Something recently occurred to me:

What about some sort of restoration/ preservation "hit" team? One that could help rail museums that need real help maintaining their cars/ locos? A group of individuals who could go to a site, give hands-on experience in maintenance, wood work, steel and panel resto, etc.? We could even have it broken down into categories, i.e. "wood car team"; "steel car/ lightweight team", "electrical team", "wheels/ brake rigging team." Realizing that many of us simply don't have the time to jet around the country to do this, we might even be able to do it on a regional basis, to cut down on travel time. i.e. Savanah, NCTM, Duluth, TVRM and others in Georgia, Carolinas, Tennessee would be the "South" team; IRM, HFM, Huckleberry, MSTRP, Mid-Continent, NORM, etc. be a "Midwest" team.

Granted, the logistics would take a great deal of time to work out, but if, say, a group took a single car/ loco at Cumbres & Toltec, then St. Louis, then moved to IRM, then to ORM, etc. I think it could also go a long way to breaking down animosities between different museums and tourist railways as well.

Feelings? Am I opening up a can of worms as usual?

T.J. Gaffney

Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

I have attempted several times to offer the services of such a volunteer "hit" squad to several worthy restoration projects, many of which have been openly discussed at length on this very board. And, as Erik L. can tell you, I'm in the middle of just such a proposal as I type, trying to save another "time capsule" before it's ruined beyond repair.

Here are your obstacles:
1) You are not covered under the site's insurance or other volunteer covenants. Some sites basically won't let you in their shop without, for example, at least a year's good standing with their own circle of volunteers. Look at Steamtown as one example.
2) What you might want to save or restore might be something outside their goal plans. Want to bring a bunch of Reading fans in to repaint 2101 into Reading paint? Sorry, they want AFT #1.
3) You aren't professional enough. If you have the time, you're either too old or too young; if you have the knowledge, you're too busy keeping your own equipment from exploding or falling apart.
4) Outsiders coming in and accomplishing in short order what the owners couldn't do in 10-15 years may save the equipment, but in the long run it attacks the morale and egos of those in the owning organization ("what, you don't think we can take care of our stuff?"). Imagine what the Kovalchiks would say if 20 of us offered to re-roof the EBT Rockhill Furnace shops.

This being said, there ARE organizations that have taken advantage of "hit squads". One example is the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway, which pulls together the equivalent of a "blitz" twice a year to regrade the old main line, lay track, and ballast it all in one concerted push, gaining several hundred feet per long weekend. Of course, I don't think insurance and lawyers go anywhere north of Portland, so...... <;-)

lner4472@bcpl.net

Are we talkin' Jersey-style?

trains@robertjohndavis.com

Several years ago, NCTM and SCRM did an exchange program in which we took a squad to each other's place for a work session (the fire ants in Winnsboro, S.C., by the way, are murder!), some comingling and discussion. Alas, we only did it one year and then "got too busy." It takes a certain amount of friendly cooperation, and if Matt or Mike or any of the other S.C. folks are out there, holler me up. Maybe it's time to take another look at this.

I know the CSRM folks did travel to Rio Vista for some track work in 1997 or 1998. There are some pretty neat pictures of Cathy Taylor out there doing some "hard hat work."

I know we are talking about, as part of our program of work for this year, making a long weekend out of a trip to help another group with a steam engine in our region.

So, yes, it can happen.

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

> This being said, there ARE organizations
> that have taken advantage of "hit
> squads". One example is the Wiscasset,
> Waterville & Farmington Railway, which
> pulls together the equivalent of a
> "blitz" twice a year to regrade
> the old main line, lay track, and ballast it
> all in one concerted push, gaining several
> hundred feet per long weekend. Of course, I
> don't think insurance and lawyers go
> anywhere north of Portland, so...... <;-)

Note that the WW&F guys also help out and are helped out by the folks at Boothbay Railway Museum and Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum. The WW&F'ers also make an annual trip to Albion, ME, to work on the "other end" of the WW&F.


K4s1361@hotmail.com

> Several years ago, NCTM and SCRM did an
> exchange program in which we took a squad to
> each other's place for a work session (the
> fire ants in Winnsboro, S.C., by the way,
> are murder!), some comingling and
> discussion. Alas, we only did it one year
> and then "got too busy." It takes
> a certain amount of friendly cooperation,
> and if Matt or Mike or any of the other S.C.
> folks are out there, holler me up. Maybe
> it's time to take another look at this.

> I know the CSRM folks did travel to Rio
> Vista for some track work in 1997 or 1998.
> There are some pretty neat pictures of Cathy
> Taylor out there doing some "hard hat
> work."

> I know we are talking about, as part of our
> program of work for this year, making a long
> weekend out of a trip to help another group
> with a steam engine in our region.

> So, yes, it can happen.

Jim-

Man, you guys will have me and the family moving back to the Carolinas with that kinda talk. I'll tell ya, the ARM/ TRAIN Convention
reminded me:

a.) How much I miss "Cheerwine"
b.) What REAL barbecue is
c.) How nice it is when the weather doesn't

drop much below 40
d.) That is really doesn't take that much effort

to be nice to a complete stranger
e.) How slow a pace of life it is there, and

how ludicrously fast we move in Michigan
f.) And how much I miss red clay and fire

ants!!!!!!!!

Thanks,

TJG

Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> Are we talkin' Jersey-style?

Hmmmm, Jersey style? I'll assume you're talking eggs?

Any way, the idea has merrit. When we were looking at the PRR car in Seaside, several groups came together to help out. However, it could be something as simple as an information source. For example, our shay has been under going some significant truck work and while I have run and worked on the thing for 20 years, the gear mesh and alignment has been a problem. Several phone calls to Cass, some emails from others, and the fix is clear as day.

What I see is a vast pool of knowledge via this web site which I have tapped on NJMT's behalf more than once. It might be useful to formalize this group a bit so that it is a bit easier to tap the knowledge that we each possess, or lack as the case may be.

Maybe call it a "panel of experts."

Just a thought.

J.R. "The Jersey Native" May

http://www.njmt.org
jrmay@njmt.org

> 4) Outsiders coming in and accomplishing in
> short order what the owners couldn't do in
> 10-15 years may save the equipment, but in
> the long run it attacks the morale and egos
> of those in the owning organization
> ("what, you don't think we can take
> care of our stuff?").

Having worked as an "outsider" (i.e., consultant) for 25 years, there is another way to look at this. Sometimes the arrival of the consultants (followed immediately thereafter, if not actually preceded, by the desire to get rid of them) is the thing that finally motivates the employees to do what they could have done all along. Just the threat of "bringing in the consultants" is sometimes enough. So if you're running a museum with a languishing but still-worthwhile project, this idea is worth a try.

pnichol6@prodigy.net