In trying in vain to look up the former Michigan ex-British tank locomotive in my Conrad SLDNA, I found a stash of 24"/22.5"/etc steamers supposedly bought by Indianapolis Motor Speedway and stored for twenty or so years in Terre Haute, Indiana, including a couple locos the Welsh narrow-gauge lines might have an interest in repatriating.

What WAS this collection, and what became of it? Does anyone know? Was the Speedway going to offer parking steam train shuttles?

Dear Sandy:
The British 0-6-0T that was at Boyne City, MI is listed on page 138 of "The Directory" (if you find out the c/n please let me know). I believe the loco is still in the Nashville area...
I saw the Hulman collection at the Hulman farm near Terre Haute many years ago. The Fiji locos were outside becoming derelict, two of the Welsh locos were in a barn near the 0-6-0Ts. One of them was on display in a building downtown that was closed, but you could see the loco through the front windows. No one at the farm knew anything about the locos or plans for them. My recollection is that I visited shortly after Mr. Hulman died...
I hope this helps!
J.David

Aha. Thanks.

I'm willing to wager--in fact, the odds, given some British loco numbering practices--that 7745 is actually both the construction/builder number and the power plant's number. I also have a nagging suspicion that the 7745 number was actually assigned by the Central Electric Generating Board (CEGB) or some similar post-nationalisation agency.

Actually, in Googling Google.co.uk for info on this loco, I found that StreamLocomotive.com has this listed as c/n 7745............

And the "thinking out loud" process works: Here's a website from the Foxfield Railway in England on the 7745's sister locomotives!

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/foxfield/meaford_no2.htm

Thanks Sandy! Too bad there was no internet in back in 1986. J.David

FWIW, a couple these locomotives are still on the Hulman farm east of Terre Haute. Tony was a collector as is his cousin, Don Smith...the guy will all the cabooses southeast of town.

Bill Foster
President
Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society