On the same day I wrote concerning the value of TVRM's recent visit to Steamtown, Pat McKnight, SNHS Historian, wrote RYPN to provide some direction and scholarly clarity in a discussion concerning Pullman green. Mr. McKnight was one of the several presenters during the recent TVRM visit to Scranton.

It is clear the USNPS, through SNHS and its professional staff, has created a national center of excellence in railroad preservation, historical research, interpretation, and education. Sadly, the National Park Service faces a constant battle to convince Congress that current budgets are inadequate to fulfill the increasingly growing demand for the agency's services. Americans and foreign visitors are literally loving our national parks to death, and overwhelming their staffs.

SNHS has a huge backlog of long identified tasks it could perform that would help support railroad preservation and related historical interpretive efforts around the country. And I am sure the creative folks there have many new program concepts that would be helpful to those railroad presevationists not fortunate enough to organize a serious study visit.

I do not know if this suggestion violates RYPN BB rules, but nevertheless, here goes -- why not drop your Congressman and Senators a kind word about SNHS? Though located in Pennsylvania, they represent a resource that can positively impact the operation and development of any railroad museum, irrespective of where it is located.

Many of us at TVRM intend to share our letters of appreciation with our local federal representatives. As a former Congressional staff member, you might be surprised just how much attention a neatly-typed original letter gets in a House and Senator's office.

amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

A minor correction here, SNHS does not refer to Steamtown NHS, STEA is the approved acronym.

Joshua, former curatorial intern at STEA.

> A minor correction here, SNHS does not refer
> to Steamtown NHS, STEA is the approved
> acronym.

> Joshua, former curatorial intern at STEA.

Gee, that's interesting. However, on everything I have in writing from this USNPS facility in Scranton -- seminar summaries, emails, letters, contracts, ect. -- SNHS refers to themselves as Steamtown NHS or SNHS. Additionally, Congressional correspondence also uses the SNHS acronym. If you wish to contact me off-post via email, I can send some of these documents to you in a jpg or pdf file. T'aint never seen nary a thing with "STEA" on it. Maybe things have changed since you were there.

But really, why quibble. They are a pretty darn good place to go for interpretive program development assistance!

amiller@rtms-movietrains.com