<P>At the local animal shelter there is a group of women that work long and ernestly to match up foresaken pets with new owners. One wouldn't think that would be so difficult with a steam engine, but Alexander D. Mitchell IV's article of 7/1/00 implies a lack of eagerness or perhaps know-how to purchase the engines in Cuba.<p>I'm eager but have no know-how. But here is my suggestion for what it is worth, and I encourage comments: Ask the Federal government for a visa to seekout, research and plan for the repatriation of American artifacts. I'll bet you can get one. Find a steam engine and offer the owner a diesel engine of equivalent horsepower in good condition in exchange. Be prepared to throw in a little horse-trading boot in addition, for example: a one year warrantee, fuel for a year, etc. No $s will flow to Cuba, just American merchandise for American art. Can the government argue with that?<p>Required are several people or even groups with know-how and contacts. a) The engine evaluator/horse trader to go to Cuba. b) The diesel locator in America. c) The fund raiser and/or steam engine placement person. d) The post-exchange maintenance coordinator.<p>Seems like a win-win situation and a way to accept Mr. Mitchell's challenge.<br><br>




chascrail@aol.com

<P>>Find a steam engine and offer the owner a diesel engine of equivalent horsepower in good condition in exchange. Be prepared to throw in a little horse-trading boot in addition, for example: a one year warrantee, fuel for a year, etc. No $s will flow to Cuba, just American merchandise for American art. Can the government argue with that?<p>Absolutely. <br>The US Government's official screed is that Cuba is Satan incarnate, and that all possible measures must be taken to destroy Castro, including starvation of its people. Even newcomers to the government are brainwashed into this mode of thinking. Fortunately, the rest of the world understands that capitalism will only win if it's allowed to infiltrate, and the British continue to go there.<br>As this point, I see one major flaw with your proposal: it is easier to mothball a steamer for eight months than a diesel. Besides, I think there is a noted shortage of small switchers available. One would have to acquire them from factories, mills, etc. that have them and can't get anything cheap to replace them except a used Trackmobile. <br>Once again: Start planning NOW, including procurement of existing switchers. By the time all the pieces are together, you might be able to go through with the plans.<br><br>




LNER4472@gateway.net

<P>Would it be possible (that is, legal) to acquire a Cuban steam locomotive through a middleman in, say, Canada or Mexico? Apparently that's not the case with Cuban cigars, but does it make any difference that the engines were built here? Or would the cost be prohibitive even if the legal issues weren't? I'll probably get investigated by the FBI for saying this over the web, but what kind of a stupid system dictates that we can buy brand new steam locomotives from the biggest communist country in the world, but can't bring historic, American-made ones back from some little island in the Caribbean? Makes no sense to me.<p>Much as I'd like to see some of these engines come home, there are a couple of other questions that the pessimist in me just had to ask. First of all, how much Cuban steam can we realistically hope to save when we still have engines rusting away in this country? Can people like Sam Golden and Fred Kepner really be any more difficult to reason with than the likes of Fidel Castro and Jesse Helms? Either way there are unique locomotives facing uncertain futures.<p>Second, what can really be done with Cuban locomotives once they get here? The fact that they are operating now or have operated recently does not mean that they are anywhere near operable by U.S. standards. These things are getting thrashed in sugar mill service, and while it's only a few months out of the year, the standards of maintenance are considerably lower than what would be acceptable here, as illustrated by the recent boiler explosion of 1915 Baldwin 2-8-0 no. 1382 at the Augusto César Sandino mill. How many hoops is anyone willing to jump through for a display engine? <br>




rjenkins@railfan.net

<P>Well the thing is that a Reading 4-6-0 camelback would be a real treasure no matter what condition it is in because there are not any left. Look at bringing the Alco PA's back from Mexico. A worn out PA missing 1/2 of everything is better than no PA at all.<p>As for bringing one back they are not goods produced or grown in Cuba. They would probably have to be sold to a 3rd party and maybe even used somewhere like Mexico and then brought here as a used locomotive from Mexico that happened to be in Cubafor a while.<p>Better yet keep hoping that things may change or Castro dies. Maybe it will be no problem at some point in the future.<br>

<P>Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing that these things aren't worth saving. I think they are and I'd love to see it, but I'm not the one with the cash and the political contacts. That Reading camelback would have been an absolute gem to bring home, but she's gone now. The NYO&W 2-6-0 would be another great one to repatriate, but I have to wonder how long she'll lie on her side before somebody at the mill decides to cut her up, and if the political climate will change before or after that happens. Meanwhile, a lot of similarly unique engines are rusting away in city parks, private collections, and at least one scrap yard right here in the good old USA. None of these things are replaceable, here or in Cuba, and saving them all will be a big challenge. So, who is up for the challenge?<br>




rjenkins@railfan.net

<P><br>The boiler explosion in Cuba was a tragic result of the lack of available parts and the economic ability to properly maintain these locomotives. If anything gets people to adjust their political cold wars, it is the fate of people living in that nation. Now we may not be able to get anything out of Castroland for the next few years, but maybe for the sake of safety, a crew of qualified steam locomotive shopmen should go down there and do an inspection of every locomotive on the isle. This could save future lives of crews and bystanders, and quite possibly tourists. Bad-order engines could have special parts orderered and delivered to keep them running, or else put them on the sideline. <br>As a by-product of such an effort, some boiler tests and inspections would reveal the quality of the preservable engines, and justify moving expenses when the roundhouse doors open. The boiler survey would also lead to a renewed catalog of the existing steam.<br>Nobody has mentioned anything about the Hershey Cuban interurban!<br>o.<br>




oanderso@uiuc.edu

<P>Cuba has the know-how to run these things safely, they have used some of the best steam men in the world to help rebuild old locomotives. When a boiler, refinery, or chemical plant blows up it generally not the result of any one thing that happened on any one day. Most of the time it is an accumulated set of events and problems that have built up over several years. This is often rooted in training, care of equipment, and the over-all way management runs things.<p>Take a look at the failure at Gettysburg, not something from one single event but rather a pile of things that all added up to the low water condition. I have had a lot of industrial safety training and you find that almost all accidents that cause loss of life, serious injury, or property damage can be traced back to a series of events that happen over a period of time.<br>