Christmas has arrived early in this part of the world !!!! THANKS to everybody for burying me with helpful, encouraging messages. Usually I'M the guy getting moderated, wasting everybody else's time with some stupid online argument.

All these posts about the saddletanker of my dreams deserve something better than my usual hasty, half baked replies. Please be patient, I have a bit of explaining to do, you fellas have raised a lot of points and it might take a day or two for me to figure out how best to answer. I'm definitely not ignoring you.

So far as I have been able to determine, my locomotive never had a (printable) name during her regular service life. Before I even laid eyes on her for the first time, I had started calling her Audrey (or Audrey Junior, or Audrey Two). This is in honor of the carniverous plant from "Little Shop of Horrors", who could say "Feed me, feed me, feed me" when it was hungry. As my vet had warned me, I became her Daddy (life support system maybe says it better) at that point.

So now, when I say "Audrey time" I mean spending time on my project, sometimes even actually doing honest work !!! And "Audrey land" is the spot of ground I've cleaned up so it looks like a putting green, upon which we laid track to park her on. And THERE in Audrey land it is Christmas morning right now.

Peace on Earth, & Goodwill to All,
Audrey & Sammy

Thanks to all of you gentlemen for your very, very kind support of Audrey Junior, more often known as Coronet Phosphate #6 !!!

My enthusiasm for Rock Island Lines superior T shirt concept wasn't really meant to lead up to any kind of solicitation, or fund raising campaign. I'm just delighted that you folks want to help, friends are more important than money to me any day.

Running this project out of the change jar in my truck, the first year's progress consists of getting a clear title to the engine, moving her from Indiana to Colorado, laying some track to park her on, and paying rent on my workspace through the end of 2016.

There's enough dough left over to finance the work I have planned for next summer --- straightening the dog leg in the frame, replacing the cab floor and gangway decking, pilot beams and footboards. I also have to remove the firebrick, clean up and ultrasound the boiler, but that won't cost anything.

Besides that, I'm looking at having some #6 hats made, using Les Beckman's tasteful paint job on her number plate, as the patch design. My plan is to give these away to the many nice folks who have pitched in to help me help my poor old locomotive, NOT to sell them to her fans for a profit. I should be sending them out early next year. Anybody who really wants one, PM me your address. THIS MEANS YOU !!! Don't be shy. And extra thanks to Mr Big Jim, I have been looking for a supplier, and will be happy to try the one he suggests.

In theory, by the end of next year, I'll have figured out what to do for #6 in 2017, and how to pay for it. NOW, it isn't like I'm so rich that I don't need any more money, or that I never get any kind of donations (quite the opposite), BUT I should point out what I think are good reasons for you NOT to donate to the "Audrey fund":

1) You won't get anything in return, such as a tax write off, or any kind of recognition that anybody will ever know about.

2) The "Audrey fund" is just a slush fund, without regulatory oversight or any attempt at professional book keeping. I have a bunch of reciepts in a desk drawer, and I keep nothing more than a very simple log of what happens day to day in the project besides that. All my living expenses, and those of an unknown number of stray cats, are also paid out of the Audrey fund.

3) The most important reason not to send me any money, is that there are so many worthy causes that need more of it, worse, and faster than Audrey and I do !!! Les, this means your coach, I bet your partner hasn't contributed any money or labor to it's upkeep lately. Mr Glueck, how very thoughtful of you to even consider it, when you are responsible for a project so much more complicated, expensive, and gigantic than mine is. And you guys that aren't taking care of or restoring some kind of full size choo choo, have picture collections, model layouts, or some form of your own personal Audrey land (I hope), to take care of.

Should the day ever come that Audrey is suddenly endangered and I actually NEED donations, I will ask for them. But I think she is safe for some time now, because if I suddenly drop dead from Tequila poisening or some nasty strain of STD, she is going to be passed directly to my friends who know what to do with her, and they will make sure that nothing bad happens to her.

It seems like Rick Rowlands suggested we form a support group for small Porter owners awhile back. I'm all for it, as long as we have no dues, no rules, and no elected officers. The only other thing I might suggest is that we don't exclude anybody who is interested in participating, whether he owns a Baldwin, or a Koppel, or an engine over 60 tons, or even no locomotive at all.

As far as a joint T shirt project is concerned, Audrey and I would be honored to be included, without worrying about making any more than our expenses from it. Of course we can't use "Makling the world a better place, one saddletanker at a time" for a slogan, because Preston and Rick have sidetankers. No doubt we'll cook up something very clever.

One little problem for me and Audrey, is that I only have one foto of her in service, with all the parts on her and a decent coat of paint. It's a 3/4 rear wedgie, great quality, but you want a front or side view for a T shirt.

Which brings us to "Mucho Bueno Sabor" !!! This phrase is grammaticly incorrect Spanish, which means approximately "Much Good Flavor". It's first use known to me was at least 30 years ago, as an advertising slogan for real cheap, harsh, rotgut, Mexican cigarettes. I never found out the brand name. The workers of the Ferrocarril Mexicano del Pacifico taught me to say that whenever we took a shot of Tequila, or if a girl in a miniskirt bent over, even though she knew we were looking at her... so NOW it's intellectual property ??? I'd say we're pretty safe, there's no intellectuals to worry about here in Audreyland.

Thanks Once Again, Take Care & WORK SAFE