It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 12:59 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Thu Oct 14, 2010 10:51 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
Visited CPR 453, O. Winston Link's 4-6-0, at New Hartford, New York, today. According to gentleman at nearby business, she's been sold to the O.W.L. Museum, and is supposed to be transported there this year. The locomotive is missing plenty of linkage and essential parts. On site story is, they were put in a boxcar for storage, and the boxcar was lost or scrapped. She's fairly well kept where she is today, but is essentially stripped of everything.

Image

Image

Image
Image
Image[/url]

_________________
"It's only impossible until it's done." -Nelson Mandela


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:55 am 

Joined: Mon May 22, 2006 7:42 pm
Posts: 148
Location: Newark, Delaware
I find it interesting that the locomotive will be shipped and displayed in Roanoke. I fully understand the connection with OWL and why it could be displayed at the OWL museum. Personally to me it does not really fit. But perhaps it is to show that OWL was more than just N&W night photography, and that he had a passion for steam. But I think it might be hard to explain why there is a CPR steam locomotive displayed in Roanoke. I hope that the museum has the appropriate resources to care for her. Who if anybody cares for her now? I sure don't want to dampen anybody's enthusiasm for this project. If it is well cared for and appropriately interpreted then that will be a terrific piece of preservation.

DId OWL photograph much CPR? Or did he just want to own his own steam locomotive?

Thanks for the update.

Tom


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:57 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:58 am
Posts: 728
Quote:
I find it interesting that the locomotive will be shipped and displayed in Roanoke.


453 reflects O. Winston Link's love of steam and the lengths he went to in pursuit of steam. It's unfortunate that he wasn't able to acquire an N&W engine since so much of his life's work was done there, but 453 was probably available when he had the resources and inspiration to preserve an engine. Hopefully they'll interpret how he made his decision.

It would have been nice to see this pretty little girl come home to Canada, but she has so many vital parts missing and the asking price was way out of line. Very few museums here could have justified the expenditure, given her condition.

Could it be that the O.W.L. museum has different mission and priorities than the rest of us? They're dedicated to the life and work of one incredibly talented man, where the rest of us are devoted to the more technical aspects and railroading's impact on society as a whole.

Hopefully they can replicate the parts, perhaps from wood, make her pretty, and find a spot where she can live indoors.

This is probably the best outcome for this D-4.

Steve Hunter
Cardinal, Ontario


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 1:03 pm 
User avatar

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:07 am
Posts: 1114
Location: Northeastern US
Just FYI, the Brattleboro Museum (Brattleboro, Vermont) is having an exhibition of Link's work, ongoing through October 24th. The exhibit consists of 24 signed silver-gelatin photographic prints on loan to BMAC.

Stephen


Last edited by Stephen Hussar on Sat Oct 16, 2010 6:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 5:23 pm 

Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:50 pm
Posts: 567
As an alternative, 453 sure would like nice on the Adirondack Scenic RR, burning oil of course, and steaming up into the Adirondacks. She's right there in NY already. But, I can appreciate keeping her near the OW Link Museum in Roanoke.

I'll get down behind the desk now as the flaming arrows start a-flyin'.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:21 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:56 am
Posts: 1330
Location: Roanoke Va.
This caught me by surprise today, as there has been nothing about the 453 on the local "rumor mill", other than the fact that some folks from the Link Museum supposedly looked at the engine a while back. I forwarded this post to Jeanne Bollendorf, executive director of "Link"s parent organization, the Historical Society of Western Virginia. Here is the response:

"Thanks for sending Gary – this is not accurate. The Link Museum has not purchased this engine, perhaps there is some confusion with VMT? We do not have interest in acquiring engines or other rolling stock that requires expensive maintenance.

Jeanne M. Bollendorf
Executive Director, Historical Society of Western Virginia "

The Link Museum does own OWL's other piece of full size rail equipment, an N&W caboose that was given to him in 1989. I really don't see this engine ever coming down here. Both VMT and the Roanoke Chapter are in the process of focusing their equipment collections. VMT is going for a Virginia-only collection, and the Chapter is moving is a close regional direction.

_________________
Gary


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 10:39 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 11:26 am
Posts: 4642
Location: Maine
Gary, thanks for following up my post and clarifying the official story. I couldn't imagine her being trucked to Virginia, and for what reason, but that's what I was told. Don't kill the messenger, guys! She'd be a perfect little steamer for a route in Maine or New Brunswick. I wonder how much it would cost to fabricate the pieces or bring her back? Figuring in boiler rehab, most likely more than is warranted.

_________________
"It's only impossible until it's done." -Nelson Mandela


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Fri Oct 15, 2010 11:30 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 10:56 am
Posts: 1330
Location: Roanoke Va.
Hey Dick, don't sweat it. "Wishfull Thinking" always seems to take on a life of it's own. I can't count the number of times I've been told that "NS is going to restore 611 for excursion service". When I hear it from Wick Moorman, I might begin to think there's something to the rumor. I'll become a true believer when I'm hanging out a vestibule on the first trip up Christiansburg Mountain.....................:)


Gary
Old Cynic, Va.


Offline
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Ex-CPR 453 at New Hartford, New York
PostPosted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 7:02 am 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 8:10 am
Posts: 2499
Link also owned Rutland combine #255, which languished in NJ for many years. It is now in way upstate NY and last I heard it was stored indoors.

Rob

_________________
Rob


Offline
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]


 Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], philip.marshall, QJdriver, Trackwalker and 114 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: