I did not post this to have people point fingers at various groups about what is the right way or the wrong way to address this issue. I asked for information and expected there to be both negative and positive comments with information that our group could use to develop a policy. I know its a can of worms but if you dont have solid information to contribute why bother to post other than to stir the pot or see your name in a post. This should be a place for people to come and gather ideas and information not a finger pointing, dung slinging free for all. Sorry for my rant but this is not the first time I have posted as well as others asking for help on an issue and the thread has produced more fertalizer than a feed lot.

One SF Bay area railroad museum, the PLA, has a policy allowing privately owned equipment, requiring either a per foot rental fee, or alternately no rental charge if the equipment is available for use by the organization. The Organization does routine maintenance and inspections and even some restoration.

As scary as it sounds, the policy, which developed organically, has mostly worked. Many of the cars in question were owned by old railfan groups, who were willing to cede physical custody and control, but not the emotional element of ownership. I see parralles in the ownership of equipment a Colorado Railroad Museum by the Rocky Mountain Railroad Club... or at some trolley museums where some cars were owned by ERHA groups...

Others were owned by members... and many of those has transitioned to group ownership without drama... Some are still privately owned (with little drama).

As far as I can tell as an observer, the scary mine field is the question of how an object was maintained when in custody of the other organization... I believe at Mid Continent several owners of steam locomotives used by the group felt that they were not maintained in operating condition... But may have been in operating but worn out condition when loaned... PLA its self had such an issue with a steam engine loaned for use to another museum... In that case resolved with minimal drama, but still remembered by some members...

Randy

Randy Hees

I believe it means do not say "such-and-such museum does not allow privately owned equipment on property" unless said museum knows you are stating it and has approved such a statement.

If it is a new policy of RYPN to only allow posts to be made referencing a rail museum that has been pre-approved by said facility, the amount of traffic on RYPN is going to seriously dry up.

Another interesting case with which I am intimately familiar:

Group A rescues equipment at the last minute, but has no trackage or storage space. Group B executes an agreement to store said equipment for five years at a token $1 a year, with the provision that if Group A does not remove them in that time, title (well, right to call it theirs) passes to Group B, and they can do with it what they want.

In this real-life case, I am to understand that the five years is coming up any day now or has already expired. And, again to fabricate an example, Group B wants to take the one C&NW E8/diner and redo it as an otherwise identical IC E8/diner......... and the other might be trading fodder.....

I don't think it's a question of referencing a museum without prior approval as it is speaking for a museum without prior approval