The semaphore blades have started their move! Check it out at:

http://www.grassellitower.com

In a very short period of time, the efforts to save Grasselli have brought in just over one quarter of the funds needed. Yes, there is a long way to go, but the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum is still working hard to secure the balance required. If you have not yet contributed to the effort, please consider a donation today. Of whatever you can afford, big or small. And as they used to say on that TV commercial, Thank You for your Support!

Les

Updated donation amount has been posted to the above website. Our effort continues!

Les

Got a nice donation for Grasselli Tower yesterday and on the back of the gentleman's check, this was written:

"I have been an operator on this tower, off and on, for the past 38 years. I have faxed your request all over the railroad. I hope you will reach your goal."

We are appreciative of all of the donations made thus far, large and small. It is our hope that history will one day live again at North Judson and that this former operator, and others like him, will be able to throw levers to line up routes and inform visitors of the importance of the interlocking tower to railroad operation and safety.

Les

The donation amount for Grasselli Tower has gone up again. Check the website for the current amount. But just so you know that HVRM is not just concentrating on saving (and moving) Grasselli, here is what museum members were doing yesterday, Saturday March 1st:

1. Continuing our efforts on GE 95-ton end cab diesel #11 to bring it up to blue card (FRA) standards so that it can act as a standby to our Alco S-1 diesel on our caboose trains.

2. Continuing the dismantling of the JK Line enginehouse at Monterey, Indiana so that the 50' x 100' building can eventually be moved to North Judson as the second addition to our shop building.

3. Signal department work.

4. Working on the windows in Bessemer & Lake Erie caboose #1989 (ex-EJ&E #510). Plexiglass removed for safety glass. The four sliding windows in the cupola put back in place along with one of the other caboose windows.

5. Packing up totes with items from the museum gift shop for two upcoming train shows/swap meets.

So although we are continuing in our efforts to raise funds for Grasselli (radio spots on the tower were on local radio stations in Valparaiso, Indiana this past Friday and Saturday) work goes forth at the museum on other projects.

Les

You can now make your tax-deductible contribution to the Grasselli Tower Project online! Through our affiliation with the Starke County Community Foundation, you can use your credit card to help save Grasselli Tower. When you make the donation through the SCCF/NICF website, make sure that you follow the instructions so that we get properly credited. The amount of money we have raised in such a short period of time is truly amazing! Thank you!!!

http://www.grassellitower.com/donate-online.htm

Just to keep everyone updated, we have surpassed the $15,000 mark and are well on our way to getting the funds necessary to move Grasselli to North Judson. But we still need more help - IHB has extended our deadline for moving the tower, but we have to move quickly in order to save this piece of history. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

How just a couple of days can make a difference! This morning I received an email from Mark Knebel (our secretary at the HVRM) advising me to update the Grasselli Tower website with a new dollar amount. I'm pleased to say that we have now surpassed the $20K mark and our donation meter signal now displays a slow-clear indication!

Got a phone call today from a gentleman who has taken apart a number of interlocking mechanism's. He tells me that Grasselli is a GRS installation, Style A. I'd be interested in knowing if there are any other existing GRS Style A mechanism's in existance, and where they are located.

Bob has reported our latest donation figures. We are now well past the 1/3 mark. Still quite a ways to go, but making progress!

Les

The B&O RR favored this style (Type A/ with vertical locking bed). Nova tower in Ohio has this style as well as the B&O tower at Ravenna, Ohio. There were many others.
This style of machine was also made by the US&S Co. Keep up the good work!

Kevin Kohls

The semaphores continue to move on the Grasselli Tower Project - we have now surpassed the $30k mark and are getting closer to our goal. If you haven't already donated to this worthy cause, just visit our website at http://www.grassellitower.com and make your donation online. This is a great opportunity for the railfan and railroad preservation communities to step up and help save a piece of railroad history.

Again, a big THANK YOU to everyone that has donated to the project!!!

AND, due to our continued progress in securing donations, the Indiana Harbor Belt has given us another time extension; now mid-April. We appreciate the IHB's cooperation in HVRM's efforts to save Grasselli.

Les

Just to keep everyone updated, as of today we have collected $31,602.39 in donations for the Grasselli Tower project. Closer to our goal, but still far from it! Also, I added a page where you can submit your Tower Stories online (http://www.grassellitower.com/share.htm). Thanks![/url]

Bob has updated the amount as of 4/12/08. Please check out www.grassellitower.com for the latest amount. We have a house mover coming in later this week to look over what needs to be done to move the tower.

Les

Updated amount for our tower fund stands at $32,727.39. There's still time to make your donation - visit the Grasselli Tower website today!

OK, you got my vote with my wallet.

I also kicked in my favorite tower story.

Good luck - I sure hope it makes it!