From the Fans of Milwaukee Road 261 Facebook Group:

"Friends; we have some disheartened and frankly appalling news to share. After our cars returned from West Virginia from a long weekend running excursions, our crew discovered a missing Hiawatha logo taken from our famed “Cedar Rapids.” This was a planned operation, as the herald was well secured to the car. We cannot determine any specific time currently, but we believe it to be taken Tuesday night of the 25th in the Minnesota Commerical railyard.

We ask that anyone with information pertaining to the crime step up and contact the [261 organization]."

brandon.gatz -

No photo of the Hiawatha Herald was included in this theft report, and I've included a photo herein of what was probably taken from the "Cedar Rapids". This is from one of the display cars at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, Indiana.

Les

Here an image of one of the two, chrome-plated Hiawatha logos that have been mounted adjacent to the vestibule on "Cedar Rapids" since at least 2014. I guess someone needed it displayed in their basement or garage more than they thought the people who ride and admire this car needed to see it when they boarded the car.

Was it an original or replica?

What is the cost to replace it?

Replica.

Not sure of replacement cost as it will have to be custom-made.

Suspect the best way to replace it would be waterjet cutting, followed by appropriate prep and show chrome. If budget permits you could cut it directly from stainless stock. Etch or stamp that it is a reproduction on the 'reverse' side.

The immediate thing that comes to mind is that, when the piece is digitized for cutting, that's most of the cost involved in cutting replicas from plate, at various sizes, for sale...

Here's a thought - a money-making opportunity, potentially...make multiples of the herald...after each trip/event, take the herald off the car, sell it as a souvenir - something like "used on the Cedar Rapids car on 'XYZ trip' as a memento". Once sold, then put the next replica herald on. Gives people a chance to legally own said souvenir and to make a few bucks as well...

My take exactly. Stainless sheet/plate thick enough to resist flexing but thin enough to not tax the cutter involved might end up cheaper than prep and plating.

I spent almost four decades vectoring logos in a format that can easily be converted to files used by CNC equipment, and if I hadn't recently retired, my old outfit might have done it gratis if I stayed late a night or two. Timing is everything.

I also like the idea of producing them on a limited basis as a fundraising and/or presentation item. they can easily be stamped on the rear with the date or a sequential number.

I read on line that the group that is involved with the Cedar Rapids has similar heralds available for replacement. They were made from cast aluminum and can be chrome plated to resemble stainless steel.
That does not diminish the need to find the pilfered one of course.

My guess would be the thief isn't a railfan. The thief was some punk who dug the art deco image and thought, "Hey, that's cool. I want it". Beyond that, not too much thinking was wasted .
What a bother.
What a shame.

I’d suggest a CNC router to easily replicate the detail. If you can get an original casting laser scanned, the scan would then be converted to machine code that the router can use. Make a bunch and sell the rest to cover some of the cost. Once you have the code, you can always make more.

Thieves. Don’t get me started….

I see it's attached to the car with tamper proof screws of the two pin variety. A story, from my days on the CTA, told by an electrician who had previously worked for the Chicago Housing Authority...

The work ticket said "No lights in the elevator." When he got in, he realized that he had forgotten his tamper proof screwdriver. As he was about to walk back out to the service truck, a little kid that was watching him spoke up, "We got one," and ran off to get it. The kid came back with a table fork, the center two tings cut short, the outer two bent outward ninety degrees to provide leverage to turn it. The guy said it worked like a champ. When he asked the kid how he happened to have such a nifty device, the kid said, "My mamma uses it to take the bulbs out of those."

Dennis -

Great story. Made my day! Thanks for sharing it.


Les