the B&O museum

[HOplasserem80c]

i just got word that the thatcher perkin was halfway destroyed when the roof collasped. B&O fan told me that the cab is completly desroyed. this is a outradge to me. when ever i here a piece of railroad equpment is damadge i do somthing about it. i am gonna start a fund raiser to help rebuild the thatcher perkins whos with me!!!!!!!!!

[JM]

Ummmm...didn't that happen like years ago???

Feb.16 2003, when did you first hear of this??

[scottychaos]

i just got word that the thatcher perkin was halfway destroyed when the roof collasped. B&O fan told me that the cab is completly desroyed. this is a outradge to me. when ever i here a piece of railroad equpment is damadge i do somthing about it. i am gonna start a fund raiser to help rebuild the thatcher perkins whos with me!!!!!!!!!

wow, word travels slow in your part of the world!
yes, its been over 4 years since the destructive roofcollapse at the roundhouse.

The cab was not "completly destroyed."
although it was severely damaged.
the roof of the cab had material fall through it, so the roof of the cab was destroyed, but the cab walls were saveable.

http://www.borail.org/restoration/pdf/damage_report_no_117_thatcher_perkins.pdf

On this page:

http://www.borail.org/restoration/20030711.shtml

click on "Click here to view Restoration Photo Slide Show"

even though its been 4 years, fundraising is still a great idea!
im sure the museum would be very happy with anything you could raise to continue the restoration!
I couldnt find any recent pics of the Thatcher Perkins, but im sure there is still much that needs to be done..and it all requires much money.

Scot

[David(UK)]

I've tried about 3 times to reply to this thread, but the sytem just ain't playing.
Just to say she was still in the same sorry state in 2005 when I visited.
Rumour mill was she was too badly damaged to repair.
I'd add some pictures, but that's not working either

[ebtnut]

A number of priceless historic pieces were damaged in the roof collapse, not just the "Perkins".  The collapse was a result of a very heavy, wet snowfall that overstressed the cast-iron roof trusses (from 120 years ago).  Several all-wood pieces of rolling stock were uttlerly destroyed.  The old locos suffered some degree of bumps and dents, including wood cabs that got partially or totally crushed.  The roundhouse roof was rebuilt and strengthed, and the building reopened last year.  Any fund-raising would be welcome, as there is LOTS to work on.

[Paul W.]

The museum is a great place to visit. When you visit the roundhouse, you can still see the loco's that were damaged that have not been restored yet. During December, the Mason Dixon large scale RR club have a huge display running daily along with some other clubs as well.
There is an outdoor garden RR as well.
Raising money for an organization that maintains RR history......Great idea!

[jayl1]

Definitely worth the trip.  Call to verify hours of operation though.  There are outdoor exhibits too - more modern steam & diesels.  BTW I believe the William Mason was the engine in the Will Smith movie - "Wild, Wild West".

[ebtnut]

BTW I believe the William Mason was the engine in the Will Smith movie - "Wild, Wild West". 

That is correct.  She kept that paint for about year or so, even ran a weekend of trips at the museum before being put back inside.  I would note that many of the historic locos in the collection were theoretically operable, since most were refurbished and operated at the "Fair of the Iron Horse" back in 1927, and then hardly operated thereafter.  The locos that got the most running in later years were the Mason, which subbed for the "General" in the Disney movie "The Great Locomotive Chase", along with the 4-2-0 "Lafayette",  which was labeled "Inyo" in the movie.