Arlen, I have to chime in on this as well. First of all, the #4449, the 700 and the 197 as well as the 190 and other engines are housed in a World Class facility just a stones throw from gorgeous and vibrant downtown Portland Oregon, whose residents again supported our sold out Santa Trains who braved cold, snow and ice to honor their commitment to Oregon Heritage Railroad Foundation. The Doyle McCormack Roundhouse is a state of the art facility for both the folks who work on the engine as well as our visitors who come to see them. Its very accessible by Tri-met, bike, trail and auto. The engine house has many built in safety features that many organizations of all types would love to have.
As far as trips are concerned, because of the high cost of insurance, operation and availability of cars, any movement must be examined for cost to run, exposure and profitability. If you want to help to that end, ORHF will gladly except your donation and membership to orhf.org FYI, Caltrains on the San Francisco Peninsula has changed their policy regarding steam and as they say, that train has already left the station...... The above comments are mine own and do not reflect those views of ORHF or its Board of Directors, Sincerely, Mike Pechner member, contributor and volunteer of the ORHF>