Would someone explain to me why the ACL 4-6-2 is "endangered"? She look pretty fair in the online photos. The L&N Diesel, likewise, appears under cover? What are the situations for these locomotives?

Richard, the 770 is under cover for now, but that could change, given a whim of management at KRM.

The museum does have a shop building, but lacks volunteers and funding. KRM has turned down two offers within the last ten years to part with the unit, one from another preservation organization that later panted up an ex CNW E8 as an L&N unit for display (and takes care of it), and the other from an individual. Both would have been better homes.

To me, the blurb on the 770 on the NRHS page can be summed up as follows:

"We've had this artifact for over 40 years, haven't taken care of it, let it get worse, have no prospects to restore or properly display it, but hey, give us money."

I was wondering that as well, considering it looks much better than MEC #470 up in Maine

Not sure what the threat is to the Pacific, but as the sole surviving USRA 4-6-2 she is worthy of a Baltimore/Scranton/Green Bay indoor retirement. I will get flack for this, but I think she is the most significant park engine in the US and deserves proper preservation ahead of any others.

My POV, YMMV.

Rob

There are pics online of #770 at KRM taken in the early '80s showing her in fresh L&N paint, all windows and lights intact, looking almost ready to run. I realize it's been 30+ years but it seems like all that effort to cosmetically restore her at that time went completely to waste and that little or no effort was made to take care of her after the restoration was complete. Sad!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

Say what you will about the California State Railroad Museum, but their SP E9 #6051 was also restored just over 30 years ago and still looks great, having spent most of her time at the museum as an inside display.

Photo from 2010 (not my photo). For whatever it's worth, I'm glad the NRHS is drawing attention to it.


L&N 770, KRM, New Haven,KY 2/6/2010 by bluegrassrailfan, on Flickr

I was VERY disappointed that the NRHS had to discontinue the Railcamp program this year. I had donated money earmarked for that projection and the NRHS sent me a letter that the program would resume in 2014. I will not donate further until I see what happens. That program has now served almost 500 campers during the life of the program and many campers have gone on to work for class one railroads, regional lines, and tourist lines. I thought that it was one of the best ventures that the NRHS had sponsored. We need to continue to get young people interested in railroads and preservation. No funds for Railcamp but the funds were there for a convention in Alaska? I guess I do not understand the logic.

I wonder if KRM even really qualifies as a railroad museum any more. It looks to me like it's more of a "tourist train ride" attraction with a few passenger cars of various mixed heritage pulled by an ex-ATSF CF7. I see references to "Day Out with Thomas" trains, "Spongebob" trains, and of course the ever-popular "train robbery" excursions.

Been heavily discussed before, and the answer is "probably not". Also, the museum owns an ex L&N Jim Crow combine that continues to rot, as well as a Louisville City Railway mule car that, while stored indoors, isn't in the best of shape. Honestly, the whole collection could have been placed on the list.

IIRC, that Jim Crow combine is exL&N 665, which was restored by L&N ca. 1962-1963 and was used as the "train" for L&N's exW&A #3, the GENERAL when it toured the east and south extensively in the mid and late 1960s. That car was in very good to excellent condition when it was donated to KRM. To see how KRM has "preserved" it since then is to invite both nausea and criticism of KRM as a museum.

IMO, of course.

665 was donated to KRM at its founding in 1954, in very good shape, then rehabbed by the L&N for use with the GENERAL. It was returned to the museum in very good shape, and neglected ever since.

The car's saving grace is the fact that it has a fishbelly steel underframe and side sills. This is why the group in Bowling Green, KY was able to rehab the nearly gone sister to 665, the Glasgow Railroad Jim Crow Combine. The steel frame may keep enough of the car together long enough to find a better, more caring home.

Actually, KRM was founded in 1957. The 665 may have been subject to floods that reached KRM's original location on River Road in Louisville several times. Even in their new home at New Haven, KY, floods have gotten to KRM equipment. In 1964 a flood reached almost to the roofs of passenger cars. Of course, the 665 wasn't there at that time as it was still under loan to L&N for use with The General.

I too, have been dismayed with the lack of attention KRM has given to their more historic exhibits. One would think that E6 770 would be a high priority item.
BTW, the paint job on 770 has an incorrect front logo (too narrow at the bottom) and the lettering is too small, probably from the use of a passenger car stencil rather than a correct locomotive stencil, both applied at South Louisville Shops for it's 75th anniversary exhibit. This was L&N's first passenger diesel and deserves proper recognition and restoration.

KRM, like most museums dating from the 1950's, has suffered from loss of it's original administration over the years which has resulted in a change of direction. Heck, I joined KRM as a junior member at the age of 14 and I'm now 70. Only a few of the original members are still alive.

Breaking my comment out to new thread. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=34936

How about Museum Railroad Museums? Places that balance preservation with a real effort to engage the public through education and other programs. Most of these are publicly owned.

Preservation is only part of the mission, and if your ED is out changing trucks, he/she is not really doing their job.

Definitely, Michigan Central Station in Detroit near me has been in sad shape for years. -_-