Which is a damn shame, as the locomotive looked wonderful on static display in Victoria. She was almost completely intact, and while in a "less fashionable section" of the city, she really was in a better state than 98% of most American park locomotive I've seen. The park she was in was adjacent to a school, the equivalent of which we'd say was a boot camp of last chance for kids who were behavior and social problems! I have held high hopes of seeing her fired once again, but it may never come to pass. Perhaps a really good cosmetic restoration and a parts supply is all she can look forward to. How very sad.

When the 771 was put into the park, had the SP beat her into the dirt? Was she stored serviceable as was the practice for a lot of railroads in the 50's?

Clem: I'm not from Victoria, so I don't know, but she had been through at least one cosmetic restoration while in Victoria, and appeared to be in good shape. I have heard since, that her boiler or firebox was not as good looking as her exterior, but also, not beyond repair.

A cosmetic resto could be anything from a coat of paint to actual care for the appliances.

[quote="Clem"]A cosmetic resto could be anything from a coat of paint to actual care for the appliances.[/quote]

that much at least has happened since her arrival in Grapevine..

That's about all that should happen there. As far as actually operating 771,they never though about the fact that getting it into the stockyards was quite difficult due to the curvature there. After the dream of operation went up in smoke,the next grand plan was to drag her across the street,across from the depot and buy some cars to put behind her as a meeting area..with out bothering to polish her journals or lubricate her in any fashion what so ever.

Was by G'vine recently, and I will say that the 771 is rather pleasantly displayed right now.

Got a photo, Jim?

IF they are going to do some sort of light rail service, I would safely bet that those ex DL&W heavyweight coaches the GVRR uses (minus maybe the open cars) would stand up far better in a collision then the crap light rail vehicles they are popping out like a pez dispense now adays.

Not to mention, though not under FRA, what about those great subway cars in Washington DC that telescoped not once now, but twice in two seperate accidents, a couple decades apart and are still in daily use?

The notion that any of these "light rail" vehicles would stand up to any significant imapct with each other, let alone a freight train is pure BS.

What a shame. I remember when 771 was first purchased by Grapevine and she was moved. Everyone was excited that she would be restored to run. Now to hear how ignorant people butchered the brake rigging. Maybe the boiler is so bad that it would have been shot down as a restoration candidate eventually.

Heres a shot of 771 I took when I was in Grapevine this summer:

I believe one of the volunteer groups,perhaps the one bringing their engine back to Texas were the ones who painted the 771. From everything I have been told about the locomotive,she was the Victoria switcher for quite awhile, which is why she lost her SA feed water heater and it was replaced by a lifting injector. At one time 771 was considered a candidate for restoration by the Austin Steam Train Association but from what I was told the boiler was in not too good a shape to be overhauled. If she were to be overhauled a thorough examination would have to be done of course...at a location far from where she is now.

Txhighballer,

Thanks for the info. It's good to see ASTA making steady progress on their Mike. It has to be one of the most extensive rebuilds on a mainline engine of this size. Do you know what is going on with the LASTA and their SP Mike #745? Will she ever run on a mainline again? Things have been pretty quiet since the low water situation on KCS in 07 or 08.

Rob Gardner