This was posted to FB on the 25th. Congratulations to the museum's board and the group of people in their mid-twenties that are promoting this transaction. Another great save by MRM.

"The Monticello Railway Museum is excited to announce the acquisition of Illinois Central SW14 #1407, an iconic switch engine that served throughout Central Illinois and is the third former Illinois Central Railroad engine to join the museum’s collection. One of 112 units rebuilt by the Paducah Shops between 1977 and 1981, the #1407 was graciously donated to the museum by GATX Locomotive Group.
You can donate at https://www.mrym.org/donate to help ship the engine home from its current location in Lexington, KY and for its restoration and return to IC paint! A generous donor has offered to match dollar-for-dollar up to the first $5,000 raised, so your donation can make a major difference in preserving this piece of Midwest railroading history. The Monticello Railway Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we thank GATX and R. J. Corman Railroad Group for their assistance with the preservation of this piece of railroad history."

"iconic"
one of the must dumb thing I can think about...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_icon

40 years old diesel wow for us european that is like new nothing for a museum.
Are there no more 100+ years old engines out there to preserve?

I can't wait for an announcement that Museum xyz is aquiring a just delivered 2022 Evolution series engine because in 25 years it will be an vintage historic iconic...
...piece of equipment we have to save right now!

What a terrible post.
-----------------------------------------------------

Congrats to the Monticello Museum for their excellent acquisition. I stopped by when I was passing through the area once and they had quite an impressive collection. I'd love to come on a day when things are moving!

It was built in 1950, which makes it 72 years old, even if heavily modified.

Oh I am very aware of that.
I not talk about preserving I am for preserving as much as possible.
I talk about that "language":

...excited...
...an iconic switch engine...
...piece of Midwest railroading history...
...piece of railroad history...

What they talking about? MILW class A, CB&Q Zephyr, NYC Super Hudson?
No SW14!

It should read more like that IMHO:
"...just aquired this 1977 ICG1407 SW14 (rebuild from 1950 IC9411 SW7) with a lot of
Illinois heritage to preserve it for future generations. Please donate..."

edit
Here is the story without that "language":
https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... ollection/

Yikes. The posts by this user are awful. I see nothing wrong with that language...


Congrats to Monticello Museum! First the RS1325, then a SW1200, and now a SW14 in less then two years! Amazing work!

Very nice! I thought at first it might have been one of those newer MPI/NRE rebuilds because of the cab, but I'm glad it's not!

Of all of the things you could've said, including nothing, somehow you still chose to post this bad take.

All I can say is that you're wrong across the board.

I challenge you right now:

Go ahead. Find me a "100-year-old" (1922 or earlier) locomotive, or for that matter ANY piece of railroad rolling stock of that vintage, still in service that is not ostensibly "preserved"--that is, NOT in the hands of any preservation group, history museum or someone's "back yard," or not still in use after multiple upgrades (such as some of certain major railroads' business cars, which qualify as "preserved" in my book).

Hell, go internationally. Go to Britain, France, South Africa, South America, Cuba, whatever. (Cuba *had* two steam locos that could have been of qualified interest to the Monticello guys--a SR steamer and a former Chicago "El" loco--both long gone.)

Are you being arrogant/dense just for the sake of being so?

The quote came straight from the museum's own facebook page. What were they supposed to do, downplay their new acquisition?

"It's no NYC Hudson, but if you're bored, maybe come see our new IC switch engine.... Maybe"

It is a part of railroad history in the Midwest. Undeniable.

They are excited about it, so it is to some extent "exciting."

Iconic is a bit harder to prove....... Me, I don't apply that term to anything that isn't special for much greater reasons than simply not having been scrapped yet. Your mileage may of course vary..... is it either "iconic" or "exciting" based on a very narrow collection of opinions of only those with vested interests in promoting as such?

Preserving it is an overall positive for them and the industry whether you agree with the descriptors or not.

End cab switchers have been a pretty iconic part of the North American railroad scene for the last 80 years. Just sayin.

Congrats to Monticello on their newest acquisition!

If you've spent any part of the last 50 or so years in IC territory than yes, the IC/ICG Paducah rebuilds are "iconic" in that they are/were "widely recognized and well-established" images of the IC/ICG in its Con-glom-erate era.

Monticello's post did not use the phrase "cultural icon" to describe the locomotive -- you did.

I respectfully disagree with Dave. Merriam-Webster's definition of iconic includes "widely recognized and well-established". I think that describes this locomotive - it was 1 of a fleet of 112 that worked for the IC and ICG for 48 years, so it meets the "well established" part of the definition. Their angled cab roofs made them widely recognized to fans and modelers.

Wow.
Grammar envy?

Congratulations on the news.