Graveyard Special
Boneyard or preservation?
The Swedish Railroad SJ, had kept some steamers as strategic reserv as they called it. Long time storage indoors kept them in rather good condidton and still in the seventies they fired them up and test ran a few of them hauling empty cars. Now only a few of them remmins here, some luckyones have found a home in railroad museums and presevation groups, some are now melted down to refrigators or car parts or what ever.
Grängesberg, houses also a preservation group, mainly on former TGOJ equipment. But they have restored a few SJ steamers aswell.
There are remains of disintrest from the preservation groups that is quite evident, a Sa Prairie tank that has been repainted to a rendetion of its orginal colors has been parked here a few years back. Few E and E2 that has been cannibalized for parts to keep their sisters running during the summer months, a couple of B-class that deteroites in the changes of the season, and a pair of E10.s which I consider as a ideal part of the roster of any preservation groups looks like a war refugees, in desperate need of some kind of shelter or attention. There are som rarebirds that does not breath steam, an early battery/catenary electric that was reserved for the National Railroad museum looks shady, a unit that is a great presentation for the earlier electric designs for the branchlines.. Or that 1-C'-1 Da unit that has lost one of the pantographs, and looks like in horrow at the remains of not as lucky sisters cabs loaded on a old flatcar.
There also some other nothworthy equipment like a steam? powered crane and a trio of ex. SJ Ma.s in the area between the lucky ones, the preserved and the ghost from the past. A E2 and a B looks like been saved, looking grimy but among the older cars that are to be preserved, smiling or grinning back to them not yet saved.....