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I doubt it.
The city has been talking about doing something with this money for quite a while now. Problems with this location are... A. No rails remain in the area to access it. It's in the old LS&MS area where I think they had some yard tracks way back in the 50's. THere was a cool old freight house here that was razed a couple years ago when the land was graded and grass planted. They would have to re-lay rail into the area from the NS main.
B. I believe that the area is still a flood plain. Back in the floods of 1982 and 1985 I'm pretty sure this area was under water. Granted, a LOT of work has been done in our town to alleviate the flooding, this area is still not exempt if there's another "100 year flood" sometime in the future.
Why would you spend millions of dollars to restore a steam engine back to its glory and operational to have it sit out possibly in the elements ect.
Sounds like someone's pipe dream.
The Headwaters Junction project has been talked about in Fort Wayne for several years. If it was to become a reality, it would include a new indoor home for the 765 with a connection to Norfolk Southern. The locomotive would not be stored outside.
It's a complex civic project with a lot of upside potential for the community and the 765. However, I know only what's in the press. I'm not directly involved in this at all.
This maybe a sensitive topic for some.
No, this is not a "new" home, but another place for the 765.
Headwaters Junction would a place to show off the 765 or another other locomotive.
http://headwatersjunction.com/
Downtown Fort Wayne could use this Headwaters Junction to draw in tourist dollars, just in the same manner as the city of Portland Oregon and the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation has done by building the Oregon Rail Heritage Center.
Yes, Oregon Rail Heritage Center is the new home for the Spokane Portland & Seattle 700, Southern Pacific 4449 and the Oregon Railroad & Navigation 197
The huge potential benefit is there under the current proposal are current NS freight customers that would fall under Headwaters Junction project.
These customers' revenue could help pay for the Headwaters Junction project.
This is a grand plan and lots of a lofty goals.
This is not new...in fact, it rather dated plan that has taken this long to just reach this point.
What I would ask instead of beating up Rich for details, is to take a wait and see attitude.
If you live in or close to Fort Wayne, Indiana, then you might have a better understanding of how important this project is to the area.
If you do not, then keep an open mind and keep watching for developments.
For those who want to be silly, say stupid things to get an reaction, I can play that game, too
Trust me, the 765 or any other locomotive WILL NOT BE A PARK ENGINE TO BE VANDALIZED!
Come on folks, put your brain in gear before opening your mouth.
I am sure there will be as many comments and HA opinions on this like there is for the proposed UP Big Boy restoration. Done right this could be a very nice project and hopefully get the 765 out in the public even more.
Sounds like an interesting project and if it goes through a very successful way to keep the 765 in the public view. Sounds like a great opportunity to me.
There's a lot that can be earned from the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation's success in building their new facility near downtown Portland. Even though they had to leave the roundhouse, they chose a location that was close to other attractions, very visible, and publicly accessible and still connected to the larger railroad system. At Fort Wayne what we have is ideal for a shop facility, but it's not as welcoming to the public as it could be. ORHF's Doyle McCormack and Kelly Lynch have been talking for the past two years and Doyle told Kelly that he wanted to make sure the engines had a home and could be enjoyed by the public even if they never turned a wheel again. I think Kelly's ultimate play here has been to try and make the 765 known and appreciated by the city at large again. There's a lot of unknowns, but as a member I'm glad to see us consider what the next 40 years may bring, especially if the railroads don't support mainline steam in the future as well as they do now.
With Kelly Lynch a part of this project, I wouldn't be to quick to disparage it.
Originally Posted by ChooChooDennis:
With Kelly Lynch a part of this project, I wouldn't be to quick to disparage it.
I don't see where anyone has disparaged the Headwaters Junction project in this thread.
I would agree with you that Kelly is a force to be reckoned with. He is very committed to this and I think he knows what it will take to get this done.
"I doubt it." "Sounds like someone's pipe dream."
Because these words were used in this thread, I used the word disparage.
Nickel Plate Road No. 765 may be part of new Fort Wayne development
Published: January 10, 2013
Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 on a Norfolk Southern employee special at Harrisburg, Pa., in August 2012.Photo by Jim WrinnFORT WAYNE, Ind. – The mayor of Fort Wayne has recommend spending up to $20 million in community investment funds for the proposed Headwaters Junction development that would include Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765. Headwaters Junction is a mixed-use gateway and downtown attraction concept combining river, rail, and trail development on what is known locally as the North River property and the surrounding areas.
Headwaters Junction proposes including a steam-powered train as part of an attraction with annual events that could include dinner and tourist trains operating between area attractions and on regional excursions. The proposal also suggests construction of a multi-use interpretive center that includes park and green space, mixed-use components, and a for-profit short line railroad that serves area businesses.
Headwaters Junction is designed to connect the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Science Central, Rivergreenway and Pufferbelly Trails, and Harrison and Wells streets with a reactivated railway that can accommodate tourist trains or a streetcar. The seven-mile railroad would swing south from Coliseum Boulevard, east along the river at Runnion Avenue, over Wells and Harrison Streets, north over 4th Street and toward the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and Fernhill Avenue.
No. 765’s owner, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, would provide the locomotive and its fleet of vintage equipment, including other locomotives and passenger cars from the 1940s. Society volunteers would restore, operate, and interpret the collection. No. 765 was put on display in Fort Wayne’s Lawton Park in 1963. It was restored to operation by the society in 1979. When not operating on mainline excursions, it is stored in a workshop east of New Haven, Ind. In the late 1990s, Headwaters Park architect Eric Kuhn was the first to suggest including the train in the original 220-acre riverfront plan.
“We had over 2,300 passengers on our Santa Train, which operates over a quarter mile of track in New Haven. We can only take 40 people at a time and are at capacity. What if we could do this downtown? The city would have its own Polar Express. Other railroad attractions experience anywhere from 17,000 to 200,000 visitors for these types of events,” said Kelly Lynch, project manager for Headwaters Junction.
Headwaters Junction has been endorsed by a variety of associations and civic organizations, including Arts United, Fort Wayne Trails, Wells Street Historic Corridor and Business Association, Downtown Improvement District, and the Chamber of Commerce. No. 765 is what Trains Editor Jim Wrinn called Fort Wayne’s “potential catalyst for tourism, an engine for economic development.”
The society is gearing up for its second year operating No. 765 for Norfolk Southern as part of the railroad’s “21st Century Steam” program, which last year saw the train operate more than 3,700 miles through six states. Plans for this year call for No. 765 to operate on excursions out of Fort Wayne.
I have to say that I find this really exciting. First with the 765 operating on NS which is just such a thrill, and now this project. What a great opportunity for the public to come and see her when she is not operating and to see her when she is and so on...
The FWRHS uploaded this clip....definetly worth watching.
