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Steam & Excursion > NKP 587 to be auctioned


Date: 01/23/25 09:13
NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: Worthington_S_A

The link to this just popped up on FB:
https://www.kentuckysteam.org/post/nickel-plate-587-locomotive-to-be-sold?fbclid=IwY2xjawH_V1hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHaamHVmw0NRUIlMtK9sF59zyXC3sdDvF6rOHSDlH4LnsB9ehnhLA2BqMpw_aem_T5zQrvt7UHvKWKhwkFs77g

One still wonders who the delinquent owner is. Lot of interesting rumors of drama imminating from Ravenna these days.



Date: 01/23/25 10:07
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: junctiontower

This whole debacle rests SQUARELY on the shoulders of the absolute clowns that were running the Indiana Transportation Museum, who in my opinion are criminally negligent in this mess, and I'll throw dishonorable mentions to the local leadership of Noblesville Indiana and Hamilton County for their totally inept handling of forcing the museum out the city park, the hell with became of the artifacts, as well as the Hoosier Heartland Port Authority, who in my opinion completely abdicted their responsibilities. My level of absolute contempt for these people knows no bounds and I hope there is a special place for them when their days are done. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/25 13:01 by junctiontower.



Date: 01/23/25 13:01
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: wabash2800

I'm sure the FWRHS is champing at the iron horse bit to acquire this one to add to its NKP collection of steam locomotives. And it would be the most qualified to accept a steam loco in parts. An NKP Berkshire and two mikados would certainly be a sight to behold at a future roundhouse and museum complex. But maybe that would be putting the iron horse before the cart?

Victor Baird



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/25 13:02 by wabash2800.



Date: 01/23/25 13:02
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: ALCO630

junctiontower Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This whole debacle rests SQUARELY on the shoulders
> of the absolute clowns that were running the
> Indiana Transportation Museum, who in my opinion
> are criminally negligent in this mess, and I'll
> throw in an honorable mention to the local
> leadership of Noblesville Indiana and Hamilton
> County for their totally inept handling of forcing
> the museum out the city park, the hell with became
> of the artifacts. My level of absolute contempt
> for these people knows no bounds and I hope there
> is a special place for them when their days are
> done. 

What exactly makes them criminally negligent for wanting it off of their property? If the owner doesn’t want to be bothered, why should they store it for free?

Posted from iPhone

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA



Date: 01/23/25 13:06
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: nathansixchime

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm sure the FWRHS is champing at the iron horse
> bit to acquire this one to add to its NKP
> collection of steam locomotives. And it would be
> the most qualified to accept a steam loco in
> parts. An NKP Berkshire and two mikados would
> certainly be a sight to behold at a future
> roundhouse and museum complex. But maybe that
> would be putting the iron horse before the cart?
>
> Victor Baird

Haha, I think we are good. We have some outstanding donors and stewards that have helped us get this far, so we best take what they've provided and make use of it before we get too far afield on anything else...



Date: 01/23/25 13:18
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: wabash2800

Kelly:

Yeah, that was what I meant by perhaps not wanting to get the iron horse before the cart.  (But I heard about one of those big $$$ donations the society received.) Keep up the good work. (But maybe your group or a supporter is lying low right now to see what happens to that loco.) 

I see the cleared area in downtown Fort Wayne where you folks had wanted to put in your facilities. It is now wide open. It's a shame. I would have loved to see a museum, yard and roundhouse there by the Cass Street Depot. But I guess you can't fight city hall.

Politicians are more interested in a putting in a casino in New Haven. It's not like one of the most famous operating steam locos in the world and a wonderful railroad historical society wouldn't bring tourist dollars to Fort Wayne.

Victor Baird

nathansixchime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Haha, I think we are good. We have some
> outstanding donors and stewards that have helped
> us get this far, so we best take what they've
> provided and make use of it before we get too far
> afield on anything else...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/25 13:19 by wabash2800.



Date: 01/23/25 13:29
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: scraphauler

ALCO630 Wrote:

> What exactly makes them criminally negligent for
> wanting it off of their property? If the owner
> doesn’t want to be bothered, why should they
> store it for free?
>
> Posted from iPhone

He's not talking about KY Steam being "criminally negligent" - he's talking about the dumpster fire of the Indiana Transportation Museum, stoked by Noblesville and Fishers IN governments..  Kentucky Steam just one of a list of many that got screwed trying to help out when ITM imploded due to their own incompetence and local politics run amuck.   Whomever owns it now, be that whatever is left of the ITM organization, or one of its member,s or whomever, now has a court judgment against them for failure to pay.  The auction is the courts way of enforcing that judgment.  Most likely, if there is no qualified bidder offing more that the court's award, the loco will simply be awarded to KY Steam and it will become their property to do with as they plase.  



Date: 01/23/25 14:07
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: Frisco1522

So what is the present condition of 587?  Intact or in a thousand pieces?  Damned shame, a nice USRA Light 2-8-2 example.  Is she restorable?  Problem is, where do you run her if she is restored?
Buying a locomotive is not a decision to be made lightly if you aren't deep in the game or have a good steam staff to do the work.  How many other engines around the country in the same situation?  Good intentions, tear apart and lose interest or run out of money and let everything sit and rot.
Sorta like the guy with a desirable car on blocks.  Won't sell, "Ahm gonna fix it up someday".  Years later it sits rotted and the scrap hauler takes it to it's funeral.
The Brits seem to do a good job of preserving.



Date: 01/23/25 19:59
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: srman

Here she is all fired up in August 2000 during the Indiana State Fair. 




Date: 01/23/25 20:15
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: wabash2800

What I find interesting about a light USRA Mike is that a historical society or tourist railroad could, in most cases, just change the location of some hardware and repaint it to represent a different railroad. For example, it could be NKP for a few years and then NYC for a few years. But tenders could vary too.  I understand that Nickle Plate 624, in possession of the FWRHS, is also a USRA design, though the tender is unusual in that it has a six wheel and four wheel truck?

Victor Baird



Date: 01/24/25 02:50
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: junctiontower

wabash2800 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I find interesting about a light USRA Mike is
> that a historical society or tourist railroad
> could, in most cases, just change the location of
> some hardware and repaint it to represent a
> different railroad. For example, it could be NKP
> for a few years and then NYC for a few years. But
> tenders could vary too.  I understand that Nickle
> Plate 624, in possession of the FWRHS, is also a
> USRA design, though the tender is unusual in that
> it has a six wheel and four wheel truck?
>
> Victor Baird

#587 has a BIG tender like #765 has, swapped from a retired unit while being stored at Frankfort. When it was donated to Indianapolis, the big tender went with it, which was a Godsend for her upcoming excursion career.

Posted from iPhone



Date: 01/24/25 11:29
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: tomstp

Damn, hate to see problems like this.  Especially on a USRA light mike.



Date: 01/24/25 15:37
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: wabash2800

Thanks for sharing. I could have swore that I saw it (and photographed it) at Broad Ripple Park on display years ago with a tender that had a two axle and three axle truck on the tender. Or was that the 624?

Victor Baird


junctiontower Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> #587 has a BIG tender like #765 has, swapped from
> a retired unit while being stored at Frankfort.
> When it was donated to Indianapolis, the big
> tender went with it, which was a Godsend for her
> upcoming excursion career.
>
> Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/25 15:37 by wabash2800.



Date: 01/25/25 07:28
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: 8injector

If I'm not mistaken the area that is open downtown ft Wayne by the science central and museum was told was a flood prone area by the st. Joseph river. Last thing anyone would want to have are these beautiful locomotives and a roundhouse in a under water situation. Please correct me if I am incorrect....

Posted from Android



Date: 01/25/25 13:00
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: junctiontower

8injector Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I'm not mistaken the area that is open downtown
> ft Wayne by the science central and museum was
> told was a flood prone area by the st. Joseph
> river. Last thing anyone would want to have are
> these beautiful locomotives and a roundhouse in a
> under water situation. Please correct me if I am
> incorrect....
>
> Posted from Android

I asked this very question at the time, and was assured that the facility would be higher than the 100 year flood zone. a LOT of work on the river has been done since the last that area flooded. Ironically, one of the issues with putting Headwaters Junction there was a conflict between where the tracks that would connect HJ to the NS main and Army Corps of Engineers work with the flood walls. The city is planning on building all over this area and continues to gobble up every piece of property, so obviously THEY aren't too concerned about flooding.

Posted from iPhone



Date: 01/26/25 07:02
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: wabash2800

Junctiontower is correct. Work was done years ago by the Army Corp of Engineers, and we haven't had any issues since. (But never say never, as there are places in the world that have had 1000 year floods.)

My opinion is that keeping FWRHS out was politics. Fort Wayne was a city of big industry and a rail transportation system that involved three major trunk railroads. It was a Pennsylvania shop town too. Go figure that the city would thumb their noses up at something that would celebrate that and bring in tourism. Fort Wayne was more than just the rivers.

Victor Baird



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/25 07:03 by wabash2800.



Date: 01/26/25 14:29
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: BNSF-4567

Would be great to see Age of Steam in Sugar Creek get her, but I'm sure that's not going to happen:-(

Posted from Android



Date: 01/26/25 15:33
Re: NKP 587 to be auc
Author: wcamp1472

Age of Steam folks will make that decision consistent with their 
mission and realistic financial confines, as well as a carefully conducted 
mechanical condition evaluation of the loco.

Remembet, their BOD manages a wisely diversified investment 
spectrum, and a large segment of resources in selected stock indexes ---
as well as fixed-income instruments. so, they have ample resources....
that have recently grown by leaps and bounds.

W.

 



Date: 01/26/25 19:55
Re: NKP 587 to be auctioned
Author: NKP779

NKP 639 and 587 swapped tenders near the end of steam. AFAIK, 639 has mixed tender trucks. 624 and the 587 both have 22RA tenders, close to what was used on the 700's.

Posted from Android



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