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 Post subject: Class 1 Class 2 and your organization
PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:08 am 

Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:24 am
Posts: 57
it seems that IRM knows how to line its ducks in a row for movement of questionable equipment, and even NS is willing to lend a "freebie" now and then

But can Ross,Howard,Preston or anyone in the know explain how to persuade the powers that be that sometimes working outside the norm and assist those musuems and orgs that are trying to save the our countries history, is no really no? or have you not pushed the right buttons or asked the right questions or talked to the right people

of course you will need the co-operation of the big boys, and to them your org or musuem (unless you have an interchange agreement ie paying frieght) is a bunch of weekend warriors trying to build a 1:1 scale model railroad, "is that a misconception?" "if it is you better explain to them that in fact that is not the case and have the ammo to back what you say"

I can say that the interaction of railroad managment i have had in past years, the attitude was just that a "weekend warrior" myself included until i earned the respect and knowledge of those in the know

this comes from 3 years as a worker/contractor in railway contruction

over the years co-operation of the major railroads seems to be getting harder and harder, with rule changes, retiring railroaders who were in the know and knew how to deal with unexpected issues that arrive with the movement of "older" equipment,

the one thing i do know, which a dear old friend/manager on the CV told me, when you sit down with the company executives and ask for assistance on a move, a reinstalled interchange, spare parts/track, donation, what ever it might be, be clear with a plan on how it will benifit the party your asking assistance from, and also you may want to put on the table an offer of assistance to them if the need arrises, presentation to the card holders means a win or loss for your organization


if it still boils down to money, then do not be afraid to offer up the reciept for the deduction, or even a discount, if it liability then ask the right questions to absolve them from said liability, if it looks way to expensive then agressive fund raising measures need to be taken to get what you want, over time and some proffesionalism you may get what everyone desires," co-operation"

"this is looking very one sided","well it is you are the one asking for the help"

class 1's are like howard said have stockholders to report to, lossing 20million dollars due to neglegence gets people fired, and could cause unrepairable damage to property, the enviroment, peoples lives, so i understand the concerns of some class 1's but addressing company concerns before they happen could help for better outcomes


I'd hate to call this a how to guide but I know of some mistakes made by other organizations so i think sharing this may have some benifits, and if other have ideas to add please let them be shared

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Christopher S

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 Post subject: Re: Class 1 Class 2 and your organization
PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:36 am 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 1:51 pm
Posts: 11482
Location: Somewhere east of Prescott, AZ along the old Santa Fe "Prescott & Eastern"
This information may well be out of date, but............

IN THE PAST, I've seen remarkable things happen on a local level that would have gotten anyone, even a competent and professional operation, thrown out of the headquarters building had an inquiry started there. If you're dealing with a "backwater" part or division of the railroad, for example, this can be an advantage. One line that was actually cited to me years ago: "Yeah, like anyone in [the railroad's headquarters city] actually knows anything about what goes on up here...." 20+ years ago, I literally saw four vintage cars, en route to a yard to be scrapped, switched out of a "hospital" train and "hidden" in a back track of another yard, "lost" off the company computer system, then "rediscovered," bought by a railfan employee for a token amount, and shoved to a museum's trackage on a local freight. All with company HQs being blissfully ignorant, perhaps to this day.

Today, railroad employees may well be afraid to make decisions that could have repercussions. But it's still possible, albeit less so than 25 years ago, that starting at the bottom may work better than at the top.


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 Post subject: Re: Class 1 Class 2 and your organization
PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:08 am 

Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:56 am
Posts: 480
Location: Northern California
If a railraod employee agrees to move historic equipment and there is an incident which ties up a busy mainline, was that a decission with repercussions, or was it just a bad decission?

Even the few groups that can get special moves may not deserve them. Recently I looked at a car that had come over a class 1 mainline. It had 35 year old journal pads, marginal brakes and one coupler that was hanging way too low.

It could be that historic preservation groups have earned the reputation they have with the class 1s.


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 Post subject: Re: Class 1 Class 2 and your organization
PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:15 pm 

Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2005 7:16 am
Posts: 1998
I think trust and respect are the most important ingredients in negotiating between a museum and a railroad, and if the museum has a few members with industry experience and good "people" skills it often goes a long ways towards breaking the ice in a transaction. If some of those members have a few decades in the industry and a long list of contacts, that certainly helps too, but they need to maintain a firewall between being an industry professional and being a railfan.

For these reasons I tend to be opposed to efforts that have been occasionally discussed to have national historical groups form a unified "front" to address preservation issues. To me that seems like putting all your eggs in one basket where they can all get smashed at the same time. Managers at all levels in the railroads can see who has their act together and who does not. Exposing them to people who may have no industry experience, no people skills, and who perceive themselves to be the owners of railroad history rather than the students of it, is likely to get a lot of doors slammed in everybodys faces very quickly. I think each museum is far better off going it alone with their own people and talent, than to have another organization act as a unified front for them.

PC

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 Post subject: Re: Class 1 Class 2 and your organization
PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:48 pm 

Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:24 am
Posts: 57
well said Preston, and completely agree

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