I've seen a lot of images of deteriorated park locomotives in thelast few months. I guess we all see too many. Which outdoor displays would you nominate as "the best of the best"?

My first thoughts turn to the Big Boy in, is it Pomona? The other would be NKP 779. Who has taken care of their locomotive better than anyone else? Caveat, no museums or indoor displays.

The restoration on CB&Q 4-6-4 #4000 in La Crosse, WI, has made it a candidate for this "award". It would be nice if she gets a shelter now.

Don C.

CB&Q 4978 in Mendota, Illinois is one of the best maintained outdoor display engines I have ever seen. I haven't seen the 4000, but am glad to hear that she is apparently well cared for. 4978 is next to the depot, which has a small museum inside which includes a superb model railroad of the Mendota area.

You said:

I don't think the Big Boy in Pomona would fit your difinition. It is owned by the Southern California chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. That organization has a display inside the Los Angeles county fairgrounds located in Pomona, California.

I have heard that the IC 2500 in Centralia, Illinois is well-displayed. 2542 is looking much better also now that it is under shelter at a new display site in Mississippi. 779 would get my vote too.

Pere Marquette 2-8-4 #1223 looks great in Grand Haven, MI.

The U.P. Challenger and 2-8-0 in North Platte, NE are excellent. When I was there a couple of years ago, they had the headlights and marker lights lit up.

Well, here locally in ontario canada, i'd have to cast my vote for one of the might Canadian National Northerns, #6213. It is located, without a shelter, at the Exhibition grounds in Toronto, beside the former Marine Museum. It is owned by the city, but taken care of by a couple of steam fans, who have managed to keep it looking like it was just removed from service. It's the best out of it';s sisters, 6218 in Fort Erie, 6167, in Guelph, both former CN Excursion engines, and 6200 in Ottawa, all outside, and all without shelter.

Ken Jones Jr.
President
Niagara Falls Railway Museum
http://www.nfrm.ca

Ya gotta believe. It'll be worth it.

Brian

[img]http://www.webpraxis.ab.ca/vrr/steam/us/mc/pics/VR[tdXS4AfqU]_470.jpg[/img]

Thanks Kevin,

I was the site foreman for the second half of the original resto job back in 1981. The job was contracted by Steam Locomotive Services a.k.a. J. David Conrad. Dave got busy on a job at Steamtown in Vermont, and I helped him finish up the job.

Unless something was done after it was moved from Ottawa, what you see now is a full Imron job, with all of the preservation techniques that David espoused in his early book on Park Engines and Displays, published by IRM many moons ago. All a** removed, all rust scale removed, seams caulked, treated wood blocking for under the jacketing, and new paintlocked electrogalvanized sheet metal. Corolar primer and Black 99U Imron.

Note that while original dip and stuff jobs were going to heck by 1970, this job is still going strong after over 20 years.

Steve Zuiderveen

Don't know if this counts but there both on out door display (I think) N&W 611 and 1218 are on display. There is a DM&IR 2-8-8-4 on display that is in fair shape I think. And the 1361 was on out door display untill the mid 1980's on Horseshoe Curve, but that would be in the past tense.

-Justin Franz

Justin, Although 611 and 1218 look great (and I'm greatly prejudiced in favor of 1218, since I spent a lot of hours on it myself), I would have to say that they would be disqualified by being in a museum. However, has anyone been through Abingdon, Va. lately and seen N&W 433? The town has erected a new shelter over it, and did a cosmetic restoration. The project manager talked to me a couple of times about correct paint schemes and other details, but I haven't made it down there to see it yet.

Hi Everyone
Last time I was in Abingdon the 433 looked in great shape to me so my vote is on this loco.
ANdrew Martin

One of the first basket cases to be tackled by a volunteer individual was SP 2-6-0 1785 in Woodburn, Oregon. Frank Scheer of Portland, plus an occasional handful of others went completely through it, inside and out. This was in the 1980s, before the tough asbestos laws, so the costs were low. They had lots of donated materials and services. The end result looked like a newly-overhauled working locomotive, including the cab interior. We did a story on it in L&RP.

As far as I know, it still is not under shelter, but I presume Frank is still keeping it up. He built some special water diverters to keep rain off the running gear and out of other places where it might collect. There was some talk of overhauling it for use on a nearby shortline, which has not materialized yet. I don't believe Frank has joined the internet yet, but someone in Oregon could probably provide photos.

The city is proud enough of the locomotive that it provides a link to a photo on its website. How many cities with park engines would be brave enough to do that?

http://www.el.com/to/woodburn/

http://www.woodburns-own.com/gateway/citymore.html

Richard;

As I mentioned in my e-mail; there are several in this region that have been given some TLC in the past few years, and look it.

One that has looked good for several years is Southern Pine Lumber 4-6-0 #13 in Diboll, Texas:



Both the engine and the rolling stock behind it are under a transhed like structure at the new History Center in Diboll.

W.T. Carter Lumber 4-6-0 #5 in Livingston, Texas has always looked good as well; but is now shelter. The following picture does not show well what shape it is in, but does illustrate how park steam locomotives are often included in the festivities of the upcoming holiday season:



The engine in Port Arthur was mentioned in an earlier post; here is a before:



and after:



I am not sure any of these are the "best of the best"; rather, they further illustrate the trend across the country to do just what you are asking.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

[url http://www.survivingworldsteam.com]Surviving World Steam Project[/url]

The folks in Greenwood, SC keep R&R #19 in pretty good condition. I strongly advised them a couple years ago to remove the builder's plates, whistle, and gauges to keep them from growing legs -- haven't been over there to see if they took my advice or not. At that time they'd just repainted the old girl. Technically I guess it's in a museum, but it's not really a railroad museum.

Argent Lumber #7 in Hardeeville, SC was in pretty good shape last time I was down that way too. Haven't seen her in at least three or four years so things may have changed by now.