It seems that some rail slobs have decided to 'liberate' items at the old Minnesota & Western site. In the past two weeks there have been two thefts of railroad artifacts from the site. The first time, the thieves took from items the Colfax RR Museum had purchased items a 2' gauge brick yard rail car frame, a Barney & Smith passenger car step, a hyrail truck bumper to haul trailer cars, two piles of baggage cart parts, and assorted small rail items. Just this weekend they took mine rail, the remaining pile of baggage cart parts, two Soo Line marked lubricating oil barrels, a pile of passenger car brake parts that Mid Continent was salvaging from a WC coach. They also sawed off the ends of the truss rods for the nuts and cast washers from an 1890's D&NE logging flat that Iron Horse Central was in the process of disassembling for transport and restoration. If anyone is aware of rail projects in the region that were searching for these type of items, please contact me off line. We do have some leads and if the guilty party(ies) that removed these items under the mistaken notion that the deconstruction now occurring signaled on open season on parts, the immediate return will mitigate the consequences. If the police find them, there will be at least four separate felony charges and the local authorities are taking this one VERY seriously.

Herb Sakalaucks
Chairman
Colfax Railroad Museum