C430 wrote:I'm going to open my mouth and perhaps show my ignorance. But those locomotives got there in one piece, one way or another. I am not able to measure distances from the photos but, couldn't a railroad crane be brought in on that nice looking track and pick-up the locos and place them on a railroad flat car? I'd like to be there when they attempt to move them.
Yes, but it's not that simple. This is a single-track mainline running south out of Roanoke, and NS would not want it to be unavailable to regular freight for an extended amount of time.
I suspect the lift would require the use of two cranes, unless one was a monster.
There may be vertical clearance issues with placing them on flatcars, unless a depressed-center version with enough length in the center section could be found.
For the short distances involved in the moves, I would think that a heavy lowboy truck-trailer may be a more cost effective method. Just my guess.
I suspect there may also be some environmental concerns. Those locos may need asbestos abatement before they could be moved.
There is also the issue of cost. I don't think the VMoT has enough funds right now to cover the moves. NS wants to see them moved and preserved, but they don't want to fund the project, or have it interfere with their daily operations.
I sure hope they can somehow be preserved.