It's improving slowly. I can't give you an accurate car count for the last month, but I'll look into it for ya
Unusual! Found this on eBay: First time I have seen anything about the Yreka Western models ! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5983564267&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1
Wayne - We have an entire family as members of the local HO club, (which is located in the old warehouse attached to the YWRR depot) that poduce alot of YWRR and McCloud rolling stock (locos and cars). However, I do not know if this is one of theirs or not. Normally their models are RTR with Kadees. They have a business called Golden West Hobbies. They do excellent work and usually have a sale every week. I own a couple of their models.
I've some Golden West Hobbies's models. I enjoy them very much. They are a cupola caboose painted for the Yreka Western and McCloud Railway wide-vision caboose No. 102. But mine came with Bachmann E-Z mate couplers instead of Kadees. The actual models are Athearn, Golden West custom paints them.
I hope you guys can get something going down there,would like to come down and see everything. JIM in Central Point,OR
Jim .. just let me know when you will be down this way and I'll meet you at the railroad and take you for a tour. As long as it's not on the 7th or 8th of July (court dates)
To recap things at the YWRR: A year ago next month, the President / CEO of the company disappeared. There is still no hint of what hapened to him. When he left, the company was in debt approximately 2.3 million dollars incurred mostly as a result of the fire in tunnel 13. His business partner, who was primarilly a cash cow attempted to take over the railroad from Denver, but ran into a challange as to who owned the railroad by a "former partner" with the Colorado Railroad & Mining Museum. There was a law suit filed by the President / CEO's partner against the CR&MM in an attempt to stave off the takeover, but the plaintiff filed personal bankruptsy, which really complicated matters. The litigation went on for several months, which during the interim the court appointed a receiver to manage the railroad. Last Tuesday, 9 August 2005 the CEO's partner threw in the towel, leaving the YWRR to be taken over by the CR&MM (which is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization that exists on paper only). On Thursday, 18 August 2005 the court will disolve the receivership and I assume the keys to the YWRR will be submitted to the representative of the CR&MM. The CR&MM has owned at least 4 railroads and every one of them has gone bankrupt. The CR&MM has no money to pay off the $2.3 million debt, which brings to question why this organization would fight so hard to take over the YWRR? I'm afraid the only answer that makes sense is to allow the YWRR to go bankrupt and then sell off the assets and salvage the rest (It is estimated the the salvage of the high-carbon steel rails would bring in several millions of dollars). If that happens, the YWRR will no longer exist. It's a shame because there are 10 people / organizations that are interested in buying the YWRR .. 8 of them are viable buyers! We can only wait and see what happens after the takeover.
We often have court proactivity. It would have been nice to see it here. Turning it over to an entity with no money.......... Boxcab E50
Bill, Wasn't the CR&MM the same people who owned the Georgetown Loop Railroad or was it a different group? And what will happen to the 19 if the railroad is salvaged?
Tim .. I have no information about the Georgetown Loop and the CR&MM, but I don't believe they are related. If they are .. the Georgetown Loop RR is doomed! Knowing how this outfit operates, I would imagine they will "button" #19 back up and sell her outright (they don't have money to do the work that needs to be completed to satisfy FRA requirements to sell her at full value). She's worth quite alot of money so I doubt she'd be scrapped. I can tell you right now that I will have nothing to do with helping with the work!
I thought the Georgetown Loop was almost killed off a couple years ago due to the organization that was operating it. Doesn't costumer(s) on the Yreka Western have some say if the railroad is salvaged?
Yes .. Timber Products filed a motion to stay the abandonment of the line back in 1999. Then the railroad was sold to the present owner(s). I strongly suspect that TP will appeal the abandonment and salvage again, if it comes to that.
If I recall corerctly, TP is the sole remaining shipper? Sometimes that comes into play. It can at times help in stopping abandonment, if more than one company actively uses the railroad. Boxcab E50
Timber Products is the only remaining shipper on the railroad. As for any link between the outfit from Colorado that apparently owns the railroad now and the Georgetown Loop...there isn't any. The Georgetown Loop is owned by the Colorado Historical Society, which is a different organization than the owners of the YW. JDLX Elko, NV
It's official ! The Yreka Western RR is now owned by the museum. Now we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
