Re: AT&SF locos trashed in Sacto

Hi Brian et al -

Per the late U.P. Joe Passentino, one of the CSRM's principal restoration staff members,
the ATSF diseasels stored outside in Sacramento were thoroughly trashed and vandalized
by bums and copper thieves within just a few years of their arrival. I don't know whether the
cab fittings of the steamers had been removed for safekeeping prior to their being moved to
Sacramento, but believe most of the damage to them has been due to weather rather than
vandalism, as most of their parts are not easy to remove or to haul off in a pickup truck ...

Diseasel locomotives that were in good enough condition for display in 1985 could have been made operational for a few tens of thousands of dollars would now require several hundreds of thousands, and in many cases cannot ever be fully restored due to the loss of irreplaceable electrical components. Even cosmetic restoration for display will be much, much more costly due to severe rust and corrosion of their carbodies.

- Russo



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2009 10:10AM by Russo Loco.