I was in Lynchburg VA visiting family this weekend and had a quick look at the Riverside Park train display.

Basic black paint on the 2-8-4 is complete, and the graffiti which marred the new paint on the tender for a time has been overpainted. The engine looks much better sandblasted and painted but I still desperately wish they had removed the non-spec ersatz boiler jacket; my best hypothesis is the jacket was not removed, just painted, so there is still 40 years of moist crud packed between it and the boiler shell.

The C&O Coach is no more--it looks like it was scrapped in situ within the last week or two. Nothing left on site but the trucks. A sign informs taxpayers that the city put $18,000 or so into the scapping contract. Requiescat in pace--if ever a car were gone beyond recovery it was that one. I understand that some salavageable fittings like seat frames, baggage racks were saved are are to be disposed of (have been disposed of?) through an auction.

The same two new side sills which have been sitting on the Virginian caboose's bare frame for many months have been joined by some other newly cut frame pieces, still sitting on a building materials delivery truck next to the caboose frame. Perhaps reconstruction is resuming after a long hiatus?

Sorry, no photos, but the condition of the locomotive has not changed materially in months.

On a happy Riverside Park transportation history note, the new shelter over the hull of the James River Canal packet boat Marshall is complete, and it is a humdinger.

If your are ever in Lynchburg, stop by Riverside park to see the Marshall and the Fink deck truss and get nice views of the SR viaduct over the James from the Alpine Trail. Other area railroad attractions include a relocated C&O depot in the Old City Cemetary, an excellent rail trail on the ex-N&W passenger route through Blackwater Creek including a tunnel and nice cuts, the renovated SR Kemper Street station, and a still-standing C&O Canal concrete coal silo east of town on the riverfront. Downtown Lynchburg is having quite an urban renewal in the last six years and is well worth a walking tour. There are other still-standing nearby depots in Forest (N&W) and Amherst (SR).

For further information on the Riverside project see this item from a January 06 city council meeting agenda recovered using google:

MEETING DATE: January 24, 2006,
Work session
AGENDA ITEM NO.: 3
CONSENT:REGULAR: X
CLOSED SESSION:(Confidential)
ACTION:
INFORMATION: X
ITEM TITLE: Passenger Car- Train at Riverside Park

RECOMMENDATION: Endorse a plan to dispose of the passenger car, auction salvageable items and dedicate revenues from the sale of those items to the train preservation effort.

SUMMARY:The train exhibit in Riverside Park consists of a Chesapeake and Ohio steam locomotive, a Southern Railwaypassenger car and a Norfolk and Western caboose. The train cars were placed in Riverside in 1962 as part ofa transportation museum. The Lynchburg Kiwanis adopted the train exhibit as a club project, and have madecommendable progress in preserving the locomotive and caboose. Both City staff and the Kiwanis Club have investigated the feasibility of retaining the passenger car as part of the exhibit. Unfortunately the car hasdeteriorated to the point where preservation is not a viable option. Staff is seeking Council endorsement of a plan to dispose of the passenger car. First the passenger car mustbe detached from the locomotive and moved to the rear of the tracks. The caboose will then be moved andattached to the locomotive tender. Equipment has been located to accomplish this task and will require nonew funding. Further work on the caboose has been suspended temporarily because of the potential damagethat might be incurred in any moving operation. Once the caboose is in its permanent position, work cancontinue on the rebuilding effort. The Kiwanis will remove all salvageable parts from the passenger car. Theseitems will be sold through an auction process facilitated by the City. Train aficionados believe that there is agood market for these items. Staff requests that all revenues from the sale be appropriated to Parks and Recreation, and dedicated to the preservation of the train. The remnants of the passenger car will bedemolished and scraped after any remaining asbestos has been removed. The cost of asbestos removal anddemolition is estimated at $18,000. Staff has submitted a SAFETEA-LU grant proposal that, if approved, will fund demolition and asbestos removal. If the City is not successful in receiving these grant monies, staff mayrequest that contingency funds be made available to cover the costs of demolition at that time. If Council endorses this plan, staff will proceed with presenting appropriate resolutions for Council consideration.

PRIOR ACTION(S): none
FISCAL IMPACT: none
CONTACT(S):Andrew Reeder, 455-5876 Kay Frazier, 455-5668
ATTACHMENT(S): none
REVIEWED BY: lkp

Thanks, Erik. This particular locomotive has been a "pet"issue of mine, and I'll go so far as to say that letters from RYPN members were what brought about the cosmetic work she received. I think the coach was lettered for the Southern, when I last saw it. True, it was the worst deteriorated piece of static rolling stock I've ever seen. The caboose is very significant, iirc. Last example of her type?

Possible, and I'd like to think so, but in truth I doubt it. The current activity, including all the good as well as some unfortunate shortcomings, can be credited almost excluively to Bill Hodges and the Lynchburg Kiwanis. Local consensus is that Bill started things rolling almost single-handedly and dragged the Kiwanis and then the city government along.

Kudos to Bill then! Credit where it is due.