From the Ely Daily Times:

Nevada Northern Railway Engine No. 93 is in the final phases of being put back together.

And the rail museum now can put together its final plans on getting the engine to Heber City, Utah, for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

The White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation Board of Trustees unanimously approved borrowing up to $150,000 to haul the engine, its coal tender, and two passenger cars to the Olympics some time early next month.

The foundation board is made up of the Ely City Council, and the decision was made during Thursday's council meeting.

The loan is to be guaranteed with future earnings at the rail museum. The city -- which owns the railroad -- will not be obligated.

Until this project was conceived by interim director of the NNRy Museum Scott Lindsay, the potential for income at the museum was pretty bleak.

But Lindsay's plan could bring in well over the $150,000 ceiling for the loan.

Lindsay has been a consultant at the rail museum since a runaway Northern Nevada Railroad car loaded with ties crashed into the front of Engine 93 on a Saturday afternoon in summer 1995.

He's employed by Steam Operations Corp of Birmingham, Ala., which was hired to rebuild the damaged steam engine. He's continued as a steam engine consultant since then.

But the foundation board officially hired him as interim director at Thursday's meeting.

Lindsay's plan is simple and should prove profitable.

The Heber Valley Railroad -- a tourist train concession similar to the NNRy -- will be shuttling visitors to Soldier Hollow during the Winter Games.

That will be the venue for the cross country and biathlon events. Heber wants to lease Engine 40 to provide more transportation, as the only way to get to the area will be by bus or steam train.

Lindsay notes the trip prices are comparable: tourists will have the opportunity to ride on a bus or a steam train.

He quipped, no matter where they're from they have buses.

The rail museum will make about $6,570 from the rental of its equipment and should make another $28,800 from ticket sales.

He said there's also a strong possibility the train might get some charter business during the hours its not needed to shuttle Olympic visitors.

But where the big money will come from is advertising.

Lindsay is trying something that hasn't been done before -- at least not with a tourist steam train.

Corporate advertising will be sold and displayed within the two passenger cars.

Yesco Sign Co. will make and install the racks for the ads. It also will sell and produce the ads.

He told the council Yesco is in the billboard business and has a facility in Heber that will do the installation.

There's room for 100 advertising placards and they will sell for just under $10,000 a piece.

Mark Bassett, introduced as a long time volunteer at the rail museum, told the council that Yesco believes the in-car ads will sell well -- possibly all of them.

"I'm confident," Bassett said. But I don't have a crystal ball."

Yesco will make a five-percent commission off the ads.

Subtracting costs, if all the advertising space is filled for the full 18 days, the NNRy should make a profit of $840,000.

That's the income that will cover the loan.

Lindsay told the council he will not get a raise for moving up to interim director slot. But because the plan to earn so much money was his, the NNRy management board has agreed to pay him a commission of 10 percent on anything made up to $500,000.

"That's "net,'" he added.

If the earnings go above $500,000, Lindsay's commission goes up to 15 percent.

Other good news is possible.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism has been asked for a grant, and that money may yet be approved.

But if not, the rail museum should be able to complete the project with the loan money.

There's also an opportunity for advertising along the way.

Lindsay noted banner ads could be sold to be placed on the trucks carrying the engine, tender and cars.

They'll pass thousands of other motorists... and the 90-ton engine likely will attract plenty of attention.

Whatever the income, its first use will go to the loan repayment, he said.



Wrinnbo@aol.com

Jim, look above the luggage racks in your RDG 1290 coaches - see if you can't fit an ad card in the longitudinal braces there, also try your obs car - it has the older parcel racks. [it's not RDG 1297 - probably belongs to the trucks at the roundhouse]

RDG put ads there in its MU and suburban steam cars; CNJ had additional ad racks below the parcel racks.

The Electric City Trolley Museum Association

> Jim, look above the luggage racks in your
> RDG 1290 coaches - see if you can't fit an
> ad card in the longitudinal braces there,
> also try your obs car - it has the older
> parcel racks. [it's not RDG 1297 - probably
> belongs to the trucks at the roundhouse]

> RDG put ads there in its MU and suburban
> steam cars; CNJ had additional ad racks
> below the parcel racks.

Phil, we probably could. I'm not sure we would want to do that but ya never know ... Jim


Wrinnbo@aol.com

Sorry, I missed my point.

Ads in steam coaches are not new - the NY-NJ and Phila roads did it years ago in their suburban fleets.

Is that something to be interpreted somewhere? You bet! Probably not at NCTM but somewhere here in the NE.

Hmmmmmmm - that's US! Cheee - I found myself something to do.

The Electric City Trolley Museum Association