Good news for Steamtown----------Money!

http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2 ... 2_top5.txt

Am I the only one troubled by the fact that this money looks like it is going for a lot of stuff that is routine maintenance? If they didn't get this money then what was going to become of the air conditioning and the heat? The eight cars they talk about are the ones that currently operate on their trips so again what would have happened to the excursions without this money?

Perhaps the most interesting is the asbestos removal from 27 cars and locomotives. I was under the impression that this had been done years ago.

I guess I am happy these projects are funded however it makes one wonder what if any money is allocated in the yearly budget for these kinds of maintenance issues? If the answer is zero then where is the money going?

Hello

SO, Most of the stuff in the Steamtown collection had the asbestos sealed up years ago, but not remove. I'd say this is a positive step (actually a giant leap) forward in improving the overall condition of the equipment.

The one Boonton car mentioned might be the one damaged a derailment in fron of my office here at Bridge 60 about 18 months ago, a lot of draft gear and undercarriage damage if I recall correctly, that there wasn't enough $$$ to repair. The rest of the fleet was looking a little shabby, so maybe some paint is being ordered.

I can't speak to the HVAC system, except to say that the current system is very expensive to maintain, maybe this will free up some funds for use elsewhere. I don't know, I'm out of the loop there.

That's just some info off the top of my head, as I'm not involved.

Dave

Let's hope that there's enough room in the stimulus funding to give the locos in the front yard a good paint job. They are the first thing one sees upon entering the property and as things now stand certainly make a very poor first impression!!

IMHO-Ross Rowland

The main thing to remember here is they need to spend the money in such a way to boost their attendance. If they don't get the people through the door they will not flourish. Making the experience more comfortable, appealing, fun, and interesting is where the money will make the most impact. It sounds like they are using the money towards these goals.

There is probably a lot of questions such as "isn't the air conditioning fairly new". I wonder about these things myself and a lot of it takes place within the federal government. It would be great if it could change.

The one thing to remember is if the Steamtown experience is more appealing, comfortable, fun, and interesting more families will pile into their minivans are drive the 2-3 hours to Scranton. That should be the main goal.

Dave,

I would have to surmise that that would be the case, as all four Boonton cars got new truck pins and bushings, rebuilt brake beams, end platform decks, windows rebuilt, and new upholstery in 1986; and they just plain simply have not had that many miles put on them since then.

Steve
(former)Car Foreman
Steamtown Foundation for the Preservation of Steam and Railroad Americana

If stimulus funding is like other government funding, there's not a lot of choice as to what it is spent on. HVAC work might be tied into energy efficiency as would replacing incandescent lighting with flourescent. Not repainting artifacts........brick and mortar dollars can't generally be diverted to advertising. The good news is some dollars are going there at all. I hope some of it can be used where it will help build visitation.

dave

The whole point of the stimulus package, if I understand it correctly, is "doing well by doing good". I'm glad Steamtown is seeing some of the bucks, but the real purpose is to put Americans back to work, rather than enhance a sorely underfunded national railroad park. If some of those unemployed cannot run piping and wires, perhaps they can repaint. In the end, the park is the benefactor of these services, and that has to be good.

Ross, they already have a contract to paint the "front seven" Now I don't know but that maybe delayed due to the asbesto removal but they started to strip the Big Boy and the weather when south.

Folks,

Not just Steamtown but the whole National Park Service is getting stimulis money. for better or worse it is the Nations formost historic preservation agency.

it will be some time before it gets through the DC funding process so do not look for anything to happen tomorrow or the day after!

Ted Miles

At the very least the newspaper article is flawed. At points where it is specific, such as the mention of coach 589, there is more detail on the vestibule than anything. One could be led to think the vestibule is being restored and nothing else. I am as perplexed by the article as anyone.

But, what we have to realize about the stimulus package is that the projects needed to be "shovel ready." So this stimulus money for Steamtown pushes some projects that have been in the pipeline all along waiting for money, into the 2009 fiscal year, and may clear up a backlog for new projects down the line.

I don't know all that is covered, but with coach 589, the hidden story of this coach is she was sparking on the return from the 2007 Delaware Water Gap/ Lackawanna Railfest 2007 trip. Her wheels were being turned on the lathe in early 2008 and the work stopped for some other priority project. Coach 550 is the one that derailed, and now has her repaired trucks under her.

Another project coming along (without stimulus money) is the change-out of electric heat in a few 300-series MU coaches, and installation of steam heat. The electric heat coaches couldn't be used in the cold months without upsetting patrons. When all is said and done, we may have 12 steam heat coaches. While this is being done, major rust rot is being cut out and repaired, and the steel window blockers in the clerestory of the MUs will not return. The bevelled glass, that had several coats of paint, will let sunlight in for the first time in half a century or more.

The unfortunate part of preservation is that it never ends. If you steam up a steam engine, you are consuming the fabric you are trying to preserve. If you have 12 operating coaches and add one, no one will take notice that no. 13 looks just like nos. 1-12. New money doesn't always equal new projects. This time, the new money keeps old projects from becoming "never started" projects.

That's exactly what it would look like if you looked at our priorities at WRM. Our big expenditures lately were for a fence and a building roof. We also did a bunch of truck work on a car that was not a priority, simply because a one-time opportunity arose. Next up is some remedial infrastructure work on the AC feeds to our substations.

Best to spend stimulus money on stuff that needs to be done, but is snoresville for donor support. Save the giving campaign for something cool.