Mixed report from the Galveston (TX) Daily News: Crews from Roman Steel Cutters, of Illinois, and Motive Power and Equipment Solutions, of South Carolina, work to dismantle the Galveston Railroad Museum’s Texas Limited Engines 100 and 200 on Wednesday. The museum reopened in March. Record numbers visit museum since reopening By Katie Terhune Correspondent Published June 2, 2011 GALVESTON — After being shut down for almost two and a half years by Hurricane Ike, things finally are looking up for the Galveston Railroad Museum. The museum had a record number of visitors Saturday since reopening in March, with 200 guests coming through to see the collection of trains and railroad memorabilia. Executive Director Morris Gould said the railroad museum has been taking steps to bring in new patrons. A new 80-ton diesel locomotive arrived Friday night in Galveston. Gould hopes to have it up and running by Tuesday. The train will be available for locomotive and caboose rides, which the museum has not offered since before the storm. The museum sustained $6.5 million to $8 million of damage from Ike. “It basically ruined all of our operating locomotives,” Gould said. It was cheaper for the museum to purchase a new locomotive than it would have been to repair one that had been seriously damaged, he said. Such was the case for the No. 100 Texas Limited and No. 200 Texas Limited, two 1950s locomotives. The engines could not be repaired and are in the process of being cut up for scrap metal. “Unfortunately, the Texas Limited was so severely damaged that it was not cost-effective to restore it,” Gould said. However, the museum is keeping the cab of the No. 200 Texas Limited and will move it inside the museum. Gould plans to purchase and install a train simulator to give visitors a chance to experience what it would be like to operate the machine. “The patrons will be able to climb in the cab of the locomotive and operate the controls, and it’ll be just like running a real locomotive,” Gould said. The museum is restoring two engines that are nearly identical to the Texas Limited. The new locomotives, from the Southern Pacific line, are from the same era as the Texas Limited and are scheduled to arrive at the museum in September or October. Although construction is ongoing, Gould said guests are thrilled to be able to experience the museum again. “Our patrons are really tickled to death that we’re open,” he said. “I have not had any complaints about the museum — what we have to offer.” NOTE: the two F-units that were scrapped were former SP locomotives.
Unfortunately, Galveston is one of the worst places on earth to have a railroad museum because of the salty sea breeze and the occasional immersion in salt water due to a storm surge from a hurricane. You just can't evacuate an entire collection of locomotives and rolling stock when a hurricane approaches. Everything just gets a bath in one of the worst corrosive liquids around. It is virtually impossible to get it out of all the seams and voids where it goes to work and starts eating. Small artifacts can be stabilized by soaking in distilled water repeatedly but that is hardly practical for a railroad locomotive or passenger car. What a shame because they had an awesome collection. Here is one of the locomotives after it arrived in Galveston to be restored for Texas Limited service. Ex L&NW 47 ex SP6309. This is the same F-7s in better times after it was repainted.
