After six years of quietly engaging the community about the potential of developing a railroad tourist attraction centered around Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive no. 765, we have some news.

Last month, the City of Fort Wayne and planning consultants SWA Group released the master plan for over 700 acres of downtown and riverfront adjacent property. This is a significant mixed use and redevelopment project with a lot of local support and momentum.

As part of Phase 1, Stage 2 of development, the consultants have recommended that Headwaters Junction - our conceptual plan to recreate a roundhouse, railyard, and re-activate a portion of former New York Central right-of-way - be the catalyst for the project.

Headwaters Junction would provide the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society a significant showroom opportunity for its collection, restoration activities, operations, future acquisitions, and events. Chief among the collection would be the 765, which would continue to operate in excursion service, but be joined in the stable by other operating equipment like our historic Wabash steam locomotive and others.

Central to this plan has been the drive to create a permanent, sustainable, and relevant home for the 765 and the FWRHS that exists in addition the passenger excursion business model.

It's one part Strasburg, a dash of Three Rivers Rambler, one part Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, one part Age of Steam, one part New York High Line.

While ambitious in size and scope, its inclusion and programming have been deemed critical to giving the riverfront project the necessary "wow" factor and driving foot traffic and tourism to the area.

The development exists outside the 500-year flood plain and on the dry side of an Army Corps levee.

Our press release:
http://fortwaynerailroad.org/2015/02/he ... iverfront/

Local news coverage:
http://headwatersjunction.com/2015/02/t ... ment-plan/

http://headwatersjunction.com/2015/02/k ... -on-track/

Illustrations and conceptual renderings: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortwayne ... 153355032/

Congrats, and it looks like it will be an absolutely beautiful facility!

However, cue the foamer rumor mill going into overdrive that you guys are acquiring PM1225 from SRI now (based on the concept pictures) lol ;)

-Eric Shock

Congratulations and it does look like a gorgeous facility. I hope this works out for your group.

I'm a bit confused by the renderings. They're both really nice, though different styles, but they also seem to show different locations. One has the roundhouse nestled in among some modern looking buildings and the other has a much more open feel, showing trees (granted, the implication is that there are buildings and homes there, not forest) and a large parking area. with some rolling stock nearby.

Even the overall layout of the roundhouse and location of the auxiliary buildings is different in each. I understand, they're concept drawings, and things are still fluid.

That said, they almost look like different sites. Are there two locations in the area being considered? Was one more conceptual, maybe the artistic sketch looking one, while the more photo realistic one is more accurate to the actual location plan?

Bob,

The hand drawn sketch was our original artistic rendering to help illustrate the concept for the general public. It was completed last spring, but we've kept a lid on it for now and it was included in the consultant's presentation as a way to help visualize what things were and how they were situated.

The computer rendering is the consultant's own take on including it with other potential development. It was the original sketch - combined with their admitted weeks worth of YouTubing the 765 - that helped them realize the project needed to be "at ground zero." The elements, though different geographically, are pretty much the same. We're just missing the interlocking tower and signal bridge in their rendering...

The hand drawn sketch envisioned the plan at the former location of the Nickel Plate yard west of downtown.

The formal railroad feasibility study will help illustrate the project in a more specific and dedicated fashion.

Thats the west Wayne yard just west of the bridge and hospital. I shot some 8mm of some car kicking switching there...

Is that NYC freight station still there near where engine sat? It looks like the PRR roundhouse and turntable are gone.

Everything save for Baker Street (PRR) and the Cass Street depot (NYC - included in the consultants rendering adjacent to the roundhouse) has been more or less torn down or demolished.

The NYC freight house was torn down in 2010 in a bit of shortsightedness - the original thought for Headwaters Junction was at the former NYC yard brownfield which is just to the northeast of the consultant's rendering.

This location is about a quarter mile from the engine's Lawton Park display site.

KL

That's going to be excellent. It's good to see a city actually appreciate its railroad heritage!

What could be better than a dream, a plan and the tenacity to overcome hurdles to achieve a goal? When it is a great bunch of folks doing it, that's what.

Congrats Kelly and the rest of the Fort Wayne visionaries.

The city, the locomotives and the preservation community as a whole will benefit from your willingness to dream.

Steam on,

Rob

Nice work by Kelly and FWRHS.

Wesley

No, that second engine is Wabash railroad 534. Maybe they might aquire other engines, but for now, there's only two