Serve up the crow, folks. The locomotives I thought would never be saved are finally en route to a new home.I refer to the West Virginia Northern/Preston RR 2-8-0s in southwestern Pennsylvania, between Bedford and Hyndman.See the Newswire at www.trains.com for a news brief, scheduled to be posted tomorrow afternoon.

couldn't get the link to work. How are they being moved? By truck, rail? Dave

By truck. (is that one latern or two?) Any way it's been a long time in coming but finally all the funnding, man power, etc. etc. Have come together. The first real action started with a brush cutting trip in Septemeber, then first and middle of October was some general prep and bearing work. And since the 1st of November you can't get any one to answer the phone in the presidents office of the D&GV for all of the dust that's flying getting things in order. The original schedual was to move them some time in the next day or two, but since I am not at ground zero, I can't say how that's going.....

Phone call from another of the workers early this morning says they're in Elkins ready to unload, will be unloaded in the next day or two. At least they won't have wheels popping off the 40-degree-or-so curve they had to create to get them out over the property owner's bridge.

One if by truck and two if by barge...(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)GME

steam locomotives have one headlight.trucks have two.Seems obvious to me . . . ;)JAC

John:Not Lawndale Ry. 2-8-0 # 4 (see thread!)Les

I sincerely hope some took lots of pictures of this, especially at the Pennsylvania end. Ever since I got Dave Conrad's steam locomotive directory, I've been fascinated by the thought that 2 decent-sized steam locomotives were sitting on remote private property. I even heard stories that one or both ran on this private property, spare parts (including cylanders/cylander saddles) were on hand, etc. This ranks right up there with the 2 steamers in the Maine woods. This will make a fantastic RYPN brief or article!

Sorry, you're going to have to go to Trains' website tonight. Trains pays me $$; RyPN doesn't. Trains pays more for an exclusive; RyPN doesn't.Everybody from the WVRRM that was at the site was too busy wading in the mud to be taking photos, and I understood no cameras were allowed on the private property. I was the more-or-less "official" photographer, and Don Leap saw to it that I was barred from the property when he heard I was from a rail magazine--to the point where the Museum folks and Leap were disagreeing over exactly where that property line was (50' from the center line of the highway, and we didn't have a measuring tape). I heard through the grapevine that he later semi-apologized to them for his harsh rush to judgement of me--especially after he found that I was supposed to have spent several days helping to lay that track, but refused since it would have involved my setting foot on his property.I refuse to get into the enormous number of conflicting rumors and allegations revolving around the property, the owners, the locos, etc. I can only relate my own personal experience in 1989 of having Don Leap threaten me with arrest and demand my film before I could even ask permission or introduce myself (I had blundered in a back route, via the old railroad right of way, which did not have no-trespassing signs). I lost a roll of irreplacable family photos as a result.

Hey Alex!I think this is a first for you isnt it. Well any way I am marking this day on the Calandar. ;-) Anyway it is great to hear that D&GV got things doneAndrew

It's funny how people are, and first impressions are really every thing. On my three trips to Mr. Leaps property (one inspection trips and two work trips) I found Mr. Leap to be one of the nicest friendliest people I have ever met. He bent over back wards to help us, showed us around, and was in general very friendly and very happy to see this work progressing and very happy to see that these two locomotives would run again. I did however since some tenstion. Exspecially after looking at the odd items that had been stolen of the locomotives. And I really don't blame him for being (what I thought was slightly peved) at the rail fan communtiy for things like the top half of his snifter valves being stolen. I know it's all intersting to find that lost shay in the woods, but some times you're very presense can anger some one that simply wants to be left alone and not turned in to a star of the railfan communtiy.

I believe the 18 was already out of service at the Preston Railroad when acquired by the Leap family. Don Leap told me a few years ago they did run the 19 on the quarry siding a few times.Alan Maples

As I am to understand it, the matter that instigated the "feud" with railfans was the fact that, somewhere in the 1970s, Trains Magazine followed up an article on the West Va. Northern with remarks that two of the railroad's steamers survived, and they published a column-wide photo of a rear 3/4 view if 19 under the pole shed.Problem #1: Said photo was allegedly acquired without permission by someone without permission. Problem #2: Allegedly shortly thereafter, certain "jewels" (builders plate, whistle, etc.) went missing from the stored locos. Problem #3: Ever since, any trespassers, scheming or innocent, were apparently presumed guilty until proven innocent.All I can possibly prove is the publication of the photo in Trains Magazine. All I can even say I saw is Don Leap confiscating my film before I had a chance to ask for permission or take any photos. (My late mother was there and saw the encounter from afar, but it's not like she can prove he took my film, even if she were alive.)I spent plenty of time trying to dissuade many folks from pursuing the acquisition of these locos. Many gave up on them. I can only congratulate the West Va. RR Museum for accomplishing what I considered the "impossible" (and what, truth be told, many even at the WVRRM considered "not worth the trouble of dealing with him"). I was told even at the scene when the cranes were there, matters came close to "screw this" and walking away from the mission. Even as I type, there are details of the transaction I dare not discuss until certain items are verified as completely off the property and safe and sound elsewhere, lest someone changes his mind and decides to be obstinate.Certainly, someone can come off as a "nice guy", especially when five figures' worth of dollars are involved. However, in talking with all the neighbors who had come out to watch the locos being loaded on trailers (locos that many had heard about but never seen), I doubt I had ever heard such a wide variety of diplomatic euphemisms for "They're, er, shall we say, different" or "they're........ interesting" or "they have their own way of dealing with things....."