645 posted:Eddie Marra posted:and the engine should never have been let go from the B&O Museum
Well, the B&O museum seems to keep their main focus on B&O equipment especially once CSXT turned it over to the current non-profit group that runs it now back in 1990 . Outside of some Western Maryland pieces they seem to ignore most of the non-B&O stuff. For example they have a GG1 which is not even out on display anymore just rusting away. They used to own the South Shore 802 which is now at the museum in North East, PA so 1309 is hardly the first piece to leave the collection. Since 1309 is C&O and not B&O it apparently had low priority for them. Plus they only have so much resources to channel into restoring equipment - if they had kept 1309 probably would have been years before they got to restoring it - eve if just a cosmetic refreshing. Keeping some pieces outside with no roof over them does not help. See exhibit A - B&O SD35 7402 which now shows the effects of outdoor display in the following link:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/649142/
I've seen stuff in a scrap yard which actually looked better than this on the outside! And nice as most pieces are at the RR Museum of Pennsylvania outdoor display / weather has claimed a few pieces there too such as a PRR MP54 which was scrapped a few years back. "Old Rivets" (PRR GG1 4800) really declined when placed outside - at least it is in line for a proper cosmetic restoration now although I understand it is a few years before it will get restored then placed inside to be displayed.
Perhaps 1309 should have gone to Clifton Forge to join the other C&O artifacts there at the C&O Railway Heritage Center run by the C&O Historical Society? But then why didn't the C&O society try to acquire it? Probably because they would have to buy it from the B&O Museum, pay to ship it to Clifton Forge (cranes, flat cars, etc.) then do a cosmetic restoration which all takes money. There are already a number of pieces at Clifton Forge needing attention so I'm sure they have more than enough to do with what they already have.
Bottom line - can't save / restore everything. Railroad museums in general have a hard time keeping up with what they have due to limited resources...
I fully understand the limitations of railroad museums - I work at the museum in Strasburg as a volunteer in a few departments. Yep, the 4800 has been moved in scheduling for cosmetic stabilization/restoration due to the 5 locos slated to be the centerpiece of the new roundhouse addition now being scheduled for stabilization and cosmetic restoration.
Trust me, I know that a museum can't restore everything at once, especially equipment stored outdoors. However, 1309 could still be intact now and not look like a Bowser kit.
I pin this on the management of WMSR. Instead of concentrating on what they had, they went out and bit off more than they could chew. Now it's endangered a steam locomotive that may end up in pieces for years (maybe for the rest of its life).
