PLEASE! Can someone tell the B&O Museum about this? I'd hate to have this lost becuase someone didn't recognize that the engine is still around. This belongs with the engine for Pete's sake!!!!!!! Mr. Freestone, the seller, also has quite a few parts of her sister's in auctions this week that could be helpful in any restoration of her in the future!!!!!!http://cgi.ebay.com/Chesapeake-Ohio-Locomotive-Inspection-Card-1309_W0QQitemZ6581159566QQcategoryZ4130QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemTJ Gaffney

Here is the listing for the other C&O #1300 class engine parts. These are all LABELED for every engine they came from; to say this is RARE is an understatement. The listing below list some of the parts. Granted, these aren't gauages, bells, or whistles, but geez, how often do you get what engine this stuff comes from????:1) Water sight glass and 3 gaskets for a water site glass (longer than the glass)2) Air reverse oil cup from #13053) Brass lubricator filler Plug, looks like a valve stem.4) Guide oil cup from #15065) 2 guide oil cups from #1304.6) Main rod alamite plug from #13057) 2 inspirator extension handles from #1506 and #13448) 4 Blast control wheel from #13049) Booster stoker control wheel from the #130410) 2 unidentified wheel, one cast Nathan11) steam guard elbo from the #130012) Sander valve handle from the #130513) Stoker Drain Valve from the #151814) Cylinder cock control handle from the #130515) Automatic Brake Valve handle from the #1305http://cgi.ebay.com/Chesapeake-Ohio-Steam-Locomotive-Parts_W0QQitemZ6581160328QQcategoryZ4130QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemTJ Gaffney

From my own experience in working with instutions that collect historic materials/artifacts - putting something on e-bay will guarantee that the items will not go to an institution. For an institution to make a purchase they have to know the item's provenance (history), need to be able to authentcate it, and then negoiate within the institutiuon in order to be able to authorize funds to purchase the items. Depending on the object/material, a seller may be able to obtain a higher price from an institution than going through e-bay or an auction, as the institution will value the item based on its larger significance vs. its 'wow' value.Tom Cornillie

Ebay is a good place if you need a Pyle National tender light, a golden glow headlight, or a kerosene lamp to mount on a Mason gauge light bracket, and best of all, they work!

A while I decided that I would start giving away things I have collected to relevant museums. At a flea market I came upon a locomotive inspection form for an existing narrow gauge (2 foot) locomotive. I purchased the form for a few dollars. I was very excited to pass along this great 1930's form. I was going to just mail the form to the mailing address but I decided that I should contact the museum first. I scanned the form and sent a digital copy by email and they never responded.So that leaves me to wonder.... does this place have it's act together? do they have proper storage? do they keep track of this type of stuff? will it just go home with a member and be gone forever?So now it sits here in my house waiting until I get around to finding out more about the organization.Tom Gears

TJ et al,I just fired off this link to Ed Williams the Deputy Director of the Museum. At least they'll know it's out there.Thanks for posting,Kevin

Are you sure the email was received? Anti-spam software often misdirects emails that it shouldn't. Ideally everyone should review the "spam" folder and ensure that every message really was spam. However personally I sometimes receive 30 or more spam messages per day and it's possible I occassionally miss a real message.I think this is an example of something worth following up by snail mail or telephone.Just a thought for what it's worth.

Looks like I opened the proverbial can of worms here guys (again) --- sorry. Just thought that, given the rare opportunity to acquire such items from the same class (let alone the same engine), that someone from the B&O Museum would be interested. I know if someone, say, found a cast iron baggage rack matching the single one we have left on our combine, I would want someone to at least tell me (hint hint). Slithering back in my hole now.......TJ

Thanks, Kevin. That's all I was trying to do; make sure they knew about it. What they do from there is up to them.TJ

most railroad museums in the United states are run by volunteers. That means the folks that operate the trains; the folks that place the orders in the bookstore and the very few who do museum functions like Archives and Artifact collection.give them a try with snail mail.Or you might try one of the larger museums with a paid staff. But that will not do much for narrow gauge!Ted Miles

The B&O Museum is an exception: It has a large paid staff. Someone should answer the phone, answer the e-mail, etc.Exactly what action the B&O Museum would take in this case is quite unclear. It's most likely all the artifacts from C&O 1300's, including the cab card, were removed from locos on the scrap lines, when the locos (including the 1309) were likely in limbo. We don't even know if this was the last cab card from the loco, or whether there was a subsequent card.I agree that it would be wise for the B&O Museum to pursue acquisition of these artifacts, or at least record for posterity who had it and stick a copy in the Museum archives. However, like most museums, there is not a nice fund of money sitting for acquisitions. The only way for these things to end up at the B&O Museum is for a private individual or group (say, the C&OHS? an NRHS chapter?) to purchase them and give them to the Museum, or broker a donation from the owner to the Museum. Even then, I have to ask: How much do they really want/need these trinkets?

Of railroadiana by individuals is one I will never understand. Parts of locomotives, old paperwork. etc., are nothing I need nor want cluttering up my basement. I've saved literally a couple of tons of things from the scrap pile and dumpsters over the years, but I always found a suitable group to donate them to. If the materials do not suit their needs and they want to sell it on eBay to raise funds for their projects, thats fine, but I can't imagine why anyone would actually pay money to plunk the stuff in the corner of their garage or basement just for nostalgia's sake.

why don't you bid on it then donate it. Problem solved.

In the past year I have made some purchases at railroad shows and off of E-bay for several items that could be deemed collectible. However I do not have a personal collection of artifacts. Mostly I have obtained old manuals, books, and tools for everyday use maintaining steam locomotives. I do not harbor these items for my own personal use anyone I work with is able to look over anything I have. It would be nice if those individuals who offered the items for sale first offered to either sell or donate them to whatever group owned whatever locomotive but that would be in a perfect world. And heck even in a perfect world communism looks like a good idea.

Personally, I never collected hardware, but have a nice collection of Official Guides & Moody's Railroad Manuals going back to the 1870s I also collect old railroad & trolley line stock certificates. Facinating pieces of history, not quite as heavy & easily stored on bookcase shelves.