A good friend of mine (who asked to remain nameless) informed me of the whole situation. The man in question works for the D&S and has inside knowladge with as to what is happening. He told me that the D&S is looking to trade the 478 for the 483, not the 484. They wish to obtain another bigger k-36 for service. Since the k-28s can only haul a 10 car train up the line and the k-36s can haul 12, it is a matter of money over historical preservation. The 478 needs a 1472 and many other things added that were stripped off. The 476 is serviceable, but stored in the museum for the same reason that the 478 will be traded. The 473 has been going out on trains for the bast month and a half, so it is still running. The 493 is in FAR better condition then the 498, also considering that the 498 has no tender. Really, in my opinion, the CATS is getting the better end of the deal because they will attract all of the foamers. While it will be neat to see the 483 run again (because I know we all would like to see that,) that fame will only last a short while until the 478 gets going along with the 168. Personally, I don't see the need for a larger locomotive, since ridership has gone down so far with the D and S that they have gone as far as annulling trains on weekends because of lack of ridership. It really is a game of money for the D and S and nothing more, and truly, to shed a better light on the situation, probably the only way that we will see these beautiful ladies run again is if the trade does happen. I do apologize for the length of this message, and also I apologize in advance if this does offend anyone from the D and S or anyone else for that matter. I also hope that this sheds some light on the subject.
Collin
