Whatever became of these Sharks?
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We'll take them back on the Washington County Branch!!
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Sadly, they won't be around for too much longer. Word has it that when the owner passes, it is written in his will that these two are to be cut up for scrap. They should go to the Whitewater Scenic Railroad, have both of them restored in NYC 1960s black with the cigar band, disassemble both prime movers, and salvage them to at least get one of them running again (the other one will just be a static display. sit there and look pretty).
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Mr. Maloy, I just wish to know where you heard this information?
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I'm not sure anyone except the owner knows for sure what will happen to them, but I heard he will donate them to a museum when he passes. I would hope that's a more likely scenario. Cranks are supposedly junk in both units though so it might take a bit to get them running. That said, it would be a shame if they were indeed scrapped.
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The Sharks are locked up in storage in Michigan at the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad. Once a railroad friendly to railfans, some ruined it for all and the railroad owner has had a grudge ever since. I have not heard any rumors of cutting the sole surviving Sharks, however. Hopefully, the owner will come to realize not all the apples are bad. Would love to seem them, never imagined I, like many, who had absolutely nothing to do with those that caused the hard feelings would grow old doing so. Thanks for sharing the pics, Greg!
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Hopefully a court will not uphold a provision born of pure spitefulness (if indeed such a provision exists).
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I have a pair of these units on display in my workshop here in Adelaide, South Australia - the real thing only in 1.5 inch scale 7.25 gauge and they both operate. One in the D&H blue and silver and the other in NYC black and grey. Go to www.chaski.org/ and have a look under Riding Scale Railways - Baldwin RF-16 Sharks in South Australia. I built my own as I figured there was no chance of seeing the full size units. Who knows there maybe some light at the end of the tunnel.
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Alright, I'll ask. Mitch, what did someone do to anger the railroad bigwig and ruin it for the rest of us?
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They took the builders plates, unfortunately ruining it for the rest of us.
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Hopefully this episode will serve as a warning / lesson to other would-be-naughty railfans.
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I can say with absolute certainty that what Mr. Maloy has stated is utter nonsense.
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The story I recall back then was that some unscrupulous visiting rail fans stole Baldwin repair manuals from the E&LS as well. I'll have to dig out my photos of these when we saw them at Escanaba..
Whatever it was, the damage has been done.
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| Posted by Dana M. on December 8, 2016 | |
The information and "legend" of these locomotives is: They are owned by a private owner, and the owner has been approached several times over several years with offers from groups to buy them, offers to restore them at no cost to him, to donate them to a museum as a tax write-off, and offers of practically everything under the sun to get him to part with them so they might be restored or properly cared for and properly displayed - But all for naught. Apparently the owner is very stubborn and is keeping these units and several artifacts of railroad memorabilia exclusively for himself and out of public view and very selfishly and in a somewhat mean-spirited way or reason. At least they've been stored indoors out of the elements, but at what cost to appreciative railfans and in what condition they're in remains to be determined. I wish SOMEONE could talk to the family of the owner(s) to convince him/her/them to sell them and get them either cosmetically restored or perhaps able to operate on a tourist line. But that's what information I know regarding these locomotives and other railroad equipment in the private collection.
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