Regarding the matter of focus, in the ten years that I have been working at the Western Railway Museum, I have seen the focus move in the direction of Interurban preservation. For example the Indiana Railroad 202 is shortly going into the shop to be re-painted into Portland Traction 4001. Not sure of the number. But it will assume a Western and an Inturban focus, rather than a Mid-West and street car persona. This makes sense to me. TM

ted_miles@NPS.gov

> One problem is that most railway museums
> began not only for preserving the passing
> railway technology and equipment, but also
> as a means for the founding members to run
> their own railway or streetcar operation. In
> time the realization came that being a
> "museum" means having a mission
> statement based on preservation and
> education and holding to that mission
> statement. Some railroad museums are still
> maturing and in doing so developing mission
> statements, collection policies, and
> conservation programs.

> I suspect that there are "museums"
> out there (of all kinds) that exist just to
> fullfill a desire to collect and show off
> the collection. Among railway museums this
> may put operation and income above
> preseration and conservation.

> Brian Norden

Brian:

One of the most often overlooked issues of any museum -- railway or not -- is how it relates to it's constituents, the visitors.

A mission statement is a fine idea. But if a museum uses it only as a point to dazzle prospective donors to fund appeals, is it truly of value? Lofty goals don't translate into visitors.

I am all for the preservation and restoration of railway equipment. Many museums have made great use of volunteers to restore and operate. However, the biggest failing I have seen is that they do not make the connection to their visitors. The ride is nice, but what does it mean to the public? Docents (and I know that is an ugly word at many museums) can play the role that brings the ride to life and interprets it in a meaningful way.

For example, when a motorman at a trolley museum takes that streetcar out for a trip, he or she is simply running the car -- just as may have been done when that car was in service. But why did that car operate originally? It carried passengers to their destinations. Shouldn't there be a docent aboard in that role? Again, making the connection to the visitor should be more of a priority. If that docent plays the role of commuter for the other passengers, they make a connection. It's not that hard, but so few railway museums try to involve their visitors in an experience rather than just give them a ride.

An example of how this works in non-railway museums: At the Hyde Street Pier Maritime Museum in San Francisco, school groups come and spend a night aboard one of the ships moored there. Students get to live and work aboard as if they were the crew of the ship -- even cooking a meal and sleeping overnight on ship. They experience the museum in a way that makes a personal connection between the visitor and the artifacts.

Some time back, in a response to a grant proposal for a railway museum, the granting body described the museum as a "hobby-oriented theme park". In reality, that is what most "railway museums" are. They provide a place (under tax exempt guidelines) where members can indulge their interests. Few railway museums have actually taken the steps to connect to their guests as educational organization. More often than not, they are just train rides. And as such, they are distingushed from tourist railways simply by name and IRS designation.

That's the sad facts as I see them.

Roger

rogerc38@aol.com

> In all of the discussion of this subject so
> far there has been no mention of Cumbres
> & Toltec Scenic RR. There is a tourist
> operation that has successfully (in my
> opinion) melded a tourist operation into a
> 1920s era experience with an operating
> railroad. The Friends organization has done
> an excellent job of preserving the part of
> the railroad that is not the tourist
> operation and has done it in an authentic
> manner. I know of no other operation that
> places the visitor in an
> "atmosphere" that suggests what it
> was like in the steam age.

Yes, but does the C&TS interpret the experience in a meaningful way for the visitor? Does a visitor understand why the railroad was there in the first place? Or is it just a finely preserved right of way with a neat train ride?

Where is the connection between experience and visitor? I can ride aboard a vintage DC-3 airliner and get a nice trip, but if I can make a connection to a personal experience it is all the more meaningful.

Immersion in atmosphere is fine, but to really make the experience work, the connection to the guest needs to be made. I see that as a greater challenge than getting the mother car restored to stroke an ego or two.

The greatest challenge for any museum - rail or not - is to interpret it's collection in a meaningful way for it's visitors. I've seen depot museums do just that more successfully than those offering rides.

Roger

rogerc38@aol.com

> IMHO I believe that for a museum (whether it
> deals with railroad subject matter or not)
> to call itself as such they must be a
> permanent institution; provide a building or
> space chiefly for the presentation and/or
> exhibition of collections on a regular
> basis; employ a professional staff; provide
> visitors an interpretive, educational
> experience; be exempt from federal and state
> income taxes; and have a catalogued
> collection of artifacts for the purpose of
> study and enjoyment. If the experience is
> operating a train ride and they can satisfy
> the other requirements, then they can
> legitimately call themselves a museum. If
> they are a for-profit entity and peddle
> themselves as a museum, they are technically
> not a museum.

I agree with Kurt's definition of what entails a museum. He also has provided some examples of railroad museums that meet his definition. These include B&O Museum, Steamtown NPS, CSRM, NSRM, Spencer Shops, etc. However, each one of these mentioned museums are rather large institutions.

Is anyone willing to cite an example of a small community railroad "museum" that meet Kurt's definition? And perhaps, in the writer's opinion, why he/she believe the particular railroad "museum" is effective?



ken.middlebrook@nsc.com

> The greatest challenge for any museum - rail
> or not - is to interpret it's collection in
> a meaningful way for it's visitors. I've
> seen depot museums do just that more
> successfully than those offering rides.

Roger,
Can you provide some examples of these depot museums and their meaningful interpretive success?
Ken



ken.middlebrook@nsc.com

> Y'all, one of my thoughts for the
> Association of Railway Museums/Tourist
> Railroad Association meeting this fall at
> Spencer is a seminar taking a positive spin
> on this: What museums need to learn from
> tourist railroads and what tourist railroads
> need to learn from musuems.

> A couple of points that I havent' seen made
> here:

> 1. The C&TS, which I've always
> considered a scenic railroad, I believe, and
> John can correct me, has begun to bill
> itself as a museum. It is truly both. At no
> other place in America have I ever seen home
> engines in home environment with most of the
> landscape and structures untouched by modern
> man.

> 2. Some of what we're arguing about is
> economic as well as ethics. Here's a case in
> point at my own place of volunteer service,
> NCTransportation Museum: We have a grant to
> restore a combine as an ADA car. Such a car
> is badly needed. At the same time, I can
> tell you the grant wil not be enough to do
> what needs to be done to put the car in
> service. The car has great heritage, it's a
> SR car. The decision to do this car or go
> find another one is now pending (if we do
> find another one, it will NOT be lettered
> for a railroad for which it did not run, but
> will be lettered for the museum) and I
> suspect it will come down to doing the right
> thing (a SR car) or finding an alternative
> but with not as good a history or relevance
> to our area.

Jim:

This brings up an interesting question. I have enjoyed this discussion greatly and have my own opinions on how museums should do things but won't get into them here. What I WILL bring up is a question however. Our museum too is bringing an ADA (handicapped) car on line; it should be ready for service this summer. A wheelchair lift has been installed on one end platform of our EJ&E transfer caboose (#184). In addition to installing the lift, this particular platform will have an awning installed over it to protect riders. ALL of this WILL obviously change the looks of the caboose from when it was in service on the "J". I should mention here, that we have never used this caboose (or did any restoration on it since it was donated) due to its limited inside seating capacity. So now the caboose is coming "on line". Should it be repainted into the original orange with green lettering EJ&E paint/lettering scheme OR should it be perhaps painted for the museum (Hoosier Valley) since it will no longer look as it did when it was in regular service. I have my own opinion but would like to hear what others think.

Thanks!

midlandblb@cs.com

My ideas of paint and lettering are different depending on the museum. IRM is billed as a railroad museum and there the equipment should be painted and lettered for the road it came off of. It wouldn't make sense for the Nebraska Zephyr to be lettered IRM.

If the museum is trying to create the image of a "free-lance" railroad, if you will, for example: The Huckleberry in Flint (one of my favorite places), MI they should have their own road on the equipment, and they do. The railroad is operated in conjunction with a mid-western village and it wouldn't make sense to have the coaches lettered for Mexican Railroads. Although I do think that the more historic and outstanding pieces at these operations still should be lettered for the original road.

At the Hesston Steam Museum we run the Flying Dutchman Railroad and the cars and most locomotives will be lettered for that road. ( we are billed as a steam museum with a steam railroad ) but we have the last narrow gauge shay built, it will still have the New Mexico Lumber Co. on the tender.

It's all marketing...You have to make it exciting for the visitor. That's the idea behind all this Thoamas Tank Engine...right? Some of the most historical tourist lines and museums want to have an engine with a face on it! Which is great lets use everything we can to attract the public. We have a lot of competition out there.

Ted Rita

http://www.hesston.org
trita3361@yahoo.com

In this situation I would also use your own colors and markings, but put photos and captions inside that show it in service and as it looked then. You could also mention if others exist and why it was changed to serve the disabled visitor.



Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

Offered as an example of a community RR Museum: White Deer RR Museum, White Deer, Pa. on the former Reading between West Milton and Williamsport, Pa., operated by the Central Pa. NRHS.
Another: Manheim, Pa. RR Museum, in Manheim, Pa. depot, with Congestoga Traction Co. streetcar in carbarn and short stretch of track, plus freight cars and caboose.
Also, quite a couple I have run into in the South where the local station became the local history museum, and RRing was incorporated nicely into the picture.

LNER4472@gateway.net

> For other thoughts on these issues, I refer
> everyone to John White's seminal article on
> Facadism in L&RP--don't have the issue
> number but I'll try to dig it up tonight.

John White's "Facadism:Is This Really Preservation" appeared in L&RP's Issue 15 (July-August 1988) on page 33.

utweyesguy@aol.com

> Roger,
> Can you provide some examples of these depot
> museums and their meaningful interpretive
> success?
> Ken

Ken:

One of the best examples I have seen is the Museum of the San Ramon Valley in Danville, California.

It is a fine restoration of the Southern Pacific depot. It has an SP bay window caboose parked next to it.

What makes this effort worth noting is the following:

It was a true community effort. Restoration of the structure was a long term project. It conserved the structure as much as possible and has recreated the interior in a way that a visitor understands what the building meant to the community. Docents make a connection for visitors by actively interpreting the building and exhibits for them. The little one on one communication is a bonus we don't usually see.

I've been to a number of railway museums. That last point is where we fail. Train crews need to engage passengers in conversation when not performing duties. You never know... they might share your interest. And that's a connection made.

Roger


rogerc38@aol.com