Based on rumor and as I understand it -

Court Hammond kept claiming he did not own the #19 so the lien could not be against him. Just prior to the auction to settle the mechanic's lien, Doug Morgan filed notice with the court that he was #19's legal owner and that he had a previous claim against the engine that took precedence. So how was Court Hammond able to claim in his proposal to the Wallowa Union that he would bring the #19 to operate there? Hint - Doug Morgan was one of the names listed in the WURR proposal by Court Hammond.

So the apparent question to be sorted out is Doug Morgan the legal owner of the #19 and does that somehow supersede and cancel out the mechanic's lien? This is obviously a tangled mess to sort out, and my opinion is that there may be a bit of a shell game going on here to protect assets against debts.