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Since our brethren on the other side of the Mountains are planning a trip, how about we plan a trip?

Is there any interest in making a run up to Dayton this spring?

We'd visit Carillon Park which has a nice rail museum and 1.5" scale railroad. The museum has a fireless cooker, a 30" gauge porter, an 1835 B&O steam locomotive, a B&O caboose, an interurban car, a trolley, and a Barney & Smith passenger car. The 1.5" scale railroad is sometimes diesel powered...sometimes steam powered...<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cprss.org/index.shtml">http://www.cprss.org/index.shtml</a><!-- m -->

Sound like a fun trip to anyone?
I'm not SW Ohio, but close enough that I'd be interested if work / volleyball doesn't get in the way. Cheers

Matt
i would go depending on the date,preferably later in the year ,maybe around summer?theres also the whitewater valley railroad down here with a porter and a few switchers from the CUT--josh
Bigsteel Wrote:i would go depending on the date,preferably later in the year ,maybe around summer?theres also the whitewater valley railroad down here with a porter and a few switchers from the CUT--josh

I haven't been over to the bone yard for awhile. Their 2-6-2 just leaves me sad. I thought the porter was a visitor...they otherwise have a little saddle tank Vulcan...has it been restored? I also am saddened by the state of their EBT 0-6-0. I need an extra handkerchief to visit Connersville. I'll probably be taking my son over there a few times in the next few years (he's too small now). I'd love to see them put a few of their less historic cabooses/passenger cars/diesels and such out to pasture and pour their resources into the rarer pieces of their collection.

I picked Carillon as the suggestion for a few reasons:
1) In my opinion, while not the largest collection, it is the best collection within an hour. They have a few truly rare pieces.
2) Most railfans are not aware of it
3) It is a reasonable drive from Columbus, Lima, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati
4) The pieces are in excellent cosmetic shape and you can get very close to them
5) The presence of the live steamers along with the museum
6) The historic non-railroad collection around it

The trip wouldn't be until it is warm...and the live steamers are out.

Matt, I'm using SW Ohio in a general sense Goldth I'd certainly love to meet people from all over the area...especially those with interests in steam, building cool kits, and regional historic railroads.

Also, for those whom aren't aware...there is a railroad "museum" in Latonia, KY...about a mile from Johnny's Toys. It is really a collection of locally owned railroad cars. There are a few diesels...such as a PRR E-unit. There is a surprising number of passenger cars. I know a few people with cars there. They are open for visitors a couple time per week (Weds, IIRC).

Michael
Quote:I haven't been over to the bone yard for awhile. Their 2-6-2 just leaves me sad. I thought the porter was a visitor...they otherwise have a little saddle tank Vulcan...has it been restored? I also am saddened by the state of their EBT 0-6-0. I need an extra handkerchief to visit Connersville. I'll probably be taking my son over there a few times in the next few years (he's too small now). I'd love to see them put a few of their less historic cabooses/passenger cars/diesels and such out to pasture and pour their resources into the rarer pieces of their collection.

yeah,its in pretty bad shape now that you mention it.i guess ther eproblem is trying to find piesces for the rarer pieces of equipment.the others are so common that you can still find good parts just about everywhere.i agree,your choice is quite a bit better Misngth .--josh
Most groups have a hard time turning away equipment...and then find themselves spread too thin. They fail to tarp or repaint their wooden equipment and it falls further behind. The have too many locomotives and so some rust away (why don't they tarp them???). I've heard it suggested by people with museum and operations experience that the best thing that can be done in some cases is to just cut up insignificant equipment (1950s cabooses and such) which need work...so that they neither distract the organization nor the visitors from the valuable parts of their collection.

Connersville used to run both their prairie and their EBT 0-6-0...but both were sidelined (illegal lap seam boilers). They managed to scrape up the money for a new boiler for the 2-6-2. You may recall the maxim measure twice, cut once? Well, that new boiler is a good reminder of why :cry: The EBT engine is toiling in the weeds at the back of the place...looking terrible...it is the only surviving 0-6-0 I can think of which represents 1880s and 1890s switch engines (it was built to an obsolete design when new).

For groups which operate some of their equipment, it tends to skew their efforts towards it and cause a disproportional degree of neglect on what needs just a little attention...and allows those pieces to slip away. The need to keep something operational distracts from basic protection of the other equipment. It makes it difficult to be both a museum and an operator.
nkp_174 Wrote:Connersville used to run both their prairie and their EBT 0-6-0...but both were sidelined (illegal lap seam boilers). They managed to scrape up the money for a new boiler for the 2-6-2. You may recall the maxim measure twice, cut once? Well, that new boiler is a good reminder of why :cry: The EBT engine is toiling in the weeds at the back of the place...looking terrible...it is the only surviving 0-6-0 I can think of which represents 1880s and 1890s switch engines (it was built to an obsolete design when new).

Criminy - are you saying that they had a boiler built that could not be used?
Fluesheet Wrote:Criminy - are you saying that they had a boiler built that could not be used?

Measure twice...cut once...because pressure vessels aren't so easy to cut twice...

When I visited a few years ago, the new boiler was sitting on a flat car. IIRC, it is something like 6" that has caused the problem. There are three operations within a half hour or so from the Cincinnati outer belt...all are diesel...plus the "museum". The only one with any steam has, at least in hearsay, been in negotiations to get rid of all but one of their steam engines. The only steam locomotive in Cincinnati, an 0-4-0t, was sold and moved a year or two ago.

Ah, but the steam in Dayton is safe (although they did sell their NYC 0-6-0 a few years back Wallbang ). It is under roof and well cared for.