Friends of the 457 Project Notes
 
Friends of the Cannonball 457 broke ground Saturday Oct 28th,
for another milestone in the short history of its restoration.
Nine Friends manned the shovels respresenting the Past, Present,
and Future breaking ground for a shelter to protect the Cannonball.
Mayor Roger Bang said it best,
"The Cannonball project is another shining example
of what can happen when people give of themselves
for the good of their commmunity."
For the 2006 season,
we had 6763 counted visitors tour the engine!
Progress Notes, Spring 2007
Through Winter 2006 and Spring 2007 the Friends of the 457 have been
busy meeting with architects, Park Board, and contractors to finalize
designs for the shelter and simulated depot platform.
Additional grants and donations have been received placing us very close
to $100,000. Our goal is $118,000, however it appears that we now have
enough to begin construction of portions of the project in May, 2007.
No federal or state money has been received for this project.
Many thanks are due to the public, private contributors, and organizations
who continue to support the project.
To help minimize cost of cement, The U.P. and I.C.& E. Railroads,
along with volunteer labor, have begun extending the rail bed ahead
of the locomotive to simulate a railroad crossing. As donations allow,
cement will surround the locomotive and track on all sides for the convenience,
safety, and accessibility to the public. The "crossing" will be of the style
from the 1940s era and constructed to minimize hazards to pedestrian
and wheelchair traffic.
OPENING DAY is May 19,2007, but may be adjusted according to construction
schedules beginning with cement work in May. The site will be open to the public
as construction allows.
Cannonball Day is June 23, 2007 and is planned to be "bigger and better than ever".
See details about the event here.
A search for the Cannoball on the web
found it steaming ahead in some interesting places...
Cannonball Weatherpage
Cannonball makes the local news!
Cannonball on Mason City's Public webpage
A Cannonball Sister, the M&StL 471 Locomotive (MN Steam)
M&StL 471 (Photo courtesy Marlene Paal)
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Current projects are focused on repairing the tender
and making it "weathertight" for storage of essentials
for the repair and functioning of the locomotive display.
Tender Image #1
Tender Image #2
Tender Image #3
Tender Image #4
Underground wiring is being installed.
A security camera is now in place.
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