<P>Hi;<p>I had heard that 2860 needs lots of work,and<br>that the government in British Columbia is<br>not currently going to fund the overhaul.<p>Anybody know any more about this? <p>John.<br>




john.stewart@crc.ca

<P>Double tragedy if this is true, with #2839 going to static display in California (of all places). Glad to see CPR renewing their active steam program, but I think the loss of the Royals marks a black day for steam preservation. Similar to the loss of the N&W A and J class locomotives that were in near operable condition, what is to be gained by sticking them on a platform? I suppose it could be argued that the locomotives are not going to scrap, and will be available for the future...<br>Would anyone care to expand on this opinion?<br> <br>




aurora7@juno.com

<P>If true, the retirement of #2860 would indeed be a tragedy, not just for Canada, but for railfans worldwide. I can only hope that if it is true, that Rob Ritchie decides that #2816 needs a stablemate in Calgary. Afterall, #'s 2860-2864 were built in 1940 as oil burners for service in Western Canada, originally assigned to run between Vancouver and Revelstoke, with Selkirk's assigned between Revelstoke and Calgary, so #2860 wouldn't be that much out of place. <p>I would have preferred a Royal to #2816, but as long as CPR is embracing steam (for many years they were as bad as BN used to be), I'm not going to complain. A Royal Hudson would have reminded the public of CPR's and indeed all of Canada's ties to the Crown.<p>One can only hope that the tourism interests in and around Vancouver will put enough pressure on BC Rail or the BC provincial government to cough up the money. I'm equally upset about #2839 being stuffed and mounted in California, and yes the complete absence of a Royal Hudson from the excursion scend would be as traumatic as losing the N&W pair. As I said at the time, to me it was as bad as if the Baltimore Orioles were disbanded. It wasn't the end of the world, but the quality of life just hasn't been the same.<br>




kevingillespie@usa.net