I think that excludes most of the US Population.

Seriously, if you have a cause, you better be acting on it, because there are few like you that will, but others in your community will sure tell you what you ought to do or be doing for them.

I've got a great example of what Robbie is talking about.

I recently contacted the Royal Gorge, and I asked about the remains of the fire damaged D&RGW 3' Caboose, to see where it had gone. I was told they sold it for scrap! Not one person, or group inquired about getting it, even though it had come up as a topic of converstaion on many forums. I, and others, posted about getting the hard parts, still, no one made the effort. The hard parts were 100% reusable, and could have been built into a new caboose some day.

I was the only inquiry and I was late. Oh how I wish I would have called them a few weeks earlier to make sure someone, anyone would have made arrangmenst to get the raminas and do anyhting with them that bought them some time. If nothing else, I'd have been making a 900 mile trip there, then another 900 mile round trip back to Texas with the reamins of a caboose on my trailer.

What a bunch of "adjectives" are the locals that let that one get melted!

What does the board do when a donor sends an unsolicited donation of $500 for a project that 1) is nowhere on the current list of projects that have been established through a strategic planning process, 2) the donation is a drop in the bucket for the estimated cost of the project the donor has supported (think car body in the back lot that lacks hardware, parts, trucks, etc.) and 3) the likelihood of moving the donors project up the line is not in the cards?

Wesley

Wes - it doesn't sound to me like there's ever going to be any action taken on this theoretical project, so why retain it? Some soul searching has probably been done as part of the strategic planning process - but should you rethink keeping the hulk at all given you have zero interest in it during the foreseeable future? You could sell it to the donor for the amount of his donation.

OK, completely buying into the idea that it might actually be done at some point in the vague and undefined future, you can simply say "no thank you, the time has not yet ripened" or "Thanks, we will probably accept further donations towards this goal at the time we need to execute it for the benefit of your great great grandchildren, should any exist at that point. Knowing you will not live to see the result, do you still wish to make the donation?"

Alternatively, you can ask the donor to conglomerate more donors toward that cause until it reaches critical mass, then perhaps it will appear as a good priority to your BOD.

You guys run one of the most rational and sustainable operations I know - how did you decide to deal with it?

dave

I'll go even less "hypothetical": What about when 1) that donor offers to send a crew and materials to do the job on your behalf, cover the whole cost, etc., if you'll just move that buried object back up from the back of the museum to where they can work on it; and 2) that donor wants to do it a completely "authentic" way--say, hand-painting with brushes on a back track, the way the railroad did, rather than the fancy-schmancy paint booth, sprayers, and expensive catalyst paint?

That situation has allegedly been discussed here in the past--the offer was supposedly made. And the piece of rolling stock in question, last I looked, is STILL rotting away ignored.

Then you have a sit-down heart-to-heart with the donor about practical reality. That is a defining characteristic of the job of executive director.


Then you have a sit down heart-to-heart with the donor about which of his people will need keys to the bathroom.


I generally fined these problems map to one of two things.
1) a management that can't get its stuff together to actually work with the gracious donor, or
2) a guy who's all talk and doesn't actually have the juice to pull it off.

Generally, I know which way to bet. Your case may be an exception.

But in ANY case, the condition of a piece of equipment always reflects on the museum associated with it, so there's incentive to handle it one way or the other.

I know of a story where a "you should do this" got something saved. An organization was raising money to restore locomotive "A" someone sent a letter stating that while locomotive "A" was a worthy cause that locomotive "B" was on the scrap line and was an important piece of history that should be saved. The person doing the letters for the organization trying to restore locomotive "A" was about to rip up this letter when he realized the guy had a good point. And locomotive "B" ended up getting saved.

"A story"?? It's happened several times just that *I* know of, first-hand. One group with which I am involved did the moral equivalent of, for want of a better example, raising funds for the best condition loco of the class left, but while they were at it, everyone wanted to save the one the railroad had painted into "heritage" colors, so the group started a separate appeal fund. They had "main" fund and "heritage unit" fund side by side, and in the end there was enough in both accounts to save each unit, PLUS spares for both.

Stuff like this, for another example, is the reason that every last one of the surviving NJ Transit Newark PCCs have found at least temporary, if not permanent, preservation. One central planner, with a proven track record, called about and "brokered" the acquisition of every survivor by some preservationist or another, even if the last couple amounted to (as near as I can tell) speculative purchases "just in case."

Hi All

The problem with many of the people who say you should do this or that is they are so self absorbed that they do not see what is going on in other areas of an organization and what projects or issues they face. There is not a discussion of funding for such a project or needs or abilities of those who are going to preserve it. There is no discussion of how such a piece fits into such a collection. Instead it is we have the saving xyz piece of equipment and here is a list of those who can and should save it. The other example is this is terrible, someone (quietly insert the word else) should do something about it. You need to look no further than the interchange page of this web site to see what I am talking about.

While it is true that there are groups that need to define their mission statement in a more open and clear manner it is also true that it is easy to give criticism without understanding the issues that any group faces. There was an argument recently that each museum collection should represent the regional area they are located. If this was strictly followed when the SP or UP were giving up steam we would not have the SP 4460, the UP 9000, or even most of the 4-8-8-4’s. New York Central fans would not have had the 4-8-2 if it were not for the T&P donation to the then Age of Steam Museum in Dallas, Texas many years before.

When outsiders only state what you should have done and do not get involved they only serve to do more damage than good. True communication including both listening and talking of ideas and issues. Then comes the time for consistent deliberate action

Robby Peartree

If this "story" is what I'm thinking of, that wasn't even a "you should do this".

The story I heard was from the guy that almost tore up the letter and is well respected in the railroad preservation community.

Dear All

I have a friend who over the years has been active in many fronts. Here is an email sent to me with his thoughts.

“It is good the discussion is rolling along for a bit longer. I am thinking that it is not the self-appointed internet "experts" to decide what is done, but for those caring and careful individuals to keep their eyes open to opportunities and act as rapidly as is needed to accomplish the preservation. Examples:
(1) The timing was right for three of us to react quickly to Dick Dorman's need for ready cash and keep his photo collections available to the general public. As it was, we missed part of it by choosing to mail an offer rather than show up with a check.
(2) Not long afterward, the railroad preservation community missed a chance to preserve the John Maxwell Collection. Despite communications with the family, the whole thing simply disappeared.
(3) Despite careful planning on his part, no one seems to know what happened to the manuscript of David Myrick's Volume 7, Railroads of Arizona.
(4) Sometimes pure luck is involved. Andy Payne's narrow gauge photos ended up with the Friends of the C&TS because the group as a whole was active and ready to accept such items. No discussion or argument was needed.
It is well to consider the conditions under which each of these examples took place. It is certain, however, that none of the vocal "experts" had anything to do with any of this.”

In the phone conversation we discussed a mutual friend who has done a lot for rail preservation including establishing a front company in another state to buy the25 in Flagstaff AZ because the lumber company would not deal with him. He shows just how much one can accomplish if one works at accomplishing tasks.

Robby Peartree