The tender with #35, originally off #21, wore the gorgeous "Sunrise Special" logo while that train was listed. #21 was polished and preened specifically to run that express to Montauk. Replacing that rotten tank is a common issue with restored steam. Salvaging the original parts for re-incorporation into a replacement tank is what we've done with Maine Central 470.
If the 35's tank is shot, and if the need for a water carrying cistern is required, it can be done. Certainly not a show stopper.

Ride behind?

Shall we all don roller skates, make two lines 56.5" apart, and tightly grab the shoulders of the fella ahead of us?

Or even more farcical, use a ragtag fugitive fleet of former METRA bi-levels whose air conditioning doesn't work?

The NS steam coach fleet is broken up. The Bluewater Michigan Chapter coach fleet is liquidated. Showalter's coaches are gone. Ohio Central doesn't maintain a coach fleet like that anymore. The days of using Lackawanna trailers are long gone. Most cars kept Amtrak-certified are luxury varnish that don't seat 20, let alone 84... and the owners would never allow the hoi polloi in them.

Nobody maintains a ready-Freddy coach fleet the way the above parties used to, because there's no market for renting them out like there used to be, so nobody can afford the costs of keeping them up.

What exactly are you going to ride IN?

Sure, you get "Ole 97" to steam. Now what? All you're going to do is sit there burning tube time. while you fail to successfully run excursions because you don't have any coaches. If we have 20 engines burning tube time in this fashion, do we need 21?

Nor does it make sense for every steam engine project to develop their own private coach fleet.

So what's the plan?

NKP 765 managed to have a full eclectic fleet of cars behind her in 2018 on the Joliet Rocket…

There are plenty of private car owners who would be more than happy to lease their cars for a steam excursion. Hell, there were NS excursions with half a dozen private varnish cars on the tail end.

That's true, but the costs of getting cars from railroad to railroad can be - at times - astronomical. It's why some excursion operators piggyback excursion dates, since a large number of PV cars will be in a certain area, they'll just schedule their trip for a nearby weekend date, and save costs of having to gather them from all over the country.

Now Mid America Railcar Leasing was a thing at one point, and had a large number of passenger cars for lease. Not sure if they are still around, however.

Love your videos Big Jim!

After my earlier sad post; I just read that the WW&F Railway Museum has just finished raising the $50,000 needed for the Build11 Fund in 2022. This year's money went to building frame parts. They are still running a matching fund for the replica.

This very active museum is also building a new boiler for the WW&F #10. And if that is not enough, they are building an Engine House from the ground up. The original building burned in 1931.

And yes, the museum has three miles of track to run the WW&F#11 over.

I think narrow gauge is wonderful!

Ted Miles, WW&F Life Member

I think the largest concern is not what people can ride in, but where would it go? People and organizations can put cars behind a locomotive, but there’s no point of it can’t run anywhere.

That’s what plagues several past and present excursion engines and will plague future ones.

Projects like the 2102 and the 576 are excellent projects because they have everything: the passenger cars, and the place to run them already set up before bolts were removed.

Since I am in a position to speak about former LIRR #35, maybe I can clear up some things.
#35 will not be restored to running condition. In order to facilitate our new reality, restoring only the running gear will allow the Oyster Bay RR Museum to put her together quickly. This plan does not prohibit us from future boiler restoration like #1361.
Many parts have already been restored and are now in storage in our recently relocated ex-NH boxcar allowing us to empty 2-40 for storage trailers in our display yard. This is turn will allow us to eliminate these from the yard, now freeing up space to move 2 simulators just south of them and allowing us to begin to lay 2 display tracks for our 2 GE 25 ton diesels which are directly in front of our fully restored 70 foot 1904 era turntable. We may be the only museum in the USA to offer regularly scheduled rides on a restored turntable for our guests! In our newest 5 year plan, we are also planning to move our N-22 Caboose #50 to be coupled to our operating 25 tonner #398 on one of those 2 radial tracks around the turntable. The other track will be for display of the other 25 Ton diesel #397.
While the crane is on site for this move, we will also lift our wooden caboose up and with a heavy duty forklift, move the track under it to line up with the turntable track. Then it will be put down on its trucks. We will also be turning the boiler of #35 to face north and south instead of east/west.
This is the plan for 2022.
All our work is documented on our 2 Facebook pages for LIRR 35 and the Oyster Bay RR Museum.
An interesting side note.
In previous posts, there has been mention of #5741 being an operating steam locomotive ON the LIRR system. It turns out that not only the tender from #21 which was hauled behind #5741 is still on LI, but one of its driver sets is still here!! Somehow, it wound up on #35 as its 3rd driver set. It’s possible that #35’s driver could be in the RR Museum if Pa on #5741.
Gary Farkash

39's latest push to restoration started out like so many others. A lot of fanfare, a decent fundraising push, big dreams, and big ideas. It started seven years ago. As of January (according to their Facebook page) they've raised $243,828. No small feat, but they still need to raise over $1.1 million (and climbing every year) if they're going to get the locomotive restored within the agreed-upon payment timeframe: https://rmli.org/wp-content/uploads/201 ... eement.pdf

Honestly, unless a white knight steps in with a major boost to fundraising, or some extremely large grant - in my opinion, the prospects don't look as great anymore for 39. I earnestly hope to be proven wrong.

The LIRR G5s locomotives are the best chance to see big Pennsy steam in operation over the long term. In #39's case, you could see a perfect PRR design in service whenever you visit the Strasburg.
There was a time when it seemed both 35 & 39 could be rebuilt for service, but it looks like 35 is destined to be a well maintained, potentially serviceable locomotive inside a protected collection.
39 has been assessed and partially rebuilt. Yes, the remaining price tag is huge, but consider who is rebuilding it and the legacy of their efforts. Strasburg shop is the gold standard for locomotive restoration. The firebox issues discovered on K4s 1361 have been engineered out. With the remaining funding in place, an example of the largest ten-wheeler, bearing the gorgeous PRR face and keystone, could be safely breathing at trackside.
I'm prejudiced in this dogfight, as my father was the track engineer who originally put 39 on display in 1956, but I've also skinned my knuckles while working on a static 35 while it stood on park display. I've written checks to both RMLI and OBRM; not much, but what I can afford. This isn't a pipe dream, it's do-able.
While we wait to see a T1 come up from the earth, see a K4s come up from ashes, and pray for the last I1sa to at least come indoors, we can have a living, breathing, G5s that with see service long after most of us are memories.

I urge each of you readers to choose one of these beautiful G5's and bring it into the shops for rebuild.

I would say at this point in time, 1361 has significantly better odds.

Roger

same goes with the 2716. do they really think CSX will give them the freedom to run on the old L&N EK? or are they going to try to buy the 100+ mile long mainline with bridges etc from them. If so, 2716's resto cost is a drop in the bucket compared to what that line will cost to maintain