Another report at TrainOrders reports the sighting of what was said to be a "Steam Locomotive Undercarriage, wheels, drive rods and lead truck plow all attached headed east on Interstate-64 MM48." (I presume this to be Mile Marker 48, which would place it west of the I-64/I-81 junction near Lexington, Va.) This is east of Clifton Forge and Covington, Va., former storage site of some of the Showalter collection.Has Showalter's former US Army 607 finally been sold for reuse or display? Where is it bound for? I recall its last reported location as Goshen, Va.Note: This is presumed to NOT be another locomotive reported as "on the move"--wrong direction for that one.........

Sandy, Jack's 2-8-0, which I believe is actually the 606, has been sold, to the Crewe RR Museum in Crewe, Va. Will Harris, who just aquired RF&P office car 100 from the City of Richmond, is handling the move. Mr. Harris retreived the 606 from Covington, and has been storing it at his lumber company in Goshen. So yes, that was half a 2-8-0 going down the interstate....................

Hey all,This topic reminded me of another. Some time back it was reported on this forum that Jack Showalter was purportedly selling his two 4-6-2s and other equipment. Since then, the news has been (a) it's going to Richmond; then (b) no it isn't (it ended up in Verona, VA I think). So does anyone know what Jack's plans are for his equipment at this point?

Jack's equipment is still in Verona and Staunton (about 3 miles apart) on the Shenandoah Valley RR. The passenger cars were used for a very sucessful set of fall excursions run during October. We operated 12 public trips and one charter, handling over 4000 passengers. All of us involved hope this bodes well for future trips on a very beautiful, but little known shortline. At this point, spring trips look like a possibility.

Correction noted; Showalter's ex-Army loco was indeed the 606.Regarding the remainder of the Showalter equipment in Verona, as I understand it, the equipment was indeed used for the Shenandoah Valley excursions this fall, and is likely to be used again in the spring--with the proceeds offsetting "rent" for the storage trackage in Verona. The operators of the Shenandoah Valley are somewhat rail enthusiasts, and they'll likely accommodate the equipment as best as they can as long as they can get away with it, at least for now.As for the ultimate fate, I am personally aware of one supposedly serious party considering acquiring the equipment for an excursion operation, although I am not bullish on either the prospects for the transaction occurring nor for the ultimate success of the proposal should it occur as planned. Aside from that, however, it's pretty much anybody's guess what will happen, sadly.

Does anybody know what the condition of the G5's are? I've heard everything from they are very tired and need of a complete rebuild to there "ready to go." Also, when was the last time these ran? TJ Gaffney

Does anybody have a list of the passenger cars that are in this group? Likewise, how have they been modified for excursion service?Many thanks,Tom Cornillie

TJ, I would guess that "somewhere in between" is the answer on the G5's. 1286 was last under steam in October of 1997 for a forgettable "Hallmark" TV movie, it was wearing a diamond stack to play a Civil War era locomotive. 1238 last ran in 1993. The engines both appear to be in good shape, they have been well maintained for the last 12 years. As far as FRA certification, some work was done on one locomotive in the late 1990's, whether or not this work would be accepted now is a question for the FRA inspector. I think both engines would certainly be better candidates for operation than a worn out park engine that has had no maintenance for 45 years. Tom, as far as the cars go, there are 8 passenger cars in the collection. I can't remember the numbers even though I worked on them a little over 2 weeks ago (CRS) There are 3 ex RF&P heavyweight cars that are very solid cars. One of them has open windows. There are 3 ex VIA lightweight coaches, supposedly of GTW extraction, which have the usual rust issues in the side sills and sheets, typical of cars of that era. Also on hand is an ex-USATC hospital car converted inside to a diner, an ex-B&O table car that started life as 1/2 of a "Chessie" 2 unit diner, an ex-C&O GP9, and an extended vision caboose. The cars gave no trouble to speak of during the month of excursions, but there are no holding tanks for the toilets and the AC's are still axle driven. (Hence the fall operation) The interiors in all the cars are very nice. Hopefully, there will be future trips on the SVRR. I spoke to one of the owners of the line briefly this morning, he was very upbeat about the trips.

Hi,The steel, wide vision cupola, caboose in Verona, VA, is probably RF&P 906 (2). The last time I saw it, almost 10 years ago, it was lettered as Shenandoah Valley Railroad 55 & BB 224.Roger

Gary:Did the ex-C&O GP-9 handle the fall excursions? Is she in "as-built" condition or has she had her nose "chopped"? Les Beckman

Les, The GP9 is unmolested, but it was not used on the excursions. We did a pull-pull operation with SV's freight locomotives. We had a GP38 on the north end, and the BLH RS4TC switcher (refered to as "the butthead") on the south end. Obviously, the GP38 did some pushing going south.

TJ,Here it is as best as I can recall......1286 has a form 4 complete, and only lacks an internal inspection and flues in order to operate. As for over all condition of the locomotive, it's about what you could figure for a locomotive in "stored serviceable" condition. It isn't in as great a shape as the 1238 is where the running gear is concerned. When it left Cumberland, it was next in line for bushings, and some other work, however, none of it was to the point that it would prevent operation, or require immidate repaires.The 1238 recived new bushings, suspension pins, a new set of tires on the lead drivers, some new springs, and a few other odds and ins. However, it hasn't had any of the new boiler work done. Both engines recently had their trailing truck converted to roller bearing.As for the GP9 it's still got it's high hood, but as for "as built" I can't say for sure. It has more modern brake shoes, and it's lost it's steam generator. It does however have 24 brake, and the old style control stand, and as best I can tell lacks the newer electrical system that some things such as GP 16's got when they were rebuilt. As far as motifications to the passenger cars, I am not really sure what to classify in that area. There was some extensive truck work done when they were converted to roller bearings, and Jack always claimed that they rebuilt the cars when they were in Cumberland (the heavey weights that is). But I think this was limited to interior uposltery, since, plumbing, elctrical, brakes, and heating and cooling all seem to remain pretty much vintage. As for the steam locomotives, I'd really wonder what they'r worth. Does being in such good shape really help a seller boosed his price when you still have to do all the form 4 work and tubes? Or would a group starting out just be better off to engage in an intire restoration? (At least monteirly speaking)

Like most things, Ben, it depends. Steam locomotives fair market values don't reflect the cost of making them available to operate, and only can recover their costs by being put to use in revenue service. If the remaining life of the running gear is more than adequate to allow enough operation to fund the necessary repairs down the road when it is worn out, it could well be a worthwhile investment for a line with those operating characteristics. If it will go into immediate full time intensive service, starting from a good as new condition may pay off in terms of reliabilty and availability instead. There are other considerations such as convenience costs - why not do the boxes when the wheels are out, even though they still have 20% of their life remaining, for example, if the value of the remaining life is less than the cost of hiring the cranes to remove the boiler and frame from the drivers? OTOH, parts that are easily accessed and changed out can be left until they approach condemnability to eke out every last dimes worth of operating life. Its a matter for some serious consideration when envisioning a project.dave