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| SP 745 Update https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9296 |
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| Author: | jimwrinn [ Tue Mar 30, 2004 6:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | SP 745 Update |
From the Times-Picayune, one of the finest newspaper names, in the land, along with my chain's (Allentown) Morning Call. March 26, 2004 Friday SECTION: METRO; Pg. 1 LENGTH: 666 words HEADLINE: COBWEBS CLEARED; Its engine finally running, a restored locomotive awaits federal inspectors and a roll out of the train yard BYLINE: By Michelle Hunter; East Jefferson bureau BODY: Gregg Dodd needed something to go well. The man in charge of resurrecting Southern Pacific Railroad's No. 745 steam locomotive had already missed a deadline for the state's bicentennial celebration, and suffered through myriad delays including uncooperative weather, unexpected and costly repairs and skyrocketing prices for just about everything necessary to finish the job. On Tuesday, workers who have been restoring the 83-year-old locomotive in a Jefferson rail yard for more than a year fired up the engine for the first time since 1956. The test revealed no major problems. It was a welcome change of luck for the crew. "The way things have been going for this project, that's excellent," said Dodd, a North Carolina train buff who has been restoring and maintaining locomotives for more than 20 years. When some minor repair work is finished, Dodd and parish officials said No. 745 should be ready for federal inspection. They expect to call in the Federal Railroad Administration for a once-over sometime next week, Dodd said. After it is rubber stamped as rail worthy, the steam engine and three restored rail cars will head to Kansas City, Mo., in June for a Louisiana Purchase/Lewis & Clark Bicentennial celebration. The trip should make up for missing its first coming out party, a November tour around the state as part of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial celebration. "It should be steamed up in about a week," said Bruce Brown, president of the Louisiana Steam Train Association, the nonprofit group that spearheaded the locomotive's restoration. Built in Algiers in 1921, No. 745 served as a freight train between Louisiana and Texas until its retirement to Audubon Park in 1956. Locomotive buffs with the Steam Train Association helped secure a $750,000 federal grant with grand plans for the bicentennial tour of the state. The group tapped private donors to refurbish three cars for video presentations and exhibits on Louisiana history. Jefferson Parish agreed to put up $100,000 for the Jefferson Coach, a hospitality car the parish can use free of charge for 10 years, according to Lee Daspit, the parish's project coordinator on the restoration. Those cars are still being worked on. Dodd won the public bid as contractor. But delays and soaring costs obliterated all hopes of making the November deadline for the bicentennial trip. The federal government approved a $250,000 injection of relief cash for the beleaguered project in December. Even so, Dodd said he will have to absorb at least $150,000 in costs thanks to unforeseen expenses like having to rebuild a portion of the engine cab that was constructed by the Regional Transit Authority as an in-kind donation. Dodd had to refit the cab because it didn't fit with the engine. "It's like this with any kind of restoration," Daspit said. "You get your best price and best estimate of time. But then you get what's called a 'While you're here, you might as well . . . ' And when you hear those words, it means more money." The delays have taken a toll on efforts to solicit donations for the train, Brown said. In order to get the locomotive on the tracks, the group must secure an insurance bond and hire a crew of certified engineers to make the trip. Brown figures those costs to be about $90,000. Donors who were ready to give money for the bicentennial tour of the state are less enthusiastic about opening their wallets for another possible blown deadline this summer, he said. Still, Dodd said everyone feels confident the train will be ready for inspection next week. The test run on the locomotive far from perfect but not a calamity -- has spirits running high at the yard, according to Dodd. Workers are determined to get the engine steaming perfectly and move on to other projects. "We're just going to fix what we found and we'll get it going," Dodd said. Wrinnbo@aol.com |
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