On the subject of preserving the very recent past, has anyone noticed the preservation of Amtrak 281? This 1978 F40PHR is currently sitting inside the Central Pacific Station at the California State Railroad Museum. This locomotive is unarguably significant to the history of the American passenger train, and it is great to know that they are interested in showing future generations what was once ubiquitous. All the same, it is probably going to take me a few years to get over disliking the darn thing. It even has ditch lights.

There has already been a discussion on SD40-2s...has any one preserved a C30-7?

Few are interested in the Muni Boeing LRVs, any other unloved pieces of equipment slipping through the cracks?



CSRM press release
randy@jonespartners.com

> Few are interested in the Muni Boeing LRVs,
> any other unloved pieces of equipment
> slipping through the cracks?

Actually, a good sign that not as much equipment is falling through the cracks as we might fear is that two Muni LRV's have already been preserved. The Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society in Brooks, Oregon has acquired and operated one of the demonstrator LRV's (#1213, pictured below), and within the past couple of months the Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista, California acquired LRV #1258. There's also a Boston LRV that has been earmarked for preservation at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport.

Frank Hicks

OERHS Roster - Muni #1213 Page

frank@gats.com

Yes, you are correct. Recent history is a tough not to crack. You forgot to mention that the California State Railroad Museum is the proud new owner of the Diesel.

The Western Railway Museum has just taken over MUNI 1258. We are the people who have the largest collection of Market Street Railway and MUNI equipment. It belongs at the museum.

And the MUNI 1200 is at the Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks. So the Boeing-Vertol cars are in at least two museums.

As other examples of the revived traction equipment of the 1980s reach the end of their working careers, you can expect to see more of them in museums.

ted_miles@nps.gov

O.K., but did anyone think to save a turboliner?
or an LRC? And once again I state, locos are great but what about rolling stock? Here's a question; has anyone preserved a RAILBOX car yet?

T.J.

> Yes, you are correct. Recent history is a
> tough not to crack. You forgot to mention
> that the California State Railroad Museum is
> the proud new owner of the Diesel.

> The Western Railway Museum has just taken
> over MUNI 1258. We are the people who have
> the largest collection of Market Street
> Railway and MUNI equipment. It belongs at
> the museum.

> And the MUNI 1200 is at the Oregon Electric
> Railway Museum in Brooks. So the
> Boeing-Vertol cars are in at least two
> museums.

> As other examples of the revived traction
> equipment of the 1980s reach the end of
> their working careers, you can expect to see
> more of them in museums.


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

I don't think any of the VIA/Amtrak United Aircraft Turbos of the 60s have survived but I do believe VIA has donated a LRC engine to the Canadian Railway Museum in Quebec. VIA still uses the coaches in regular service. I don't know if any others have been spoken for. I'm not too familiar with Amtrak's other experimental trains but a "French Turboliner" is apparently stored in Duggar, Indiana.

There is are the shells of a cab and two coaches of an as-built French RTG Turbo in a Duggar, IN scrap yard – as photographed by Dave Honan in this Feb 3, 2001 Photograph. Honan noted that he only observed the cab car and two coaches, although it is rumored that the remainder of the trainset exists elsewhere. It would make an interesting interpretive exhibit (Provided there is enough in the interior to restore) to contrast it with an EMC doodlebug, a shovelnose Zephyr and an RDC to illustrate the evolution of self-powered trainsets.

Additonally, I belive that this is the only surviving RTG Turbo to retain its as-built design. Am I wrong?


Dave's Rail Pages Photos of Turboliners

rrhistorian@hotmail.com