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January 17, 2007

Roanoke Sells Out

It appears that the board of the Virginia Museum of Transportation ("VMT") have done something I disagree with, namely selling NYC&StL S-2 763 to the Ohio Central Railroad.

According to the following article by John B. Corns, the intent of the OCR is to return the Lima-built locomotive to service:

Roanoke, Jan. 3, 2007 - Ohio Central Railroad System CEO Jerry Joe Jacobson (left - click for larger image) shakes the hand of Virginia Transportation Museum Executive Director Bev Fitzpatrick during a meeting where OCRS agreed to purchase from VMT the former Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 763. Several options were discussed for the swapping of steam locomotives to bring the big Berk back home to the Buckeye State, but both organizations were in agreement that a straight cash sale would be better suited for all concerned. Details of the sale have not been announced. The OCRS has nine other steam locos (three of which are operational), and will bring the Berk to the railroad's Morgan Run Shop this spring where 763 will be rebuilt for service by OC shop forces. VMT is home to an impressive collection of railroad rolling stock, including historic steamers such as N&W J-class 4-8-4 611 and A-class 2-6-6-4 1218. Nickel Plate 763 was built by Lima in 1944, and was operated across Ohio in fast freight service. When NKP dieselized its road power in 1958 the 763 was stored in the yard at Bellevue for future donation to that town. However, after the 1964 merger of NKP into Norfolk & Western, N&W took the steamer to its headquarters city of Roanoke where 763 has been displayed ever since.

Despite the fact that 763 was in deplorable shape, I cannot applaud this action. Sure, the fanatics will hoot and holler at Big Steam In Service, but not I. The best possible argument for the sale is that 763 was deteriorating and could not be maintained in protection under the Claytor Pavilion. This would of course be true, but I would rather they tried to expand the facilities there, instead of reducing the collection.

It seems to be another questionable decision on the part of the VMT. I haven't been there for a while after seeing their "new look" gift shop. Prior to 2006, the Roanoke Chapter of the NRHS ran that shop, and had a lot of publications relating to, gee, railroading. More than once I stopped in there and laid out fifty or sixty bucks for a book on various rail-related subjects. However, the shop was overhauled at some point in the last year or so, and was refocused. I was intially happy; the NRHS merchandise selection had stagnated just a little bit.

I was immediately horrified by what I saw in the new store; the large selection of books and rail-related material (including N&&W system maps from the 1960s) had been depleted and replaced by wine and Roanoke-branded merchandise, like glasses and napkins. The cheerful old railfans behind the counter were also gone, replaced by two creepily metrosexual (or worse, I strongly suspected) men who didn't appear to know a thing about railroads or the raison d'etre of the museum. I departedly quickly and walked down the street to the O. Winston Link museum, where I spent an hour or so watching trains roll by while chatting with the gift store staff there. And oh yes, money was spent.

Anyways. Congratulations to the Nickel Plate fans and the OCR; you've just made the VMT a little less interesting, because I always performed a walkaround of 763 when I was there. I hope you're happy. Maybe VMT will spend the money on restoring some of the remaining collection, which is starting to look shabby. (The best solution is, of course, raiding funds earmarked for Northern Virginia's never-slaked thirst; that would be fun.)

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1 I read your blog entry about the sale of 763 and wanted to respond to your reasoned thoughts. I work for the Virginia Museum of Transportation. One of the other wrinkles about the sale of the locomotive is that the museum doesn't own it, and the sale must actually occur between the OCRRHS and the City of Roanoke which does own it. Our Board did approve the sale, for whatever that's worth, but it isn't ultimately our decision, and the money from the sale could, in theory, be diverted elsewhere in the city. That seems unlikely, but it isn't impossible. You mentioned that "the best possible argument" for the sale is that we can't afford to maintain it. True as that may be, the heart of our decision , and the best supporting argument for it, is that 763 never ran in Virginia, and as such, belongs elsewhere. This is so that we can not only maintain the pieces in our collection that are germane to our mission, but also make room for additional pieces that would further enhance our goals, like the last remaining Y6 sitting in St. Louis, or the addition of Metrorail cars from Northern Virginia. Meanwhile, 763 can be restored and cared for properly. It's a win-win scenario. However, we realize that there are many people with strong feelings about this decision. We absolutely respect them. The decision was not made hastily or in a vacuum where such feelings were not considered. It was felt that this move would provide the best opportunity for restoration and a more mission-specific focus on our collection. As for the gift shop, I strongly encourage you to come back. We no longer sell wine or dog shampoo or anything of the sort -- it was universally recognized that those products were out of place here -- and a concerted effort has been made to ensure that the shop's merchandise serves as an extension of the educational experience provided by the museum. We hope to see you soon!

Posted by: VMT_Blogger at March 26, 2007 03:38 PM (Zo4Ur)

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C&O GP7 Stolen

A pair of teenagers in a Nelsonville, Ohio juvenile hall broke out and stole Hocking Valley Scenic Railway GP7 5833. The two operated the locomotive for several miles, heading south from the HV's facility.

Local police were able to apprehend the pair after the locomotive stopped at South Logan, Ohio. Engineer Earl Defibaugh of the HV says that the ex-Chesapeake & Ohio GP7 was undamaged but for a few scratches on the paint.

The NBC4 report on this is really amusing, making use of the Man in Black for its background music.

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January 09, 2007

MBTA Accident Claims Two Lives

Earlier in the day, I had a joyous morning report. Well, that's changed, and for good reason. Two MOW men were killed today in Woburn, Massachusetts, after their vehicle was struck by an MBTA commuter train.

At the time, the MBTA (or other agency) stated that it believed a switching error put the train from the designated active track to the one being worked on. For full information, visit CBS 4 in Boston.

This publication's thoughts and prayers are with the families of Christopher Macaulay and James Zipps.

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January 04, 2007

Norfolk Southern Christmas Card

About a month late, but who's counting?

The 2006 Norfolk Southern Christmas card. It's a nifty little Flash animation that I liked and saved.

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Railroad Marital Vows

This came by way of e-mail recently:

Dearly Beloved,
We are gathered here today in accordance with the FRA, AAR, ICC, UTU and other regulatory bodies to unite these two units in M.U. service. If anyone takes exception, file your grievance or get in the clear.

(Groom's name), Do you take this woman to be your trailing unit, tying down your pin lifter forever, and permanently restricting yourself from interchange service, even with newer, freshly-painted units, remaining coupled despite flat wheels, sticking brakes, even unto bad orders and major derailments, until you are both rendered unto scrap?