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Durango & Silverton parent company to buy Mt. Rainier Scenic
Aren’t Willamettes and Shays different, albeit similar, locomotives?
Williamettes were “improved” copies of the Shay design after the Shay’s patent protection had expired.
This might explain why the proposed purchase by Mr. Harper and others of the Conway Scenic Railroal in White Mountains of New Hampshire has been canceled. The Conway Senic will continue with present owners but may still be available for sale as the owner is considering retirement.
Tom Murray is older than I am so I understand his willingness to sell. He already sold his timber holdings surrounding the railroad. Everything said so far in this discussion about the Willamette locomotive is true. Several are preserved, including one at Fort Missoula, Montana.
and anotheer willamette is being restored to operating condition in medford. i think it is the #4
Given Harper’s performance on the GSMR, I wouldn’t sell him a rusty spike.
As one who has had frequent contact with the GSMR for more than 20 years, I can’t imagine what Mr. Jacobs means. They’ve just done an excellent job of installing a turntable in Bryson City, they’re about to lay a mile of 136# rail on the outside of a long curve, they built a new building in which to work on the locomotives, and #1702 is receiving a first-class rebuild.
I sure hope they don’t stick huge flagpoles on all of the locomotives!
It would be interesting to see their business plan and just how they intend to go about converting this to “a money-making operation.” Having ridden and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, if only for the history of the rolling stock and locomotives, it’s hard to see what would attract additional riders. The route itself is lovely, but nothing remotely close to the grandeur of the D&S. I can’t fathom how just the sounds of an ancient locomotive and it’s mournful whistle are going to morph into “an experience that people are willing to pay for.”
The museum is terrific, but unless they have a grand scheme to make the ride itself more attractive to 5% more people, it’s hard to imagine where the upcharge for a profit-making organization is going to come from.
All that said, this is an operation absolutely worth saving and expanding, and hopefully the history junkies like me will see more information come out as to how they envision this moving forward.
it would be great to restore the former Milwaukie Road branch line they use all the way to Morton which was severed in a washout a few years ago and not repaired. The mill at Morton was a large producer of ties and the Milwaukie Road depot is still there along with other track and signage.
Happy news, this. Al Harper and his people run a marvelous company. Pity is that they were denied acquisition of the widely-famed California Western Railroad some years ago by a bankruptcy judge who knew nowhere near enough of common business sense or heritage railways so expertly by this particular corporation.