I was in Elkhart last week and spoke with a couple people at the Museum. Apparently they have a routing to get the locomotive from Elkhart to the initial rebuild facility, but are now finalizing the insurance. It sounds like the engine plus two tenders will require two or perhaps three separate moves. The side rods will be coming off the steamer, of course. They're very excited down there and I hope they're able to persevere and sort everything out.
That being said, this article was published in The Elkhart Truth this last week:
Elkhart may derail plan to lease rare locomotive
by: Josh Weinhold
Posted: 12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM
ELKHART -- At least two companies want to pay the city for the right to rehabilitate a one-of-a-kind passenger steam engine it owns.
But Mayor Dick Moore isn't convinced the benefit is worth the cost of losing the rare piece of machinery for 15 years.
"I'm not sure, from the mayor's point of view," he said, "that it's a practical thing to do."
The New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart has the last L3A Mohawk passenger engine left in the world. Several companies are interested in restoring the 287-ton engine and leasing it from the city for 15 years.
The world's only remaining L3A Mohawk passenger steam engine currently sits at the city's New York Central Railroad Museum. At least two companies, Moore said, have offered to lease the engine for $5,000 annually for 15 years.
The companies would then invest about $1 million into the engine to get it up and running, then use it for excursions and other tourist activities. The city would also receive a small portion of each ticket sold on ventures associated with the train.
At the end of the lease, the engine would be returned to Elkhart.
The problem, Moore said, is that the train wouldn't be seen much in Elkhart during that period.
The companies have said the tourist outings could run through Elkhart about 25 percent of the time, but Moore said that would be difficult, given the already crowded nature of the city's rail lines.
And though the train would be working for much of the lease period, there's a good chance more repairs would be needed after 15 years. The cost of further upkeep, he said, would fall directly to the city.
"I'm not sure that's what we need," Moore said, "if we can't run it when it gets back here."
The companies have made overtures to the city, Moore said, but no formal contract language has been presented and no formal negotiations have begun. If presented with an offer, the mayor said he would have his legal department review it, but may not consider leasing out the engine.
Ron Troyer, the museum's director, said there are only two Mohawks left in existence -- but the other, which is held in St. Louis, is a freight engine.
The engines are so rare, Moore said, because most of them were sent to the scrap yard when the NYCRR switched to diesel-powered locomotives.
When the steam passenger engine operated from 1940 to 1956, it passed through or stopped in Elkhart on the NYCRR. It's been a prized possession of the museum since the city acquired it 24 years ago, Troyer said.
"This isn't one that ran strictly on the East Coast, " he said. "This is an Elkhart-drive, Elkhart-maintained engine. That adds a lot more significance to it."
For Moore, the thought of seeing the Mohawk, which has a recorded top speed of more than 100 mph, running again is compelling. But it may not be feasible.
"A lot of people have said 'Yes, Elkhart ought to do that.' I think they're like me -- they'd love to see it run and smoke and toot and do all of that again," Moore said. "But it's questionable."
http://www.etruth.com/know/news/story.aspx?ID=530839
And some comments I have:
I presume the length of the 15 year lease is that's the length of one FRA boiler certification. They return/rebuild the locomotive to operating condition and have the boiler certified, then run it until the next certification is required, at which time they could choose to rebuild it again (no doubt depending on the success and profitability of the venture), or they send it back to Elkhart, likely in much better condition than it currently is.
As for not seeing it around Elkhart, true, it would not be kept here. I've heard offhanded talk mention they would hope to run it through Elkhart 4 times per year, where it would certainly put on a big show/attract quite a following. Regardless, I think it could be a great ambassador for the city and the museum. Most railfans who have an interest in/go to railfan steam excursions know where the locomotives hail from, PM 1225 from Owosso, NKP 765 from Fort Wayne, SP 4449 from Portland, ATSF 3751 from San Bernardino, etc. These groups also work to educate the general non-railfan public about where the locomotive ran and where it is from. People would know that the locomotive came from Elkhart and is the largest NYC steamer remaining, and the only NYC engine actively steaming.
The city/museum benefits from the $5000 lease and the publicity/awareness, fans benefit from having another steam locomotive restored to operating status in excursion service, and the museum benefits by being able to concentrate their own resources on other projects, and getting a steam engine back at the end of the 15 years in much better shape than it's in now. Nevermind everyone living the dream of seeing this beautiful steam engine operate again. All and all, lots of positives, few if any negatives.
