Alright...for clarity, the Savannah, Georgia Roundhouse Railroad Museum, now also designated as the Georgia State Railroad Museum, IS NOT CLOSING, gosh darn it!!! The facility and exhibits will remain open to the public.

Please read the posts carefully and stop the knee-jerk reactions.

A decision (for right or wrong) has apparently been made to close the backshop, which has been responsible for restorations such as CofG business car COLUMBUS and several other pieces of equipment now on exhibit there. The backshop employees have also been responsible for operation and maintenance of the operating equipment such as the GP-35, GA Power No. 30 ("GOAT") and the little Davenport, among other things. They recently completed a rebuilding of the turntable.

The whys and where-fors of the decision are unknown to me. I am not an employee of Coastal Heritage Society, the organization responsible for this and several other historic facilities in the area, nor of the Roundhouse Railroad Museum. I have, however, been actively involved there in my capacity of getting the MOU in place for the Savannah shop force to do the exterior restoration of the Georgia Northern combine, recently arrived at the roundhouse. I am also on the Board of Directors of the Central of Georgia Railway Historical Society which has been very supportive of this very significant remnant of Central of Georgia heritage.

Am I concerned about the situation? You bet I am. The museum I'm with (again, not as an employee), Thronateeska Heritage Center in Albany, GA, has just spent a lot of money moving the Georgia Northern combine to the roundhouse (which, for those of you who do not know, has no live rail connection to the outside world). However, as I posted earlier, it is my understanding that the combine restoration will proceed as planned. I will be discussing the situation with appropriate Coastal Heritage Society personnel this week.

Stephen S. Syfrett



ssyfrett@bellsouth.net

I can't imagine all of the money that the government gave them and they cut back on the most productive part of the property! Who's running the joint? We all need to pray for these people.

Alright...for clarity, the Savannah, Georgia
> Roundhouse Railroad Museum, now also
> designated as the Georgia State Railroad
> Museum, IS NOT CLOSING, gosh darn it!!! The
> facility and exhibits will remain open to
> the public.

> Please read the posts carefully and stop the
> knee-jerk reactions.

> A decision (for right or wrong) has
> apparently been made to close the backshop,
> which has been responsible for restorations
> such as CofG business car COLUMBUS and
> several other pieces of equipment now on
> exhibit there. The backshop employees have
> also been responsible for operation and
> maintenance of the operating equipment such
> as the GP-35, GA Power No. 30
> ("GOAT") and the little Davenport,
> among other things. They recently completed
> a rebuilding of the turntable.

> The whys and where-fors of the decision are
> unknown to me. I am not an employee of
> Coastal Heritage Society, the organization
> responsible for this and several other
> historic facilities in the area, nor of the
> Roundhouse Railroad Museum. I have, however,
> been actively involved there in my capacity
> of getting the MOU in place for the Savannah
> shop force to do the exterior restoration of
> the Georgia Northern combine, recently
> arrived at the roundhouse. I am also on the
> Board of Directors of the Central of Georgia
> Railway Historical Society which has been
> very supportive of this very significant
> remnant of Central of Georgia heritage.

> Am I concerned about the situation? You bet
> I am. The museum I'm with (again, not as an
> employee), Thronateeska Heritage Center in
> Albany, GA, has just spent a lot of money
> moving the Georgia Northern combine to the
> roundhouse (which, for those of you who do
> not know, has no live rail connection to the
> outside world). However, as I posted
> earlier, it is my understanding that the
> combine restoration will proceed as planned.
> I will be discussing the situation with
> appropriate Coastal Heritage Society
> personnel this week.

> Stephen S. Syfrett


messer262@berlin.com

If I may take the liberty of speaking for Dave Lathrop, he has not by any means dropped off the railroad preservation radar screen. Like several other Roundhouse persons (myself included) he has moved on to other organizations and employers and currently has a few different irons in the fire.

As you all most certainly know, this is a field/discipline/career that is powered by and large by passion. How else do we explain the substantial number of manhours and money that have gone into this? (They don’t call them non-profits for nothing.) Another posting suggested that management– senior or otherwise– may be at fault to some degree. Should one buy into that postulation, then it is easy to understand how the above mentioned passions may turn to small bouts of chaos and maybe a bit of bickering.

Make no mistake, I know the three years I spent at that facility were some of the most pleasant and educational of my (as of now brief) career. As coworkers, I have met absolutely nothing but talented, dedicated persons who I am positive will continue to excel in this field. A few of us began working there in our 20s. In retrospect, I had and still do have a considerable amount of intellectual and professional growing up to do. The backshop workers were/are all genuinely good people who want nothing but the best for the rollingstock and the site. Unfortunately, the question always remains whose best is the best...

Perhaps a cooling off period will do some good. I know it helped me gain a slightly different perspective.

All that aside, yes, a whole lot of work and money has been going into those magnificent buildings. Nothing as sexy as a new operating steam loco, but lots of brick has been repointed, many roofs (and holes) repaired, and yes, the turntable is operating much more agreeably these days. CHS finally got its hands on the surrounding property which includes the car shops and paint shops. They arenÂ’t open, but much of the underbrush has been cleared for an excellent view of things to come. Please, by all means feel free to come down and check it out. Even if you donÂ’t see folks welding or machining there certainly is a great deal of valuble work being done.

Sufficiently vague?

I sincerely wish all of you the best.
Angel Garske Long

garskean@mail.armstrong.edu

Angel,

Thanks for that insight. Wish you were still there, but best of luck in your new endeavors.

Stephen Syfrett


ssyfrett@bellsouth.net

Great to here from you again Angel! Long time, no hear! How's married life treating you, and better yet, how are those hand-turned titanium rings holding up?

TJ

> If I may take the liberty of speaking for
> Dave Lathrop, he has not by any means
> dropped off the railroad preservation radar
> screen. Like several other Roundhouse
> persons (myself included) he has moved on to
> other organizations and employers and
> currently has a few different irons in the
> fire.

> As you all most certainly know, this is a
> field/discipline/career that is powered by
> and large by passion. How else do we explain
> the substantial number of manhours and money
> that have gone into this? (They donÂ’t call
> them non-profits for nothing.) Another
> posting suggested that management– senior or
> otherwise– may be at fault to some degree.
> Should one buy into that postulation, then
> it is easy to understand how the above
> mentioned passions may turn to small bouts
> of chaos and maybe a bit of bickering.

> Make no mistake, I know the three years I
> spent at that facility were some of the most
> pleasant and educational of my (as of now
> brief) career. As coworkers, I have met
> absolutely nothing but talented, dedicated
> persons who I am positive will continue to
> excel in this field. A few of us began
> working there in our 20s. In retrospect, I
> had and still do have a considerable amount
> of intellectual and professional growing up
> to do. The backshop workers were/are all
> genuinely good people who want nothing but
> the best for the rollingstock and the site.
> Unfortunately, the question always remains
> whose best is the best...

> Perhaps a cooling off period will do some
> good. I know it helped me gain a slightly
> different perspective.

> All that aside, yes, a whole lot of work and
> money has been going into those magnificent
> buildings. Nothing as sexy as a new
> operating steam loco, but lots of brick has
> been repointed, many roofs (and holes)
> repaired, and yes, the turntable is
> operating much more agreeably these days.
> CHS finally got its hands on the surrounding
> property which includes the car shops and
> paint shops. They arenÂ’t open, but much of
> the underbrush has been cleared for an
> excellent view of things to come. Please, by
> all means feel free to come down and check
> it out. Even if you donÂ’t see folks welding
> or machining there certainly is a great deal
> of valuble work being done.

> Sufficiently vague?

> I sincerely wish all of you the best.
> Angel Garske Long


Carferries of the Great Lakes-Skinners

tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

OK, so I was out of touch for a few weeks and see what happens!

For the record, I was in the Dakota Territories working on settling an estate, not in an insane asylum as had been rumored. After that experience I could use one......

The museum is still open for visits and rental for special events. Please don't miss it if you are in the area - well worth seeing.

The secondhand information I am getting from there indicates a decision was made to devote all resources to the land and buildings aspects of the "Battlefield Park Project" and exclude any other activities for the duration.

I haven't been actively involved in management there for two years, and Ralph Justen has been gone for several months now, so with a leadership vacuum unfilled it is certainly to some extent understandable.

It could also be considered shortsighted, as the most vital centerpiece of the project could have been the live rail link between the Roundhouse and Visitors Center, and a tie-in to live track for regional excursions. My belief is that many more tourists will flock to an active program than to see a mound of dirt which may or may not resemble the "fort" thrown up by the mercenaries who lost the Battle of Savannah (from our POV) during the revolution. Of course, I could be mistaken......

I would be remiss not to also mention that Savannah as a whole has been described by a national consulting firm brought in for a rail related project as the most political quagmire they ever had the misfortune to step in. There may have been a shift at some level which ran downhill, or a simple lack of high level interest in live rail. Politics and the Peter Principle can combine to make a nasty combination.

I don't doubt that some shops-and-ops programming will be instituted at some time in the future. It makes no sense to waste the investment in time, facilities and rolling stock put into the place over the past few years. Any interested parties can encourage it by writing to the City Managers Office and voicing their concerns. Much of the project is being funded by a Local Option Sales Tax so the tourism people might be interested in what you as a visitor would prefer to see. The Governor has also supported it with a special appropriation and may be interested in how his investment is being used.

Best of luck to us all.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net