So as it weren't enough that they have a handful of steam locomotive reproduction projects well underway, now they're starting to recreate extinct diesel classes:

https://newbuildsteam.com/2018/06/30/fe ... d-diesels/

C-Liner or Erie-built repro anybody? Y'know, there are very good reasons a lot of those early models didn't succeed, but hey it appears anything is possible.

An important point:

All of the projects that have gotten somewhere started with a foundation that included a surviving engine from the class, such as the only surviving 9-cylinder Napier Deltic engine for the "Baby Deltic."

We have a similar situation for the amazingly heroic rebuild of the SP K-M diesel hydraulic 9010--one block was there, enough of one transmission, and they found the only surviving trucks under a track maintenance machine in France.

To crank out a C-Liner or Erie-Built, you have to start with the engine and trucks. Good luck.

Maybe just a carbody with some batteries and some power trucks?

Amazing that you picked a photo of a live steam-sized interurban car whose owner and motorman I know, Alex Bruchec (sp?), from the Akron Railroad Club. He's also a serious volunteer at the PA Trolley Museum in Washington, PA.

BTW, on a somewhat related note, in a couple of hours or less, and permit me to foam just a little here, the Grand Parade of the Triennial Meet at the Train Mountain Live Steam Railroad Club in Oregon is going to start, and I believe you can watch most of it on their live-streaming cameras on the club's website. I saw some photos and videos from earlier in the week, and there are some very sharp models of historic and more modern locomotives and cars from around the world on hand that will be part of the action. Some of us here talk about representing those things that no longer exist in miniature, well there are some fine examples of what we are talking about there.

Out of the 4 projects mentioned in the original link, the "Baby Deltic" and 10000 ones are the only ones that actually seem to have achieved a reasonable level of progress.
The former project has been worked on for many years and appears to be getting somewhere now. The 10000 project has recently been "re-invigorated" by new people coming in after stalling a few years back after apparent rapid progress in the early days.
At the end of the day, the success of any "new build" project like this is down to the availability of lots of cash to fund it all. UK Lottery Grants (which have been scaled back considerably due to a fall in ticket sales) would not be available anyway for anything "new" like this, so it is down to the Enthusiast community at large to provide the money.

I do wonder just how many of the regularly announced "new build" steam loco projects over here are ever going to be finished, particularly as the numbers of people who remember some of these loco types in regular use (let alone steam in service anyway) are reducing day by day!

Whilst recreating scrapped types sounds good, there are a actually a couple of still extant 1950's main line diesel classes in preservation here that did manage to survive being cut up, but which are rarely in the limelight and do not appear to get a great deal of support (financial or otherwise) to complete their restoration to operating condition.
See http://www.d8233.org.uk/about.htm for details of the BTH Class 15 Bo-Bo and the MetroVick Class 28 Co-Bo locomotives

I Googled "live steam interurban" and picked the prettiest one.

Weren't there Erie B-units extant up until fairly recently? Isn't that were Doyle got the trucks for the two PAs? Are there any left? Is there an additional pair of trucks? Rebuilding an Erie B into an Erie A would probably not be too difficult though it does mean tampering with a real artifact. Building from scratch...hmm...the trucks with those big castings would be the issue. OP engines can be found.

Too bad big castings are so difficult because I'd love to see a reproduction of a Baldwin Centipede. Not sure what engines would be used.

Maybe an Alco DL-109

Those Erie-built B-units had been purchased by Canadian Pacific (I think from the Pennsylvania) and converted into a mobile welded rail plant. They were cut up at a Winnipeg scrapyard, which is where McCormack got the trucks from. A few years ago an issue of Trains Magazine (maybe the annual Locomotive special) had a photo from the scrapyard inside the back cover.

In a similar vein two C-Liner B-units existed as of a few years ago, stored in a siding near Okotoks, Alberta. I believe they have since been moved to Cranbrook, BC, and are still with us. They were converted to Robot Cars and last worked for BC Rail, and as such were gutted inside.

Two C-Liner A-units still exist, both are ex-CP. 4065 is in Ottawa, and 4104 is in Nelson, BC.

Whatever happened to the Alco PB that was being used as a HEP generator on the Algoma Central passenger trains?

More feasible would be replicating a GE U30CG, or P30CH, either of which could be done with a U30C (or similar 6 axle GE) as a donor unit.


Jeff

Can you find me a U30C??? Jes' askin'.............

How about a C30-7?
(I did say "or similar 6 axle GE")

But none of those were used in the UK.

At last report the ex-D&RGW PB unit converted to HEP car was still in use on the Algoma Central, It has EMD Blomberg trucks and is otherwise heavily modified, bearing little resemblance to its original incarnation.

Doyle initially got three sets of A-1-A trucks from the former Erie-built B-units in Canada. One set is under his PA in Portland, one set under the PA in Texas, and the third set was unfortunately scrapped after being stored for a number of years and finding no takers for it.

(I think one of our greatest diesel preservation losses in recent years was the other ex-D&RGW PB/steam generator car #252, which lasted at the Burnham shops in Denver until the early 90s when SP cleaned house and sent it to scrap. It still had its original trucks and unmodified carbody.)