Pat,
Thanks for your kind words. Being able to restore and operate Eureka has been the adventure of a lifetime. Sharing it with my fellow narrow gauge railroaders has made it even more memorable.
If there is one thing I have learned from all this it is that a man that grabs a tiger by the tail has gained ten or twelve times the information of someone that never has. What I have found is that for an individual to tackle this sort of a job is literally at the limits of what one person can do on their own. To be sure, I have had some help, but the majority of the time I was on my own, and that time was overwhelmed with the effort to get the locomotive going again almost to the exclusion of everthing else. If such a project is to be seen through a person must focus on the goal and never stop.
Since I finished Eureka I have also built a 24 ft. flatcar and am about to assemble a combine for which I have been making parts for years. After the combine is finished, I think the Markoff Locomotive & Car works is going to shut down. For me, that will be enough. Taking on restoring another locomotive I think would be to much. I have yet to find a place to lay about 5 miles of track that I have accumulated over the years, and if I ever get to that project it will be a miracle. I am close to 60 and a lot of this is definitely in the job description for a younger person.
If I have helped to inspire other people to take on a locomotive restoration project I will consider Eureka's resurection a success. But remember, it is very easy to overextend one's self in these endeavors. I for one, don't want to get to the point where I look at a steam locomotive and think of nothing but miserable work. I'll keep it where I have great memories of a wonderful experience. There is still a lot to do in the coming years, keeping Eureka in top shape, taking Eureka out for visits and keeping alive the sights and sounds of America's 19th century railroad heritage. I still have my hands full.
OK, where's the number of that guy that wants to get me involved in the restoration of a B17...?
Dan
