WINTER'S END 2001

   Here it is, the end of the winter in 2001. With 2002 just around the corner, and a few months of winter left, the volunteer members are beginning to plan for the upcoming year. Who would have thought back in the spring of 1995, with the first chop of the axe, that we would be this far along in the rehabilitation of the Milwaukee Road Roundhouse Complex. As you can see in this photo, taken on 12/26/2000, most of the windows in the front of the roundhouse have been repaired. And the mighty doors, that make up the front of the roundhouse, have been painted to prolong the life of the doors, and make the roundhouse more complete.

    With the start of 2001, we start yet another year of repairs and restorations. With the help of many people, both volunteers, and those to whom we contract out big jobs to, we hope to get some needed repair done before the rain starts this year. The most important area is the roof on the roundhouse. A few years ago there was emergence repair done to a portion of the roof after a beam let go due to the many years of deterioration. Time has touched almost everything. Not leaving us much time to start repair work, and having the buildings fall in on themselves would be a shame.

    No, SHRA is not moving. It is time to move every thing outside. This is even BIGGER, it's time for the roofers to start their work on the leaky old roof. We (SHRA volunteers) have been looking forward to this all year, (since the first rain at least. When every one was dryer outside in a rain storm.) The repair work should be done by the time the snow flies. That will mean the restoration work on the rail cars can continue inside thru out the year, as weather permits.