I have had email contact with the owner of the FEC #148 which is in Traverse City, MI right now. Apparently over $900,000 was spent on her and things did not go as planned and she is now sitting on the Thiribly property. The TSBY has refused to let her travel on the track while under restoration (sounds reasonable to me).
My thought would be to see if the railroad would let her travel on flat cars. The boiler and smokebox would be removed and put on one flat car, and the chassis would be put on another flat car. (I believe this is what the Grand Canyon Railway did when they bought the ex-CB&Q #4960) Does this sound logical?
Also does anybody have contact information for Robert Franzen? He is the Chief Mechanical Officer at the GCR and he would be more help in advising the owner of the 148 than I would be.
Thanks,
Jeff

jsfrost@mtu.edu

> I have had email contact with the owner of
> the FEC #148 which is in Traverse City, MI
> right now. Apparently over $900,000 was
> spent on her and things did not go as
> planned and she is now sitting on the
> Thiribly property.

From what I have found TSBY is probably one of the most reasonable shortlines towards steam in the state, and is thereby one of the few that has a knowledge of dealing with them; I would agree that they are being very reasonable given its current state.

$900,000? My god, I had heard Jerry Jacobson spent close to $750,000 to overhual 6325, and when I last saw it in Battle Creek, it was nearly a basket case. Talk about money poorly spent!

TJ

Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

There's no lack of talent in steam in the Northern Midwest. Have you spoken with Midwest Locomotive and Machine Works in Wisconsin? They are expert in many things like moving dead stuff.

900K does seem like a lot of money to me too. Good luck.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Ok I need to correct myself.
It is estimated that $900,000 has been used since she last ran in New Jersey with the different attempts to restore her and moving costs. $460,000 has been used in Traverse City.
Sorry about the confusion.
Jeff
> There's no lack of talent in steam in the
> Northern Midwest. Have you spoken with
> Midwest Locomotive and Machine Works in
> Wisconsin? They are expert in many things
> like moving dead stuff.

> 900K does seem like a lot of money to me
> too. Good luck.

> dave


jsfrost@mtu.edu

A couple of years ago the Nethercutt Museum moved former CPR 4-6-4 #2839 from Pennsylvania to California on a flatcar without removing the boiler from the locomotive. You might want to contact them to find out who they used for the loading and tie down work. If the hudson could travel that way I am sure the #148 can as well. You will save a bunch of money if you can avoid taking the boiler off of the frame.

In fact I remember when former BC&G 2-8-0 moved from Wilmington, DE to Gaithersburg, MD she rode on a flat car the same way.

Tom Gears

Nethercutt Museum

One difficulty you may face is not shattering that glass frame.

Just where would you want to send her?

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

I do not know where she would go, but my thought is if she can move by rail, there might be a better chance of selling her/finding a place that would take her without worrying about how to truck her in.
> One difficulty you may face is not
> shattering that glass frame.

> Just where would you want to send her?

> dave


jsfrost@mtu.edu

> I do not know where she would go, but my
> thought is if she can move by rail, there
> might be a better chance of selling
> her/finding a place that would take her
> without worrying about how to truck her in.

I do believe that the chances of moving by rail range someplace between slim and none ...it just ain't done anymore. You have to bite the bullet and figure this into your initial costs.



lamontdc@adelphia.net

Hello

The good folks at the Tennesee Valley Railroad Museum moved former CN 4-6-2 5288 from Scranton to TN via flatcar without major dissasembly and that engine is of comperable size. They may be a source of info for you.

Dave Crosby

bing@epix.net

> My thought would be to see if the railroad
> would let her travel on flat cars. The
> boiler and smokebox would be removed and put
> on one flat car, and the chassis would be
> put on another flat car.

Former T&NO 2-8-2 #771 just recently completed a trip from Victoria to Grapevine, Texas..some 400 miles, in like state disassembled, on lowboy road trailers. Rough estimates place the cost at around $50,000.

Not quite clear to me from your post is the owner's intentions with #148. Does the owner wish to preserve, or dispose of it?

hi_plain@yahoo.com

The way I understand it, he would like to sell her to somebody who would restore her and NOT see her get scrapped.
> Former T&NO 2-8-2 #771 just recently
> completed a trip from Victoria to Grapevine,
> Texas..some 400 miles, in like state
> disassembled, on lowboy road trailers. Rough
> estimates place the cost at around $50,000.

> Not quite clear to me from your post is the
> owner's intentions with #148. Does the owner
> wish to preserve, or dispose of it?


jsfrost@mtu.edu

> The way I understand it, he would like to
> sell her to somebody who would restore her
> and NOT see her get scrapped.

Given sister 113 is available at $35000 in what sounds like much closer to operable condition he will need to take a pretty fair loss to achieve that. I wish him and you the best of luck in finding a good home for her.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> Given sister 113 is available at $35000 in
> what sounds like much closer to operable
> condition he will need to take a pretty fair
> loss to achieve that. I wish him and you the
> best of luck in finding a good home for her.

> Dave

Well, if it doesn't have a "glass" (oy vey!) frame too, who is it selling the 113? Is it at Gold coast?

> Well, if it doesn't have a "glass"
> (oy vey!) frame too, who is it selling the
> 113? Is it at Gold coast?

But of course.....only to a responsible party.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net