Well, leave it to JAC and Sandy to set the place on fire...

... but they did get me to thinking about some approaches we take at Spencer to prevent hungry mouth disease caused by too many projects needing too much $.

We go through a test before we start to look at anything and ask ourselves:

1. Does it fit our mission statement? Is it what we're supposed to be doing? IE, is it N.C. or at least eastern Atlantic region? Does it duplicate what we already have? Or add to it?

2. Do we have the resources to buy, move, fix, preserve and maintain this thing? Or can we find the resources to do it?

3. Would anyone care? Would anyone come to see it? Is it important because it is rare? Is it important because it was once common?

I credit a real fine historian and preservationist, once one of our voulnteers, then a staff member and now at the Atlanta History Center, Jackson McQuigg, for developing this litmus test. It has served us well for the last 10 years or so.

Remember, if you try to save everything, you save nothing.

http://nctrans.org
Wrinnbo@aol.com

> Remember, if you try to save everything, you
> save nothing.

This is one of the best notes I have seen here in a while.

From the B-school perspective, what gets preserved and what doesn't eventually comes down to fundamental Economics 101 -- supply and demand. Whenever a region's supply of steam locomotives, diesel locomotives or railroad museums exceeds the demand, the supply eventually will contract. Of course, demand can be created IF the museum does something to better market itself with better communications and enhanced product qualities such as like operations, interpretive activities, and educational activities.

I will hold off on the micro and macro discussion for the present time.

Or I could yield the balance of my time to Mr. Wrinn who likely could run a far better lecture series on these subjects than could I.


amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

Let me know if you are successful in getting approval to unload the Perley-Thomas. I'll haul it off at no charge. ;-)

tnold@northtexastransport.org