Hmm, I wonder if one of these Amtrak MHC cars would pass for a fuax Milw 50 foot express mail boxcar like those HO brass models? This is a O scale MTH model. https://mthtrains.com/20-93280. Link seems to work in IE but not chrome.

Quite surprised the UPRR hasn't taken interest in these type of high speed cars for their heritage program or as more storage around the Cheyenne shops. Same MTH model in UP colors. Looks really good in UPRR colors. https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/fileSendAction/fcType/0/fcOid/57038617520507911/filePointer/57038617523858071/fodoid/57038617523858067/imageType/LARGE/inlineImage/true/MTH%2020-93053%20U.P.%20US%20Mail%20car%20%239355.JPG

Robert

844, 4014, and 3985 all have 8ET

WMSR 734 has 26-FNL, 26 stand and 6-NR distributing valve. If anyone wants to do that conversion, I have the 2A, 2B plates for the distributing valve available. Ad is way back in the RyPN Classifieds-

Didn't take long for this thread to get misrouted to another track...

Actually the brake discussion on the GEs is relevant, one of the first things I thought of when I saw the units were for sale was a report around twenty years ago from an old-time Amtrak engineer about how when using the GEs he sometimes slid past a station stop because the brakes (what he called "not-quite-virtual-reality-brakes") don't apply in a predictable manner, imagine that on a tourist road with sidings full of equipment, bumper posts etc.

I apologize if I poo poo'ed up another discussion.

The brakes are only relevant if someone could actually use one of those generjunk units. Only a few operations could even utilize one of these big powerful, fuel hungry beast. The GCRY being one of the few that comes to mind.

Robert

Metra and the F40's is an option, but they'd probably go to Progress for the same rebuilds that the rest of their fleet has, and that makes them a lot more expensive, and they don't have the money for more rebuilds.

At the end of the day, it's a GP40 with a cowl. The freight bidders may come in higher and better financed. That's not the case witrh the GE's. They're orphaned ugly ducklings. Maybe Mexico might want them...

Amtrak has issued a (rather confusing) update........

One group with which I am working had asked Amtrak "disposal" officials for an update to their donation request for a specific car, and received the following as part of the reply:



We are presuming/assuming that they mistakenly meant "Phase 1" in the first sentence--the offer including the ex-Santa Fe Pacific Parlours, wrecks, and F40PH's, not the latest round of Phase II (baggage/diners/crew-dorms/etc.)still open for bids.

This means that they chose money over donation.

Left unstated, and in immediate need of follow-up by any would-be equipment preservationists, is whether the successful bidders were other preservationists offering cash, for-profit operators, speculators hoping to turn a profit, or scrappers.

This probably also means that no museum is getting anything donated out of the Phase II offer, either.

UPDATE: Amtrak confirmed the typo and above presumption that nobody got a donation. Now to start stalking scrappers...........

Anyone have any other updates? I haven't heard anything yet as to who the successful bidders were on Sale #1. It's been enough time that I assume awards have been made, but the grapevine has been a bit slow so far to report in with any news.

One can only assume that Amtrak didn't donate any big ticket items was because there is no tax advantage to doing so, given its tax-exempt status. Cash sales to scrappers and other entities, however, brings money into the organization.

We ran across a similar issue when the City of Orlando FL was looking to divest themselves of an open-air streetcar. Municipalities are tax-exempt so they wouldn't donate it to us, a 501C3 organization. It wound up being sold to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.

Yep the OSCAR...killed by changing political winds before it could run....
I've never known a city or govt agency to "donate" as a tax writeoff, generally it's political...ie a museum having the right connections,etc...
With the right connections you might get to bid against scrappers, maybe even be guaranteed to win the item...
Govts generally donate to generate good will or support from groups with perceived political power...
Otherwise, you're left with trying to make a deal with the scrappers, sometimes they'll sell to a third party, as long as they get a good profit...

So deals could be made for AEM7s even going to IRM despite them never running in that state but the for the locomotive that moved the nation no one could be bothered to save one?

We've been over this before.

The AEM-7's were assembled at EMD at La Grange, using guts from ASEA and shells assembled by Budd at Red Lion, Pa. IRM presents itself as national and pan-railroading in scope.

If by "the locomotive that moved the nation" you refer to the Amtrak F40PH's, three original Amtrak examples are preserved so far, and the opportunity will exist for further examples to be saved from later/other operators--IRM has supposedly targeted a Chicago MERTRA F40PH for preservation, and Xanterra may be amenable to parcelling out their examples when they are finally retired, depending on many factors. (Two groups with whom I spoke decided not to pursue the acquisition of any of these last Amtrak F40PH's for reasons like this.)

Are you aware of a museum that requested a donation of an F40PH? As I've noted above, other parties made specific, highly detailed requests for specific preservation targets (I should know--I composed at least one letter for a group) and were rebuffed.

The Amtrak ones are the best ones to save as they are the ones that set the standared for all the other units the comuter railroads got. Granted some of the higher 400s were from Go. The only two units saved is the one at the Calaforina State Railroad Museume, and the 231 that last I heard was sitting on a sideing at a train station. The other unit that was got from Amtrak for $1 will be taken out of preservation and used as a test bed for a battery powered green locomotive.

[/quote] None of them were for the F40s if I understood right.

And you "understood" this how?

Even the parties that made formal bids or donation requests have had to badger Amtrak for official responses.