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CONGRATULATIONS RAILFANS! The TRHA has purchased LRC locomotive number 6917 from VIA Rail Canada. This unique piece of Canadian railway history has been saved. A special thanks to everyone who donated as we could not have done it without you! Now the fun really begins... LATEST UPDATE: 17 JANUARY 2011 Click on a link below to learn more:
LATEST NEWS - 17 JANUARY 2011 We have spent the last month removing parts from sister LRC locomotive number 6919, which was damaged in a sideswipe accident several years ago. This locomotive was owned by RB Railway Group in Lachine. RB Railway Group president Gerry Rosen generously gave us unfettered access to 6919 to take whatever parts we needed for the restoration of 6917. Locomotive mechanics Chris Fox (from Bombardier) and Rocky Panacci (from VIA) have been extremely helpful in telling us what parts to remove from 6919, and the whole crew at VIA's Toronto Maintenance Centre (TMC) have been very supportive of our efforts. Ownership of 6919 was transferred first to TRHA Board Member Jason Shron and then to Attar Metals of Mississauga. Attar Metals scrapped 6919 on Friday 14 January. Tax receipts to donors will be sent out by the first week of February, and they will be packaged with VIA gift cards and/or model LRC coaches for qualifying donors. We don't yet have the hats or badges. They will be ready later in the year. Over the next few months we will be working with VIA mechanics on their days off to fully restore 6917 to operating condition. More information will be posted here in the coming months, as well as the TRHA news page, which can be found here.  
Now that we have saved the LRC, what next? Our original goal was to move the LRC to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre at the John Street Roundhouse in downtown Toronto. However, initial inspections suggest that LRC 6917 could be operational a lot sooner than we originally thought. So we are now looking at keeping it off site as a roving ambassador for the TRHA. The move to a local short line is still under negotiation, as our some other options which we will post here when we can. The focus is on getting 6917 operational, and thankfully that is happening RIGHT NOW rather than "some time in the future."
What is our fundraising goal? Now that we have purchased the LRC from VIA, there are still plenty of things to do. As mentioned above, our primary goal is to get 6917 operating. As such, our fundraising goals have changed. Stage 2 Fundraising Goal: Make it Run - $7,000 - $10,000 Work is just starting on making 6917 operational, and we will soon know if we need new batteries. A new set of batteries costs approximately $7000. We will post regular updates here. If the batteries are still functional, then we may be able to get 6917 running with a minimal capital investment. Stage 3 Fundraising Goal: Make it Shine - $8,000 A cosmetic restoration of the locomotive, including automotive-grade paint professionally applied, will cost about $8,000, and we want to get that started in the spring. We will need volunteers to come help us sand down the exterior and fill any blemishes with body filler before the painters start their work. Stage 4 Fundraising Goal: The First Move - $TBA We will update this fundraising goal once 6917 is operational. So our short-term fundraising goal is a lot less than we originally envisaged. Seeing as we raised over $40,000 to purchase 6917 in a few short months entirely from individual railfans and enthusiasts, we are confident that we will be able to get 6917 operating, cleaned up, and moved to its first short line destination. We hope you are as excited as we are to be saving this unique piece of history. So we still need your help to restore 6917 and ensure that future generations of railfans and historians will be able to learn about and appreciate the LRC and its role in Canadian railway history. Please donate today!
Thank you gifts for your donation
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