So right. As a private individual preserving railroad history, your efforts, Dan, are the model to which we all should strive. I have long wondered why things like steam locomotives seem to always end up in "collective" hands (oft-times pronounced "squabble committees"), rather than the private ownership of capable individuals like yourself.
I suppose the answer is money and money. In one sense, most RR preservation fans don't carry around the spare cash to pull such a thing off, and on the other hand, those persons who do have that kind of dough don't really care about money pits like dirty old railroad equipment, when a yacht or ski lodge might be an alternative.
I restore old cars and have always dreamed of getting my mitts on a dead South Park loco to wrench and weld on. I was 50 years too late in asking for a free one from the C&S, and 30 years too late in trying to get one when few people cared.
The key to any of this is having these assets in "capable and benificent (sic?) hands". Some groups do a terrific job, while others seem to languish in the perpetual conundrum of human personalities.
Dan, .... some day I hope to tip a few cold ones with you and talk the mechanics of your wonderful machine. Maybe even work this old dog into a sore and sweaty stupor tossing slabs to make it go !
I know I am not alone in thinking or saying this : You have done wonderful things in a very selfless way for many. Hard to beat that for human character.