Lately I've wondered about plans for various steam engines to be restored that never happened. There are clear ones like N&W 611 for the American Freedom Train for 2716 and/or 576 for the Clinchfield. But what other locomotives were considered for restorations through history that either happened later or never happened at all?

I especially am interested if there's talk of other steam engines considered for the Clinchfield program like 2716 and 576 were.

This isn't quite what you asked for, but the small number of us who want to see NdeM #3028 restored have sure been disappointed a lot of times for an awful long time, with little rational hope of ever seeing her run (Yea, or maybe running her MYSELF...)

I know Southern 154 was proposed to be restored for the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville. That never took place as it would sit in Chilhowee Park for nearly 30 more years before being rescued and restored.

I know there were 2 NKP Berks that were considered for the AFT, 759 and 757 I believe.

I believe that Bill Purdie looked over 576 at one point for the Southern steam program.

Graham Claytor and Bill Purdie made an offer to buy GTW 5629 from Dick Jensen to turn it into a faux Ps4, Jensen rejected the offer.

You might tag this topic with locomotive operating in restoration which went in for rebuild and never revived. NH&I 1533 leaps to the head of the line as well as the little 2-6-2 which once operated in N. Conway, NH.

Speaking of the Knoxville World's Fair, I remember a newspaper article I think in 1980 that spoke of a plan for a tourist steam train from Bristol to Knoxville using CB&Q 4960. 4960 was on the Bristol & Northwestern then. I think the idea was that hotel rooms around Knoxville would be hard to find and fair visitors would "commute" from Bristol. Apparently the plan was short lived or not even discussed with Southern Railway over whose tracks would be used. I never heard anything else about this again with nothing in the railfan press about it. I guess it was good that it never happened because the increased demand for hotel rooms was non existant during the fair.

I recall one of the big Santa Fe engines stored as part of the railroad collection was evaluated by them in the 1970s?

Wesley

Southern Pacific 5021, a three-cylinder 4-10-2, was also considered for restoration to operation in the early 1970s and was even towed out for an evaluation, but that fell through. She was towed back to the museum at Pomona where she is now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Pacific_5021

It would be a long, long list to compile some than like this

Many larger Museums have considered other locomotives in restoration for operation but it just didn’t or hasn’t happened for financial reasons or just “we like this locomotive better”.

Like I know that Frisco 1522 when it was restored wasn’t the only candidate for operation at MOT in the 1980’s. I am unsure of what others were considered but I know there were others.

Then there’s also the locos who just haven’t had their turn yet. The IRM for a long time had openly expressed a long term desire to restore CB&Q 3007 (a 4-6-4) for their museum mainline. But I imagine that this has been put even further on the back burner with the amount of projects being done to cosmetically spruce up the other steamers in the collection (and with the looooooooong restoration of UP 428, I imagine they want to hold off on restoring something to operate for a while).

I talked to some fellas at the IRM who had said that 3007 is still being considered. Then again, they also said that everyone there has their own favorite that they want to restore, so we'll just have to see how the cookie crumbles.

I personally think that it is a damn shame there are no restored hudsons in this country, but that's just me.

The Bristol and Northwestern lasted from 1980-81 or 82. It ran on a former Southern branchline from Bristol, VA northward. As to the conjuncture with the World's Fair I'm unaware. I do know that 765 ran trips out of Knoxville during the World's Fair when she was leased to Southern.

Add:

Boston and Maine 3713

What are some others still waiting their turn?

Santa Fe in the mid 1970's considered restoring 4-8-4 #2925 to steam.

Rumored as under consideration for several years, they finally moved her from the Belen roundhouse that housed their stored heritage fleet to the Cleburne shop for evaluation circa 1975. I believe potential power for the American Freedom Train was the major impetus behind the Santa Fe getting serious about it.

Not sure what ultimately scuttled it, but it obviously never happened and she returned to Belen in the early 1980's until Santa Fe disposed of their heritage fleet. The story isn't all sad though, since sister #2926 has been restored and moved under her own power today for the first time in seven decades and will soon give us a chance to see what almost came to be in the 1970's.

Long Island Rail Road #35 (PRR built G5 4-6-0) was going to be restored to operation by the Black River & Western sometime in the mid 1970’s. They even removed some items off of the locomotive and brought them to NJ to restore. For many years their #60 ran with #35’s air compressor., which has since been returned.

The story I heard was that the person at the BR&W (the owner at the time?) who wanted it to happen passed away and the project was canceled. I’d be interested to know more about the story.

Roger

CP 972 might fall into this category?

Yes, it was revived for a first excursion career but was mid-overhaul when it was sold to Strasburg. Understandably, Strasburg has 3 well-maintained engines so there is no demand for it's restoration.

I think Kelly Anderson commented in a different thread that the engine is their "basket case" as no one wants to buy it and they have no need for it.

Long-story-short: never revived from overhaul.