The recent discussion of the failure to preserve a B&O EM-1 class 2-8-8-4 brings up some other interesting questions about rail preservation.<p>Northern Pacific, which did a decent job of preserving steam locomotives, failed to preserve either a 4-8-4 NORTHERN or a 2-8-8-4 YELLOWSTONE, both locomotive types that the NP pioneered and named!<p>Central of Georgia decided to preserve one of their "Big Apple" 4-8-4's only to have a new "regime" come in and scrap the engine!<p>L&N personnel apparently had an extreme fondness for the "Big Emma" 2-8-4's but could not even save one example even though some were around well into the preservation era!<p>Chicago & Illinois Midland was basically a 2-10-2 railroad (owning both new and used examples) but when the Museum of Transportation went to the railroad it asked for a 2-8-2 instead of a 2-10-2 choosing a 2-10-2 from the Missabe instead. Would not a 2-10-2 from the C&IM and a 2-8-2 from the DM&IR made more sense?<p>And speaking of Missabe 2-10-2's; both surviving examples (MofT's and Green Bay's) had Elesco feedwater heaters when in service but BOTH engines had their Elesco's removed greatly changing their appearance from when in service for the railroad.<p>Our museum too has a strange rail preservaion story. When N&W took over the Nickel Plate Road, many wooden MofW cars were still in existance. N&W made short work of these cars, quickly burning them and scrapping the metal that was left over. Somehow, an example survived at Frankfort, IN and our museum received the tool car as a donation (although we have sad to say, yet to undertake a program to preserve this gem.) But how did the car survive when apparently all others were burned? Did someone "hide it?" We probably will never know.<p>L. Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum)<br>



midlandblb@cs.com

And don't think I don't miss that Big Apple. Looks like the C of G went from WWI era 2-8-0s and 4-6-0s straight into GP35s when you visit here. I have no example of post 1920 C of G mainline steam. <p>Nevada Northern 40 was in fact hidden whenever the "front office" guys came inspecting which is why it survived. Wish more good hiding places had been available or used. <br>



lathro19@idt.net

Here is another interesting preservation story.<p>The new Edaville Railroad has returned a British Built for export 0-6-0 to steam. She was used for many years by the Colonial Sugar Plantation in Viti Levu, Fiji Islands.<p>I also note that there was another of the same Company's engines at the Alton & Pacific Railroad at Alton, CA. in the 1970s. This one was built by the John Fowler & Co somewhere in England. These are both 24" gauge engines. <p>Wouldn't it be great if the two could be re-united at Edaville some day?<p><p><br>



ted_miles@NPS.gov

Have we changed from lamenting about the "ones that got away" to whining and moaning about the ones that DID get saved?<p>My God; if so, it's no wonder so few people take railfans and self-proclaimed rail preservationists seriously.<br>

I didn't hear anyone whining. I'm sure a lot of rail preservation projects started with somebody saying "wouldn't it be great if..."<br>



rjenkins@railfan.net

Richard and all,<p>Thank you for quoting me correctly,"Wouldn't it be great if" Also does anyone know if that Alton and Pacific engine is still around somewhere?<p>As we know there are very few preserved New York Central steam engines. I don't think that a Hudson will ever show up. But the National New York Central Museum in Indiana did make one appear long after retirement. It was down in Texas somewhere disguised as something else. They (J. David Conrad) moved it back to the Museum from a park I think.<p>Ted Miles<br>



ted_miles@NPS.gov

Hello All:<p>Ted, if my memory serves me correctly, I believe that the engine that you are referring to is a New York Central Mohawk. The locomotive came from the Age of Steam Railroad Museum at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas.<p>This locomotive was a replacement for the locomotive that the Texas and Pacific Railway had placed in Fair Park in the mid 50's. At the time that the T&P replaced the original locomotive, they no longer had any steam locomotives. They purchased the NYC locomotive and modified at their shops in Marshall, TX to be similar in appearance to a type of locomotive that they had.<p>If anyone has some corrections, I'd be glad to hear them.<p>Hope that this helps.<br>



floribun@airmail.net