Rule292 posted:Without going political or partisan political, the Commonwealth of PA is in debt for millions of public debt and unlikely to fund any restoration any time soon.
There is nothing "political or partisan" about this. The state of PA is not involved in this at all.
The two failed restoration attempts were privately funded. However, the people involved were more concerned about preserving the "historical fabric" of the locomotive than complying with the FRA boiler regs in place today. That led to hand-wringing over the construction of a new firebox because that would "...destroy the historical fabric..." of the locomotive. New steel, you see. We can't do that!
Install a modern air brake system? Oh the horror! We can't do that, either! It will "...destroy the historical..."
You get the picture.
If the Fort Wayne RR Historical Society had taken the same approach with the restoration of the 765, it would still be sitting under the pigeons in Lawton Park in downtown Fort Wayne having never turned a wheel.
