According to the Amarillo Globe-News, city officials decided to place the locomotive for sale after different organizations approached the city.
“City management was approached by various groups that expressed interest in the locomotive, and because of that interest they, along with the city council, decided it was best to go ahead and issue a [request for proposals] to find out what the real interest was out there…” Amarillo representative Sonjas Gross tells the local newspaper.
The proposals process is part of a formal bidding process.
Opponents of the sale include the Santa Fe 5000 Railroad Artifact Preservation Society whose members say they invested $800,000 to move the locomotive from a nearby BNSF Railway yard to the current display location in 2008. The organization then spent tens of thousands of additional dollars to paint and cosmetically restore the locomotive, the newspaper reports. The group also contributed more than 1,800 volunteer hours.
City management did not disclose when city council voted to sell the locomotive.
