As of April 30th, we now have functioning website with 7 pages so far.
Be sure to sign our guest book too!


Our Site address: http://www.ahts.org

Regarding the picture caption, 3rd photo, on this page: http://www.ahts.org/PRESERVATION-CANADATES.html, "Thou shall not covet thy neighbors motive power"

Other than that, your site looks good, however it may need a bit of proofreading, and some slight copy-editing.

Jeff

Not sure why you say that? Its my understanding that this locomotive is partly dismantled and outside in the mud! We think that unit belongs in the North East anyway.

The locomotive has been stored indoors for the 22 years that I have been an IRM member.

Jeff

Ok, I saw photos showing the wheels and axles outside in the mud and rusted. Has anything been done to correct that?

The wheelsets are still stored outdoors, on timber rails. The tires on these wheels have been worn past the condemning point, the tread is dished, and the flanges are too thin and too tall.
One of the traction motors also suffered a failure while still at IR. These worn tires and failed motor are the reason that the locomotive was placed on shop trucks upon it's arrival at IRM.

This locomotive has been on IRM's permanent collection list for longer than I have been a member, and, as with all items so listed, cannot be sold, scrapped, leased, loaned, traded, or otherwise disposed of, without the approval of a majority of the voting members of IRM.
Simplified translation of the above: "Don't get your hopes up".

Jeff

We are not really interested at this point since we have no place to put any locomotives. But if the IL Ry Museum needs to dispose of any Alcos in the future, let us know. There are some very rare pieces out there....

Good luck in restoring this boxcab. I hope that you have run under her own power some day.

It might be a good idea to add a map of the remaining Alco buildings to the site and ID the plant photos, too.

Just my .02

Dave

Why in blazes not?

The best possible reason I can think of to deaccession an artifact is because somebody else is going to make a better home for it. Going to take it out of the weather when you are not. Going to lovingly restore it when you are not.

That kind of egalitarian thinking is what makes us different from, better than, those ridiculous foamer clubs who collect everything they can possibly get their mitts on, declare it "theirs" while the vandals take all the copper and brass, and then after years of rusting outside, they go "Wow, this thing's a basket case" and scrap it without offering it to anyone else. For them, it's all about possession obsession.

Of course, to encourage that deaccession, you need to offer the piece a better home than it already has. You need to be better situated in terms of owning your land, buildings, funding, endowment etc. That's tough to do if the other museum is IRM :) Not impossible though.

Still, Jeff has a point; you have to be *very* delicate and politic when publicly proposing to acquire a piece that is already at another museum. You are dealing with railfans after all :) If I were you I'd revisit that page...

I second said comments and motion.

The roster at The Diesel Shop -- http://www.thedieselshop.us/PRSVDalcoCC.HTML -- indicates a bunch of other such Alco-GE-IR locos scattered about the nation, nearly all of which I might deign to covet before IRM's. Start small and local, and prove yourselves with a good plan, fundraising effort, and local locos (the NYC electrics and the switcher in Colonie, for example) before becoming too ambitious.

On the other hand, a good and solid proposal to get the NYC locos could garner you some terrific possibilities--get two electrics, trade one for a diesel with another museum........ and let's see, what other rail museums might cover a NYC electric? Hmmmmmm.................

Indeed, as it was the "Public" aspect of the website's statement that bothered me the most.

A discreet inquiry to an organizations management about the possibility of an artifacts availability is one matter. A single sided public declaration advocating acquistion of part of another organizations collection is quite another....

Jeff

As far as the Albany neighbors are concerned..
The neighbors are dead..or comatose anyway..
someone needs to covet them..
I think the AH&TS should totally go for it..
the neighbors are hopeless..do they even exist anymore?

I agree..those engines should be considered abandoned..
I think 30 years is long enough for the M&H chapter to do something..
they clearly are never going to do anything..
they had their chance..they have done nothing but let them rot..
I say give the units to a group with a plan..

Scot

Could you please put the Bylaws, Mission Statement, and other goodies on the site? Also, would it be possible to get some quick bios of the founders?

--
Will, still interested, not convinced

Duh, I just found the Mission Statement.

--
Will