Good comments at the link from George Collins, executive director of the non-profit associated with the Cass Scenic Railroad in West Virginia. Also please note the importance of strategic planning in moving foward. This is a group that's found its niche and worked hard to improve the site.

Cass and the Mountain State group are rather similar to the old relationship between Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec, but the WVA group hasn't received the attention of the New Mexico/Colo. group.

http://www.msrlha.org/press_release.htm
Wrinnbo@aol.com

Very good comments indeed. Though I have yet to visit there, it is good to read of this degree of seriousness from the director. As I understand it, Cass, like the C&TS, was thought of originally as a tourist attraction more than a historic site, thus seeing losses and changes to the historic fabric in a clean up and modernization campaign. Sounds like the Mountain States group, like the Friends of C&TS and Friends of EBT realize the difference between a big 1:1 scale train set and a genuine historic site.

> Good comments at the link from George
> Collins, executive director of the
> non-profit associated with the Cass Scenic
> Railroad in West Virginia. Also please note
> the importance of strategic planning in
> moving foward. This is a group that's found
> its niche and worked hard to improve the
> site.

> Cass and the Mountain State group are rather
> similar to the old relationship between
> Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec, but the
> WVA group hasn't received the attention of
> the New Mexico/Colo. group.


ryarger@rypn.org

Sadly, my sources in Chama say the Friends of the C&TS have made themselves a LOT of "unfriends" in the local communities over the last 2 years with their way of doing business (mostly "personality politics" as understand).

I suppose if there is a lesson to learn from all THAT,it is to make a special effort to keep egos from getting in the way of getting the job done.

steamnut@ptd.net