Probably covered in previous thread(s)...
(if recent enough, someone want to post a link here?)

How about stories of equipment that was ''almost'' preserved, but then lost at the last minute,
or even after the last minute.
( I was originally thinking steam locomotives, but hey, whatever. )

2 examples to start off with:

Reading #219. Class G-3, 210-219, Reading Shops 1948, from mostly Baldwin parts.
Last steam engine built in Reading, last Pacific built in America (?).
Offered to City of Reading for display after retirement.
City wanted RR to pay for the movement and installation for display.
Too many block-heads on both sides to find a way to make it happen, so it didn't.

Reading #7602. SD-45 E.M.D. 1968 (?)
Last survivor of the five SD-45 units on RDG roster.
This loco was at Chrome Locomotive at the same time as ALCo C630 #s 5308 & 5309.
We (RCT&HS) managed to save the 5308 and certain parts of 5309.
Too bad we could not also have raised the donations to save the 7602.
(not for lack of desire, but the consensus was that the Century was more of the ''endangered species'' - circa 1986).
That way, we would have one each of RDG's ''Big 3'' , as we obtained U-30-C #6300, a few years later.

Lets hear your stories. What about that B&O 2-8-8-4 ?

I think at this point, a better question, is of those that did make it, how many are going to last....

I think at THIS point,

why don't you start your own thread, instead of hi-jacking this one ?

I can suggest two diesels that "almost made it:" CNJ 2004, one of the BLW double-ended cab units that existed as a steam generator car long after its 5 mates were gone, and a NYNH&H DL-109 that also served as some sort of maintenance vehicle well after the others of the model were torched.

The same could be applied to a number of early boxcab diesels that made it into the 1950s and even into the 1960s without preservation. Luckily a few of those did survive.

Soo Line 2-8-2 #1025 (ex-Monon #508) was restored for display by the Soo for presentation to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. The city then said to the railroad "you are going to maintain the locomotive once it is moved into the park, right?" The Soo replied of course, that that would be Rhinelander's responsibility. The city then turned down the donation. The engine was probably one of the cleanest to have ever gone to scrap!

BTW, this would have been the only other Monon steam locomotive to have survived. The Soo donated sister engine #1024 (Monon #504) to Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The Soo Line, of course, had a very good record of preserving steam.

Les

I don't know if anyone made an effort to save these locomotives, but E-L had a single PA1 and a Trainmaster in storage in Hornell, after the rest were hauled off for trades. I was a college kid at the time, and remember wondering if some visionary would step in , or had stepped in, to preserve a spectacular pair. Alas, they did not, and the two went to scrap.

Another one I can think of that "almost" made it, DID actually get preserved, but only for a while. The Central of Georgia had actually set aside one of their "Big Apple" 4-8-4's for preservation. Unfortunately, an upper management change came about and the new "higher ups" decided that the engine was worth more as scrap metal. Scratch one very good looking 4-8-4. And shame on the person, or persons, that made THAT decision.

Les

Weren't there a number of PC E7's that lasted until 1980 or so, only to go to scrap leaving us with only one preserved E7 at RRMPa?

Of course there are the two N&W Y6's that languished in a Roanoke scrap yard until the mid-'70s before ultimately being scrapped.

I've often wondered if there was ever any thought of saving the last Union Pacific PA2, #8080, which served as a cab-control unit for their failed experimental coal turbine and wasn't stricken from the roster until 1968- about six years after the other UP PAs were retired.

And then there are the NYC Mohawks... #3001 only survives because T&P decided to scrap heavily vandalized Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 #638 on display at the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas. It's great we have #3001, but it's too bad #638 was scrapped *after* having been preserved. I've also heard that #2933 at the MoT in St. Louis was originally *supposed* to be a 4-6-4 Hudson but the Hudson got scrapped by mistake so the Mohawk was sent instead.

It probably hasn't been updated in a while, but lots of interesting related information here:

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/lists/re ... sses.shtml

At least two at Striegel Sprap in southeastern Baltimore marshland until the 1980s; I think an E7B, maybe an E7A, survived into at least 1988 (along with a PRR RS1, a bunch of Baldwin switchers, SCL slugs, etc.)

I've heard stories of two locomotives (a streamlined Pacific and a 4-8-4 Pocono) were offered by the DL&W to the city of Scranton, and both were turned down. Consequently, neither were saved, and all that remains of the DL&W steam is 4-4-0 952 and 2-6-0 565.

Back about 1978 or so, there was a formal EP-5 Preservation Fund established. I don't know how far they got, but this was an effort to save one of the New Haven (at that time Conrail) electrics that were unique to the NYHN&H (later Penn Central and then CR). Obviously, none of the GE's was eventually saved. Must be a story there somewhere.

Les

I am thinking more recently what about the Amtrak P30CH? Is it too late for the SDP40F? These may not have been successful but they were part of early Amtrak history and there was a story to be told.

Mark A. Frazier

I kind of wonder about that. It seems as if Mr. Roberts at the MoT had a philosophy to preserve one example of each locomotive type. Nickel Plate Road 4-6-4 # 170 was donated to the museum in October of 1957. I would think that there might have been a few New York Central Hudson's still sitting around in dead lines at that time. Maybe not. A NYC "expert" could probably confirm or refute when the last Central 4-6-4 met the torch. In any event, Mohawk 2933 was not donated to the St. Louis museum until 1963. By that time, most every other NYC steamer was gone. I had always heard that the 2933 was "hidden" away somewhere by some roundhouse foreman as the last steam engine left at that facility. The Reading Rambles had started up by then, and the railfans had discovered the 2933 still sitting at that roundhouse and they started questioning whether the Mohawk could be fired up for some fantrips. The Central jumped up and said "bad boiler" and quickly donated the 4-8-2 to MoT. Almost a "please Mr. Roberts, take this engine off our hands!" The fact that it was the second 4-8-2 at the St. Louis museum, lends some credence to this scenario. But, who knows what actually happened. Anyone from MoT care to comment?

Les

Mentioning the Nickel Plate, got me to thinking about a couple of other NKP steamers that "almost" made it:

Frankfort, Indiana supposedly approached the Nickel Plate, or perhaps the NKP approached them about a Berk. Anyway, the City of Frankfort supposedly wanted a 900 class ex-Clover Leaf 2-8-0. There were none left running out of Frankfort, but the railroad found two examples still on the roster elsewhere and told the City that they could have one. But it never happened! Another story perhaps waiting to be told.

The City of Canton, Ohio was earmarked to get an ex-W&LE "heavy" 2-8-2. The city said however, that they preferred instead a locomotive that the Wheeling & Lake Erie had built in their own nearby Brewster shops. The Nickel Plate accomodated Canton, and gave them instead 0-6-0 #360 (ex-W&LE #3960). The switcher was the only Brewster-built engine preserved, and the only W&LE locomotive saved. But, the decision meant that NO examples of USRA "heavy Mikes" made it into preservation.

Finally, Dick Jensen found NKP 2-8-2 H-5 class #965 still around and purchased it. A long story, but his efforts eventually failed and the only NKP H-5 saved, was eventually scrapped.

Les

Bringing up Dick Jensen, also brings up some other steamers that he owned that didn't quite make it. In addition to NKP 2-8-2 #965 mentioned previously, there was also the famous Burlington class O5B 4-8-4 #5632 and Grand Trunk Western 4-6-2 #5629. But some of Dick's locomotives DID make it to preservation including CB&Q class O1A 2-8-2 #4963, Georgia Northern 4-6-0 #102 and Mississippi Eastern Ten-Wheeler #303.

Les