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Council weighs costs, recommends saving caboose rather than locomotive
Summary
Council reviewed restoration and abatement estimates for a Great Western locomotive and caboose; staff recommended pursuing the caboose and returning with cost options and fundraising plans after initial estimates. The council asked staff to gather numbers before deciding on purchase or restoration.
Councilmember Gallardi presented an update to the council on the Great Western Railway artifacts identified in his petition. He said preliminary estimates place asbestos abatement for the locomotive at roughly $100,000 and restoration/painting at an additional roughly $100,000; the caboose would require separate work and “would be another couple hundred thousand” to restore, according to Gallardi.
Gallardi told colleagues a private buyer has expressed interest in the locomotive, and a local owner had offered the town first right of refusal. Several council members and staff agreed the engine is largely a rebuilt assembly of parts and less historically significant than the caboose; Gallardi and others recommended letting an outside buyer take the engine and pursuing the caboose as a multiyear restoration project.
Council directed staff to return with more detailed cost estimates for abatement, movement and staged restoration, and to explore storage options and potential partners — including historical groups and private donors — to support fundraising. No appropriation or purchase motion was made; council asked for a follow‑up agenda item after staff develops a plan and cost estimates.
