Trustees for 483 Fund / NOT just another K-36 *PIC*

Hi, All -
Based on the somewhat negative tone of a few of the posts yesterday, perhaps The Friends should do one or both of the following to alleviate some of the concerns:
1) Appoint a special Board of Trustees of five to seven people to have control over the 483 Restoration Fund. My nominees would be Jay Wimer, Roger Hogan, John West and Earl Knoob. Perhaps Carlos Llamas, Greg Scholl, Ernie Robart and/or Spencer Wilson would also be willing to help. I'm sure there are others who are more than qualified to serve. Their only duties would be to track donations and control expenditures. I.E. spending a few dollars of the 483 fund to promote more donations to the 483 fund would be O-K, but any other use should be directly for preservation and restoration of number 483.
2) Repay the "Loan" that was made from the previous 483 Restoration Fund a few years ago by transferring a substantial amount of the current "Another Century" fund into the 483 Restoration Fund. Depending on the ACNGS fund's current balance, this could be equal to the "loan" made a few years ago, or half of the current ACNGS balance, whichever is less. At the very least, #483 should be considered to have a "credit" of approximately $15,000 when it comes time to evaluate the cost of restoring the next engine after #489.
Locomotive #483 is NOT "just another K-36". Judging by the number of photos she appears in, #483 was the most active of all of the D&RGW engines in the mid to late 1960's. She pulled at least one leg of several of the Kiwanis Kolor Karavan three-day excursions in the mid-sixties, was the last D&RGW engine over Cumbres Pass (on December 6, 1968), and was the first C&TS engine over Cumbres Pass and into Chama (Labor Day weekend, 1970). She pulled the first passenger trains on the C&TS and was one of the two engines on the C&TS first 'photo freight', the "Toltec Rattler" (October 22, 1972 - see below). Due to her unique role in the history of the Narrow Gauge over Cumbres, she deserves a better fate than rusting away in the weeds on the back side of the yard.
- Russ Sperry (aka Russo Loco / El Curmudgeonito)
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