Thanks for the memories!. With the conclusion of the 2012 Railfest Event in Durango today, we may well have seen the final revenue run of the iconic Eureka & Palisade #4; the last wood-burning, narrow-gauge 4-4-0 and the only wood-burning 4-4-0 that was still making occasional passenger runs. Eureka's owner, Dan Markoff, has indicated that the flue-time extension that he had negotiated with the Federal Railroad Administration will expire this year, meaning that his locomotive will no longer be legal to operate on FRA-regulated lines such as the Durango & Silverton, or the Cumbres & Toltec until another, complete 1,472-day inspection is accomplished. Given the resources and time required to do this, Dan is not sure when or if this inspection will be done. So for the time being, Eureka will be limited to appearances at insular tracks such as the Nevada State Railroad Museum. We, the railfan community, owe Dan Markoff a serious debt of gratitude, not only for restoring Eureka, but for sharing this treasure with us for the past 20 years. Restoring, transporting and operating a 137 year-old steam locomotive is a daunting undertaking that has surely taxed his personal resources more than most of us can ever know. Thank you Dan, for bringing alive a piece of history that most of us thought was gone forever. Here's hoping that you and Eureka have many more years left together!
