There is no insider information, nor any "I heard it from a guy, who heard it from a guy, who heard it from another guy" in my post. I've been following this thing since it started. After all, I too, would like to see one run someday.
1. A visit to the museum will show you the 4018, sitting there with no work underway. Ther are no tools and parts lying around, and nothing has been removed to be worked on elsewhere. Ask musuem staff; they will tell you nothing has been done.
2. Early on, whne claims were made that UP was "on board" and would participate, John Bromley publicly said no agreement of any kind was in place, and the UP had not been formally approached. Requests for firm business plans had been ignored.
3. Early on, according to the Dallas newspaper and the Sherman, TX newspaper, the locmootive was to be restored in a new shop in Sherman. Later, it was revealed in the paper that the "new shop in Sherman" didn't have any track near it! Still later, the site changed to a new shop in Dallas.
4. The newspapers also noted changes in the story line, changes in which "big name" (but unnamed) Holly wood people would be involved, etc.
5. Try sending snail mail or e-mail to them, or phoning them, and see what you get. Buy a membership and see what you get for your money.
6. About two years, an announcement was made that the engine would run on BNSF. BNSF immediately said they had no idea what the man was talking about.
7. I visited the booth at RailFair '99 and came away unimpressed. There were too many contradictions and the various stories didn't add up. Tough questions were ignored. If I asked the same question twice, I got two completely different ---and often contradictory---answers.
IOW, all the info is in various public records and can be found with a little effort.
7.