Many photos taken in 2000 of this 2-6-0 being worked on in Texas for its pending use in Louisiana to haul tourists. The latter venture failed and it is now said to be for sale.

http://www.railspot.com/gif/railspot/sp1744/sp1744.html
ryarger@rypn.org

> Many photos taken in 2000 of this 2-6-0
> being worked on in Texas for its pending use
> in Louisiana to haul tourists. The latter
> venture failed and it is now said to be for
> sale.

OK, so the tourist venture failed, what happened to the locomotive? Did its restoration effort also go into the drink? Anyone have any details?

I think there is a lot of good information that can come out of studying the failures of others. Not only can it prevent repeating mistakes, careful analysis can help other railroad preservation groups set realistic goals.

Upon reflection, I am struck by how many steam engines are sitting around with sincere owners who have well-intentioned hopes of "returning her to operation one day." While I am not out to rain on anyone's parade, I think it helpful to operate in the real world and recognize that only 1 in 10, or 20, or some larger number, will ever steam again.

In many instances, effecting careful cosmetic restorations and meaningful interpretations of the locomotive AND the rail history in the organization's immediate geographic region would be a highly desireable and laudible goal.



http://www.rtms-movietrains.com

> OK, so the tourist venture failed, what
> happened to the locomotive? Did its
> restoration effort also go into the drink?
> Anyone have any details?

The repairs went well, and the locomotive steamed up fine. The venture in New Orleans failed, from all accounts due to lack of ridership.

The locomotive is for sale, in operating condition, for $1.5M.

hi_plain@yahoo.com

> The locomotive is for sale, in operating
> condition, for $1.5M.

the price is dropping like a 'dutch auction'. I happened to be on the OMR website last night (if you call 2:30 am 'night') and the 1744 was listed for $900,000.

Less than 12 hours later it's listed at $800,000 (almost half of the price mentioned above).

Let's see, at the current rate they'll start offering to pay you to take it off of their hands sometime early next week....

Oh, Mr. Lacey can we call an emergency meeting of the HVRR BOD?

sc 'doc' lewis

Ozark Mountain Railcar

utweyesguy@aol.com

> Oh, Mr. Lacey can we call an emergency
> meeting of the HVRR BOD?

> sc 'doc' lewis

Rather it would find its way back to Texas, IMO..

hi_plain@yahoo.com

> The repairs went well, and the locomotive
> steamed up fine. The venture in New Orleans
> failed, from all accounts due to lack of
> ridership.

> The locomotive is for sale, in operating
> condition, for $1.5M.

Was this the locomotive that originally worked in or around Dallas, Fort Worth, for a while?? That operation had a truly authentic name, the Tarantula Train, or something hokey like that?

That a city like New Orleans could not support a steam powered tourist train, and that the price of this locomotive is coming down, strongly suggests something about the railroad marketplace. Anyone care to comment on when the market for train rides will reach saturation?

> Was this the locomotive that originally
> worked in or around Dallas, Fort Worth, for
> a while?? That operation had a truly
> authentic name, the Tarantula Train, or
> something hokey like that?

> That a city like New Orleans could not
> support a steam powered tourist train, and
> that the price of this locomotive is coming
> down, strongly suggests something about the
> railroad marketplace. Anyone care to comment
> on when the market for train rides will
> reach saturation?

Yep, I will.

New Orleans is really an "adult"playground, and riding a steam train thru peoples back yards on one side and looking at an earthen river levy on the other didn't exactly qualify as "scenic".

Half the point of going to the trouble of running steam is to have open windows to get the experience. I don't know which is hotter and more humid; the gulf coast, or the inside of a boiler.

> Was this the locomotive that originally
> worked in or around Dallas, Fort Worth, for
> a while?? That operation had a truly
> authentic name, the Tarantula Train, or
> something hokey like that?

Kinda yes but mostly no.

The Tarantula Train was created as an operation of the the Fort Worth & Western shortline, using former SP 4-6-0 2248 as power. FW&W eventually decided the operation was a distraction, and spun it off to a company called Coe Sun. That company proved to be incompetent and nearly ran the operation into the ground and was expelled by FW&W under court order. The City of Grapevine ended up leasing the equipment, taking over the Tarantula Train brand name, hiring its own crews to maintain 2248, and contracting with FW&W to supply the train operating crews.

1744, the 2-6-0, was restored by the Rio Grande Pacific Corporation at Fort Worth & Western's 8th Avenue Yard in Fort Worth. It made some break-in runs on the Tarantula Train, but it was never really part or the Tarantula Train operation in any regular sense.

Confused yet?

BTW, the Tarantula Train refers to a famous railroad promoter and rela estate speculator's map of Fort Worth--it's not quite as inauthentic an hokey as all that--there is a smidgen of real history behind it. Anyway, it's also now a well-recognized local brand.

eledbetter@rypn.org

> Yep, I will.

Me too. I don't think a "train ride" will sell as many tickets as it used to, mostly because of various market changes rather than saturation. Then ones that will do well are located in places which are in themselves draws, preferably on the correct side of the river if applicable, and show the riders something pleasant in comfort.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> Kinda yes but mostly no.

> The Tarantula Train was created as an
> operation of the the Fort Worth &
> Western shortline, using former SP 4-6-0
> 2248 as power. FW&W eventually decided
> the operation was a distraction, and spun it
> off to a company called Coe Sun. That
> company proved to be incompetent and nearly
> ran the operation into the ground and was
> expelled by FW&W under court order. The
> City of Grapevine ended up leasing the
> equipment, taking over the Tarantula Train
> brand name, hiring its own crews to maintain
> 2248, and contracting with FW&W to
> supply the train operating crews.

> 1744, the 2-6-0, was restored by the Rio
> Grande Pacific Corporation at Fort Worth
> & Western's 8th Avenue Yard in Fort
> Worth. It made some break-in runs on the
> Tarantula Train, but it was never really
> part or the Tarantula Train operation in any
> regular sense.

> Confused yet?

> BTW, the Tarantula Train refers to a famous
> railroad promoter and rela estate
> speculator's map of Fort Worth--it's not
> quite as inauthentic an hokey as all
> that--there is a smidgen of real history
> behind it. Anyway, it's also now a
> well-recognized local brand.
The 1744 was received from the Heeper Creeper in Utah,and was briefly steamed on the FW&W in both passenger and freight service before being taken out of service. She was then rebuilt and taken to New Orleans.

kbcotton@flash.net

> The 1744 was received from the Heeper
> Creeper in Utah,and was briefly steamed on
> the FW&W in both passenger and freight
> service before being taken out of service.
> She was then rebuilt and taken to New
> Orleans.

Thanks, Kenneth, appreciate the clarification!

eledbetter@rypn.org

Authentic? yes.

(hope the link works)

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~cirillo/tarant2.htm

> Was this the locomotive that originally
> worked in or around Dallas, Fort Worth, for
> a while?? That operation had a truly
> authentic name, the Tarantula Train, or
> something hokey like that?

> That a city like New Orleans could not
> support a steam powered tourist train, and
> that the price of this locomotive is coming
> down, strongly suggests something about the
> railroad marketplace. Anyone care to comment
> on when the market for train rides will
> reach saturation?


http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~cirillo/tarant2.htm
camerongwallace@comcast.net

Isn't the 745 and the LASTA organization close to New Orleans?

I was glad to hear that the 745 is now finished.

JD

mnfrailhist@hotmail.com

> Isn't the 745 and the LASTA organization
> close to New Orleans?

> I was glad to hear that the 745 is now
> finished.

Perhaps someone closer to "ground zero" disagree; but I think the biggest problem with the former "Big Easy" Steam Train was lack of advertising.

I tried to find the train itself on my way to ride the Steamboat Natchez (another steam ride in the New Orleans area that appears to be doing well.) The were no signs anywhere; the train itself was not in New Orleans, but on a siding just off LA Highway 1 in Bell Chase. There were no signs on Interstate 10 (the main route for most tourists) advertising the train; (not even the blue attractions signs!) and you would not have just "stumbled on it" accidently. The train also shut down in March or April; just before the after-school vacation season was about to start, but before it started to get hot along the Gulf Coast.

Looking out from New Orleans, I don't even know what the nearest working steam is east of New Orleans. To the North, there is a Crown running in Jackson, LA; but other than the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen there is nothing else until you get to Cotton Belt 819 in Arkansas. To the west, you got the Texas State Railroad in Rusk, Texas; the steam engines at Six Flags outside of Dallas; a short run by a steam train at a museum in San Antonio; and hopefully the Austin Steam Train Association in Ceder Park next year.

I find it hard to believe with the population centers of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Gulfport and Boluxi(sp) within a two hour drive, and the flow of tourists through the area that a steam train operation cannot work in New Orleans. (There is a lot more to do and see in New Orleans and along the Mississippi than gambling.) The Texas State Railroad in Rusk does well without a major city nearby, and it is also a pretty hot ride in the summer.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a


Steam Along the Mississippi Delta
james@survivingworldsteam.com

The Big Easy Steam Train failed because it was a lousy ride. It ran ten miles an hour through a short route of strip malls, a Burger King parking lot, past the freight doors of another ratty mall, up an asphalt street through a poor neighborhood to its terminus between an abandoned factory and a dangerous government housing project. You couldn't open the windows on the cars so you might as well have been riding behind a motorized pile driver. I think there was even some cheezy entertainment on board to take your mind off the ride. What was the point? As noted, it wasn't in New Orleans, but across the Mississippi, past Algiers and downriver in Belle Chasse. All this and expensive tickets, too. If the railroad had run on its south leg through the woods instead of north through the 'burbs and if it had used some type of open coaches, with lots of smoke, chuffing, and whistling, the run might have had a prayer. Is it too hot for open window coaches in New Orleans? Then how does the city continue to run, at capacity, dozens of open window streetcars on the St. Charles line?

> zero" disagree; but I think the biggest
> problem with the former "Big Easy"
> Steam Train was lack of advertising.

> I tried to find the train itself on my way
> to ride the Steamboat Natchez (another steam
> ride in the New Orleans area that appears to
> be doing well.) The were no signs anywhere;
> the train itself was not in New Orleans, but
> on a siding just off LA Highway 1 in Bell
> Chase. There were no signs on Interstate 10
> (the main route for most tourists)
> advertising the train; (not even the blue
> attractions signs!) and you would not have
> just "stumbled on it" accidently.
> The train also shut down in March or April;
> just before the after-school vacation season
> was about to start, but before it started to
> get hot along the Gulf Coast.

> Looking out from New Orleans, I don't even
> know what the nearest working steam is east
> of New Orleans. To the North, there is a
> Crown running in Jackson, LA; but other than
> the Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen there
> is nothing else until you get to Cotton Belt
> 819 in Arkansas. To the west, you got the
> Texas State Railroad in Rusk, Texas; the
> steam engines at Six Flags outside of
> Dallas; a short run by a steam train at a
> museum in San Antonio; and hopefully the
> Austin Steam Train Association in Ceder Park
> next year.

> I find it hard to believe with the
> population centers of New Orleans, Baton
> Rouge, Lafayette, Gulfport and Boluxi(sp)
> within a two hour drive, and the flow of
> tourists through the area that a steam train
> operation cannot work in New Orleans. (There
> is a lot more to do and see in New Orleans
> and along the Mississippi than gambling.)
> The Texas State Railroad in Rusk does well
> without a major city nearby, and it is also
> a pretty hot ride in the summer.

> -James Hefner
> Hebrews 10:20a


runner@i-55.com