In my mind the issue is more one of mind set than priority. It should be taken for granted by everyone involved that both the 497 AND the 463 WILL be restored. Both are important parts of the C&TS collection. Which one is fixed first is kind of irrelevent in my mind, at least from a historic preservation perspective. The key is that not restoring one or both simply should not be considered a reasonable option by anyone in authority around the C&TS. Setting that kind of goal costs nothing, but is important to how people think.
How we get from here to there obviously is a money and resources issue. And the needs of an efficient tourist railway operation may be different from the needs of a museum, and perhaps the seperate needs should be considered seperately and coordinated appropriatedly.
Wade raises an important issue regarding private funding, both in terms of influencing priorities and a ensuring total resources are adequate to the need. Clearly the 463 has some great friends, and that opportunity should not be ignored. The 483 also has its friends. And ugly as it is, even the 497 probably has ardent supporters! Private funding is probably necessary to do it right, since it is not clear to me that political support for the railroad extends much beyond the tourist railway/economic development side of the C&TS.
With regard to the total number of engines needed, we should also keep in mind that those engines are irreplaceable historic pieces of equipment. They need to be used gently, and not worked to death. On a strictly economic tourist railway basis four engines on the C&TS is probably enough for current business. But extra serviceable engines provides much greater flexibility to provide the level of maintenance that historic artifacts deserve. My guess is that private funding may be needed to accomplish that.
John West
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2007 02:49PM by John West.
