In another thread, Ron Travis asked:


Sunday, I drove to Annandale, MN to visit the Minnesota & Western RR Museum and specifically hoping to photograph the M&StL 2-8-0 and the Coronet Phosphate 2-6-2T.

Don Lind no longer lives on the property, but rather lives in an apartment in Annadale. To gain access to the facility you need to find Don and pay an admission fee for a guided tour. The locomotives are no longer visible from Highway 55 due to foliage that has grown up since my last visit in 1999. I was unable to find Don, so I shot what I could from the road.

The museum is located at MP 47.7 on the Canadian Pacific (former Soo) trackage that runs through Annandale. Here's the entrace to the museum:



Down the road past the tracks on the right side you can see a brown dog. The dog, and several like him are the museum's security system. A closer look:



That was shot with an effective focal length of 450mm and he's about 200 feet from the gate. He looked friendly enough until I took one step closer to the gate, and then he got very vocal and snarly. Did NOT enter the museum thank you.

And here's the only exhibit that is visible from the road, an outside-braced wooden boxcar that is slightly swaybacked.

At some point before 1999, I was able to photograph Don Lind's Coronet Phosphate 2-6-2T from Highway 55. This is what it looked like then:



At some point in the last couple of years, Jeff Terry the Railfan & Railroad
Lineside Legacy columnist was allowed on the property and got this shot of the M&StL 2-8-0:



Hope this illuminates the subject somewhat. I am going to attempt to visit the museum so that I can get detailed shots of the two locomotives for the website.

Regards,
Doug

And we're calling this a "museum"... why?

Looks like the stuff should all be put out of its' misery if you know what I mean.

sad.

The story of Don Lind's museum is a long one. I helped him work on it back in 1973, running his Cat dozer and putting trucks under his passenger cars. Somewhere in there, beyond the brown dog, is an M&StL, ex-Iowa Central 32 ft. wood boxcar with a steel fishbelly frame and a steel roof. I think it's in much better shape than the one photographed above. I bought that from the C&NW for a dollar, and gave it to Don. It was at the Cedar Lake yard in Minneapolis, and had been used as a shed for a grain elevator. The car did not have trucks, but Don researched that it was built with Fox pressed steel trucks. I believe that Mid-Continent has an indentical car complete with Fox trucks.

RTK

I'd hate to see the stuff get scrapped, and I know that he can do what he wants with it (including calling the collection a "museum")-but perhaps it's time for interested parties to approach him to see what his long-term plans are. Otherwise might we end up with another Richard Jensen story in the future?

I also wonder about the well-being of the dog chained there, which is off-topic, but it troubles me nonetheless.

First of all, I'd have to say that Don's "collection" is far closer to the norm than I'd like to admit. The average steam locomotive in the U.S. is more likely a rusting hulk, missing parts, than a cosmetically restored park or museum locomotive.

Having said all that, I hope that there are long term plans. With reference to the dog that I could see, he had food, fresh water and a shelter, and his coat was shiny and appeared to have been groomed. And he looked to be sufficiently well-fed that he's gotten a bit chubby. Hope that helps.

Doug

I too was a bit worried about the dog in the photo until I noticed what Doug did. In fact, he looks a little TOO well fed. Being that as it may, take a close look at what is right in front of the dog. That track and crossing look like a disaster waiting to happen! It's unfortunate that there are only two M&StL steamers left in existance and that one of them is at Mr. Lind's place. Hopefully he will recognize his limitations soon and make arrangements to see that # 471 will be given to a good home that can take care of it. That is, if it isn't too far gone already.

Les

With reference to the track and crossing, there's a 30" tall, locked gate across the road leading to the crossing, which can't be seen in the photo.

Doug

Doug -

There may be a bit of confusion; caused by me I guess. I was NOT talking about the CP (ex-Soo Line) crossing that shows in your first photo. Rather, I was talking about the track and crossing shown in your closeup photo of the dog, and which is within a foot or two of him. I'm assuming that this is "museum trackage" and may be in fact be the track that the Louie 2-8-0, Coronet Phosphate 2-6-2T #5, ex-Iowa Central 32' boxcar and other equipment, may be located on. IF any of this equipment would eventually be donated to some other rail museum, it may have to try to be moved on this track and across that crossing. That is the track and crossing I was refering to as being a potential disaster. I should have made myself more clear. Sorry about that.

Les

I suppose the dog will die of natural causes before any trains use THAT crossing!

Anybody have a current phone # for Don? The one I've got has a new party and they said they've had it for some time.

The most interesting thing for me is the live steam park train hiding in the weeds. As a boy I rode behind it at the Minnesota State Fair. He also has the remains of a steam outline gas powered park train. I think the one is 15 inch gauge and the other 14 inch gauge.

Just came across this and was wondering if anything has happened in the last 10 years or so. . .

An awful lot, actually--and apparently you weren't paying attention when it did.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36027

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37490

If this is the former "museum" site, there's nothing left but the old boxcar.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.240886, ... a=!3m1!1e3

Elsewhere here on RYPN,

http://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=37952