A Railroad Centenarian is Reborn!

The closing days of 2011 have brought a new chapter in the life of a veteran railroad locomotive. The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association (ASR), a 501c3 Not-for-Profit corporation headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, announces that it has completed the purchase of SLSF 1352, a Mikado-type (2-8-2 wheel arrangement) steam locomotive, built in 1912 in Schenectady, N.Y., by the American Locomotive Company. 1352 served the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad (commonly called the Frisco) until 1956 when she was retired and placed on public display in a park in Kansas City, Missouri. To save 1352 from neglect and vandalism she was later moved from the park and efforts commenced to restore her to service. Currently stored in Taylorville, Illinois, 1352 will now be brought to Ohio for completion of her on-going restoration after which she will begin a new career pulling passenger excursion trains.

SLSF 1352 was built in 1912 as a Consolidation-type (2-8-0) steam locomotive and rebuilt in June 1944 into a Mikado-type (2-8-2) locomotive. In her present configuration she weighs 161 tons but is able to easily traverse rail as light as 94 pounds per yard. Her working boiler pressure is 195 pounds/square inch.

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association was founded in 2005 to acquire and restore to service steam locomotives and other equipment from the halcyon days of steam railroading. The group will bring 1352’s smaller parts, such as pumps, generator, and power reverser to Ohio to begin work on them while they continue to raise the money for the crane and rigging company required for the move of 1352 to Ohio. Several events are planned to help raise this money including a Father’s Day train and a Civil War reenactment train. More information on these events, the restoration of 1352, and how you can help can be found on the American Steam Railroad website http://www.americansteamrailroad.org .

ASR President Steven M. Harvey, commenting on the purchase of 1352, said “Since its inception, the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association has been especially focused on the acquisition of SLSF 1352. With the completion of this purchase, she will now be brought to Ohio where we will complete her restoration and return to service. This is a great time for all of us who love steam locomotives. 1352 is a representative of the engines that powered America’s railroads for much of the steam era. I urge anyone who shares our passion to join us.”


For further information:
Bruce Bryan
Vice President, American Steam Railroad Preservation Association
bruce.bryan@americansteamrailroad.org
937-654-1022

Congrats on one major goal reached.

I see nothing on your calendar, events list, no mention made of a new home for rolling stock in Colombus or a working partnership with an operating railroad for hosting excursions. Please fill us in on your plans.

dave

Hello Dave,

The Events page for 2012 is being updated this weekend. All of our Trips and there pricing will be up after the Martin Luther King Holiday is done.

We have been very fortunate the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway out of Nelsonville, Ohio has been a good partner for the last 3 years helping us run our trips to raise the funds for 1352.

When 1352 is back in service we'll start running on the Hocking Valley 12 mile railroad. The Hocking Valley Scenic over the last 3 years has spent considerable amounts of money bringing there track up to FRA Class 2. She'll start her excursion service down there first but I see places like the CVSR and possible trips from Columbus to Nelsonville on the list of excursions when she is ready for service out of the gate. It’s rather hard to negotiate contracts with the railroads until the locomotive is available for service.

Like anything else we completed 1352's Phase I of 20 so we are on to Phase II which is getting her prepped and readied for the move to Ohio. If you watch on facebook or become a volunteer we'll be making announcements soon when the work sessions will happen this year in Taylorville, IL. Right now the Air Compressor and Power Reverse this month will be removed from its location in Chicago and on its way to Ohio to have our volunteer machinist start the process of the rebuild.

Once the weather gets warmer ASR will have Skyview Crane and Rigging from St. Louis come out to the site in Taylorville, IL to get the items finalized on what they want $$ for the lifts and also when they can do it.

Our board for 2012 and myself is hard a work with our 5 and 10 year plan which I know calls for finding our own land in the Columbus Ohio area next a shortline railroad. While our group has leads for land to build a permanate home its one of those items you do not want to announce prematurely until it’s a done deal just like the announcement on 1352.

Version 3.0 of the ASR Web Site is on its way too. We are looking at the end of February when the CMS driven version will be up and working so more pictures and information about capital campains, 1352 and how you can volunteer with us is just around the corner. We currently have work sessions the 2nd Saturday of the month and we are in process with a joint venture with the Hocking Valley to get there C&O wood caboose up and running so there is opportunity now to help restore a 1920's wood caboose if anyone in the Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati or Cleveland/Akron/Canton area would like to come out to help. If you would like to help out you can send an email to bruce.bryan@americansteamrailroad.org and we'll get you setup with one of the work sessions.

Thank-you to everyone who supports us now and we look forward to the bright future we have in 2012.

Best Regards,

Steven M Harvey
President
American Steam Railroad Preservation Association Inc.

Bruce and Steven,

Perhaps you can help me. I may be interested in donating, but I always look at a non-profit's IRS Form 990 to determine how the non-profit manages its money before I make an "investment." I see that your non-profit was incorporated in Ohio in 2005, and as of November 2011, filed a Certificate of Continued Existence with the Ohio Secretary of State. However, I cannot find any IRS Form 990s on the web, using the usual sources (Guidestar and the Foundation Center). My questions are as follows:

1) Have you filed your IRS Form 990s from 2005 through the 2010 tax year?

2) If so, are they available for persual? and

3) If you have not filed your IRS Form 990s, why not?

If you all have filed 990s, I would contact both the Foundation Center and Guidestar to figure out why they are not avaiable. They are excellent resources and potential donors will often want to view them, and/or other financial information before making a commitment.

Nowhere near Ohio, won't be much help. I'm not familiar with the Columbus area either, but if the Hocking Valley runs through it, seems like you have the basis of a good plan.

I'd encourage you not to make it available for service UNTIL you have an agreement with a railroad to run it, however. Otherwise, it will sit somewhere, slowly rusting, while those 1472 calendar days seep slowly away...........lots can be done apart from tube installation, which is the trigger on that calendar, so you can keep plenty busy in between.

Remember: purpose first, locomotive to fit it second.

dave

Here is the answer to your questions.

1) Have you filed your IRS Form 990s from 2005 through the 2010 tax year?

Yes we have always filed our tax returns with the IRS. The IRS states if your a 501c3 that is less than 50,000 total in assest or 25,000 in total donation you can then fill a 990-N which is the post card version. I have always called the IRS to verify this each year to make sure we comply with the rules.

http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0, ... 50,00.html

2) If so, are they available for persual? and

If you would like to inspect them I can go back and pull the reports I think for 3 year from the system where we filed the 990-N's with the IRS.

3) If you have not filed your IRS Form 990s, why not?

Due to the purchase of 1352 this will year will start the proces of putting us over in the 990's area due to being over 50K in assets.

Thanks!!

Steven Harvey

Steve,

Thanks. I just found where you can search for IRS Form 990-Ns on the IRS website.

http://www.irs.gov/app/ePostcard/

I look forward to seeing your 990 for 2011 now that you have the locomotive. Best of luck on the intial steps!

Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. It means a lot. We are a young group but we're trying to go about this the smart way. We know this is a long term project. We're excited to start on restoration of the power reverse and air compressor as these pieces can be used to show off our early efforts and help rally even more support and attract more volunteers. We have volunteers from all over Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana, too. Keep in mind, there is no other active standard gauge steam restoration project actively recruiting help in Ohio right now. Contact Steve or Brian and find out how you can get directly involved with our efforts to bring 1352 back to life and keep steam locomotion alive for future generations to know and enjoy.

We at ASR can't say enough good things about The Hocking Valley Scenic RR and their team at Nelsonville, OH. I hope they would agree that our relationship has been mutually beneficial for both organizations. Without their help, we wouldn't be where we are today. We're really excited to see our efforts with painting their HV/C&O wood caboose nearing completion. Check out our FB page to see recent progress. As Steve alluded to, HVSR has been steadily reinvesting in their infrastructure and last year they rehabbed a 2 mile section of their mainline. That bodes well for the long term vitality of their operation. If you are going to be passing through the Heartland of Ohio this upcoming vacation season, HVSR is less than an hour south of Columbus in the Hocking Hills, the northern gateway to the Appalachians in southern Ohio. It's a beautiful part of the state and HVSR has quite a history in the coal-hauling past as the original Hocking Valley Rwy which became a subsidiary of the C&O and ultimately Chessie System. So, with that said, keep an eye on the schedule on our website and come on out and support our efforts on one of our fundraiser trips or Hand At The Throttle at HVSR. Your patronage will help raise funds towards getting 1352 moved to Ohio for her eventual restoration.

Sincerely,

Rob Gardner

I wish you guys well! Wished I was closer so I could get my hands dirty. You will find as you get intot he "meat" of the restoration, you might run into things you did not expect...but do not dispair. I believe everyone here is pulling for you and will offer any help or answer any question you might have...plus a little money in the kitty to help things along...

For those that don't know, the Hocking Valley is at the end of the old C&O line that still runs north to Columbus, Ohio. It goes thru the towns of Logan, Lancaster, Canal Winchester before ending in Columbus. N&S plus CSX run thru Columbus, Ohio.
Thats about a 50 mile run north.

Train Crew

Thank you everyone for the kind words. We are very excited for this milestone but we do know there is a long road ahead of us, but we are ready for the challenge! As has been mentioned, once the engine is running it will more then likely spend it's first year running at Hocking Valley then hopefully venture out to new places. Right now our focus is raising the money for the move. during this time we have several projects our group is working on including a repaint of a HVSR owned C&O wood caboose and the ASR owned steel caboose.

Posted today on the Railfan & Railroad blog:

<<
Frisco Mikado Set For Restoration in Ohio
January 16th, 2012

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association has completed the purchase of St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Mikado No. 1352. Built by Alco in 1912 as a 2-8-0 and rebuilt into a Mikado by the railroad in 1944, No. 1352 was retired in 1956 and put on display at Swope Park in Kansas City, Mo. The locomotive suffered from vandalism and flood damage while on display and was sold to the Smoky Hill Railway and Historical Society for restoration. Smoky Hill then sold it to an individual in Taylorville, Ill., from whom ASR purchased the locomotive. No. 1352 will be moved to the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad in Nelsonville, Ohio, where ASR intends to restore it to operating condition. While the group raises the money to move the engine, it will begin to restore smaller components such as the power reverse, turbogenerator, and air pumps.

-- Railfan & Railroad; photo courtesy of American Steam Railroad Preservation Association
>>

Link to photo

Saw these interesting updates on the Hocking Valley #3 Facebook page, posted Jan 17th:

"Regarding any rumors that ex-Frisco 1352 is coming to Nelsonville: those are incorrect and have no basis whatsoever. We have no affiliation with ASR's restoration efforts. American Steam has been working on one of our wood cabooses for something to do, but that is all the further they with any work on our railroad."


"We have not been contacted regarding the No. 1352's storage in our Nelsonville shop. They have been working on the restoration of one of our cabooses for something to do, but that is all the further we have with ASR. It is safe to say 1352 will not be coming to Nelsonville at any time."

Sister 1351 awaits your attention in Tennessee, too!

To the people of ASR:

1) Have you reached an agreement with the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway to house the 1352?
2) If not, then have you developed a "Plan B" location? and
3) If you have not reached an agreement with HVSR, then why have you announced such?

Finally, can you explain why the person behind the HVSR #3 Facebook page is saying that you all aren't coming to HVSR?

It could be that the person behind the #3 Facebook page has a classic case of the right hand not knowing that the left hand is doing. Their syntax and grammar does lead to some confusion, as to whether the ASR group (to their knowledge) will not doing any more work at HVSR.