Hi all
Again I was up Facebook and found out the Maine Central # 501 that was once owned the 470 club of Portland,Maine, now owned by Conway Scenic RR.
Over this past weekend the locomotive has been moved into the North Conway Roundhouse, for possible Restoration by the railroad. The locomotive is going to get a good going over, to see ( IF ) the locomotive can be restored back to operation.
If so this will take the burden off CNR # 7470 for the only operating Steam locomotive on the railroad.
IF the Maine Central # 501 is restored she will be the second locomotive of the Maine Central to be restored because Maine Central pacific # 470 is slowly being brought back to operation in Ellsworth, Maine, by New England Steam Corporation.

So from my perspective? Seeing how the new owner at North Conway has gone about things I think it's a matter of when, not if. Now I'm going off of what I've seen of Mr. Swirk and what I know of his reputation (as I understand it he was in the orbit of John Delli Prescolli, the now former owner of Edaville and current owner of the Grafton and Upton).

He undoubtedly knows the score with 501. But he's also the type of person that I've at least outwardly seen set a goal, and then work to attaining that goal. I don't know him personally, but I've already seen this trait of a few of the people that I've seen that have been in the G&U orbit. Eric Moffett at Seaview Transportation is another prime example of that same "set a goal and them work to it" mentality.

It's just when, not if. But when is also rather nebulous.

Hopefully this painful topic of the past will remain just that-in the past:
http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41967&p=276363&hilit=501+Maine+Central+501#p276363

The first thing I did was check the date of the first post in the current thread to make sure it wasn't from five or ten or twenty years back.

PMC,

Why bring that thread back up? Mr. Smythe has nothing to do with this current activity with the 501. Dave Swirk has a healthy understanding of what has been done to the 501 in the past and has good sound boiler help in his charge at CSRR.

Rob Gardner

I didn't post that old thread as should be obvious, but I don't have any problem with it being posted, I think a lot of people are like me and at first couldn't quite remember where we had heard of that locomotive before.

Good to hear the 501 is getting some attention. my last involvement with the engine was approx 39 years ago when working at Steamtown VT worked to polish the bearings surfaces in the open air pit 1/4 of an axle at a time, in the middle to late October of 1983 in preparation for her move to Conway.

AL P.

I posted the old thread, not to start flame wars, but to share that part of its history has had issues. In no way was I intended to 'dis' anyone past or present. The locomotive's history had prior restoration attempts, and perhaps there is something to be learned from that.

She's certainly getting better attention than 519 at Steamtown.
501 has seen ups and downs, but she's in good hands. The boiler team looking her over is top drawer in the northeast. Relax and watch.