The reality is that the knowledge of "you can move it this way cheap, efficiently, and without cutting things off" is specialized knowledge, NOT 'common knowledge."

We "experts" all know this, but there's no way for the "common" person to just find a qualified expert. If you've been around this "scene" long enough, you've probably seen every imaginable scenario, from someone fabricating a frame and dolly out of junk to a 256-wheeled trailer rig. Similarly, I've seen multiple ways to relocate a wooden covered bridge, from removal as one piece to complete disassembly.

There are at least three trucking companies out there with actual hands-on railroad experts running things that can offer a range of options for highway shipping of rail equipment. Silk Road is well-known among the trolley museums of the East; Daily Express of Carlisle, Pa. has an NRHS regional VP as one of its executives.

Perhaps we need another perma-sticky in this forum listing experienced rail trucking companies and how to negotiate the best deal with them.......

As long as you are naming names, who was the third you had in mind?

I haven't been involved in an equipment move in quite some time, decades, but I always found lowboys to be rather useless, because the low deck is too short. Note how they had to cribbed the front of the engine up, and how the Southern gondola recently discussed rode at an angle. Back when I was involved in moves at IRM, Nick used to hire an extendable level deck trailer. The rear suspension was three axles, eighteen tires similar to the pictured lowboy, with the deck continuing forward in a straight line to the gooseneck. It had a telescoping sill and stretched out to give a 50' level deck, back when the legal limit was 40'. I suspect with the current length limits, longer units are available. The advantage was with the full level deck, one only needed to lag down some rails and moving streetcars on their own wheels was easy. We moved eight cars in two weeks back in the seventies.

Everyone has their own moving style. I still find it hard to believe that in today's preservation world, that someone with an interest in saving this locomotive would cut the cab top off. You can see in the photo that the load is well below the height of the exhaust stacks on the semi tractor. I hauled a GE 80 ton on a lowboy similar to this one and had no height problem. We set one end of the locomotive down, angled in the well of the trailer, the other end up over the wheels and were legal in height, 13 ft. 6 inches. This load with the GE 44 ton has almost 2 feet of clearance under the locomotive frame and they removed everything under the frame. We never removed the fuel tank or the air reservoirs.

There have been a few other pieces of equipment removed from the former ITM site. The single dome tank car and an outside braced wood NKP box car. The tank car was rolled up on the trailer just like the old gondolas were, still on it's trucks.

What I found most interesting was that the NKP box car was rolled on to a lowboy the same way. They put some wood boards over the front of the top of the box car to help get power lines over it. It sat on the property for a few days before leaving, maybe waiting on permits. It was so surprised that the box car was not removed from it's trucks.

Does anyone know who purchased any of the equipment that sold?

With all the moaning and groaning about cutting the cab on the 44 tonner I have not seen one word about who bought it or what they intend. I suspect the cab was cut for clearance somewhere along the route. Unless you know better and were involved in making the dissection as to hauler and route your opinion is worth didily squat.

Nice remarks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We talk about things like this to help other people learn, so they can make proper moves, with the least damage to equipment that they are trying to perserve.

So, what is your problem?

Sorry to give offence. My point was that if the loco is being scrapped for parts the hand wringing is in vain. If it is being preserved the new owners screwed up and it is too late to complane. Since we do not know which case applies pointless speculation is not helpful.

The 44 tonner was spotted in Cobb County, GA (north of Atlanta) at around 4 pm on Saturday. No, it is NOT coming to SRM. ;-) No more D17000s, please.

Thanks for volunteering this information.

We can also rule out the Royal Palm Railroad Experience.

.

Kinda looks like the rig that the Gramlings hire to move their engines. I could be wrong.

But I think you're right, Mt. Royal.

Howard P.

From Alec Graham on AOTT facebook: "The equipment unclaimed at Forest Park is up for a final auction on OMR. A F7 A and B, steam generator car, one RPO, three passenger cars, along with seven box cars go up for auction on Monday. The site says they will be scrapped if they are not sold." The Milwaukee Fs have apparently been lowered to $4800, Justin Nelson photo. Edit: https://ozarkmountainrailcar.com/auctions.php Second edit: apparently "not every listing says that" about the scrapping.

Who got the Baldwin VO-1000?

Sad to see the Milw F units up for scrapping. Damn it!

Robert

The items I am concerned about is the F7 set, steam gen car and the passenger cars.
F7s are getting scarce and offer a historically accurate diesel for most tourist operations.
Steam generator cars are almost nonexistent in tourist use and can offer winter excursions depending on current fleet.
It’s sad really, but shocking how much did get saved!

What is shocking, is what is being thrown in the dumpsters for trash or scrap. I tried many times to get the city to hold a "Public Auction". There are many, many small items there that could be sold through an auction. I was watching and in contact with a city offical to try and purchase a couple of items. Went to check on them last week and they were gone. No one can or will tell me what happened to them. One person says they were scrapped and another backtracked on them being scrapped but can account for them. I also saw some items being carried out and call them on that, but never got a straight answer.


I always throught that the steam generator car could be converted over to a generator car, since very few have steam heat anymore. It could also be made back to appear as a "B" unit and blend in with a passenger train and "F" units. The new operation here uses a box car with a generator, it stands out and looks like crap.