Got an email from the Science Museum of Virginia yesterday and today. First, the move has been postponed till April 26th due to the bad weather. Second, as was mentioned earlier about separating the engine and tender, it has been done and as noted in other post it did indeed take an entire day (they didn't say weather it was an 8 hour day or a 16 hour day). It sounds like the next week or two will be spent removing the tender trucks and actually rigging and loading the locomotive. Apparently only the move will take place on the 26th.

btrue@vt.edu

I note that like the two UP 4-8-4s a few years ago, it will move by highway. I don't know the whole situation here, but see it was pushed into position by rail when first donated. I have to wonder if anyone involved has any idea what those big round things on the side of the engine are for?

> Got an email from the Science Museum of
> Virginia yesterday and today. First, the
> move has been postponed till April 26th due
> to the bad weather. Second, as was mentioned
> earlier about separating the engine and
> tender, it has been done and as noted in
> other post it did indeed take an entire day
> (they didn't say weather it was an 8 hour
> day or a 16 hour day). It sounds like the
> next week or two will be spent removing the
> tender trucks and actually rigging and
> loading the locomotive. Apparently only the
> move will take place on the 26th.


http://www.richmond.com/News/output.cfm?ID=2462842&vertical=News
ryarger@rypn.org

As near as I can tell from looking at topo maps, and driving around in the general vicinity of where the locomotive is presently located, it appears that it was moved in via an industial spur, which is long removed, sunk into the mud, or otherwise paved over. A lot of sidings have been pulled up since 1960.

In short, the distance to the nearest active rail capable of supporting a locomotive of that size is about three-quarters of the way to the museum itself. And once at the museum, the locomotive will not be displayed on one of the four active tracks, but rather on a separate display track.

> I note that like the two UP 4-8-4s a few
> years ago, it will move by highway. I don't
> know the whole situation here, but see it
> was pushed into position by rail when first
> donated. I have to wonder if anyone involved
> has any idea what those big round things on
> the side of the engine are for?


rwilkes99@yahoo.com

According to my former employeer who is/was a richmond native at the time it was moved in told me that there were government ware houses across the street from where it is now. Even if those government ware houses where there, and even if they still had the tracks, you'd have to cross a base ball field (I am sure that would go over like lead ballon), and a very buisy street, this isn't saying any thing about the fact you'd have to get it down about a mile and a half of streets to get it too the RF&P yard. And I just know CSX would love that request....

I guess things have just changed to much and locomotives aren't the prized objects/ monuments that they thought they where when they where put in hard to get at places and forgotten about....
Plus railroads these days don't make things that easy. (just think about derailing or seizing the running gear of a K-4 on one of the busiest tracks in Richmond.....ek)

btrue@vt.edu