B&O RR Museum Snow Damage?

[CHESSIEMIKE]

I heard that the roundhouse had damage from this snow. Can anyone confirm and report on the extent of the damage?
CHESSIEMIKE

[BNSFNUT]

About 50% of the roof has collasped.
photos at www.velarium.com/amitchell/index.html.
also on trainorders.com.
It don't look good.
Jerry

[Modelcar]

...I caught a brief bit of info and a quick picture of a large portion of the Roundhouse roof that collapsed in Baltimore...on the NBC National news an hour or so ago and it appeared to be badly damaged.

QM

[Modelcar]

...Photo in our paper today shows how much damage was done to the B&O Museum in Baltimore...It is extensive. Does anyone know if the Museum has adequate insurance to cover damage to the building and special contents. It seems to have something I've never seen...a turntable inside the building.

QM

[Anonymous]

The building was a passenger car shop in the 1800s. The (working) turntable is completely covered with wood flooring. The equipment kept inside the building is the older antique portion of the collection. Locos include the Wiliam Mason 4-4-0 (played the "General" in Disney's version of the Great Locomotive Chase). the Thatcher Perkins 4-6-0, an old 2-8-0, JC Davis 2-6-0, the Lafayette 4-2-0 and the "Grasshopper" replicas, plus a 4-6-0 Winans Camel and the CNJ center cab 4-4-2, also the Royal Blue narrow-vestibule passenger coach circa 1888, et al. In short, many priceless treasures of 19th-Century railroading plus a few early 20th-Century pieces.

I just hope nothing is totally destroyed and the damage can be repaired.

[Soo2610]

Read something in yesterdays Chicago Tribune that indicated that a couple of the late 1800 passenger cars were damaged beyond repair by falling roof trusses. Rest of the displays are supposedly repairable as well as the building.

[Modelcar]

...Does anyone know if there is insurance to repair the items and put the building back together. When they do put it back together I surely hope they upgrade the steel truss that supports the roof. And yes I understand it must of had a very heavy snow load...but there is always a chance of that happening.

QM

[dknelson]

when you consider the tiny tiny chance that any wood car from the mid 1800s could survive -- the odd coincidences, casual decisions, strange bits of chance all involved -- and then to have a darn snow storm ruin it! I think I know the cars in question --maybe not centerpieces of their collection but wonderful rarities for which insurance cannot possibly provide a replacement (any more than life insurance brings back a lost spouse or child).
And today's news tells of a Toys R Us in the Baltimore area that had a roof collapse -- here is hoping no one was killed or hurt --
Our poor friends in Baltimore are really taking a hit
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

From what I could gather on local news the Fed's. are going to come to the rescue and help with some $$$$. The B&O has insurance on the building and contents but.... not enough.
The Glass cuppola on the top is still intact.
Dan B
BAA MP 9.0 clear

[Soo2610]

Apparently there is still a possibility of further damage as many of the displays are covered with tarps and can't be moved to protected areas until some of the debris is cleared out of the way. The main concern right now is to stabilize what is still standing and to prevent any further collapse and more damage.

[Anonymous]

And the bad news is that more snow is forcast for the Baltimore area this WED./Thurs. I live 30 min. south of Baltimore in Annapolis and the situation as I see it is not good. Several more roof collapse events and a lot of basement flooding due to the heavy rain Sat. I hope the remainder of the B&O roof stays up. Bill

[sooblue]

They should just peal off the rest of the roof and forget about it.
I visited the museum two years ago and they had all those wonderfull machines that are outside totaly unprotected. Just rusting away!
Streamlined hudsons, the freedom train engine,
a 2-6-6-6 just to name a few.
criminal. Not even a tarp in sight.
Has it changed since they are having a fair of the iron horse?
Maybe when they re-roof they'll extend out over the other priceless engines.
Than again, maybe I'm just too sensitive. They are just steam engines.
Sooblue

[dknelson]

The same is true of just about every railroad museum -- they have their priorities -- they cannot afford to cover everything. At B&O the very oldest stuff was under cover -- who can argue with that?
It is sad to visit museums and see stuff rotting and rusting I agree. If only everything could be covered with plenty of space and good lighting etc etc etc. In other words, if only there were unlimited funds .... dream on
Dave Nelson

[sooblue]

Very true,
I wonder if the stacks are pluged at least?
With all the buildings that are abandoned in Baltimore you would think it would be easy to find a steel building that could be taken just for the roof and supports to cover what they can.
I've seen that done before. When a building is to be torn down the roof and supports are sectioned and carted off many times just for shipping cost.
Oh well, like you said, "dream on"
Sooblue

[Anonymous]

The B&O museum website has pictures and an address to contribute to the Roundhouse fund. The website is borail.org. And, yes there is a turntable inside, in 1884 it was the Mount Clare car shop.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we are. I can say that this is the whitest winter I can remember. The worst part of the whole wintry weather situation, is the fact that we here in Baltimore seldom see more than 6 inches of snowfall a year. Because of this, noone knows how to drive in the snow here. The second worse thing is the fact we are due for some more snow this weekend. YAY!

[Anonymous]

Can someone please tell me how to access the storm damage pictures of the museum. I have searched their website endlessly and have found nothing. Thanks, Bill

[Modelcar]

....Go to borail.org and pull up the latest on the segment of the Museum roof failure and damage.

QM

[Anonymous]

Thanks, for some reason I kept getting the main website that has nothing on it.

[Anonymous]

look at it this way i live in delano not far from where i live there is supositly a "railroad museum" in annandale it has 2 steamers roted beond repair and several cars roting too. one car you can see from highway 55 if there was no tree there it would be flat on the ground. at least b&0 has a roof however you should check out borail.org some of the pictures show pole barns they probly were doing a fundraiser to put those pole barns in when you were there last. all of the pictures i have seen have them however not all of the steamers are under a roof they probly havent got there yet. now with the roof gone they have now another added exspence.so keep dreaming for the green. farmall kid

[Anonymous]

hay dave my father allways says this at least there hear and not gone for the cute's torch. farmall kid