Save the 905

[Sarge_7]

This is a Rock Island 4-6-2 Pacific that is rotting away in the next town over from me. The local train club and town are trying to get her rebuilt.

This link goes to the "save the 905" web site.
Rock Island 905 - Restoration of a 4-6-2 Pacific Steam Locomotive by the Save the 905, Inc.

 

[Jim Krause]

Locally, here in western Montana, we have several "project" locomotives like yours that would benefit from a few million dollars and a few million man hours of labor. Its a shame to see them deteriorating. I hope your project loco gets the care it deserves. I just returned from a trip to western Washington state and saw the mess of locomotives and other rolling stock at Snoqualmie. There are about a dozen steamers lined up, rusting and awaiting lots of TLC.

 

[MadHatter]

Hope you guys come right, I know what a hassle it is to get train enthusiasts involved to actually help rebuild and work on historic stuff.

 

[Justin]

I know! Tell me about it! What a waste. Thats whats becoming of retired,yet saved steamers. Who ever thought of them being neat park displays? I say overhual and use it like its supposed to be used!

 

[MadHatter]

In the UK, the lottery fund is quite helpful from what I see on magazine covers over the past few years. Maybe you guys should try it.

 

[President905]

905 Restoration - from the project president

I appreciate you and the posting of our project on your forum. It was a matter of restore the locomotive or our city would get rid of it. The holes and leaking asbestos cost them too much money and the liability was too great.

I could spend a lot of time talking about the project. Please, visit our website, RockIsland905.com.

I have been working to make it Netscape, Firefox, Mozilla and Safari friendly. And it works well on Internet Explorer. There you can see everything we know: history, restoration, etc. The asbestos abatement began Feb. 14, 2008.

We are trying to do a $500,000 job for $230,000 and we are looking for the last $165,000.

For the gentleman who suggests making it into a running locomotive....As far as I know, there has only been one steamer go from display status to running status. If you have or can raise 2 to 3 million $$, you might get it certified. But you still don't have anywhere to run it. The UP won't let it on their track. If you're lucky, maybe there is an abandoned roadbed close by. I don't have any concept as to how many $$millions are needed. That's a bigger job than we are capable of funding.

Anyone who wants to actually do some physical work on a real steamer, you can join us by showing up. We have several people in their 70s working.

Any questions, please contact me here or through the website. We appreciate your support and well wishes.

Thanks, Mike Stuckert, President, Save the 905, Inc., President905@cableone.net

 

[ezdays]

We have a similar situation here, outside Phoenix. It was on display and most of the controls and anything else that is removable has been...by vandals. Years ago someone decided to pour cement around it to make it easier to access. They say you can poke your finger through the boiler, so some group has a massive job ahead of them.

I say, good luck to you and any other group willing to take on the job of restoring these old beauties.:thumb: :thumb:

 

[President905]

Free volunteers et. al.

Our boiler sheeting, which will soon be gone with the asbestos, is also so thin, you can polk a hole in it with your finger. This cover or sheeting probably was only 16 to 18 guage to begin with. Add rust and 50 years and it's gone. The asbestos surveyer actually forgot his tools to drill into the locomotive. It didn't matter, he just polked his fingers in and brought out some asbestos to sample. Great technique.:cry:

We have about 25 volunteers. Since we began in 2004, at least 4 of them have developed health problems. We just began physical work last summer of 2007. 18 have shown up at various times, about 10 are regulars. 10 to 12 is the most you need at any one time. 4 person groups are great.

I do understand these groups trying to sell memberships to raise money. Money is so hard to raise. More people are willing to bend a wrench than ask for money.

Our $230,000 budget is really only for materials. We are trying to do all the work ourselves or get the labor donated. The house mover who has volunteered to move the locomotive is only charging for his hired help and fuel.

There are 2 parts to our project. One is the actual salvation and restoration of the locomotive and tender. The second is an attempt to keep the locomotive up by putting it in a setting where it will be watched on daily to weekly basis.

We spend almost nothing. So far Insurance and an asbestos workers class at the vo-tech so I can enter the enclosed framework around the locomotive and take photos (with proper coveralls and respirator, taped wrists, ankles, everything). We have bought some items to sell, and try to make 40-50% of their sell price or 100% markup. Our tools come from personal equipment or a pawnshop who discounts them greatly for us.

We are about to layout the $28,375 for asbestos abatement. The money raised and needed will go out in big chunks when it does go out. We refuse to nickle and dime the funds. That comes out of our pockets.

So I can understand like the Durango Historical group selling a membership which includes a chance to help out once. That's OK for that person who is doing it on a lark to say they did it. The total money won't amount to much. I'd much rather have a true volunteer who shows up more than once and will just show up when they say they will.

We charge nothing to our members. They have more than paved their way in donations of money and time. I called a work session 2 or 3 weeks ago to move some of the items around the locomotive. I showed up 1 minute late. 10 volunteers were there and had already done the work. You can't buy people like that. They do it out of love for the task they are about.

If you get tired of me adding my 2 cents worth, or if I need to keep is shorter and less often, tell me. Sometimes one is too close to the subject. A project like this almost becomes your life.....at least for the time being.

Mike Stuckert