Reading the posts about the New Hope Lawsuits and trying to be a good neighbor; our local NRHS Chapter (Beaver Valley Junction)had some trouble in our early going at our present museum site. This vacant lot with a spur was nothing but a weed overgrown place until another historical society began moving their equipment there. When we acquired UN Tower we were invited by this group to join them on this property. The problem arose as this group folded and the rail equipment they accumlated lanquished. Our chapter took on the responsibility of cleaning up the whole area even when we weren't responsible. Our efforts on UN Tower and trying to appease all concerned has consumed a tremendous amount of time but truthfully it is something that has to be done. We have striven to be the best neighbor we can be and I do believe our efforts have paid off. We try to keep all informed on what is happening at the site along with encouraging our neighbors to please visit. New Castle, Pa. is another old fine railroad town with a long rail history. Our efforts have paid off in donations of not just $ but also of rail artifacts relating to the area. There has been so many people that have come to our site thanking us for what we are trying to do in preserving a small part of the local area rail history. It hasen't all been roses and there always seems to be some who can do nothing but criticize but appeasing the neighbors, keeping them informed on what we are doing has definatly reaped us benifits.
George Alberti
President
BVJC-NRHS

galberti990@attbi.com

I happen to live a short distance from New Hope in Bucks County. Believe me the folks at the NH&I are in for a rough time as the local politicians in this county have absolutely no respect for any private property rights. While not commenting directly about the people who govern New Hope, I can tell you that politicos in surrounding townships are the most mindless and venal to be found when it comes to the use of your property.

Justice around these parts is slow and expensive, and sometime non-existant. You would think that within eight miles of New Hope, where George Washington crossed the Delaware on a bitter Christmas eve to gain the initial victory of our Revolution which was to noblely secure our rights to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", there would be a better appreciation of one's property rights. Sadly our friends on the NH&I will soon learn what a few crackpots,their off the wall money grubbing lawyers, politicians looking for life-long tenue, and the roar of a newly arrived mob can do to their jewel of an operation.

Recent decisions by the Federal Appeals Court in this Circuit have removed any sembalance of checks and balances on any local executive and legislative bodies together with the bloated civil servents that feed at the public teat.

v-scarpitti@att.net

Sounds to me like it is time to saddle up the horses and bring back law and order to your part of the country. Just was listening to a new song by Toby Keith and Willie Nelson called “Whiskey for my Men and Beer for my Horses. Check it out on the country charts it tells it like it is.

johndeck@cox.net

Tues., May 20, is primary election
day for Bucks County commissioners
and other county officials. Will
anyone ask their postitions and
bother to vote?

104577.651@compuserve.com

Back in 1964 when IRM moved to its current location in rural Union, Illinois, the members were already making efforts to befriend the locals. Part of the reason was that just before that, a museum out west had moved to a new location where the locals were definitely not friendly - they torched a pair of electric cars and effectively drove the museum out. IRM members made a point of spending time at the local taverns, talking with and befriending the locals, working on convincing them that the Museum wasn't an invading enemy. It worked... of course, there's a gigantic difference between the longtime residents people of Union and the average modern suburban twit.

IRM has been lucky in a couple of other ways, too. As mentioned in another post, it was realized a while back that buying up property surrounding the main museum campus was a good idea; there's now a separation of nearly a quarter mile between the built-up part of IRM and the nearest house. Also, the UP line that parallels IRM's main line ensures that the Museum has a hefty ally in any lawsuit about noise or trains out on the line.

Frank Hicks

Preserved North American Electric Railway Cars
fullparallel@wideopenwest.com

All of the people who have flocked to quaint little New Hope have destroyed the very thing they went there for in the first place. Now that they (NIMBY) have destroyed the quaint small town the only thing they have left is to blame everyone else for what they have caused. On top of that Bucks County is the most poorly manager place I have ever seen in my life.

Tom Gears

> ...IRM members made a point of spending time at the local taverns...

Brewski diplomacy. It works for IRM - why not for your organization?

tr2manz@frontiernet.net

> I happen to live a short distance from New
> Hope in Bucks County. Believe me the folks
> at the NH&I are in for a rough time as
> the local politicians in this county have
> absolutely no respect for any private
> property rights. While not commenting
> directly about the people who govern New
> Hope, I can tell you that politicos in
> surrounding townships are the most mindless
> and venal to be found when it comes to the
> use of your property.

> Justice around these parts is slow and
> expensive, and sometime non-existant. You
> would think that within eight miles of New
> Hope, where George Washington crossed the
> Delaware on a bitter Christmas eve to gain
> the initial victory of our Revolution which
> was to noblely secure our rights to
> "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of
> Happiness", there would be a better
> appreciation of one's property rights. Sadly
> our friends on the NH&I will soon learn
> what a few crackpots,their off the wall
> money grubbing lawyers, politicians looking
> for life-long tenue, and the roar of a newly
> arrived mob can do to their jewel of an
> operation.

> Recent decisions by the Federal Appeals
> Court in this Circuit have removed any
> sembalance of checks and balances on any
> local executive and legislative bodies
> together with the bloated civil servents
> that feed at the public teat. I was on jury duty a ways back. After seeing the way the ^%$#@&*( lawyers have turned the courts into a money machine for that low life that they are. I am afraid to sell any more of my extra tools. example I sell someone a staybolt tap or tube expander. They get low water the boiler blows up. Some blood sucker lawyer saids lets get a law suit agaist him and we will both get rich. AT this point I am better off taking my tools to the dump. It will cost me less in the long run. What would you do?


staybolt2@netscape.net

Donate them to a museum and get a release of liability letter from them as a condition of donation. I can arrange for it if you like.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

What the New Hope really needs to do is put on a 3rd trick running repair gang at their enginehouse...I think they have a few old CSX C-30-7's. Fire them up around midnight and let them idle till they get up to op-temp...around 2AM get them up on self load for a few hours. Get them cleaned out, set the racks, load reg, etc. A real GE textbook job. Next night do it again, night after that, again and so on. The folks in the neighborhood will really like the sound and smell of a good running 7-FDL in the 8th notch, I know I do...I figure after that goes on for a while the steam engine won't seem so bad to those folks.

Eric.Levin@Conrail.com

I would hope that any court simply take the common sense approach. The railroad was there before any of the would-be-NIMBYs. If they had taken the time to do their homework before moving in, they would have known about any of the detractions. Simple. Next case!
In a similar situation, SEPTA recently caved to neighbors across the road in West Trenton NJ and built an expensive noise wall. That yard had been there for years with no wall. Sorry, no sympathy here. Hope CSX keeps 'em awake nights now.
Actually, I kind of like Mr. Levin's tactic. What ARE they going to say about a working (freight) railroad?

hcastle@rcn.com

Here's a letter I sent to the writer of the newspaper article about NH&I. Since am not a susbriber and there gore could not send a letter to the editor, I sent this e-mail to the reporter.

"Mr. Levinson:

Since you're just the messenger and your paper's website only allows responses from registered readers, here are a few comments about this absurd lawsuit.

I have visited New Hope a few times over the years (I live in Florida).
Why? To ride the NH&I train. I first visited in 1971.

This railroad offers something most museums can't possibly offer. That is a living representation of the days when railrods were hauled by steam locomotives. It is a valuable resource and something not available in most parts of America.

The effort to restore and operate these trains is monumental and expensive.
Those who work on the railroad, whether paid staff or volunteers are maintaining a page from American history and doing it in a unique way. It should be considered a valuable asset to the town.

Whenever I visited, I also patronized local businesses. I bought gas. I bought film. I bought food. The benefits to the town go beyond the railroad and I am only one of many who have done so.

Chances are that New Hope has grown over the years. However, it doesn't take a lot of brains for someone not interested in living near the railroad to simply not locate there. In fact, the railroad was running long before today's crop of self-centered complainers were born.

Other benefits from the railroad accrue to the town, too. Licenses, taxes, supplies, fuel, and more come from local businesses. Workers no doubt spend their money locally.

Steam locomotives, the major draw for this railroad, are by nature noisy and produce smoke. It's part of the attraction. Steam whistles have a much more melodious tone than horns on diesels. That's another attraction in itself.

This looks like another one of those lawsuits filed by a minority of just a few individuals because they personally have a gripe with the railroad. If the railroad wasn't there, they would likely gripe about something else. It's part of today's self-centered, me-first attitude. Dump the lawsuit."

-Jim Herron
Tampa, FL

hrvideo@mindspring.com