<P>I visited the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania over the weekend to see their recently constructed addition. The addition is truly impressive. Being a former "Friend" and a participant in the letter writing campaign that helped secure the state money required to do the job, it was great to see. It was the first time I had seen the collection since before the construction. While the building is impressive, the equipment inside is in varying degrees of cosmetic restoration. The diesels have obviously gotten quite a bit of attention, including the E-7. It used to be a sad site indeed. Now my question. Why have the Pennsy steamers received so little restoration efforts? Maybe I misunderstand the value of "original fabric" when talking about steam locomotive cosmetic restorations. Many of the steam locomotives have jackets with modern patches and modern rivets which are not authentic. Apparently these patches were used to replace rusted sections. I personally don't think the old jacket has any use other than to be used as a pattern for a new jacket. It is also obvious that no asbestos has been removed from the boilers. The most upsetting and disturbing site was the M1 sitting outdoors when more common equipment sits inside. The M1 looks fairly good for an outside display, but again when will that asbestos be removed. The M1 should certainly be stored and stabilized indoors. <br>Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the efforts of the museum and the friends for their dedication to saving these priceless pieces. More can and needs to be done before it is too late. Any ideas? <br>And to everyone concerned about the Hippo in NY State, it appears to be in better cosmetic shape than most of the steamers in the RRMP collection. Give the New Yorkers credit, the asbestos has been removed, corrosion to the boiler arrested, and everything is kept well painted. I think they have the right idea and will eventually get the Hippo under cover. The trade rumors I heard about the NKP 757 for the Hippo are silly, unless the New York group would be given an operational NKP 757. Anybody got a spare million?<br>




Hubbard5004@msn.com

<P>I'm pretty certain that the asbestos has been removed from every engine displayed indoors at RRM of Pa; it's been replaced with non-asbestos lagging. Work was done accross the street at the Strasburg shops, the contract facility which performed nearly all the Museum's heavy restoration prior to the completion of their own shop last year.<br>




eledbetter@rypn.org

<P>The Stasburg Rail Road did not remove any lagging from the Pennsy engines except for #7002 and #1223.<br>




Muss405@yahoo.com

<P>I stand corected!<br>




eledbetter@rypn.org

<P>Anyone whose been to the RMPA should be familiar with the large red pre-fab building located in the outside yard. It was originally built for removing asbestos, but it instead evolved into a makeshift temporary restoration building. With the opening of the new restoration shop, perhaps it may get used for its intended purpose. In regard to fixing up the steamers, I believe the museum was in the pipeline for a million dollar grant that would pay for cosmetic restoration. This news is about a year and a half old, so I don't know what progress, if any has been made on securing the much needed funds.<p>Mike Shirk<br>

<P>Thanks for all of the information. The steamers will definitely take time and money to complete professional and authentic cosmetic restorations. I wondered about that crude red building. Makes sense now. Does anyone know if there are plans for a roundhouse to go with that great turntable? That would take care of the M1 and other pieces. <br>




hubbard5004@msn.com

<P>RMPA's long-term plan is to have a roundhouse. But it probably won't be anytime soon. I recently talked with the museum director and he said there are irons in the fire, but dealing with the feds and the state could take years to shake something loose (I'm keeping my fingers crossed though and it hope it happens soon before the elements do take their toll). They would also like to add more property to the existing site, which would be a not so simple matter of getting the adjacent landowners to sell. Rest assured though, RMPA is in good hands with the present director and I have no doubt it's not "if", but rather "when" for most of this stuff to happen.<p>Mike Shirk<br>