News on the MEC 501

Is there anyone out there that has info on the 501? What are the plans for this engine? I was up at Conway Scenic a few weeks ago and it was not looking good. It would be great to see it under steam again.

Any info would be great.

This should just about sum it up! http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36765
I'm not sure if the thread will ever be unlocked!

Well, seeing as how this is the Maine Central forum, anybody who would like to discuss the 501 here is more than welcome to do so. There are an awful lot of threads about BM and MEC topics in the "New England" forum that really ought to be moved over here to the BM/MEC forum.

Discussion of MEC 501 is fine... as long as it doesn't turn into the heated cat fight we had on the New England Forum. Currently there are no plans to restore the engine by Conway Scenic, but the engine is not in jeopardy of being scrapped or anything like that.

-otto-

Thank you for the information. It would be great to get it restored again. Are there any volunteer efforts underway to help in the restoration?

Has there been any consideration to send it out to the Ohio Central for restoration or any other similar steam outfit?

Oh yes...the 501 threads are FUN FUN FUN!

The loco is in the well hands of the 470 club. If any working restoration was to be done it would most likely be a CSRR/Boothbay venture. There were bids sent out for restoration I believe a few years ago to restore to running condition, but the lowest bidder was in the ball park of $350K.

Its in the process of undergoing cosmetic restoration at this moment. Tender is in bay 2 of the roundhouse.

Flange Man wrote:Thank you for the information. It would be great to get it restored again. Are there any volunteer efforts underway to help in the restoration?

Has there been any consideration to send it out to the Ohio Central for restoration or any other similar steam outfit?

I trust you might be the first in line to kick up say one thousand dollars.
Then you will have to get 350 more people to also put up one thousand
dollars.
If you are not, that's OK too but in that case you are most likely just plain
stirring up "hot air".
Noel Weaver

Sorry Guys I am not trying to stir up hot air. I know that OC does a lot of restoration work on steam engines so that is why I mentioned that earlier.

It would be great if the State of Maine has a historic preservation grant to help pay for some of the restoration. I think that the State of PA provided some money to help restoration costs for the K4.

That is great that they are working on the tender and cosmetic restoration.

At this point, if the State of Maine was to contribute any money for locomotive preservation, I'd personally rather see it go towards the MEC 470 in Waterville... a locomotive that desperately needs, at a bare minimum, a cosmetic restoration and (most importantly) needs to be protected from the elements so that it doesn't continue to deteriorate.

The 470 is a local landmark as well as a state landmark and a historic treasure. The fact that it has been allowed to just sit and rot (and be vandalized) is terrible.

MEC407 wrote:At this point, if the State of Maine was to contribute any money for locomotive preservation, I'd personally rather see it go towards the MEC 470 in Waterville... a locomotive that desperately needs, at a bare minimum, a cosmetic restoration and (most importantly) needs to be protected from the elements so that it doesn't continue to deteriorate.

The 470 is a local landmark as well as a state landmark and a historic treasure. The fact that it has been allowed to just sit and rot (and be vandalized) is terrible.

I agree with you but I would rather see the state put money into passenger trains both existing and proposed than to a static display.
Noel Weaver

Noel Weaver wrote:I agree with you but I would rather see the state put money into passenger trains both existing and proposed than to a static display.

Absolutely. What I was saying was that if the state was going to allocate funds specifically for a historic locomotive restoration project, I think they ought to start with the 470 first.

Funding our present-day transportation infrastructure is, naturally, a bigger concern.

I think any call for historic preservation funding from the state would make NNERPA cringe. This would only make it easy for people to accuse the rail passenger service funding as a secret plan derived by the "romance of the rails" types to bring back the choo-choos. There's only one good plan and that's to play it straight.

State funding stimulates economic development through rehabilitation of railroad infrastructure and corridors for rail passenger service. I would put the MEC 470 in the category of bells and whistles that should be held off on until there is leadership on the part of the City of Waterville and maybe GRS to fund a full restoration to operational status or at least build a train shack which would be a nice interim solution. Anything less is a betrayal of the interests of the riding public who are depending on the Downeaster passenger service for their economic well-being.

Bring back rail passenger service to Waterville first and then see what happens to the 470 when rail passenger service is seen as an asset and not a luxury reserved for those who live close to it in Southern Maine.

Latest word on the 501:
Much cosmetic work has been done already and the 470 Club plans to re-assemble/re-install the running gear starting this summer.
In short, 501 may be a long time from ever running again, but she will soon look like she did when she was... running, that is.

In the interim, New England Steam is very much alive and working towards sufficient funding to move the 470 locomotive. We have enough to purchase it, but we need to have the funding in place and a moving contract set to go ahead. We welcome any public or private funding and/or donations. Let me add that community benefit groups like Lions, Elks, or Kiwanis, are encouraged to host events to get us over the "hump". Once the money to move her is in place, the locomotive goes to Ellsworth, and restoration starts.

Dick