From the Peoria paper:
GALESBURG - Plans for the National Railroad Hall of Fame in Galesburg have been scaled back to about half the size and cost originally proposed. The project has also been relocated to the city’s downtown, though no firm location has been chosen yet. Given the proximity to other attractions and restaurants, Bragg said he thinks downtown is the best choice for the hall.
Yea. Let’s move it away from the tracks to generate more interest.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/030108/REG_BFU7C76P.033.php
So they scaled back the cost by half, “down” to $30 million. And now they want to move it. But aren’t the BNSF tracks “downtown”, where the railroad museum is?
The article conveniently neglects to say where the funding is coming from. If they’re still thinking that the nation’s railroads will cough up the money, I wish they’d pass the pipe.
Although I live in Illinois, I don’t think this belongs in Galesburg. Chicago area, maybe, but Galeburg is too far off the beaten path. Nobody goes to Galeburg unless they have to. Chicago would draw more people, and is much more a rail center than Galesburg.
And really, why would anyone go to a primarily visual “Hall of Fame” when it’s already on your computer? Galesburg, you are grasping for straws.
Recklessly quoting the line from “The Silver Streak” : “railroaders need to see, smell and touch something before they’ll buy it”.
Galesburg, don’t go into the pit.
R.FLIX
Sorry to have to tack this on, but what exactly is a “railroad hall of fame”? With the strapped for cash but enterprising outfits that are carrying on today and operating equipment, do we need such a nebulous plan?
What a country!
Galesburg wake up. The millions ought to go the poor, the displaced, the elderly, the people without pensions, the non-profits providing services to the folks we’d not like to see on our block depreciating our over-mortgaged nests.
We should get real-sized as my friends point out.
The developer will make his bucks and leave you with another empty shell of dreams.
I wish the world was otherwise but it down dog nasty ain’t.
RIXFLIX
PZ: Downtown Galesburg is the traffic circle, about 5 or 6 blocks from where the depot and current museum is located.
[soapbox]On
NOTE: This is NOT a political comment. But to follow your thinking, look at the money being raised these days by both parties for political campaigns. In February Obama raised $50 million and Clinton raised $35 million. That’s $85 million in one month for one party. I’m sure the other side is doing equally well. Just think of the wonderful things all that money could be spent on instead of posters, signs and TV ads.
[soapbox]Off
I imagine that somebody from Galesburg had this idea for Galesburg. True, Chicago would be a more central location for such a thing, but nobody there thought of it (and how is this going to be different from the Railroaders’ Museum in Altoona, which could probably very easily have a hall of fame as one exhibit?).
Downtown Galesburg sounds slightly more logical to me than the original location, which, if I remember correctly, was visible from the Interstate highway(s) outside Galesburg. I hope that the location is close to the other museum (in a house, IIRC from the time we were there), or to the tracks somewhere–“Downtown” could encompass either location.
I hope, if folks are stuck with it, that it turns out better than I’m afraid it’s going to.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If the railroads have $30 million or $60 million or $100,000 for this type of venture, I’d rather see it spread around for preservation projects, and not some thinly-veiled effort by an out-of-the-way locale to attract tourism to itself.
It’s scary.The Hall sounds so much like the disaster at Union Station, Washington DC in the 70’s. A complete boondoggle. Some of you will recall the Amtrak interpretive “pit”, the ticketing/waiting room that looked like a bus station without windows, and the plywood walled passage between. All that had to be ripped out to do the proper restoration and mixed use station that exists today.
Galesburg doesn’t need the (money) PIT!!!
You can have all the audio/visual/interpretative stuff available, but I’d never go there. The schools might send class trips. You gotta have the real and preferably operating equipment. It would be better to spend the money on the lines that do this.
The developers and contractors will be only too happy to take the money and if your history follows ours in DC you can expect to be suing them for years.
Again, sorry to be a wet blanket, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea.
RIXFLIX
While I love Galesburg and love going there at least once a year, I have my doubts about this railroading hall of fame myself – I’ll go to a museum to see a preserved Pullman, but to see a display about Jay Gould? hmmm — but Galesburg at least realizes that tourism is real money and the one kind of tourist Galesburg knows it can draw is the railfan tourist. Of course if the local police renew their efforts to ask fans to leave the bridge over the railyard they can kill that tourism real fast if they aren’t careful. I think there is a certain level of naivete on the part of non-railfans about what railfans want to do and see.
If they are going to build the thing it makes sense to have it near the (very nice) railroad museum near the Amtrak depot, or at least within a stroll of that location. The proposed location was not far from a couple of decent motels but apart from that was pretty much isolated.
I think the big problem is that while Galesburg is a great railroad town it is a great CB&Q railroad town. It was less important to the BN than to the CB&Q and basically a bump on a log for the Santa Fe. It is just another location, albeit a strategic one, for the BNSF. But for a national railroad museum, what would, say, the UP or CSX or CP care about Galesburg? Why would they contribute money, much less part with documents, artifacts, etc.
Dave Nelson
As a person with longtime family roots in Galesburg, this is a project that has been a long time in the making. I’d agree that the initial plans were probably oversized and a scaled down version may be more in line. The individuals, one of which I know quite well, behind getting G’burg declared the home of the National RR HOF considered the historic significance of the RR to G’burg and vice versa. They also considered the attendance of such other nearby attractions as the John Deere museum, etc. People tend to forget that among G’burgs sites and events are the annual RR Days, it is the birthplace of Carl Sandburg, home to the only remaining site of a Lincoln-Douglas debate, which is re-enacted regularly, and I still believe an annual Stearman fly-in. G’burg is also right on I-74 going across IL and about 45 min south of I-80 going west out of Chicago.
I too think a better location is downtown near the G’burg railroad museum. The Seminary St. merchants would probably love some very close by. BTW, there is more to downtown than just the Circle.
Dave - Galesburg was and is of extreme importance to the BN/BNSF and not just the CB&Q. Galesburg was a division headquarters for many years for the BN. Before they centralized all dispatching operations in FW, it was the dispatching center for the entire division. I had the opportunity to get a personal tour through the dispatch center and watched them dispatch the dinky parade from Chicago to Aurora and saw the dispatchers for as far away as Ottumwa, IA and Paducah, KY. It is still significant to the BNSF as a major loco shop facility and classification yard.
Also, I’ve not heard recent stories of police chasing railfans off the US150 bridge. 3 years ago I had my own incident on the bridge with an IL state trooper. I was not issued a ticket, a warning or even told I had to leave. I was asked for ID, where I was from and w
JKTRAINS,
I agree with you on Galesburg being a better sight for the HOF. I know we’d be likely to go there than to fight the traffic n such in Chicago.
It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been up that way, but I enjoyed it while I was there.
One other thing, contrary to what some believe Chicago is not the center of the universe.
I hate to be the Grouch again. But in this expensive gas age, when the folks who built, ran, rode (in, on or under} can tour our States with their grandchildren, will enough of them be interested in seeing a newish mausoleum?
There will probably be a thinning out period for the OPERATING or the truly gotta see preservation/museums that exist now.
They need our support now more than any new project.
From the earlier postings I understand Galesburg has a railroad museum already. That’s cool, but leave it at that. How about better services for the underpriveleged. Hope it’s not ALL of you guys but if you have you oughta give!!!
What about an industrial prairie (weeds, shumac, brambles, and ruins: nature path) with guides versed in your history? No, your tax base is shrinking, I’d guess.
Anyway, Galesburgers, preservationists, museum curators , fans: let’s hear more.
RIXFLIX
Will they start serving Galesburgers on Seminary Street?[dinner][:P]
That’s IT!!!
build GALESBURGERS and the world will beat their feet to your door. I can hear the thump-thump-thumps and rev-rev-revs and the zoom-zoom-zooms right now. Do ships and boats go swish-swish-swish? The city could expand sidewalks and parking lots to accomodate the wide of body who are “projected” to show up.
The company that got the millions gets away and the city hasn’t the bucks to sue.
Time to get right-sized people.
RIX
Ah but the Steak N Shake is on Henderson …
Dave Nelson
Rix, you’ll have to forget the swish-swish-swish–Galesburg is known for being upstream from absolutely everywhere.
Maybe Steak-n-Shake can come up with a Galesburger. Sounds a little more appetizing than a (Carl) Sandburger!