B&H 7 and Monson 4 burnt in fire

o anderson · **Posted:** Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:42 pm

The "temporary" barn in the urban waterfront of Portland ME burned for at least a half hour last night.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Steam-engine-damaged-in-fire.html

At least MNG will not have to rebuild the structure, per se, which was damaged by high winds recently. It does call to question the future of equipment at the location. I had heard of hopes for building a barn 7 years ago, but nothing came of it I gather. Meanwhile rent has increased for the facility and relations with the city have never been easy.

While they have good ridership on the coast, perhaps it is time to pack bags and begin the move to Bridgton (spinning off a few more pieces to the other museums)?

G. W. Laepple · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:10 pm **Posts:** 1182

A report from the scene indicates the fire was suspicious in nature. It is also reported that paint was scorched on no. 7's water tank and some charring of the tool car occurred. Additional inspection may reveal additional damage. Engines 4 and 8 were not affected by the fire. City fire officials and law enforcement are to investigate the fire scene on Monday.

Dingo · **Joined:** Mon Jun 01, 2009 12:18 pm **Posts:** 22

Monson 4 looked fine. See my post regarding the engine fire for more information.

The water tank on B&SR 7 is all rust now, the paint is gone. The fire consumed various patches on the tank and we will probably have to fabricate a new tank. The cab frames were twisted by the fire and will likely have to be replaced. The running gear looks OK, but some plastic melted onto it. It will be closely examined for alignment, warping, lubrication, etc. The fire damage was to the cab and the water tank area primarily. I hope to have some photographs up later today.