Ron,
Paul pretty much answered your questions further down this thread, but having been around when the #3 was acquired, it is my understanding that the Huckleberry's real interest was the wheel press that they obtained from the engine house and that collecting the bits and pieces of the #3 was something of an afterthought. Pine Creek had obtained the plow, caboose and the number six, the other two locos had been placed on outdoor display at the hoist house and the engine house was abandoned with no roof.
I think all concerned felt that the remains of the #3 would be more secure at the Huckleberry and that there might be a possibility of securing financing to rebuild it. Back in those days GM was a going concern, Flint was booming and the parks department had a decent budget. However, the 464 was obtained soon after and no serious effort has since been made to restore the #3.
Much Q&TL history has been lost over the years, but I've heard that the #3 had been dismantled for overhaul. I also heard that it had simply been dismantled for scrapping. The end of the war in 1945 brought a sudden halt to copper mining and the railroad was simply shut down and everything left in place. I remember visiting as a child in 1954 and seeing the caboose and plow sitting in the yard, the flat car sitting just outside the roundhouse with the new boiler still on it, and exploring the covered water tank, but unfortunately I never ventured into the roundhouse, although I understand that even though the doors were locked, many did.
As far as returning the loco to the Q&TL engine house, that would be up to the Genesse Parks Department and the Quincy Hoist Association.
Michael Allen
