With a little over a month to go before the reopening of the B&O Museum to the public (basically a "soft" opening before the Grand Reopening next summer), I thought I'd put out a few observations from "outside the fence" while passing by or working on other stuff, especially as the last "official" report was posted to their website (note hotlink) at the end of July.

A peek through the Pratt Street windows reveals a basically tidied-up roundhouse, with concrete floor and tarps still covering half or so of the exhibits. I couldn't see enough of the turntable to report on its progress.

Some major cosmetic work is ongoing to the current "shop building", with new doors topped by arched glass windows replacing some of the stall doors, and new glass windows replacing old windows. This is apparently in preparation for making the shop building a more friendly, personable exhibit area, with the long-term goal probably of making the shops additional exhibit area. Looks magnificent and classy.

Outside the Roundhouse, a large platform-like pavillion with high-level platforms has risen up to help exhibit several newly-restored cars; a few cars, including an ice reefer, have recently emerged from painting looking better-than-new shiny. The last I looked, the former Blue Mt. & Reading SW1200 #1200, acquired from a loco dealer apparently as an "expendable" shop switcher, was in the shop's "paint booth".

Construction started weeks ago on the new restoration shop, along the First Mile between the Carey Street underpass and the Monroe Street overpass (basically at the halfway point). Groundwork preparation seems to be complete, but no steel has gone up so far. Eventually, a new restoration shop will arise, giving them a more efficient and effective space to carry out their painting, etc.

Several pieces are quietly on their way out. The groups in West Virginia based out of Belington have asked for the ex-B&O E9 #92 as a static display unit. Unfortunately, at some point the 92 was stored in the open right next to a scrap yard, resulting in the loss of nearly all the copper air brake piping via theft, much of it from the 24L equipment in the cab. A friend and I have spent some of the past week replacing the piping with iron (with the gracious help of the B&O Museum's shop), but it still has a ways to go before it's rail-ready again--we hope to finish off the repairs this week. This loco look like a hopeless basket case inside, with many parts cannibalized or stolen over the decades, but "never say never"--worse locos have been restored to operation.

I have been told by one of the West Va. representatives that the B&O Museum is desperately looking for a home for a surplus tank car now sitting out on the First Mile--it might go to scrap VERY soon unless someone wants to accept responsibility for the car. In addition, I'm told a couple "parts-only" cars, including a torched wooden reefer, may soon be stripped for parts and turned over to the nearby scrap yard. Take this as rumor mill gist, but if you're looking for vintage freight equipment of the like that you can't get no more, well............

One final commentary, and one that may well apply to a lot of museums and not just Baltimore: While my friend and I were working on the loco, I had several local residents/passers-by make remarks of the typical ilk: "Gonna get her running?" "Scrapping that hunk of junk?" I politely replied with "Trying to get her out of town" or the like most times, though after the latest round of shoveling rust out of a hole I might favor a scrapyard as a more sensible option...... >;-) But at least three times, when I made the reply that we were preparing the loco to leave town for different pastures, the reply among the neighbors was along the lines of, "Is the city going to make a load of money off of it?" I took the trouble to set down the tools and engage them in conversation, specifically to inform them that this was NOT a city-owned museum; that the B&O Museum was an independent non-profit foundation, etc.

They could NOT be persuaded of the notion. To them, it was a City of Baltimore operation. The Mayor handed money over to them after the roof collapse, so it was obviously city property supported by their tax dollars. And what a con, no? Didn't they have insurance to cover "all" the damage? I attempted, politely but firmly, to explain that the Museum was "probably the best-insured rail museum in North America" but that insurance still doesn't cover priceless artifacts, etc., and that, yes, it is still an independent non-profit. I was called "crazy", "stupid", a "sucker", and "an Oliver North crackpot".

Now, I can't possibly do much with ignoramuses that refuse to open their minds, nor with those that think everything is the responsibility of "the Government". However, it's entirely possible that the public perception very well IS that the B&O Museum--and maybe many, many other rail museums--are public property, or at least suck heavily at the public tit. One could argue that the perception of ignorant neighbors is totally irrelevant as long as the foundations, corporations, and donors understand the true story. But is that so? Should more energy and outreach me made to engage the public? Should this be a valid consumer-survey question?

(On a personal note, it's reactions and mindsets like the ones described above that reinforce in me an anti-government hostility shared by several notable rail preservationists, including many on this list........ And the best part of it is, why is it a hunk of junk if "the City" owns it, but a lucrative money-making asset if someone else wants it?)

I'm not surprised that those who live in the immediate vicinity of the B&O museum do not understand the concept of a private, not-for-profit corporation. While redevelopment/gentrification of the west side of downtown Baltimore is in progress, it really has not yet moved beyond the Ridgely Delight and Barre Circle neighborhoods. In due time, this will change. -- Ray

The E-8 would show the evolution of passenger power between the E-A and Amtrak - just as the GP-7 and SD-35 show the evolution of modern freight power.

Is RBMN 1200 an ex-Peoria Eastern Unit. It would be nice to see it in Conrail Blue as it would help to interpret Conrail's significance to the Balto area and its relationship to the Chessie System. It would be a relatively cheap paint job that would match the unit's current configuration and may weather well too.

I see the comments about the museum being quite complimentery - remember that many world class museums like the New York Natural History Museum are city supported instutions. If somebody thinks that the B&O is publicly owned and supported I would think they see it as a providing a valuable service to the city. The other comments sound like attempts at small talk (e.g. - paintin your fence today eh? - oil based paint eh? ya, ja gots to go with oil based ya know)

Perhaps to those living in a different city, or maybe a parallel universe. Baltimore City has had to close its City Life Museum, a somewhat "populist" successor to its city-history Peale Museum, because of very low attendance and budget problems, and the Historical Society of Washington DC has announced over the weekend that it's closing its City Museum (in the old Carnegie Library outside the new Convention Center) for the same reason--attendance coming nowhere near the optimistic projections of the consultants.

If I wanted to engage in a lot--an AWFUL lot--of mudslinging, I could point to many, many parallel cases of city-administrated museums and cultural attractions in this region performing poorly--the Baltimore Zoo, the Civil War Museum in President Street Station, etc.--while private or non-profit institutions, such as the Maryland Historical Society and (yes) the B&O Museum, manage to flourish or thrive. Around here, unfortunately, thinking "the city" runs a museum should be considered a warning sign or alarm bell rather than a complement in my opinion.

It's for that reason that I involuntarily shuddered when I read the "Flimsies" report that Howard County is considering taking over ownership and/or administration of the Ellicott City B&O Railroad Museum. Howard County, Md. is a totally different "ball game" than Baltimore City, and I have no reason to think that such a move would ultimately damage the Ellicott City museum--far from it, placing it in public hands (especially wealthy and well-meaning public hands) may be the best thing for its long-term future. But look at enough municipal-government failures, and a reflex develops.

Please note: I am NOT trying to develop a huge government-versus-antigovernment debate here. The examples cited apply ONLY to this particular city and region. I'm involved in an ongoing dialogue with several folks over whether "government" can or should be the answer to the preservation of such things as the Cumbres & Toltec, the Georgetown Loop, the EBT, and/or other such preservation projects. It's a very messy debate with no clear answers.

Having a government entity as a partner has its advantages and pitfalls - just as working with any other individual or group.