OmniSource site, Headwaters Junction and Nickel Plate 624

[nathansixchime]

City Deal Could Free Up OmniSource Site
Article: http://www.journalgazette.net/news/loca ... ource-site

Acquiring the land with an environmental indemnification would clear the way for the city to sell the property to one of several interested suitors. One of those suitors is the Headwaters Junction railroad museum and roundhouse, which hopes to house the Nickel Plate 765 steam locomotive at that location. Original plans for Headwaters Junction placed the facility at a site on Harrison Street currently occupied by Pepsi.

“We've shifted focus from the Pepsi site as it was on the Riverfront Master Plan back to North River, which is where the project was originally conceived,” said Kelly Lynch, vice president of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. “We are in the process of obtaining property and right-of-way from Norfolk Southern to reach the riverfront district.”

Although there is interest in using the North River site for Headwaters Junction, several other prospective buyers have expressed interest, Lynch said.

FWRHS to Restore NKP no. 624
Video and story: http://www.wpta21.com/story/36833587/fw ... locomotive

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is working on restoring a Nickel Plate Road 624 steam locomotive that was originally built in 1922.

The train was retired and put on display in Hammond, Indiana in 1955 and was there until 2016 when the FWRHS, backed by a private donor, made a deal to move it to Wabash and begin work to restore it.

"A lot of people will ask 'Why? What's so important about a steam engine?' Walt Disney has a great quote that 'a modern train is just a train, but with a steam engine it's a happening," said Vice President of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Kelly Lynch.

He says they plan to make it look like it originally did in 1922, and potentially restore it to be fully operational.

Then, it will most likely move to its new home, Headwaters Junction. It's the proposed re-created rail yard that was adopted as part of the city's riverfront development plan.

Headwaters Junction, Inc. is currently engaged with Norfolk Southern to acquire and develop West Wayne and the remainder of the Fort Wayne & Jackson right-of-way to 4th Street. While "North River" has always been the first choice, West Wayne is an alternate.

Our study shows an additional 140,000 visitors downtown each year for the rail-yard park, tourist railroad, roundhouse and interpretive center. Steel Dyanmics, the Community Foundation and PNC Bank all donated over $70,000k in 2015 and 2016 to explore, study and market the attraction.

We think we can, we think we can...

[Hotbox]

Headwaters Junction, Inc. is currently engaged with Norfolk Southern to acquire and develop West Wayne and the remainder of the Fort Wayne & Jackson right-of-way to 4th Street. While "North River" has always been the first choice, West Wayne is an alternate.
...

Certainly exciting news, but could you flesh-out your alternative plans a tad? When you say you might develop West Wayne, are you proposing that you might move the whole shebang there? If that is the case, then what value would the spur over to 4th street serve?

Not that my understanding of your ambition is relevant in any way, it's just that i can see where that spur would serve a purpose if you located in either North River or the Pepsi site, but just puzzled how the spur would be beneficial if your entire ops were at West Wayne.

Good luck either way.

[rrnut282]

You need a track to have a moving steam locomotive exhibit.

[Steve Bryan]

As Mike said, "You need a track to have a moving steam locomotive exhibit." A short run from the West Wayne site to Cass Street Depot (in the heart of the riverfront) would help tie it all together.

I think it is probably a good alternative. Since Pepsi does not want to move, it is unlikely HWJ could locate to the old 4th street Yard area. If FWA ponies up all that money for that parcel, they most likely want a for-profit company/companies to locate there so they can recoup tax money.

An additional benefit to the West Wayne area is the proximity to the main line for future excursion operation. Of course a down-side to that location is the remote location, not near any main streets for visibility.

Steve

[nathansixchime]

Headwaters Junction, Inc. is currently engaged with Norfolk Southern to acquire and develop West Wayne and the remainder of the Fort Wayne & Jackson right-of-way to 4th Street. While "North River" has always been the first choice, West Wayne is an alternate.
...

Certainly exciting news, but could you flesh-out your alternative plans a tad? When you say you might develop West Wayne, are you proposing that you might move the whole shebang there? If that is the case, then what value would the spur over to 4th street serve?

Regular train rides are a major part of the business plan. Strasburg only operates only a few miles and we can make do with 2.8 (RT). It's very important to me that we have the ability to move things around, offer rides and trips and that there's very little "static" about HWJ. It's not much of a railroad, for sure, but it's enough to make a demonstration railroad or "linear museum" out of with lineside signals and the destination of Wells Street or the new promenade. As far as what West Wayne would look like, when it looked like 4th Street wouldn't pan out a few years ago, we hired FA Goodman Architects to suggest what West Wayne could be turned into: http://headwatersjunction.com/wp-conten ... rawing.jpg

The entire area around the old FW&J ROW is part of the riverfront development plan. Having that connection to the riverfront/Wells Street Bridge/riverfront promenade, etc. makes it significant, even if it eventually settles over at West Wayne. To have a little tourist railroad drop people off at Cass Street or pick them up, or connect to the zoo, etc. has a lot of potential.

Of course, if the GR&I opens up...

I think it is probably a good alternative. Since Pepsi does not want to move, it is unlikely HWJ could locate to the old 4th street Yard area. If FWA ponies up all that money for that parcel, they most likely want a for-profit company/companies to locate there so they can recoup tax money.

We recognize we're up against projects that could reasonably contribute to the tax base - but no one would ever argue that the Zoo or the Embassy don't contribute to tax revenues in their own way. And Junior Achievement almost bought up the land across from Science Central and no one batted an eye about tax revenues then.

For what we have in mind, HWJ would occupy the least attractive parcel (from a developer's point of view - across from Science Central) and help activate the rest of development at 4th Street. It could also be a useful tool in mitigating any remediation.

[Hotbox]

You need a track to have a moving steam locomotive exhibit.

Okay, so then even if they end up locating the nucleus of their operations over on Burgess street, they still intend to exhibit an operational steam locomotive over near the Cass street Depot?

[rrnut282]

I can't answer for the FWRHS. I was just providing my view on why they were interested in the spur.

[Hotbox]

. I was just providing my view on why they were interested in the spur.

I would more expect they intend to operate a "vintage diesel" on this tourist line. Or, with the core operation relocated near the main at WW, they could get by building narrow guage for the tourist spur line. LOL, all ofa sudden the imperative to tie-in Franke Park is starting to come into focus.

[nathansixchime]

Motive power at will vary, but the Wabash 0-6-0 and SD9 would be very suitable. The 765 would still be fired up for special events, outbound excursions, etc...We have our feelers out for other equipment both passenger and motive power. 624 was a big win, but our next target will more likely be NYC or Wabash focused. From an interpretive angle, we're a little heavy on the NKP side...

For the narrow gauge line, we're actually thinking 2 foot gauge -- right now we're getting quotes to recreate an Indiana Interurban car, but scaled down. For reference: http://www.brookvillecorp.com/streetcar-restoration.asp

Of course, if we're at West Wayne, that line to the Zoo/Franke Park seems like a bridge too far, unless it only operated between Franke and Cass Street.

[Bob Durnell]

I really hope something works out on one of the riverfront sites. West Wayne is a nice fallback, but too "Out of sight, out of mind" for my taste. I still don't understand the Pepsi situation. That is a truly LOUSY location for that type of operation, and if that neighborhood develops as envisioned, that facility will be REALLY out of place. Done right, turning that property over could really be a big win-win for them. The Omnisource property also has lots of merit, but that seems to be turning into a political football. As for #624, Maybe I'm missing something, but how is having the locomotive sitting outside in a quarry a better option than sitting out behind the shop building at Casad? When you announced it was going to an alternate facility, I just assumed that it would be some sort of shop or at least somewhere out of the weather. Regardless. I'm really exited about this project, as well as #358. My pickup proudly carries the "Project 358" decal on the back window.

[nathansixchime]

As for #624, Maybe I'm missing something, but how is having the locomotive sitting outside in a quarry a better option than sitting out behind the shop building at Casad?

Fair question! In 2018 that quarry will have a small yard, 3 miles of track, a unit train and the paid personnel to do work on it

[Bob Durnell]

Ok, the track part I knew about, but I was not aware that that location was tied to the people that were actually going to do the work. That fact seemed to be missing from all of reports I saw. Are they going to do all this work outside?

[nathansixchime]

Along with the construction of the railroad, shelter for the equipment is also being planned.

[Bob Durnell]

OK, makes perfect sense then. I KNEW there had to be some facts I was missing about this whole deal.

[Steve Bryan]

"Of course, if we're at West Wayne, that line to the Zoo/Franke Park seems like a bridge too far, unless it only operated between Franke and Cass Street."

Maybe. but in the "What if" department: HWJ locates to WW; track replaced to Cass Street/North River area to establish a short ride; FWRHS gains control of GR&I; A short (less than a mile) spur is constructed off the GR&I north of Dana, south of Butler Road east through the woods and field, across Goshen Rd. and into the park from the west? Then, trains could run from Cass Street area to the HWJ museum and then north to the park/zoo.

Sounds out of reach but stranger things have happened.