Hi all,

An e-mail from Pat McKnight at Steamtown was circulated on the EL mail list. The National Park Service is stepping up efforts to remove unwanted equipment from the storage site at Tobyhanna.

This could mean scrapping if the pieces do not find homes.

This is a reality that will face all large museums at one time or another.

Now is NOT the time to get angry.

Now is the time to get into action.

According to the e-mail the following pieces are in the most danger:

--Boston & Maine Combination Car #1216 (wood)
--British Great Western Coach #6705
--DL&W Coach #3215
--Erie Stillwell #2 (2633)
--Erie Stillwell #3 (2607)
--Erie Stillwell #4 (2633?)
--Long Island RR coach #7016
--Long Island RR coach #7092
--Rutland Railroad Combination Car #253
--SJ&LS caboose #51
--SJ&LS caboose #53

The ones with some interest from potential homes -- so far -- are:

--Boston & Maine Combination Car #2069 (wood, on flat car)
--Canadian National #5288 locomotive 4-6-2
--Canadian Pacific #2929 locomotive, Jubilee, 4-4-4
--CNJ Coach #1009
--East Branch & Lincoln Logging Derrick
--Kansas City Southern diesel locomotive (F-7?)
--Rutland Railroad Boxcar #9194

Time to see if we can find the muscle and money to save one or two of these honeys!

Rob



inlinebob@aol.com

> Hi all,

> An e-mail from Pat McKnight at Steamtown was
> circulated on the EL mail list. The National
> Park Service is stepping up efforts to
> remove unwanted equipment from the storage
> site at Tobyhanna.

> This could mean scrapping if the pieces do
> not find homes.

> This is a reality that will face all large
> museums at one time or another.

> Now is NOT the time to get angry.

> Now is the time to get into action.

> According to the e-mail the following pieces
> are in the most danger:

> --Boston & Maine Combination Car #1216
> (wood)
> --British Great Western Coach #6705
> --DL&W Coach #3215
> --Erie Stillwell #2 (2633)
> --Erie Stillwell #3 (2607)
> --Erie Stillwell #4 (2633?)
> --Long Island RR coach #7016
> --Long Island RR coach #7092
> --Rutland Railroad Combination Car #253
> --SJ&LS caboose #51
> --SJ&LS caboose #53

> The ones with some interest from potential
> homes -- so far -- are:

> --Boston & Maine Combination Car #2069
> (wood, on flat car)
> --Canadian National #5288 locomotive 4-6-2
> --Canadian Pacific #2929 locomotive,
> Jubilee, 4-4-4
> --CNJ Coach #1009
> --East Branch & Lincoln Logging Derrick
> --Kansas City Southern diesel locomotive
> (F-7?)
> --Rutland Railroad Boxcar #9194

> Time to see if we can find the muscle and
> money to save one or two of these honeys!

> Rob
Where can we email for further information and what the process is for acquiring these items


roxb@earhtlink.net

Now is NOT the time to get angry.

> Now is the time to get into action.

Angry? Hell - I wish more museums would rationalize their collecions providing they offer the surplus to other museums rather than cut it up.

I might be able to use something like one of the coaches as the basis of replicating a Jim Crow combine that was scrapped years ago - who should I talk to?

Please let us all know what the procedure is to save these pieces if we can.

Dave

lathro19@idt.net

From my recollection, you can try pat_mcknight@nps.gov

> Hi all,

> An e-mail from Pat McKnight at Steamtown was
> circulated on the EL mail list. The National
> Park Service is stepping up efforts to
> remove unwanted equipment from the storage
> site at Tobyhanna.

> This could mean scrapping if the pieces do
> not find homes.

> This is a reality that will face all large
> museums at one time or another.

> Now is NOT the time to get angry.

> Now is the time to get into action.

> According to the e-mail the following pieces
> are in the most danger:

> --Boston & Maine Combination Car #1216
> (wood)
> --British Great Western Coach #6705
> --DL&W Coach #3215
> --Erie Stillwell #2 (2633)
> --Erie Stillwell #3 (2607)
> --Erie Stillwell #4 (2633?)
> --Long Island RR coach #7016
> --Long Island RR coach #7092
> --Rutland Railroad Combination Car #253
> --SJ&LS caboose #51
> --SJ&LS caboose #53

> The ones with some interest from potential
> homes -- so far -- are:

> --Boston & Maine Combination Car #2069
> (wood, on flat car)
> --Canadian National #5288 locomotive 4-6-2
> --Canadian Pacific #2929 locomotive,
> Jubilee, 4-4-4
> --CNJ Coach #1009
> --East Branch & Lincoln Logging Derrick
> --Kansas City Southern diesel locomotive
> (F-7?)
> --Rutland Railroad Boxcar #9194

> Time to see if we can find the muscle and
> money to save one or two of these honeys!

> Rob

> From my recollection, you can try
> pat_mcknight@nps.gov

Greetings,

I'm curious if there are pictures out there and/or data regarding this equipment and their current condition.

Thanks,
Gerald Kopiasz


Heartland Railroad Historical Society
hrrhs@aol.com

I would like to know why Steamtown would scrap history for some reason that don't make sence


winston_40@hotmail.com

Scrapping history may not make sense..... But then again, neither does spending hundreds odf thousands of dollars to restore something that you could possibly build anew from scratch for far less.

The equipment in question has basically rotted outside in foul weather (Vermont blizzards, a storage shed collapsing from snow, etc.) for up to four decades. I could probably find you a "historic" 1948 Chevy in some farmer's field with trees growing through it, and yes, you could restore it, and you'd probably spend $50,000 on a car that would be worth $10,000 when you're done, and how many other 1948 Chevys are out there? (Enough.)

Nonetheless, far be it from me to discourage any brave souls that may wish to rescue any of the available equipment. I hope your pockets are deep.


LNER4472@gateway.net

> Scrapping history may not make sense.....
> But then again, neither does spending
> hundreds odf thousands of dollars to restore
> something that you could possibly build anew
> from scratch for far less.

> The equipment in question has basically
> rotted outside in foul weather (Vermont
> blizzards, a storage shed collapsing from
> snow, etc.) for up to four decades. I could
> probably find you a "historic"
> 1948 Chevy in some farmer's field with trees
> growing through it, and yes, you could
> restore it, and you'd probably spend $50,000
> on a car that would be worth $10,000 when
> you're done, and how many other 1948 Chevys
> are out there? (Enough.)

> Nonetheless, far be it from me to discourage
> any brave souls that may wish to rescue any
> of the available equipment. I hope your
> pockets are deep.

ADM4:

So you're basically telling us that ALL of the equipment listed in Rob Davis's original message is derelict. Correct?


midlandblb@cs.com

> ADM4:

> So you're basically telling us that ALL of
> the equipment listed in Rob Davis's original
> message is derelict. Correct?

From personal memory, some of the stuff was derelict when it was in Vermont in 1985, and nothing has really been done since. Cannot vouch for the newer items, but the wooden stuff is best described as held together by the termites holding hands. Steamtown NHS itself says "poor to very poor, as-is, where-is". In some cases--such as the Long Island passenger cars--scrapping would be a mercy killing.


LNER4472@gateway.net

What about the Great Western coach? Has anyone in Britain expressed any interest in it?

> From personal memory, some of the stuff was
> derelict when it was in Vermont in 1985, and
> nothing has really been done since. Cannot
> vouch for the newer items, but the wooden
> stuff is best described as held together by
> the termites holding hands. Steamtown NHS
> itself says "poor to very poor, as-is,
> where-is". In some cases--such as the
> Long Island passenger cars--scrapping would
> be a mercy killing.


rjenkins@railfan.net