The following was posted to the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum site (www.ngdiscussion.net). I found it hit a nerve with me, and with permission of the author am reposting it here. Randy HeesI think that those who devote a large portion of their lives to restoration find it quite frequent that some casual visitor will make random comments "Why don't you do this..." or "It would be great if you got that to run..." they are years into a project and just realizing the enormity of it. That novice railfan may have no idea of the complexity of the problem, and finding the resources to make it happen. A few of the foamers (and we all were one once, and may still foam from time to time) have a unique ability to annoy as they ask these questions. So it almost always becomes a standard response of a restorationist to say, "You have no idea how long we have been at this..." "We need your help and dollars to make that dream come true..." with the ultimate hope of getting some form of commitment from the fan. That said, I think this message board and a few others are unique in having both railfans and restorationists sharing ideas and making new things happen. I think it is good to consider new ways to get things to happen, especially where we see change in the way money has been spent.As I said earlier, the mission of a museum (even an operating museum) differs from that of a tourist railroad. Within a museum, the method of preservation changes between the equipment. Some are designated for regular operation (wear and tear with ongoing replacements and rebuilds) others for limited operation, and a few for delicate conservation. Hopefully the entire collection is being stabilized against mother nature. Some pieces are part of the core collection (reflecting the mission of the museum) while others may be historically significant, but be considered redundant, non-regional, not part of the story of the museum, or beyond the means of the museum to repair/preserve. Hopefully the groups review their collection frequently enough to realize when a piece is better off when sold/given to another organization. I hope these answers provide some insight to the ongoings of museums, etc. Comments that may have seemed harsh really reflect the ongoing difficulties of museums and occasional frustrations, and it really is not personal. O. Anderson