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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:26 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Back on December 8, 2008, I posted an abridged list of donors to the museums efforts to save and move Grasselli Tower. Here are some additional names, as printed in our museums April 2009 newsletter:

Additional donors from Indiana - Rodney D. Grosser, Robert McKown, Douglas A. Rarity, Great Lakes Railcars, Clarence "Ben" Scheffer family, Michael Pfister, Steven Golden, Bruce Fingerhut, Dennis Estok, Joe & Louise Kingsbury, Charles Eric Powell.

Additional donors from Illinois - Thomas Hickman, Richard Noeller.

Additional donors from New York - David Haynes.

Donors from Tennessee - Greg Overby.

Donors from Iowa - Bernard & Virginia Kelker.

Total funds donated to date are slightly in excess of $43,679. As stated previously, we intend to somehow recognize all of those who have donated, in the tower itself, and in a manner still to be determined.

Now as for progress on moving the building, earlier this week, the work crew from the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum successfully dismantled the buildings brick chimney. A very messy job! We are continuing to remove items that need to be taken out prior to the separation of the buildings roof and second floor from the first floor. The mover is looking for an alternate way to truck the two sections since the original plan to move the Tower down Kennedy Avenue in Hammond has been derailed due to the road work started on this route.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Wed Apr 22, 2009 6:41 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Here is a photo of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum work crew at Grasselli Tower at the end of the work day this past Thursday, April 16th. Usually we don't bother to take photos; we're usually too tired at the end of the day to do so. But Mark Stanek pointed out that Grasselli will not be long now at its present location there in East Chicago, Indiana and perhaps we should make a record for posterity. So thus Dave, a maintainer for the Indiana Harbor Belt, snapped this photo of us. Starting next week, the mover will begin preliminary work in taking the building apart for its long move to HVRM in North Judson. Hopefully, the Tower will be moved and put back together in time for the initial runs of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #765 out of the museum over the Memorial Day weekend. Although the building will not be open, and will in fact need much restoration, it should at least be in place so that visitors will be able to see the results of the museums efforts to save the tower from destruction.

For the record, HVRM members are, from left to right in the front row; Steve Newland, Les Beckman, Fred Boyer, Nelson Hurt, and on Grasselli's stairs, Mark Stanek.


Attachments:
09-04-16 HVRM work crew at Grasselli coll of M Stanek.JPG
09-04-16 HVRM work crew at Grasselli coll of M Stanek.JPG [ 112.65 KiB | Viewed 11356 times ]
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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2009 3:44 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
This morning (May 4, 2009), a crane lifted the second floor of Grasselli Tower and lowered it to cribbing on the ground. The mover will be working this week to prepare the two sections for the long trip by road to North Judson. We are getting closer!

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Wed May 06, 2009 9:09 am 

Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:04 am
Posts: 151
Location: Argos, Indiana
Work is continuing for the move to North Judson - check out the progress:
http://www.grassellitower.com/moving-grasselli.htm

_________________
Bob Barcus, Treasurer
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
North Judson, Indiana


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2009 4:22 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
rbarcus wrote:
Work is continuing for the move to North Judson - check out the progress:
http://www.grassellitower.com/moving-grasselli.htm


The second floor of Grasselli Tower was moved to HVRM in North Judson this past Saturday. Please check the website above for a number of photos of its arrival. Work continues in East Chicago on the first floor with a possible arrival at the museum this coming Saturday. Right now the museum is looking for I beams so that the tower can be placed on the poured foundation.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 1:01 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Les Beckman wrote:
rbarcus wrote:
Work is continuing for the move to North Judson - check out the progress:
http://www.grassellitower.com/moving-grasselli.htm


The second floor of Grasselli Tower was moved to HVRM in North Judson this past Saturday. Please check the website above for a number of photos of its arrival. Work continues in East Chicago on the first floor with a possible arrival at the museum this coming Saturday. Right now the museum is looking for I beams so that the tower can be placed on the poured foundation.

Les


Fred Boyer of our museum, advised me that the I-beams we need have been purchased and been delivered. Tomorrow (weather permitting), the first floor of the tower should arrive at HVRM. We are getting there!

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Sat May 16, 2009 12:15 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Les Beckman wrote:
Fred Boyer of our museum, advised me that the I-beams we need have been purchased and been delivered. Tomorrow (weather permitting), the first floor of the tower should arrive at HVRM. We are getting there!

Les


Just received word from Fred that the contractor has encountered some problems in getting the first floor moved off of the old foundation in East Chicago, and has to do some work tomorrow at that site. That means that the first floor won't arrive in North Judson before this Sunday. Sorry if these updates here are offending anyone.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Mon May 18, 2009 12:18 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
The first floor of the tower did arrive at North Judson today (Sunday, 5/17/09). The contractor will start work tomorrow on replacing the rotted I-beams and eventually moving the first floor onto the foundation. Tentative plans call for the second floor to be placed back up on the first floor this coming Thursday.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu May 21, 2009 11:03 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Les Beckman wrote:
The first floor of the tower did arrive at North Judson today (Sunday, 5/17/09). The contractor will start work tomorrow on replacing the rotted I-beams and eventually moving the first floor onto the foundation. Tentative plans call for the second floor to be placed back up on the first floor this coming Thursday.

Les


Folks, Grasselli Tower has now been reassembled at its new location in North Judson, Indiana. A long involved effort by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum to preserve the tower has been successful. Much remains to be done of course, including restoration of both the interior and exterior, but it IS in place! Hopefully, with NKP 2-8-4 #765 scheduled to operate trips out of the museum this coming Memorial Day weekend, someone might take a photo of the Berkshire and Grasselli so that it can be posted here.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:11 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Finally was able to find a photo on the internet of Grasselli Tower as it now appears at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum site in North Judson, Indiana:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/steamtown ... ra-ssa.jpg

The photo is from George Elwood's FALLEN FLAGS website and the photographer is a gentleman by the name of Sam Sponseller. The photo shows the tower after the second floor was reattached and with much work still to be performed by Dillabaugh, Inc., the company that moved the tower for the museum. Since the photo was taken, Dillabaugh has finished their efforts, and Grasselli has been turned over to HVRM. Now the restoration begins!

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:11 pm 

Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:04 am
Posts: 665
Location: Northeast Ohio
Its good that there is a picture on Fallen Flags, as heaven knows that we would all die waiting for Les to actually post a picture of it himself!


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:06 pm 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Stationary Steam wrote:
Its good that there is a picture on Fallen Flags, as heaven knows that we would all die waiting for Les to actually post a picture of it himself!


Well SS, I am not sure of the intent of your message. I guess I will take it as a positive response and say...thanks for your comment! I will also say that I tried a number of times over the past week or so, to post a photo of Grasselli at North Judson. The photos were taken by a couple of our museum members, and were both very good, but I never had any luck, the photos rejected each time. I even sent a note to one of the Moderators asking why, and he came back and told me that he had a photo he tried to post to another thread rejected, and eventually posted it to a different website and linked it back to RyPN. I chose not to do that. So whatever your intent SS, I will just say, that I am extremely glad the Tower is at long last at North Judson, is no longer "under the gun" so to speak, and that we can let this long, long thread, finally rest in peace!

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:36 am 

Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:04 am
Posts: 151
Location: Argos, Indiana
The move to North Judson is complete, now comes the fun part of refurbishing the structure and getting it ready for visitors!

http://www.grassellitower.com/moving-grasselli.htm

_________________
Bob Barcus, Treasurer
Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum
North Judson, Indiana


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:26 am 

Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm
Posts: 6400
Thought I would resurrect this thread to add a few additional donors as reported in the August issue of HVRM's newsletter:

Additional donors from Indiana: Dennis McNeil, Dr. Walter Fritz, Bob Treadway

Additional donor from Illinois: Peter A. Nicholson

Our museum secretary reports that we have raised $44,108.53 thus far whereas the cost of transplanting Grasselli from East Chicago, Indiana to the museum has cost some $55,000. Efforts toward our original efforts to raise $50K are ongoing. Much exterior and interior work will have to be done. In the meantime, all of the levers have been reinstalled in the towers second floor and 100 years of dirt and grime are slowly being removed.

Les


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 Post subject: Re: Tower under the gun!
PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:50 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:00 pm
Posts: 822
Location: NJ
Great story with a happy ending. You guys did a great job documenting the move in pictures.

Later!
Mr. Ed


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