At the last meeting of The South Carolina Railroad Museum's Board of Trustees, I proposed that we narrow our focus to shortline and industrial railroads of South Carolina, rather than trying to represent everything that ever ran in the state. I figure it's an easy step, since most of our collection is already of the shortline and industrial nature by default. What little doesn't really fit (primarily our display passenger train) can be overlooked or justified by only a bit of a stretch. My suggestion hasn't been acted on yet, I just proposed it to let the other Trustees think on it for a while.

What kind of a focus do other groups have? The most obvious focus I can think of is Portola's focus on diesels. It makes sense to pick one thing and try to do it really well. Anybody got any thoughts?

The South Carolina Railroad Museum
mconrad@compuzone.net

From the interpretive experience perspective, museums with a tightly defined focus seem to stand a better chance of a good "user" experience.

The Wiscasset, Watervile and Farmington museum and operation in Maine blew me over with their super-defined goals and almost single-minded pursiut of them. And it makes for one heck of a visit.

Rob

rdavis@rypn.org

From the Collection polocy of the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources...

"SPCRR Collection Goals

The SPCRR is a nonprofit, historical preservation organization dedicated to conserving the products, the technology and the memory of the Carter Brothers, a 19th century railroad car builder, whose factory was located in Newark California.

The Carter Brothers were closely identified with California's "Narrow Gauge" movement, and most of their products were narrow gauge. Their shops, which originally were moved from job site to job site, ultimately located along the line of the South Pacific Coast Railroad in Newark. They produced approximately 5,000 wooden railroad cars between 1874 and 1902.

The SPCRR has modeled its Ardenwood railroad after the South Pacific Coast Railroad's branch which once connected Newark with the neighboring community of Centerville. This branch used horses as locomotives for it entire life (1881-1909). Horses provided motive power for many trains of the late 19th century, but little of technology or history of the small agrarian railroads has been preserved or interpreted by railroad museums.

To fulfill these interpretive goals the SPCRR has set the following collection goals and priorities:

1) To collect railroad cars and other artifacts representing the entire range of equipment built by Carter Brothers.

2)To collect railroad and other artifacts relating to the South Pacific Coast Railroad, owner of the Centerville Branch, and host to the Carter Brother's shop.

3)To collect other cars and artifacts built by other California builders, who were contemporary with and either were effected by or affected the Carters.

4) To collect equipment and artifacts used other Northern California railroads.

5) To collect equipment set appropriate to a horse drawn branch line as operated by our group.
To collect other equipment from other areas or eras necessary to interpret our primary goal.

6) To collect other artifacts, Railroad and non-railroad to set a historic context for our railroad.

(Updated January 9, 1994)"

Other than a few "Utility" pieces we have closly held to this goal and to the listed criteria.

Randy Hees
SPCRR - Ardenwood,
Fremont CA



http://www.spcrr.org
hees@ix.netcom.com

We are dedicated to restoring Erie Lackawanna diner 741. We want to operate the car as the railroad would have circa 1960. This will allow the public to see and experience the most memorable aspect of long distance train travel.

Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Preservation Society

I've never visited your facility, but isn't it the old Rockton & Rion industrial railroad? Is the old stone enginehouse still there? If it were me, and starting with that undisturbed site (which I presume it no longer is), I'd simply interpret it as that, trying to obtain back the old locomotives that ran there, perhaps running a little train with benches on flatcars, as an industrial RR might have on special occasions.

Personally, I don't agree with trying to turn historic RR sites into museums that try to interpret the whole history of railroading in a state, it's too broad, and in a way, denigrates the historic site itself. I realize I'm nearly alone in this belief, as most rail museums today resemble big Lionel sets more than real history.

http://www.threeriversrambler.com/steamengine.html
ryarger@rypn.org

> I've never visited your facility, but isn't
> it the old Rockton & Rion industrial
> railroad?

Yes, another reason why I'd like us to focus on shortline and industrial operations. The link below has somem info on the R&R.

> Is the old stone enginehouse still
> there?

No. It was torn down about five years ago. We don't own the old Anderson Quarry or the track through it. Anderson Quarry was really the railroad's base of operations. The quarry was sold and the new owners proceeded to pull down almost everything to harvest the stone. They're mstill harvesting the "scrap" stone that Winnsboro Granite stacked along the track out there.

> If it were me, and starting with that
> undisturbed site (which I presume it no
> longer is), I'd simply interpret it as that,
> trying to obtain back the old locomotives
> that ran there, perhaps running a little
> train with benches on flatcars, as an
> industrial RR might have on special
> occasions.

Unfortunately we outgrew the benches on flatcars. We biought four ex-CN cars from the Deux Montaignes line in Montreal to carry people in. These are "consumable" cars that are on the property strictly because they each seat 84 fare-paying riders.

> Personally, I don't agree with trying to
> turn historic RR sites into museums that try
> to interpret the whole history of
> railroading in a state, it's too broad, and
> in a way, denigrates the historic site
> itself. I realize I'm nearly alone in this
> belief, as most rail museums today resemble
> big Lionel sets more than real history.

You're not alone. With the proliferation of museums over the last 25 years, there's way too much duplication. Here in the Carolinas, we've basically got two operating museums and two static museums. The museum in Hamlet could be made into a first-class Seaboard museum if they'd narrow their focus and try to acquire some more rolling stock. Spencer could be made into one heck of a Southern Ry. museum. Branchville could ideally focus on the SC RR and the Best Friend, if the Powers that Be in Charleston would turn loose of the replica. And SCRM could (and will if I have anything to say about it) become a first-class museum of industrial and shortline railroading.

As for bringing any of the R&R locos home... I'd love to but I really don't see it in the cards. The 19 is in Greenwood and well loved by the folks over there -- if we ever did manage to talk the city out of her, I think the locals would riot. The 203 is alive and well in Kentucky; we could have gotten her before Gray Tuttle sold her but just didn't have enough $$$. The 31 is down in Waycross, I don't know what her status is but I doubt they'll turn loose of her either.

There are a couple other engines from other shortlines or industrial operators around that are probably... let's say *less unlikely* to come "home" to SC. Rest assured, I've got a list!


South Carolina Train Stuff
mconrad@compuzone.net