Re: SP 4449 South through UP Brooklyn Yard?? >> Thanks Kwcc
Author: Erik H.
Date: 05-10-2017 - 16:32
HUTCH 7.62 Wrote:
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> Money Talks.
And as a result, the 4449 group can pay for THEIR own engine themselves; plus buy the engine from the good residents of the City of Portland that preserved it from the Southern Pacific, plus repay the City of Portland loan immediately for the construction of ORHF.
To run a large steam locomotive as one's personal play toy while simultaneously giving a huge middle finger to the railfan community and the public is an insult to those who have donated or contributed to the engine in the past. If "money talks", then the 4449 needs to stop begging the public for money and go after corporate sponsors like GWI. They need to rescind their non-profit status, since they are clearly in it for the money and not for public enjoyment. They need to buy the engine from the City since it is apparently no longer for the public enjoyment.
They have lost any support I had given them, and instead I will focus my charitable giving towards a wide number of groups that work real hard to let the public in, rather than keep the public out.
If they want to show they are truly interested in the public's participation, then they need to act like it. They had a perfect opportunity to work with GWI. They could have even had a brief public display in downtown Tigard or Lake Oswego, even if it was just 30 minutes. Nope. All wasted. Throw in the outrageous cost of the Bend excursion...guess railfanning is now only a hobby for the rich, just like what model railroading has become.