Give me the Rolaids!

I am very glad to see the 169 finally get into its pavilion. But the pictures of craning it on to the lowby damn near gave me an ulcer. Many locomotives have been lifted by crane, but the risk of twisting a frame or bending some part is very high. For those of you who noticed, when Eureka is loaded or unloaded, it is done so by using a ramp with rails on it. It is far easier and cheaper and safer for the locomotive than using a crane.
If any group out there has visions of taking a locomotive out for visits, and are considering using a crane,I suggest that you first contact me. I will be happy to share our tecnique with you. I would hate to see all your hard work go to waste when you twist the frame, or break something by lifting the engine. I have moved Eureka about 30 times over the years and in that process learned an item or two from the things I have done right as well as the things I have done wrong.
I am not saying a locomotive cannot be safely lifted by crane. As I saide, it has been done many times. However, from my observations, and that of others at the Nevada State Railroad Museum, it is the risks associated with such a movement that should be weighed when a far easier process is available with far fewer risks to the equipment.
Dan Markoff