After receiving an off list e-mail that was interesting, it occurred to me that building NEW replicas for the motive power for the Loop could be a really positive for the CHS.
Granted, the selection of the prototype(s) to be replicated would no doubt generate much discussion and probably controversy. The selection of the vendor(s) to do the work would be critical - as noted by the off-list message.
But, it would be really COOL to have the entire construstruction process documented in a variety of forms, still photographs, print and video.
The CHS could sell books about the construction of the the replicas, distribute press releases describing the process, complete with photographs to print media across the entire United States, resulting in free publicity. Let's face it, building 100 year old technology today WILL be interesting to a lot of people - and I don't care what anyone says about young people don't care about trains - more on that in a moment. Then, the video images could be sold as DVDs or turned into a documentary for PBS or other TV outlets.
I teach U.S. History to high schoolers. I make it a point to teach a lesson in every single era we cover in the school year about railroads in America. The kids even learn what narrow gauge is. Initially the kids think it is a little goofy, but after awhile they all look forward to it. I even have kids who ask why we don't have high speed train service between major cities that are close enough that train service could replace air travel or driving so business men could do their travel that way, ie Houston-Dallas, Austin-San Antonio, Houston-San Antonio, etc. (I teach in Houston).
We cover topics like luxury train travel (Pullman and 20th Century Limited), Grand Central Stations as part of City Planning (Daniel Burnham's city beautiful/city planning concept), RPO service from start to end - for some reason the kids are always fascinated by the idea of picking up mail on the fly and sorting it on the train, the USRA, the demise of steam, early railroad technology and how it impacts life today, the role of the transcontinental railroads, etc.
Lot's of the kids are interested in mechanical things of any kind. They would be interested in watching how a 100 year old technology design worked and how a locomotive is constructed. Not all of them, but the "engineering types" would be.
I also teach my students about logging, mining etc. and they are always interested and most are shocked at how dangerous these occupations were/are - a great lead into why unions rose in power in our country.
If carefully managed, the construction of two, or three, replicas could be a bonanza of POSITIVE, and FREE, publicity, advertising, etc. Not just in the railfan world, but to the public at large. And it could be justified by the CHS as "living history" and that the CHS is doing its job be building these replicas and preserving the technology and the skills to create it.
As to what prototypes to be selected for replication, I again move for C&S #70 - a real oil burner, the only one the C&S narrow gauge had, and it became synonomous with the Clear Creek branch, of which the rebuilt Loop was a part. This would allow for a replica of an oil burner, since oil burners must be used I have heard, that actually ran on the Clear Creek - as to whether or not the 70 ran over the Loop as an oil burner I cannot recall, but still, close enough.
Then I would suggest a pair of shays, both as a practical matter and for the fact that the Argentine Central used shays.
As per the comments of an individual who is more knowledgeable than I about the wear and tear that a real, operating steam locomotive goes through, regardless of whether it is a replica or an "orginal," maintenance and overhauls are a fact of life. But locomotives built for the Loop, with modern materials and techniques, only need to be visual replicas - what is internal can be as modern as possible.
Kevin
