Official M2 / M4 / M6 Retirement Thread

[Train538]

Bad news everyone. M2s 8400 & 8401 were just given their FICX markings the other day in New Haven, so Danbury won't be receiving the class leaders of the M2 fleet .

[DutchRailnut]

putting M-2's in DRM just occupies valuable space with no purpose other than to show exterior, you can do9 that with picture.

[Noel Weaver]

Whether a pair of M-2's would occupy space or not is probably not open to question BUT they did fill 40 years of commuting history on the old New Haven Railroad and I think it would be proper to save one pair of them. I am not really sorry to see them pass on but the original Connecticut pair would be a better pair to put in Danbury as they were owned by Connecticut and not New York, does anybody know if 8500 and 8501 are still around?
Noel Weaver

[pbass]

Japp,your assessment of the DRM is very cruel.The purpose of the museum is the preservation of railroad rolling stock and assortment of related memorabilia.Without a museum,trains would all go to scrap and never to be seen up close again,and other items would remain in private collections or they to would go to scrap.I have donated my photo albums and some of my memorabilia to DRM with the intention all of it will be preserved for posterity.The museum has limited space to operate the "train rides",house the collection of trains,and most of all,the monies and skilled volunteers to make DRM a notable museum.T'is better than nothing at all.

[Clean Cab]

The DRM will get one pair and I hope it will be a bar pair.

[DutchRailnut]

Happy hour in yard , problem with a M-2 is if you want it accessible you need power and a platform.
If you got that, then pair becomes unmovable, with the Electrical needs of a M-2 impossible in yard, it would be useless in summer and useless in winter for functions.
so a pair of M-2's essentially takes up 170 x 10 foot of space with no purpose other than showing outside, which can be done with a picture.

[khansingh]

Well shit, maybe they should just get rid of everything in their yard. I mean, if pictures will do the job...

[DutchRailnut]

most other stuff is functional and does not need catenary for power or high level platforms. now lets get back to topic and leave DRM in museum section.

[pbass]

You opened the debate by belittling DRM.Let us get the cars and then we will work on the display.

[NH2060]

Happy hour in yard , problem with a M-2 is if you want it accessible you need power and a platform.
If you got that, then pair becomes unmovable, with the Electrical needs of a M-2 impossible in yard, it would be useless in summer and useless in winter for functions.
so a pair of M-2's essentially takes up 170 x 10 foot of space with no purpose other than showing outside, which can be done with a picture.

So I guess those ex-NH Washboards the DRM has are a waste of space too?...
And a picture is NOTHING like the real thing.

[Noel Weaver]

Unfortunately the New Haven Railroad did not save one single modern or semi modern steam engine and they had a lot of them. Unfortunately no original New Haven electric locomotive was saved either although one of the former Virginian motors was saved in Connecticut and another in Virginia. Fortunately a small number of historic New Haven diesels have been spared, the most significant being the 529 at the Railroad Museum of New England and of course several FL-9's as well. Actual preservation beats photos no matter how good the photos are and there are a lot of good photos around of New Haven equipment over the years. Please tell me what's wrong with saving one pair of M-2's, you can build a stairway to one door for access if you want to and it would not cost a fortune? There are ways to make and keep them accessible and presentable too. It's too bad the Railroad Museum of New England, Danbury Railroad Museum and the Valley Railroad were not around 60 or so years ago when the steam engines were leaving Southern New England by the trainload for the torch. Thankfully three trolley museums have preserved a good representative collection of old Connecticut Company trolley cars and a good number of them will operate and are very presentable.
Noel Weaver

[DutchRailnut]

ok there is a museum thread to whine about museums and collections, just sayinn.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

ok there is a museum thread to whine about museums and collections, just sayinn.

Then stop taking cheap shots at DRM and ensuring that this thread becomes nuthin' bout museum talk, Dutch. Jeez.

[Travelsonic]

ok there is a museum thread to whine about museums and collections, just sayinn.

Then stop taking cheap shots at DRM and ensuring that this thread becomes nuthin' bout museum talk, Dutch. Jeez.

Besides, the mere idea of the DRM getting a pair of M2s - whether they do or not at least - is very relevant to this thread is it not?

[khansingh]

^My thoughts exactly. The ultimate disposition of what will probably be the last of the M2's seems incredibly relevant to a discussion of the retirement of said M2's.