Ahhhh

So clear that co614 does not understand the come equation of contracting and C.F.R. 5, the federal acquisition regulations. I spent my post railroad career as a GS and contractor. I deal with this daily and have from both sides of the aisle including being the contracting officers technical representative to drafting the statement if work for a USAFE wide contract.

I dealt with a squadron commander who wanted to get a free service from a contractor but wanted to do so from a MOU/MOA, not a contract, not advertising on federal business opportunities.

So for a contractor to operate Steamtown a SOW would need to be drafted, approved by a Contracting officer with a high enough warrant and then advertised then a qualifed operator could bid on it. It would be difficult to find a qualified operator who would want to deal with it, deal with the reviews and try to make money.

I wanted a major global business to bid on a major contract but because of the complexity of the gov process they said no, we got a third rate vendor, who I constantly complained about for not performing and wasted more government funds.

I can't speak to r and n or stradburg but I can hazard they likely wouldn't want to deal with it. Perhaps a vendor who runs concessions at big national parks might be interested, but I hazard to guess the results would be terrible at best and include high entrance fees

Why not sell tickets for that now? In the late 1960's PanAm was selling tickets for future trips to the Moon.

Two sources I contacted independently said "work continues" on B&M 3713.

Wesley

Work continues on contracted projects, in the shop or both?

Anybody confirm or deny the relationship with the NRHS?

Does anyone have a clear answer to this question yet? Taken from the Project 3713 website:


Project3713 Update:

Every group that partners with the National Park Service engages in a formal written partnership agreement that periodically renews. The agreement that governs Project3713 has been renewed multiple times during the restoration. The current agreement is up for renewal, and like many things during recent times, the process is taking longer than usual.

The National Park Service has informed us that no fundraising may take place until the new agreement is finalized. When the paperwork is done, Project3713 will reactivate the online fundraising options. We expect it will be a brief pause.

Is this true, or is the L & WV NRHS relationship with the NPS completely broken?

Thanks
John

My guess is that the Superintendent is demanding something that is unworkable within the existing relationship with the NRHS. Pre-covid there was an agreement in place that outlined what each party was responsible for, including dollar amounts. It could be that the NPS is requiring a more firm commitment from the NRHS.

At the end of the day, the NPS owns the 3713 and can take their ball and go home. It would be a dumb decision on their part to do so. When it comes to volunteer commitments, you take what you can get and say, "thank you."

Totally agree.

John

This reminds me of the famous story carried in the New Yorker magazine many years ago of a then famous inventor who once worked for the Federal gov't. and out of frustration left and went into private industry.

The reporter asked him what it was like trying to get a cutting edge idea up the gov't. decision making food chain and he said" it was like standing at one end of an Olympic sized swimming pool and having to swim its entire length and back and the pool was filled with peanut butter".

Good luck to the 3713 folks !!!

Ross Rowland

There are plenty of NPS sites that have been open far less than daily since the Sequester of 2013.

The Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Edgar Allen Poe, and The Germantown White House sites in Philly along with sites like Weir Farm in CT and Hopewell Furnace in PA are a few places off the top of my head where pre-pandemic and/or currently they were open either seasonally or less than daily. There are more out there if you look.

I also don't put a lot of stock in their visitation numbers since at a lot of sites you can still access the grounds when they're "closed" or the grounds are so expansive that you can visit the site and never be included in their guesstimate of visitation numbers.

Doubtful any POTUS much less the current one cares anything about Steamtown.

Exprail

The current POTUS is FROM Scranton.

That said, his family moved to Delaware to find work when he was a kid. (A common story in NEPA)

Phil Mulligan

As I’ve said, if the Infrastructure bill is passed you will see Amtrak come to Scranton. And since the federal government already owns a rail yard in the heart of the downtown, which is also adjacent to a new transportation hub, don’t be surprised to see the ‘failed dream’ of Steamtown come to either a sudden end or be drastically curtailed.

Amtrak service to Scranton isn't going to terminate in Scranton with Binghamton being just 60 miles away on NS's former DL&W main.

I also note that going from Buffalo to NYC via Binghamton is 375 highway miles while going from Buffalo to NYC via Albany is 445 highway miles. Perhaps Amtrak's Scranton trains will eventually terminate in Niagara Falls?

Binghamton has always been mentioned as a “someday” destination on a line that hasn’t been built yet for many, many years. The restoration of the Lackawanna Cut-off was previously only discussed in talks with NJT and SEPTA, with money and wrangling over who pays and who operates being the primary stumbling blocks.

Amtrak was briefly hailed as a potential option to restore rail service a few years back, although I believe via a different route (Scranton to Philadelphia?). Enthusiasm for this possibility sank when Amtrak released their updated long term plan/wish list and Scranton wasn’t included.

I honestly don’t know what to think about it. Many locals believe restoring rail service will increase drug activity, but a smart drug dealer would probably have better odds taking the interstate. I do think rail service will bring other headaches, and also opportunities; a mixed bag, in other words. I DO think it will change local rail preservation, and not in a good way.

The Scranton service will terminate in Scranton.

The railroad or right-of-way from Hoboken to Scranton is in Public ownership with the owners either a passenger railroad (NJT) or PA Counties that really, Really, REALLY want the service restored.

The railroad from Scranton to Binghamton and Buffalo is NS-owned. Greyhound schedules 1 hr 15 min. for two trips a day to Binghamton. Both Dog trips continue to or connect to Buffalo.

Scranton to Philadelphia is best handled by bus on the PA Turnpike. In 1945 CNJ 316 left Scranton 7.20 AM; RDG 316 arrived Reading Terminal 12.17 PM. By 1954, there was no service. Neither LV nor DL&W had service to Philadelphia.

Phil Mulligan