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versus ten to 25 m.p.h. that other cab experience operators have; a real train with passengers that has a precise schedule versus a light engine or a train with empty cars; and, most importantly, a typical patron will have cab time for four days, not for one to three hours found on more typical in-cab experiences found in the U.S. Due to the short lead-time, the Experience is being offered at up to 40 percent discounts for bookings in January, February and March of 2017. Although steam operations in Wolsztyn will exist for several years, the ability to run locomotives through the Wolsztyn Experience organization will be short-lived, as its CEO, Mr. Howard Jones, will retire sometime in 2018. For more information on the Wolsztyn Experience, contact U.S. representa- tive, Carl Franz at (240) 720-8686 or at cmfrr@aol.com or visit its web site at www.thewolsztynexperience.org.


Hoosier Valley Dispute The Chesapeake & Indiana (CKIN)


Shortline Operator Fights Town in


is not pleased with the outcome of last summer’s vetting process where the Town of North Judson selected a new operator for the 30 miles of track owned by the town and also used by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum for occasion- al excursions. Lake State Railway, headquartered in Saginaw, Mich., was selected as the new operator of the line which will be known as the Chicago & North Judson Railroad. The process of transitioning to the new operator is currently pending approval by the Surface Transportation Board.


Grant Funds B&O Streamliner Restoration


The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Md., received a $150,000 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services in support of a cosmetic restoration of the 1937-built Baltimore & Ohio EMC EA No. 51. One of the first streamlined diesel locomotives delivered to B&O, No. 51 set a stylistic precedent for future generations of EMC/EMD streamlined diesels. The work will be completed at the museum’s state- of-the-art restoration facility, which was opened in 2005 in response to the collapse of the original roundhouse roof in 2003. The restoration is expected to take two to three years.


PHOTO BY MITCH GOLDMAN CSX applied to abandon this segment


of track in 2003, and as a result the town acquired the line a year later to not only preserve the corridor for local freight customers, but to also augment the operations of the HRVM. CKIN has petitioned the STB to overturn the 2004 sale, and is suing the Town of North Judson claiming museum officials unfairly influenced the decision to choose a new operator. According to a report published by WKVI-AM, CKIN is also accusing the museum of numerous safety violations and carrying insuffi- cient insurance coverage. The railroad alleges its poor relationship with the town stems from raising concerns of safety and liability, and that the town shared proprietary information with the museum during the selection process for new operators. Neither the town nor museum officials


had responded to the allegations at press time.


D&H Caboose Restored in Whitehall


The Delaware & Hudson Railway


has been a fixture in Whitehall, N.Y., since the 1870s, with the nearby yard providing an important interchange with traffic to and from New England. The Skenesborough Museum is home to D&H wood caboose No. 35843, built in the 1920s with distinctive a end- cupola and saw regular use through the 1960s. Upon retirement, the caboose was placed on display at the museum as a symbol of the region’s ties to the railroad industry. In 2002, the caboose had been repainted by a troop of Girl Scouts as part


of a service project. Since that time, the roof began to fail and some of the wood body began to rot. According to a report published by the Manchester Newspa- pers, the town of Whitehall took on the project, assigning repairs to village employee Jim Austin, who happened to be a retired car knocker for the D&H. Fellow retired yardmaster Bill Frazier and retired conductor Jim Lafayette helped with research, obtaining appro- priate lettering stencils from the Cooper- stown & Charlotte Valley Railroad in Milford, N.Y., to help backdate the caboose to its 1920s appearance. With the exterior completed this


past November, museum officials say the interior will be the next project to complete the restoration of this car.


Santa Fe 2913 Display The Santa Fe 4-8-4 Northern on display


Fresh Paint for


at Riverview Park near the Santa Fe Depot Museum in Fort Madison, Iowa, received a $15,000 makeover thanks to local volunteers and a donation from Axalta Coating Systems. No. 2913 was built by Baldwin in 1943, and retired and put on display in 1959. Project organizer George Kreidler said the last time the steam engine was painted was in 1991, according to a report published in the Fort Madison Daily Democrat. Because the engine is stored outdoors,


the new paint job uses a tougher grade of finish designed to last ten years or more. While the engine belongs to the city of Fort Madison, Sante Fe caboose No. 999235, belonging to the North Lee County Historical Society, was also refinished at the same time.


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