MAY 11, 2008
BRRR has parted ways with ZWSR due to concerns about safety, operational standards, and internal issues within the scenic railroad. BRRR will continue to watch the situation closely and become engaged in saving the line when the opportunity is right. For now, BRRR is simply preparing plans for this opportunity but is not actively pursuing the Glass Rock Line.
MAY 7, 2008
Elections were held via email for new officer and board positions. The results of the elections are
as follows:
President: Matt Mantell
Vice President: Justin Kenney
Treasurer: Keith Welker
Secretary: Mike Valentine
Board Members: Eric Curtis, Courtney Kennedy, Kathy Curtis
MARCH 12, 2008
ZWSR has released their new website available at http://www.zwsr.org. BRRR has been very active in helping ZWSR move to the Glassrock Spur so that both scenic passenger and motorcar excursion be begin.
JANUARY 9, 2008
BRRR is proud to announce the Zanesville and Western Scenic Railroad has officially been formed from the equipment and assets from the former Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad. BRRR will continue to work closely with the railroad in achieving our goals. Work weekends continue through ZWSR.
OCTOBER 8, 2007
Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad and Bass Run Rail Riders are working together to start a new scenic railroad. This is an exciting time and we are hopeful that you have the same excitement as we have! All of us feel like the little kid on Christmas morning when we got our first toy train. Please share your excitement with us and get in on the ground floor of this wonderful opportunity. Please contact Eric Curtis (erkmancurtis@yahoo.com) for further information. There is plenty to do and we'd love to share our plans, passions, and hopes with you!
SEPTEMBER 30, 2007
A core group of 5 BRRR members met with the Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad this weekend to discuss possible uses for the Glassrock line. Although BRRR will still be around, we are going to work closely with the scenic railroad as we move the scenic railroad operation to the Glassrock line. The details are to be worked out, but we have weekly meeting to discuss the business side of the new organization, our future plans and goals, and to get work assigned and done. If you would like to be part of the core planning / management group, please contact Eric Curtis (erkmancurtis@yahoo.com) for more information.
This opportunity is exciting news as BRRR will be active in operating both a scenic railroad and working with the motorcar community to keep the hobby alive. We are hopeful that many people from the Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Michigan, and West Virginia area will find benefits in this new organization and offer assistance..
JUNE 24, 2007
Steve pulled up an interesting article where the ORDC met with the Muskingum County Commissioners and mentioned BRRR.
JUNE 18, 2007
Matt and Eric purchased a 1994 Chevy 3500 and all associated hirail gear and put the truck together. The truck is runs and looks great. The primary purpose of the hirail truck will be to help with maintenance and clearing of the line when the time comes.
JUNE 10, 2007
The news papers are reporting that Buckeye Scenic has officially lost their lease and they are closing up shop. Eric is making a renewed effort to reach the Executive Director of the Buckeye Scenic Railroad to encourage them to work with BRRR and Allen Railroad to pursue the Glassrock spur.
APRIL 2, 2007
Eric contacted Steve of Allen Railroad today and spoke with him about the plans they had in mind. Allen Railroad wants to work with a non-profit tourist railroad by providing the labor to rehab the line. The labor will come from those they train to work on railroads. The tourist part of the line is needed to provide revenue to purchase materials. It is hopeful that contact will be made shortly with the Executive Director of The Buckeye Scenic Railroad to talk with them about their plans and how BRRR can assist both groups.
MARCH 31, 2007
Eric and Matt attended the ORDC meeting today to talk with anyone who might be able to give us some additional information. Eric spoke briefly with State Representative Flowers and explained a few points behind our idea. In addition, an ORDC staffer gave us some contact ideas on who BRRR might be able to work with to get the line. It was suggested that as an individual organization, BRRR might not be suitable for the spur, but a group consisting of Allen Railroad (a railroad training company), The Buckeye Scenic Railroad, and BRRR might be able to put a proposal together that would be successful. We are hopeful that by the end of 2007, BRRR will have operating rights on the Glassrock spur.
In addition, two officers of BRRR (operating independently of BRRR) purchased a set of Hi-rail wheels today. Once a suitable truck is found, they will be put on the truck to help with the eventual clearing and maintenance of the line.
JANUARY 11, 2007
Eric attended the ORDC meeting today in hopes that he would be able to find out a little more information about the Glassrock line even though it was not on the agenda. The ORDC group's first task was to break into executive session to discuss internal matters. This lasted over 90 minutes, during which time Eric was able to talk to multiple people, including the person who appraised the Glassrock line, the President of The Ohio Central Rail System, a candidate for the position of ORDC executive director, Lou Jannazo (Chief Project Manager), and a few others. A little was learned about the line, including the fact that 1 mile of the line behind Columbia Cement is not owned by the state, but is controlled by Columbia Cement. The appraiser had some figures for rehab and net liquidation value, but was not able to delve into that subject until it has been addressed at a commission meeting.
Overall, it gave us a chance to chat with a few more people, introduce our idea, and get some support from various individuals. The meeting also kicked off a brain storming session within BRRR to try to determine what our next course of action should be.
The next ORDC meeting will be in March and BRRR will be in attendance.
JANUARY 10, 2007
The efforts to acquire the Glassrock Spur have been on a temporary hold pending the release of the financial figures that were due to the ORDC in mid December. We expected that the Glassrock Spur would be a topic of discussion at the January 11 ORDC meeting, but it appears from the Agenda that it will not be discussed.
A yearly election was held by the voting members of BRRR. As you have read in the by-laws, BRRR is a closed organization. Only people who have skills required by BRRR are members and given voting rights as well as the ability to run for an official position. The results of the vote were that all positions were to stay as they were for 2006. Eric Curtis will remain president, Matt Mantell vice-president, Justin Kennedy treasurer, and Mike Valentine secretary. The three directors will remain Kathy Curtis, Courtney Kennedy, and Keith Welker.
NOVEMBER 1,2006
Eric called the ORDC concerning the formal lease request. The ORDC stated they were still waiting for the official line valuations, expected to be received in mid December. At that time they would make their recommendations. However, in the mean time, our contact at the ORDC suggested we try to pair up with the Buckeye Scenic Railroad and help they acquire the line. The contact believed it would be difficult for the commission to keep a rail spur around for a group of 1,500 NARCOA folks when the value may be $500,000. Unfortunately, this implies they would rather tear out rail instead of keep it for possible future use.
It is now our intention to foster contacts within Buckeye Scenic Railroad so we can assist them with their activities and, hopefully, be able to secure a place for speeders to operate in the near future. We are still planning to acquire the line for our use through a lease if possible (for example, if the ORDC decided to land bank the rail). A last option (probably not feasible because of cost) would be a purchase of the line should it go up for sale.
OCTOBER 24, 2006
A letter was drafted by Eric and Matt formally requesting use of the line. In the letter, BRRR asked to lease the full 15 mile spur for $1 per year. However, in return, BRRR would clear between SR 204 (Mt. Perry) to the Fultonham switch yard, erect barricades to use, install surveillance equipment, put up signs about trespassing, acquire and maintain a $3,000,000 insurance policy, ensure a BRRR officer was present at all activities on the spur, ensure all operators had NARCOA certification and insurance, and maintain the track that was cleared to prevent re-growth. We hope to talk to the ORDC about the formal offer at the end of October and talk with the commission at mid-November meeting.
OCTOBER 17, 2006
Eric and Matt attended the ORDC (Ohio Rail Development Commission) retreat. The retreat is a day long meeting where the ORDC staff members update the commissioners on activities and projects in detail. The Glassrock Spur was spoken about between 2:30 and 3:00, just before the meeting adjourned. During this session, we learned that it is now estimated to cost $100,000 to clear the line. However, the NLV (Net Liquidation Value) is also higher, between $300,000 and $500,000. There are currently 2 additional groups working to acquire the line - the Buckeye Scenic Railroad and the Rail to Trails program. Neither is a completely viable option, however, as the Rail to Trails folks will need to remove the rails to use the property and there is quite a bit of money required to rehab the line to turn it in to a Class A line for tourist activity.
In addition to learning that information, we spoke directly to the commissioners for a few minutes to hit on the main points of BRRR's plan and we met a few additional people (hey - networking is always good!). We also spoke for a few more minutes with Lou and another staffer, presenting a few more details of our plan and providing them the power point presentation as well for their review.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
Matt, Justin, and Eric attended the ORDC (Ohio Rail Development Commission) meeting today. A staff member present the ideas for the line to the commission for their consideration. The ideas were to rehab it to a Class A line for commercial freight, rehab it to a Class A line for a tourist railroad (Buckeye Scenic Railroad), have BRRR maintain it, let it sit as is, remove the rails and let it sit as is, or remove the rails and turn it over to the rails to trails program. The staff recommended spending $25,000 to clear the line and then $10,000 to have the line appraised. After this, enough information would be available for them to consider all options and what should be done. The next meeting where this might be discussed will be in October.
Although BRRR did not speak at the meeting, we did meet with Bill Strawn, president of the Ohio Central Rail Road (the last operator to commercially run the line), Lou Jannazo, the Chief Planner at the ORDC, and one commission member. BRRR will continue to build a base of understanding with the ORDC and commission members so they can make an informed decision about what to do with the line.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2006
Eric met with the Madison Township Trustees (Perry County). He pitched the idea of BRRR and asked for their nod of approval (support). All present gave their support and agreed that this would be a unique activity and would not impact local landowners. They liked the idea and said we could mention their support to the Ohio Rail Development Commission when we meet with them later in the week.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2006
Matt and Eric met with the Muskingum county commissioners today. Our intent was to pitch our idea and ask for their nod of approval (support). With that support, we would have Muskingum county behind us. Both Don and Dorothy were interested and intrigued in the idea, asked questions, and said it sounded like a great idea. Although they would rather see the line used for a commercial freight railroad, they acknowledged that might be impossible and this would be a great alternative. They gave us permission to let ORDC know they support us in this endeavor and approve of what we are doing. We will meet with the Mt. Perry trustees next week and hopefully the Perry County Commissioners soon as well.
AUGUST 25, 2006
BRRR received it's Employer Identification Number (EIN - or a social security number for businesses) today. In addition, BRRR opened a business bank account and has it's first official paying members. Also, a time was set for Matt and Eric to appear before the Muskingum County Commissioners on September 7th in the afternoon to help them understand the positive impact BRRR can have on the local economy. It appears as if all is moving forward smoothly, quickly, and according to plans laid out in late July.
AUGUST 22, 2006
Calls were placed to multiple county offices. The Township Trustee for Mount Perry (Gary Chapman) was fine with our plans and suggested we attend a township meeting on September 11th at 7:00pm. A message was left with the Muskingum County Commissioners asking them to call Eric back so a meeting could be scheduled. An email was sent to the district State Representative further explaining our activity and desire. So far, it has been tough to get in touch with the Perry County Commissioners, but that will be done soon.
Also, a call was placed to Ohio Central. The marketing Vice President said no commercial operation would ever run on the line again, so they so far are fine with our plans. A final decision will be made by president and CEO during a meeting later this week.
AUGUST 16, 2006
The State of Ohio officially recognized Bass Run Rail Riders as a non-profit organization.
AUGUST 14, 2006
The Articles of Incorporation for Bass Run Rail Riders, Inc. was submitted to the state for approval. It is expected that the final approval from the state for the non-profit entity creation will occur around September 5th.
The Bass Run Rail Riders website went live with all important links working. The website will serve as a place for all to go to get relevant documents, see the status of projects, learn more about the organization, and learn about organization activities, work weekends, fund raisers, and excursions.
AUGUST 4, 2006
Letters were prepared and send to local government officials to introduce the concept, purpose, and the goal of the project. A request was made to talk with the officials in two weeks to discuss the possibilities and get official backing before going before the Ohio Rail Development Commission.
AUGUST 1, 2006
Bass Run Rail Riders have officially formed with 7 active members. Between the 7 members, an A4 and an MT-14, both from CN and restored to look like original equipment, as well as 2 flat bed rail trailers are used for NARCOA sponsored runs. The decision to create an organization was made to provide all speeder clubs a place to ride without impacting live rail activities while limiting our own personal liability. Paperwork was submitted to create an official non-profit incorporation to safeguard the members involved. A quick vote of the 7 resulted in the first officers being elected:
President: Eric Curtis
Vice President: Matt Mantell
Treasurer: Justin "JT" Kennedy
Secretary: Mike "Val" Valentine
The board members would be Kathy Curtis, Courtney Kennedy, and Keith Welker.
JULY 10, 2006
Eric Curtis contacted Ohio Central Railroad about the possibility of leasing a 16 mile section of track in central Ohio. It was found at that time that Ohio Central did not purchase the line from the state, but they would possibly bring up to the state the idea of using the track for recreational purposes. It was decided that a way had to be found to get legal access to the line so it could be cleared and used for motorcar runs.
