UPDATE 2/20: OUR GOAL HAS CHANGED AND DEADLINE EXTENDED! Inland Environment had inititally priced the scrap value for no. 503 at $20,000.
After performing their own appraisal, they now value the locomotive and tender at $35,000!
Broken down, our projects costs are now:
$35,000 to Inland Environment for the purchase
$10,000 to Over-the-Top Construction for trucking
$20,000 for cranes
Our deadline for raising funds is now February 28th! A purchase agreement for the locomotive will be signed on February 21st.
OUR IMMEDIATE GOAL:
We're raising $65,000 to purchase the locomotive from the city's contractor and move it to the Texas State Railroad for interim storage. The locomotive is currently slated for demolition and scrapping in the next few days! The locomotive and display site must be disposed of by March 6th, 2018.
OUR PLAN:
1) purchase the locomotive from the contractor hired to perform the demolition and fund the move of the locomotive out of Port Arthur
2) place the locomotive under the care of a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to its ongoing rehabilitation.
3) finalize arrangements for the use of a restoration facility and restore the locomotive operation via funding provided through donations and from The Royal Palm Railway Experience which is operated by the Orlando and Northwestern Railroad in Florida.
4) move the locomotive to Florida for long-term operation with the Orlando and Northwestern Railway.
This is a campaign to save a locomotive that does have a future! These funds will accomplish the purchase from the scrapper and the initial move from the park to the Texas State Railroad.
I, Jason Sobczynski, will handle the disbursement of the funds raised to the owner of the locomotive for the purchase of the artifact, to the trucking company for the transportation of the artifact to the Texas state Railroad, and to the crane companies which will be utilized to load and unload the locomotive and tender.
Following the creation of the trust which will care for this locomotive, ownership of the locomotive will be transferred to the trust for $1.
Any left over monies from this campaign will be given to the trust along with the locomotive.
If we are unable to fund the immediate purchase and movement of 503, all donations will be refunded or forwarded to a railroad preservation organization of the donor's choice.
