Mid-Continent Railway Museum Blog

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This weekend we will revive a program started several years ago as a means to guide our own living history program and provide museum guests with something new. Members of the Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry will encamp in the park area near our pavilion. And if things work out according to plan, you will also find a Rebel camp set up (appropriately, some would say) near the manager’s office.

This will be a modest start to something I hope will development into a significant annual event. The expected number of participants is an even dozen. We are a new venue for the Second Wisconsin and I suspect some of their members will be curious to see just how committed we are to making this weekend a meaningful experience for them before they commit to attending any future encampments.

To insure the best possible turnout I have invested in an advertising campaign targeting the Civil War weekend. This is something we seldom do during the summer. But our overall aim is to establish a series of “special” events during our summer season that will compare with our popular off-season specials like Autumn Color and the Santa Express, which do benefit from a comprehensive ad campaign.

Our first effort with a new summer promotion took place with our opening in May on Mother’s Day weekend. We offered first class and dinner service for the first time in several years. Originally scheduled to help recover lost revenue as a result of the Snow Train blizzard, the attendance in May was good enough that we now feel this upgrade in the level of service has the potential to appeal to families wanting to do something special for mom. Expect to see this become a regular feature of our summer operations.

This year’s Gandy Dancer Festival was also merged into this special event strategy. It was originally intended to be a one-time fund raising event for the Badger 2 campaign. Inadvertently we created a uniquely identifiable event and the number of requests we received to do it again prompted the decision to add it to our 2008 plan and budget. And by holding the festival off-site it served a second purpose by expanding Mid-Continent’s operations so that we can take our message to an audience beyond the boundaries of our North Freedom location.

Hosting a Civil War encampment will provide us with an instant program to offer our guests. All the demands of recruiting volunteers, devising activities, and pushing for authenticity belong to someone else. We are merely providing a venue for a like-minded group of preservationists, plus several bales of straw for bedding and the cost of the advertising mentioned earlier.

Museum guests will then be able to walk into a setting enhanced by the presence of familiar figures in the guise of uniformed soldiers, just like they recognize our own engineers and conductors. Although the period they represent slightly pre-dates the era of our own mission statement and certainly the equipment we use, they are preservationists with a major emphasis on living history, which is what we strive to be.

In this light I hope our own members will attend the event, especially those who serve on our train crews. To participate with the Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry requires a personal commitment of adhering to the organization’s standards for authenticity and continuing education or training. Our triennial rules exam does not favorably compare with their training regimen. And our laxity towards defining a proper uniform has no comparison to their requirements at all. So perhaps there’s a chance we will improve in these areas by simple association with another living history group.

And finally I admire their development of interactive projects for kids. There will be various demonstrations of camp life throughout the day, but there will also be activities designed specifically for children. A simple task is a scavenger hunt which will require each child to seek out the meaning of various terms used by the soldiers. The only way to find the answers is to talk to the soldiers themselves.

I think it will be a good day to bring a camera and not for the obvious railfan photos of the equipment. My own interest will be in gathering evidence of how our guests react and interact with the members of the Second Wisconsin in anticipation that some of these images will be used to better plan and promote next year’s event.

By: Don Meyer

Saturday afternoon was the regularly scheduled meeting of the staff and members who comprise our management team. It was an opportunity for me to bring everyone up-to-date on our recovery efforts and talk about preparations for our special events in October and November. It also gave me something to write about for today’s web log message.

Train operations have resumed but they are limited to Saturday’s and Sunday’s only. But in true Mid-Continent fashion we have already had to use the term “except for” after only one weekend of rides.

The exception is that we ran special charters this past Thursday and Friday. And since we were running anyway the decision was made to keep to our regular schedule. So we ran three trips per day over the four day stretch from Thursday through Sunday. Since we are in that portion of the summer which is considered the premiere family vacation time, we are no where near the type of attendance we had budgeted for. But it is nice to have the revenue and even better not to be turning people away.

For those of you who follow our activities by logging onto the web cams regularly (or constantly as the case may be), I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the cameras not functioning at times over the past several days. We are in the process of changing to a new web host. It has affected some of our web capabilities briefly and the web cams have been victims of this transition.

Word from the company doing the cleaning of MCRY #7’s trucks is that they will not be ready this month. Our 45-ton switch engine, MCRY #4, will continue to be the star of our fleet by virtue of being the only piece of motive power we have in service. And as long as we can offer rides on Saturdays and Sundays we will be able to follow through with plans to serve as the host site for the Civil War weekend August 23-24. Advertising for this event will also give us a chance to inform people that we are open each weekend, which hopefully will help us realize more normal attendance figures.

The switch to the north of the depot is now back in service. This follows work done by the contractors who put down new ballast and surfaced that section of track. We had previously taken advantage of the fact that all the rock had washed away during the flood and leaving us an opportune time to replace all of the switch ties. The repair now allows us to use the passing track at this end of our line, which will give us greater flexibility with our switch moves within the yard.

Repairs to the bridge at Seeley Creek were also made this past Friday and new ballast dropped there as well. The bridge was put back into service and for the first time since the flood we were able to give our weekend guests a ride all the way to Quartzite Lake. Train rides are still a pull/push operation since our passing siding at that end of the track is still in need of some significant repair.

Looking ahead I am taking a cautiously optimistic view that we will be in full operation before October. We are taking reservations for all three classes of service for the Autumn Color weekends. It is a bit of a risk since we must have the larger diesel, MCRY #7, in complete working order by then to pull the larger consist that includes our Lackawanna coaches and the cars we use for our dining services. Reaching this goal will be a major morale boost for everyone who has been involved with or supported the recovery effort. And we need the revenue.

Through the end of July our financial position has proven to be quite stable. We owe a debt of gratitude to the folks who have donated generously during these very lean times. Their gifts kept us functioning and able to do some repairs while waiting to receive the proceeds from our flood insurance coverage. FEMA support is still a possibility, but first we have to resolve the question of whether or not the Small Business Administration will finance our uninsured repairs by means of an SBA loan.

I must commend the management team for keeping the cost of repairs in their respective areas well within our means to pay our bills. Their success is attributable to the workload being carried by our many volunteers, whose commitment to the museum has helped keep costs down significantly.

The signs of the flood are diminishing. Barriers are still up to prevent people from stepping into the soft spots of the depot platform. And access to the depot itself is still prohibited. I am doubtful that the depot will be finished in time to use for the Autumn Color weekends so we are looking at alternatives for being able to sell tickets and provide a gift shop to the large turnout we hope to have by then.

It will be nice to be back in a situation where we are confronted with the usual problems our special events always raise of too little parking space, too small a restroom facility, and no steam locomotive. It will be nice to get back to normal.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

The question came as a complete surprise.

A news team from a Madison TV station was at the museum on Saturday to do a story on our first train rides since the flood occurred in June. They had been on the train, interviewed the crew and passengers and now were finishing up with an interview of yours truly.

The reporter had finished with her questions, eliciting facts about the extent of the flood and the cost of repairs. She even gave me the opportunity to add any other information I thought worth saying. Then she turned to her camera person (a female like herself so I can’t say cameraman) to indicate that they were done. But the camera kept on running.

The young woman doing the filming had her own question to ask; what does this day mean to you? It was a great question, but really one that I had anticipated.

My intent had been to use the media to convey to the public that there were limitations on the rides we were giving as a means to prevent any disappointment among our guests when they saw that the 45-ton switcher was the motive power or realized the train did not go all the way to the end-of-track.

I muddled through a typical answer about the need for revenue and said things that did not make the cut for the story that aired later in the evening. Delivering a sermon on positive cash flow was not what they wanted to hear, but then again they were interviewing a manager with an accountant’s mentality. Debits must equal credits at minimum. It’s even better when the credits, our revenue, win out over expenses.

We were the lead story on the 10 o’clock news. That is placement we rarely see and should prompt a favorable response from the viewers to visit our museum.

The content was excellent in its portrayal of a revived operation after several weeks of intense repair efforts. The two young women who comprised the news team and had no prior experience with Mid-Continent managed to capture what truly matters about what took place on Saturday. And it was not about the money.

The pleasure taken in the train’s movement was evident in the things said by the crew members and the expressions on their faces. Their joy was reflected in the comments made by the passengers, who were there for the experience of traveling by rail however brief the duration. It was their opportunity to share in a success story that is continuing to unfold as we slowly return to full operating status.

If I had a job to offer, I would hire the young woman working the camera for knowing to ask the question. I would hire her for having stepped across the boundaries of her craft in order to ask it. And even though in was probably not her intention, I would hire her for giving me the chance to see once again through the eyes of others what truly mattered when the No. 4 responded to the conductor’s call to high ball.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

The decision was made late today to resume train operations but on a very limited basis.

Yesterday members of the operating crew took our 44-ton switch engine, the No. 4, out on the main for some test runs. The first trip was light. Then they added weight until they were confident the engine could handle two of our Lackawanna coaches and the caboose.

The report from the General Foreman of Diesels is that the #4 did very well: “no motor smoke, or hot electrical smell, and the amp meter was reading normal for both motors.” Then he released the engine for service by the Operating Department.

There are some serious restrictions however. The engine is considered to be too small to operate daily, so we will be limited to Saturday and Sunday rides only beginning this coming weekend, August 2-3. The consist will be limited to the two coaches and the caboose. And the distance of the trips will be less than the normal run to Quartzite Lake. Damage to the bridge at Seeley Creek means we will stop short of the bridge and shove back.

The announcement sent the office staff scrambling to figure out the logistics of selling tickets since the depot is closed until repairs can be made. The decision was made to work out of the office, which gives us access to a functioning credit card machine and an air-conditioned office. This will make the returning ticket agent happy since the only viable alternative would have left him in a shed with the comfort of a small fan to help with air circulation.

The real inconvenience will be to our guests. They will be required to come to the office to purchase their tickets and then walk back down to the platform to board the train. Even the space allotted to them on the platform will be restricted. We have yet to repair a major section where the sub-soil under the brick platform eroded from the pressure of the flood water.

But we will be running. And grateful for the opportunity.

For those of you who monitor our activity via the web cam, the departure times will be the same – 11:00am and 1:00 and 3:00pm. We will honor all the coupons and passes we distributed prior to the start of the summer season. And we will do our best to overcome nearly eight weeks of idleness for the train crews. No doubt they will welcome a departure from the roles they have adopted as car men and mechanics.

The No. 4 will certainly lend itself to the image of the little engine that could. And we pray that it can, each weekend, until one of the larger engines is good to go – an event that cannot happen anytime too soon.

PS - We did make our goal of matching the Jeffris Family Foundation's $475,000 challenge grant for the restoration of the Badger No. 2. But no, Kevin Costner has not called me yet.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This summer’s events (the flood, our recovery efforts, the Gandy Dancer Festival, and the fund raising campaigns) have suddenly turned Mid-Continent into a media maven. In times past we have begged for coverage for such important weekends as Autumn Color and Snow Train. Now we are receiving requests for interviews; an offer I simply can’t refuse.

Our new appeal seems to stem from the drama that is slowly unfolding regarding the campaign deadline for the Badger 2. The fact that we started this campaign two years ago to match a $475,000 challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation, have a July 31 deadline with approximately $35,000 left to raise, and at the same time are trying to overcome the effects of a devastating flood – well it is just too good a story to ignore.

Things started to happen about a week ago when George Hesselberg, a reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, wrote a story about us entitled “$70,000 in 20 Days.” The dollar amount is how much we had to raise in that length of time. He found the history of the Badger 2 of interest, but made even more compelling by our dilemma of being so close to the goal while having to redirect our primary efforts to the recovery work.

The day after his story appeared we received $6,000 in donations for the fish car. The gifts were mostly from people who were first time donors to the museum. And one week after the story ran in the paper, the amount we needed to reach our goal had been cut in half. That’s when we got the call from WISC-Channel 3 in Madison.

The polite, sweet voice of Brianne asked me if I had time in my busy schedule to do an interview. They wanted to do a follow-up to the Hesselberg article. How could I say no? In fact I did what any desperate manager of a struggling railroad museum would do and said I would “make time” and afterwards thought that was probably not the best phrase for me to use when talking to a much younger woman.

A few minutes later I received a call from the station’s reporter, Angela Bettis, wanting to verify the directions to Mid-Continent. She and her videographer were on their way and planned to be at the museum within the hour. And that is how we got on last night’s ten o’clock news on the largest TV station in Madison.

I did cringe a little as I watched the broadcast and she compared us to the little engine that could. But then she has a young son who is a true railfan and has likely coerced mom into reading that story to him so often that it just seemed to be the natural way for her to close on a story about a railroad museum struggling against significant odds. After all, I do have to admit that when it comes to any speculation about matching the Foundation’s challenge grant, I think we can.

And that brings me to this morning’s e-mail message from a reporter at the Baraboo News Republic, our local newspaper. He is looking for an update on the campaign (now at $35,000 to raise) as we approach the deadline. And of course I am only too happy to share as much information with him as he can tolerate about the campaign, the recovery efforts or our hope for getting back into operating condition before the summer ends.

I can be an endless fount of reliable information when the camera is on or someone is taking notes. Or I can embellish a little, too, in order to increase the entertainment value.

Once we announce a successful conclusion to the Badger 2 campaign, I expect to receive a call from Hollywood. The nation is in need of an emotional lift just now and I expect the Mid-Continent saga would be an appropriate sequel to a movie such as “Field of Dreams”. Kevin Costner is certainly tailor-made for the role of the museum manager.

I’ll let you know when I get that call.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This coming Sunday, regardless of the weather, I will be spending the day in Mazomanie, WI participating in an event that for me has come to symbolize what I hope all Mid-Continent programs will one day be like. The event is the Gandy Dancer Festival and you can learn more about the content of the program by visiting our web page devoted to the festival (http://www.midcontinent.org/news/news18.html). But what I want to write about here has to do more with the organization of the event rather than its ultimate performance.

For several months I have been attending planning meetings with other event organizers. They represent a cross-section of interests outside of Mid-Continent and include folks from the community, the Bluegrass Music Association and local law enforcement. It is a congenial group and the issues we work through are discussed in an open manner and resolved without contention. It is common, in fact, to hear someone comment at the close of a meeting what a pleasure it is to work with such a diverse group and experience such a large measure of cooperation.

The meeting chair seems to rotate between participants from week to week based on who has been responsible for the most pressing tasks. Because there are assignments there is a simple accountability imposed for getting things done. And because there is a definite show date, each task must be done on a timely basis. Still this is accomplished in a supportive atmosphere that helps move the planning forward in a unified direction.

From my own perspective the harmony of the planning committee reflects both the character of the people involved and the nature of the event itself. Last year’s festival was meant to be a one-time affair to raise money for the Badger 2 campaign. There was little thought given to another go-round beyond referring to the festival as being the “first annual” Gandy Dancer Festival. That was a cautionary measure taken just in case we found to our amazement that we liked what happened and would consider doing it again.

What we witnessed that day last August was the delight people took in being part of the event. This applied both to the volunteers staffing the various parts of the venue and to the many guests who asked if we were going to do this again next year. And when you have volunteers repeatedly thanking you for allowing them to take part, it is an easy response to say yes. It was simply too much fun and proved to be bigger than our original purpose.

So here we are, back again for the “second” annual festival. And as is customary for any sequel we have endeavored to make it better than before. The train rides and musical performances are still the key components, but this year we were determined to develop more of a children’s program to supplement the music and the rides. I think you will find it will live up to the kind of hype that promises something for everybody.

Apart from the festival there is the Village of Mazomanie as its own form of supplement to what the event is intended to offer. It has its own railroad history, which lends itself to the theme of our event. And it gives us a ready-made setting that is compatible with the image that Mid-Continent tries to cultivate at our museum in North Freedom; that of the small Midwestern community with all the gentle qualities we associate with a more congenial, by-gone era.

This week a large share of my time will be spent on the festival’s final preparations. These next few days I will be doing my best to exploit every avenue of free publicity. But by week’s end I will likely spend more time in Mazomanie than at my office, taking part in the set up of tents, tables, chairs, fencing, porta-potties, signage and everything else required to assure a successful event, weather permitting.

And will there be a “third” annual Gandy Dancer Festival? Right now that is hard to say. So much depends on being able to report back to my board of directors and to Bill Gardner at the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad about the tangible benefits derived from all the work that went into organizing this year’s event.

I did receive in the mail this past week a packet of information from a bluegrass group that wishes to be considered for the Gandy Dancer Festival 2009. This makes it hard to say no when you are part of something in which you take great pride and that other people ask to be part of as well. This I hope is indicative of Mid-Continent’s future as a museum and historical society.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This past weekend was a busy time at the museum. Had the weather been a little cooler it would have had the feel of an April weekend, when volunteers are on the property in large numbers to prepare for the opening of a new season. Instead they were here to assist in the recovery work that will ultimately lead us back into daily train operations before the season officially ends.

Dedication is the word that readily comes to mind when you tour the property and witness the various tasks being performed. By early Saturday morning Jim Connor and Bob Ristow had finished repacking the journal boxes on all of the coaches in our operating fleet. The cars are ready to move as soon as we have motive power again.

Jim Busse was back to continue his one-man campaign to power wash all of the cars, removing the last visible evidence of how high the muddy water got on the wheels and undercarriages of each piece. A word of thanks is needed here to the Village of North Freedom. They have allowed Jim to fill up his portable reservoir from a hydrant in town and over the past few weekends he has gone through nearly 1700 gallons of water.

There is an ironic aspect to the generosity shown to us by the Village. For nearly forty years there have been various plans proposed and adopted by the museum leadership to tap into the Village’s water supply. And now we have. Unfortunately it has been for the wrong reason and using the wrong method. Still we are grateful for the help.

A minor triumph took place Saturday afternoon when our 44-ton switcher, MCRY #4, moved into the Engine House under its own power. Our President, who also serves as our General Foreman of Diesels, made the decision Friday to give her a test run since she has had nearly four weeks to dry out. More work needs to be done now that the engine is positioned over the mechanics pit, but the prospect of being able to run again has improved significantly thanks to the work of Jeff Bloohm and Kelly Bauman.

The movement of the switcher made way for Ed Ripp to get at the generator under the business car, C&NW #440, used for our dining services. Ed’s initial assessment was a positive one, but we will still be sending the generator to a shop off-site to do a more extensive evaluation.

Art Oseland spent the day in the Machine Shop cleaning the equipment. Several of the electric motors had already been sent out for cleaning and returned. We are just about back to normal in that department. And anyone who does serious shop time at any of the operating museums around the country can understand my sentiment when I say it is good to hear the sound of the air compressor functioning again; this thanks to the efforts of guys like Connor, Ristow and Pete Deets.

Walking into the Car Shop I saw a sight that seemed totally incongruous to the rest of the work taking place that day. Owen Hughes was lettering the DM&IR refrigerator car. How typical of a normal work session at Mid-Continent and how encouraging. It is my firm belief that for all the work that goes into a car restoration, they really don’t come to life until they have been re-lettered. And standing next to that reefer talking with Owen served as an appropriate reminder that there is life after the flood.

Much of my own time in fact is consumed with business that has little to do with the recovery efforts. In less than two weeks we will be hosting our largest summer event, the Gandy Dancer Festival, but not at Mid-Continent.

The festival will take place Sunday, July 20th in the Village of Mazomanie’s Promenade Park. This event has grown dramatically from last year’s free train rides on board the WSOR and free music festival to include an expanded children’s program, a model train layout courtesy of the Southern Wisconsin Sand House Crew and plenty of food. You can see more about the details of the event by visiting our web site and clicking on the Gandy Dancer Festival link.

Before the end of the month we will be doing a super-mailing to our members. The packet will include the 2009 calendar and the summer issues of The Railway Gazette and the Steamer. The calendar is done and the Gazette and Steamer are in production, thanks to the work of Paul Swanson and Pat Weeden respectively.

August 23-24 will be our Civil War weekend. We have been in pursuit of renewing this event for a couple of years now and are determined that it will take place this year. One benefit of having scheduled it so late in the season is that it gives us enough time to have our track and rolling stock in sufficient working order to stage the event as planned.

Daily operations will end one week later with the traditional members’ picnic and train ride, Sunday, August 31. The picnic has been a means of celebrating the successful conclusion of another summer season. This year I think our need to celebrate will take on a broader meaning as a result of what has been endured and what has been accomplished due to the flood.

We got a “taste” of that celebration this past Saturday. Shirley Hojnacki set up her commissary under the pavilion and fed the troops a meal appropriate for a July 4th picnic, even though it took place on the 5th. Several more members were on hand than the few that I have mentioned here and no one went away hungry.

The camaraderie forged by the burden of dealing with the flood’s aftermath is actually the stuff of Mid-Continent legend. I have no doubt that before the season is over you will see volunteers wearing a special t-shirt commemorating their participation in the museum’s revival from the flood of ’08. Now it means hard work. One day it will be a memory embellished into mythological proportions to tell new members whenever we gather for the next picnic.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This will be the last of the Water Chronicle messages. The water has completely subsided; the Baraboo River is back to its normal depth for this time of year. Even last night’s rain failed to make much of an impact beyond leaving the sky looking clean during my morning’s drive to the museum.

Our recovery efforts will continue to be a major topic of discussion, but not the only one. And we will continue to use the web site to report on our progress, while acknowledging the support and good wishes we receive almost daily from those who care about Mid-Continent’s future operations.

This past weekend we achieved another milestone in our recovery. The Chicago & North Western business car #440 was the first piece in our operating fleet to be rehabilitated and is ready to roll. All we need now is motive power with which to safely maneuver it around the property.

Credit goes to long-time member Bob Ristow for his persistence in doing one of the dirty but critical jobs (repacking journal boxes) necessary for our return to operating status. His efforts are deserving of special mention.

Watch for us in the next issue of Trains Magazine. Editor Jim Wrinn has been following the story of our trials and travails and is giving Mid-Continent his own form of special mention with coverage in his Preservation column. The attention this will bring to our recovery work is appreciated. Even though we would prefer to receive this level of exposure for a different type of accomplishment, the result of his reporting will be a positive one for the museum.

Another friend with considerable influence in the rail community gave us a surprise call that will also benefit our recovery work. Steve Sandberg offered to use his August excursions out of the Wisconsin Dells as an opportunity for Mid-Continent to do a little fund raising. This is an extremely gracious offer as Steve’s excursions with the 261 draw a huge audience and media attention. He does not really need our endorsement to insure the success of his operations, but we are pleased to be able to promote this event in gratitude for the help first extended to us.

I just received my copy of The Fast Mail, the newsletter for the 20th Century Railroad Club. It contains our initial news release about the extent of the flooding and the means by which donations can be made towards the recovery program. Once again we are both humbled and appreciative for the gracious way others have shared the news about the situation here while letting people know how to donate in support of the work.

It is a beautiful morning in North Freedom. The weather is perfect for a train ride. The phone is busy from people calling to inquire about departure times and ticket prices. The walk-in traffic is pretty steady as well. What they see is a fairly neat and orderly setting now that the water has receded and the debris removed. Appearances can be deceiving as we all know and in our case that is definitely the case.

We appear ready to run. Certainly we are willing. And with the work of our volunteers and the financial support of our many friends, we will be back in operating condition soon. Our appearance will once again match our ability to provide the type of experience for which we are best known, a gentle ride aboard vintage equipment in a lovely rural setting along the Baraboo River.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This was a busy weekend at the museum for the Mid-Continent members and a few local residents as they continued with the cleanup of our facility. I am already thinking that this year’s annual banquet, which we use as the primary occasion to acknowledge volunteer achievements, will have to be something special to match their level of commitment to our recovery efforts.

We have been documenting their work by means of a web page on which we post regular updates about their progress. I encourage you to visit that page as a means to follow the events taking place at the museum. And you can monitor those things taking place within the field of sight of the web cams, which unfortunately does not include the shops where most of the work has been taking place.

Many of you likely avail yourselves of these tools already since I have heard from one of our web masters that web site visits since the flooding began has been overwhelming. And while we have not garnered the attention of the local media like some others in our region have been able to do, we may actually be one of the most accessible stories to a much broader audience thanks to the accomplishments of those members who make our web site such a dynamic asset for communications.

Anyone in my position can and should only feel gratitude for what is taking place around the property. For there are times when I am little more than a glorified spectator as I see others doing the actual work in our recovery, work that meets a need and helps keep our costs down, which has been the hallmark of our organization since its inception. As I mentioned earlier, the volunteer recognition at this year’s annual banquet will have to exceed anything we have done in prior less dramatic years.

But as I occupy a favored position as Mid-Continent’s public representative I am also aware of other activity taking place off-site by people who are not members in the strictest sense, except that we share a common bond as leaders in the rail preservation community. And for the balance of this message I would like to acknowledge their efforts along with a statement of gratitude for their willingness to step across organizational lines and use their influence to benefit our museum.

Bill Grimstead called me about the possible loan of a diesel being shipped this week to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth. He is on their Board of Directors and was willing to encourage his fellow directors to approve the loan of this engine if it would help us get up and running sooner. Later that day the museum’s executive director, Ken Buehler, called me with more details about the diesel and the possibility of diverting its movement from Duluth to North Freedom.

Bill is also on the board at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. I am not sure if that was a factor in their executive director’s calling me that same day, but it was just as encouraging to hear Michael Telzrow’s voice offering his museum’s support with the loan of another working engine that would get us rolling again.

Similarly Nick Kallas, from the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, called to let me know they have motive power that will be available after they finish their Diesel Days event a few weeks from now.

One of the first calls I received, almost at the time the flood waters were still rising, was from Noel Petit, who directs the Minnesota Transportation Museum’s operations at the Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul. His offer of help was followed up by an e-mail from Pat Kytola, who works at both the roundhouse and with MTM’s train operations in Osceola, WI.

Not long after I received an e-mail from Eric Hopp, an MTM member who volunteers with their car repair program. He is organizing a group to come down and help with the work being done here cleaning and repacking journal boxes and replacing air brake portions. This is extremely important as we have a sizeable collection of rolling stock, all of which was affected by the flood.

John Walker is a longtime friend, who I first met when I went to work for Ralph Justen at NRM in Green Bay. John was on the Board of Directors there. And when I moved over to the executive director’s position at MTM, John was on the board there too, another one of those railfans with dual citizenship. He has followed my escapades over all of these years and his friendly, sound advice has always been a welcomed source of support. And his counsel during my latest bout with adversity has been just as welcomed.

Robert Franzen stopped by the office to make a donation after participating with Steve Sandberg on the latest 261 excursions. Gifts have also come in from Alan Maples, president of the Everett Rail Road Company; Alan Harper, whom you know as president of the Durango & Silverton Railroad, and Polly Rose. It was especially pleasing to receive Polly’s gift and note of encouragement as an extension of the generosity shown to Mid-Continent over the years by her late husband and renowned artist Ted Rose.

And finally a word of thanks to Jim Wrinn and the folks at Kalmbach Publishing. They have carried the story of our plight over their on-line newswire and are planning to publish photos of the flooding at Mid-Continent in an upcoming issue of Trains Magazine. The publicity is appreciated as it helps to illustrate the extent of the damage done while increasing the chance of further support from those who share our passion for rail preservation.

I am pleased to be part of this vast community and will continue to draw on its collective strength, along with that of our members and volunteers, to assure the future success of the Mid-Continent Railway Museum. Our goal is not just one of survival. It is a desire to look back upon the events of these past two weeks with the certainty that they propelled us to do better and to be better as an operating railroad museum. And with this type of concentrated help we will succeed.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

Yesterday I toured the property with one of our insurance adjusters. He was both amazed and dismayed at the current appearance of our operation. His amazement was at the size of our collection and the extent of what has been accomplished in creating this setting of a vintage short-line railroad. His dismay was at the extent of the recovery work ahead of us.

This tension between two distinct impressions lead to the inevitable question: do you intend to keep this place running?

That may seem like an incredibly naive question to ask of any organization’s manager, but it is not the first time during the events of these past several days that I have been asked something like that. One e-mail message I received this week asked me if we could avoid bankruptcy. The writer then followed that up with the more surprising question of should we.

Such questions really reflect a lack of understanding as to the character of this organization. And I say “this” organization instead of “our” since I must step back for a moment as a paid participant to emphasize a key feature of Mid-Continent that will sustain its existence well beyond this flood or any other problem it confronts.

The heart and soul of this organization is its membership from which it derives a volunteer base of extremely dedicated people. This resource is then supplemented by the goodwill they have created over the years with the general public, who have benefited from the organization’s commitment to preserving a unique representation of place and time in our railroad history.

One person exemplifies that for me. Her name is Julie. She drove up from the Chicago area to volunteer during her two days off from work. She spent yesterday working with one of our members cleaning and sanitizing the restrooms; certainly one of the most disgusting jobs we needed to have done before too many other volunteers arrive on the property to take on other tasks.

At the end of the day Julie came into my office to introduce herself. She is not a member. Her father was, an early life member who brought Julie to North Freedom in the 60s and 70s when she was a little girl so he could indulge his passion for operating trains. The reason she is here now after all these years was simply stated, “My father loved this place.” And that is why Mid-Continent will keep running.

Take a look at the link on our web site that takes you to our page updating you on our recovery progress. You will see that we have added the names of the donors to the recovery effort as well as their comments encouraging us to essentially keep the faith of the rail preservationist community. I think you will see there echoes of Julie’s sentiment about her own involvement.

Mid-Continent is more than just a collection of objects. It is a family whose generations have sacrificed a lot to establish what you see when you tour the grounds, visit the web or read our publications. Closing, even bankruptcy followed by a reorganization program, is not an option. We are simply the current caretakers with a heritage that prevents us from giving up as the result of a moment’s adversity.

Next year we will celebrate Mid-Continent’s 50th anniversary as a historical society. We may not be able to do it to the fullest extent we had dreamed of just a few days ago. But we will be here and there will be train rides given over the same route we have been running on since the members arrived here in 1963. And before that season is over you can expect to see the Western Coal & Coke #1 at the head of the consist.

It is what Julie’s father would do and the many others like him who helped make Mid-Continent what it is, a beloved and well respected historical society with an operating railroad museum.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

It is Monday morning at Mid-Continent and the scene is surprisingly peaceful. The ground is dry in many places, a little damp in others. The only high water is across the road to North Freedom. Still it is shallow enough that people with pickup trucks are not hesitant about ignoring the “Road Closed” barricades and driving on through the relatively shallow waters.

A walking tour, like the one I took last Thursday, is no longer a hazard, just discouraging. Stuff, and by that I mean every thing the water could move, is now scattered around the property. Some things are amusing. The picnic tables that were under the pavilion are now in the south yard. Some things not; the bridge timbers will be extremely hard to retrieve from where they have settled among the trees in the low-lying and still soggy areas.

Everywhere the water has been there is a brown film marking its attainment. A good rain will wash away much of the discoloration, but right now that is the last thing we need.

We are still cautioning people, even those who are intent on helping with the clean-up, to stay away just now. Our water supply is likely contaminated and our sanitary facilities are extremely limited. We cannot handle an influx of people today, no matter how well intentioned. Making sure we have drinkable water and functioning restrooms are top priorities.

Today starts the first of our guided tours. Our exclusive guests these next two days will be insurance adjusters. Like most homeowners I am feeling a bit apprehensive about what they are going to tell me. All the years I have been associated with Mid-Continent our main concern has been the possibility of destruction by fire. We minimized in our thinking the possible threat of flooding in order to keep our premiums low. Now we know better.

I am grateful for our web masters in keeping the public informed of the situation by getting both web cams functioning and posting updates on the web site. I am just as thankful for their activating a secure donation page so that concerned people can support the clean-up efforts from a distance by making a contribution to the museum on-line.

I am extremely grateful to the many donors who have availed themselves of this simple tool. Their participation is just as important to us as those who will be volunteering for clean-up and repair duties.

One extra feature of the new donations page that I have personally enjoyed is the ability of our donors to leave messages along with their gift. All are encouraging. Some impart a sense of care about the museum that we do not always associate with the thoughts and feelings of non-members. So it is good for me to be reminded once again of how others see and appreciate Mid-Continent. I will consider it the silver lining on our otherwise dark cloud.

Our hearts are broken for this terrible time for all of you. We spent a week’s vacation in this area and left around the 25th of May. We loved the train and were in the caboose and talked with the doctor who volunteers one day a week. He was so full of information and all there were so friendly. We bought several gifts from the gift shop. We had barely returned when all this happened. We look at our pictures and weep. We know that you will get it right in time. We pray for all of you there. We shall keep in touch. Richard and Cynthia, Hartselle, AL.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

Like any good chief executive would, I made a tour of the flood damage at the museum. Since I am not the President of the United States of even the Governor of Wisconsin, I was not able to do this by air. Mine was a walking tour, as befitting my lowly status as a museum manager.

The first thing that impresses you is how powerful the water flow is. Not just because you are foolish enough to be standing waist deep in it, but because of the size of the items you see washed up against the equipment and buildings. It is evident that one of our first tasks will simply be the removal of debris and relocating bridge timbers, ties and other items that have been displaced by the river.

Inside each building the scene is both eerie and depressing. By the time I was making my rounds the water level had receded some. The high water mark is easily discernable. Everything above it is clean. Everything below is covered with a muddy film, meaning every surface on the property will have to be cleaned, a process made all the more difficult since we are dealing primarily with wood versus metal. Greater care must be taken.

Perhaps the most disturbing site is the scene inside our Car Shop. This is where all of the restoration work takes place on our wooden car collection. Perhaps it is just a reflection of the fact that most of the materials used are wood and wood floats, but you can’t escape the impression that you are living out a scene from the movie “Titanic”. Wood siding, window frames and paneling are floating at random around the shop. Thankfully no bodies were found.

Once again it is evident from the water marks that most of the electrical equipment was immersed for some period of time. This same scene was reflected in the Engine House as well. The heavier items there do not float so you find them with your shins. But evidence of the damage done to the power tools can be estimated by the height of the water line. Only in the case of the Engine House the mud has a more oily feel to it and leaves a brown stain on your clothes.

As I made my way from the north to the south end of the property, the change in the water’s depth was also impressive. I began my walk in knee high water. By the time I reached the South Yard it was up to my chest; another dumb move on my part since I had forgotten that my cell phone was in my shirt pocket. I had taken it along as a safety precaution in case I became stranded. It has since been replaced out of necessity since the phones at the museum are out of service. The cell is the only way to reach me other than by e-mail.

By the time I made my way back to the road that divides our property in two, the water was more than knee deep. The constant and heavy rainfall we experienced Thursday served to reverse all the gains of the previous 36 hours when the river was in decline. I opted not to try to check out the status of the bridge across the Baraboo River. That can wait for a more opportune time. But it continues to be one of my greatest concerns as it has been subject to the force of the river to an extent that makes me doubt its ability to survive.

The drive home was equally challenging; the time nearly tripled thanks to the increasing number of road closures. I may have been one of the last to make it through a couple of back roads that got me from the museum to Baraboo. But once there Baraboo itself felt like it was in a lockdown. The primary roads going east and southeast were closed, making the easy way home impossible.

I eventually found a route that might also have been closed not long after my escape. Going down Highway 12 past the Baraboo Army Ammunition Plant, the north bound lanes were closed due to the high water over the road. Fortunately for me this section is divided highway and the south bound lanes (technically east by DOT standards) had standing water only at the shoulder.

Long after my arrival home at 9:30pm the rain kept falling and not gently. This was torrential by my amateur estimation. So what I saw when I left Mid-Continent as to the rise in water level was only made worse by the hours that passed before the rain ceased. Today I am staying home.

I have not troubled myself to look at a weather forecast this morning. I do not need the potential discouragement of knowing another shower, however slight, is on the way. Instead my time has been spent on the phone with insurance adjusters and others whose involvement will be needed once the waters due subside.

Given the continual onslaught of snow storms we endured this past winter I would not bet that our troubles will be over anytime soon. It seems plausible to me that one rain storm will follow another so as not to be outdone by its winter cousin for the challenges imposed on mere mortals trying to survive, not to mention the short life expectancy of my cell phone.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

I am late in keeping to my schedule of posting my Monday web log message. But if you have taken a look at our web cam recently, you will know the reason for my preoccupation with other matters.

This past weekend’s series of storms created a flood problem for our area of major proportions. I am sure that when the river finally crests, projected to be sometime late Wednesday or early Thursday morning, the official report will pronounce this to be the worst flooding in our county ever recorded.

Our beautiful setting along the east bank of the Baraboo River has betrayed us. The typically serene backdrop to our train operations has laid claim to the entire operation. No longer content to define the eastern boundary of our rail yard, the river has reached out to cover virtually ever square foot of land occupied by buildings, track and rolling stock.

What you can see on camera one is the depot, looking like an island in the midst of a muddy lake. But what the still images of the web cam cannot adequately reveal is the fact that there is a pretty swift current now running through the property, strong enough to relocate the bridge timbers we had stored in a grassy area just west of the depot. Who knows where we will eventually find them, if at all.

Camera two only slightly illustrates the problems with the southern part of our property. Both the Engine House and the Car Shop are inaccessible except by boat. That is only a slight exaggeration. You can wade over to them as long as you are wearing something more substantial than knee-high boots or are willing to get thoroughly soaked.

Of greater concern is the potential damage done to our coaches and diesel engines. We will not know the extent of our problems until the water recedes sometime next week. But nothing will be rolling at Mid-Continent for quite awhile.

We have two bridges on our line. The one across the Baraboo River is our access to the general system. It was awash by noon on Monday. I did not venture down to La Rue to see how the wooden trestle bridge across Seeley Creek was faring. Instead my attention was focused on the threat of water damage to our office, particularly the basement which houses our archives.

By mid afternoon we heard a rumor that the river was expected to crest at another seven feet from its current level. If true, which seemed a bit exaggerated, it would mean the basement would be totally flooded. Still the water level was creeping ever higher with no prospect of stopping for two more days.

I felt we had to act on the possibility that the rumor might have some legitimacy in its forecast. When I left the property at 9:30 Monday night the entire collection of photos, documents, books and drawings had been moved upstairs thanks to the considerable help of some staff, members, and a few local residents who came to our aide.

The collection now safely occupies every available inch of office and attic space. If the river threatens us any further the only hope will be to airlift the building off of its foundation for relocation to higher ground.

My sleep was not troubled by concerns over what the future holds for our museum. I was too exhausted to care. My day began with a futile attempt to protect the depot with sandbags and ended with an extended drive just to get back to the Village of North Freedom, a mere quarter mile but an hour’s drive away thanks to several road closures.

But now the daylight hours bring me back to working through the process of taking the next steps in getting back to business, only there will be no “as usual” appended to that phrase. For now we are closed to normal operations. And when we do reopen it will no doubt be to a new definition of normal.

In the meantime you can visit us on the web. Or if you feel adventuresome, you can drive to the edge of the new Lake Mid-Continent for a rare photo op, if you can find a road near us that has not been closed due to high water. Good luck.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

This week’s message is going to be a very personal one, which I feel compelled to write due to an incident that took place last week involving a museum guest.

A casual reading of my weekly messages will reveal my favored terminology when it comes to describing the people who respond to our advertisements to come see the collection and ride the train. I avoid such words as customer and patron, even though at the most basic level that is what they are. Instead I use the words visitor and guest.

I think it is important for those of us who provide services at Mid-Continent to remember that the majority of the people we see are here for the first time. The things we take for granted about our operations are new and intriguing to them. They must cope with being disoriented in a place that lacks an adequate supply of directional signage.

This is most evident by the questions we are asked when people arrive on the property: Where do we get tickets, where do we board the train, where are the restrooms, where is the museum?

The pride we take in our operations as members and staff does not need to be diminished when we patiently respond to people who regard us as some kind of novelty. Rather it should be an incentive for us to share our expertise even if it is limited to simply being able to point them in the direction of the depot.

More important to me personally is that we should regard the people who make the effort to come to North Freedom as being our guests. This transcends the mere courtesy of pointing them in the right direction. This implies a moral sense of care and protection during the time they are here, just as if they were guests in our home.

If you ever have the opportunity to take our Brakeman’s Training Class you will learn that the first rule of train operations is safety. We stress this in terms of the danger imposed by working with large, unmerciful equipment. But safety is not limited to a person’s physical well being. It is an emotional condition as well. Our guests need to feel safe as well as being kept safe.

Feeling safe has everything to do with how one is treated. It is the Golden Rule lived out in an environment that smells of diesel fumes and journal oil, of crew members whose uniforms are sweat soaked by the end of the day, of coaches that are little better than ovens in the summer heat, and shop crews who toil in relative isolation – by choice – but pause to give a brief explanation of their work to the occasional guest who wanders into their sacred territory.

My favorite terms, my perception of the people who come here, won’t be found in the Consolidated Code. But anyone who has worked with me over these past few years, whether paid staff or volunteer-member, or read these web log messages has heard me repeat them often.

We have a tradition of great achievements in restorations and operations. We no doubt intend to do more. I am equally devoted to the goal of creating a corporate culture that values people and in terms of our guests that means creating an environment void of fear. We did not do so well at this last week, leaving me with the need to have my say without inflaming the situation further.

Mid-Continent is a great place to visit, to stay, and to volunteer. It is big enough to satisfy everyone’s expectations as to why they came. Even the manager’s.

By: Don Meyer, Manager

Two weeks ago I wrote a message about fund raising and the comment I received in response was about the comparative costs of restoring the next steam locomotive. More specifically is there a cheaper alternative to the Chicago & North Western No. 1385?

Last week I wrote about the change in leadership that I believe is taking place at the museum, as evidenced by a committee meeting which took place the previous week. The one comment that was posted in response was about the future of steam; what can we expect to see in the next thirty years?

My original plan for this week’s web log message was not about steam. However, it seems expedient that I change those plans in order to answer a concern that is probably shared by the majority of people who are avidly following Mid-Continent’s progress as a railroad museum; progress which includes the return of steam to active service - the sooner the better.

The museum’s official position has been shared with you in previous messages. Our focus is on the Western Coal & Coke No. 1. All donations to the Steam Fund go to her restoration first. At the same time the owner of the Saginaw Timber Company No. 2 is working on his locomotive, which will then be leased to us for operating purposes for a fifteen year period.

Work is also taking place on the Chicago & North Western No. 1385. We have a grant from the state specifically for this locomotive, which we must spend before the grant terms expire. To-date we have completed an engineering study on the construction of a new boiler. Now we are in the process of purchasing the materials for that project.

We expect to see all three locomotives restored for operations at Mid-Continent. And we expect their return to service to take place in the sequence I have just presented to you. The official party line stops there, with a fleet of three working steamers, but in all honesty the dreaming never stops.

You can see it in the comments that have been posted to the web log these past two weeks. You can hear it in the conversations that take place among the members who volunteer in the Engine House. We are not even done with the first project and people want to know what’s next?

In response to the question as to whether or not a survey has been done to find a cheaper alternative to the 1385, the answer is no. That does not mean that people lack an opinion about which locomotive should be next. Opinions are in plentiful supply. Here is mine: We first and foremost need to finish what we have started. Therefore the effort to restore the Chicago & North Western No. 1385 needs to be completed before we attempt anything new. We jeopardize both our credibility and our morale if we do anything else.

If the “powers that be” one day do decide to restore another piece to operating condition, I am for doing an analysis of each one first before making the decision on which one to attack. But my own personal criteria would not be about cost, since I believe that the type of inspection that can be done without totally dismantling a locomotive would render the same result for each piece. So take your pick of any of the dead engines sitting on the property and I think you are safely looking at a $1,000,000 project.

My experience with the Western Coal & Coke No. 1 tells me that you can never really know what a project is going to cost until you tear the thing totally apart to see the hidden components that an external inspection cannot reveal. I would also be hesitant to start on anything new without a firm commitment from all involved that we would do a thorough restoration regardless of the cost in order to achieve the best possible result.

For me there is a more important consideration than price in making the decision on what to restore, which brings me to last week’s question about what the next thirty years might provide in terms of steam restoration. In order to make that kind of projection I think the question we need to answer is which piece or pieces bring the greatest interpretive value to the museum? Here, then, is my own personal short list given in the sequence I would suggest that we do the work.

Chicago & Illinois Western No. 701: This locomotive is commonly referred to as the Consumers 701, but it was built for the C&IW in 1914 and it is in that livery that the engine fits the primary criteria of our collection. We certainly gain an opportunity to present something new about a little known line. To say the C&IW is under represented in any railroad museum is an understatement. But we also gain the functionality of an 0-4-0 switch engine, which can demonstrate switch moves while the passenger train is out on the line. How unique is that? This is also the first steam engine ever acquired by the museum. I would say its time has come for being put on display.

City of Minneapolis No. as yet unknown: Surprise! This is an 18-ton crane, not a steam locomotive. I think you will find it in our collection listed as the Soo Line X-81, which it became in 1961, well outside the range of our collection criteria. Like the C&IW No. 701 I value this piece for its ability to showcase more about railroading than merely providing the motive power for a train ride. An alternative would be the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern No. Z-8, a 120-ton crane built in 1914 (aka Mo-Pac No. X-105).

Goodman Company No. 9: This shay was built by Lima in 1909 for the Sawyer Lumber Company. But it is as the Goodman No. 9 that we know this locomotive and have the most information about its operation. And in this livery we are still able to meet our primary collection criteria. There are other shays in operation around the country, but none in Wisconsin. And logging was a major industry here, which incorporated the use of rail service. The No. 9 is our open door to interpreting that part of our state’s history in the same way the Badger No. 2 fish car provides us with a rare opportunity to showcase the railroad’s participation in the hatchery program.

You can see from this list that my own view of having three steam locomotives in service for our passenger trains is adequate. Any other forays into steam should be for reasons other than giving rides. Others of you may want to nominate the rotary snow plow for consideration, which is fine. But I think if we can achieve even this much in thirty years, while meeting all of our other demands to house and care for the collection, we will have achieved a lot and improved our credibility as a railroad museum.