The question has been asked on this forum a number of times the status on Don Lind's collection in Annandale MN. Mr. Lind passed away in mid December and the Colfax Railroad Museum was contacted to see if we were interested in any of the equipment. We were out there today surveying the equipment and getting photos. I will post photos over the next few days, as time allows. In brief, here's the situation. The M&StL 2-8-0 is being purchased by a private party. The Coronet Phosphate 2-6-2T will be going to the Colfax Railroad museum, along with the Milw. Rd. URTX reefer, and, hopefully, the Iowa Central wood boxcar (if it's transportable). We will also be acquiring enough early 4 and 6 wheel trucks to restore other cars. Some of these will be available for sale for other restoration projects and to help cover the cost of moving the 2-6-2T. We also plan to get the small park trains and the two speeders. The former Soo/DSS&A passenger cars are all too far gone to even attempt to move (mostly broken backs and/or collapsed). There is a metal bodied flatcar available, the wooden flatcar is headed for scrap, after salvage of arch bar trucks. The Mn trolley is also headed for scrap. There is a Soo Line work train steam engine tender available, a GN heavyweight baggage with Timken roller bearing 6 wheel trucks, two other BN work train metal baggage cars and a GN coach/diner? work train car. There are three Soo line cabooses available, but they need A LOT of HELP! Roof ribs appear intact but roofing on two is partial at best. There is a wooden baggage that might be salvagable, but there is one 4' stretch of open roof. There is a frame and end walls to an earlier Soo Line caboose also available.

If anyone collects heavy construction or over the road trucks and trailers,. there are a number of cabs & trailers, an old dozer, crane and maybe a drag line hiding in the weeds.

If you have any interest in the above items, please contact me off list and I'll provide dimensions for moving, and prices. We're trying to salvage what's still usable, but due to site limitations, the two steamers are going to take some effort to get off site.

Herb Sakalaucks
Colfax Railroad Museum

Before you scrap the streetcar, let us look at it and take off usable parts.
Aaron Isaacs, vice-chair
Minnesota Streetcar Museum

Is "this" still around?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 406&nseq=6

What you see is the front hood, cab, and a section of the rear hood from Soo Line RSD-2 No. 371, mounted on a caboose frame. At one time it was powered by a automobile engine geared to one of the axles. This modification was done by Mr. Don Lind, proprietor of the Minnesota & Western. Thanks to Mr. Lind for the tour of his private collection of railroad equipment at Annandale, Minnesota.

Here's an old thread here at RYPN with some pictures:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21357&view=next

It's still there. Slated to head to the scrapper, unless someone expresses $ interest.

Pm sent

Interesting and very sad shots in this old post

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33325&start=15

Mike Pannell

Herb,

Any pictures or condition report on the SOO caboose that is ex DL&W? I would suspect there'd be a number of folks interested in it.

Rob Davis

Here is a link to a 2008 photo of the SOO caboose in an earlier thread.

http://www.rypn.org/forums/download/file.php?id=3771

Wesley

As this is potentially the most significant intact piece in this collection, may we ask what the ultimate destination of this loco is or may be? "Private party" could cover everything from Steve Sandberg or Jerry Jacobson to a restaurant looking for an advertising sign.

Were I sufficiently wealthy as to be able to acquire a locomotive of this size (I'm not) I'm pretty confident that RyPN is just about the last place I'd be willing to announce my identity and/or intents. Such an announcement would be immediately followed by the cognoscenti opining on what the new owner "should do" with this national treasure. And had he the temerity to actualy explain his intentions, I'm sure that an even dozen of contrarians would descend to help him understand the error of his ways.

So ask away, but don't expect much in the way of answers.

The buyer on the 2-8-0 is a friend of the family that wants a steam engine and has the resources to move it. If he wants more info released, he will post.
Herb

The Iowa Central boxcar has probably deteriorated to some degree over the last few decades, but it may be in relatively good condtion. It has a full steel frame with pressed steel "fish belly" side sills. I worked to help move it, and I remember it quite well. It has a manufactured steel roof. As I recall, it also has vertical outside steel angle iron braces on the ends. The wooden interior was in good shape with a variety of lettering about loading levels, etc. It had been used at a shed along the M&StL near Kenwood in Minneapolis. Don said he researched it and learned that it had Fox trucks when in operation.

We're hoping it's movable. The westerly facing side is starting to bow out in the middle, which was not noticeable the last time we were able to survey it. It looks like it will probably need to be resided.
Herb

Herb,

Nice work on what sounds like years of diplomacy and patience. Yes - stuff was aging in place in the meantime but it seems you gained the trust and confidence of the family and were able to make things happen when the call came.

This is a good lesson for all of us.

Wesley

I'm not expecting super-detailed answers, just a general idea whether we're dealing with a potential museum donation, a display piece in a park or outside a restaurant, or another addition to the future "barn finds" of legend. After years of basically hidden obscurity, this is potentially one of the nicer "finds" to be unearthed from "hiding," as good as the West Va. Northern 2-8-0s of a few years ago. It would just be a shame for it to go back into hiding once again.

Of course, if it's any of the "usual suspects" or some outlier, we'll eventually know, and I'm hopeful it's only a case of finalizing details such as moving, financing, deeds of gift, whatever.