Trains.com

Thinking about starting a railroad Museum in Northwest Indiana, need some help.

5283 views
12 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Schererville, Indiana
  • 62 posts
Thinking about starting a railroad Museum in Northwest Indiana, need some help.
Posted by matthewg on Saturday, September 19, 2009 6:49 PM

 Ive been throwing around the idea for awhile but now I think i need to start working towards it, what I would like to do is start a railroad museum. The plan would be to use the old monon line in Munster http://www.monon.monon.org/bygone/munster.html . My question is though does anyone know who owns it if not CSX. Can anyone offer advice on how to start a museum, specifically how to approach getting ownership of the track. I plan going out tommorow to see the line in person and take some reference photos. Any help would be appreciated.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Central New York
  • 335 posts
Posted by MJChittick on Saturday, September 19, 2009 9:39 PM

Mike

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: Canada
  • 509 posts
Posted by cprted on Sunday, September 20, 2009 3:49 AM

 Are you wanting to start a museum or a tourist railroad?  Those are two very different beasts.

The grey box represents what the world would look like without the arts. Don't Torch The Arts--Culture Matters http://www.allianceforarts.com/
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Schererville, Indiana
  • 62 posts
Posted by matthewg on Sunday, September 20, 2009 11:26 AM

 Well I don't think that a tourist railroad would make much of a profit. It's going to take a lot to get a train to run from one end to the other, since at least 2 grade crossings (though one is right near the south end, so it isn't an issue yet) have been paved over, add to that the connect with csx isn't well.. connected, so getting equipment to the line would be difficult. I feel that a non for profit museum would be alot more practical. The plan would be to try and get a site setup to put some equipment on display, the line double tracks for about a mile half way through and one theirs undeveloped land to the east of it for awhile. In the mean time I'd like to at least get a speeder to start giving rides on certain days to raise money for the museum so we can get the ROW in shape to run full size equipment.

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • 2,844 posts
Posted by dinwitty on Sunday, September 20, 2009 1:00 PM

 You might be better to merge up with an existing group, there is a group working on restoring the nkp 2-8-2 in Hammond.

 http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=34746

If anything happens with this engine if ever brought to operation it may look for an operating home.

 

 

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Schererville, Indiana
  • 62 posts
Posted by matthewg on Sunday, September 20, 2009 2:07 PM

 Ive actually thought about it, i don't know if they would want to merge with my group but I would still offer  to store the 624 as well as their other equipment on my line, it would seem like a win win situation, they get a place to keep and restore their equipment that's not a park, as well as an eventual place to run the 624, and for me having their equipment on display would make a nice attention getter for the museum.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: Schererville, Indiana
  • 62 posts
Posted by matthewg on Sunday, September 20, 2009 7:19 PM

 I went out today and followed the line for awhile, and took some photos for reference. I found that the portion that runs between ride road and fisher street (about 3/4 of a mile) is in pretty good shape other than a bad tie here and there, since it parallels a bike path the grass it kept well cut and the track is basically weed free for the most part,and it seems like a good place to give the speeder rides I mentioned earlier, the only problem is that most of the line runs through residential areas so their obviously will be noise concerns. As for the line north of ridge road, its still in decent shaped, but it gets progressively overgrown as it goes up grade from the road. In the last few photos you can see its so overgrown you cant even notice it till your standing on the rail! I didn't follow the whole line since once we hit the heavily overgrown north ended up in a bad part of town and it was getting late so we decided to head back.

 Click here to see photos of the line.

EDIT: I just found out now on google maps that NKP 624 is a mere 400 yards away from the monon line, the NWIRPS wanted to move their equipment, it wouldn't have to go far.

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • 1,432 posts
Posted by Limitedclear on Monday, September 21, 2009 12:00 AM

matthewg

 I went out today and followed the line for awhile, and took some photos for reference. I found that the portion that runs between ride road and fisher street (about 3/4 of a mile) is in pretty good shape other than a bad tie here and there, since it parallels a bike path the grass it kept well cut and the track is basically weed free for the most part,and it seems like a good place to give the speeder rides I mentioned earlier, the only problem is that most of the line runs through residential areas so their obviously will be noise concerns. As for the line north of ridge road, its still in decent shaped, but it gets progressively overgrown as it goes up grade from the road. In the last few photos you can see its so overgrown you cant even notice it till your standing on the rail! I didn't follow the whole line since once we hit the heavily overgrown north ended up in a bad part of town and it was getting late so we decided to head back.

 Click here to see photos of the line.

EDIT: I just found out now on google maps that NKP 624 is a mere 400 yards away from the monon line, the NWIRPS wanted to move their equipment, it wouldn't have to go far.

This sort of research is fine, but until you know who owns the property by conducting a real property search and tax search and verify that they will sell the property to you, your museum group won't be able to acquire the line. I strongly reccomend that you direct your efforts towards determining the ownership of the line and negotiations with the owner to purchase or lease the property. The line may be owned by CSX, but it may not. Even if it is owned by CSX they will not let you just use their property. They might sell or lease it to you if you can convince them you are a responsible group with the resources and know how to use the property correctly.

Good luck.

LC

  • Member since
    September 2008
  • From: Grand Rapids, MI
  • 9 posts
Posted by steamrailroader on Thursday, September 24, 2009 12:49 AM

You need to look at your own resume first.

If someone who ran a railroad museum, was looking at your resume. Would he consider you as a candidate for his replacement?

Have you worked for a museum? Not as a volunteer, but as staff.

Most museum curators have a university degree in that field. What did you study?

I'm not asking these questions to see If you are qualified. I don't really want to know the answers. But you will need to know if you are going to be at all successful at this.

Starting and totaly munging it up because you made fundamental mistakes, will just make it that much harder for a qualified person to succeed at a later date.

This is one of the ways historic equipment gets scrapped.

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Thursday, September 24, 2009 2:54 PM

Head to the Lake County Assesor's Office and they can tell you who is paying the taxes on the line.  They should be able to tell you the document number for the current deed.  Head over to the Recorder's Office and get a copy of that deed.  It should contain any restrictions or easements granted at the time of transfer or at least a reference to other documents spelling those out.  There may be some deal-killer in and amongst those documents.

If the line has been abandoned, you might as well walk away.  Indiana's law on ownership of rail lines has been screwed up since a questionable ruling back in the 70s.

After looking at your resume, take an even longer, harder, look at your checkbook.  (you'll want to remember what it looked like before you started this adventure.)Mischief

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,820 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, September 24, 2009 7:03 PM

rrnut282

Head to the Lake County Assesor's Office and they can tell you who is paying the taxes on the line.  They should be able to tell you the document number for the current deed.  Head over to the Recorder's Office and get a copy of that deed.  It should contain any restrictions or easements granted at the time of transfer or at least a reference to other documents spelling those out.  There may be some deal-killer in and amongst those documents.

If the line has been abandoned, you might as well walk away.  Indiana's law on ownership of rail lines has been screwed up since a questionable ruling back in the 70s.

After looking at your resume, take an even longer, harder, look at your checkbook.  (you'll want to remember what it looked like before you started this adventure.)Mischief

Most assessors are dumber than a stone regarding railroad ownership - you might find a previous owner three  or four iterations back.  And if it's GIS, it's no more than a guess 95% of the time.....They don't collect taxes on an operating railroad (the state does) - so they could care less. Several above are correct; go find a competent museum and volunteer your services.
Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Friday, September 25, 2009 8:35 AM

The state isn't any better at keeping track.  The county seat isn't a 120 mile drive for nothing.

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    September 2009
  • From: Crete, IL
  • 34 posts
Posted by Mike O on Monday, September 28, 2009 11:02 PM
I believe the route is owned by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and will be used to connect the existing South Shore route at Hammond with new service (at some time in the future) to Lowell (via the old Monon) and Valparaiso (via the CN/GTW with a connection at Maynard Junction in Munster).

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy