Check out this article posted on the Texas Steam discussion board.

Link to Article
hkading@rypn.org

Sounds interesting . BUT
"Cochran said a Grapevine official told him a spur
could be built to move Old 771 to a special railcar or it could be split into sections and loaded onto a truck to move it. He said Grapevine estimates it will cost about $200,000 to restore the engine to a useable condition."

771 must be in pretty good condition !


lamontdc@adelphia.net

> Sounds interesting . BUT
> "Cochran said a Grapevine official told
> him a spur
> could be built to move Old 771 to a special
> railcar or it could be split into sections
> and loaded onto a truck to move it. He said
> Grapevine estimates it will cost about
> $200,000 to restore the engine to a useable
> condition."

> 771 must be in pretty good condition !

It's not. It is in roughly the same mechanical condition as the 786 was when pulled from display in Austin. right now they are having a lot of trouble keeping the left rear driver crown brass from over heating( the axle is blue), so I would question their steam experts' ability to restore a 150ton pre WW1 Harriman mike for 500k, much less 200k.

> It's not. It is in roughly the same
> mechanical condition as the 786 was when
> pulled from display in Austin. right now
> they are having a lot of trouble keeping the
> left rear driver crown brass from over
> heating( the axle is blue), so I would
> question their steam experts' ability to
> restore a 150ton pre WW1 Harriman mike for
> 500k, much less 200k.

Omitted the overheating axle is under the 75 ton ten wheeler 2248

Supposedly this same engine was rejected by Austin Steam Train as a second locomotive due to condition. One wonders what Grapevine saw in this with their limited knowledge that more informed people have not.

Think there are also questions about bridge loadings, turntable size and curve radius that Grapevine has not considered.

Supposedly the SP 2252 acquisition is a dead issue having been rejected by the curent owners in Roseville, CA.