The massive snowstorm in the east has taken a toll on our railfan community. About half of the roof on the B&O Museum, Mt. Clare, in Baltimore, has caved in on the preserved rolling stock there, mostly the oldest and most fragile. There is a lot of speculation about whether or not the Fair of the Iron Horse will be possible this summer. It's pretty sorry looking. Go look at Railway Preservation news for photos and pix taken off TV screens. This museum, IMHO, is (was) one of the two best in the country. A real disaster. No one was hurt, so it's all relative, I guess. I'm just glad I got to visit there once.
Here is the link for that site for you Jim and for others click the Briefs link and then the top one for the article and pictures: http://www.rypn.org/ The B & O Museum site with their information: http://www.borail.org/weather_roundhouse.asp [ 18. February 2003, 01:12: Message edited by: LadySunshine ]
Sad. They also suffered some theft this week. This is from the N-scale list: BURGLARY AT THE B&O MUSEUM ON FEB. 13/14: Right on the tail of a Feb. 9th break-in at the Strasburg RR enginehouse (in which several locomotive numberplates and lanterns/marker lights were stolen) and the reports of a burglary at a private residence in Pennsylvania in late January (in which a large number of PRR locomotive number plates were stolen) comes a reliable report that the B&O Museum was the victim of a similar burglary last night, in which several items of railroad hardware were stolen.
This is a terrible thing to have taken place. I couldn't feel worse if such a thing had happened in my own home town.At least no one was hurt in the collapse. regards / Mike Life-long B & O fan.
Heres the full Article I got fellas in e-mail.. Copy & pasted.... B&O MUSEUM ROOF COLLAPSE REPORT *PIC* Posted By: Alexander D. Mitchell IV <lner4472@bcpl.net> Date: Monday, 17 February 2003, at 12:10 p.m. It ain't pretty, folks. According to the neighbors, a section of the roof of the B&O Museum's Roundhouse collapsed between midnight and 12:30 on the morning of Monday, Feb. 17th, as a near-record snowfall continued to fall. An additional section collapsed ca. 5:30 am. The high portion over the turntable is still intact. The section that fell was the part covering fully half--180 degrees--of the "stalls" or storage tracks facing to the southwest. The first photo shows the view from Pratt Street. The middle photo is a somewhat desperate attempt to shoot through the iron screen grill over the fogged-up window facing Pratt Street. To the left is Clinchfield 1; to the right the wooden B&O Royal Blue coach. The third photo is from the fence in their western backyard on the old track pointed to the former shopping center further west on Pratt Street. The preliminary eyeball is that the collapse is concentrated on the vintage steamers starting with the Andrew Jackson and working around clockwise to the main access track. Right off the bat I can say that the most fragile jewels in the roundhouse--the Royal Blue coach, the Ma & Pa baggage-mail car, and the 1830s Nova Scotia directors car--SEEM to have escaped serious collapse damage; ditto Jersey Central 1000. However, I cannot confirm that the wooden B&O caboose or the older B&O wooden coach (the William Mason companion) have escaped damage. If they were underneath, you can fear the worst. It appears from what locos I could see--the Camel and another (I think) Memnon)--that the damage is somewhat serious cosmetic damage at worst. It also appears that the collapse shook loose some of the snow buildup on the remaining roof sections of the roundhouse. However, I certainly wouldn't walk in the shop building, which still has a considerable buildup of snow at last report. If the link doesn't work right, try: http://www.velarium.com/amitchell/ I saw Courtney Wilson on the scene; several of the B&O Museum staff own SUVs, but for now even the main drag of Pratt Street, a major city thoroughfare, is barely a pedestrian walkway. The entire region is under a state of emergency, with precipitation STILL falling at 24+ inches; and even National Guard Humvees are getting stuck. There are far more pressing local emergencies than this at the moment; however, I am going to ask that we band together, take vacation time, and help the Museum out as best we can. I will post any details of fundraising or volunteer help as I get them. God, this is all we needed for the fair of the Iron Horse! Dang, talk about nasty timing! [ 18. February 2003, 06:46: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
What a tragedy. I hope that they can recover the equipment inside, and that it hasn't suffered too much damage, either from the collapse or from suddenly getting exposed to the elements after so long.
I can understand some of it. Look at MY HOUSE! This winter is nasty for the northeast! I think the man upstairs turned his snowblower chute the wrong way!
Heres a picture of what Mt. Clare Roundhouse looks like after the roof gave away to the tremendous amount of snow fall..... Sad thing, to see that to the oldest Roundhouse in the USA!
That is terrible! I hope that all the exhibits can be restored to former glory, and the roof replaced. I hope that all this is covered by insurance?
Alan, I would imagine they have prperty insurance for this type thing being a museum an all..... I hate to think of what was under that section of the roof tho! Their was a few diesels in their an a bunch of really old steamers! Most still in opperating condition! I haven't found a list as to what loco's may have got it but.... Anyone else have an idea of what was under that section of the roof an might have script to it ? I can't find anything on it....
John, take a look at the link that Darren posted a little while ago, the pics there let you do a "virtual" walkround inside the roundhouse and shows what the damage is like. Most of the steamers caught seem to have had the (wooden?) cabs crushed or damaged, but the main bulk of these loco's are pretty solid. There were a couple of baggage cars there that look a real mess though. It's a real shame. Even if they do get insurance money they will still have the task of rebuilding and restoring the equipment, presumably for a second time. It must be heartbreaking for them.
Martyn, I know its heartboken to me! And I have never been inside the place! But I know whats inside the rounhouse an all. Just heart stopping when I heard that the roof caved in from the snow! I hate to think what it will be for them to refurbish everything..... I hope the William Mason wasn't harmed..... God, forbid, its the worlds oldest still opperational locomotive! Its a new day movie star! It was the loco in "Wild, Wild West" That was out a few years ago....Under steam an looking good! And not to forget the old Winians Camels that were in their... What a sad time for the B&OHS right now....
I have been to the Museum twice and to see those pics from the restoration page just blows me completely away! It is heartbreaking to see those historical locos and rolling stock damaged or even possibly destroyed! It saddens me when pieces of America's past that are virtually irreplaceable damaged or destoyed by any means. It means that that part of history we have seen or touched, could be lost forever.
Gang gone! The William Masn did get nailed!!! errrrrr Thats very saddening news to see those pictures! Thanks Darren!
Not knowing the B&O engines by site , which picture from the link I posted shows it. I was there a couple of years ago so I might have a "Before" shot I can scan and share.
Darren, The "William Mason was the 4-4-0 #25 probably in the pictures you have! Its been repainted quite a few times for being a movie star a bunch of times! So... It got a few face lifts every now an again! I wish they'd restore it to its original condition an leave it that way an use it "as is" in a movie! As for the pictures you have, please, feel free to post them! We all enjoy that so.....
Most of what I have is on video and currently no way to transfer in my computer but wife also took a few stills so I can share those. Timeframe: October 1999 Outside Derrick Lafayette Davis Camel [ 03. March 2003, 19:33: Message edited by: Stourbridge Lion ]
From www.borail.org, and another group I belong to, the B&O museum folks have decided to cancel "The Fair of the Iron Horse" and focus on repairing the roundhouse roof. Sad.
