Re: PC: NYC sharks that didn't make it to PC

["weldon" <weldon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

These things sound like the proverbial 55 T-Bird in the little old lady's
garage.
Maybe the best place for them is squirrelled away, away from vandals, away
from Ultraviolet light, weather, elements.  My gosh, its almost like they're
preserved in the amber, awaiting Richard Attenborogh to bring them back to
life in the lab.
Long live the sharks, in or out of the tomb!
Lee

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry Jordak <jer -AT- smellycat.com>
To: penn-central -AT- smellycat.com <penn-central@smellycat.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2001 11:14 PM
Subject: Re: PC: NYC sharks that didn't make it to PC


>Patrick wrote:
>
>> Someone posted a note prior to this one saying that the Sharks are
>> in the briny deep because of the behavior of railfans. Is that true?
>> Were they stealing parts of them?
>
>My understanding is that at some point some vandals stole a builder's
>plate and a shop manual for the Sharks from the Escanaba & Lake Superior
>roundhouse. Ever since then, the E&LS has been very unfriendly to
>railfans, for obvious reasons. It is unknown if the sharks have even seen
>the light of day since then.
>
>> It just strikes me as both sad and
>> odd that two of the most interesting, and I think inspiring, engines
>> made are kept away from the only ones who will ever appreciate them.
>
>I'm sure the E&LS would sell them if someone offered them enough cash.
>Problem is, I sure don't have it... :-)
>
>> Is this, perhaps, one of the things that we should look at changing
>> via the PCT&HS. I have not sent in my membership application yet, but
>> when I do I think one of our goals should be to cooperate with the NYC
>> society to bring the Sharks out again. Isn't this worth the effort?
>
>I'll let Jim Hebner elaborate on this if he wishes, but at this point,
>the PCRRHS probably is not going to delve into any preservation efforts,
>because a) we're just starting out and have other more pressing needs to
>attend to and b) see my above paragraph. Preservation takes a lot of time
>and money, and the PCRRHS, having been in existence for not quite six
>months, just doesn't have the money or the time to devote to a project
>like that. It would be foolish to try, because it would likely bankrupt
>the Society. If someday we end up with tens of thousands of extra dollars
>in the treasury, AND the membership agrees on a worthwhile preservation
>effort, then possibly it could happen. But at this point, preservation is
>not going to be a focus of the PCRRHS. (I say this in an official role
>as a PCRRHS Trustee, although Jim can probably say the same more
>eloquently that I.)
>
>This I will say as a personal opinion: The sharks have been parked in
>the woods for probably 10 years, at least. They're not going anywhere,
>so I don't see a real rush to preserve them right now. Yes, things could
>change, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Hopefully someday down
>the road they will be preserved by someone or some group with the pockets
>to do it. But the E&LS doesn't seem to be in any hurry to sell them for
>scrap, and I'm sure they are aware of the historical significance of the
>locomotives, so this story will probably have a happy ending someday.
>
>Later,
>-Jer
>
>--
>Jerry W. Jordak                   It's not the trains that amaze me--
>mailto:jer@smellycat.com          it's the fish heads.
>http://prozac.cwru.edu/jer/                       -- Mark Bailey
>Acts 16:31   <><
>
>
>