past on I-40 and saw a few odd pieces parked on a siding here, including a Santa Fe boxcar, a Shay (now on display at the hotel complex in town), and the Black Mesa & Lake Powell E60 electric, this is where it's planned.

Local rail historian Al Richmond has been the driving force behind this museum much as George Hart was for the RR Museum of Pennsylvania.

More at this June 2015 photo essay: http://www.azcentral.com/picture-galler ... /71132800/

Now, it's worth pointing out that there's also already an Arizona Railway Museum in Chandler (suburban Phoenix). But in my experience, Phoenix (SP territory, low desert, and I-10) and Williams (AT&SF, high forests, and I-40) have about as much to do with one another as, say, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, or New York City and Buffalo--they're in the same state by accident, seemingly.

So are the cars and locomotives pictured all that they have? Seems like a pretty extensive museum for so few pieces of equipment.

I'm inclined to believe that a few other pieces here and there are potential acquisition targets, and that possibly another piece or two might head up from Chandler..... If I were anyone in that field, it'd be a better case for preservation or potential donation were someone to offer a safe, enclosed home with an active shop up the track.

Not to cast aspersions on anyone, but the California State RR Museum has a few more Santa Fe locos than they can properly tend to at the moment, both steam and diesel....... there are a few nicely preserved Santa Fe reefers in central Arizona if you know where to look.....

And RYPN currently has a thread for operable fireless steam locomotives in the USA - how convenient!!

Although the press release says otherwise, I *believe* the loco in question is not a fireless steam loco, but rather a compressed air loco, of which there were a few in past decades around Arizona mine and smelter operations. I know I have seen at least two floating around Arizona somewhere, one at the museum in Chandler:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_R ... engine.JPG

and a 1925 Porter at Kearney:

http://www.azrymuseum.org/collection/img0183.htm

UPDATE: Okay, I'm wrong, but one look and you'll understand why I was mistaken:

http://www.williamsnews.com/news/2010/o ... es=desktop



http://www.over-land.com/st_apache.html

Yes, the engine in question is a fireless steam locomotive, not a compressed air engine. It had been my engine, restored to run on air here in NJ back in 2006 with a good friend who then died suddenly back in 2010.

I put the engine up for sale and sent it off to Arizona museum after he died.

Apache had a fleet of these engines, several are still in that area, several are floating around the rest of the country. The sister to my engine is in Ohio on a private line.

I am not sure what they have in mind for running it. The original thought was that on air it made a nice demonstration, but to run a loop of track, a steam charge will be required or a towed screw compressor. Either way, its nice to see some progress.

J.R.