A few random comments regarding the restoration of DV 5:
ISTEA/TEA-21 Grants; The grant recipient does not receive any money up-front, but only an authorization to spent money on specific items within the grant application. In other words, Inyo County bought and paid for the goods and services and then submitted the paid invoices to CalTrans for reimbursement. The time frame for all this to happen is many months.
TEA-21 Grant for Bishop to Laws ROW; Since no up-front money was received by Inyo County, no money was returned to CalTrans. The unused portion of the authorization was released back to the general TEA-21 fund. I find it interesting that the County was reimbursed for the work that was done. This TEA-21 Grant was for only restoration. This was a new construction project and not a restoration project. The original Red Apple Line project never placed any rail on the ground.
DV 5 restoration; The scope of the project was to return the motor car to like new appearance and operate it on demand for demonstration purposes. Modern items could be substituted where they would not detract from the visitors experience of travel in the first quarter of the 20th Century. CalTrans staff indicated that safe and reliable operation was the first priority. It was for this reason that a modern engine and transmission was installed. Nearly all the modifications made during the restoration are reversible.
DV 5 engine; The original engine is not a Buda engine. The engine is a Model 399 built by Midwest Engine Co., of Indianapolis, Indiana. The engine is complete enough to be rebuilt to operating condition. The history of this engine company suggests that it was designed in the late 19-teens to probably no later than 1920 or 21. Engine design was evolving very rapidly at that time and this was an obsolete design by 1926. I do know of one M 399 that runs. The caretaker of that engine tells me that it is “cantankerous.”
Place to run; The Train Barn Crew would also like to have more track to run on. The original ROW belongs to the L.A. Dept of Water and Power. Probably some sort of lease arrangement could be made for some of the ROW. The rest is just money and manpower to get the track on the ground and the annual maintenance of the ROW. Excluding the cost of the rail, hardware costs are in the $20/ft. range.
Max Cox
Laws Railroad Museum
Bishop, CA
www.lawsmuesum.org
