Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Discuss park gauge trains and large scale miniature railways having track gauges from 8" to 24" gauge and designed at scales of 2" to the foot or greater - whether modeled for personal use, or purpose built for amusement park operation or private railroading.

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Topics may include: antique park gauge train restoration, preservation, and history; building new grand scale equipment from scratch; large scale miniature railway construction, maintenance, and safe operation; fallen flags; track, gauge, and equipment standards; grand scale vendor offerings; and, compiling an on-line motive power roster.
SCBryan
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Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by SCBryan »

I received word from a friend of mine in Missouri that the Arborway, TT & NW in Steelville has shut down (or shortly will be). This was the official announcement on their Friends page:

I would like to personally thank everyone for there support of the Arborway T.T. & Northwestern over the last several years. We had a blast giving everyone rides and sharing this awesome one of a kind place with everyone. With very heavy heart I have to tell everyone the railroad as of now closed shut down permanently. If something changes this page will always stay active.
Alex Beams
ATT&NW Superintendent
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FLSTEAM
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by FLSTEAM »

I am glad that I was able to experience this RR while John was still alive. Very sorry to see it come to an end.

John B.
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RussellCofIdaho
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by RussellCofIdaho »

I am not in the area so don't know but evidently they didn't have a succession plan in place prior to his passing, sad.
Russell Courtenay
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Pontiacguy1
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by Pontiacguy1 »

Any idea what will happen to everything? I mean, 5 miles of 15" gauge track and all of the locomotives, rolling stock, and supporting infrastructure isn't going to just disappear overnight or be removed so easily.
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RussellCofIdaho
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by RussellCofIdaho »

According to the announcement from the Friends group they are looking for a buyer that will keep it together and keep it running. As you and I both know, such pie-in-the-sky buyers are few and far between, unless something amazing happens (it is possible!) it will likely be sold off and reconfigured to another railroad somewhere else in 5 to 10 years. These big things don't just dry up and blow away but they have a tendency to hibernate until that elusive butterfly comes along!

Like I've said before, this is really sad. I know nothing besides these were great people who did a lot for the community so will keep my mouth shut. :wink:

Here is the announcement:
TO OUR FRIENDS EVERYWHERE

We regret to announce that all operations on the Arborway, TT & Northwestern Railroad are suspended until further notice. The Woods family, owner of Woodsvalley Farm in Crawford County, Missouri, have made the difficult decision to sell the 2000-acre farm, home of the ATT&NW.


Following the 2008 death of John R. Woods, Judy and the family have continued to maintain the property as a private hunting and fishing preserve, and have maintained the ATT&NW allowing “Friends of the Railroad” almost unlimited access and operation of the railroad, for friends, family, neighbors and worthy organizations.

Additionally, the leadership of Railroad Superintendent Alex Beams has made the ATT&NW the “gold standard” among miniature railroads in North America. Alex has been generous with sharing his expertise to the world of operating steam railways and will continue to do so on a professional basis.


The “Friends of the Railroad” have become a close-knit, diverse fraternity of railroad fans, young and old, willing to volunteer countless hours maintaining and operating the ATT&NW to an exceptionally high standard. No other miniature railroad can boast of a fully-functioning ABS and CTC signal system, thanks to the genius of Zachary Gillihan and crew. Two members of the “Friends” met their future wives on the railroad, and three weddings have been held along the tracks of the ATT&NW. Boy Scouts, school kids and a “Make A Wish” participant have “had their days” on the ATT&NW. This was exactly what John Woods had in mind when he started building the ATT&NW more than a dozen years ago.


Since John’s passing, the operation and enjoyment of this special railroad has been subsidized by the unquestioned generosity of Judy Woods, to whom all of us owe a debt of gratitude. Now, as the interests of the extended Woods family turn elsewhere, it is time to find a buyer for this unique property.


Ideally, Judy and the family would like to make a deal with a buyer interested in keeping the railroad intact. For that and other reasons, it was decided to close the railroad, secure the rolling stock and property, and put the entire Woodsvalley Farm up for sale. This is expected to be a time-consuming and wide-ranging process, and we will keep the Friends of the Railroad informed, and hopefully, with good news to share sometime in the future.


Until then, please savor the good times we had on the ATT&NW through the many pictures and videos shared on-line and elsewhere. Remember the words of Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”


Sincerely,

ATT&NW Board of Directors

John R. Woods, Jr.
Graham Hill
Steve Haack
David R. Busse
Dan Busse
Russell Courtenay
Idaho - USA
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Mike Walsh
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by Mike Walsh »

It's been a rough time for those of us at the ATT&NW. Alex is moving onto another grand scales railroad in Wisconsin, and the railroad has been shut down. All the equipment has been moved into secure storage. 801 is completely drained and is in secure storage also. We don't know what will happen with the railroad, but those of us that make up the Friends group have plans for a reunion at Whiskey River Railway Day in July... Should be a good time.

We do hope that a buyer comes through and picks up the whole property and continues John's dream, but we realize that it may not happen and we are coming to terms with that.
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Mike,

Sad to hear your update, but thanks for posting current status.

To bad the owner did not make some provision to continue his legacy. Unfortunately this seems to happen in miniature railroading far to often.

Is your Friends group still assessing re establishing the RR elsewhere as a non profit? Seems like the Live Steam club model would be an ideal method to perpetuate operation. The 19” gauge Swanton Pacific RR in California survived because of a land donation to the U Cal system, with a legal provision that the RR be maintained separetly as a non profit in perpetuity.

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
SCBryan
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by SCBryan »

I heard last night from my friend in Missouri that the entire place with railroad is for sale fro $7.7 million (slightly above my budget!). He said they would try to sell it intact for 6 months. If it doesn't sell, it will be broken up.
Mike Walsh
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by Mike Walsh »

SCBryan wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:23 am I heard last night from my friend in Missouri that the entire place with railroad is for sale fro $7.7 million (slightly above my budget!). He said they would try to sell it intact for 6 months. If it doesn't sell, it will be broken up.
The quote above is not true.

Any information that is intended to be shared with the public will be distributed by the ATTNW Board of Directors, the Owners of the ATT&NW, or their designated representatives.
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RussellCofIdaho
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by RussellCofIdaho »

So is there more specific information about the sale and future disposition of this great railroad?

As an earlier post asked:
Is there any idea yet if it might be reconfigured into a non-profit club or museum (at the same location or another)?
Mike Walsh wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 9:48 am
SCBryan wrote: Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:23 am I heard last night from my friend in Missouri that the entire place with railroad is for sale fro $7.7 million (slightly above my budget!). He said they would try to sell it intact for 6 months. If it doesn't sell, it will be broken up.
The quote above is not true.

Any information that is intended to be shared with the public will be distributed by the ATTNW Board of Directors, the Owners of the ATT&NW, or their designated representatives.
Russell Courtenay
Idaho - USA
unknownidaho.wordpress.com
Big trains and big dreams...
Mike Walsh
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by Mike Walsh »

RussellCofIdaho wrote: Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:04 pm So is there more specific information about the sale and future disposition of this great railroad?

As an earlier post asked:
Is there any idea yet if it might be reconfigured into a non-profit club or museum (at the same location or another)?
No. The ATT&NW already had a not-for-profit "friends of the ATTNW" organization that assisted in maintenance and operation of the railroad. Not only that, there was already a museum on site.

If there is interest in purchasing the railroad (including all 600 acres of it) and potentially the rest of the 2500 acres that the farm sits on, I suggest contacting them at:

http://www.arborwayrailroad.com/contact.html

Rumor has it that it is for sale, although they will not list it on any websites. Qualified buyers only. This information is coming from reputable individuals in the grand scales community. As it was said to me, "if you have to ask, you can't afford it".

I don't see the ATT&NW coming back to life, but we've all been surprised in the past.
holtSteamer
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Re: Arborway, T.T. and NW Closed

Post by holtSteamer »

Check out https://woodsvalleyfarm.com/ for more information.
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