IRVINE, Ky. — A former Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive is going to the auction block to settle a legal judgment.
The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. said today (Jan. 23) in a public notice that NKP No. 587, a Class H-6o 2-8-2 built by Baldwin in 1918, will be the subject of a sealed-bid auction as part of a judgment against the owner for unpaid storage fees. The winner will be notified on March 3.
Bids much be accompanied by a check or letter of credit for $5,000; checks will be returned to unsuccessful bidders. The winning bidder must remove the locomotive from Kentucky Steam’s Irvine facility within 60 days; if the locomotive is not removed, the bidder will be charged $100 a day for storage and could have the sale cancelled. A host of other legal disclaimers and conditions are available in the public notice.
The locomotive has been at Kentucky Steam since 2018, when it was relocated — in partially dismantled condition — from the former Indiana Transportation Museum property in the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville. In 2021, Kentucky Steam said in a press release that the locomotive had been sold to an individual who planned to continue the restoration efforts that were envisioned when the locomotive was moved to Kentucky. Those plans fell apart as a result of financial issues for the Indiana organization. At that time, Kentucky Steam said it was working with the new owner to develop a mechanical plan for the engine.
No. 587 was retired by the Nickel Plate in 1955 and placed on display in Broad Ripple Park in Indianapolis, where it remained until it was leased by the Indiana Transportation Museum in 1983. It was restored to operating condition and ran in excursion service from 1988 to 2003, when it became due for its Federal Railroad Administration 1,472-day inspection. The locomotive earned a place on the National Register of Historic places in 1984 but was delisted in 2021.
but who would want the 587 ?