Folks, folks, folks...............

We don't even know for sure it's IRM.

Maybe East Troy wants to expand, I dunno.

I was joking around, it wasn't meant to be taken seriously. I wasn't aware how your day to day operations ran. Isn't Nick Kallas the main director of the IRM despite the BOD presence, what decisions can he actually make or influence? Thanks again for the insight Hicks.

Cameron

A word to the wise... humor does not come across well on chat lists... especially when you don't know who you are talking to, or who you are talking about.

Thank you, we will remember to not take you seriously from now on. After all, you told us not to.

That's "Mr. Hicks" to you.

May I ask Mr. Wilkins why ever since the #503 thread you and some of the other users on this site have been so harsh towards me. I admit I am a student activist who loves railroad preservation as a hobby not his entire livelihood but please explain to me how I personally offended you. I give my criticism where it ought to be and hold back when all is well. I said in a newspaper recently I doubted an entire local government's integrity and I'm seen as "interjecting myself" in a project when I just simply exercised my freedom of speech. I've tried my best to be respectful towards you sir but I can't when you're pulling my leg. I barely know you and I want to assume you're a great man, am I wrong to think this?

Well, Mr. Wolk, do not take this as a personal attack, because it is not. Preservation has been a hobby to me, for the last twenty five years, since my teenage years. You certainly have your freedom of speech, but that does not give you freedom from cricicism. You are like a lot of student activists I have encountered in my relatively young life, you speak out, often authoritatively, when you have no underlying knowledge whatsoever. You can learn a lot by observing and asking questions. Like a lot of people these days, the internet gives people like you the mistaken impression that their opinion matters, even if it is ill-informed.



You aren't going to get anywhere with flattery. You certainly don't know anything about me, and yet you offer a greatly-inflated opinion of me. While on a superficial level, it's appreciated, it only underscores that you speak even when you know nothing. I think this is symptomatic of your problem. Sometimes in life the less said, the better.

*Thread Derailed*

More like de-wired and pulling catenary towers down with it.

Back to the substance of the discussion!

Roger that on returning to the substance. I personally am glad to see a second AEM-7 preserved. My job had me travelling the NEC frequently and AEM-7's delivered me reliably and on time in Amfleets at 110-125 mph, much as the GG1's had done previously with P70's at 80-90 mph.

Not to dismiss a GG1. Back in the day a motor had to lift 15 or so standardweight cars out of Washington lower level, then run with them at 80 mph. A GG1 could do that. An AEM-7 can take 7 Amfleets on time at mostly 125 mph with all the speed restrictions Acelas tilt through. Different times; different motors.

As to the 945, I'm sure IRM has people who know people that can tell them what motivates an AEM-7 and what needs to be done to make one work.

Phil Mulligan

Why must it run? Why not just preserve it for the milestone locomotive it was, the replacement of the GG1.

While a G-motor or AEM-7 (with DC TMs) could in theory be made to run on DC, WHY? You would be destroying an historic artifact in doing such a conversion. Who would benefit in seeing a G or 'meatball' run again?

I belong to a museum that has a nice little 1939 SW-1. I have a soft spot for SW-1s, as the first engine I ever ran on my own was an SW-1. As much as I would love to see this one run again, I accept the fact that it is a time capsule. Old style battery charging voltage regulator, cloth covered insulation, etc. To revive it would ruin it's historic value.

Lets just leave well enough alone here.

WOW! A preservationist... on a forum called Railway Preservation News... Who wudda thought?

Converting a GG1 to operate is one thing. There are many floating around and several that are downright derelicts. Converting one to run either on DC or perhapson the modern NEC is fine. There are many left in original condition. There are only 2 preserved AEM-7s. Not enough to justify hacking one up.

More speculation that anything else. The point made previously - that if someone knew they wouldn't post it here - until and unless there was a public notice given) is dead right.

As for the gist of whether it should or should not be saved by IRM, one has to consider, there is a lot of knee-jerk reaction to "calls to preserve" - meaning calls from the railroads (not from groups such as this). I know Nick gets calls all the time offering something or another. You can't save it all. Amtrak has recently changed their directive toward preserving. It had been, everything WILL be scrapped, no donations, no competitors. Now it's "let's preserve". A lot of people feel one should strike while the iron is hot.

The IRM has been the repository of choice for many things. Red Bird cars, various diesel & steam locomotives, parts, cars, etc. As nick said though, a stainless car means 85 some odd feet of track space - even given, it is not free. Far too many "free" items are anything but free in the short or long term.

I hate to say it too, but this constant speculation & rampant rants and petty cat calling really hurts the board as a whole, and it loses any shred of credibility as it continues, and otherwise associated members get painted with that same broad brush.