Hi all,
I just joined this list, and have been a railfan for the last half of my life. I am working for a small non-profit organization in Mullens, WV, and we might have a chance to work with the old Virginian Rwy. motor barn in the near future - the county is working to acquire it from NS. I don't think anyone has any specific plans for it yet, but my dream is to get a steam program in there, perhaps in conjunction with a RR museum. Although the building is pretty bare now, it does feature two huge overhead cranes and three tracks. The inspection pits have been filled in but I think they could be easily dug out again. Does anyone know of a steam restoration program in the eastern US that might be looking for a home? I think this would be a great facility with a little work, and one that would be conducive to a large restoration project.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, and might help save this historic building, too.
Thanks,
Ole Bye

Is there available trackage on which to run, connectable to the motor barn? T'would be a hoot, too, to erect a bit of catenary for electric operations..

I do appologize if I'm the bubble buster here.

1. What kind of track is there to run on and what shape is it in? That is right the FRA laws still apply if you run a trolley or tourist line. Safety First!!

2. What kind of population and demographics is there to advertise too?

3. If you could get a grant to do restoration how will you pay to keep the lights on and the fires hot. With the average small steam locomotive rebuild going for 450K to 600K that does not leave a lot of money left over after a grant is done to say hey general public come and ride our train.

4. Do your homework and remember any tourist operation or museum needs to be run as a business. Just because it says non-for-profit in the front does not mean you can't charge a profit to keep things going.

5. Most business die in the 1st to 2nd years due to lack of advertisement and non-willingness to charge a fair market value for there product. Lets face it coal is not cheap and neither is track maintenance.

Just my 2 cents and business 101.

There is no track to run on - just a spur connection from the old Virginian Rwy. Winding Gulf branch, which now is NS, of course. There isn't much here in the way of tourist interest, but that is something we are working on improving. I don't believe that a tourist railroad could exist here, given that NS owns and operates the lines. There is a great branchline about 3 miles up the Deepwater line with lots of bridges and tunnels that would make a fine excursion run, but a run over NS from the motor barn to get there is probably out of the question.

I don't think any steam program could pay to keep the lights or heat on in this building - it would probably have to be a facility provided by the county for the good work of restoration. It's not like it could ever be a cash cow for the county like an actual business would, but it would preserve the structure in a way that would honor its history and potentially bring tourists to town.

As for the price of coal, we are pretty close to the source!

Thanks for your thoughts,
Ole

As in the movie "What About Bob" keep thinking "Baby Steps". Sooner than later enough "Baby Steps" will add up to a giant leap. Stick with your history and you will find more than enough to start. Weekend clean-up of the place and then picture taking of the entire group. Post the pictures everywhere you think they would be seen by the public. If ownership of the property is in doubt then clean up around it. Activity breeds activity but only if folks know what you have going. Start going to city/county meetings and talk up the idea. You will have some people joining who are only in it for themselves or a short time. So be it, make it work for the project! Invite the local press/TV/radio folks out for a hamburger and cup of coffee. With their hands and mouth full it is hard for them to interrupt. Share the vision with anyone who will listen. Ask folks on this forum for advice. Several have been in the exact spot you occupy and have made the vision come true.

It This is the structure I see in books, it is a three stall structure with a lower attached shop building. As far as I am aware there is no museum dedicated to the Virginian railway. Perhaps this is a direction that could be taken.

As I recall there are only three Virginian locomotives still in existance, #4 at the VMT, and EL-C at the VMT and another at a new england museum. I have heard there is a Virginian caboose in Mullens, perhaps that could be moved in. VGN hoppers may still be available.

Likewise, I have no interest in discouraging anybody, but I just checked out just where Mullens is. Sheesh. I'm well versed in Eastern geography, and I have to fly a crow 25 miles to find another town I've even HEARD of.

The cynical truth is that the current custodian of the Virginian steamer and one of the electrics, located in a corporate-headquarters city on a major Interstate, has serious financial problems and is barely able to keep the lights on at their place.

Given that, how in heck can a "restoration facility" in the "middle of nowhere" (I'm sorry, but I know this turf) hope to attract enough "traffic", either visitation or restoration, to stay alive?

Not to say that this can't be done. As I recall, electric locomotives and buildings have been preserved at Deer Lodge and Harlowton, Mont. on the former Milwaukee Road. Depending on Mullens, I could see a mixed-use preservation project, serving as a community hall, museum, and tourist attraction.

I agree with everything you all have said. We are working against many forces, possibly against logic, too, but in places like this with the economy we are working in, creativity is a must! I'm not optimistic that this building is great for a restoration facility, but it is a roof and a space, which is much more than many groups are working with. I thank you for your thoughts, and if in the future, anyone does think of an existing locomotive project that is looking to get indoors, I'd love to hear about it.
Take care,
Ole

Doesn't Cass fit the same, "middle of nowhere" bill?

Where is the home for the people who have gotten the Preston 2-8-0s and the Middle Fork Heisler? This sounds like the sort of facility that they could use, and perhaps create a destination.

dave

I work for the Western Railway Museum. We are one of the better and most active traction preservations in the West, that is outside San Franciusco.

I wanted you to know that the first newspaper article that was written about us was back in 1960 and was called Trolley Cars in a Cow Pasture! We had a piece of land and that was about it. No Track, no buildings,
only cars in storage with the landowners screaming for the group to get them out of here. Everybody starts at the beginning!

I have to say, I don't know where you are really. But the Deabon & Greenbrier folks and their Greenbrier Flyer seem to be doing pretty well. So you might want to talk to them about how they do things.

At least they are in the same State!

Ted Miles

Yes, Cass is about as far in the "middle of nowhere" as Mullens is. And Cass has/had several things to keep it going to where it is today:

*Being made a "ward of the state" as part of the State Parks system;
*Relatively little time between cessation of the predecessor operator and resumption of operation as an excursion (compared with Mullens);
*One heck of a spectacular ride and view that can impress even non-rail/logging fans;
*A distinct and unusual/unique heritage from which to draw (Shays, logging railroads, etc.) that is hard to find at, say, Strasburg, Green Bay, etc.
*A rather well-preserved "company town" surrounding the terminal (and, at least originally, the sawmill too).

Drop any one or two of the above, and I would argue that Cass wouldn't be what it is today, if anything but a ghost town. I could also argue that, lacking the draw of Cass to the region, that it's debatable that the operations at Durbin or Elkins would be there today--there's a degree of interdependence there that works very nicely.

Now, of the above, Mullens can at the time claim one of these attributes--distinctive heritage of the Virginian electrics. Perhaps with help and a willing government (state or local), stewardship can help the mission greatly. I doubt a train ride is in the works. Maybe Mullens can work to transform itself into something of a "old-time mining town" tourist attraction--or maybe, sadly, it already is a time capsule stuck in an earlier time. (The fellow posting this seems to confirm internet presence in Mullens, though..... <:-) )

There are certainly ways to approach such a situation. Heck, a crafty bunch of political networking could probably secure restoration funding for the building, then contract work to do restoration for the West Va. RR Museum or Cass. Not that I'm saying it's a wise move, shuttling stuff around the state--but at least it's within one common state.......

I would recommend your county hire an environmental consultant to test for PCBs and other contaminants before acquiring this property. Several old electric railroad maintenance sites on the former PRR electrified system had to be decontaminated due to leaking transformer oil from the locomotives that contained PCBs.

Alexanders idea about the joint community facility is a good idea, but the more cooks, the more bureaucracy. If the facility is significant enough to warrent historical interest from non rail fans, thats a boost. Unique architecture, natural wonder, etc will help. expound on it all to anyone who will listen.
now for the evil question
who is to assume the liability
a risk assesment will probably kill any county owned steam anything without some "entity" to absorb the risk.
How about doing commercial work out of part ofit to pay the bills?
With the rail next door, a spur must be a commodity to someone.
good luck, but as was said before
business plan to make money has to be first to survive
then consider any tourist stuff as gravy

dr

The 2-8-0's are outside of Elkins in Belington, WV. There is a shop there, where one of them is being worked on. I beleive it is part of the West Virginia Central, although I could have that name wrong.
In Elkins, the land has been aquired for the roundhouse reconstruction and I beleive those plans are moving forward. The bridge has been rebuilt and a yard rebuilt at the depot. I had some business dealings with the local contractors that restored the depot. They are great people who care deeply about their town and it's heritage.

Mike Stillwell
Buena Vista, VA