I am reposting this from the Western Railway Preservation list on YahooGroups. It is an interesting problem--how to address authentic historic preservation when dealing with people/groups who lack your source of information or are more comfortable with their own beliefs and ideas.

Michael Seitz
Missoula MT

Folks -

Can someone with experience in restoration and/or museums/societies respond
to Mr. Lacey's concerns. All I've done is set up a website or two, and I
have NO experience at all in dealing with restoration or, more to the point,
the politics of it.

Harry

----- Original Message -----
From:
To: "Marnell, Harry"
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 16:07
Subject: Caboose

> Harry,
> I'll try this again. I am Joe (Two Bells) Lacey in Crescent City. I
need some help, (no heavy lifting involved) We have a blind end, side
door,coupola, caboose which we found 15 years ago on a ranch being used as a
chicken coop. It ran on the Crescent City and Smith River Railroad which
went out of business in 1938. It belongs to the Del Norte Historical
Society, and we are going to place it at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds.
The project is about 95% restored, with windows, locks,grab bars, conductors
desk, and an entry ramp to go.One of the experts decided any good caboose
should have a porch so he put it on, Before I knew who put it on, I tore
about 60% of it off, He had 4x4's for grab bars,and a roof. My position is
that this car is a rare bird, and never had a porch, and to put one on would
destroy the restoration. So we now sit at loggerheads. I just hope someone
dosen't start living in it and burn it down. The historical society trustees
are going to rule on what to do. The trustees are not historians or rail
buffs, they do good at pot lucks and ice cream socials. I am hopeing you and
some other rail fans can convince the powers to finnish the restoration
corectly. If you would sent me your phone # and best day and time to call
I'd like to discuss this further. Evenings are best for me.I have before and
after photos and have the sketches and measurements I took, during the 15
years.
>
> Hope to hear from you.
> Joe Lacey
>


mikefrommontana@juno.com

You don't need a railroad "expert" to guide you, or to provide support--anyone worth their salt in the restoration field (like antique automobile restoration), should be able to tell the board that modifying the original without documentation to show that the particular item was ever like that is, in lay terms, "Hot Rodding." Railroad cars are not houses, and the construction is seldom anything like house construction. The caboose deserves to be unmolested. Documenting all work, as you seem to have done is proper and right.
Good luck with this one!
S'
David Dewey
PS, I would post this at the original site, but I don't want to join yet another group! Please feel welcome to forward it there; and if I need credentials, I was the Restoration Specialist for the Portola Railroad Museum for many years, and am the Assistant Curator for the Butte County Historical Society.


djdewey@cncnet.com

Michael,

during the week I am a Curator at an historical museum and on the weekends I volunteer at an electric railway museum.

Any artifact has a "Glory Period" That is the engine, car, station or whatever was doing what it was designed to do. It was new and advanced for the time, it was farster, or more stylish or whatever made it important.

Then the car or whatever was sold to s ahort line, or placed in Maintaince of Way service or sometimes even taken off its trucks and used of rstorage etc.

Most of the time this first era is how you want to display the item. Occasionally the second may be used.

In all cases, the physical structure, the numbers (or names), the paint scheme should all agree with other. A common mistake is to put an oil burning headlight on a steam engne that is showing a number which it had with an electric headlight. Details make a good restoration!

At the Western Railway Museum we have a car that was recently repaired and operated. CRANDIC 111 is painted and detailed for its second owner because the changes made after it left Ohio and went to Iowa were to extensive to restore. It is a less glorious time: brown paint instead of varnished mahogany. But sometimes you have to do what you have money for!

Hope this helps!

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

I'm not sure how to get in touch with Joe Lacey, but I'd like to learn more about the Crescent City & Smith River RR. Some of my relatives have lived in Crescent City, CA since WWII and I think few persons have heard of this line. I presume it was a logging RR, but would like to learn more.



ryarger@rypn.org

Reminded of a real world situation at one structural restoration project. Museum had moved one room schoolhouse on site of historic vllage. All the carpentry was done, and the painters were showing red color chips to a former teacher in her ninties, asking "What tint was the Little Red Schoolhouse?"

"Yellow" she replied.

Use your best source information to write your specs.

Dave

The U of Texas has a "historic village" of collected buildings. One house had been found that was siding over a log structure. Of course, they restored it as a "log cabin". When finished, they got the little old lady who had donated the thing (and grown up in it) to come look at their marvelous restoration. Her comment: "I wouldn't live in a thing like that!" Log cabins, at least in that area, were considered low-class and uncouth, and one applied siding as soon as one could.

guys,

A large part of what I do is document change as required by Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (the National Register).

You should always make and keep records for what ever you are doing to a historic whatsit. Photos old and new are good so are words on paper.

That way the people who come after know what and why you did that piece of wood, color of paint or that electric light etc.

The US government printing office has a booklet on the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Structure Preservation Projects.

There is also one on Historic Vessel Preservation Projects. The ships have a lot in common with trains: another kind of old things that move!

Hope tis helps.

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov