Status Of Equipment at BET

deathtopumpkins wrote:The baggage car is gone.

It was picked up by PAR about a week and a half ago.


Speaking of things that are gone, (IRMX) 902 was also finally picked up by PAR about a week and a half ago.

ns3010 wrote:

deathtopumpkins wrote:The baggage car is gone.

It was picked up by PAR about a week and a half ago.


Speaking of things that are gone, (IRMX) 902 was also finally picked up by PAR about a week and a half ago.

I'm usually too tired to pay attention in the morning and it's dark on the way home, so I guess I hadn't noticed! And I didn't see any mention of it here since finding out it was bad-ordered.

It appears as though GP18 904 is now in the dead line at BET next to the load box in front of the 1132.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:They're so heavily vandalized/arsoned and in all-around deplorable condition that they have almost no preservation value.

A scrapped car has no preservation value. Any in-tact body is most certainly worth preserving.

ck4049 wrote:It appears as though GP18 904 is now in the dead line at BET next to the load box in front of the 1132.

One of my favorites.

The last of them with 902 gone.

ck4049 wrote:It appears as though GP18 904 is now in the dead line at BET next to the load box in front of the 1132.

Aw, dammit. I liked that unit, the paint scheme suited her well.

CRail wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:They're so heavily vandalized/arsoned and in all-around deplorable condition that they have almost no preservation value.

A scrapped car has no preservation value. Any in-tact body is most certainly worth preserving.

Famous last words.

To be worthy of preservation a rail vehicle must be viable, that is, it met be restorable at reasonable cost. It must have a long term means of support. Several cars restored under private support at Seashore, have deteriorated over time, and now require substantial investment to keep them in first rate condition. Other cars acquired in first rate condition are mouldering now, due to lack of maintenance funds. Third, there must be an ability to stop deterioration, i.e. quality, climate controlled storage. Just because someone wants to preserve something is not enough.

I was told the 904 isn't "dead" dead, but it is in for it's 4-year inspections. Last time I checked the diesel house was quite full anyway so they probably wanted to put it out of the way so revenue units can get their turn in the shop first since they are of a higher priority.

Gerry6309 wrote:To be worthy of preservation a rail vehicle must be viable, that is, it met be restorable at reasonable cost. It must have a long term means of support. Several cars restored under private support at Seashore, have deteriorated over time, and now require substantial investment to keep them in first rate condition. Other cars acquired in first rate condition are mouldering now, due to lack of maintenance funds. Third, there must be an ability to stop deterioration, i.e. quality, climate controlled storage. Just because someone wants to preserve something is not enough.

"Reasonable" is relative. What you're talking about is evaluating an initiative against a given organization's resources and ability. In a railway museum setting, the preservation value of an artifact will, over time and without investment, become less than the value of the space the artifact occupies (which can be significant). In the case of a funded railroad with countless defunct sidings and lead tracks, the equation is different on both sides. These things can quite obviously remain out of sight and out of mind (yes, they're not literally out of sight currently as their presence is quite conspicuous but to those who decide these things, they're out of the way) for decades. The Budd cars are not being preserved, but their preservation value is being kept well above 0. The point is, the longer they can be kept in whatever deplorable condition they're in, the better off they are than if they were scrapped (Had Joe's Metals [or whomever] shown up when they were supposed to, they'd be of no significance to any of us and we wouldn't be talking about them). I'd rather see them rot for another 30 years than see them hauled off and destroyed tomorrow (of course, I'd really rather see something done with them like the crew trailer idea. 2 lit streamliners berthed on track 12 in the station would look phenomenal in my opinion and a cosmetic overhaul would be much less of an undertaking than a mechanical restoration).

drvmusic wrote:

ck4049 wrote:It appears as though GP18 904 is now in the dead line at BET next to the load box in front of the 1132.

One of my favorites.

The last of them with 902 gone.

Oh I'm sure the realibility with the gensets will keep that thing around until it can't run no more

ck4049 wrote:I was told the 904 isn't "dead" dead, but it is in for it's 4-year inspections. Last time I checked the diesel house was quite full anyway so they probably wanted to put it out of the way so revenue units can get their turn in the shop first since they are of a higher priority.

That's great news Thanks!

The dead line at BET is quite crowded nowadays. The 1000, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1014, 1015, 1017, 1054, 1069 & 1118 are all out back out of service.

ck4049 wrote:The dead line at BET is quite crowded nowadays. The 1000, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1014, 1015, 1017, 1054, 1069 & 1118 are all out back out of service.

That last run of a screamer is getting closer and closer.

ck4049 wrote:The dead line at BET is quite crowded nowadays. The 1000, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1009, 1010, 1011, 1014, 1015, 1017, 1054, 1069 & 1118 are all out back out of service.

Somebody needs a new username.

There seems to be a whole string of new cars on the line that used to lead to Assembly Square.

Just noticed it yesterday. Looks like a few tank cars.