I think Norm had an excellent point. Before anybody restores a locomotive they have to have a place to run it and a plan on how to get it there. If they don't then there is no reason to go through the cost and effort to restore it to operation. The money spent on a restoration of a locomotive that won't have a place to operate can instead be used for building a safe place to store and display it after it gets a cosmetic restoration. The days of "if you restore it, they will let you run" are over. Woosocket pointed out heritage rail operations, he left out my favorite, the Pacific Locomotive Associations' Niles Canyon Railway. Aside from the three steam locomotives we have operating from our collection we have also had other visiting steam engines get some time on our railroad. The CSRM guys brought the Granite Rock engine, Roots of Motive Power brought Mason County #7, Stathi brought the Chiggen, and of course we have allowed the GGRM to operate the 2472 for the last decade. Note that aside from the 2472 the three locomotives that have visited are small and easy to transport. They didn't have to depend on a mainline railroad to move them.