Thanks for the info! I know it's been a few years since the crane was made available, been hoping that somebody would take it and the Santa Fe one down at OERM.

I have the same problem when I mention the Western Railway Museum. Nobody knows which museum that is. But they know about the Rio Vista group.

I recently got a "behind the sceans" tour by one of your members. Both of those cars are in great shape. The rest of the collection is impressive too. I only wish WRM was doing more to show off that beautiful WP 2-8-2 hidden in one of the carbarns and covered in spider webs.

Brian Hebert

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I don't know much at all about Western Pacific steam power, but a 2-8-2 from that road got a tiny bit of Hollywood treatment back around 1941, in the film "Buck Privates," which starred Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, the Andrews Sisters, and WP No. 323--the latter appearing at about 4:28 in this clip with a troop train:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzloE3IVblI

(Of course, the rest of the movie is fun, too--what wouldn't be with that pair, and the Andrews Sisters, too?)

A thought, which has probably been floated before--while the 334 is undoubtedly in a good home, it looks like the Western Railroad Museum is more electric-road oriented than steam. At the same time, there is that strongly Western Pacific-themed museum in Portola, and I can't help but think the 334 would be a better "fit" there. Has any thought been given to some sort of trade?

Overtures have been made regarding the 334, but the WRM Board feels that it is in their best interest to retain this piece for now. The engine is under cover, which is a good thing, while the tender remains outside. Given the effort by the small but determined group at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum to return the WP 165 to steam, dealing with the 334 at this point would be difficult to say the least. The other problem at Portola is the lack of covered storage other than the former WP diesel shop building. Perhaps the situation will change some time in the future.
More info on the 165 restoration may be found here:
http://wprrsteam.blogspot.com/

Following up on Chris's post, WRM would like to display the 334 and its tender across the aisle from WP 94 in our new barn. (94 is at the head of a WP passenger train, and 334 would head a small WP freight consist.)

The big problem is turning 334 and its tender around so they are pointing the right way. We don't have a turntable, wye, or balloon track capable of turning the locomotive, so it would have to be done with a couple of cranes and a piece of panel track.

This project is very low priority at present. We have to replace our oldest car barn and build another building first.