Good news from Nashville. The locomotive has been in Centennial Park since 1953.
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Good to see the interest.
Johnny Cash had #576 behind him in one of his album covers. Nice locomotive......a real light weight 4-8-4, comparable to a Canadian National/GTW 4-8-4. Lookin' forward to her launch !
The organization is still in the fund raising mode to remove the engine to its restoration location, the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, located on Willow St here in Nashville.
MUCH volunteer labor has been performed in place to ascertain the condition of various components and the tender has been separated from the engine. The good news is the loco is in remarkably good condition for having been exposed to the elements since 1953!
I have been watching this one for about ten years or so--the city was reluctant to lease/sell the locomotive for a long time, which I don't understand. The roof over the locomotive is a recent addition which makes the current excellent condition even more surprising.
The video of the interior of the boiler provides a unique perspective.
Tinplate Art posted:The good news is the loco is in remarkably good condition for having been exposed to the elements since 1953!
Famous last words!!!!
And is there a place to run her?
Yes, the Nashville and Eastern has agreed to host the locomotive using Tennessee Central Railway Museum passenger cars.
The 576 was outshopped prior to being placed on display in Centennial Park. Shane Meador and his crew had the oil from the Timken bearings sent to a lab for analysis and the results were very encouraging. Most of the detailed inspections in place have yielded no unusual issues in terms of restoration. This engine is a prime candidate for restoration for operation if the funds can be raised.
My personal suggestion is to have a benefit concert featuring local country music artists singing an ALL train song program with all proceeds (less expenses) going to the restoration program. Heck, even the use of a venue like the Bridgestone arena might be donated as well! There are a number of high profile artists like Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks and Keith Urban, to name a few, who live and perform here that could be persuaded to support this worthy project.
I sm beginning to wonder if there are now TOO MANY steam engines running or being restored? There is only do much time, talent and treasure to go around.
Dominic Mazoch posted:I sm beginning to wonder if there are now TOO MANY steam engines running or being restored? There is only do much time, talent and treasure to go around.
Talent without it being exercised dies with the talented.
Restoration is a great exercise that exposes the "youth" to the skills of the talented, thereby creating more talent.
A larger number of restorations creates a larger pool of talented.
When it comes to restoring / preserving steam locomotives, save them all because there will be no more. I am optimistic that preservation groups, museums and entrepreneurs will find ways to save run and display these precious relics. Let the N&W 611, the Nickel Plate 765, the SP 844 and the UP's locomotives be role models for all those brave enough to tackle the restoration / preservation of steam locomotives.
Bobby Ogage posted:When it comes to restoring / preserving steam locomotives, save them all because there will be no more.
Well, they have already built a new main line steam locomotive in England, and are now working on their second one.
I am optimistic that preservation groups, museums and entrepreneurs will find ways to save run and display these precious relics.
All it takes is LOTS of money!!!!
Let the N&W 611, the Nickle Plate 765, the SP 844
Good grief man,,,,,,don't you know that the SP locomotive is really number 4449?
and the UP's locomotives
The UP steam locomotives would be #844, #3985 and #4014.
be role models for all those brave enough to tackle the restoration / preservation of steam locomotives.
Except that the Union Pacific is the ONLY major corporation in the United States that has committed HUGE amounts of money, over many decades, toward their own steam locomotives.
The latest news. They are getting closer.
"The Nashville Steam Preservation Society’s goal is $500,000.
To date, the grassroots effort has pulled in $375,000.
When the remaining $125,000 is raised, heavy restoration can begin"
GOOD NEWS, INDEED! :-)
It's amazing how this group has gotten so much cash in such a short amount of time, while it's taken the group restoring 3713 twenty years to get to the same point money raising wise. Just goes to show how good leadership and smart members can take a project like this and get it off the ground.
The UP is the only class 1 that has operated steam without quitting, NS quit its steam program end of 1994 but restarted a new steam program Sept 2011 but that program is essentially over, and excursions with 611 might be, too. BNSF allows steam but excursions are few and far between. CSX, by now we all know their policy. No steam period, dead or alive unless it’s on a flat car like 1309 was when it was transported to WMSR. CSX does still allow the Collis P. Huntington excursions out of WV with Amtrak diesel power. UP operates very few public excursions with steam though.
Lack of UP activity might be because of a very small locomotive they are rebuilding: UPP 4014!
Here in Nashville, we have the Nashville and Eastern which operates East over the former Tennessee Central Railway ROW. They have a wye in Nashville close to the Tennessee Central Museum shops where the rebuild will take place. There is also a plan to install a turntable in or near Lebanon, TN, about thirty-something miles East of Nashville. Further up the line is Monterey, where the remnants of a wye exist, which could be restored to operation. So we have a railroad to run steam excursions over. We have been steam-starved for many years, having the CSX as the hometown railroad! We brought the 4501 to Nashville in 1980, and ran excursions over the old N&D to Columbia and back for two days. Promised Johnny Cash a cab ride, but he had already committed to being the Parade Marshall!
You can never have to many steam engines - look at us over here in the UK. You can never run them all at once but as HW highlighted there is a real appetite for steam here and many more new builds in the pipeline
I agree that it is a chicken and the egg thing with steam engine restoration, that to be able to do it you need people with the requisite skills and knowledge to do it and also the ability to teach others, especially young people, to do it. There are a lot of young gear heads out there who would be thrilled I think to be able to work on a steam engine restoration project, and the nice part is each person who is taught is the potential teacher of others. Obviously, we aren't going to be building new steam engines with the exception of projects like the one to build a K4 from scratch, but even to maintain what is out there already or save other candidates is going to require people in the future able and willing to do this.
As far as any project "taking away' from others, I don't buy that, whether there is 10 of these projects out there or 50, it isn't like there is only a very small source of supply of money out there. Sure, these projects are in competition with each other to a certain extent, but they also are competing against other things people donate to, and the trick is for fundraisers to find the people then get them to donate, same as any non profit out there.
Lots of initial excitement, but the effort at both rebuilding and seeking funds has to continue for years afterward, and it's what happens over the long haul that matters. It would be great to see the project sustained, but sometimes the upward curve on these things, both in terms of work and fundraising, tends to level off pretty quickly. Hope it works out. I saw this engine once years ago when it was still sitting in the open in the park, and it is a beauty.
bigkid posted:Obviously, we aren't going to be building new steam engines with the exception of projects like the one to build a K4 from scratch, but even to maintain what is out there already or save other candidates is going to require people in the future able and willing to do this.
What K4 from scratch?
The T1 I've heard of, but no K4.
Rusty
I hope it works as well--judging by the time and effort expended to convince the city to lease the locomotive (over 15 years, I think), there is a lot of interest.
