That seems like silly logic. Ask a model railroader why he doesn't donate all his hobby money and time to the local model railroad club. There is a unique sense of accomplishment to purchase and restore a piece of equipment.

Me personally? I have volunteered at a local railroad museum for several years because I don't have the funds, space, or knowledge to have my own railroad or equipment (of any scale! ha). But I certainly can see why people would want to have their own project.

Continuing the thoughts from above about giving your time money and effort to a Museum. While most of the time it works out great, that is not always the case. Sometimes a new regime at the museum decides that your time, money and effort is not worth anything to hem and does this with the piece of equipment that you (and many others) put a lot of time money and effort into........

A museum member put up the money to buy this car (which was complete) for the museum as it fit into the museum's stated purpose, lots of volunteer time, money and effort was put into moving the car and the museum spent a fair amount of money on restoration.

Then, a bit down the road, a new power structure decided that this was a good use for the car.

Jason Midyette

Private Ownership - the good

Ownership = control

I decided in June 1998 that I was going to buy a locomotive.

My friends and family said I was nuts.

In August 2000 I bought a locomotive.

I started looking for a place to put my locomotive (not the kind of thing you can put in your driveway or backyard).

In August 2005 I finally found a place.

I am now co-owner of 9 locomotives and 16 miles of track to put my stuff on, have a contract with a paper mill for 24/7 switching, and am getting ready to start repairing some track for our short line.

And all because I wanted to buy a locomotive. The pursuit of one led to doors opening that I never even planned to knock on, and opportunities I never dreamed of.

1. Dream big.
2. Be true to yourself
3. Don't take "no" for an answer.

Life is good . . . really.

(PS - Don't expect a lot of help)

Dear Jason,,
I just tried to find info on a certain museum's web site about the surviving standard gauge Rio Grande 2-8-0 and you can not find a thing on that site today. I have friends who wonder if the museum even considers the older members important and where the property is going. To them it has gone from a museum to an activity center that focuses on the regional political view instead of preservation.

It is often said about a horse that you can lead him to water but you can not make him drink. Well the same can be said of people you can show them history but that does not mean they will listen and if the listen they will chose to understand it or preserve it for the next generation. How do we deal with this issue as different generations see things differently.

Robby Peartree

Having seen first hand the ugly down side of equipment that is donated in good faith, and thus being a big fan of private ownership, I took a more creative route with an item that I owned and an organization that had an interest in it. A couple of points that perhaps may be helpful to other organizations or equipment owners:

* Key to me to was to retain some sense of control – really to ensure long term that the item was kept under cover and if interest in the item was lost, I would have the ability to get it back.

* Donating an item really does not work well with the above in mind.

* Leasing was looked at, but then fund raising can be tricky there as well. If raising funds for an item, its always best if the 501c actually owns the item. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule, but its a good one to live by.

* My goal was to see the item restored and used, not in receiving a tax savings. I think as private owners, this is something we all need to keep in mind. As you eventually begin to look for the next owner of your beloved item, think about what is important to you. Is it to save a few bucks on your taxes, or to keep your item alive and well far into the future. Yes, you can have both, but I think that is the exception.

* In the end, I sold the item to the organization for a very low price (as in big loss), but with an agreement covering the issues of importance to me. Call it a “sale with caveats” arrangement. If interest is lost, there is a process for me to take the item back which is fair to all parties.

* There are other advantages to this “caveats” arrangement. For one, money I would have spent to restore it on my own, I could provide to the new owner, thus its a tax deductible donation. Plus, in theory, it increases the number of people available to help work on it, and provides a place to see your item in use and enjoyed by the public.

Anyway, just a few thoughts on an approach I have used which is based on about 30+ years of experience in the rail preservation community. Hope it is helpful.

J.R. May

I know of one large engine near Pittsburgh that's privately owned (We all know what engine it is) that shows disadvantages of having a private engine.

1. Where will you run it?
2. How do you pay for it to run?
3. What will happen if you suddenly have issues with property?
4. What will happen if you die with the engine still in your possession?

That speaks more to the advantage of choosing to buy a smaller portable engine to start with. The cost of restoration, amount of needed storage, and every subsequent move will be much less difficult and costly. On the other hand, the cost of the divorce will not be any different.

The simple topic of discussion here tells us why there are a hundred car magazines, fifty boating magazines, sixty motorcycle magazines, twenty aviation magazines, and only two or three rail magazines at your typical newsstand.

A private individual, with enough dollars and effort, can easily own and operate a car, a motorcycle, a boat, or a plane in almost any fashion he or she chooses, subject to certain common-sense laws and regulations. It's no one else's business how you paint your 1966 Impala, or if you try to re-engine a Mazda Miata with a 500-hp V-8, or when you take your cabin cruiser for a sail, as long as you don't crash into others, pollute the water in your wake, etc.

I need not describe to most here the numerous problems inherent with owning your own operating railroad and/or rolling stock, even a miniature live-steam operation. The operation of a heritage/preservation railroad is, fundamentally, a "collectivist" or "socialistic" endeavor, which possibly helps to explain the relatively greater success in Britain than the more "individualistic"-minded United States.

A couple of points in response to ADM:

One can own a piece of equipment without owning the RR, just as one can own a boat or a live steamer without owning the marina or the track. Really have to separate the idea of private ownership of equipment and the place to keep it.

The collector hobby closest to railroad equipment ownership has to be wooden boat ownership. I have suggested before that those in the rail preservation community should be subscribers to Wooden Boat magazine. Moving a decent sized wooden boat is just as difficult as moving a decent sized piece of RR equipment. Restoration of a wooden boat can be more difficult than a piece of RR equipment.

There's a facebook page covering privately owned cabooses. A new one pops up every damn day. There's a lot of privately owned cabooses out there that few in the preservation community even know about. Don't be fooled, there is a lot of privately owned equipment out there, mostly cabooses I suspect.

Rather than talk about how tough it is to own a piece of equipment, perhaps it should be embraced especially if there is no alternative for a piece of equipment. As we see with the BAR troop carrier, creative thinking wins the day. Such reports on RyPN would be a welcome addition and should be encouraged.

Just to summarize then, private ownership is certainly doable with a multitude of anonymous caboose owners leading the charge. Its no more difficult than owning a decent sized wooden boat, perhaps much cheaper in some ways.

Perhaps a thread on privately owned equipment could be initiated.

J.R. May

And just for the record, I do own a boat, fiber glass, not wood. Not huge, but big enough to live on part time when I am in MD on business. It was bought in NJ near where I live and trucked as a wide load to MD back in 2009. I pay slip costs, winter storage costs, annual shrink wrapping, and maintenance.

Average total costs are in the $7K range, but there are some big hits now and then. This year $4K is going into new outdrives. $4K was spent last year on new canvas (I hate canvas). A couple of years ago it was a cooling system overall for about $3K.

The cheapest part of owning the boat? Buying it. Sound familiar?

Prior to buying the boat, I did look at buying a HW car but finding a place to keep it where I needed to be was not doable. In hind sight....the HW may have been cheaper.

J.R.

I agree wholeheartedly. There is considerable overlap in terms of problems, materials, and techniques. Plus, Wooden Boat is just a gorgeous publication.

(For the record, I'm the owner of a little 12' wooden sailboat -- big enough to be interesting, but still small enough to be practical for an individual of modest means.)

-Philip Marshall

JR, if you are wanting cheap, don't buy a boat or a railroad car. TVs are going for a decently low cost right now.........

If you think boats and railroad equipment are troublesome...try convincing your wife that your house needs a Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ!

My wife is planning a sort of Viking's Funeral for me. She plans on setting the 1919 Wurlitzer ablaze and throwing my body up onto the funeral pyre. My fear is that she will not wait for my death before putting her plan into action!

Keith

As a private equipment owner that has lost three units (two Alcos and an EMD) to the copper maggots,
DON'T!!!