Can someone explain what is this 410 project all about?? I live not to far from Lowell and thought that the locomotive will never see a fire lit up inside her. Are they trying to restore her to operating condition?
Its members of the B&MRRHS working with the National Park service to try and keep the engine, tender and combine from turning back into dirt.
When Steamtown took B&M 3713 back from the Boston museum of science, a search for a replacement for a proposed transportation museum began. The 410, and sister 444 were found in a quarry in Chelmsford. 410 was more accessible than 444, which eventually ended up in its birthplace, Dunkirk NY. The 410 was towed to Billerica shops, where a cosmetic restoration began, before the museum project fell through. The B&M guys and the NPS stepped in, and after making her presentable, moved it to Lowell with the help of the MBTA, which used the move as a training exercise for their wreck crew. (Note that the rails across Dutton street are and were paved over, and the rails 410 sit on aren't connected to anything) Several times a year, in the spring and fall, members of the B&M society gather there and do what they can to keep the engine and combine from decaying, address vandalism issues, (note the screens to keep people out of the cab, extra bars on some windows and doors, a rubber roof over the coal bunker, and bars installed in the opening at the base of the coal bunker door - one enterprising individual found a way around the screens and was living in the bunker. He was evicted, and the bars were added to keep him out. Most of the cab has been rebuild, and a number of years ago, all the siding on the combine was replaced, among other things.
People who know about such things have said that the boiler doesn't look bad, but a lot of parts have gone missing over the years. All it would take is four or five pallets of Benjamins.
If you have any interest in assisting with this project, or have a couple of million dollars laying around gathering dust, contact the B&MRR historical society. They would welcome the assistance.