I think this is the correct link


http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index ... eks_r.html

The location is in Google Maps here:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.40733 ... &t=h&hl=en

Tells quite a tale - they are a stone's throw away from the mainline of one of Michigan's regional railroads, which are much easier to work with than CSX or NS. The track from the mainline switch to their switch is about 500 feet. Down to the first road crossing is about 1600 feet, and another 1600 feet on into the foundry. Seems like it would be very much in Saginaw's best interest to keep the rail to the foundry intact.

The foundry is absolutely immense, it's a production foundry for auto parts, so making millions of parts a year. A major industry could be located there.

I also wonder if they could attain some allies. For instance Bluewater Michigan Chapter is located across town, and I wonder if there'd be anything to the groups coordinating.

Goodness, how many dreams can CSX crush in 30 days?

On the other hand, why is CSX obliged to donate the spur? You could say I'm a bad guy for not donating the $20k. By the same logic, everyone who fails to donate the money to this organization is equally culpable. How many organizations have you failed to support in their hour of need?

Anyway, $20k is just the opening salvo. Realistically, minds come together and prices come down once the horse-trading begins in earnest. The ball is in the Saginaw group's court.

I think there is a difference between donating money to help a business, and taking away a existing asset from a business. How badly does a switch hurt a mainline? I know it's more of a liablity by being their than not, but still.
How much will they spend to take it all out over paving over the bad road crossings and leaving it alone?

Wow... that is lame.

One wonders if CSX is removing the line with a secondary agenda to avoid moving things in and out of the museum.

Let's all be happy CSX was not the owner of the USS United States. Norwegian Cruise Lines passed up 3 million dollars and sold that ship to a group with hopes to keep the historic ship afloat yet CSX won't leave a spur behind.

/Mitch

Does Saginaw Rwy Museum has a business plan or strategic plan in place? Did they anticipate that someday the interchange would be at issue?

As for the "tax deduction" myth, any deduction is only worth so many cents on the dollar as part of the income tax calculation. CSX or any other corporation does not get to deduct the $20,000 value of the trackage (or any other donation in question) from their tax bill.

When I worked in private industry my boss had an annual budget for donations, just like he had for payroll, utilities, etc. Any donation was a business expense somewhere on the books of the company.

Wesley

Not at all. Take a look at the overheads I linked. CSX only owns the 0.6 mile spur into the foundry. The adjacent mainline was since spun off to a Michigan regional called Lake State Railway Company, one of the network of shortlines and regionals that makes Michigan so very excursion-friendly.

Michigan after all is two peninsulas, and one of them is useless as a through route to anywhere. Abandonments have followed the pattern you might expect in that situation, and the state government has done better than most in preserving the rail lines.

Okay, now I understand. From the last post, it's obvious that the former CSX main track has been sold off, leaving CSX with an "orphan" piece of track several thousand feet long. So it's in the company's best interest to rid itself of an unused and unproductive piece of property. And just as clearly, it's in the best interest of the Saginaw Railway Museum to work toward acquiring the track, even if they only get enough to give them access to Lake States. The $20,000 price mentioned is CSX's proposal, and a counter from the museum is probably expected. The two parties will work toward a deal acceptable to both parties. Meanwhile, the museum should also get busy establishing a relationship with the Lake States people, as they would be the museum's connection to the outside world.

This story has a happy ending

From the Saginaw News:

Saginaw Railway Museum to keep access to line, CSX and Saginaw Bay Southern Railway come to agreement

Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 5:00 PM Updated: Wednesday, July 21, 2010,

The Saginaw Railway Museum, located on Maple Street, was in danger of losing its only connection to the main rail lines because of CSX Transportation's desire to rip up the old unused lines in a development project.
SAGINAW — The Saginaw Railway Museum is no longer in danger of being landlocked.

CSX Transportation came to an agreement with Saginaw Bay Southern Railway to leave in 300 feet of track to keep the museum connected to the North American railway system.

In May, museum board president Jim Trier learned CSX, a Jacksonville, Florida-based company wanted to remove a short line that once connected the former Malleable Iron Foundry, 77 W. Center, to the main rail line running through Saginaw. The unused track crosses Michigan, Hamilton and Salt, which are rough crossings CSX wanted to remove and repave.

The company still plans to remove the crossings, Trier said, and should start soon.

Trier asked CSX to leave in about 300 feet of track so the museum at 900 Maple could move rolling stock if needed. It would not mean any of the road crossings would have to stay, but CSX asked for $20,000, an amount the museum could not afford.

“We were pretty scared we wouldn’t get anymore donations,” Trier said. “What’s a railway museum without access to the railroad?”

The board sent an e-mail to the CEO and U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee’s office contacted CSX to seek help for the museum.

Trier said his reaction was joy and happiness when he found out CSX and Saginaw Bay Southern had made an agreement. He had been surprised at CSX’s asking price, he said, as CSX was the company that connected the museum to the line in 1991.
CSXrailwaymuseummap.jpg

“They were very good to us, and again they are,” he said. “They left the track in there and they’re not going to take it out.”

Now museum board members are no longer concerned about be able to move either of their two engines and taking new donations. Should that need arise, Saginaw Bay Southern Vice President Mark Naggy said the railway company will help move the stock.

The railway company now owns the track and leases the land underneath from CSX, and has no current plans to use the railway for anything else.

“The agreement was facilitated to let the museum have access to the track, Naggy
said. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

The Saginaw Railway Museum may even have benefited from the situation.

Trier said he has received several phone calls from people offering donations to the museum, including photos from a man whose mother once worked at the museum’s building when it was an active depot in Hemlock until the 1940s.

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The museum is located near the star at the following Mapquest location, the former GM foundry to the south west of the W Center St bridge.

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Sagin ... de=ADDRESS

Bob H

Folks,
I do approve of railroad museums having access to railroads.

But a lot of them do not have it; the Seashore trolley Museum has moved everything in their collection to the museum the last few miles by truck even if it has come all the way from far away by rail. Something like 200 cars.

After being there for many years my local steam myseum; the Niles Canyon Railway has only recently been able to build a connection to a Union Pacific spur. They can now have equipment deliveries direct from the railroad.

So much old equipment is not allowed to run on the national rail lines; years ago the museums would move equipment that today is never going to be allowed on the rails.

We all know that anything with surface or standard bearings is a no no; but they ran on rails for over 100 years.

Ted Miles

I couldn't agree more, Ted. Unless it's built as tough as a GG1, the old stuff just is not built to interoperate in modern freight trains. It arrives broken. That's been true for 50 years - just look at Sacramento Northern 1005, which got hauled all over northern California to get to remote places where the electrification was still up. The deadhead moves practically demolished the thing. I think everyone in traction preservation knows of a similar example.

The railroads have done us a mercy by opting out of moving our oddball stuff. Thank them, and call Silk Road.