You have to join the MSTL list for this, but it is ex-Minneapolis & St. Louis 2-8-0 471, sitting in the weeds, owned by a brick company at Chaska, Minnesota, in 1950. The engine is presently stored at Annandale, Minnesota, as part of a defunct RR museum that never got off the ground.

http://finance.ph.groups.yahoo.com/grou ... w/df6a?b=7

Bob:

I think there was a saddletanker there too. Maybe it's time someone started a "Lost Locomotives of Annandale" website! These have been here an awful long time now.

Les

Well they're still there:

Which is Coronet Phosphate No. 5 and


And the last I heard Don Lind, the owner of these two locomotives was alive and well, and hadn't given up on his museum plans.

Glad to hear Mr. Lind hasn't given up on his plans. The passenger cars in front of Coronet Phosphate # 5 and "Louie" # 471 look just about ready to roll!

Les

Engine 471 was last used for stationary steam at the Klein brickyard in Chaska, MN, and sat dead on a siding there from sometime prior to 1960 until Don Lind bought it in 1967. I was interested in buying the engine at that time, but opted out on the advice of a boiler expert who was less than bullish on a restoration. They were asking $1500.00. Don eventually had the engine moved to Annandale by truck. They separated the boiler from the engine, and moved the boiler, engine running gear / frame, and tender in three separate loads. I don’t know if my boiler expert was qualified to evaluate locomotives, but regardless of the condition of the boiler, the engine certainly was missing a large number of parts.

The brickyard at Chaska had a long and interesting history, of which I have never encountered much historical record. There were several plants and clay mining pits in Chaska that were served by an assortment of narrow gage railroads. There was 2-foot-gage with Plymouth gas locomotives, which were preceded by at least two 0-4-0T steam locomotives.

Some of this 2-foot-gage track was still intact in the 1960s. There were also a number of 3-foot-gage, four-wheel side dump cars. I have no idea of where the track was on which they had once operated, and no knowledge of what locomotives were used to pull them. In the 1960s, the dump cars sat in a woods with trees growing up through them, so their use was probably earlier than some of the more recent 2-foot-gage operation.

One of the clay pits in Chaska contains a steam shovel or dragline of some sort that is submerged under the water that fill the pit when its use was discontinued in the early 1950s or so. Old timers recall seeing it disappear as the water slowly rose. Today it stands with its boom raised in operating position, completely submerged in about 80 feet of water.

RTK

Hello All,

What other equipment is at this site? From those pictures it seems that there are at least two different wood passenger cars.

While this fellow may not have given up on his plans for a museum, wood passenger equipment tends to be rather impatient.

Tom Cornillie

I worked with Don Lind for a short time back in the early 1970s. He has a couple of ex-Soo Line passenger cars and an ex-Soo Line wooden cupola caboose. He also has an ex-Iowa Central, M&StL wood boxcar with a pressed steel fishbelly frame. I got that car for him from the C&NW for a dollar. They had been using it as a shed near Kenwood Yard, so it had no trucks. Don put trucks from some other origin under the car once he got it to Annandale. I think he has a couple of other pieces that he acquired since the time of my involvment. I seem to recall that he had a Soo Line steam locomotive tender. He also has the Soo Line depot from Hamel, MN.

I took the boiler jacket off of that engine #471 before Don bought it. That was back in the days before there was any mention about the dangers of asbestos.

RTK

Relevant photo and partial text of an email from Jeff Terry:

http://rypn.org/cover_photos/annandale.jpg

That is the Iowa Central boxcar in the foreground. According to Don's research, this car originally had Fox trucks. I guess the car is a sister to the one at North Freedom, WI.

There were no trees the last time I was out there. I fear for the fate of this equipment (aside from the effect of the elements).

RTK

There comes a time when dreams have to be recognized for just what they are...Dreams and nothing more. I would suggest that Mr. Lind might want to face up to reality now and consider donating what equipment is still in somewhat decent shape to various railroad museums that might be able to care for them in the future.

And what is the chance of this realization taking place? My guess is; next to none!

Les

You might be able to contact Don Lind by writing him at Minnesota and Western Railroad Museum, Annandale, MN. I don't have the zip code. He was living out there, but if not, it will probably get forwarded to him.

RTK