I was talking with another RYPN member the other day and we came up with an interesting trivia question. How many tourist steam locomotives powered themselves to their new homes?Easy examples would be SRC #4 and some of the Cass roster, I think 4,5,6 (Heisler) and 7. Please feel free to correct me on the Cass info.

I don't know if the 4 and 5 at Cass actually powered them selfs in to town. Seeing how the 5 arrive new from the factory, I would almost assume that a flat car had to be involved some where between Lima OH and Cass. Same with the 4, while it didn't come to Cass from the factory, it still had quite a ways to travel. (I do admit that these are only assumptions, George Fizer are you out there?)I do know that when Jack Showalter moved from Gordensville VA to Staunton he brought it all under it's own power. He claimed that the price for railroad to move him from Cumberland to Gordensville was out to exspensive not to do it himself!

Well, I didn't think that a Shay would have come from Lima to Cass under steam. LOL. Can you imagine the mainlines tied up while a little geared critter lumbers along at 12mph?! These don't really count as they were restored to service before making their final moves, but I recall a photo of 1533 towing 40 and a bunch of passengers cars to New Hope, PA for the start of operations. I think 37 did the same type of move of for the Wawa and Concordville in PA.

Come to think of it the Western Maryland did run Shay 6 to Baltimore when they donated it to the B&O Museum. I once met a man who claimed his father was the engineer on that run. Supposedly they were given a full crew and two cabooses full of parts. Supposedly they once spent better than two hours in siding waiting just for the crank bearings to cool down ( problem latter exprinced by CSRR until they found some crank shaft problems that have since been fixed). So not only was it slow, but it was mechinicly challenged. How'd you like to have been that dispatcher?!

UP 618 ran on its own power from the mouth of Provo Canyon to Heber City, Utah (approximately 22 miles) in early December of 1970. The trip took two days, since crews had to clear brush, repair track and reopen grade crossings on the D&RGW Provo Canyon Branch, which had been dormant for several years.

Neat story. Had 618 been operable to the end of UP steam or was she overhauled for the Heber?

There are probably others better qualified to give UP618's history and they can feel free to correct any errors here.Built in 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, UP618 worked the OSL division of UP until 1958 when it was retired and donated by UP to the State of Utah. For twelve years the engine sat "stuffed and mounted" in the State fairpark on West North Temple Street (between downtown and the airport, for those of you familiar with the city) until 1970. At that time it was felt that the engine was becoming a liability to the state in that the fencing was not sufficient deterrent from keeping people off of the engine. Stipulations of the donation by UP limited the options as to what the State could do with the engine (could not be scrapped, sold, nor leave the state). It is my understanding that the decision made was to dig a pit and roll the engine into it for burial.THE RESCUE! It was just at this time that the privately-owned HEBER CREEPER Tourist line was starting on the recently (1969) abandoned D&RGW branch to Heber City. Arrangements were made to move UP618 by compressed air on leapfrogging panel tracks out of the fairgrounds, across the five lane wide North Temple Street to the yards of the Salt Lake and Garfield Western Railroad. This was done by volunteers over the Thanksgiving weekend of 1970. UP 'deadheaded' 618 down to Provo where it was placed at the mouth of Provo Canyon at the Olmstead Power Plant in early December 1970. The story goes that the crew did an 'oil around', threw a fire in the box, and as Craig points out took a couple of days coming up the canyon.618 was one of a half dozen or so engines that operated on the privately owned 'Creeper' over the next 19 years. During that time, the owner went through a couple of re-organizational bankruptcies In 1989, unable to 'pull out' on the last bankruptcy, the assets of the former operator (and some not belonging to him, by some reports) were sold off to meet the debts. Beneficiaries of this sell off were the Kepner collection, State of Nevada, and Black Hills, among others. UP618 being still property of the State of Utah remained at Heber (together with UP1011).THE SECOND RESCUE! In the early 90's a group of local businessmen approached the State with a proposal to start up the tourist line again. The Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority (a quasi-agency of the Utah State Government) was formed with a onetime economic development grant and given the mandate to operate off the farebox (we are not a state budget item each year!). It was the early to mid'90s that UP618 had a minor overhaul/rebuild. It is my understanding that this was the first since being retired by UP in 1958. Craig or one of the others more familiar will have to fill in exactly what was done to the engine at this time.It has been said of UP618's history (haven't we all heard this of just about every stuffed and mounted engine?) that UP put the engine through a major overhaul and rebuild months before the donation to the state. Whether this is true or not, I don't know.What most will agree with is that UP618 was the first of the stuffed and mounted to come back into service -- and by comparison to nowdays, with little more than an 'oil around' and a match in the box.sc 'doc' lewis

I would presume some photos must have been taken of the 618's revival and move to the canyon, perhaps even some movie film. It would be interesting to see them if they are available.

I believe the former CB&Q #4960 steamed into Mid Continent in the late 60's. She was originally loaned out to MC from Circus World, then donated, then leased out for excursion service. But she did steam into her new home which lasted 20 years or so. Glad she moved on to a new life elsewhere. John "This is just temporay, unless it works" {Red Green}[/quote]

In New Jersey, of all places an incredible effort of such a nature was made by the Morris County Central steam operation in late 1973 early 1974. This was when they moved from the Morristown & Erie to a newer more scenic location on the NYS&W railroad in northern New Jersey. The movement, although assisted by the Erie Lackawanna with diesels, steam was on line. The movement proceeded over an incredible routing of the Caldwell Branch, Bergen Count Line, to Greycourt New York, to a connection with the L&HR and hence to Sparta Junction. Even during a heavy snowstorm! At Sparta the rails of the L&HR were bent over to allow access to the NYS&W rails. The MCC was on it's own from this point and eventually the equipment was moved to Newfoundland, New Jersey where this operation that was light-years ahead of it's time, existed until 1980 when it went belly-up. But that's another story. But at the time, steam lead the way on the final portion of this sojurn.

Can't forget the never retired UP 844. I'm sure she steamed into Cheyenne.Aaron Zorkowww.ocsr.net

Although these stories are nowhere near as hopeful as a locomotive steaming to the site of a new tourist operation, a number of park engines were steamed to their final resting places.I recall reading that the UP 4-12-2 was steamed into the fairgrounds at Pomona. And I know that the Detroit Edison 0-6-0 was steamed down the DT&I into Champagne Park in Allen Park, Michigan, in the fifties. That engine was cut up in June, 1970, with its last fire still on its grates. I'm sure there must be many similar stories.

The "Detroit and Mackinac" 0-6-0 steamed from Tawas City to the Ford Museum, pulling a couple of wood coaches, in the early 1980's.Steve Zuiderveen

In 1995 (?), ex N&W 611 steamed to Roanoke.J

I have been waiting for the D&RGW NG contigent to put forth a few.#483 pulled cars to Chama for the C&TS. Not sure what steamed into Durango but quite a few there.Tom C.