Below is a view of Steam Legend Ross Rowland and his beloved 614 at this past weekends Alleghany RR Festival in Clifton Forge, VA. Despite iffy weather, the festival attracted a great turnout. Several thousand guests enjoyed a cab tour thanks to a set of steps built by the C&OHS crew. Overall, I'd have to say it was a very successful & well attended event for everyone who showed up.

Additional pics of 614, Steam Legend Ross Rowland and the Festival Activities can be seen at THIS SLIDE SHOW.



Overall, there are 100+/- images in the slide show. The festival views are within the first 35 frames. The show covers many of the events which occurred over the past several weeks getting 614 ready for and including the move from the Virginia Museum of Transportation, up to Waynesboro, over to Staunton, and then at home again in Clifton Forge.

The current plan as I understand it is for 614 to be on display for two months in Clifton Forge and then moved to the depot in White Sulphur Springs, WV for display across the street from the Greenbrier Resort Complex.

As for that builders plate, below is the image previously posted; the ownership status of which I am not familiar with. Possibly Ross, or someone familiar with the information will pipe in here with that information.

In that slide show (and, as I recall, in another post elsewhere) you have a shot of the original builder's plate for 614 temporarily mounted on 614.

Now, it's a somewhat reasonable assumption that the original plate(s) were probably removed from 614 when it was in the scrap line in Russell, Kentucky in the 1960s. There's a faint, albeit non-zero, chance that at least one of the plates was still on the loco when it went to the B&O Museum.

Nonetheless, the implication from the captions is that the plate depicted 1) is not the property of the current locomotive owner, and 2) has been in private hands for some time now.

I'm trying to figure out what possesses a collector to retain an original artifact from a locomotive that ended up preserved, instead of making some kind of arrangements thereof for a sale/transfer/whatever to the new owner/entity. Are you seriously telling me that Rowland and the owner couldn't come to some kind of deal in the past thirty-odd years?

We've had this discussion before in 2003, when builder's plates for the preserved Reading FP7's ended up on eBay:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5665

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5680

By the way--does anybody know, after all these years, if that situation with the Reading plates was resolved, and how?

Apparently, when C&O Kanawha #2789 was in storage, a collector legally purchased the builders plates and smokebox number plate from the 2-8-4. Later, when the locomotive was put on display in Peru, Indiana, a fake number plate was put on the engine. Over 25 years later, after the engine was acquired by our museum, the original number plate was eventually reaquired and put back on the locomotive. The builders plates were also offered to the museum, but due to the prohibitive cost, it was felt, at that time, that they were not necessary to the locomotives appearance. So they remain with a collector to this day.

Les

Apparently, when C&O Kanawha #2789 was in storage, a collector legally purchased the builders plates and smokebox number plate from the 2-8-4. Later, when the locomotive was put on display in Peru, Indiana, a fake number plate was put on the engine. Over 25 years later, after the engine was acquired by our museum, the original number plate was eventually reaquired and put back on the locomotive. The builders plates were also offered to the museum, but due to the prohibitive cost, it was felt, at that time, that they were not necessary to the locomotives appearance. So they remain with a collector to this day.

Les[/quote]

Aren't you guys trying to get that Kanawha operational, or am I wrong in my assumption? Eitherway, the article in Trains on the 765 visiting your museum highlighted the excellent work that is being done.

Currently, the 2789 is undergoing a slow (VERY slow) cosmetic restoration. We have a brand new set of flues on hand if the museum ever decides to start a restoration to service.

BTW, sister Van Sweringen Berkshine NKP 765 will be running at Hoosier Valley again later this month. Also in June and in July. You can check out our website at www.hoosiervalley.org for details.

Les

Seeing a Kanawha and Greenbrier in steam, side by side, now that would be a warming and welcomed sight. I think the Kentucky Museum's Chessie 2-8-4 and the 614 did that at least once, didn't they?

I wonder how close Ross is to getting 614 shopped for operation?

Same here. Would love to see 614 on the P&W here in New England.

Don't look for it to happen this year, and probably not next year either.

Probably less likely than a return to operational status unless you happen to model the P&W in which case you'd probably be modeling P&W motive power anyways.

Thanks to Bob Lyndall for some great photos, nice to have a photographic record of these moves/events for future refererence.

As to the original builders plate I did ask the owner if he was willing to sell it so we could mount it permanently on the 614 and his answer was an emphatic "no".

I tried to no avail. Who knows, perhaps he'll put it in his will that the 614 plate will get donated to the 614?? I know, then I woke up and smelled the coffee!!

Again, thanks to Bob for some great photos.

Ross Rowland

Hello,

Great photos!

I never cease to be impressed by the appearance of Timken roller bearing siderods, what a wonderful example of some impressive forging and machining!!!.....the zenith of a mechanical diveline on a locomotive.....amazing.

Realizing they are "lightweight" they look massive, watching these move at 75 MPH, how could you not be in awe?......and oh yes....stand back now!

Regards,

Randy

Just heard from a gentleman who claims to own the "other" original 614 builders plate. He says he's willing to contribute it to the cause in exchange for a 1 hour cab ride should 614 return to service and he's willing to take the risk of it ever returning to service.

If this is legit we'll follow through and do the deal. Let's hope it's real.


Ross Rowland