Steam & Excursion > ATSF 2925 & 5021

I just looked a some photos on railpictures.net of both 2925 and 5021. The bells, whistles and number plates aren't on them. The cabs are sealed. Does anyone know if those items are stored within the cabs or at the museum? And just a guesstimate, but what would the cost be if they were both pulled out and rebuilt to operate? My guess would be $40 million, or would that be a bit high?

apollo17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just looked a some photos on railpictures.net of
> both 2925 and 5021. The bells, whistles and number
> plates aren't on them. The cabs are sealed. Does
> anyone know if those items are stored within the
> cabs or at the museum?

Yes, the California State Railroad Museum has all that stuff, for safe keeping.

And just a guesstimate, but
> what would the cost be if they were both pulled
> out and rebuilt to operate? My guess would be $40
> million, or would that be a bit high?

Forty million dollars would definitely be "too high", maybe by even a factor of 4.

That was my thought too. But who is doing the work? How much volunteer labor are you going to use? How thorough do you want to be? How quickly do you want them done? How long is a rope?

Posted from iPhone

A person who knows of what they speak told me that they inspected those two engines when they were stored in the Belen roundhouse and at that time (before the 1472 day) the cost would have been minimal. It's anybody's guess now after sitting out all these years.

At the tender age of 13, I saw them both at Belen, and the 2925 in Cleburne. The shop people and my uncle were both surprised the ATSF did not repair the 2925 after towing her to Cleburne. I didn't know much but what I did know the shop people in Cleburne and the roundhouse people in Belen would have loved to see them both run. Operating people, on the other hand, hated to pull them out of the roundhouse...their long wheelbase and reconfigured trackwork equaled them having a habit of going on the ground every so often...

Both engines were retired in LUG condition (laid up good) which means serviceable. They were stored in various roundhouses under cover for the next several decades until Santa Fe decided to demolish their facilities and rid themselves of their extensive collection of locomotives. Although donated to CSRM, they weren't properly prepped for movement (rods still attached) dragged many many miles and then basically dropped off at CSRM which had no facilities to store them indoors and no money was forthcoming from Santa Fe to protect them from the elements. They went from "nearly ready to steam" to derelict in the following years.
So sad to see it turn out this way, all of them should have found a home under cover...at least until CSRM was ready to display them, and Santa Fe should have gone the extra mile to provide the money to keep them safe. CSRM and/ or Santa Fe at the very least should have made sure they were ready to travel (properly prepped). My understanding is that everything was done very hurriedly, so CSRM might not have had the chance, but surely they could have at least tarped them upon arrival to protect them from the elements

Posted from iPhone

Another very very sad story in the history of railroad preservation! Had CSRM had the facilities to display them, they could have been cleaned up and displayed "as-is" as time capsules of the late steam era. Has CSRM ever done anything with any of the Santa Fe collection they were given besides display the ATSF Warbonnet F7s, which were restored before donation, and 2-6-2 #1010, which was also donated in displayable condition? Any restoration of any of the other ATSF collection pieces by CSRM? Sad, sad story...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/14 15:36 by davew833.

Screen capture of the 2 steamers in Sacramento.

---