We at the Michigan Transit Museum are currently in the process of developing a master plan, mission statement, and list of goals. I am wondering what other museums have done in regards to planning. do other museums have published master plans? What processes are involved and how often is the plan reviewed and updated? Are these documents made available to the public? Does having a master plan improve an organizations success with grants?

Michigan Transit Museum
sutterd@hotmail.com

Here's a link to the "Mission Statement" page on the Illinois Railway Museum website.

Illinois Railway Museum Mission Statement

Here at the Trolley Museum of New York, we have our mission statement posted on the web page (see link below). We are in the process of developing our first comprehensive Master Plan. I would also be curious to hear from museums that have developed Master Plans and how they have been beneficial.

Trolley Museum of New York Mission Statement
info@tmny.org

You can find the mission statement for the Museum of Transportation in St. Louis on our web site as well. It's off the page about our history.

Museum of Transportation
rdgoldfede@aol.com

> You can find the mission statement for the
> Museum of Transportation in St. Louis on our
> web site as well. It's off the page about
> our history.
I see that Frank has already provided the link to IRM's mission statement, which I rewrote a year or two ago. We do have a master plan (of sorts) for the grounds, which gets updated every few years. While our original master plan bears little resemblance to the current IRM, that's more a function of our having been far more successful in collecting and in acquiring R.O.W. and building track than ever expected. Do we have a master plan for the collection? No (and some would fault us for that, while others would perhaps recognize that the lack of such a document has allowed us to expand more readily).

I'd like to suggest that any master plan should be seen only as an evolving document, which should not be used as an excuse to limit your progress. It may best be used as a GENERAL statement of goals.



Kevinmccabe@avenew.com

> We at the Michigan Transit Museum are
> currently in the process of developing a
> master plan, mission statement, and list of
> goals. I am wondering what other museums
> have done in regards to planning. do other
> museums have published master plans? What
> processes are involved and how often is the
> plan reviewed and updated? Are these
> documents made available to the public? Does
> having a master plan improve an
> organizations success with grants?

A mission statement should be a short concise statement of what the organization intends to do (or be). I once heard a museum professional who was doing a MAP evaluation say, "Don't try to be the upper mid-west museum of everything in the world." And my statement is, "Don't write a mission statement to explain what you've already done. Write it for what you want to become."

In general, I would suggest that you have a group of active members, from different parts of the museum, get together and put together a draft document for the Board to review and adopt. A good organization will review the mission statement at least every five years to see if it is still current. Keep looking at the mission statement; it is your guide for the actions of the Board and officers.

Yes, I would say that a mission statement should be published. It you do it right, you've got nothing to hide and a good simple direct statement will show you know what you're doing.

From your mission statement you can make your goals. These are the buildings and programs and public contact that will bring the mission statement into fruition.

Once you've got your goals you can prioritize what you need to do to accomplish these goals and the mission statement. This is your master plan. You may have a master plan for your physical plant (buildings and track). But also create one for your educational and community outreach programs.

If you're out looking for money, use all of the above to show that you have a well thought out use for the money. Maybe, you need to develop the separate planning statements for the different projects that you want to do. Maybe, one for the buildings, one for the education program, one for the displays, one for the restorations. If you've got a major project, do separate document for that project.

None of this stuff is a guarantee for success. They are only tools in the process.


bnorden@gateway.net

IMO, it's far better to have a more narrow focus, smaller collection, restored equipment with proper displays, than -

a grand vision, way too much stuff, rotting equipment, no displays, etc.

JimLundquist55@yahoo.com

> IMO, it's far better to have a more narrow
> focus, smaller collection, restored
> equipment with proper displays, than -

> a grand vision, way too much stuff, rotting
> equipment, no displays, etc.
At the outset of the creation of the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish B.C. we prepared a Master Plan and a Finacial Plan and in our opinion it was the best thing we could have done. The document was prepared by Hal Kalman of Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Ltd. Half of the cost was covered by a Grant from Museums Canada and we raised the rest. It is most valuable to have such a document prepared by an outsider as we all too often have a view of our own passions that is too narrowly focused and we can't get the message out to the public,who are our real supporters in the long term. The Master plan has been our most valuable tool in raising money and acquiring grants from government,foundations and individuals. If people see that you are "doing it right" and are organized in your approach they are far more likely to offer support. It may cost some money,but it will be well spent in the long term. We will be doing an update soon as we are almost finished the Phase Two development as per the plan. The next step is a big one and will require considerable thought. If anyone would like Mr.Kaman's address,I would be happy to supply it. He is a well respected museum consultant who works all over North America and is a "card carrying rail enthusiast" with a very level head and a lot of smarts.


grantf@apexmail.com

It sure looks to me like the steamer in Frank's pic is about to run through that switch!

Tod Engine Foundation
rick@todengine.org

> It sure looks to me like the steamer in
> Frank's pic is about to run through that
> switch!

You're right! This photo was taken from Seeman Road, looking west towards Johnson Siding (the track to the right of the 1630). The way the IRM main line is set up is that all eastbound trains take the main line - the southern track, and the one the 1630 is on - and on their way back westbound they take the northern track, Johnson Siding. This is governed by spring switches at each end of the siding. Since this switch must guide trains head west (away from the camera) into the siding, the 1630 is heading over it the "wrong way." Ah, the joy of spring switches.

Well that makes sense. I didn't see the SS sign that would indicate a spring switch. Also didn't read the timetable either! :-)

Of course if I was qualified on that trackage I would know it was a spring switch!

Tod Engine Foundation
rick@todengine.org

The West Coast Railway Heritage Park is a great project. I saw it the other year when the West Coast Railway Association hosted the ARM meeting.

These people spend the time planning the museum site development before they even got one piece of equipment up to the site. While they have their "back room" storage tracks with all kind of interesting cars the front of the property is great and very visitor friendly.

This Association planned and got built a two-story station building based upon the plans of a never built passenger station. Very impressive!

Brian Norden

bnorden@gateway.net