So this may belong in the classics forum … but I want to get a view from “today’s” fans. A lot has happened in the past 10-20 years on the railroads. Mergers, locomotive designs, sell-off of lines, new shortlines, leasing companies, etc, etc.
But according to what I’ve seen in several museums, it seems railroad history has stopped about 1960. So, does anyone here have any thoughts on what to preserve, or how to preserve, what has happened in the past 10,20,30 years? (your choice).
I can see a decline in the traditional NRHS type groups, and an increase in more “online” communities. Iinstead of meeting at the lcoal community room, there could be live chats and discussion forums for members only. Photo sharing has evolved onto computers - so why not the entire meeting process?
As far as how to preserve…that’s a tough one. Would it be better to have a hodgepodge of buildings and equipment spread throughout? Or maybe recreating the general ‘feel’ of the railroad at a location, perhaps by restoring a larger engine house, and using it to hold a variety of equipment. After all - you can find just about any railroad locomotive on any rail line today.
I know this sounds vague…more of an open-ended question. Heck, I have no clue what will be done.
Any thoughts on anything relating to this?
It’s kind of hard to know what to suggest preserving, because not too much has fully disappeared over the past 20 years or so in the way of things that could be preserved.
Cabooses. They’ve been bought up, and some are adequately preserved, though not necessarily in a museum environment.
Locomotives–what are we in now–the fourth generation? There are still a few good GP30 bodies and stuff like that which might be worthy of preservation. It’s too late to get any more U25Bs (that’s a shame), but probably time to think about other U-boats, and maybe even Dash Two units. There are some Alcos still running–there should be a moratorium on scrapping them.
Freight cars: go for a typical PC&F mechanical reefer, before they’re gone. Tank cars with walkways and center sills. The LU all-door box cars. Standard 89-foot piggyback flats. Hi-cube box cars. The 50-foot “IPD” box cars from that craze of the late 1970s. I’d suggest a conventional steel hopper car, but CSX will probably still be using them when everyone else has gone to aluminum.
Passenger equipment from the pre-Amtrak era has pretty well been gobbled up. Too early to think about preserving an original Metroliner? Amfleet?
So much for equipment. Then there’s technology. I’m sure that there are MofW museum pieces out there, too, that will be obsolete before anyone thinks about keeping them. Will there come a time when wooden ties will be found only in museums? Signals–I hope someone has preserved some upper- and lower-quadrant semaphores. Searchlight signals–there are still some around, but they’re going fast (not to mention PRR position lights and B&O CPLs). How about preserving a CB&Q racetrack signal bridge, complete with searchlight signals? Maybe an indoor exhibit on the use of ACI labels in the 1960s and 70s. How would you deal with train orders?
I would have really loved to see CN donate the F45s they scrapped. And an SDL39 would have been great to save, as the WC was the only one who had any after the Milw/SOO Im glad to see that there are tons of F Units out there, a few GP7/9s. I feel more true SD40s need to be preserved! And ofcourse, im a WC guy, so i would like an SD45 in WC colors in a museum someday. And off of the engines for a moment. I would really like to see railroads start thinking before they tear stuff down. All of these old roundhouses, sanding towers, water towers, just gone. I’d like to see them refurbish these old pieces of history, because once they are gone, there gone. Alec
Later this month (Now that it’s August) the Revelstoke Railway Museum will be getting its second locomotive - CP Rail #5500, their first SD40. Wish we had more people doing that…
Somebody needs to save one of those EMD 645 engine testbeds that are still running. They’re the ones built on a SD35 frame and have flared radiator housings. Wasn’t there one running in the GATX fleet?
CN/IC has one of the first SD40’s still out there running. I believe its # 6071, it was one of the GM&O redbirds and I think also it was EMD 434 before that. It has been rebuilt a few times of course but it still rides on the SD35 frame.