Tom:
RailSwap is indeed a great site and I also check it on a fairly regular basis. Again, though this is much more than my original concept which was really just a list to generate discussion and solution development. Its not to name prices, who owns what, etc. Its really, how do we get the word out. Or, how do we not forget what is out there. Scott and I are examples of people who have looked for equipment to buy but yet found no ready list of endangered equipment that we could have turned to.

Some time back Railswap had a standard gauge Plymouth listed for sale up in Canada. I don't think it is listed anymore, but it certainly was endangered. It was to be cut up if not sold soon. This was basically a sister engine to the big Strasburg Plymouth which is a nice looking locomotive. This one had the original gas engine which was of particular interest to me. Distance killed any chance of purchase. But...what happened to it?

J.R.

I think there are two seperate questions that we are trying to answer here:

1) What equipment is available and endangered

and

2) What equipment is out there

These questions are prompted by different needs and answered by seperate but related services. Railswap provides a consolidated place for announcing the availbility of something. My site: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tcornill/Historic_Railway_Equipment.html
provides a means to facilitate telling more information about the history and significance of the item.

Then there is the second question - what is out there. This is asked by those looking to acquire something specific, but is vitally important for long range planning. It is also useful for motivated buyers, as much (most?) of the equipment out there is probably available at the right price.

This would be a place to put the rosters complied by historical societies and historians - and to help develop random spotter reports.

Both roster sites below perform this function. They list the name of the owner and/or the relative location of equipment. If you really want to get in contact with an owner, this provides a starting point - but you still have quite a bit of work to do.

http://www.trainweb.org/web_lurker/WebLurkersDOMEmain/

http://www.bera.org/pnaerc.html

http://www.vintagecarriagestrust.org/surveystatus.htm

Finally, I do not think that this is the time to grapple with issues around private property rights and what should or should not be listed on a comprehensive roster.

There have extremely detailed locomotive rosters available for years (well before the internet) that show quite clearly who owns what. There is also roster information for all types of equipment now on the internet - but it is widely scattered and not in a complete format. Likewise, this information has always existed among local railfan networks - and it is my guess that this is where parts theives get their information from.

Law enforcement provides an established means for those misrepsenting equipment as being for sale. Remember the phony auction regarding the Baldwin Shark Nose diesels? What about the "broker" who would list things on railswap.org but couldn't spell?

NOT having a comprehensive roster hurts preservationists the most - the nere-do-wells will still be able to work as they always have.

Tom Cornillie