The NC&StL Railway Preservation Society, Inc., ( NCPS ), a
Tennessee non-profit corporation, is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
The group was formed in July 2001 to serve as a freestanding organization
dedicated to preserving any and everything that is related to the
NC&StL Railway. The scope of this preservation quest is centred
entirely on 576 at present. NCPS may endeavour to rescue other
NC&StL rolling stock, buildings or other artifacts in the future
as time and resources allow, but 576 is and will continue to be
the centrepiece of attention for the Society. NCPS is seeking to
successfully negotiate and execute a long-term lease with the city
of Nashville for the community use and operation of #576 as a live,
steaming history museum to honour Nashville's railroad heritage
and to provide an additional tourist attraction for the city and
the region.
The Society proposes to start this project with the successful
negotiation and execution of a long-term lease, preferably in 20-year
segments with reasonable renewal options, with the city of Nashville
for the ability to move 576 from its current display inside Centennial
Park to a secure location in Nashville where it may be restored
to operating capacity and then operated on excursion trips around
Nashville. Several other major cities in the country (Portland,
Oregon; Indianapolis, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; and Austin,
Texas) have already entered into similar arrangements with railfan
and museum groups in their respective communities to restore steam
engines that had previously been on static display and all of these
projects have proven successful and beneficial to the respective
cities.
Upon successful completion of the restoration process, 576 would
be featured in a select number of quarterly operating one-day long,
roundtrip excursions upon the Nashville and Eastern Railroad (
NERR ) to local communities such as Lebanon, Watertown and Cookeville
and then return to Nashville. NCPS will benefit from its alliance
with the Tennessee Central Railway Museum ( TCRM ), which has offered
its facility for the initial secure storage of 576 once it is moved
from the park.
NCPS welcomes contributions to the 576 Restoration Project as
well as memberships in
the Society.
more
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Reprinted from The Crypt Magazine, Issue 29, 2002, www.thecryptmag.com
For further information, contact
Dain Schult, NCPS President, dstrr@aol.com
Tom Knowles, Preservation Officer, ncstl@mindspring.com
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