Age of Steam buys Showalters G5's?

etalcos · **Posted:** Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:46 pm

They were moved from Verona, VA today. Looks like a flatcar ride to Canada is in their short term future.

ETA

joe6167 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:51 pm

So where in Canada are they going and who bought them? It seems incomprehensible that someone would actually be bringing steam locomotives BACK to Canada!

etalcos · **Posted:** Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:24 am

Not sure who bought them, but it sounded like an individual, rather than an organization. I believe Winnipeg or that area is the destination.

ETA

k5ahudson · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2004 6:30 am **Posts:** 773

I have an idea who it is, but I don't know for sure. Anybody know the route the are going through Canada?

wesp · **Posted:** Sun Jul 19, 2015 10:53 pm

From this very thread on page 2:

Received this today from sources back east regarding the Showalter equipment.
"The va central equipment is going away. the steam engines to ontario, the rf&p cars to vmt and the ex via cars to spencer. caboose is staying for now, would have to be trucked out if it left, something about its wheels"

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2015 7:30 am

From a Facebook post to "21st Century Steam Program", apparently from camera of Bryan Love:

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

k5ahudson · **Joined:** Tue Aug 24, 2004 6:30 am **Posts:** 773

Does somebody have the ability to trace that flatcar to find out for sure where it is going? QTTX 131295.

sbhunterca · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:58 am **Posts:** 728

If the G-5s are indeed coming to Ontario, somebody is pretty good at keeping secrets... the grapevine is totally silent as far as I can tell.

I had been wondering if it might be the guy in Alberta who started collecting equipment in a big way a few years ago, but haven't heard anything about him in quite a while.

At any rate, it's great the old girls are coming home. Let's hope their new home is a good one.

Steve Hunter

Mobil1fan · **Joined:** Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:28 pm **Posts:** 21

Could be something, could be nothing:

http://www.solrswat.ca/1%20Equipment%20 ... 131299.htm

Reading T1 2124 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:41 am

Not to derail this thread, but under their roster the MOW speeder trailers had the road name as LVX. What might this stand for?

airforcerail · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:35 pm

Last 'hit' on QTTX 131295 was in Staunton, VA on 7/14 reporting road DGVR. I don't have a way to access the waybill to determine the destination however. But I can watch it to see which way it goes...

airforcerail · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:03 pm

Canada it is!

http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Famo ... =phone&c=y

sbhunterca · **Joined:** Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:58 am **Posts:** 728

Quote:

(from the news article above) In the next few days they'll be crossing the border into to Canada where they will take tourists on excursions through the country.

Very odd. Who exactly in Canada, or more particularly Ontario (if the Ontario reference earlier was correct), has the bucks to purchase, restore, and run these beautiful ladies?

My guess is it's some company or individual we'd never even consider thinking of.

Steve Hunter

Richard Glueck · **Posted:** Wed Jul 22, 2015 4:43 pm

Pure guess here..."Steam Whistle Brewery" of Ontario?

Mobil1fan · **Joined:** Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:28 pm **Posts:** 21

sbhunterca wrote:

Quote:

(from the news article above) In the next few days they'll be crossing the border into to Canada where they will take tourists on excursions through the country.

Very odd. Who exactly in Canada, or more particularly Ontario (if the Ontario reference earlier was correct), has the bucks to purchase, restore, and run these beautiful ladies?

My guess is it's some company or individual we'd never even consider thinking of.

Steve Hunter

I'd like to hope it's the Ontario Southland shortline, but outside of that nobody else comes to mind in Ontario. SOLRS wouldn't have the cash flow available, and the South Simcoe and Port Stanley are landlocked and too small.

There's a gentleman in the Praries somewhere collecting a bunch of equipment, but I thought he had acquired a steam engine and was buying more ex-CN equipment.

Maybe E. Hunter Harrison had a change of heart about the CPR steam fleet. He wants to merge so badly, so why not emulate the NS?