With all of the recent discussion about East Broad Top, I've pondered some of the most impressive railway preservation accomplishments. What do you think is the best, or some of the best and most impressive stories regarding railway preservation? Here are my nominations, in no particular order.

1. The Rogers-built 2-4-2 that was rescued from a river bank in New Zealand and restored to operation.

2. East Broad Top. By the fact that it is all mostly still there is amazing, especially considering the recent restoration efforts by FEBT.

3. C&TSRR, Now run by volunteers, the C&TS appears to be headed on the right track, no pun intended.

4. Speaking of EBT, how about that York streetcar restored at the Rockhill trolley museum. All of the "chicken coop" restorations by the electric car people impress me.

5. Union Pacific Steam Program, need I say more?

6. The North Shore Electroliner at IRM, and the Nebraska Zephyr

7. Spencer, what a wonderful facility restored from the ground up. It looks even better with the backshop restored.

8. B&O Railroad Museum recovery. While not open, the fact that the museum has nearly rebuilt the roof of the roundhouse, and is doing other enhancements to the museum speaks well of this organization.

Any others?



david.wilkins@bardstown.com

> With all of the recent discussion about East
> Broad Top, I've pondered some of the most
> impressive railway preservation
> accomplishments. What do you think is the
> best, or some of the best and most
> impressive stories regarding railway
> preservation? Here are my nominations, in no
> particular order.

> 1. The Rogers-built 2-4-2 that was rescued
> from a river bank in New Zealand and
> restored to operation.

> 2. East Broad Top. By the fact that it is
> all mostly still there is amazing,
> especially considering the recent
> restoration efforts by FEBT.

> 3. C&TSRR, Now run by volunteers, the
> C&TS appears to be headed on the right
> track, no pun intended.

> 4. Speaking of EBT, how about that York
> streetcar restored at the Rockhill trolley
> museum. All of the "chicken coop"
> restorations by the electric car people
> impress me.

> 5. Union Pacific Steam Program, need I say
> more?

> 6. The North Shore Electroliner at IRM, and
> the Nebraska Zephyr

> 7. Spencer, what a wonderful facility
> restored from the ground up. It looks even
> better with the backshop restored.

> 8. B&O Railroad Museum recovery. While
> not open, the fact that the museum has
> nearly rebuilt the roof of the roundhouse,
> and is doing other enhancements to the
> museum speaks well of this organization.

> Any others?
9. Reopening of the entire 251 mile steam powered 30" gauge Esquel line in Argentina.

bas1210@comcast.net

Steve,

I was thinking along the same lines. The Eritrean Railway's return to steam is unreal.

Rob

Eritrean Link

The preservation and return to operation of the Barry scrapyard steamers is, to me, the number one rail preservation feat of all time.

Eritrean Link

Eritrea is very cool. Here are some other favorite resurrections of mine:

Recreating the entire 25-mile 2' gauge Welsh
Highland Railway from scratch (Caernarfon-Porthmadog, Wales, UK)

Recreating the 2' gauge Wiscassett, Waterville and Farmington from scratch (Wiscassett, Maine, US)

Recreating the Sumpter Valley from scratch (Baker Valley, Oregon, US)


eledbetter@rypn.org

My thought was a part of the Barry story, the Duke of Gloucester. A 3 cylinder 4-6-2, put into the scrapyard with the valve gear, rods, outside cylinders and every component in the cab gone, only to be rebuilt and returned to steam. If not impressive enough, several design/construction flaws were corrected and it now performs better than it ever did working for BR.

Roger

> The preservation and return to operation of
> the Barry scrapyard steamers is, to me, the
> number one rail preservation feat of all
> time.


belpaire@aol.com

> Any others?
I'm not sure what criteria qualifies as "impressive." The fight to save Grand Central Station changed the entire preservation movement. It's big, it's beautiful and it's functional. Given the economics of its time, survival defied even greater odds than most railway preservation efforts. In both dollar terms and aesthetically, the restoration was very impressive.

fred_ash@bankone.com

The Duke always comes to my mind when I see a post here about some park steamer in the U.S. being "unrestorable". Not only were all these components missing, this engine was equipped with Caprotti poppet valve gear, so reproduction of these components required a LOT of work.

The previous improperly sized twin stack exhaust system was replaced with a properly designed Kylchap, and the too-small air openings in the original ash pan were discovered and corrected. Since then, more modifications have been made which will further improve the locomotive's performance.

Read more at the link below.

Regards,
Hugh

> My thought was a part of the Barry story,
> the Duke of Gloucester. A 3 cylinder 4-6-2,
> put into the scrapyard with the valve gear,
> rods, outside cylinders and every component
> in the cab gone, only to be rebuilt and
> returned to steam. If not impressive enough,
> several design/construction flaws were
> corrected and it now performs better than it
> ever did working for BR.

> Roger


Duke of Gloucester Website
whodom2001@yahoo.com

How about the entire rebuilding of the Georgetown Loop railroad between Georgetown and Silver Plume, and especially the reconstruction of the high bridge!

And now it's threatened with extinction.

Sad! So sad!

> With all of the recent discussion about East
> Broad Top, I've pondered some of the most
> impressive railway preservation
> accomplishments. What do you think is the
> best, or some of the best and most
> impressive stories regarding railway
> preservation? Here are my nominations, in no
> particular order.

> 1. The Rogers-built 2-4-2 that was rescued
> from a river bank in New Zealand and
> restored to operation.

> 2. East Broad Top. By the fact that it is
> all mostly still there is amazing,
> especially considering the recent
> restoration efforts by FEBT.

> 3. C&TSRR, Now run by volunteers, the
> C&TS appears to be headed on the right
> track, no pun intended.

> 4. Speaking of EBT, how about that York
> streetcar restored at the Rockhill trolley
> museum. All of the "chicken coop"
> restorations by the electric car people
> impress me.

> 5. Union Pacific Steam Program, need I say
> more?

> 6. The North Shore Electroliner at IRM, and
> the Nebraska Zephyr

> 7. Spencer, what a wonderful facility
> restored from the ground up. It looks even
> better with the backshop restored.

> 8. B&O Railroad Museum recovery. While
> not open, the fact that the museum has
> nearly rebuilt the roof of the roundhouse,
> and is doing other enhancements to the
> museum speaks well of this organization.

> Any others?
Not sure how well this fits in, but would like to mention the Grand trunk Western 8300 class 0-8-0s that went to Sterling Il. scrapyard and were not cut up, but rather used for about 20 years for switching chores,in the yard. some were used, while others used for parts,and then were donated to the Illinois RR Museum at Union,Il.,and some of which are on display today, including one at the Home estate of The owner of the scrapyard. Mr.Dillon. Thought this would at least deserve mention. Thanks

garycolborn@juno.com

> With all of the recent discussion about East
> Broad Top, I've pondered some of the most
> impressive railway preservation
> accomplishments. What do you think is the
> best, or some of the best and most
> impressive stories regarding railway
> preservation?

CPR 2816 "Empress" Hudson and its extensive operation across Canada last year and which this year includes 3,000 trip from Vancouver to Montreal.



r.l.kennedy@sympatico.ca

Perhaps I am biased, being heavilly involved in the organisation, but we have a 30 inch gauge steam railway here in Melbourne that:

* Runs every day of the year (except Christmas day) over the original (opened Dec 1900) route for 25km (16 mile)

* Carried 244,851 passengers last year (a slight dip from the 202 all time record of 259,185)

* Almost always has at least two locos in steam every day (97 days pa), more usually three (213 days) and sometimes four (32 days), five (11 days) or even 6 (10 days per annum). The 'almost' is because in dry years there can be up to 5 or 6 days of total fire ban in the region when diesel haulage has to be substituted).

* Is managed and run predominantly by volunteers supported by a core of paid staff (that in total account for less than one third of the mandays).

* We believe to be the third such steam railway preservation group in the world (established 1955, after two of the Welsh groups).

Puffing Billy Railway Australia
Chairman@pbr.org.au

Defently the WW&Fry gets a vote. Another is CP Rail not just for the 2816 but the F-units, GP38, matching train and D&H painted 7312. All this in the last few years.

The "Most intresting preservation Story to watch" has to go to Steamtown and how it became what it is today.

-Justin

> CPR 2816 "Empress" Hudson and its
> extensive operation across Canada last year
> and which this year includes 3,000 trip from
> Vancouver to Montreal.


qcmrs18@yahoo.com

I am surprised no one has mentioned the Ffestiniog! Not only was it the first narrow gauge steam railway, it also was one of the earliest preserved railways, having been closed in 1946 and reopened in 1955.

trainrider47@aol.com

Forgot to chage the title!

trainrider47@aol.com