steamer69 wrote:It's a 1922 22 ton Heisler. Nice little engine.
It as well as the shop and everything else on the property is owned by the Passumpsic
Ok, man, now were talking, see... that's exactly what I mean.
"It's a nice, LITTLE engine." Like Flag Coal 75 is a nice, LITTLE engine. You can put it on a truck. You can take it ANYWHERE.
Oh, and it suits the NEEDS of Passumpsic. And to boot, they already own it. Its yours/theirs to work on whenever you/they/whomever you invite is free to do so.
And yeah, given time and a lot of money, almost anything is possible... but let's not kid ourselves, and let's not puff Cullen's head up with too many unrealistic dreams.
It's time (that you are NOT using to make money doing something else, or that you would have to pay someone else, perhaps along side you, or would have to be volunteered, etc, etc... because time IS money and I know you know that as well as I do...) spent doing tough, dirty and often frustrating work arguing with pieces of steel and doing your level best to convince them to do what you want, when and how you want them to. And yes, Brett, I know you know that as well as I do too, but that is precisely what Cullen needs to learn if he wants to have anything to do wit a "successful steam program," wherever, whatever gauge, whatever state, big or small.
Cullen, sorry to have been speaking of you in the third person, but...
1) If you wish to assist in preserving steam in this, or any other region of the world, VOLUNTEER. Find a place that has active work going and help out in the shop. Talk to the guys doing the actual work (like me and Brett.) 9 times out of 10 we'll be able to find something to suit your skills and capabilities that you can do and to move up from there. That's what I did, and that's how I did it.
Be prepared to get DIRTY. Be prepared to go home aching at the end of the day. But don't be afraid, the rewards at the end of that long, tiring, and often frustrating day will be worth it. The more of those days you put in, the greater the rewards.
2) Find an engine to work on that is not owned by someone who has no interest in seeing it run anytime soon.