Just when I think Steamtown is going get on steady ground, Railpace.com reports NO STEAM on Father's Day!!!!!!

Why is it that the museum with arguably the best shop facilities in the country and a large fleet of potential operable engines keep one running, when operations like the Mount Dora, WK&S, Strasburg and so go with steam on a regular basis?

Something is not right.

According to Railpace:

STEAMTOWN'S OPERATING PLAN:
June 15 (Fri) The Moscow Excursions will NOT operate on this date, but there will be some steam-powered Yard Shuttles on an amended schedule (10:30 & 11:30 am, 12:45 & 3:00 pm). There will be NO tours of the Radisson at Lackawanna Station.
June 16 (Sat) The Moscow Excursions will operate at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with steam power.
June 17 (Father's Day) - The Moscow Excursions will operate at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with diesel power
Shuttles (short train rides in the Steamtown Yards) will operate with diesel power on the following dates:
June 13 (Wed)
June 18 (Mon)
June 19 (Tue)
June 20 (Wed)
June 21 (Thu)

> Here's the scoop:

Right now 2-8-2 CN 3254 is going down for a mandatory boiler wash.

1.) The Baldwin 26, the 0-6-0 switcher used for yard shuttle work and crew training, has been down since Dec 99 and is in need major work, including a new firebox or crownsheet due to thinning. No substantial work has been done on the engine so far to address those issues.

2.) 4-6-2 CP 2317 is in the shop. What appeared to be a minor derailment in waning days of the 2000 season, caused extensive lead truck damage. It was initially scheduled to be operational this year, but that is looking less and less likely.

3.) 4-6-2 BM 3713 is being restored with the help of the local chapter of the NHRS. About 165,000 of the estimated $650,000 necessary has been raised. Substantial work has been done, but with basically a single individual working on the project, progress is running slowly

4.) 4-6-2 PRR 1361, a visitor which is undergoing one of the most substantial rebuilds in in history-including for example, a new smokebox and backhead-is fully funded but has basically one individual working-is proceeding slowly.

Now for the big picture. The park service changed dramatically since Al Gore's reinventing government initiative. The former administration knew that the art of politics was to provide conspicuous benefits to large, well organized blocs of voters. Railroad history buffs do not qualify. Steamtown, being the brainchild of a Republican was not on their priority list. Since 1996, the paid staff has been reduced. Many interpretive volunteers are gone as well. Staff losses are ge

The part is apparently saddled with a utilities contract negotiated by the folks that brought us the 600 dollar toilet seat. It also has the normal inefficiencies of any bureacracy. Insiders say there's been some penny wise and pound foolish practices that need to be addressed

Finally, you have to understand what preservation means to some career NPS folks. The authorizing legislation speaking of preserving collections "unimpaired for future generations". In their mind, ANY operation of an industrial artifact is for the enjoyment of the present generation at the expense of the future generation. These folks work covertly to thwart the idea of an operating museum.

Now, it has been widely publicized that Steamtown will get a new Superintendent. A lot depends on that individual. If that person acknowledges the political realities that Congression appropriations will be courting the AARP and soccer moms, there's still great dedicated people there and a great physical plant.

I've noticed several posts here concerning Steamtown. For the most part there seems to be an unfavorable attitude towards how Steamtown is run today. Everything has been picked over from Canadian Locomotives to overinflated gift shop prices. Will the railroad preservation community (us) ever let Steamtown be what it really is... a tourist railroad with awesome facilities and no labor?
Is new management needed? Perhaps the outgoing management was satisfactory, but needed more manpower to help out? A railroad is run by people not trains. If only one person is working on repairing a mainline pacific locomotive at Steamtowns shops, what can be expected for results?
I say give them a break. Steamtown is operating with a skeleton crew. Contact your elected officials and tell them to allocate more money for labor at steamtown. It is a public funded effort.

Brian Hebert


Conway Scenic Railroad
btamper@hotmail.com

“Contact your elected officials and tell them to allocate more money for labor at steamtown. It is a public funded effort.” This is the Liberal solution to everything. Contact your Government, that’s what there for.
Hey folks, lets get real for a moment. The Railroad Museum of Pa. gets extremely little from the state. (About 30% of their income). The rest of the support comes from the ticket buying public and FRM, (Friends of the Railroad Museum). It is the volunteers from FRM that literally runs the place and are responsible for much of the restoration of equipment. There is no lack of volunteers out there. Part of SteamtownÂ’s problem is that it does little to attract volunteers or visitors.

We need MORE MONEY. That has always been the cry of Liberals. ThatÂ’s why are schools are poor. ThatÂ’s why are environment is suffering.
Hey, as a taxpayer I was proud to see Steamtown get a shot in the arm from Uncle Sam. But now I see what is wrong. They are operating it like Amtrak, with the same old displays and attitude. Steamtown is the same today as it was six years ago.

What really sets places like the Strasburg Rail Road and the Railroad Museum of Pa. from many places, is not so much their location. Scranton and Wilkes-Berra have a huge population and are much closer to New York. No what sets them apart is how they run their operations. Every time I go down there, there is always something new to see or hear. The Railroad Museum is No. 1 when it comes to updating itÂ’s display and reinventing itself to inspire the visitor to come back again and again. When you do all you can to bring people back and attract new ones, the money will follow because money follows the people and not the government.

But government does not get that idea because it does not have to compete for itÂ’s money. It does not have to reinvent itself because it is like water, it will always be need. Business in the private sector on the other hand do have to compete for your business and in order to stay ahead of the game, the have no choice but to reinvent themselves. Many railfans laugh and stick their noses up at the Strasburg Rail Road because it took an old steam engine and made it into a Thomas the Tank Engine. But while Steamtown is dying to keep itÂ’s current visitors and looking for more money, Strasburg is making it because they are always reinventing themselves.

That is what a REAL railroad dose. It has been that way since railroadÂ’s first began. If they kept the Strasburg like it originally was, it would not be on the map in the world of preservation nor would it be so successful. But Liberals donÂ’t understand economics or business in the private sector.

Before dumping more money into failed programs like Amtrak, they need to clean up their act first. Then the money put into places like Steamtown, even our tax dollars, will be well spent. Think about it. Amtrak has been around for 30 years. They have not once made a profit. A business like that would not survive in the private sector. Don't think that more money is the problem or will automaticlly fix the problem. Remember the war on poverity? Has poverity gone down in our country? The answer is no. Do you also know that the U.S. spends more money on education than any other country in the world? We do and our math scores don't even place in the top ten world school math scores.

The problem is that certain people only want to spend their time making excuses for a place like Steamtown instead of working on problem fixing solutions. Hey I really like Steamtown since it is only an hour from my home. I try to visit at least once a year and I always spend my money riding the trains and getting a book or two from the overpriced gift shop. That is why I and many people are frustrated at the attitude and the way things are runned there. I too have noticed in my years of visiting Steamtown the drop in visitors and some attitudes I ran into but I wonÂ’t mention who.

Now realize folks that there is no quick solution like our Liberal friends would like to have. But there are things the new management can do to fix the attitude problem and it wont cost a dime.

Regards,
Andrew J. McKernan

Oh,Brother! Here we go again with another session of Steamtown finger pointing.
My view has not changed however, and I don't feel ashamed not one bit about asking the Federal,state, or local governments for free money.
What would the Railroad Museum in Strasburg look like without that 30% income from the state? And who asked for(and recieved)it? Liberals?
Lets leave Dark Political words out of railroad preservation.

Brian Hebert


Conway Scenic Railroad
btamper@hotmail.com

Its not free money. Its the peoples money. It dose not come from some ATM in the sky. But some folks don't get that idea at all. That is why they aren't ashamed to ask for something they think comes from someone else. Its easy to spend someone else's money.
If you bought a car and it turned out to be a lemon, would you go back to that same dealership? And since when is the word "Liberal" a dark politic word? If your offended than you must be one. Hey some of my best and trusted friends are Liberals. Its not the person nor party but the ideas that are in question here.
I doubt that the Railroad Museum of Pa. would be much different without that 30%. Take a look at the business across the street. They get a total of 0.00000 moneys from any form of government. But remember, the railroad museum has no failing programs, so tax money used there is money wisely spent.

> Oh,Brother! Here we go again with another
> session of Steamtown finger pointing.
> My view has not changed however, and I don't
> feel ashamed not one bit about asking the
> Federal,state, or local governments for free
> money.
> What would the Railroad Museum in Strasburg
> look like without that 30% income from the
> state? And who asked for(and recieved)it?
> Liberals?
> Lets leave Dark Political words out of
> railroad preservation.

> Brian Hebert

I think disagreement is a good thing. It causes people to think for themselves and develop their own decision. However a disagreement can turn into an argument and I won't fill up cyberspace arguing over Steamtown.
I know funds for railroad preservation efforts don't come from the sky. I have been a member of numerous non-profit organizations,(including the Friends of the Railroad Museam of Pennsylvania)and have paid dues, sold tickets, written politicians, and begged the average person for their spare change out in front of supermarkets.
The money must come from someplace. RMP has had several grants and donations for their buildings and overall operation. They most certainly would be affected if they lost more than one quarter of their yearly income. The Strasburg Railroad across the street is a for-profit tourist railroad, which is why they recieve 0.00 percent from the state.
ISTEA and other grant/charitable monies are worth the effort to pursue. They are ment to be used by non-profit 501c chapter organizations. These organizations usually have no other way of accellerating efforts to save and interpret their collections. In rare cases, a corporation will surprise a group with a donation of funds without having been asked to do so. Thats great, but for the most part,someone has to ask for the money. What I'm saying is that Steamtown would be a better place if more funds were available to hire some help.

Brian Hebert


Conway Scenic Railroad
btamper@hotmail.com

Well like it or not all over the US and the world there are publicly funded museums. Steamtown was a pork barrel deal through and through. The project was seen as an economic development project in the eyes of many people and like it or not Uncle Sam spends lots of money on projects like that due to the way our government runs. Thomas Jefferson said that our form of government is the worst possible, except for all the others.

Steamtown must appeal to the general public not just railfans. They must offer something to get bus tours and families in SUVs and minivans filling the parking lots. Until they find a way to do this they will struggle. The way to fill these parking lots changes from location to location and what works in Strasburg might not work in Scranton.

Steam Railroading Message Board

I am a member of the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, they are using both State paid employees and volunteers to make the place happen. Especially in the restoration that was paid for with a lot of volunteers raised money.

I think that is the best of both worlds.

I see the NPS doing the best it can with the money and government rules it has to follow. Steamtown NHS should use volunteers whenever it can. I know that my park can now operate without our volunteers! TM

ted_miles@NPS.gov