Please be on the lookout for stolen Hoosac Tunnel plaque

From the newswires:

"Saturday, April 3, some person or persons stole the old "World's First Rail Excursion" plaque off East Portal of Hoosac Tunnel in Florida, Massachusetts along Guilford's District 4 (former Boston & Maine). It was on the left side of the bore and had already been tampered with in recent months. Try to get the message passed to as many people as possible in case this artifact goes to antique dealers or eBay."

What was written on the stolen plaque? I wasn't even aware that there was such a thing! Does it refer to the 1934 excursion to the HT&W?

The stolen plaque was dedicated on August 26, 1984, the fiftieth anniversary of the 1934 excursion on the Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington RR that is regarded as the first-ever fantrip. It was donated by the Mass Bay Railroad Enthusiasts, the same group that had sponsored the 1934 excursion, and the occasion was marked by a special train from Boston using MBTA equipment that covered the B&M mainline to North Adams and then ran down the recently acquired branch to Adams. Running up the HT&W that day would have been tough due to the lack of rails.

I don't recall the exact text on the plaque, but yes, it referenced that first fantrip of 1934.

First ever fantrip wow...just so happens that Aug 26,1984 was my birthday. Guess I was born to be a railfan!

Any word/news etc?

I haven't heard anything.

Some shmoo probably has it in their living room

It'd be nice if Guilford would put up a new plaque to replace the stolen one... but unless pigs start sprouting wings, I won't hold my breath.

Now that I think about it, maybe Mass Bay RRE should use that $500 reward to put up a new plaque, since it doesn't look like the original one is ever going to come back.

That's what I have been thinking! Seems like a simple solution to me...

If they do, maybe they should imbed a GPS thingy in it so when it gets stolen like the last one, they can track its location. Might even find the previous one if the thief wanted a matched pair, LOL.