Just don't make the mistake of reading the comments.

That was a nice article that Jim wrote, for sure. I think some of those commenters needed to submit to a random drug test. Seriously. They have to be on something. Yeesh.

Rob Gardner

ALL the comments have some merit.

I am fortunate to have the pleasure to know Jim personally and had the good fortune to learn railroading under Bob Soule and to count him as a friend. Bob could be quite a charming individual when it suited him. As one who had the good fortune to work as a paid employee, Bob made certain that I learned every aspect of the business. He could be a taskmaster, but he led by example and demanded the best out of those who worked for the railroad.

My principal position was Conductor/Trainman, but on days that I was not needed for the train crew, I worked as a ticket agent, shop hand or commissary agent and learned the skills related to each position. I spent something like ten years working and on the side, researched the history of our property and made some very interesting discoveries.

While there were internal organizational politics, I cannot fault either Paul or Bob for what they did or what they did not do. The fact is that the people of their generation were the pioneers in historic railroad preservation. They were doing something that had never been done by individuals or small organizations. Prior to them, historic railroad preservation was the realm of the railroads. Folks like Paul and Bob would eventually prove that individuals and small organizations had the capabilities to preserve railroad artifacts too. Yes, they made mistakes.

Bob was haunted for years by the bankruptcy that ensued following the museum's default on the industrial loan that was obtained to improve the museum property in advance of the World's Fair in Knoxville. The money allowed us to improve the Grand Junction site, building the depot and completing the wye. At the time, we could not afford to build the depot and complete the wye, but we couldn't afford not to build the depot and complete the wye. As he once told me, "Without Grand Junction, I don't think we'd be here today."

Bob was serious about preservation-serious enough to take risks that others might not. One example is the story behind the ticket window at the East Chattanooga depot. The window came from the old Seaboard Air Line depot in Athens, Georgia. Bob had written the railroad several times about the possibility of them donating it to the museum. Well, one day it was discovered to be missing. The railroad had a pretty good idea where it might have gone and confirmed that Bob had the missing window. They informed him that he was welcome to keep it but that they would prefer that he not help himself to anything else from their railroad without permission. As passenger service dwindled on the Southern, various depot furnishings would disappear from the stations, some of which eventually found their way to the museum. The waiting room benches in the Grand Junction depot are from the Southern depot in Decatur, Alabama. On account of his position on the Southern, Bob was able to acquire those items via official channels. Most of this was passed on to me by Bob's wife Joyce. She was a University of Georgia fan and always listened to the games on the radio. She told me that the only reason Bob cared about UGA football was the extra passenger specials the games generated. She and Bob ran a tight ship-everything on the train had to be just right. That, at times, drove Bob nuts.

Thanks to folks like Paul, Bob and Joyce, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum grew from a little collection of rolling stock at the Western Union pole yard into one of the largest operating museums in the United States. With the current staff and volunteers, the railroad has a promising future and many other people will have the opportunity to enjoy it.

Wonderful commentary, Alan!!

Is there any chance those words could be copied over to the Trains site? They would be appreciated by Mr. Wrinn and others, I'm sure, and would also be a nice antidote to a few of the other comments there.

I'll get around to it.

Done.

There are times and places to discuss the other subjects that were mentioned in the comments-however, that post was neither the time or place for that.

Reflecting on railway preservation here in the US, I often think about what might have happened had Paul and Bob not done what they did. 4501 goes to scrap or gets trucked down to Chattanooga from Stearns-Southern Railway does not see the draw that the locomotive generates when it passes through towns and Southern never starts an excursion program. Think about that alternative.

What would have happened if the Southern excursion program had not inspired so many young people to become involved in railway preservation. I confess that I was one of those young people, but my first excursion was not behind the 4501-it was behind Texas and Pacific No. 610. Whenever 610 was discussed, you had to clarify which 610 you were referring to. In our group, T&P 610 was "Big 610" and our locomotive was "Little 610". What would have happened if other railroads did not see Southern's excursion program and recognize the public relations value of steam locomotives and excursion trains? I don't know what that future would have been, other than I don't think I'd like it as much as what really did happen.