Nickel Plate 587 Locomotive to be Sold at Public Auction

January 23, 2025

This is a public notice.

Former Nickel Plate Road #587, a historic steam locomotive that has been stored for a private owner on the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation’s campus in Irvine, Kentucky, will be auctioned off as part of a judgment against the locomotive’s owner for unpaid storage fees. 

Nickel Plate Road #587 may be viewed starting  Jan. 25th, 2025 at 10:00 AM on the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation campus at 499 Kirkland Avenue, Irvine, KY 40336.

The bid deadline is 10:00 a.m. on Feb. 25th, 2025. No bids will be accepted after this deadline.  Each bid should be mailed to the attention of Joseph Darby at 499 Kirkland Avenue, Irvine, KY 40336, and must be accompanied by a letter of credit in the amount of $5,000.00 from a bank or accompanied by a deposit check in the amount of $5,000.00.  All checks will be returned to unsuccessful bidders and will not be deposited by the Seller.

Time is of the essence in this sealed bid auction.

Kentucky Steam Heritage reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The former Nickel Plate Road 2-8-2 Locomotive #587 and tender is sold “as-is-where-is.”  Seller makes no warranties implied or express regarding the locomotive and tender or its functioning.  Buyer is wholly responsible for the costs of moving the locomotive and tender and transportation from the facility.  Buyer(s) agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Seller from all damages caused by removal and transportation of the locomotive and tender.

The winning bidder will be notified on March 3, 2025.  The locomotive and tender must be removed from the Seller’s facility within sixty (60) days of the winning bid notification. Should the Buyer decide to store the locomotive longer than the initial sixty (60) days on Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation property, the Buyer must come to an agreement with the Seller for the projected storage time. Failure to remove the locomotive and tender or come to a new storage agreement with the Buyer within this time frame will result in the winning bidder being charged $100.00 per day for storage and may result in the Seller canceling the sale and retaining the deposit. Seller reserves the right to assign the winning bid to the next highest bidder.

Buyer agrees to pay all costs and attorney fees incurred by Seller in the event an attorney must be retained to enforce the sale.  All unpaid balances, including attorney fees and costs, shall incur interest at the rate of 18% per annum until paid in full.

The parties agrees that the sole and exclusive venue for any litigation arising out of this sale shall be the Estill Circuit Court unless the Seller, in its sole and absolute discretion, elects to file an action in a different venue.

The winning bidder must pay the bid amount in full within seventy-two (72) hours of the winning bid notification by wire transfer.  Wire transfer instructions will be provided to the winning bidder.

Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation Announces Leadership Transition

The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation (KSHC) is pleased to announce that Joseph Darby will assume the role of President, succeeding Chris Campbell, effective as of November 2024.

Joseph Darby has been an integral part of KSHC, serving as Vice President of Operations. In this capacity, he coordinated compliance efforts and addressed inquiries concerning nondiscrimination requirements.

Darby brings a wealth of experience from his tenure as a Mechanical Project Engineer at General Motors and holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Chris Campbell, who has led KSHC since its inception, has been instrumental in advancing the organization's mission to educate, entertain, and inspire through the operation of historic rail equipment. Under his leadership, KSHC has made significant strides in the restoration of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Steam Locomotive 2716 and has fostered economic growth through heritage tourism.

"We are grateful for Chris's dedication and visionary leadership," said Darby. "I am honored to continue building upon the strong foundation he has established and to lead KSHC into its next chapter."

The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation is a Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to preserving and showcasing the rich history of rail transportation. Through the restoration and operation of historic rail equipment, KSHC serves as an educational tool, enhancing heritage tourism and stimulating economic growth.

For more information about KSHC's projects and upcoming events, please visit: www.kentuckysteam.org

Media Contact:

Drayton Blackgrove, Media Director Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation

Email: d.blackgrove@kentuckysteam.org

Steam-Era Supplies Donated By Patriot Rail

May 14, 2024

Irvine, KY

Kentucky Steam Heritage has received a major donation of vintage parts and equipment from Patriot Rail, a contribution which will help further equip the Irvine Kentucky-based nonprofit’s steam locomotive shop, and aid the continued restoration of C&O 2716, an 80-year-old engine currently undergoing a full mechanical rebuild. The effort to retrieve and transport these rare and valuable artifacts from Patriot Rail’s Anaconda Montana facility is thanks to contributions from Next Generation Rail Solutions, PaxRail, Diamond Rail Group, and hundreds of hours of contributed labor from Kentucky Steam’s volunteers. 

The impressive array of donated material and equipment is valued at well over $200,000 which contains 37,000 pounds of parts, tools, and supplies including an assortment of brand-new piping and fasteners from the steam era, still stored in their original wooden crates. Also tabbed in the gift are two flatbed trucks worth of machinery including four 35-ton whiting locomotive jacks, a lathe large enough to turn 2716’s pistons and rods, and an Allen journal brass boring machine, the last known purpose-built journal brass boring machine in existence. 

Jason Sobczynski, CMO for Kentucky Steam, and owner of Next Generation Rail Solutions, says that the donation is a significant milestone for Kentucky Steam, but is also a landmark haul of operable vintage machinery and new old-stock material from a bygone era.

“The Anaconda (Montana) facility was simply filled with things you would find in a well-stocked steam-era warehouse from seventy or more years ago,” he said.

“Many of these parts are still in their original packaging and will be of immense value to our restoration of C&O 2716 and other historic equipment. The machinery is vintage but has been well-maintained and used sporadically until recently. A historic collection like this is likely never to be found in this type of condition ever again.”

The donation is thanks to Patriot Rail, which operates over 30 regional shortline freight railroads, two scenic rail excursion trains, and rail-related services companies with over 1,200 total rail miles across the United States. Patriot operates the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific, a 63-mile shortline founded in 1891. Patriot acquired the line in 2007 and has plans to vacate some of their aging Anaconda, MT shop facilities, opening the door for the rationalizing and subsequent donation of decades-old items. 

David Bevins, Vice President of Operation at Patriot Rail, says that the donation is an excellent outcome for the surplus equipment and machinery. 

“Patriot Rail is proud to support rail preservation projects and partner with the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation,” he said.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to donate these rare tools and equipment that will assist Kentucky Steam with their endeavors as they build and expand their operations and museum. Kentucky Steam showcases and celebrates our nation’s railroad heritage while providing a unique steam-powered excursion experience located in the heart of the Bluegrass state of Kentucky.  Patriot Rail works closely with organizations across its network to conserve and restore these key components of railroad operations for future generations.”

Jim Evenson, a longtime KSHC collaborator, and owner of passenger railcar company Paxrail, donated nearly $10,000 of transportation cost-sharing to help facilitate the nearly 2,000-mile move of the items from Montana to Kentucky. 

“Paxrail remains a steadfast support of the mission of Kentucky Steam,” he said.

“We’re happy to have played a small part in securing some of the tools and equipment needed to maintain and restore C&O 2716 and other locomotives like her.”

Though the endeavor required an investment of over $20,000, KSHC president Chris Campbell says the overall value of the donation is practically priceless. 

“This generous donation is both unprecedented and timely,” he said.

“We cannot thank Patriot Rail enough for trusting us to be stewards of these useful artifacts, which are not simply museum pieces - much of it will be put to use almost immediately.”

“As we are in the thick of getting things poised for a big push with 2716’s restoration, the arrival of machinery, as well as nuts, bolts, and other new old stock items, will be a major boost for getting this massive machine running again sooner than later.”

Though the initial donation included 31 individual items and machines plus boxes of never-used industrial-age parts, several other unexpected discoveries were made during the lengthy identification and loading process.

“We found a new-in-box steam pressure gauge which is identical to what 2716 would have been outfitted with when it was coming off the production line in 1943,” said Sobczynnski who has been Kentucky Steam’s Chief Mechanical officer since the group’s founding in 2015.

“We were a bit giddy when we found it. There were several moments over the two weeks we were there when we just had to step back and internalize the quality and scope of what we have been given.”

Kentucky Steam hopes to offset the costs of procuring and transporting the donation by setting a goal to raise an additional $5,000. Visit www.kentuckysteam.org to learn more about making a tax-deductible contribution, and follow the progress on the social channels by searching Kentucky Steam Heritage on individual media platforms.