From Loco Notes:

"You can make 1 change and that is B&O S-2 9030 Ex SIRT has been scrapped by the Garrett Historical Society. They needed to move the engine from one location to another and the cost was too prohibitive."

DPK

First question- Is that Garrett, IN?

Second Question- Why is it now after the fact that this is mentioned on RYPN and not before?

The second question is certainly extremely relevant. There are other museums in Indiana that might have been interested in the unit if they had known about it.

Les

Yes, it is indeed Garrett, Indiana. I photographed that loco--a surprise to me--when I was escorting a couple passenger cars through Willard and Garrett a few years ago. I thought their display--which if I recall right included a freight car or two and a caboose--was perfect for the town, as I understand Alcos were the primary power out there after the FMs were retired. I share the shock and grumblings that this sailed by without offers to the likes of North Judson, etc., but as I understand it, this was a project of the local Garrett Historical Society, which may not have had much (if anything) in the way of railroad preservation ties.

Photo of it in service on the Georgetown Branch in suburban D.C.: http://gallery.sluggyjunx.com/main.php?g2_itemId=62385 --and come to think of it, we may have a photo of it in Baltimore's Locust Point Yard.

If it eases anyone's minds, though, the B&O Museum in Baltimore has sister 9063, still rusting outside the car shop where she's been loitering for years in her later guise as Octararo RR 3.

I vaguely remember seeing it and the nice little rail display that was in Garrett by the yard office during the times that I rode through town on CSX.

The S2 in Baltimore will never be appreciated and cared for as much as a locomotive in a small town display. In Baltimore it is just an unremarkable piece of equipment getting between visitors and the big locomotives, but in Garrett it would have been the centerpiece.

Since there are no details I will speculate. The Alco was displayed across the tracks from the station. Apparently the land needed to be used for other purposes and the historical society didn't have the cash to move the loco to the museum property across the tracks.

My guess is there were no rail preservationists with contacts and resources in the Garrett area, as that move would have been simple enough.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the Alco at the B&O museum. I'd say that it'd be far more core to their goals than the PM SW1.

The only thing working against it, that I can see, is that it's an Alco in an EMD shop. The have a number of operating EMDs, and I don't think anything from any other builder. But I wouldn't be surprised to see it at least cosmetically restored one day.

I'm with Les.

-How far ahead of time did the museum know they needed to vacate the equipment? What attempts did they make to let others know of the issue? Could appeals have been made to stay the execution? Where there any?

-How much awareness did they raise within the local community -- railfan, general public, etc? What of the rest of the display? The signals? Gone, too?

This thing is literally in my backyard and I had no idea it was under the gun until reports of smoke and scrap heaps replacing the display were made. This is completely unforgivable with the number of societies and museums who operate and restore equipment in the area. This locomotive didn't have to leave Garrett, but it certainly didn't have to wind up as paperclips.

Extremely disappointed is an understatement.

KL

Everything doesn't have to run. Given the dearth of 539 engine material-probably not worth the effort.

Set the bar low enough for some real forward motion, i.e., a nice cosmetic restoration of the exterior and the cab interior.

DPK