Land to be used "as a buffer against future development encroaching on the Museum."
Blog post with details on the IRM website: http://www2.irm.org/blogs/index.php?/archives/501-89-Acre-Siegel-Farm-Purchase.html

Jeff

This is GREAT news keep up the good work IRM. This group never ceases to surprise me.

Here is a map showing IRM's property acquisitions over the years
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polybalt/4125673150/

The IRM campus, which started at 26 acres in 1965 is now at 272 acres after six different acquistions. In addition IRM has perchased enough land along the right-of-way to create a 300' buffer strip 1.6 miles long.

One of the great things about IRM is the consistent willingness of the management and Board to take a chance and go into debt to buy land while the price is right, even in the midst of a recession. The only reason IRM could afford to buy this 89 acre parcel was the breaking of the real estate bubble, drastically reducing prices. Without the recession, it is very likely that 60+ 1-acre McMansions would be under construction here now. So ironically the current financial situtation has helped IRM

Great map. I see you have developed a few others. Is this a part of a project you are working on? A comparative analysis of railroad museum campuses?

what, no trailer parks? ...wry humor...

noting where Trolleyville ran...

McHenry County zoning laws do not allow "Mobile Homes".

Jeff

Thanks. Yes, I am drawing 1" = 300' scale maps of railway museums in the US and Canada and have 23 done so far. They do not necessarily show property lines, unlike the IRM property map discussed above (which is 1" = 750' scale).

I will probably put them all on my Flickr site after one last edit as individual jpg files but would like to find a free but readily accessible site to put them up as one multipage pdf file.

[quote="PJS"Thanks. Yes, I am drawing 1" = 300' scale maps of railway museums in the US and Canada and have 23 done so far. They do not necessarily show property lines, unlike the IRM property map discussed above (which is 1" = 750' scale).[/quote]

I would dearly love to see those. I've long said "railroad museums need to buy land (for carbarns) - and I'd like to see to what degree other museums have done it, and how.



Google docs comes to mind...

I guess I'm surprised that there wasn't more comments about this announcement on here. That is fantastic news and IRM should be congratulated on this purchase. I would be very interested to hear more about it. As a board member for a museum out west, its great to see that resources were in place so that when the opportunity presented itself, they were ready. Once again, well done!

Jim Barton

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the maps, and would like to thank Mr. Schmidt in advance for his cartographic project. As a member of a museum that started with ten acres and now covers over 80, I am curious about the layouts of some of the other operations. Illinois certainly has been a leader in realizing that railway preservation needs "land, lots of land"; I can think of one museum that has gone through hard times in part because they have been hemmed in.

IRM isn't the only museum that's been investing in real estate lately. Branford just purchased a six acre lot adjacent to their museum site which will not only provide buffer space, but may enable them to access East Haven city water and sewer.

Which would allow them fire sprinklers on their next building?

Next step is - after the economy rebounds a bit - to develop the adjacent land as a cash cow to support the museum. Empty buffers don't provide more than useful distance while eating up poperty tax dollars otherwise.

dave

The new property next to Branford is close to Branford water. We already have East Haven water, but it's a long way from the proposed carbarn site.

Agreed, it would be ideal to develop it for any compatable use, which is almost anything but residential.

In the case of IRM, all undeveloped land is currrently leased to farmers to plant crops. The lease more than covers the property taxes.