Reading these numerous posts over the last few days is interesting. There are a lot of intelligent folks out here. There are also some very good debates going on. Most likely they'll still be going on twenty years from now. While in a perfect world I'd love to see all steam up and running, I know that is an impossibility. On the preservation side of things, I guess I'm for at the least providing adequete structures to shelter historic artifacts. (hello steam..) I have a keen interest in cars, trucks, trains, planes and all that good stuff. Trains first! But I equate engines lying out to pasture the same as I would seeing a nice '69 GTO "Judge" in the middle of somewhere rusting under the elements. While, I think we all want to see something or everything preserved or protected, it does in a large part boil down to money. Kudos to all the people that are out there full time doing this! Essentially, there doesn't even have to be a Steamtown or a Rail Mueseum or something or other. But, because of dedicated people wether they are doing this full time or as "weekend warriors", our world is a better place.

Think on this for a second: While I am truly a fan of steam from a by-gone era, my girlfriend is not into trains, but likes the TGV and Acela of today. Do you think people will be saving and restoring these one day? After all, everything comes full circle, does it not?

Straight ahead,

Jeff Lisowski

West Chester, Pa

unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

my
> girlfriend is not into trains, but likes the
> TGV and Acela of today. Do you think people
> will be saving and restoring these one day?
> After all, everything comes full circle,
> does it not?

Acela is today what the Zephyr sets were 60 years ago. Hopefully some will be preserved as well.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Jeff,

If a Metroliner managed to make it to preservation anything can happen.

Tom

tgears1@home.com

Jeff-

But, they can still slip through the cracks. Granted, both sets of the Aerotrain have been saved, but yet both are missing their rather "unique" observation cars. On the same token, Train "X" (I believe that was what it was called: it was used on the NYC) ended up on siding near Greenville, SC, and sat there through most of the 1970's before it quietly was torched.
And I'm none to sure that the Mark Twain Zephyr is exactly safe, either........

T.J.

> Jeff,

> If a Metroliner managed to make it to
> preservation anything can happen.

> Tom


Port Huron Museum
peremarquette@hotmail.com

Speaking of more modern trains, did any of the Turbo trains from the late '60s survive? I seem to recall hearing some years ago that the CN/VIA sets were stored in Montreal. Are they still there? I think AMTRAK was testing some sets at one time too. Anyone know if they are still around?

jason.whiteley@sympatico.ca

> Speaking of more modern trains, did any of
> the Turbo trains from the late '60s survive?
> I seem to recall hearing some years ago that
> the CN/VIA sets were stored in Montreal. Are
> they still there? I think AMTRAK was testing
> some sets at one time too. Anyone know if
> they are still around?

My note say that all units were scrapped by Naporano ca. 1985. Besides which, both the Aerotrain and the TurboTrain qualify as uneconomical, unsuccessful experiments--allowed to live out their economic lives to recoup the investments, but never duplicated.

lner4472@bcpl.net

There is a complete French Turboliner set in a scrap yard in Dugger, IN(close to the INRD/Soo Line interchange). There are many rumors surrounding the set, one of them is that the owner wanted to preserve and run the set, but lost interest. The set is in plain view off of hwy 54. Dave Honan has some nice pics of it on his website.

Mike

Dave Honan's web page

masticke@indiana.edu

Tom, whatever happened to the Boeing Light Rail Vehicle that sat at on the W&W property many moons ago?...

Jeff


unfunkyufo76@hotmail.com

> Speaking of more modern trains, did any of
> the Turbo trains from the late '60s survive?
> I seem to recall hearing some years ago that
> the CN/VIA sets were stored in Montreal.

When members of the Bluewater Michigan Chapter, NRHS and Project 1225 traveled to Met-Recy Ltee. of Laval (Montreal) PQ around 1986 to purchase ex-VIA-CN cars and parts, the yard was scrapping some or all of the ex-CN turbotrains, using earthmovers to crunch up the carbodies preparatory to transmuting them into Labatts cans.

Aarne H. Frobom
The Steam Railroading Institute
P. O. Box 665
Owosso, MI 48867-0665

froboma@mdot.state.mi.us