With the recent death of Steven Bogen, does anyone know if the Valley RR in CT will be purchasing his No. 97? He has had it on lease to the VRR for many years. Also, is the engine currently serviceable?

> With the recent death of Steven Bogen, does
> anyone know if the Valley RR in CT will be
> purchasing his No. 97? He has had it on
> lease to the VRR for many years. Also, is
> the engine currently serviceable?
Yes, it's currently serviceable, in fact, tomorrow it will be used for our final day of the spring 2003 "Your Hand On The Throttle" event.


drotarinoh@webtv.net

At a recent memorial service for Steve Bogen, his sister mentioned that the family never knew that Steve "owned a locomotive", and had owned 97 since 1963. She was really surprised when I explained that Steve owned not one, but three at one time... B&SE 200 (VRR 97), 44-ton ex-LIRR #400 (VRR 400), and Magma Arizona #7, a 2-8-2 he bought in 1969, to be used on the Valley. Steve complained that he couldn't get the ATSF to move it to Chicago (and eastern connections) for less than $20,000 (in 1970, that was a lot of money). Eventually, he sold it in 1972 and it went to Texas State Railroad. Would have been neat to see a Vanderbilt tender on the VRR!


hpincus@mindspring.com

...for sharing some more of the best obscure tourist railroading history! Wow fascinating stuff!!! I had no idea Steve Bogen owned Magma Arizonia #7. I rode behind her on the TSRR in 1989, and she is a beauty. I always enjoy your posts, Howard.
Kurt Bell

> At a recent memorial service for Steve
> Bogen, his sister mentioned that the family
> never knew that Steve "owned a
> locomotive", and had owned 97 since
> 1963. She was really surprised when I
> explained that Steve owned not one, but
> three at one time... B&SE 200 (VRR 97),
> 44-ton ex-LIRR #400 (VRR 400), and Magma
> Arizona #7, a 2-8-2 he bought in 1969, to be
> used on the Valley. Steve complained that he
> couldn't get the ATSF to move it to Chicago
> (and eastern connections) for less than
> $20,000 (in 1970, that was a lot of money).
> Eventually, he sold it in 1972 and it went
> to Texas State Railroad. Would have been
> neat to see a Vanderbilt tender on the VRR!

> ...for sharing some more of the best obscure
> tourist railroading history! Wow fascinating
> stuff!!! I had no idea Steve Bogen owned
> Magma Arizonia #7. I rode behind her on the
> TSRR in 1989, and she is a beauty. I always
> enjoy your posts, Howard.
> Kurt Bell

Thanks, Kurt. Thing is, someone should have extensively interviewed Steve Bogen for what he knew.... he was the "go-to guy" to find out what was going on in the days before the Net. The tourist/museum railway scene is losing the founding fathers (like Steve B.), and I wonder if anyone is recording their history. People like Sam Freeman are already gone, and some others may not want to be too candid in an interview.

hpincus@mindspring.com

I know this will embarass some RyPN regulars, but you have to undertsand that my grandmother taught me to read at a very early age...

When I was a wee lad, the trains (and names) of Messers. Bogen, Hart, Rowland, Blount, Moedinger, Smith, Freeman and others were talked about quite a bit in my house.

So, now I am 35. I have had the pleasure of meeting most of these folks. I agree 100% with Howard. The generation of men who saved countless locomotives in the 50's and 60's are slowly fading. Anyone who has spent time with fellas of this ilk know there are some really good stories hiding there.

Rob

trains@robertjohndavis.com

Howie and Rob,

Youse guys raise good points about saving the stories of the first generation of rail preservationists. I've been doing this for over ten years. I've interviewed George Hart, Bill Moedinger, Ross Rowland, Larry Myers, Jack White, et al. Someday it will all appear in my forthcoming book (someday, somewhere) titled "Tourist Line Treasury" which will profile in-depth a select group of mid-Atlantic tourist lines and museums in great detail, including full histories and all-time equipment rosters. If you think I'm kidding, stop by my apartment sometime and you'll see the thousands of pages of research, photographs and photocopies I've amassed. The first generation is now fading from the scene; get your interviews now before it is too late. I am a staunch advocate in preserving your museum's institutional history. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

> I know this will embarass some RyPN
> regulars, but you have to undertsand that my
> grandmother taught me to read at a very
> early age...

> When I was a wee lad, the trains (and names)
> of Messers. Bogen, Hart, Rowland, Blount,
> Moedinger, Smith, Freeman and others were
> talked about quite a bit in my house.

> So, now I am 35. I have had the pleasure of
> meeting most of these folks. I agree 100%
> with Howard. The generation of men who saved
> countless locomotives in the 50's and 60's
> are slowly fading. Anyone who has spent time
> with fellas of this ilk know there are some
> really good stories hiding there.

> Rob