Honestly I think that their efforts, success or failure, could make a case study on effective organization in preservation...

"If you can do it better... Please do it."

I made my donation (it wasn't much). Knowing the people involved and how they were able to mobilize resources in such a short time, I made my donation to show I believe in the process and support the cause.

-otto-

Be careful when quoting the amount received/ available for this (or any) gofundme project.

They often charge a 5% percent processing fee and the credit card companies charge a fee, typically about 3%

Bob H

I think the attitude of Port Arthur toward this locomotive is more prevalent among communities than any of us would like to think. Us being so close to the rail preservation effort we fail to see these situations the way others do. Based on their limited efforts to find a home for the locomotive, PA seemed to see it as an item of some historic curiosity rather than a relic or artifact of substantial importance.

I suspect that many park engine are "out of site, out of mind" with government until an incident like that in Port Arthur thrusts it back into the foreground. It then is an instant liability that must be dealt with swiftly and with minimum effort. The mere act of bringing the plight of the locomotive to the attention of the owner at a time that does not represent an emergency affords options that would not be available otherwise and often avoid the time crunch to take action.

Yes, some might scoff at the offer, but by making municipalities aware of the situation they may not have thought about, it might get the slow wheels of government turning to an eventual solution. If nothing else, it makes the official aware that there is a network of rail preservation to provide resources for a restoration or options should disposal be preferred.

The city of Port Arthur is going through some hard times right now imaginably why they couldn't outright donate the locomotive. Local industries are shutting their doors, the main street looks like a ghost town and poverty is rampant in the area. I recall there being an article describing the poor state of PA's school district with high dropout rates, Harvey didn't help that situation. Perhaps we're too harsh on them when they can't even care for themselves. When you think about it, a fundraiser like this would've better suited the neighborhood than some far gone steamer. Oh well live and learn.

Cameron

Gofundme charges a 2.9% + .30 cents fee on each donation, plus 0 platform fees.

Taken from the website:
"Payment processing fees for Certified Charity campaigns are 2.9% + $0.30 on each donation. Since our fee is deducted from each donation in real-time, you'll never need to worry about getting billed or owing us any money. Keep in mind that: There are no fees to sign up and create campaigns."

On another board, some time ago, one of those useless fantasy discussions was along the lines of "what locomotive would you build or restore if you won a large Power Ball lottery?" was all the rage.

After reading over dozens of the usual foamer stuff, I posted an option that would fund building a cover for every park engine that doesn't have one, just to help preserve what we have out there today and stop the rot.

Thinking it through, even that seemly simple task becomes daunting when you consider dealing local governments, permitting processes, space issues, finding local contractors, even dealing with governments who might not be able to receive "gifts."

Step two might be to do a basic restoration in removing coal/oil/asbestos and a simple paint job (which would reduce the risk of a future Port Arthur repeat). Reality is there are likely only a hand full of qualified companies out there who could do this safety and without risk of damaging the locomotives; so working through dozens (a hundred?) locomotives could take years. Let alone a near or museum quality cosmetic restoration that would include landscaping/playgrounds/etc around the locomotive to improve the over all attraction, a little PR and spark public interest in their local history.

Interesting to think this sort of a project could start to reach the scale of funds used to build the Age of Steam Roundhouse if applied across all of the country.

Bob

That currently amounts to $2,234.50 in processing fees. It's a necessary expense - just like the fees for accepting a credit card in a gift shop or for ticket sales.

That's only slightly higher than accepting contributions via PayPal. It's an administrative cost of operating a non-profit. Many methods of raising funds cost a lot more.

Just checked on the progress, and the fundraiser is up to $63,376. They're amazingly close to the current goal, down to just $1,624 to raise.

Equally amazing, if not more so, are the small sizes of the donations. Of the 1,199 donors, only four are over $1,000, 68 are between $576 and $100, and the remaining 1,127 are under $100! Many of those, perhaps the majority, are under $50!

This could be a lesson on how to raise money, though how well it would work without the urgency this case has may be questioned.

Newest update, now $63,396, and 1,200 donors. . .

$970 to go. This is a success for rail preservation and shows what we all can do if we band together instead of fracturing into groups. Rail preservation needs more of this! My grandfather would be proud of everyone here who contributed in any way. Remember rail preservation isn't just about the artifacts, but the stories of the people and their lives. The guys who started this fundraiser are doing a amazing job! I am confident 'ol 503' has a brighter horizon ahead thanks to everyone. A small victory, but one hell of a victory none the less!

I would strongly suggest scanning and posting the signed purchase agreement with the scrapper that was to have been obtained yesterday ( 2/21) per the advices posted on the Go Fund Me site.

I'm sure all concerned will welcome evidence that the scrapper is not going to move the goal posts yet again.

IMHO-Ross Rowland

$65,000+ Raised!
I have not seen any updates, however, about the purchase...

$65,867, it just keeps going on. I'm a bit worried about the purchase as well, seems like that would be a milestone worth mentioning. And there were other interested parties in the locomotive.

Over $800 beyond the goal! Thank you to everyone who contributed! Expect an announcement from Jason and Nick very soon on the status of the project.