Funds needed to move railroad cars to proposed Eldridge Park museum
By Ray Finger •rafinger@gannett.com • July 6, 2010, 6:05 pm, Elmira Star-Gazette

If some additional funding can be raised soon, two vintage railroad cars will arrive in Elmira to begin the first phase of a planned railroad museum project at Eldridge Park.

The Chemung Valley Railway Historical Society is making arrangements to move the rail cars to the park from storage in Susquehanna, Pa. The cars are a passenger coach and a converted boxcar with three compartments.

The railway society originally budgeted $9,500 to move the cars, but because of the cars' storage location, two cranes will be required to load them onto trucks, increasing the cost to about $13,495, said Rob Piecuch, chairman and cofounder of the railway society.

If the additional funds can be raised quickly, the cars could be delivered later this month, he said.
The rail cars have been on private property for several years and have to be moved soon, he said. They need exterior and interior work, but they are restorable.

During the first phase of the railroad museum project, the cars can serve as the initial exhibit. The bigger effort down the road involves buildings and a roof, Piecuch said. "Phase one can happen right away," he said of the project that has been more than 12 years in the making.

Once restored, the rail cars will feature displays, a gift shop, a meeting area, a small lounge area and an operating model train layout. "I think it's a natural extension of what we're already doing here," said Dr. Bob Lyon, president of the Eldridge Park Carousel Preservation Society.

Meanwhile, negotiations are under way to obtain an old railroad hotel built in the 1800s at the northeast section of the park that most recently had been a bar, Lyon said. It has been closed many years, he said.

The second floor would become offices for the railway society and the Eldridge Park Conservancy, and the main floor would become the railroad museum, he said.
"It needs a lot of work, which we could get accomplished by getting grants through all three organizations to get that building restored to its 1800s splendor."

Donations can be sent to:
Chemung Valley Railway Historical Society
P.O. Box 162
Elmira, NY 14902


Funds needed to move railroad cars to proposed Eldridge Park museum

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