Ok thanks for the answer

Maybe i call some Museums in Canada if interest someone who know!!

$100,000 or scrap will see this locomotive meet the torch first. Sadly, there isn't $100,000 worth of scrap metal there. The owner will never recoup his investment (if you are the kind of person who views historical items as such.) I can't believe that someone with a historical asset would make ultimatums in such a way. I thought the preservation community would have learned from shortfalls in the 70s-80s. I guess not. If the owner chooses to make himself known as Dick Jensen Jr., so be it.

If some party seriously wanted this loco--the Age of Steam Roundhouse, the Grand Canyon RR, Strasburg, some excursion line in Canada, whatever--the approach to take would be, "Look, no one is going to give you $100K except while intoxicated after a lottery jackpot. It's going to cost us $100K (or whatever) minimum to get it out of here, and another half-million to get it running, and then we're just doing this out of love. Here's my offer: Get three or five bids from scrappers, and I will beat their best offer by $1,000/$2,500/$5,000. Otherwise, it'll be a curse upon your heirs. Our offer stands even after your passing, if need be."

And you send in an astute salesman, someone who makes a living selling sand to the Bedouins and making them think it was their idea all along.

The only question is, does anyone have any viable economic use for this loco? Even Strasburg and the Grand Canyon both have at least one "spare loco" awaiting rebuilding already, owned free and clear.........

I should add, the boiler has some significant pitting on the surface. Whether that's a factor or not, I can't say. Her appliances are largely present, and "jewelry" may very likely be in storage. Painted up, she looks much better than many locomotive in preservation at this time! But the price and retrieval expenses make no sense to any museum, and while she'd look amazing on some ex-CPR route, like New Brunswick Southern, or Central Maine & Quebec, these companies are just not in the heritage business. I love to see AOS grab her, but for the investment, they can heal a lot of other locos. She's a beauty awaiting the fate of "The Black Dahlia".

Some info from cozephyr on TO:

GCR may have additional spare steam locos in the future. Given the ongoing drought and associated fire risks, I would say that the outlook for steam locomotives in the Southwest is guarded. As someone who has a foot in both railway preservation and environmental preservation, I don't see a bright future for steam here. We are about to enter crisis mode and extreme water use cuts are literally just around the corner-if Lake Meade drops another ten feet or so, we'll hit dead pool. At dead pool, everyone is cut off-no Colorado River water for anyone. That means that Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson will lose more than fifty percent of the water currently available (along with the rest of their respective states). Even with a drop of five feet, AZ, CO and NV lose a large percentage of water (CA has senior rights over everyone else).

Not to pick a fight here. But I am sick of CA getting priority over everyone else. That state has over extended it's natural resources and cannot sustain it's exploded population anymore. They need to build themselves a heck of a large desalination plant to use the abundant sea water around them for drinking water and suffer the cost for the next 100 years. Send the extracted sand out to the desert by rail and dump it someplace in CA.

Robert

I visited with the owner on Sunday and looked over the 5361. Absolutely a restoration candidate if she has a proper venue to operate in.

The owner has some health issues, and he does not want the locomotive to be scrapped. He wants to recoup the investment he has made in the locomotive over the past 32 years. As of right now, the offer is firm, and he would rather see her go to a good home, but those are his terms.

He also has a 12-1 Pullman and a lightweight car for sale as well. They are not in the same location as the 5361.

I have only a small inkling of what it takes to own a locomotive...insurance, paint, security, storage costs. He is not a rich man and is retired. Yes, I was the one who posted on TO.

CA has already agreed to take massive cuts from their Colorado River allotment. They are also exploring desalinization, as there is currently a mothballed desal plant in Santa Monica that was built during the last great drought. It will need massive investment to bring back on line, but it's there. UP has already run the models on running water trains from the Pacific east.

That's the problem, it's not an investment. It was something he wanted to own and had to expend money to keep it - that's the return, he had the pleasure of owning it. If I planted a hedge 32 years ago, and paid someone to trim it every two weeks for three decades, there is no return on investment - only whatever enjoyment I derived from having a hedge. Same thing here. The engine has a value but it's not 100k.

Get the family's contact info and wait until the owner is gone. He's obviously departed from reality already and the heirs are more likely to accept reasonable terms once they've been saddled with a 150+ ton albatross. That's assuming there is a group out there who actually wants it; who can restore it and where can it run? We haven't answered the question yet.

If they're serious about scrapping save it first, then worry about where would it run. It doesn't have to be restored to operating condition.

No, but it does need a sponsor. Otherwise we will be having the same conversation 10-15 years from now.

this sounds like the 643

Exactly right Dave. This owner needs to realize that steam locomotives only cost money ...they are NOT investment vehicles.

If he sticks with his firm 100k price then like the 643 it will end up being scrapped in place.

IMHO-Ross Rowland

As the owner of a very large amount of Lionel Trains, I too subscribe to the "Lifetime Investment in Happiness" theory. Some close to me would say I oversubscribe. And they would be correct.