According to the Amarillo Globe-News, city officials decided to place the locomotive for sale after different organizations approached the city.
“City management was approached by various groups that expressed interest in the locomotive, and because of that interest they, along with the city council, decided it was best to go ahead and issue a [request for proposals] to find out what the real interest was out there…” Amarillo representative Sonjas Gross tells the local newspaper.
The proposals process is part of a formal bidding process.
Opponents of the sale include the Santa Fe 5000 Railroad Artifact Preservation Society whose members say they invested $800,000 to move the locomotive from a nearby BNSF Railway yard to the current display location in 2008. The organization then spent tens of thousands of additional dollars to paint and cosmetically restore the locomotive, the newspaper reports. The group also contributed more than 1,800 volunteer hours.
City management did not disclose when city council voted to sell the locomotive.
hopefully the selling of Santa Fe 2-10-4 texas steam locomotive #5000 will be for the restoration madam queen Santa Fe 2-10-4 texas steam locomotive #5000 so that this Santa Fe 2-10-4 texas class steam locomotive will be soonly returned to service to full operating condition pulling passenger excursion trains forevermore.
hopefully the Santa Fe 2-10-4 texas class steam locomotive #5000 a.k.a the madame queen will be sold for restoration to the BNSF railway and this could possibly present an opportunity or more for BNSF to start a steam excursion programme like Union Pacific & Norfolk Southern. The Santa Fe 5000 Railroad Artifact Preservation Society could hopefully be commissioned and financed for tools and materials by BNSF to restore Madam Queen to operation plus extra cash to the BNSF railway paint BNSF SD70Ace diesel locomotives numbers 8571,8572,8573,8574,8575,8576,8578,8570,8580,8581,8579,8583 & 8582 in full BNSF railway predecessor heritage paint schemes also in addition to Santa Fe 2-10-4 texas steam locomotive #5000 a.k.a the madam queen being fully restored to full operating condition pulling passenger excursion trains too just like Santa Fe 4-8-4 northern steam locomotives numbers 3751 & 2926 as well as Santa Fe 4-6-4 hudson class steam locomotive 3463 & Spokane ,Portland and Seattle 4-8-4 #700.
BNSF could buy back the Madam Queen as Union Pacific did the Big Boy in California. But, then BNSF does not have a heritage programme beyond print and static displays like Union Pacific.
Nonetheless, this presents an opportunity for BNSF to start a steam excursion programme like Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The Santa Fe 5000 Railroad Artifact Preservation Society could be commissioned and financed for tools and materials by BNSF to restore Madam Queen to operation.
wait i thought that the Santa Fe 5000 Railroad Artifact Preservation Society was in the process of restoreing her to operating condition? wow this is a huge shocker. what happens now?
I hope TRAINS continues to cover this matter.
While I don’t know all of the particulars, it sounds like the local preservation group may have an Open Meetings/Open Records case to pursue.
WOW, the city council voted to sell it after all that community effort and expense? Why??? It it expensive to maintain? Does the city council have some other use for the land where it is displayed? I know nothing is forever but there must be an explanation given before disposing of an irreplaceable part of community history where so much investment has been made recently?
this is another “Issue” that city council has in broiled themselves. They will be forced to show where it was on their agenda to “vote to sell Madam Queen”. Reason — It is being said they did. This is one of those ‘I don’t think so” situations
That’s quite a rough turn for the preservation group, but they should have known something like this could happen. The real question is – is someone interested because they want to restore it, or is this another nightmare scenario like SP 982 where the thing will be sold off piece by piece.
This really depends on the conditions of the sale.
Hopefully it won’t be scrapped.
For some reason, I can see the “American Pickers” looking at her and then lowballing the city.