As many of you know, I was contacted earlier this year with the discovery of a locked moving van marked – “Contents Property of MPHS”, the van is located at the Tyson storage area for MOT. The museum has been cleaning out the storage area preparing for an eventual move in 3-5 years. They have de-ascessioned and scrapped some trucks and busses that were beyone repair. IRM saved 4 busses.

I have now made two trips to the storage area to look over what we have – the first trip was like opening Al Capones vault – but not as exciting. I am going to attach some photos so you have a better idea. The stuff is OK where it is for now, but eventually we need to get it out of there.

MOT has a goal of building a storage barn back in the woods on its property somewhere, but smaller than the current space they have – which is an old WWII munitions barn that is in rough shape, and not climate controlled, dark, and damp.

Roughly here is what we have (mostly junk)
– three 55 gallon drums containing dispatch sheets
– a large stack of MP truck decals – which are dry-rotted and crinkled
-about 2 pallets full of boxes – mostly timetables and UP rule books from 1980’s
– some picnic supplies – coolers, coffee pots, etc – which I will trash sooner or later
– some microfilm machines – who knows if they will work or not
– a U-matic machine – we have U-matic tapes in caboose which we have transferred – machine probably does not work
– two Wabash step boxes which may belong to MOT
– a box of hubcaps which may belong to MOT
– several bicycles which we think belong to MOT

Today Coby & I moved 6 file boxes of archival stuff to the caboose – looks like mostly ART files – condition is poor in current boxes. Looks like stuff Charlie sent UPS to Jerry Howe 20+ years ago. I have some concern about bugs in these boxes, and I am going to get some bug traps to put in the caboose just in case.