Governor Announces Grants For Museum

State Grants Received To Build Turntable,
Get Feasibility Study

On Sept. 11, 2008 West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin arrived in Elkins to award the museum two grants. One is a Transportation Enhancement Grant of $100,000 to fund the installation of a turntable in the Elkins rail yard. As with other grants for the restoration of the steam locomotives, the grant is from the W. Va. Department of Transportation.

The museum has found a turntable in the Chicago area that will fit the bill and will move on the project once it receives the grant notice to proceed. The "old" pit that presently is covered on the new museum building site, will need to be excavated and inspected.

The Governor also announced that $40,000 would be received from the State to fund a feasibility study for the new museum and site. This grant will be matched by funds from the sale of the original artist's painting of "Fireballs Converge In Elkins". In order to go after large amounts of funding that will be needed for the new museum site and building, a third-party study was thought a necessity by the Board.

The museum match for the turntable grant will come from the sale of the PRR SW-1 that was authorized by the Board of Directors at the end of the year. It was determined by the Board that the Pennsey switcher could not be made usable and leasable at a cost that was in line with the current funding situation at the museum. It was thought when the SW-1 was accepted by the Museum, costs to get it to Elkins and place it into service would be negligible to the WVRM. As the project ran its course, it was determined that the SW-1 could not be put on line here under that cost projection and thus, its sale was authorized.

Photo - Lars Byrne: Shown, left to right, Delegate Bill Proudfoot, Museum President Jim Schoonover, President of Randolph County Commission and Museum board member Julia Elbon, Governor Joe Manchin and Randolph County Commission member Mike Taylor.