From the following in Railroad.net's New England Railfan forum, it appears as though the restoration of MEC 2-8-0 #501 at North Conway, NH may be revived (after years of dormancy) this coming Spring:




Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:31 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys. I e-mailed the 470 RR club about the 501. Some good news! I think that MECnanic might like this one. Below is the reply I got from the 470.


We do plan to restore the 501. We have some money available to start work, though I am sure not enough to do the complete job. As you say, the 7470 is now running. I believe the Conway Scenic is now using the engine house to do routine work on their coaches in preparation for next season. We hope and expect that come spring, we will be able to get the 501 into the engine house and begin serious work on it. We have a contractor whom we believe is both competent and ready to go to work on it. But nothing will happen until spring. It is certainly our intent, and as far as we know the Conway Scenic people are as eager as we are, to restore the locomotive to operating condition and to have it available for service in Crawford Notch. Let's just hope we live long enough to see it happen!

Leonard Bachelder
Vice President, 470 Railroad Club


Let's all hope the new contractor the 470 RR Club has in mind is much better than Benson Mountain Company which resulted in a failed boiler restoration a number of years ago.

Frederick G. Bailey

Hi, Fred:
Perhaps you could answer this question regarding no. 501. Recently, Steamtown NHS's theater featured the WVIA-TV documentary "The Once and Future City," which was made in 1984 or 85. You had a starring role in it, and part of the program showed the collection at Bellow's Falls. Around the turntable was the usual cast of steam locomotives, but also Maine Central 501. Was this the 519 in disguise, or the genuine article? If it was really the 501, why was it in Bellow's Falls? I'm actually surprised to hear of its existence, as I thought only 519 and 510 were still around. Thanks for any light you can shed.
Tim O'

Hmmm...

I wasn't aware of a 510, but I know the 470 club has the 501 at Steamtown for years. It was moved out of Bellows Falls when Steamtown relocated to Scranton. If I'm not mistaken there was a photo of it being towed away in 'TRAINS' and someone had lit a burning tire in the smokebox to give it that "live" look.

Dave

Both Maine Central #501 and #519 were in the Steamtown collection at Bellows Falls. #519 was sold to F. Nelson Blount's Monadnock, Steamtown and Northern Amusement Corp. in 1963 and eventually became an official part of the Steamtown collection. #501, however, was merely leased by Blount; though it resided at Steamtown for over 20 years, it remained the property of the MEC. When Steamtown Foundation announced its intention to move to Pennsylvania, MEC terminated #501's lease and then sold the 2-8-0 to the 470 Railroad Club.

MEC #510 was scrapped by the MEC towards the end of their steam era; it never was preserved

Incidentally, one of the locomotive appeared in "Sunrise at Campobello", the FDR eulogizing film, starring Ralph Bellamy and Greer Garson. She was never fired, but was maintained in Waterville roundhouse for awhile, even though MEC Pacific 470 stood on a plinth in town, just about 2500 feet away. Why MEC retained this particular Consolidation locomotive was never made clear to me. It's good to see that capable people will get a shot at restoring the 519

The 501 and 519 were used as stationary power plants for a while. That is why they escaped the scrappers torch. The 519 was the locomotive used in "Sunrise at Campobello". It was not fired up because it would have been too heavy for the Eastport branch, where the footage was shot.

Thank you for the valuable information...Yet another steamtown locomotive featured in a movie that no one has seen in a generation or more. We also found out that I am a numeric dyslexic! 510, 501, what's the difference? Apparently one really exists.

Talk of this Maine Central 501 confused me as today I did some switching and in the consist was Maine Central combine #501. What?



http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?photo=200610201912519710.jpg&byrail%3A1%3AOtter_Valley_Railroad