4-4-0 Reno Shipped Overseas

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Sep 18, 2018 7:06 pm

At this point, I have to resort to the old internet trope:

Pictures, or it didn't happen......

Tim Moriarty · **Joined:** Thu Jun 22, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 372

During my USAF years (a very long time ago) I recall there was a regulation, possibly AFR 173-13, that provided cost estimates for just about everything, to include types of aircraft by the hour. Probably the cheapest was a Huey helicopter at about $1000/hour back then (1990). Big transport aircraft such as C-141s and C-5s were astronomically higher. I would imagine commercial aircraft costs would be in the same sky-high range, but I don't see how or why anyone would pay to fly an old locomotive over to Europe (and back again) when ship transport would be less expensive.

Some posters here have discussed the technical aspects regarding the feasibility of such a flight. Does anyone have estimates for chartering large commercial aircraft for trans-Atlantic flights?

Great Western · **Posted:** Tue Sep 18, 2018 8:42 pm

It has been done. Locomotive shipped from former GM plant in London, Ontario to Ireland.
https://www.joc.com/economy-watch/locom ... 40731.html

https://tomtdowling.wordpress.com/2013/ ... n-airport/

DJSullivan · **Joined:** Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:58 am **Posts:** 89

The attached is from the 24 Aug 1988 Arizona Daily Star of Tucson. Unfortunately, I find no accompanying article. But at least we've some sort of confirmation and a date to guide future search.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Sep 18, 2018 9:52 pm

Okay, page 17, first page of the Metro/State section.

So the next question would be:

What was the program filmed in Switzerland, and is there a record of that about?

hamster · **Posted:** Tue Sep 18, 2018 10:09 pm

Great Western wrote:

It has been done. Locomotive shipped from former GM plant in London, Ontario to Ireland.
https://www.joc.com/economy-watch/locom ... 40731.html

https://tomtdowling.wordpress.com/2013/ ... n-airport/

The JOC link requires membership to see the article. Bummer, because I don't sign up for stuff that I will visit once or twice in the next 5 years.

DJSullivan · **Joined:** Thu Mar 20, 2014 11:58 am **Posts:** 89

The "show" was a static display at the Swiss Museum of Transport at Lucerne, during the fall of 1988. There is a brief note in the August 1988 issue of the Nevada State Railroad Museum's "Sagebrush Headlight" newsletter. Transportation was via Houston, but I have no information on mode of transport.

JMann · **Posted:** Wed Sep 19, 2018 3:34 pm

DJSullivan wrote:

Transportation was via Houston, but I have no information on mode of transport.

The Port of Houston has seen lots of locomotives loaded and off-loaded from ships. For example the Southern Pacific Krauss-Maffie locomotives entered the US there. Seems that since Houston is listed as a via point it is pretty reasonable to think the Reno went by ship.

hamster · **Posted:** Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:42 pm

DJSullivan wrote:

The "show" was a static display at the Swiss Museum of Transport at Lucerne, during the fall of 1988. There is a brief note in the August 1988 issue of the Nevada State Railroad Museum's "Sagebrush Headlight" newsletter. Transportation was via Houston, but I have no information on mode of transport.

Air freight sounds orders of magnitude too expensive for a static display at a museum. Shipment by sea sounds much more likely.