Maine Central Steam Locomotive #470 Discussion

Members of the forum: I am presently writing a proposal to the City of Waterville to get them moving with regard to preserving and sheltering the MEC Pacific, 470. Most of you know how severely damaged the 470 is and that the damage is not going to get better without a concerted effort. What i need to know is:
Has the locomotive ever been evaluated with regard to condition, operational status, cosmetic restoration, or the like, by a competant and reliable agent? Who was that agent and what was his report?
Has the City ever been approached in the past with regard to this problem, and what was the response?
Is there a contingent of reliable workers who will act in support of each other, to aid in the restoration with labor, expertise, or funding to help move this project forward?

At present, my proposal is merely to cosmetically restore the locomotive and construct a shelter with chain link fencing to prevent access to the engine.

Can anyone provide me with a good photograph of the locomtive in service and of the locomtive being placed on it's first display pedestal?
Please email photos to [email protected] .

Thank you.

I need a good photo of the MEC pacific #470 when still in operation, and under steam. This can be the last trip or while in service, or when she steamed to her original display place. Please email the picture to :
[email protected] . Said picture will be used (with credit) in a restoration proposal.

Dick

In response to the package of information I mailed to the Mayor of Waterville, Maine, discussion of what to do with the static display of Pacific #470 has been place on the City Council Agenda, for September 07, 2004, at 7PM. It is an open meeting and I will be discussing the locomotive proposals with the Council. If you can attend, please do so, otherwise you can email your views to Mayor Paul LePage at [email protected] . I think the Council needs to know that the 470 needs cover, that it is an irreplaceable treasure of historic value, and that a positive solution is called for.

In short,the package of proposals offered three positive choices; a large railroad museum building be built around the locomotive, to become the focus of an interpretive center; an fence enclosed weather shed, to house the engine for cosmetic restoration and prevent further vandalism; moving the locomotive to a museum where it can be better cared for or possibly restored for operation in the future.

More important than any of these single choices is to voice your commitment towards railroad preservation and the need to secure this locomotive before it is lost to the ravages of weather and vandals.

I want to thank all of you in advance for doing what you can to show that the 470 has friends.

RIchard Glueck

Thanks for posting this. Please let us know how things go at the council meeting.

The following is a posting from another board. For those who don't know, Mr. Glueck has written an excellent proposal regarding the future of the 470 and has approached the city of Waterville with it. (Kudos, Richard)

"#470 has been placed on the (Waterville, Maine) City Council Agenda, for September 07, 2004, at 7PM. It is an open meeting and I will be discussing the locomotive proposals with the Council. If you can attend, please do so, otherwise you can email your views to Mayor Paul LePage at [email protected] . I think the Council needs to know that the 470 needs cover, that it is an irreplaceable treasure of historic value, and that a positive solution is called for.

In short, the package of proposals offered three positive choices; a large railroad museum building be built around the locomotive, to become the focus of an interpretive center; an fence enclosed weather shed, to house the engine for cosmetic restoration and prevent further vandalism; moving the locomotive to a museum where it can be better cared for or possibly restored for operation in the future.

More important than any of these single choices is to voice your commitment towards railroad preservation and the need to secure this locomotive before it is lost to the ravages of weather and vandals.

I want to thank all of you in advance for doing what you can to show that the 470 has friends."

RIchard Glueck

Having a "brain cramp" this early on a weekend morning,I can't recall WHO owns the land that the 470 sits on?? Is it Guilford(looks quite close to the ROWs or the City? Great pictures,Steve. I might just swing up to H20ville after a business trip in Augusta today. Now,I've got my flack vest on,and kevlar helmet for the crap I'm probably gonna take on this comment; Yes,the punks vandalize the 470,but virtually everytime I am up there,there are little children,with their parents ,crawling all over the engine,and I think it is GREAT!!! While I would love to see another,less historic,engine being used for this(say an old industrial steamer?)how else do you get younger people interested in railroad history. "Hands on" museum journeys have always been the best field trips that I've taken my history classes on! So,lets preserve the #470,at a dedicated museum.but there is something to be said for this "hands on"! Does the 0-6-0 in Lowell,thats "in the open"get much abuse?? I was there in late June,and volunteers were repainting it,with many visitors stopping to admire it. If that engine can survive in that "enviroment",then something should be able to survive in Waterville!! By the looks of the rust holes in the 470,"outdoor preservation" needs to be a constant agenda,such as in Lowell,and are their volunteers in Maine??? Bud

I am glad that someone has approached the city with a proposal to preserve 470. I do not live far from Waterville and do plan to attend the council meeting. I agree that 470 is an important historic treasure worth keeping.
LF

I remember seeing this engine in Waterville maybe fifteen years ago, and realizing it was in bad shape then. At the very least, the engine should be covered and enclosed...

-otto-

I thank you for the support. Even railfans and historians who can not attend can show support by emailing the mayor's office in Waterville. The address is listed in my original post. The support of the public is what is going to get this locomotive under a roof and cosmetically restored and secured. I urge all parties to become a voice and a part in saving Maine's last big steam loco.

Richard,

I sent an e-mail to the mayor. I hope it helps.

-R.T.

So did I. So far have heard nothing back.

Steam, the mayor has likely received many emails about this and cannot answer them all.

This is a fine looking locomotive, and the only Maine Central Railroad steam locomotive in the entire state of Maine.

Steve: Great shots of the loco's current condition. To all who have written to the Mayor's office, I want to thank you. For those who have not, I ask that you take the time to tell the City that protecting the 470 is money and effort well spent. I don't expect this to be at the height of City priorities, but I want it to be a significant improvement that garners action.

Å good example of what can be done may be seen at White River Jct., VT, where ex-B&M 4-4-0 #494 has been slowly restored and just recently placed under an open-sided shelter where at least it is out of the worst of the sun and weather. The work was done by a few dedicated people over a long period of time, but it has snowballed as people saw the improvements going forth.

Another comparison would be with ex-B&M #410 at Lowell, MA. A long-term restoration by a few dedicated individuals which is now an attractive display.

Surely we can talk the good folks of Waterville into doing the same for the 470.