Illinois Railway Museum Blog

First thanks to the Board, the acquisition is approved, and we can move forward to getting the car here.

Second, we have known for some time that the car had a bad wheelset, and would require replacement before it could be moved.

Well as of today, the wheelset is acquired!

now we await the axle swap in Madison, and then FRA approval to get it home.

Brakes and air work is already done. with a bit of luck we can get it here at the same time as all the other cars, and make it one big crane and welcoming party

Many many folks have made contributions large and small to help defray the cost of this car, and I am really grateful for the support I have received over the summer towards this project.

Thank you !!!!!

While donations over the summer have covered much of the cost of acquisition, but the jobs not done quite yet. We need to pay for track space and some work once the car gets here. The track charges alone will amount to about $5500, and the sooner we can make a dent it that the better for all parties involved.

Just to make sure everyone understands, the idea of track space is to fund the track department that does all the magic of keeping the railroad operating, and not small task. Ties alone are about $30 each right now, and on two foot centers, that is a lot of ties for a simple project.

The car is about 73 feet long, and the current cost for rail and ties is about $75/foot.

The fund involved is ROLYMPUS, donations can be made online, in person or by phone to the office or by mail.

We hope to get some new pictures of thc car up soon, Mike Baksic is going to inspect the car next week, so perhaps later on i will get the up.