Perhaps some sort of deal could be struck with NS. They donate the railroad to a non profit ( or a collection of non profits) with the ability to access the line with their locomotive(s) The non profit would maintain the line and should freight traffic needed to be run, or business is generated, they enter into a partnership to operate freight traffic over the line.

Several lines this could apply to, not only the Loops, but out west as well. It would give our locomotives rail to run on, access to those rails, and keep the line operational for the future, and it's available for future business.

What's in it for the Class Ones? The track is no longer on their tax rolls, plus the rail is still there, under the stewardship of a non profit in case of future need or business. It's a win-win for both parties.

I am not sure if NS would go for that kind of deal.

If they just recently hosted through freights on that line, it likely has very heavy rail and good ties which NS would probably want to remove and use elsewhere. However, as long as Watco's Blue Ridge Southern is operating/switching the large paper/lumber mill out at Canton, handling the propane transload facility, and a few other industries plus connecting with the Great Smokey Mountain they will be running into Ashville to connect with NS. So NS will still operate local service into Ashville.

If the mill at Canton ever shuts down, Watco will leave town, there likely will be NS service as needed (not daily) and GMS would very possibly lose it's outside connection to the world.

Exprail

You will never know until you ask the question. Several organizations who have an excellent relationship with Norfolk Southern could get in the door and at least have the opportunity to pitch such cooperation. No one ever thought that CSX would have provided such support of the 2716 either.

FYI, the state of North Carolina already owns a 317 mile long railroad:
North Carolina Railroad Company - NC Rail Map

I would expect that after this economy gets rolling again and folks are back to work there will be very little state revenue available for projects like this.

Many states at this time are trying to figure out how they are going to pay their public bills with very little revenue coming in.

Exprail

A tourist line out of Asheville would do very well in Asheville. Especially something along the lines of a dinner / wine train.

I’m glad I rode behind 630 and chased 611 at the loops. The Asheville loops and UP’s big 10 curves in Colorado are my favorite stretches of railroading.

Just bumping this up to keep it in a more accessible location.

NS's "s" line still generates a lot of traffic east of hickory to Salisbury. I can't see NS ever letting this segment go. I think the rumor was that WATCO nearly worked a deal with NS to buy the entire S line back in like 2016 or so, but didn't due to NS's wanting to keep that eastern segment of the line. Even if they sold west of there to Asheville - Bulls Gap, TN. That would be a very expensive railroad to maintain with likely little traffic. Very scenic though!

How many dinner trains have ever continually operated at a profit? I remember an interview with RJ himself saying the dinner train was the only segment of RJC that lost money in that given year. Most don't survive perpetually.

The old PRR Detour Secondary which ran between Niles and Alliance Ohio. The stretch from Sebring to North Jackson is OOS. The northern portion is still in use. Some crossings paved over now but mostly a decent stretch of railroad - about 17 miles worth. The problem - that section runs from Alliance/Sebring to out in the middle of nowhere.

I'm going to be a little biased, but I think the best hope for a "Home for Main Line Steam" might be the former CSX/L&N Eastern Kentucky division between Winchester and Hazard, KY.

This is a former coal hauling line that, until 5 years ago was maintained to Class 3 standards. It is all CWR with a mixture of wood and concrete ties. Weight wouldn't be an issue, even for something as big as a Challenger. Track speed was kept to 35 max by CSX, but with a good infusion of money, there are sections that could be faster.

Location
Ravenna is located within 400 miles of several major population centers. Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus, Knoxville, Columbus and Cincinnati are all within a day long drive.

The town is 30 minutes off I-75 and 1 hour from Lexington, KY, which sees millions of tourists a year for horses and is the start of the Bourbon Trail. Ravenna is also 45 minutes from Natural Bridge State Park, which is a popular tourist destination for hikers, seeing over a million visitors a year. It also sits on the edge of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

More than just trains
Kentucky Steam Heritage is making the former yard into a multi-purpose entertainment venue. Work is progressing on completing an outdoor concert venue that can also double as a place for arts/crafts and food fair.

The line south of Ravenna follows the Kentucky River, with scenery that rivals the New River Gorge. 25 miles south of Ravenna is the town of Beattyville. The town has a very "Mayberry" feel to it and as it sees an influx of visitors, could become a great little place for people to spend a couple of hours. The future could see building a park next to the river where people could sit an enjoy a lunch, or who knows, maybe a short kayak trip.

So, you've got a great location, with plenty of stuff for tourists to do, and a line capable of handling the largest locomotives operating today. Most importantly, it would/could be done without CSX or another railroad involved in the operations. What ese could you ask for in a home for main line steam?

Don't we already have the answer? Reading & Blue Mountain.

NS also has the former Norfolk, Franklin and Danville line which is mostly intact from Suffolk, Va. to Emporia,Va. From what i understand there was only one or two industries on the line when NS embargoed it and that while the rail, ties and bridges are all still in place it needed rail renewal and a couple of bridges replaced. Back then (over ten years ago) i heard that it needed about 15 million for the renewal and bridges. Would make a good tourist line if someone had the money and get it from NS.

Suffolk has a large population just outside of the Hampton Roads area itself. It passes thru Franklin which has about 8 k people and ends in Emporia that has a population of about 5600. I 95 also passes thru Emporia. The CSX crossing in Emporia was cut years ago although some of the line still exists west of Emporia. The line is still connected to NS in Suffolk (and CSX via NS) and a interchange could be made with CSX in Emporia near where the crossing was. There is also a CSX interchange in Franklin from back when some freight went to the Franklin paper mill.

Agreed - but "offline" steam hasn't shown up there except when 765 cut through... and even that was an NS sponsored trip...

I would have to go out on a limb and say the Iowa Interstate and here is why. 1 already running a QJ 2-10-2 so have the experience of running steam now. 2 close to 4 major cities within 4 hours of Chicago Minn/St Paul Omaha and KC to various spots on their network. 3 located on or close to a major Interstate that being I-80 so returning passengers to starting point of a 1 way excursion is not as hard with charter buses. 4 could offer both high speed mainline and lower speed branch line runs with their line down to Peoria IL. Also could offer destination excursions to places like Starved Rock in Illinois. Lastly with the new group setting up shop in Slivis this would be the logical place for them to run on for both 3985 and 5511.

And the 113.