I just returned from Wisconsin, and sadly must report some losses to the railway preservation community due to vandals (possibly NIMBYs). I don't currenty have most of the history of the cars at hand, and due to police investigations ongoing must be a little general in details.
At Badger, WI, an ex CB&Q heavyweight combine owned by Clint Jones, an ex CNW (xRI) former tender snowplow #262739 owned by myself, and a ex CNW double track snowplow, and a modern steel boxcar, both owned by Bluff Rail, all had their brakes released, and wheel chocks removed causing them to runaway downhill out of their storage siding. They went over a derail, causing them to leave the track, and ended up blocking an active railroad line. Due to the short time needed to reopen the line, and the very high cost of salvaging the cars, they are all being cut up on site.
Unrelated to this incident, a heavyweight business car was torched by vandals in North Freedom, WI, and is currently waiting scrapping. (This car was not at Mid-Continent, it was stored off the museum property, and was privately owned.)

Boyd -

That is sad news.

Les

Very sad indeed, and very sobering and thought provoking. A few years ago IRM lost an ice reefer, and most of a heavyweight coach to a vandalism fire. We are trying to save most of the coach in an adaptive re-use project but the reefer was beyond repair and has been cut up. But for the coach, clearly little of the historic 'fabric' can be saved from the frame up.

Food for thought with many pieces of 'preserved' equipment scatterred about the countryside in unsecured locations and clearly becoming targets of opportunity. Is there at least a way to insure these artifacts? Doubtful if they are not on some sort of private property with at least a fence. Who would write such a policy?

Bob Kutella

Mr Owen,

I am just curious where you got the info that the car in North Freedom was awaiting scrapping?

Ed Ripp

I was told by the guys working in the Mid-Continent coach shed last friday that the car is a total loss, burned through the roof in multiple places and the frame warped from the heat, so the owners are going to scrap it.

I recieved some updated info on the Laona and Northern business car. Further evaluation of the car determined that there was not frame damage to the car, and that the roof is repairable, so the owners no longer plan to scrap this car.

Hi Boyd,

If you need a place to store equipment, North Judson IN HVRM is
a good place. Sorry to hear you lost a snow plow in the derailment.
Les Beckman is a big RI fan. Take care

Long live the "Fife" DD991,

Tom Travis HVRM La Porte IN Restoration Dept