Steam Engine #35 in Salisbury Park, East Meadow location?

From what I understand, and here I may be well out of my depth, there is a significant amount already in escrow. I'll absolutely admit, I'm not intimately involved with either project, but I also want to assert that these projects are not impossible. Both offer something significant to Long Islanders, those living now and those yet to be born. They are as important as the lunar modules at Cradle of Aviation or the lighthouse at Montauk.
Now I realize yours was not a criticism. I do want to express my dismay at all the people who want to see these projects completed, but then snipe from the sidelines as to why they shouldn't be supported. If people would simply help them narrow the gap to completion, we'd have two G5's reassembled and at least one under steam. Money is temporal, but what we leave behind is far more significant.

That 600k number was early on then Strasberg would put up the rest if I recall correctly. It’s been a while.
The agreement was signed in a cocky manor thinking that there was so much interest In 39 that 600+ would be raised within the original terms of the contract that it was signed with compounding interest paid by RMLI to Strasberg using 39s funds. That’s where the 1.4m + figure comes in.
This was a very foolish contract term to agree to but the better was taken of RMLI with their eyes open.

Unfortunately 39 was placed in a position where the Best option is to let the terms expire, get the boiler back and start from scratch. We have a few years left before that can happen.
39 is done for the time being. It’s the unfortunate reality.

PTC. ORMB is not Union Pacific and even if they have 100% funding for 35. They still now need to piss a few million on a MTA approved edition ACSES likely programmed to a type C or D train and install its components in the BM60B with an additional dynamo to provide electrical power for it.
You see where this is going. Thank your federal government for rushing through more useless regulations without provisions for historic equipment to be exempt.
Rich, maybe you can help the other steam operators petition Congress and the FRA to put a historic equipment (pre 1960) exemption on PTC. Thus allowing it to operate in excursion service without PTC/Cab signals.
Thoughts?

When the agreement was signed in 2013, RMLI's commitment was $900,000. Strasburg, knowing that fund raising can take a long time and costs increase, built in an annual increase of 5% a year. Hopefully RMLI can come up with the funding as I believe that is the best chance to see an LIRR locomotive in steam.

Even pre-PTC, there was basically a 0% of the LIRR letting one of the G5s' operate in their rails again. I'm all for dreaming, but at some point you can't ignore reality.

Allow me insert here, I received a request for donations from Railroaders Museum of Altoona this afternoon, and I'll shoot them a "Senior donation", which is less than I gave OBRM and RMLI, and as I said, those were only what we could budget at the time. The literature speaks directly to the restoration of 1361, and if there's ever been a Belpaire boilered screw up, that's the one!

So I leave you guys with this, I think #39 can be completed at Strasburg, and run there in glory, at least in the duration of my life. #35 could be and should be restored in kind. There are NY state companies with steam credentials, and that might be a direction to search.

The LIRR might allow running steam in the future. Never is a long time. I think the door was slammed due to a prominent railfan on the Island trying to shame the MTA into buckling, which simply firmed their resolve.

The EPA has allowed coal firing for historical railroad equipment for several decades, though this may well change. Running historical equipment without such upgrades as PTC certainly sounds reasonable. I'm certain RPCOA has been on that for awhile.

In the meantime, support the two G5's at whichever location.

LIHISTORYTRAINS wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2022 8:29 am

nyandw wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2022 12:59 pm Mkm4: Excellent here?

After all these years it's hard to be more exact. Yes, certainly within a hundred yards or so of your "X".

I stand corrected on where engine 35 was trucked from. http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/Steam% ... 5and39.htm shows pictures I have never seen before of the engine being unloaded from a team track near the Westbury Station.

There was a great deal of earthwork to get the locomotive from that height to the level of the Gerosa trucks waiting on the street. I was told the actual rolling of the 35 was a matter of preventing it from getting out of control, and heading down the rails under the pull of gravity. As you see, everything went fine.

Back in the day I passed that site many times. However in the Fall of 1964 I got up close and personal with it as my high school cross country team (Calhoun) had most of their meets at Salisbury Park and the course went right by the engine. My recollection was that the X should be a little closer to Merrick Ave. Also, a little further north an old railroad crossing still was on Merrick Ave and there was an old building (station?) nearby

bill613A: did it look like this?



That was the Salisbury Plains Station, see: http://arrts-arrchives.com/CEXT7.html

The track ran along what is now a path on top of the hill just north of the lake.

The nearby overpass is still there inside the entrance from Steward Ave east bound to NS north bound.

Again, I want to assert, this is an excellent time to get behind the rebuild of #35 at the OBRM and/or make a substantial contribution to the total operational rebuild of #39. It behooves us to enjoy being part of them today, and leave something to future generations when we're gone.

So, what ever happened to the big plans for Strasburg to rehab #35?

Strasburg has a huge part of 39, partially restored, well, torn down. 35 was supposed to go to BR&W, but that fell apart. OBRM was not culpable in the 35 issue. OBRM is rebuilding 35 for static display, but not to stop operational rebuilding if the opportunity comes to pass.

ErnieM: That's it! Thanks for the photo. Also am I correct in remembering that the builder plate for#39 was given to Roy Campanella who wore that number for the Brooklyn Dodgers?

The keystone number plate was given to "Campy". 39 wore her original b/p's until taken off display. Campanella's family lost track of the keystone and where it wound up is anyone's guess. Serious attempts have been made to track it down, to no avail.

Here are a couple of Long Island Railroader articles on No. 39
Vol. 1 No. 4 2/16/1956


Vol. 1 No. 13 6/21/1956

Great articles and photos from the placement of 39, disguised as 38!
Bill Thompson was a colleague of my father, but in fact it was my father, Harry A. Glueck, who placed the G5s at Stony Brook. Bill was well liked by just about everyone who knew him. He suffered a massive heart attack early in the 1960's and died. The loss was grieved heavily in the LIRR community.