Super,
Check the Briefs from a couple of months ago, I put up an update shortly after Bethlehem Steel was sold to International Steel Group.
In a nut shell, there was a lot of forward progress, but then Bethlehem (the company) tanked. The impending sale put many operations and projects up in the air. The fallout of the acquisition by ISG had an immediate impact upon pensions and other typical "screw the workers" issues. However, the forward progress of the museum has been kept on the front burner.
The city of Bethlehem is anxious to change the river-facing portion of the south side. While there is every sign that the museum is going forward, much of Bethlehem's industrial and railroad infrastructure is either going to be removed.
Union Station is under rehab, but the old Lehigh Valley frieght station is a recent casualty. If the city succeeds in acquiring the ex Reading from Saucon to Union Station, it along with associated bridges will be removed.
Of course, some of The Steel is still an active industrial site and a tremendous intermodal yard served by the PB&NE has sprung up out by the coke works in Saucon Valley. Other industries are also operating on-site.
As a side note, I took a spin down to ISG-Bethlehem's Sparrow's Point facility outside of Baltimore last month. The plant railroad, Patapsco & Black Rivers, has some modern ex RF&P switchers in service, leaving a stored/dead line full of Alco S-classes. Baldwins and what appears to be at least one BLH. There are also 8 or more Alco slugs. All in all, there appeared to be a minium of 10 Alco and Baldwin switchers, as well as the slugs.
If anyone is seeking parts or one of the units as a whole, it might be a good time to contact the new company. Remember, many of the Beth Steel family of switchers began life on class ones, so who knows what is hiding there?
Rob
rdavis@rypn.org