PROJECT 2921

    The following pages have been edited and reprinted, with permission, from the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society "Crew Car" magazine, Volume 15, "Project 2921: Open Doors; and Vol. 19, February, 2001, "Project 2921": The Odyssey Continues.
Copies of these magazines may be ordered by writing to Crew Car Editor, C/o SBRHS, P. O. Box 2878, San Bernardino, CA 92406-2878.
   
This article  has been highly edited for brevity and to focus primarily on the work that WARM performed on ex-Santa Fe 4-8-4- steam engine #2921. Additionally, it is WARM's purpose to set the record straight regarding WARM's role in the preparation, abatement, stabilization and  evaluation of this massive artifact. This project was entirely a volunteer effort with no promise of monetary reparation from the City of Modesto. The city was obligated to hire a consultant, Bill Palmer (at a greatly reduced fee for such work, as a favor to WARM) and only paid volunteers a $20.00 per day expense after closing the books on the project. This was done to dispel any appearance of a "Slam Dunk" deal with WARM and the city to acquire the locomotive and because WARM brought the project far enough under the budgeted amount to enable such reparation.

    WARM entered into this project with the full knowledge that the locomotive was in dire need of abatement and stabilization work, yet alone a thorough evaluation that would affect anyone's decision to move the locomotive, and that failure to act soon would ultimately doom the locomotive to the scrap pile. The City of Modesto had expressed interest in disposing of the liability burden and WARM was interested in acquiring the engine for the WARM museum in Barstow - The locomotive's home rails. It was understood by all that there was no guarantee that WARM would be successful and all agreed that the engine was worth the effort regardless of the outcome!

-- Hank Graham, "Project 2921" Director

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