Letter of Appreciation from the Carson and Colorado Railway
The Carson and Colorado Railway (CCR) is excited to announce that through the unbelievable support of our members we were not only able to match the $20,000 offered through a grant by the Narrow Gauge Preservation Foundation for work on the historic Slim Princess locomotive, we nearly DOUBLED it!
In total, we received donations totaling $39,440 from well over 100 members in 11 different states. The donations ranged in size from $10 to $1,000 with an amazing single $20,000 donation from an anonymous local.
The grant and matching donations will help fund the ongoing effort to restore and rehabilitate the Slim Princess Locomotive #18, located in Dehy Park in Independence.
With these funds in hand the boiler repair work has already begun, with the locating and purchasing of materials and the finalization of the repair plan. Our goal is to have most all of the boiler work complete by the end of 2012. The completion of the boiler work will put the total restoration effort for the Slim Princess at just over half-way completed.
The non-profit CCR is currently in the middle of working on a total overhaul of the historic engine. The engine has been placed in a “tent” while the work progresses to protect it from the elements. The Slim Princess put in a century of service, first as an operating train engine that plied the narrow gauge tracks up and down the Owens Valley, then as a focal point of historic Independence from its perch in Dehy Park.
For more information on the CCR, visit the website, www.carsoncolorado.com. The site includes progress update on the work on the Slim Princess, a great assortment of historic train photos, and information on how to make a donation to the non-profit group.
Once again, the CCR would like to THANK YOU for your generous support and participation in returning the Slim Princess #18 to operation.
Board of Directors
Carson and Colorado Railway
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The Carson and Colorado Railway group is doing a wonderful job in restoring an important part of our country (and county’s) history. Reading about history is nothing compared to actually being witness and experience history in action. Most people today do not realize how pivotal the building of railways were to the expansion of the country, long before our Interstate highway system was built. They were, and still are in many ways, the arteries of commerce that tie this country together from east to west, from border to border.
Those familiar with the work of the CCR know that the group puts in an incredible amount of volunteer hours to realize this dream. It’s not about the money, although that is important to the effort, it is really about the love of history and the role that railroads played in it. In the end it is the commitment of the men and women involved with CCR that will drive it to success and bring the Slim Princess #18 back to life. In a sense, these historical locomotives were the true engines that drove the progress of our country’s greatness…and allowed us along on the ride.