The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum, Wichita Falls, Texas, closed since mid-2020 account Covid-19, is now in peril. The collection includes steam and diesel locomotives, passenger and freight cars and other railroad artifacts.

Times Record News: https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/n ... 767697002/

The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum's website is "down" (no longer functioning).

Wichita Falls Railroad Museum (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/Wichita-Falls- ... 9658370781

Last Facebook post made in August of 2012. Ten years ago.

Facebook is a fad... right?

Isn't that called the "metaverse" nowadays ??

Was there ever a roster of equipment published? I know that they have a Burlington (Ft. Worth & Denver) 2-8-0, but not much other info known.


Les

If the organization had been playing with the metaverse they might have some early adopters stopping by.

Sure, their money would be worth half what it was two weeks ago, but half an Apecoin is still better than a parking lot full of tumbleweeds.

What shape is the 304 2-8-0 in?

The article several times refers to this museum as 'defunct'.
It's been shuttered for over 2 years, so I'd think that word is appropriate. So really, wouldn't is best to say that the stuff is in peril? The museum appears to be a past-tense thing.

To start, Wikipedia lists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_F ... oad_Museum

Fort Worth & Denver ALCO 2-8-0 No. 304
MKT EMD NW2 No. 1029
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad coach Silver Falls
MKT troop sleeper No. 100261

But the full collection includes :"Commuter Cars, Pullman Troop Sleepers, Dining Cars, Post Office and Baggage Cars, Cabooses and more". (Edit): I found a description of the museum that says: "The museum has one steam locomotive and one diesel locomotive, along with 13 other associated railway cars."

There is a more recent facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/wfrrm/ , last post was in Novemeber 2020 "As of this morning the City of Wichita Falls now has The Wichita Falls Railroad Museum. Our lease was up and we didn't renew it. With only 3 active board members you can't do much. So they are going to try to find someone to take it over. We have enjoyed the years we have been associated with the museum. Hope everyone will understand. Please take care and be safe."

To me it looks like a bobo is complaining about the "rusty old equipment" and wanting some bobo attractions in its place (i.e., not anything related to industrial jobs).

From the article: "Infighting among board members, deaths of old enthusiasts, money troubles and thieves took a toll. COVID-19 was the death blow."

Queue the internet posts in six months to a year from now, insisting that "someone" save all that in the next couple days or it all gets scrapped...
Yeah, never heard that before, have we?

The article has pictures of several pieces. It looks like the Q coach is one of the air conditioned heavyweights used in Chicago commuter service. A second similar coach is there, and a Pullman heavyweight sleeper in pool service colors. Also heavyweight RPO and baggage. Steel MKT cabeese and 111 and 212 look in good shape and a third MKT? one is in faded paint for the WF&S. It’s a great little collection that could help start or expand a museum. So that would make 9 cars with the troop sleeper.

Here are some links to the equipment on the site:

The homepage stored at archive.org has a complete list, with individual links that contain additional information: https://web.archive.org/web/20021223195 ... coroll.htm

Note: the page for the Pullman troop sleepers states that a set of Allied Full-Cushion trucks is on-site: https://web.archive.org/web/20021130150 ... ttroop.htm

There have been several inquires on RYPN over the years from museums and individuals looking for these. I suggest contacting the town, as if there is a reorganization someone less knowledgeable might look at these as so much scrap that is in the way.

This page has many recent photos of FW&D 304: https://rgusrail.com/txfwd304.html

Photo of the RPO interior are available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/old-curmudgeon/1316000920/

Additional interior and exterior photos of the Pullman Rio Usumacinta and 3 CB&Q power cars are available here: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locThu ... 384&Page=7

The Rio Usumacinta has been restored to interpret both the end of Pullman heavyweight service and the role of the car in company service.

I also suggest that the Illinois Railway Museum reach out to the town regarding the 3 CB&Q power cars. These cars were rebuilt extensively by the CB&Q in their West Burlington, IA shops and used exclusively on Chicago-Aurora commuter service between 1950 and 1974 where they provided electric power to single and bi-level cars. They would fit well with IRM's collection in interpreting the CB&Q's commuter service. The use of specialized power-cars allowed the CB&Q to rotate their intercity locomotives into the commuter pool (including the E-5 9911A). Practically speaking, they would allow for an additional air-conditioned option for revenue service. Arranging for an extended time frame for the acquisition would facilitate fund raising and shipping logistics.

The sale of these cars would provide Wichita Falls with some funds to repaint the remaining equipment and space to re-arrange remaining equipment for display.

On their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wfrrm/ was posted this a few years back:

"WF Railroad Museum
January 10, 2019
I know some of you all have been wondering why the Wichita Falls Railroad Museum's website is not working. Well we found out this week that the board member that took care of our website passed away last April. No one let us know. Sooooo we don't know what we are going to do about our website at this time. Just keep all the board members in your thoughts and prayers as we try to figure this out and also for the museum. Thanks for understanding and support."

That would have been eight months previous and the museum had just found out the board member had died. It is really sad reading some of the posts there, it looks like it was mostly just one person in poor health opening and closing the gates and collecting money with very little help. Another post said that inmates from a local correctional institution were doing the mowing around the museum until their minder became ill.

One thing that gives me pause is this statement: "Madeleine Calcote-Garcia, director of the Museum of North Texas History, submitted a proposal to the city about what to do with the relics, but declined to say what her proposal is.

“I’m not going to comment on that until the city and I have reached an agreement,” Calcote-Garcia said.

“We will get back with them after we have time to review it,” a spokesperson for the city said."

I hope it isn't scrap.

Let's see if the city can get back the museum on rail

If not, what next, a auction?

I look on google map and i see Wichita Falls is close to Dallas and Frisco

So maybe the Museum of the American Railroad can be open for the Wichita collection?? That my point the view many thing can happen

David