Oh Jon,
That poor No. 9 was put through the wringer after the Chicago Railroad Fair stint. After 1949 it was taken from the Q's Aurora Shop where it was stored and since it was all ready lettered "Deadwood Central", it was loaned for display to Elliott Donnelly at his Black Hills Central Railroad in Hill City, SD. Elliott Donnelly was a Chicago Based Publisher and a friend of CB&Q president Ralph Budd.
After control of the Black Hills Central passed from Elliott Donnelly to Bill Heckman, the 9 was used as a spare parts palace for the operational locomotives on the Black Hills Central. One of the men who I worked with in restoring the UP 3985 had worked for Heckman. He told tales of what Heckman did to that locomotive and equipment that would raise the hair on the back of your neck. The cab was also used as an outdoor latrine by various Black Hills Central customers and employees. Parts were removed from the cars and locomotive with great abandon and little replacement.
When the 9 was finally and officially given to the CHS, the Black Hills people protested, but the CHS prevailed. The Black Hills people started removing more parts from the locomotive, including the Bell Hanger (a special casting with a hole through it for the throttle rod), the boiler checks and the injectors. The parts were removed with a cutting torch.
The old C&S passenger equipment didn't fare any better. One set of Passenger Car trucks, that the Black Hills Central claimed were lost, were found under a caboose spotted at the end of the line. The cars were in very bad condition. The RPO had a tie inside the carbody holding the roof up to keep it from collapsing into the car.
When finally moved to Colorado and the Georgetown Loop, The 9 then sat in its bright red paint at the Morningstar spur just east of Silver Plume for almost 10 years with the orders from the CHS not to touch it. A black paint job was snuck on to it without the CHS's permission by some Loop employees who actually cared more about the equipment than the CHS's orders. I'm sure that the "Do Not Touch" order came about because lawyers understand asbestos lawsuits better than they understand asbestos containment. The 9 had asbestos lagging and pipe wrap. Neither is a big deal as long as the asbestos is kept wet during removal.
So in short, Jon, C&S No. 9 wasn't in the condition that the C&S left it in when it appeared at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1949, or the condition that the CB&Q placed it on display in Hill City. Each passing year saw more and more deterioration, vandalism and neglect.
Frankly, I was amazed that it was running at all. Unfortunately, because of the short-sighted management of the CHS, the 9 will never run again, unless someone comes along with cubic dollars that they want to throw at a locomotive that they don't own. Proper restoration doesn't come cheap.
Rick
