...As the old saying goes. #12 operated only a year on the E-N, and it was never re-lettered for that Nevada road. However, it did end its operating career in Nevada and is property of the state. If it remained on the Uintah, it would have certainly have been cut up with the rest of those engines at Atchee in 1939. Anyway, if the engine ever visits the Colorado lines, it could be relettered for the Uintah, Silverton Northern, whatever. Paint is a cheap and impermanant change.
We have relied heavily on the CHS/SHF on money to repair #315, #12's sister. It took a great deal of convincing to get their support, and as Dan says, the State of Nevada will eventually repair #12 as it is a very good candidate for restoration. Some posters have complained here, rightly, that too many Colorado engines are undergoing repair at once. While C&S #9 and (we hope) #315 are great examples of historic renovation, some deserving projects ran out of funds, and due to tight money and a lot of competition from other deserving historical projects, some partly repaired locomotives like #169 have languished. I will point out that any restoration project will cost a bare minimum of $375,000, and that is with mostly volunteer labor.
Like you , I wish more Uintah equipment survived(as I look out at Uintah water car #35 in my back yard). Lots of historic railroad rolling stock has left Colorado, but in nearly all cases it was lovingly restored (like Huckleberry did with 464). The move of #12 to Nevada in 1937 was as a working locomotive, so the connection is a historic one. I am confident it will be retored sooner or later, and may return to Colorado for a visit.
