Who would travel to see this

cabrala18 posted:

Greetings:

      I know this totally and completely hypothetical, but hey we can dream.  Who would go to a central location, say Sacramento, CA for a major Trainfest like the one done in Michigan in 2009.  I would love to see a line up of Santa Fe 2926, Santa Fe 3751, SP 4449, SP&S 700, and the UP 844 all fired up and doing small daytrip excursions around and also staged for photos.  I know that by 2021 they should all be certified at the same time and just would really be neat to see.  I would also love to see other steamers and early Diesels be there as well.  I know a little bit of what goes into a trip to get one of these to a place like this, since my brother helped with getting the 4449 to Michigan back in 2009.  It takes a LOT of planning, money, time, and hard work to do this but WTH, why not throw the idea around the different organizations that take care of these pieces of History to showcase in a major place again.  Please put any points on here, but be clean.  Like I said, we can only dream, but just look at the positives of what Trainfest did that year.

There have been three "Railfairs" held at the California State RR Museum (1981, 1991, & 1999), all of which were EXTREMELY expensive. Now that the state of California is bordering on bankruptcy, the state run/funded CSRM is in NO position to fund anymore huge events such as the previous three Railfairs.

Another point to consider, there is only one railroad adjacent/connecting to the CSRM, i.e. the UP! Just my opinion from experience, the UP isn't about to support/allow ANY other steam locomotives on the main lines to and from Sacramento. Besides, there is no longer any effective locations around Sacramento to operate excursions to/from (steam or otherwise), where an entire train could be turned and returned to Sacramento within just one day.

One last point; the 2009 Train Festival in Michigan was a financial disaster, in spite of the "positives" you claim.  

By what definition (save perhaps CA-centric) can Sacramento, CA, be considered "a central location"?

Hold it in St. Louis or KC, heck yeah, I'll go.  Travel to CA?  Not if I can help it.

As an Alabama resident, I would hardly consider Sacramento a "central location". Streamliners at Spencer was a decent trek. The midwest is about as far as I reasonably see myself going. Can't afford to fly to the west coast, rent a car, and a hotel room, plus all the event costs.

As I recall, the 2009 Trainfestival cost more money than it brought in... that doesn't work very well from a business standpoint.  I did attend and it was a very cool event, but things don't always go as they're meant to.

I attended the one in Owosso, MI.  That seems a lot more "central" to me than California.  Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago, etc.  all good choices.

Dennis

Okay.  I will clarify a little bit.  Central was meaning a location somewhat close for the large Locomotives to go to since the farthest east would be either Cheyenne or Albuquerque.  Hot Water I always love hearing your input on things.  I did not know that 2009 was upside down in terms of profits.  Would a place like either Denver or Phoenix have the abilities to host runs.  I do not know where, say BNSF, has a wye or turntable.  I did remember that it took a LOT to get the Daylight that far east, since she had not been that far east since her time on the lead of the American Freedom Train.

except Worlds Fair in NOLA

cabrala18 posted:

Okay.  I will clarify a little bit.  Central was meaning a location somewhat close for the large Locomotives to go to since the farthest east would be either Cheyenne or Albuquerque. 

I sure would call either Cheyenne nor Albuquerque  "central" either, besides neither the UP nor BNSF would even remotely tolerate such an "event".

Hot Water I always love hearing your input on things. 

Thanks. Sometimes the truth is hard to take, however.

I did not know that 2009 was upside down in terms of profits.  Would a place like either Denver or Phoenix have the abilities to host runs. 

No.

I do not know where, say BNSF, has a wye or turntable.  I did remember that it took a LOT to get the Daylight that far east,

Not really, just lots of cooperation between BNSF management and Amtrak management. One key point however concerning that 2009 trip; freight traffic was WAY DOWN on that BNSF Northern Line (the former Great Northern), and such a trip could NOT be operated today!

since she had not been that far east since her time on the lead of the American Freedom Train.

That didn't really have anything to do with the 2009 trip.

Yes: I would travel to a train festival. 

Below is a YT video from my channel about the Pere Marquette. Owosso, Michigan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZt83PevSyM&t=9s

I have been on this train several times. Members of The Detroit Model Railroad Club have also been on board and some are volunteers.

Gary 

Hey unless somebody can come up with a mainline which can be sealed, forget about big mainline steam this year except for the UP 844 trip.  End of story.  Period.

I wouldn't travel that far. The best steam and railroad event I ever was a part of was the event hosted by Jerry Joe Jacobson and his crew on the Ohio Central in 2004. If there was a decent event in the northeast or say Chicago I would make the effort to attend. The problem now a days is they have to attract not just the railfan but the general public. What would make or break the event would be ticket prices and who hosts the event.

While I would love to see a multi-engine event (I never have,) I am very highly reluctant to go to California for any reason after what I saw my last time there.

Kent in SD

Being on the east coast, traveling to the crazy state of California is out. 

Dave

Yes, looks like 844 in Denver is it for this year. No 611 trips due to NS no longer hosting excursions. But no 261 trips or anything on BNSF this year? What about 765? Anything else besides Steam in the Valley at CVSR? Chicago again? Or not? You want a several hour steam trip with open window coaches? Go to the RBMN. Might be some special excursions this year with the 250th anniversary of anthracite. It takes a lot of work to pull off a railfest type event with visiting steam locomotives. Not all class 1 railroads will even transport or deadhead a steam locomotive unless it’s on a flat car. CSX and UP are two examples.

Although it's not mainline, there is a photo freight double header between Southern 630 and 4501, plus they'll be doing plenty of passenger double headers. 

I suppose if it was held in sacramento, we would go.  I would like to get back to California someday.  

Hello again.

    To clarify on what I meant originally by "central" was a central location to the locations of the locomotives I named.  Two in Portland, one in LA, One in Albuquerque, and UP Steam Shop.  I know that the Berkshires and the 611 are still coal burners, and fuel would be an issue for them to come that far west.  St. Louis or Omaha or OKC I think to try to draw all types of steam would be great, but I do not know infrastructure or capabilities to have such a mass event. Hot Water or current RR employees could fill in that gap.  Again, just a pipe dream of wanting to see large steamers together that would all be under current FRA certifications.  SP&S 700 should be ready by Spring 2019,  ATSF 2926 should be ready I think by end of this year,  and ATSF 3751 and possibly UP 4014 in 2020.  That is the reason for thinking of the year 2020.

A "pipe dream" or other wise, in my opinion, it is a waste of time to further "discuss" such an "event", because it isn't going to happen anyway.

Yes, such a thing is beginning to be seen as too much “red tape” and is hard to pull off. There’s too much logistics and costs involved. Steamtown and TVRM have railfest type events in early September, but no visiting steam locomotives as far as I know. 765 visited Steamtown’s railfest in 2015 and pulled two excursions. Not all class 1’s will even transport a steam locomotive on its own wheels. UP and CSX are two examples.