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placed in Bray’s backyard, but she continued to work tirelessly to restore the old steel car as a tribute to her father’s career working for Railway Express Agency. Built in 1941, Bray completed the renovations in 2002, making the caboose as authentic as possible. Bray had no intention of ever selling the ca-
boose until Jim Palmer from the St. Charles Area Museum approached her in 2012. What sealed the deal was the museum’s intention to maintain the restoration, and to use the caboose as a teaching tool about local history. More than $25,000 in donations were raised to transport the caboose to the museum site at the end of 2014.
NRM Seeks $20 Million for Capital Campaign
As one of the oldest railroad museums in
the country, the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wis., has a very large collection of locomotives and rolling stock that spans from coast to coast. With a collection so vast, keeping the historic trains from deteriorating further is one of the challenges faced. Jacqueline Frank, executive director of
NRM, is launching a $20 million capital cam- paign that will raise funds to construct a new building to shelter the entire collection from the elements, and to create new displays and classroom space to bring history to life. Ac- cording to a report in the Green Bay Press-Ga- zette One part of the project involves restoring a Pullman car to allow for more overnight field trips to the museum. Frank is also look- ing at investing in distance learning, so that educational programs can be broadcast from the museum directly to classrooms across the country. The museum complex is located on 33 acres
and includes an impressive roster of vintage equipment, including Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 No. 4890, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017, the General Motors Aerotrain, and Lon- don & North Eastern Railway Class A4 4-6-2 No. 60008 (the Dwight D. Eisenhower).
From Burlington Station to Television Station
In October 2013, the Omaha City Council approved a plan announced by local ABC affi liate KETV-7 to renovate the former Bur- lington Station as its new studio location. Opened in 1898, the station was designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball for the Chica- go, Burlington & Quincy. Amtrak used the station until 1974, and the facility has been vacant ever since. Hearst Television pur- chased the property in 2013. The south side walkway entrance bridge was under con- struction on January 13, and the rebuilding process is scheduled to be completed later in 2015.
PHOTO BY DARRELL D. WENDT Most of 2015 will be spent finalizing the
design and concept of the new building with architects. The capital campaign will be launched in 2016, thanks in part to a new full-time fundraising staff member hired in 2013.
Steam by Summer’s End
Thanks to the aggressive restoration efforts on Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4 No. 611, the bold prediction was made on a report aired by WDBJ-TV that the iconic locomotive would return to steam by early spring or late summer 2015. Built in 1951 at N&W’s shops in Roanoke, the 611 was retired in 1959. Pulled from display the Virginia Transporta- tion Museum, the locomotive was restored to working order in 1982 and began a second ca- reer pulling excursions for Norfolk Southern. The excursion program ended in 1994, and the 611 returned to museum display. With the return of sponsored steam excur-
sions on Norfolk Southern in 2011, some held hope that 611 would return to steam. After a thorough review, it was announced in 2013 that the locomotive would be restored and pulling excursion trains once again. Work began last summer on the 65-year-old steam engine at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C., thanks in part to a $1.5 million donation by Norfolk Southern. A number of paid professionals and volunteers are working to complete the restoration and receive federal certifications in time for the 2015 excursion season.
Depot Moves One Step Closer to Restoration
A city councilman in Painesville, Ohio, is working to establish a historic preservation district around Railroad Street, which would
Painesville LS&MS N&W 611 Returns to
encompass the 1893 former Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (later New York Central) depot that is now home to the Painesville Railroad Museum. According to a report in the News Herald, Councilman Andrew Flock is seeking support for his proposal that would create the city’s third historic preservation district. The station was listed on the Nation- al Register of Historic Places in 2002. Leading the push is the Western Reserve Railroad Association, a non-profit formed in 1997 that manages the railroad museum. It is hoped that the establishment of the historic preservation district would make it easier for the museum group to obtain grants. Accord- ing to museum leaders, only about two-thirds of the depot interior is restored. On the list to be completed are the floors and restrooms, subject to pending grant applications. An- other project under consideration is the res- toration of a wooden caboose that caught fire in 2006. While some view the proposed historic preservation district as a potential draw for residents and visitors alike, not everyone has voiced their favor. The district would encom- pass Silvestro’s Depot Cafe and three adja- cent parcels of land, and would require the business owner to seek planning commission approval if the construction, alteration, or demolition of a structure in the district is not deemed in compliance with the historical and cultural heritage of the area. Owner Jerry Sil- vestro had made no firm decisions regarding the inclusion of his business when he was con- tacted by city officials in January.
U34CH Moved to URHS
The sole surviving General Electric U34CH, New Jersey Transit No. 4172, was moved from storage in Passaic, N.J., to the United Rail- road Historical Society’s restoration facility in Boonton. Built in 1971 as part of a fleet pur- chased by NJDOT for use on Erie Lackawan- na suburban operations, the unit was retired by NJT in 1994. The URHS plans to restore the HEP-equipped locomotive to operation..
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