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Dear MRHA Members,
My apologies for sending this later than it should have
been. This past week, the MRHA Board of
Directors made the decision to move ahead with a plan to replace long-time TMR
Editor Mike Schafer. The decision was
not easy. Mike has produced one of if
not THE premier railroad historical magazines.
His writing combined with his knowledge of the prototype and
photographic skills made for a powerful combination. MHRA was incredibly lucky to have him. I also consider Mike a friend and his stories
and generosity with his time provided many enjoyable conversations.
My personal feelings aside though, while a non-profit, MRHA
is still a business and as such the officers and board need to always be concerned
with both the existing and future health of the organization. I will not say one negative thing about Mike
either publicly or privately, but there have been some disagreements. Disagreements that led to Mike on more than
one occasion expressing his desire to no longer edit TMR. While, we ultimately made amends, the wheels
were set into motion to find a successor. There is too much risk for MRHA not to know
how long we had and the board owes it to the membership to provide a quality
product. It is always better to manage
change vs be a victim of change.
A point of clarification, MRHA has a contract with White
River Productions, a company run by esteemed author, publisher and photographer
Kevin EuDaly. Mike Schafer, in turn
worked for White River Productions. MRHA
is retaining the contract with White River Productions. A search for a suitable replacement took more
than a year, but when the right candidate was found, the MRHA board agreed with
Kevin to make the transition.
Change like this is never easy and it is never fun. In my 35-year transportation and logistics career, I’ve lost count of the people I have seen let go. I have had to lay off or fire several dozen people and have been fired myself. Sometimes, it makes sense and sometimes it does not. Most of the time though, it was necessary. Necessary for the long-term success of the enterprise.
I wish Mike nothing but the best and will help him anyway I
can.
Kevin EuDaly is providing a letter that will be included in the upcoming TMR outlining the change and introducing the new editor team. I will not steal his thunder. With Kevin’s permission, I will also post the letter on the MRHA Facebook page and website. I am hopeful this will help calm some of the angst I am hearing from the membership.
Sincerely,
Jeff Goutcher, President MRHA
MRHA on Facebook
Need more? Join the discussion on our MRHA Facebook Page.
Our VP, Bob Strysick, has added a video tour of the Milwaukee Public Library Archives to the MRHA You Tube site. Thanks Bob!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mssABTNQZns
___________________________________________________________________________
If you have forgotten to purchase a copy of the new Dubuque & Illinois Division book, it is still available. This would make a great addition to your library or gift for your favorite railroader friends. You can order online at the Company Store on our website - www.mrha.com or you can send in your check (made out to MRHA in the amount of $55.00 which includes postage) to:
MRHA - D & I Division Book
P.
O. Box 307
Antioch,
IL 60002-0307
Order now so you won't miss out on the great stories and information about one of the Milwaukee Road's most important Divisions!!
SAVE THE MILWAUKEE ROAD BUFFETERIA 126
The Illinois Railway Museum is fundraising to restore Milwaukee Road "Buffeteria" 126 at the museum in Union, IL. Milwaukee Road 126 was built in 1948 by the Milwaukee Road's Milwaukee shops as a standard 48-seat diner. In 1964, 126 was rebuilt, along with two other cars, into a counter-service style cafeteria car. The name 'Buffeteria' stems from buffet-cafeteria, the service provided on the car. The 126 represents a major gap in the museum's collection of rail dining service, bridging the golden era with current Amtrak services, which this car pioneered. Car 126 features a stainless and glass buffet line, seats for 32 diners, and a full kitchen. In 1971, 126 was sold into private ownership, and the current owner has donated the car to IRM.
The car is in complete, unrestored, and original condition. 126 is a very unique car that has influenced passenger trains for over 50 years. Please consider a donation to help with repairs. The Illinois Railway Museum is a 501(c)3 Non-Profit organization, and all donations are tax deductible.
https://www.irm.org/donations/milwaukee-road-126/
Photo credits to be displayed next update.....
MILWAUKEE ROAD STEAM SEARCH
How many of the Milwaukee Road's 3,000 plus steam locomotives are still viewable in photographs? Seeking to answer this question is what the MRHA STEAM SEARCH is all about. In pursuit of this goal; We SEARCH for rare or previously unseen photos of Milwaukee Road steam locomotives. We ARCHIVE and RECORD the historic photos we find. We SERVE as a clearing house for information about sources of steam locomotive photos. We RESPECT the copyright of persons and institutions holding the rights to the materials. We NEED YOUR HELP in the increasingly difficult work of finding, authenticating and obtaining the photos we are seeking. We have found many but there are still more than 500 Milwaukee steam engines of which we have no photo. Here is a list of our "10 Most Wanted" missing engines:
Class Road Numbers Comment
G8 2601-1001 Only unseen G8 of 42, retired 11/54
H5 227-600-300 First H5 of 162, built 1879, retired 1918
C5-a 7242-1242 Only unseen C5 of 50, retired 12/45
B3-x 253-300-1600-4200 Experimental Vauclain Compound 4-6-0, scrapped 1927
B3 301-1601-4201 First B3 of 25, built 1900, rebuilt 1918
B4 367-1717-4317 First of 66, "wide firebox" compound 4-6-0
4-4-0 232 ( 1st) Ex-Chicago & Pacific No. 1 - Acquired 1880
G1 192 Ex-Milwaukee and Superior No. 4 - Our 1st 4-6-0
C1-d 7076 Ex-CTH&SE 657, only missing C1-d of 10
4-4-0 1 Former LaCrosse & Milw. No. 1, named Winneconne
We are seeking these and other Milwaukee Road steam locomotives and photo collections. For more information, contact Ted Douglas, Steam Search Coordinator.
LOOKING FOR MRHA AT TRAIN SHOWS
Do you want to talk to someone from MRHA? Would you like to see something that MRHA offers? Each year MRHA representatives attend a number of shows in various parts of the country. If you are near one of these sites, stop by and say Hello! and ask your questions, or look at our materials (though not all our items are at every show)! Here is a list of the shows that MRHA usually attends. Show hours are generally 9 or 10 to 4PM.
JANUARY - While there are train shows during this month, MRHA does not normally attend
FEBRUARY - Mad City Train Show - Alliant Center- Madison, Wisconsin (2nd or 3rd weekend)
MARCH - Rock Valley Train Show - Harlem High Sch. - MacChesney, IL (3rd weekend)
APRIL - Livingston Rail Show - Depot Center -Livingston, Montana (TBD)
Helena Railroad Fair - Helena Civic Center - Helena, Montana (last Sunday)
MAY - Davenport Train Show - 2815 Locust St. - Davenport, Iowa (1st weekend)
JUNE - None attended
JULY - St. Louis Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet July 28-30 at the Collinsville, IL Convention center.
La Crosse Train Show - Copeland Park - La Crosse, Wisconsin
AUGUST - Elkader Train Show - Johnson Reception Hall - Elkader, Iowa (3rd weekend)
SEPTEMBER - Missoula Train Show - Big Sky H.S. - Missoula, Montana (2nd Sunday)
OCTOBER - Fall Train Show - County Fairgrounds - Spokane, Wash. (2nd Sunday)
NOVEMBER - Trainfest - Baird Center - Milwaukee, Wisconsin (4th weekend)
November 23-24, 2024
Dubuque Train Show - Dubuque Fairgrounds -Dubuque, Iowa - (1st weekend)
DECEMBER - None attended