The recent discussion about No. 14 prompts me to consider that she turns 100 in 2017.
I wonder, are there any active restoration fundraising efforts geared toward restoring 14 in time for her 100th birthday? That's eight years worth of, say, $50 per plate dinners and $25 cover charge cocktail parties that could be organized...and that's just the silly social stuff.
I wonder how much could be raised through a Facebook cause, if one were begun. It seems every other day, somebody is asking me to join one Facebook cause or other, and many of these causes get many responses and some have raised unbelievable amounts of money.
At any rate, I wondered about this so much so that I actually composed text for a "Restore No. 14" Facebook cause page...
At any rate, It would be great, I think, if someone at the A&A would consider this and other creative means of fundraising in order to get 14 back on her drivers again, so to speak. It would be such a joy to see No. 14 in service again. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking so.
I wonder, are there any active restoration fundraising efforts geared toward restoring 14 in time for her 100th birthday? That's eight years worth of, say, $50 per plate dinners and $25 cover charge cocktail parties that could be organized...and that's just the silly social stuff.
I wonder how much could be raised through a Facebook cause, if one were begun. It seems every other day, somebody is asking me to join one Facebook cause or other, and many of these causes get many responses and some have raised unbelievable amounts of money.
At any rate, I wondered about this so much so that I actually composed text for a "Restore No. 14" Facebook cause page...
Restore Arcade & Attica's Old No. 14!I'd be more than happy to create a Facebook cause page for this purpose, if any of you employed by the A&A want to provide the non-profit info as far as where donations should be sent. I haven't created a cause on Facebook before, so I'm not 100% certain about how it works, but I don't think one actually has to be affiliated with a cause in order to create and administer a Facebook cause for it. But I'd stop at creating the page...someone associated with the A&A's non-profit arm should administrate it. I wouldn't be up for that.
America's celebrated railroading past is kept alive, today, on the Arcade & Attica Railroad.
Founded in 1917, the Arcade & Attica R. R. in Arcade, New York still transports freight along her storied line, but is best known today for the steam-powered excursion trains that charm thousands of tourists each season. Engine No. 18, a steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in 1921, leads most of today's seasonal excursions.
For many, many years, No. 18 shared passenger transporting duties with her older sister engine, Locomotive No. 14, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1917. Sadly, Old No. 14 saw her last run in the year 1988 and has been in need of restoration and repair ever since. By far the more grand and elegant of the A&A's two steamers, Old No. 14 delighted nostalgic tourists and railfans for decades with her majestic heads of steam and with the ghostly tones of her haunting whistle. In her ever-worsening condition, however, she risks becoming a ghost, indeed. Soon, Old No. 14 will pass the point of no return if nothing is done to restore her.
Alas, the cost of restoring a steam locomotive is overwhelming ($?00,000.00), and the revenues of the railroad, alone, cannot meet this staggering restoration price tag. The Arcade & Attica Railroad and history need the generous help of history lovers and railroad lovers alike to rescue Old. No. 14 from oblivion.
The year 2017 marks the 100th birthday of Old No. 14 and our goal is to see her restored in time to celebrate that birthday out of storage and in full steam. You can help to ensure that this grand old American treasure is not forever lost. Your contribution, today, will see this grand old lady of American railroading brought one step closer to being restored for seasonal operation on the Arcade & Attica's historic rail line in time for her 100th birthday.
Old No. 14 represents America's and Western New York's glorious railroading past. Please help us to preserve this treasured ornament of our area's history with your generous contribution, today.
All aboard!
At any rate, It would be great, I think, if someone at the A&A would consider this and other creative means of fundraising in order to get 14 back on her drivers again, so to speak. It would be such a joy to see No. 14 in service again. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking so.
