Technically, not abandoned, but otherwise, very much so. The locomotives have been heavily stripped of parts and left open to the environment. The canopy of trees make it look pastoral, but the water on and around them isn't evaporating. One bears a dedication plaque to a preservationist. If this is preservation, do me a favor and skip the plaque for me. I believe one of these is suppose to go the The Henry Ford Museum, but they best get a move on.
These need to be shoveled out, sealed, get the body work and paint they require, and moved indoors - fast! I love the bike chain. Yeah, that'll deter a thief!



























FWIW, I don't think we saved too many GG1's. I think too little planning went into what to do with them once they we saved. Too many people think a locomotive is "invincible", and once the doors are shut, nobody will enter them. The "after" needs to be planned in front of the "before".

Sad to see them rot away...

Not to be picky but the area is Cooperstown junction.
Al

Be picky! I'd rather have the correct information.

Someone is the owner of these, so who is it?

Owned by the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley aka the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society.

IIRC, the Henry Ford Museum "bought" (or was set to) one; and prepared it for movement some years ago... but then some railroad refused to move it.

if you want some further reading...

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... &hilit=GG1

The 4917 is apparently still owned by the GG1 Historic Locomotive Preservation Society of Miami, Florida. The plan was to move it to Florida.

>The plan was to move it to Florida


That seems like it would be a terrible place for something that already isn't in the best of condition, unless it will be getting a roof over its head.

That's like putting a sugar cane car on display in Alaska.

http://www.nonprofitfacts.com/FL/Gg1-Hi ... y-Inc.html

No activity since 2014, assets listed $0. Not sure they even exist, could find no trace of them as an active group.

> That's like putting a sugar cane car on display in Alaska.

Is it any different than elements of the King Tut collection being shown in NY? A Titanic exhibit in California? Why is a Big Boy in Scranton? There are lots of examples of displays being moved from their native land to other regions in order to for a greater number of people to see, enjoy, and learn from them.

The GG1 is an icon, thanks in part to Lionel, its visual design, and its longevity. Why not have at least one GG1 that could indeed be moved to different regions of the country? As to Florida, a large segment of the Florida population (whether that be snow birds, transplants, or tourists) is from the North East. Even while waiting for a bus inside Disney we met other families and the question really was, did you drive down on 75 (the Ohio region) or 95 (the NY tri-state area). A GG1 would certainly be unusual in Florida, but I can understand the reasoning behind the endeavor. In the proper context, it could even be a draw.

The concept of a "portable" GG1, to be viewed and enjoyed all around the country has considerable merit. But I foresee two roadblocks:

Funding: With virtually all rail museums scratching for funding, getting the bucks to create and maintain the roving GG1 faces a steep uphill climb.

Transport: Most, if not all, of the Class I railroads will go out of their way to find reasons NOT to move anything but "normal" freight cars. While the GG1 is on roller bearings, they are all enclosed in big housings, and that will be the reason many RRs will use to decline the movement.

Yeah, it's a nice thought, but.......

I remember when the GG1's were retired and there was a big rush to acquire them by museum groups. After a few years several started to ask themselves "What the hell are we going to do with this thing". The same thing happened in the early 1980s when Kennecott Copper closed their Bingham Mine in Utah. A large number of electric locos were available for donation and they got scattered all over the west. At least one has been scrapped and none of the others have seen any TLC.

Wouldn't it be better if one of those GG1's at Coopersville was lovingly restored and displayed in Florida or California or Alaska than rotting in the New York woods? It is ideal for equipment to be preserved in its home territory but better somewhere else than not at all. Has anyone approached the owners with a well funded restoration plan?

For information, it is typically around $25,000 to move a modern locomotive meeting all current shipment requirements across the US dead in train.

PC

How sad! Reminds me of that place down south where they leave corpses out to study decomp for research.
At least they are chained down and padlocked. Bwahahahaha