Re: Nevada County NG

There was an article in Live Steam magazine, March 1988, on the NCNG volunteers and the repatriating of #5 to Nevada City. The article states that the group then was considering part of the old line to run #5 and their rolling stock on. The article has a few shots of the #5 lagging and jacketing off, showing the bare, and strange boiler. Apparently from the gist of this article, the Universal boiler was believed to need 42 flues replaced...not completely dumped off, though it states an outside opinion was being sought.
I've never been up to Nevada City, but have read a bit about the old line and was pretty interested. The new museum from the photos I've seen looks quite impressive from the outside displays near Northern Queen Inn, and I hope to see it sometime. There was a copy of Jerry Best's book in our Los Gatos Borders which never sold after 2 years...grossly overpriced there, but I did read through it over the course of the time it sat there. The fact the line owned an ex-Santa Cruz & Felton Porter-Bell made it enough reason to be of interest! The whole story behind the #9 still "out there" also is an interesting bit.
I don't know the local geography in Nevada City, but I once heard some story floating around that the new museum property back-ends the plot owned by the Northern Queen Inn/NC Traction Co, and it was possible (if the funding was there) to build a line to the existing bit of 3' track there. Truth or lie?!
-Ed Kelley