Okay, so a mechanical tamper would be great. But let's be realistic. We have a major project on our hands right now with the restoration of no. 9. We need restrooms and a parking lot and a roundhouse and... Rebuilding a full-size standard gauge tamper for use on our railroad would be a major project and it wouldn't be cheap or easy. And the reality is, for every hour of service working, expect an hour or better of down time repairing and fixing things.
If we are really serious about a tamper, there is a small spot tamper in central Massachusetts that could rather easily be regauged to 24 inches. Someone has to take the initiative to approach the current owner and negotiate a price (or even a donation) and get ti to Maine. Anyone who wants to tackle this, let me know, and I'll provide additional information. Another option would be a Geismar "Minima," a very basic spot tamping machine, which may be available through federal surplus.
Unless someone hits the Powerball lottery, buying a new two-foot gauge tamper from Plasser would bust our budget for the next 5 years.