Curiously, while there was talk of the unit having to be scrapped because of the Gen-sets that are being purchased the MET still is showing 8 70-tonners for sale... http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds/classified.php?id=171 Makes me wonder if the 608 is among them... Edit... apparently she is... she's shown in the shot below on 8Aug2010 as still being in storage. http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2196586 Maybe there's still hope that one or more of these beauties will see additional use!!!
I know where it went last, but I haven't been able to raise the modeler now for a couple months. I'm still hopeful it will re-emerge, but the last time I saw anything like this it was a real locomotive and the AEI tags had been inadvertently mounted upside down, it was interchanged to a Class 1 - and wasn't seen for a full year. When it was found, on a maintenance track, it was 1800 miles away from where it started, with no paperwork whatsoever.
I believe when I heard that story, it was a Candian engine no less, and had cross the border. No one even bothered to ask why they lugged a dead-in-tow engine over the border. as a side note: I sure hope 608 is not lost in scale or reality, it's the fears we have in the TBX interchange groups. By the way, does Mark Watson have you down as a member yet?
I can neither confirm or deny.... but I do know the story of the "Ontario Central" locomotive in New York State being routed into Ontario, Canada because the waybills were lost on the eve of the CR split to CSX and NS, and all they had to go on was the paint job of the locomotive, so they sent it to... Canada. It was amazing that it got into Canada, and then they couldn't get it back as it had no paperwork of ever coming over to begin with. The railroad is in Ontario County, New York state. Canada is funny about that stuff. At the same time I got asked to trace a missing 0-6-0 on a flatcar, lost in transit on CR. The railfan network finally found it, in a yard. Again, lost computer waybills, time for binoculars. And 'member' of what? the TBX? No.
I'm hoping it shows up again soon too. If not, I will help finance another 70 tonner to complete the tour.
Well I have an answer, but it's a sad one. I'd routed 608 to Dean Ebner in early March, as he was working on a Kansas-based N ATSF layout and was in the middle of constructing a photo diorama specifically for this project and wanted time to do it right and I'd told him I was certainly in no hurry here. Like everybody, he had plenty to do in 'real life', and so do I, so with some nudging here and research I finally found out what had happened and that he had unexpectedly and suddenly died only days after corresponding with me. I started this thread concept fully knowing that 'things happen' to equipment real and miniature shipped all over the country, so its unfortunate but by no means a tragedy of proportions if it were lost. He was a regular on the Atlas forums but somehow I missed the tribute thread, it was primarily on the HO side and I rarely go there. Anyway, I heard from his wife tonight, and she was aware of the project and I sent her photos. It may be discovered, certainly not for lack of trying. But there has been a pretty good reason for it 'missing in action' here on this thread. She had been unaware of the lengthy tribute thread launched on the Atlas forum, I sent her the link, so that's something good. He had many friends over there and there were so many thoughts expressed that I'm glad she can see those. We often forget that these forums, and particularly the tribute threads, are lost on the very people we want to reach for the simple lack of knowing anyone else in the family.
OK, forumites, good news. M&ET 608 is now 'home shop for repairs' after dissapearing east of Winslow. Actually I owe a lot of thanks to Patty Ebner, she found it and got it back to me. Dean's death was completely unexpected, I'd literally heard from him the day before it happened. After contacting the group that I had set up much earlier for the 'coast to coast route' via N scale layouts, I have a few left, but a couple others have either not responded or now have their layouts in a state of dissassembly. If this note comes as a surprise then your contact information may have changed from what I had. So if you'd like to participate in the 'part II' of the M&ET thread, email me via the web page link on my randgust.com web page or PM me. We need to develop a new routing to the coast to save M&ET 608 from the scrappers...
you want to make this international? I don't have a layout, but I do have a little 2' photograph diorama that should be done here in a few weeks... I even have some german equipment I can mix with it!!
This is kinda becoming another resurrected thread.... M&ET 608 and her flatcar are now safe 'back home' to the modeler that originally did the flatcar - Rick Peltz and his N-scale layout. I still have decal sheets made up if anybody else wants to do an M&ET 70-tonner. Meanwhile, the prototype is happily imitating the model now - this is the rescue mission of 613 from the M&ET to the Campo railroad museum: http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31761 http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=31723 Sounds like the 608 headed to Canada?
I am very glad to hear that the end of 613 has turned out to be far better than we were expecting!!! And on what once was "home rails"... that is sweet!!!
Wow, now how cool is that? San Diego is my home town btw, I'll have to make a trip out to Campo next time I'm there to pay homage.
OK, folks..... the fiction is getting ever closer to the truth. Word on the street is that this is the buyer of the rest of the M&ET units - in Saskatchewan - including the 608: http://www.mobilgrain.com/ So that puts them from Modesto to Saskatchewan? They might get trucked...they also might get flatcar'd. So, keep your eyes open! I did the flatcar load based upon another GE 95-tonner moving from New York State to Canada, including the car type and the tiedowns....I'm anxiously waiting to see what happens here. 613 is at Campo. 600 is staying at the M&ET. The rest are supposedly headed for Canada. Hope they have block heaters installed! EDIT: I searched Trainorders and found this - posted five days ago - of what looks to be 608 on a flatbed headed to Canada.... It's a phone shot from a passing car on Highway 88.....she's still waxed. Unbelievable. http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2541393,2541393#msg-2541393 If the link doesn't work search Trainorders for "Modesto" and it's not too far down. BY THE WAY.... If somebody wants to do either lightweight flatcar load 70-tonner or highway flatbeds, the resin kits weigh ounces and I have about five sets of the photoetch stuff left. 2 resin shells left, may be gone by this weekend, I'd make more until I run out of photoetch parts but after that, I'm done.
Latest update from the Yahoo! groups is that seven 70-tonners - including 608 - have been trucked to Canada by Renn Trucking. The only two left in the US (of the M&ET fleet) is the 600 kept at Modesto for historical purposes, and the 613 shipped to the Campo Rail Museum. Certainly better than scrap, we'll see what happens with the Canadians. If you have a bunch of light-railed branches or sidings they are ideal. BTW I have ONE (1) remaining 70-tonner resin kit....
Here's news as of Sept. 11: The 601 and 604 have been photographed 'back on rails' in Canada, and the 608 is reported to be up there as well: http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2011/sept11/sept11shortlines.htm http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2011/sept11/lmr604ds.jpg This certainly has become the 'truth is stranger than fiction!' result
May finally have the period at the end of the sentence. Until January 2012, there was no confirmation that THIS existed, but here she is... http://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/Sep3_11_RL_MGLX608_AylesburySK.jpg "Roman Litarchuck bagged MGLX 70-Ton 608, 607, 602, with MGLX 3138 (ex-KCS) at Aylesbury, SK. in September." So, if there are any modelers & railfans out there this summer...HEADS UP! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Mountain_Railway
