Looks like the rumoured purchase is in the final stages of moving toward a closing. This line is incredible-I believe they must have the largest standard gauge steam operation in the country.
"The beleaguered Virginia Museum of Transportation has agreed to sell one of its largest steam locomotives to an Ohio railroad for $125,000, museum executive director Bev Fitzpatrick said this week.
The Nickel Plate 763, one of a triumvirate of huge steam locomotives at the museum that also includes the Norfolk and Western-made 1218 and 611, would go to the Ohio Central Railroad System of Coshocton, Ohio, and be restored to operation if the deal goes through, several sources said.
A few hurdles remain. Because the locomotive, like much of the museum’s rolling stock, is actually owned by the city, Roanoke City Council must first authorize the sale. Fitzpatrick, a city council member, said he would abstain from voting. A call to Mayor Nelson Harris’ office was not returned.
The 60-plus-year-old locomotive must also be moved to Ohio, likely requiring the cooperation of Norfolk Southern Railway, Fitzpatrick said.
Still, the museum board has approved the deal, and Ohio Central has made a down payment of $25,000. “We can certainly use the money,” Fitzpatrick said.
The Ohio Central Railroad System is a network of short line railroads in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In addition to hauling freight, it owns 10 steam locomotives and operates for-profit passenger train excursions, according to one of its Web sites, http://www.ocsteam.com/. Railroad officials declined to comment on the proposed purchase last week, saying details are still being worked out.
“We’re not prepared to say anything at this moment,” said John Corns of the railroad’s property and lease department.
Meanwhile, the Roanoke transportation museum has struggled for years. Almost half its annual revenues were lost when the state f