would carry passengers through nearby Swope Park in Kansas City. In June 1979, while the train cars were being moved from Mount Pleasant, Iowa to a siding on the southwest side of Kansas City, Barket Sr. died unexpectedly. After Barket Sr.'s untimely death in 1979, ownership of his estate - including the fate of the Mark Twain Zephyr train set - ended up becoming a complicated tangle of lawsuits involving his various companies, creditors, family members, and others. Ownership finally ended up with Westgate Bancshares, Inc., which was headed up by Ken A. Wilson. A 1983 appraisal reported the Mark Twain Zephyr was worth $600,000 "as-is", but had the potential of being worth $6,000,000, if fully restored. The bank and its various brokers struggled for several years to find potential buyers. Wilson confirmed that recording artist Neil Young almost purchased the train during this time period; his intentions were to restore it and use it as a touring vehicle for himself and his band. However, the deal fell through when Young realized the logistics of dealing with freight railroads for every move. Dave Simpson, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1970, became the seventh private owner of the Mark Twain Zephyr in 1983. However, little work was done by Simpson on the train. During this period, the Mark Twain Zephyr remained parked on an industrial siding on the southeast side of Kansas City. In September 1987, the train set was purchased by a trio of Chicago-area businessmen (Dan Krupske, John C. Lowe, and Ronald Lorenzini), who formed Mark Twain Zephyr, Inc. Almost immediately after purchasing the cars, they moved them to the Mid America Car Corporation, a business on the north side of Kansas City that had its own railroad yard and refurbished railroad cars. Krupske, Lowe, and Lorenzini had hopes of teaming with Coors, who they anticipated would pick up the majority of the restoration costs in exchange for the rights to lease the train for a period of time. The marketing campaign would promote "Silver Bullet" Beer. In 1988, discussion between Coors and Mark Twain Zephyr, Inc. ended without an agreement. Krupske, Lowe, and Lorenzini decided to re-locate the train closer to where they lived. Between October 1988 and May 1997, the Mark Twain Zephyr was stored on various sidings at the Joliet Army Ammunition Plant. During this period, Mark Twain Zephyr, Inc. was in talks