No denying it - America is full of crappy little railroad museums with no plan, no future, and a bunch of junk sitting out in the rain.

You're getting things out of order already, but yeah, yeah, I know, you have to grab the equipment when you can. But next. Get the land. Do this before anything else. You will have to do the absolutely terrifying thing of letting pieces go to scrap while you stay laser-focused on the land purchase. But trust me. Everything else you save will be much better for it.[/quote]

I agree. That IS our next step....and a giant one at that!

Uh oh. The developers are chomping at the bit to turn that into malls and condos and nightclubs for yuppies. http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/mar/15/0315_alco/

One of the most famous and well funded museums in America, CSRM Sacramento, is struggling with the same thing... as the old SP shops north of the tracks are redeveloped. They want to keep several historic buildings for museum use, and they're having a heck of a fight from the developer, who sees the railroad museum as a "black hole" in the yuppie nightlive vibe that he wants to create.

I'd keep a close eye on the Sacramento fight, make a lot of political friends, and don't defer a more practical land purchase in hopes of getting an ALCO building. Land can always be resold...

The AHTS is for the most part Dead ..............They no longer have a museum site or any money. The RR that offered to donate the C636 has other uses planned for it. Ever since I left the group in 2012, its been down hill ever since.

Well that's one disgruntled opinion. Seems the last time we talked John you had no problems with the direction the organization was moving, but it seems once again you have decided instead to attack us in a public setting.

For anyone that actually wants to know the status of the ALCO Historical & Technical Society: We currently have a membership base of 120 people with about a dozen active volunteers. We are working on three major projects at the moment including: setting up our exhibits at a new museum location to be opened in the next couple of months; working on saving one of only three RSC2s left in existence from a potential scrapping; plus we have acquired an actual full size steam locomotive that has the potential for operational restoration. Plans for the last one are still under development.

Things are much rosier than 2012 and the beginning of 2013 and light-years better than our former president would have you believe.

There is no evidence of the group having 120 members other than your made up numbers which change often. I spoke to one member from NYC who said you are lucky to have 8 members. You have little money to support all these projects which will easily cost many 100's of thousands dollars in real terms otherwise they would have happened a long time ago.
Lets face the facts here, shall we....1) You are just getting past a period when the group was grossly mismanaged by spending money like it grew on trees and allowing a certain member to waste resources, make deals and sign papers that was clearly not in the groups best interest. Nothing was done to stop it until it was too late. So much for a incompetent BOD.
2) Acquiring equipment and having no money to move it. Mind you 10K is pocket change and will hardly do anything to get even 1 piece moved.
3) What about money for daily operating expenses? Where is that?
4) Where is this equipment going since you lost the overpriced museum site?
4) No fundraising-long term ?
5) What about a organizational budget ? Do you have one?
The point I am trying to make is this group cannot afford to do ANYTHING without members and Money FIRST! Save your money, build up a sizable bank account and then you will be in a much better position to acquire equipment and move it.
The group has been poorly run since I left. You can thank certain members for that. As President, I would NOT have allowed the mistakes that have almost destroyed the group be made.
I am all in favor of saving equipment and having a museum, but fiscal responsibility has be first.
John C.
If you don't, you will see the group go broke again like it did before.

I don't want to piss on anyone's petunias but there is a clear preservation opportunity: C636 demonstrator to be saved or scrapped. The responses to the thread are mostly about the people/organization making the effort, not the piece.

Yes, I wish every museum was fully funded, had 1,000 acres and pole barns out the wazoo, but they don't. And they won't anytime soon. We can wait, I guess. And during that time things will be scrapped.

This situation seems simple enough:

1. Do you think the C636 demonstrator shell is worth saving? If " yes" go to question 2. If "no" do not continue and thank you for your consideration.

2. Do you think the team making the effort can make the save. If "yes" then consider donating. If "no" please present an alternative plan.

Simple, eh?

I am all in favor of saving any ALCO, providing there is money to do it with. When the AHTS started in 2009, that was the first project and the owner was at that time willing to donate the shell to the group. Unfortunately, the company decided to keep it for possible rebuilding or it being made into a slug. As of now, it is still in storage.

IRM has scrapped some valued pieces to raise money, but at todays point, there is very little left to scrap off when you are trying to be preservative, so your not going to scrap off the ALCO. You persue for donations which is exactly what he's done and there's a bit of emergency to it, he's announced intentions, you start with a plan and stick with it.
There's already negativity in this thread, but its cautious.

PLEASE note that there is an almost FIVE-YEAR gap in the chronology of this thread.

This thread has descended to allegation-slinging outside of the scope of the original topic.

Before anyone types another keystroke:

Is the original (shell of a) locomotive described at the beginning of this thread still extant?
If yes, is the owner still interested in donating it to this specific group?

This thread has become an example of one organization's internal issues... and has turned into name calling...

Additionally it has been nearly 5 years since the chance to save the locomotive came up... We are now flogging a dead horse...

As a result I am locking the thread.

Thank you
Randy Hees, moderator