[redacted]

It will be a "permanent" home. 18 and 20 are part of the deal. 18 will need a form 4 done before it can operate again.

Robby

Interesting, I'll be an hour away in July, a visit might be in order...

I hear this is a trade with the current owner of SP&S 539. While it's great that the 539 will be returned to service and that the 18 will run regularly again, I wonder if this is what the City of Vancouver had in mind when they sold the engine for a dollar to its current owner. The area will get an operating steamer (and GCRY 20) but will lose a native son when the 539 goes to AZ.

Not trying to sling arrows, so don't take it that way, but it does bring up the fact that once you donate something (or sell it at a charitable price) you might be suprised at what the end result is. Think Conrail GP 30 at RRMofPA (which I still think was a great idea).

Dave Crosby

GCRY has a CB&Q Mikado, why not an SP&S loco? Perhaps we are seeing a new BNSF in preservation? :')
But seriously, this is the case when railfans deliver their personal collections to some railroad museums, as well. What the museum can use, they keep, but what will auction off to bring in much needed cash, can be, and does get, sold and split up. This may or may not be a necessary evil, but it is an accepted practice in some circles.

Since the owner of SP&S 539 (ex-NP #1762) has been a poster here on INTERCHANGE, perhaps he can give us some insight as to why the trade was made. Perhaps the restoration of 539 was proving to be a bit more than he could handle and/or maybe the prospect of getting GC 2-8-0 #18 out on the road much quicker, led to the decision. Also to find out if sister Consolidation #20 is strictly to be a parts source.

We also have some posters here that work for the Grand Canyon and perhaps their comments about the possibility of restoring another "big" steamer might prove interesting.

Les

In some ways (not sure if the GCRY engines are the former LS&I power) both parties win. GCRY gets a heavy 2-8-2 (don't forget to letter it NP!) and Mt. Hood gets a key turn (almost) 2-8-0 better suited for it's line and the likely possibility of a second engine.

One possible driving reason for the swap was that there may not have been a practical location to run the Mikado, and these restorations do have to pay for themselves in some fashion. Certainly the SP&S engine will see restoration much sooner with less uncertainty this way.

Locals will complain hoewer...... How much I don't know, that may be what the other 2-8-0 will restored for.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Ownership: Who is the current owner of the 539 and what is his/her connection to the Mt. Hood that would affect this swap?

#20 is to be a parts engine. It's not in real good shape.

Skip

#18 and #20 are former LS&I. #18 shouldn't take too much to be running again .... mainly boiler FRA work.