The City of Portsmouth, VA, is looking for estimates to repair their miniature steam engine:http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=91651&ran=67153

I bet this outfit that deemed the train "obsolete and potentially unsafe" does not have a boiler person on staff. How many park engines do you think bit the dust when some expert said it was "obsolete and potentially unsafe". Anything is potentially unsafe, if you watch tv in the bathtub it is "potentially unsafe", but we don't get rid of bathtubs or tvs. Many manufaturers will have us think that any product over a year old is obsolete.

Can anyone tell us what the locomotive is? Wheel arrangement? Builder? Is is a Cagney or Ottoway, Crown, or perhaps it was a custom-built locomotive?What about scale and track gauge?How long is the track and what kind of shape is it in?Sincerely,Rob Gardner

It appears to be a 24" guage Crown 4-4-0. Go here for picture and some limited info:http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=5435The "inspecting"party seem to be a amusement park consulting firm. go to :http://www.recreationengineering.com/ to check out thier credentials,they seem to have all kinds off certificates for ride safety and welding,etc. The next question is wouldn't this engine and the boiler specfically come under the State of Virginia's Inspection authority? What's the state inspector's last evaluation of the boiler's condition? Are the operators of the locomotive required to be licenced by the state if it does fall under thier jurisdiction. I'd hate to see an engine go dead just because someone who might not have a steam engine specialist on thier staff and is not famiular with the operation of the same. Or could it maybe be and insurance liabilty item rearing it's ugly face again? Too many unanswered questions yet.