PORT HOPES TO BUY LOCOMOTIVE

SCOTT CITY -- The Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority Commission has authorized port Executive Director Dan Overbey to purchase a locomotive from government surplus property. The purchases hinges on whether it can be transported to the port at reasonable cost.

Six of the nine port commissioners attended a special meeting Wednesday to discuss acquisition of the diesel locomotive. It is at Fort Carson, Colo., and scheduled to be auctioned by the General Services Administration.

The GSA needed to know by this morning if the port authority was going to purchase it for $7,500. Otherwise, it was to be auctioned with other surplus government property.

"It would be a real steal if we could get it," said Overbey, who flew to Colorado this week to inspect it. He showed commissioners a video tape of the engine. Commissioners agreed it is clean, well maintained and in good condition.

The problem facing the port authority is getting the engine from Fort Carson to Scott City. Because it has friction bearings, some railroad companies are reluctant to move it along their lines.

Another option would be to partially disassemble the engine and ship it on rail cars. But that could be expensive.

"The good news is it is a great engine; the problem is getting it here," said Overbey.

The port authority is in the process of acquiring six miles of railroad track between Cape Girardeau and Scott City from Union Pacific. It soon will construct a one-and-one-half-mile rail spur from the branch line to the port's public dock.

On Aug. 8, the commissioners approved a contract with Respondek, a freight service contractor from Granite City-Wood River, Ill., to operate the railroad.

Overbey has been looking for a locomotive for some time. If the port authority can acquire one at a reasonable price, it would be more economical for the authority to own one rather than pay monthly rent to Respondek.

Overbey told the commission that he had been trying to get a price from several railroad companies for transporting the engine, but doesn't have anything definite. He said it might take one or two months to work out details.

The commission voted unanimously to authorize Overbey to follow through on purchasing and transporting the locomotive if the total cost does not exceed $15,000. Overbey was also authorized to try to purchase other locomotives if the government engine isn't bought.

Fred Surman, a retired railroad engineer who serves on the commission, said the engine "is a bargain if we can get it here." He said, "We can get more than that for it by selling it for scrap."

The engine is a general-purpose locomotive built in 1951. The 16-cylinder, 1500-horsepower General Motors locomotive was rebuilt in 1979.