Paul Merriman's influence on steam preservation & operation over the years is incalculable.

TVRM's Paul Merriman Tribute
sfreer@tvrail.com

If you scroll down on the link below, there is a photo of the Kentucky & Tennessee shops, which had previously maintained Merriman's 4501. I've heard this building is still standing, but all steam era machinery inside is long gone. Anyone have updated information and/or photos?

http://www.bsfsry.com/ghostrrky/ghostrrky.htm
ryarger@rypn.org

The shop is still standing, and in use by Big South Fork Scenic Railway. They are rebuilding M&NF #14 inside (although most of the firebox and the wheels are at TVRM) and building "new" coaches as well. I speculate that the tools & machinery are long gone.

K&T Shops
sfreer@tvrail.com

A big pine tree (though unofficially) near MP 1 on the TVRM main.

Merriman resisted suggestions that it be cut down as a potential hazard when the track was extended beyond the tunnel.

It has been referred to for many years as the Paul Merriman Memorial Pine Tree.

Tongue in cheek, of course, but I believe Paul would have enjoyed it since he was also an environmentalist, among his other talents.

Yes, TVRM's own "Juke's Tree" in Chattanooga! After 30+ years of nearby rail operations, no problems have been encountered. Even when other pines in the general area have been uprooted by strong winds, the Merriman Tree stands firm (maybe it's well balasted?) Actually, its rather fitting since Paul weathered his own "stong winds" when trying to get "his way" with the 4501. Bob Soule told Merriman that he had "taken leave of his senses" when holding out to steam the old gal down from Stearns. Guess what? Paul won. And in the long run, we all won. If it weren't for the regional (and beyond) operation of 4501, how many of us might not have come in contact with full-sized, live steam locomotives running on mainline trackage?

sfreer@tvrail.com

I visited the K&T shop building way back in 1982. When I was there, there was a wheel lathe still in the shop. I have asked the folks there if any of them knew what happened to it but no one seems to know. Perhaps someone in RYPN land might know?

One piece of equipment that is still in the shop building and still working is the overhead crane. It is obviously coming in quite handy during the rebuild of the soon to be K&T 14.

If you've never been to Stearns, you should plan a visit there. There is something magical about the place.

G. Mark

Look at our Revamped Website
aw90@comcast.net

> The wheel lathe and various equipment was loaded onto C&O gons in the early 80's going to Jack Showalter, I think because of a squabble between him and Chessie about shipment rates the cars sat in Stearns for months. Before leaving for who knows where. I heard that Chessie scrapped the equipment for the per diem charges of the cars sitting loaded in Stearns for so long


krbarnett@earthlink.net

The "scraping" may not be fact. When I talked to Jack last October, he mentioned having a lathe somewhere. This may or may not be the same.

ps: If you missed Showalter's awesome 1993 Virgina Central doubleheading show, I recommend "Mountain Climbing Pacifics" on DVD or VHS from Mainline Motion Pictures. (I'm not associated, it's just a great program because of the content...do a web search for Mainline Motion Pictures.)

sfreer@tvrail.com

Wow the story gets better.
As a voulenteer you neever get the whole story some times. And some times it just seems better not to ask. As we were told Jack traded a whistle for 'A Wheel Lathe' some where in West Virginia. The story went on to say that he sent a flat car for it and no one noticed it had cast iron wheels until it was already loaded with the lathe. The story ends with the car being condemned where ever the lathe was. We never heard what became of the lathe or the whistle (which had come off of the 701 in the Covington park) I am sorry to hear that the lathe got scraped, maybe that's why no one talks about it any more.
As for currently Jack has several lathes, but one of them are wheel lathes. He spent most of last year trying to move them to a building that wasn't falling down on them. we lucked out and made it in time.

btrue@vt.edu