Always gracious in his opinions, I thank you Don Fisher for you consideration, rumination, and reflection on all these comments. The Railroad Museum of Long Island is well served and has made steady progress under your leadership.
Thank you.

If my math is correct, aren't there 4 surviving LI RS-3s out there out of 10 units? There's one in Florida, another at the Age of Steam roundhouse property, another in Illinios and the 1556 still on Long Island? 4 out of 10 is a pretty good survival rate (40%).

How many LI engines still exist? I heard of an RS-1 still around somewhere and the 25 tonner at RMLI, any others?

LIRR S1 407 is operating on CMRR and LIRR S1 417 is derelict in Colonie, NY.

That's why he's the boss :-)

All three 25 ton engines remain on Long Island. 399 is under my care while 398 and 397 are at the Oyster Bay RR Museum. The Ct Eastern RR Museum also has the only LIRR 44 toner, right now as there 800 I believe. There is also an RS-1 somewhere in Middle America. Not sure about the RS-3 situation but I know 1555 was recently scraped. The GP-38's still roam around the Midwest while four of them are still here working for New York and Atlantic Railway, the current freight contractor for MTA Long Island Rail Road. The ALCO C-420's are around as well somewhere I believe.

Anthony

RS1 467, a P72 coach, and a lirr caboose all reside at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, Indiana stored by a private owner. The museum is currently in the process of buying the coach from its current owner.

Ryan

Ryan -

HVRM has "closed the deal" and is now the formal owner of P72 coach #2937.

The owner of RS1 #467 intends to restore the Alco to its Long Island paint scheme.

Les

Gentle Forum Members,

Thank you for your kind words. We do appreciate the knowledge and opinions of those on this Board.

Within the past twelve months LIRR RS-3 #1555 was parted out and scrapped in Florida. It had been inundated with water during either Hurricane Andrew or Hugo and had been cannibalized following that. IIRC the 1555 was the "other" new RS-3 that carried the Boy Scouts and dignitaries away from the October 8, 1955 End of Steam Ceremony at Hicksville. Rest in Peace.

Congratulations to HVRM on acquisition of the #2937, it's one good looking car. I look forward to seeing the RS-1 in LIRR livery! My fellow FREDs have done great works, may they continue!! :-)

de Don n2qhvRMLI

Pretty solid rumor says the 467 at Hoosier will be restored in the Tichy (light gray) paint scheme, possibly the most beautiful scheme ever applied to a Long Island Diesel. The passenger coach at Hoosier wears the dark gray paint scheme, and is almost a perfect LIRR restoration.
1555 did get parted out and scrapped for all the reason Don cited. It was the other "End of Steam" Diesel exchange unit, having exchanged trains with G5s #35. RS3's 1556 and 1559 are extant. Uncertain about 1553. The last RS2 was recently cut up. Four Long Island C420's are known to still be intact, one being preserved in Mexico. At least two are operating for short lines.

That's a fact. As for getting shades right, color matching is hard. It takes real forensic research to ascertain a color's true color and "fix" it to a standard notation system so you can get the same color again 20 years hence. Formulas don't help you because pigments go obsolete. Wet samples dry out, dry samples can even drift in the office file. They will definitely drift on the car, since the old metallic pigments are no longer available. This is much worse with cheap pigments found in cheap paint, made to look good only the day they go on.


Paints don't really know from brands, they know chemistry. Assuming you don't buy latex and are price-motivated, you will most likely end up in an alkyd enamel type. Rustoleum topcoats are that type, and that is what Rustoleum primers are made to be compatible with. As always, test a hidden spot. But if it gave problems I'd look first to surface condition (dust, oils).

After it's been primed for awhile the primer will be both dried and cured, and there won't be much of a chemical bond. Scuff sand very lightly to break the gloss on the primer, and then wipedown with solvent to remove contaminants. Just in the areas you're painting today. I often am removing layers where it's obvious the interlayer binding failed because they painted the locomotive dirty. Even the big railroads have done it.

1986 photo of 1556 at the Maryland Midland (not sure if this works, if not, go to the Baltimore Chapter NRHS Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baltimor ... 5824370567 :



Photo of 1555 in Florida months before being scrapped:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2074687

Interesting to see in that pic that atleast 3 LIRR RS-3s stuck together for awhile after being sold off from the LIRR. They mention that one is likely the 1555 but there's also a third in the pic visible too.

So it looks like that the 1556 last ran in the mid 80s. Is the track it's sitting on now at RMLI connected to live rail? In the pics of 1556 and the other equipment behind it you can't really make out if it's just a panel track or a siding.

Indeed, all of our equipment is connected to the Long Island Rail Road Mainline. I am not to certain the track to the main would hold a moving but it is connected. Our yard is a former freight yard used by Long Island Rail Road still used by the track dept.

Anthony

The third was MMID 301, supposedly former LIRR 1559. The trio came from the Gettysburg RR, which as far as I can tell purchased them in 1976 from the LIRR. There appears to be a GREAT deal of confusion as to which loco was numbered which on which railroad, with some roster/photo sites given what is clearly conflicting info as to c/n, etc. Indeed, somebody just posted this photo of what is plainly a MMID excursion train ca. 1985 and labeled it "Akron, Ohio" and gave it a date of December 2011:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=2853415

301 went to the Monticello & Sangamon Valley in Illinois:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0108/msv301.jpg

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=625310

Looking through the ARM/Train magazine for Spring of 2011, I came across Pittsburgh Paints, "Paint it Forward" program. Here's the link:

www.paintitfowardppg.com/index.php/getting_started

Pittsburgh Paints will offer steep discounts for not-for-profits and set aside pretax profits from your charity.

Worth checking out.

The days of asking for donations from businesses is pretty much over. Painting, maintenance, etc. needs to be in any museum budget for a coming year for planning purposes such as fundraising for a specific project, etc.

1556 last ran on LI, around 1991.

Its to bad 1555 met the ax. While she had no operational future in her, she was intact, and dare I say some of her metal was in better shape then 1556's.