Railway Preservation News :: View topic - The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury

I'm actually feeling pretty good as opposed to the language used by some of the other posters. Train99 is just a common troll and should be equally ignored in light of civil discussion. Going back to the topic I find it quite interesting that a museum with the mission of preserving "New England" rail history has both an ex-CP 4-6-2 and a 2-6-2 from Alabama. Taking in all there was you missed the most important piece of history, the one locomotive that represented the story of your hometown. I don't have anything against the RMNE for this fault but it feels like a bit of negligence nonetheless. An outsider from afar should not be finding something missed by the local preservationists I'm very sorry. What we should now be doing as a community is learning from this mistake to minimize future losses as such. You indeed can't save everything but you can hold priorities to make sure the most telling of artifacts are saved.

Author:	Dennis Storzek [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 11:55 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
I didn't say it wasn't a "real" locomotive. I said it wasn't a railroad locomotive, it's an industrial locomotive. Whether it belongs in a railroad museum is open for debate... I tend to think not.

Author:	John T [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 12:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
You seem to have a very narrow deffinition of railroad. If it has flanged wheels and ran on rails that is good enough for me. If only real railroad equipment was allowed in railroad museums the West would be a lot poorer. A lot of the locomotives and cars came from privet logging railroads. Industrial switching is where most of the freight for the mainline roads started and stopped. Railroads didn't stop at the plant gate. A lot of people who can't save an SD40-2 can afford a small industrial locomotive. I know of several privet collections that are now treasured artifacts in museums. You don't have to help just don't rain on the guy's parade.

Author:	Dennis Storzek [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Yes, logging locomotives belong in logging museums, of which there are several out west. As to the people who can't afford an SD40-2 but can afford a little critter, well people can collect whatever they want, for their own collection. But museums are supposed to be different... they are supposed to tell the public a story, beyond, "it's here because we thought it was neat." If the purpose of the museum is to present the majesty of American railroading to the public, they can't do the job with a moldy sealed window coach pulled by a gas-mechanical. It would be like sending Rick Rowland's J&L 58 up to Wiscasset for service on the WW&F, heck, they both use flanged wheels, and the gauge is even the same, or almost.

Author:	Utah Josh [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 3:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Dennis Storzek wrote: Yes, logging locomotives belong in logging museums, of which there are several out west. You can't say that the Sumpter Valley is a logging museum. They are an excellent railroad museum that preserves railroad equipment used in the logging industry, yes, but they do not preserve the logging industry itself.

Author:	Dennis Storzek [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 4:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Point taken... but still, they have their focus, which is equipment from railroads that served the logging industry. Much as Cass does in the east. Neither is trying to portray itself as a museum of the railroad industry as a whole, and that's all well and good. There are other places that attempt that, for better or worse. Back to the OP, the reason that none of the local museums have (or had) jumped on this incredible find is they have a good handle on what their mission is, and this piece just didn't fit.

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The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=39957	Page 2 of 3

Author:	elecuyer [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 5:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Dennis Storzek wrote: It would be like sending Rick Rowland's J&L 58 up to Wiscasset for service on the WW&F, heck, they both use flanged wheels, and the gauge is even the same, or almost. We joked about that at the WW&F. #58 would destroy our light 32lb yard rail and switches. Back on topic, if the "Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury" does exist, we may have a use for it at the WW&F. It looks similar to the 2' Plymouth we already have. If it could be regauged or used as a parts source, we might be interested. (Note this is pure speculation by one member, me, and not anything official.) If that were to occur, now we would be using this Industrial critter to help tell the story of Maine's common-carrier two-footers. Would that make it a peice of railroad equipment?

Author:	thebigham [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:35 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Looking at Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/GwGM6sNcVBC2 It's gone.

Author:	Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Sun Oct 30, 2016 7:58 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Looking at premium Google Earth Pro, it vanished (or at least moved from that spot between two buildings) sometime between 2006 and 2008.

Author:	David H. Hamley [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 7:53 am ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
The loco is a Plymouth DL model, probably 8 tons. The wheel covers were characteristic of many such locos PLW built for WWII ammo plants. Of course it IS a locomotive. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you don't like such small locos, fine. But lots of us do appreciate them, preserve them, restore them, and operate them. We have a lot of fun doing it and at the same time contributing to the history of railroading. To each is own.......

Author:	Train99 [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:35 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
This kid makes a few phone calls to buy one lousy boxcar and suddenly thinks he can save every other piece of scrap out there...hows the FM in Galveston coming btw?

Author:	John T [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Hey Traine99, lay off the guy! He has saved a boxcar, that is more than most people have. It isn't your money or time he is spending so what is your beef? As many have noted this looks to be a dying hobby. The only way it will last is to encourage the young.

Author:	robertjohndavis [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Train99 wrote: This kid makes a few phone calls to buy one lousy boxcar and suddenly thinks he can save every other piece of scrap out there...hows the FM in Galveston coming btw? I think you are confusing one person with another. Rob

Author:	bigjim4life [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 2:49 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Jeff Lisowski wrote: This is why we can't have nice things... And this is why some members of the younger generation of railroading/potential preservationists are turned off to the hobby - by negativity and crap like that (not you, Jeff, but certain prior posters).

Author:	Cameron Wolk [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 4:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
I'm actually feeling pretty good as opposed to the language used by some of the other posters. Train99 is just a common troll and should be equally ignored in light of civil discussion. Going back to the topic I find it quite interesting that a museum with the mission of preserving "New England" rail history has both an ex-CP 4-6-2 and a 2-6-2 from Alabama. Taking in all there was you missed the most important piece of history, the one locomotive that represented the story of your hometown. I don't have anything against the RMNE for this fault but it feels like a bit of negligence nonetheless. An outsider from afar should not be finding something missed by the local preservationists I'm very sorry. What we should now be doing as a community is learning from this mistake to minimize future losses as such. You indeed can't save everything but you can hold priorities to make sure the most telling of artifacts are saved.

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Author:	cjvrr [ Mon Oct 31, 2016 4:33 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: The Lonely Locomotive of Waterbury
Are you seriously faulting an organization for something that has been gone for nearly 10 years and may not ever have been available to them? You are definitely not gaining any friends with comments like that. Cameron Wolk wrote: I'm actually feeling pretty good as opposed to the language used by some of the other posters. Train99 is just a common troll and should be equally ignored in light of civil discussion. Going back to the topic I find it quite interesting that a museum with the mission of preserving "New England" rail history has both an ex-CP 4-6-2 and a 2-6-2 from Alabama. Taking in all there was you missed the most important piece of history, the one locomotive that represented the story of your hometown. I don't have anything against the RMNE for this fault but it feels like a bit of negligence nonetheless. An outsider from afar should not be finding something missed by the local preservationists I'm very sorry. What we should now be doing as a community is learning from this mistake to minimize future losses as such. You indeed can't save everything but you can hold priorities to make sure the most telling of artifacts are saved.