It's art.

Indeed, this is not a rarity, or should I say WAS not a rarity, since they're merely decorative now, but I've seen too many vintage fire houses to list that indeed had driver tires hung outside.

Has anyone here actually ever heard one "in action"? Must have been some racket that served its purpose!

Look at it this way.....if they added a tender, it'd be pretty easy to fire!

A replica DL-109 ?!?!? Now we're talkin'

More like Art Deco.....

Gravity firing? I'm all for it!

At least he is willing to go with a replica now, originally he wanted an actual 2900. Not many of those to go around.

I think a pretty accurate replica of a DL-109 could be constructed for about $5 million, not including the cost of making the engines compliant with the current emissions regulations, which would probably be around $20 million more. That gets us up into the $ range where a lot of politicians and their supporters could benefit from the project. Now is a good time to do it, while there are still a few 539 engines around. Of course it would probably have to burn biodiesel to be politically correct in the current environment.

ALCO qualified the 539 for USN propulsion applications but I do not think they ever tried standing them on end. The engines might leak a little bit.

We have a small tire (about 36" inside diameter) at the University of California forestry camp near Quincy, CA which we use as a dinner and wake-up bell. It is quite effective.

I don't know anything about its history, it's from a logging locomotive or
possibly a Shay (do Shays use tires?).

Bob

As you said...



Roanoke VA is currently going through this very thing; it is uncanny how well you described the building that will soon become the Art Museum of Western VA. Attached are links to views and information of the new Museum due soon in the Heart of the Historic District in down town Roanoke. The location couldn't be any worse in disrupting the fabric of the historic downtown and its interference in the Valley's railroad history. The Museum is on a corner directly across from the Historic N&W Roanoke Station that is now the O'Winston Link Museum, also across from the Historic Hotel Roanoke (Built by N&W as company hotel) and across from the Historic Roanoke East End Shops (where all the well known Locomotives were built), and last surrounding the rest of the site is the Historic downtown Roanoke with brick buildings dating back to the cities beginning with the noted City Market only one block away.

Here are the links to see the Museum concept and its location, as well as other offerings on its web page.

Museum Concept:
http://www.artmuseumroanoke.org/index.php?do=the_future

Museum Location:
http://www.artmuseumroanoke.org/index.p ... e_location

Press release:
http://www.artmuseumroanoke.org/index.p ... s_releases

Unfortunately due to the money of the few and the little publicity till it was to late this project is well on its way. Many now question this new museum and it's relevance to the Roanoke Valley. Many now have said that for so long those in the Valley have avoided the fact that Roanoke is a railroad town that its roots are due to the railroad and that its single largest significance is as a railroad town. But as with this new museum points out those few in the town with the money are trying to make Roanoke what it is not. Roanoke is a railroad town and is a blue collar town but again we now have this shiny monstrosity being built in the cities heart that could very well be a cancer that will disrupt what it really is and that is a railroad town, Roanoke is not a center of fine art which they are trying to make it, but will see if in years we are stuck with a "White Elephant" with no business and no future. Roanoke’s is a railroad town and that’s what needs to be marketed and developed how could a town get it so wrong?

Of course the above is my honest opinion, but look over the facts and tell me what you think!

The "emerging Los Angeles architect..." phrase on the museum concept site reminds me of the "world renowned expert on motive power..." phrase that one of the railroad coffee table book publishers typically uses to describe their twenty-somethings with no experience in or knowledge of the railroad industry, who they have busy mass producing totally forgettable books like water out of a fire hose.

And "...sustainable green architecture..."? Is that just more great sounding political correctness?

The reason for the Art Museum in Roanoke is simple. They have an effective Board which was able to court the Taubman family and other Valley leaders. The Taubmans are the wealthiest family in Roanoke, and could underwrite the whole project if they desired. Jenny Taubman likes and collects art. (Until the stock went public a few years ago, Advance Auto Parts, which is now one of the country's largest automotive retailers, was the Taubman family business) George Logan has owned and operated a number of succesful businesses in the Valley also. Interestingly enough, when I was was on the VMT Board I worked for Advance, and tried to get the VMT Board to court Garnett Smith and the Taubmans, but there was disinterest on both sides. At least from the Advance side, there was no respect for the VMT Board's effectiveness, or credibility. I feel that the Art Museum may well turn into a boondoggle, (and it's definitely going to be an eyesore) but it is being built. Visitorship at all of the Valley museums is low. Steve is right, there is no central theme or anchor to Roanoke's tourism efforts. And until until the rail preservation "factions' in Roanoke get over their differences and petty squabbles and come up with a strong vision, railroad history won't be it. We were making some progress in the early 90's, but unfortunately the tool we were using to build teamwork, the NS Steam Program, went bye-bye and politics reared it's ugly head again.