The Manchester Model Railroad Association is hosting a fundraiser to deliver to the Village of Manchester (NY) a Lehigh Valley Railroad caboose (#95019) to reside at the Manchester Railroad Memorial Park at LVRR MP 359.
The caboose is currently in Newark Valley New York. The goal is to purchase the caboose for $10,000. The caboose would then be trucked to Manchester by a well-known rail equipment trucking company. The cost to move it is $10,060. It is a complicated move because of excessive height. It will be placed on a new display track adjacent to the current track, the old westbound main line of the Lehigh Valley railroad.
The Manchester area has a long and rich railroad history. At one time there were 700 railroad jobs in a community of 1400 people. The historian Harry Tuttle identified over 2000 local rail workers in his recent book. We feel that adding the caboose to the current park will enrich the communities legacy.
The caboose was built in Sayre, Pennsylvania in 1942. The Lehigh Valley Railroad had shops in Sayre were they produced caboose and other railroad cars.
We have chosen GoFundMe as our crowdfunding partner. The fundraising page includes an area where you can monitor the fundraising. Note that in the GoFundMe check out process you will be asked to provide a "tip" to GoFundMe. Note a green dot on a green line and a suggested "17.5%". You are free to slide the green dot left to 0% as the platform already charges MMRA a fee and you need not worry about tipping.
If you wish checks or cash can be dropped off at the Manchester Village Hall (NY). The Manchester Model Railroad Association treasurer will receive the funds from there. If you are visiting the village hall, checks can be made payable to Manchester Model Railroad Association Inc. For: Lehigh Caboose Fundraiser.
Any extra funds received will be placed in an account with the Village for any further maintenance.
We appreciate your help on this fundraiser. Even small donations are encouraged. Please share the video with your friends.
With your help, let’s bring her home!
Learn more about the Manchester (NY) Railroad Memorial Park and the Lehigh Valley Railroad history; click on this video:
Organizer
