(rshsdepot) B&O Railroad Museum Cancels the Fair of the Iron Horse 175, Festival of Trains

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

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

Friday February 28, 3:30 pm ET

BALTIMORE, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
For current information on the Museum's restoration, please visit
www.borail.org.


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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #608
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org