FYI - Just got this this
evening
Jim
The Roundhouse Restoration Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BALTIMORE & OHIO (B&O) RAILROAD MUSEUM CANCELS THE FAIR OF THE
IRON HORSE 175, FESTIVAL OF TRAINS
MARYLAND'S LARGEST SNOWSTORM TAKES ITS TOLL ON MUSEUM - FOCUS TURNS TO
RESTORATION EFFORTS
(Baltimore, MD) February 28, 2003 The Board of Directors of the
Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad Museum has announced the
cancellation of the Fair of the Iron Horse 175, Festival of Trains due to
damage the Museum incurred during the recent snowstorm in Maryland. The
railroading exposition was scheduled to take place June 28 through July
3, 2003 at the Museum and in Baltimore's Carroll Park to commemorate the
175th Anniversary of American Railroading.
"Due to the catastrophic damage to this historic Roundhouse and its
magnificent collection, the Fair of the Iron Horse must be cancelled,
stated Jim Brady, Chairman of the B&O Railroad Museum Board of
Directors. "Our focus now is to restore, re-build, and re-open this
national treasure. This Herculean effort is already underway. It is
imperative that this process be driven by the highest standards of
historic preservation, restoration and museum programming. I have the
greatest confidence in the team that has been assembled to face this
challenge. We look forward to the re-birth of the Birthplace of American
Railroading when this national treasure is returned to an even greater
state of glory," added Brady.
During the height of the storm, the Iron Structure of the 1884 Baldwin
Roundhouse, the Museum's signature building and collections exhibit
space, collapsed under the weight of the snow and force of wind.
Fortunately, no one was in the Museum at the time of the collapse.
Structural engineers are working daily to stabilize the building and
protect the collection from further damage. The Museum is home to the
oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the
Western Hemisphere.
A press conference will be held Wednesday, March 12, 2003, 11:00 a.m. EST
at the B&O Railroad Museum to announce a projected timeline for
restoration.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Pamela Elms
/Amy Getz
Weinberg Harris & Associates
410-427-0123, ext. 223/232
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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