Hi,

Here in North Atlanta, the northern part of DeKalb County has formed the New City of Dunwoody (start up date of December 1, 2008).

Dunwoody is now an up-scale area of Atlanta. Between 1881 and 1921, the Roswell Railroad ran through Dunwoody. Two buildings remain from the Roswell Railroad era, the Roswell engine house (later purchased by the last locomotive engineer of the line and moved to his property for use as a barn), and an 1881 section house.

The Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce has leased the section house for a information center and temporary Chamber of Commerce meeting place.

Since I am very interested in Railroads and have lived in Dunwoody since 1968, I have been asked to set up a railroad museum on the property. Today was my first day there. I set up my PC and was working on my business (CDs of old Official Guides, ORERs, etc) and a new product line of HO scale models of PRR electrics.

Since the property is only about 1/4 acre (they are negotiating for another 1/4 acre), a plan to purchase a caboose is hopped for.

They are very interested in letting me set up seminars and hands-on work-shops to turn this into a railroad learning center as well as a Dunwoody information center. I plan to contact the local schools so that field trips might be made.

I would be interested in others experiences with workshops and/or seminars of RR orientation.

Some topics I have been thinking of include:

1) building a model railroad module
2) what do section gangs do (with demonstration using 7.5" live steam track for items such as ballast tamping)
3) dispatcher's jobs
4) how to build ... or what goes into ... things like assembling live steam trucks, making castings, etc.
5) how railroads affected American History
6) What the Roswell Railroad did and why it is important to the history of Dunwoody.

The Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce is very interested in moving into the future but also keeping in mind where our historical roots are. Besides the 1881 section house, we have a farm (3-4 acres) that was established in the 1890's and it is intended to be a Colonial Williamsburg or Plymouth Plantation type of setting. We have the Spruill House from 1906, and several other homes from the 1920's that are on the National Trust's list.

Thanks for any input.

Doug vV

Doug,

The analogy that I have used most successfully in the past, and is most likely to work for you:

"The railroads of the mid-19th century were to that time period what the Internet was in 2002 and the automobile was in the early 20th century. It profoundly changed the way Americans (and others) lived, traveled, socialized, did business, and even ate."

Your mission, as a museum curator, is to explain to your visitors what changes railroads made to American life back then, and how they are still a part of American life today. You have to make them care.