If you would like to discuss the NPS and Steamtown, or Mr. Rowland's plan for both; please do so in another thread.

Getting back to MOT:
I have no dog in this proverbial fight, but I also echo those asking "just what do you mean corrupt?"

I'm also in a city with a major rail museum that also has, out of the public eye, an awful lot of "bad blood" between current museum administration and a painfully long list of former employees, staffers, docents, and volunteers. This museum long ago made the somewhat successful transition from subsidiary of a for-profit corporation to independent non-profit, and now appears so well-run (at least to the untrained eye) that far too many people in the city are convinced that it's run by the city government (it isn't--the city has a dismal record of keeping its own museums open).

But as much grousing as you may hear about the current management around the right cracker barrels or water coolers, I don't see anyone trying to propose a competing management plan. I'm sure that if I asked any of the disgruntled ex-volunteers, they wouldn't have a clue about the "big picture" of how to run the place. (And certain "old-timers" that may understand are either too old or too polite to enter any fray.)

If someone can get specific about what "mismanagement" or whatever can be tied to the TMA, I'm all ears. If they can't find a way to paint anything for a decade but find a way to get a new shop truck and company car every year and jet off to "management training seminars" in the Bahamas every winter and The Greenbrier in the summer, say so. If literally no one on the property knows the difference between a steam locomotive, a caboose, Whizzo Butter, and a dead crab, say so. Until then, I'm digging up the popcorn and rummaging through the beer bottles for what could be some decent entertainment......

The post that started this whole thread mentions DLW 952 and Scranton, first and foremost; I don't see why it should not be allowed. The only place 952 would go in Scranton would be SNHS.

I think the story of 952 says a lot about the MOT, volunteers aside.

I, for one, appreciate the attempt to keep this discussion focused. There was at least once when I was jolted into the realization that a comment in this MOT discussion actually referred to Steamtown instead of MOT. Yes, a lot of people would prefer to have 952 in Steamtown, just as a lot of folks would like to see the NCR 0-4-0F in Lima, B&O #50 in Baltimore, PRR P5 4700 in Strasburg, etc. etc. etc., ad nauseum. So far, I have seen nothing that indicates any intention to reduce the size of the collection and send artifacts elsewhere. If that happens, it will be appropriate to discuss it. But for now, NPS isn't a player in this particular game, so let's keep it focused on MOT.

Tom

When I visited there in the summer of 2015, the County staff employees were sitting around making sure no one climbed on anything. The volunteers were giving tours and talks about the railway equipment.

Most of the County staff work "behind the scenes" supervising restoration, office duties, archives, ect. and are very passionate about what they do. It would be unfair to judge all the county employees on the basis of one or two who are sitting and watching the auto building, and would rather be out with the rail equipment, or vice versa. Especially when the judgement is made on the observations of just one or two visits.

Questions that nag me are who is going to be the "go-to" person with the knowledge of restoration, maintenance, upkeep and moving the exhibits, mainly rail? The person who is best suited and has been doing an exemplary job will be "laid off". I don't think she has ever gotten the credit that is due her. I was a volunteer from '85-2002 and saw several directors, none of which was suited to the job. I have watched the collection improve under her direction.
The MOT has taken on the atmosphere of an amusement park over the years and the fact remains that it is one of the better collections in the country, but seems to be somewhat underfunded in order to pursue other areas.
A wise man once told me when I was CMO of the SLSTA that more groups have been ruined by politics than by mechanical issues.

I definitely agree that politics can have a more detrimental effect than mechanical issues in many regards. However, as I said before, I will believe the world is burning when I see the flames. Perhaps the current director returns. Perhaps the TMA brings in someone else, just as qualified, if not more so. Besides, being free of county control may very well be a good thing, as budgets are not dependent upon the shifting tides of tax revenue. Even RRMPA, to my knowledge, has experienced the pitfalls of government oversight with the delay in the state allocating funds for the roundhouse.

Who knows. Maybe I'm an idiot.

"If you would like to discuss the NPS and Steamtown, or Mr. Rowland's plan for both; please do so in another thread"

Plan? What plan?