The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently named the 11 Most endangered places in America. Interesting list, none of which rail related, that included the last standing pieces of the World Trade Center and parts of the Gulf Coast hit by Hurricane Katrina last year. This is a link to a MSNBC story about the list http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12719610/

What comes to my mind is what is endangered in rail history, maybe RyPN should put a list together? But just for conversations sake, What would you put on a list like that? At the top of mine would likely be surviving Interlocking Towers. Just a few days ago the Long Island closed PD tower, and the number of active towers on CSX between Brunswick, MD and Grafton, WV on the B&O have been diminished to just four. Of course it would be hard to preserve these (Although one tower that was at Cherry Run, WV has been moved to Martinsburg and preserved), it's not like CSX or Long Island are just going to counting using towers, or NS using PRR Color Position Lights, or Montana Rail Link using SD45's, or VIA using stainless steel - They still are a business. While it is tough to preserve everything, It is defiantly worth while to take notice of what is still here, still doing the job it was built for.

Time to hop of the soapbox.

-Justin Franz

East Broad Top would be at the top of my list. With the possible exception of the Nevada Northern I can think of no place that is so unchanged by time. How endangered it is may be subject to debate with the progress being made by FEBT but I think all would agree it is endangered and worthy of preservation.

John Bohon

A "most endangered" list is an excellent idea. Could it be made "sticky" so it stays at the top of the forum? The list could include objects and places.
There would have to be a nominating committee as well...

Far be it from me to pooh-pooh the otherwise-excellent efforts of the National Trust, but the journalist in me sees these annual lists for what they really are: a publicity gimmick that gives the NTHP an annual free publicity campaign.

Activist non-profits such as NTHP, nature groups, consumer-safety groups, etc. (and their executives) almost never celebrate their successes. Rather, they must constantly perpetuate the "crisis" mode in order to keep donations coming in. I believe a critical analysis of the NTHP lists over the years will find that each list is carefully chosen to cover the widest possible combination of geographical and cultural diversity and popular appeal, and I would truly love to sit down and analyze the end results of the "Most Endangered" nominations. There are certainly success stories, but as I recall the EBT was on this list a year or three ago, and I don't think one can honestly say that the property is any less "endangered" today (yes, FEBT is doing a lot to keep things from falling apart, but is it enough?).

Ah, well. Possible nominees:

EBT, of course.

I haven't actually seen Nevada Northern or Cumbres & Toltec in person, but there is the problematic situation of dozens of miles of track.......

The NYC 4-6-0 and 2-8-0 up along Eagle Lake in Maine.... not that anyone's ever going to get them out, unless Bill Gates turns out to be a closet NYC fan.....

You know, if I were strictly playing devil's advocate, I could make a case that the historic nature of the Grand Canyon RR is disappearing or has gone completely under crass commercialization......... And Lancaster County, home of the Strasburg Railroad, has similar issues as farm prices soar to the point where the last Amishman to leave should please extinguish his lantern as he leaves......

How much of the historic shops buildings--Altoona; Albuquerque; Reading; Renova, Pa.; and, yes, even Sacramento, Spencer, and Savannah--can/will be saved in the end?

We could have a whole section on "supposedly preserved steam/diesel most likely to be scrapped," except that would quickly descend into a flame-fest, for virtually every candidate on that list is also the target of at least some restorative/rescue work, and the "threat" has more to do with personality clashes than actual jeopardy (see 614, 2100, the Kepner collection, New Jersey's "state" collection, etc.).

*There's a wooden passenger car in a field along US 224 in Delphi, Ohio (east of Willard) that is supposedly a former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie diner. If the story of its heritage pans out, it would be a prime candidate for preservation.

The semaphore signals along the old Monon Railroad in Indiana.

Les

The EBT was on the Trust's list a few years ago. I wonder if that helped in any way.

I couldn't agree more, and I celebrate them for it! A gimmick which reliable generates an annual free publicity campaign is the definition of being good at your job when you are an advocacy organization. Good on them.

Yep. Moe said as much last night on Jim Lehrer.

JAC

While the listing of the EBT on the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places was of no _direct_ benefit, it was quite useful in conjunction with other titles to drive home the importance and vulnerability of the railroad. It was and still is an effective tool to emphasize how endangered the railroad is. It certainly increased awareness of the EBT.

Incidentally, the NTHP site used to have updates on all the sites named in past "11 most" lists, however they have removed this info in the latest iteration of their site. I found it an interesting yardstick on the success of the list as an advocacy method. As I recall about 1/4 were listed as secure, a few as lost, and the rest somewhere in between.

Trust me when I say I have no problem with the NTHP issuing this annual list. They wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't.

The thrust of my comments are:

1) the list is apparently not as effective as we'd like to think in actually "saving" these things (or else we'd be hearing much more about the success stories--and I suspect a few of the "success stories" would rub preservationists the wrong way as much as, say, the "preservation" of Reading 2100 has); and

2) The news media gobble this up like free prime rib when it's offered, because it's a completely pre-packaged instant news story that, at best, requires the re-write of the lead to focus on the "local" item on the list. It's laziness, pure and simple. Not to drag partisan politics into this discussion, but if/when the media eat up the "party line" of the president, the White House press corps gets accused of being "lap dogs" of the president. This annual NTHP list has joined my satirical calendar of "utterly predictable news stories that must be run annually in all media sources in exactly the same fashion"--such as "Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog's Day", "record number of travelers expected on Thanksgiving weekend", "watch these firecrackers blow apart a mannequin's hand on July 2", etc.

As I said before, I'd love to see a critical, investigative analysis of the history of the NTHP list, its successes and failures, and perhaps even an examination of the list's preparation process (and the politics involved). I'll never see it, however, because that would be so "politically incorrect" that the next moves would have to involve burning the flag, killing mom, smashing the apple pie, kicking puppies, and eating babies.

[/rant]

Justin,

I wish the efforts to save the Morehead and Northfork Railroad would have suceeded in at least placing it on the National Registry.

Unfortunately, the current owners shyed away from it when proposed.

This would have been a great tourist draw as it was mostly still in tact until 2001 when the mainline was pulled.

The yard is still mostly in place but there is no run around track any more.

I hope that someday, the owners will let go of #12 and she will find a good home.

The highway project has had a benefit though, the lot where the engine house is located has been cleaned up in preparation for the new bridge.

Take care,

JD Johnson, Morehead and North Fork Railroad Historian

JD -

Do you happen to know how the restoration of ex-M&NF 0-6-0 #14 is going? The last time I checked their website, the most current update was from 2004.

Les

Never been to EBT, Nevada Northern, Grand Canyon, or most others.
Can't really speak with any authority about anything except what is close to home. Living within a half block of the Chama yard and being in daily contact with the management and employees for six years has given me the unpleasant insight that the C&TS teeters on the brink of extinction every day that goes by.
NOT wishing to start a 'my railroad is worse off than yours' thread or a 'my railroad is more important than yours' discussion.
However, this fairly historically accurate international treasure has been nearly lost forever, several times in the past six years. It's hanging on by a thread. It would take very little to kill it.
http://www.goatbbs.com/cgi-bin/bbs50/webbbs_config.cgi

Alex,

The San Francisco Maritime Park is in the later phase of re-building the lumber schooner C. A. Thayer. She is on the National Register as a National Landmark.

I believe that we would not have gotten the money if she had not been on the list at one point. Crisis and publicity have their place in histooric preservation too.

You are so right about the East Broadtop; that is a site worth preserving if any one is! And I like the fact that it is narrow gauge also.

Ted Miles

The C&BC and Pemberton and Hightstown, later the PRR, had three yards with turntables in Burlington County NJ. Two are gone and the third is about to become a gas station with convenience store. Sad because all of the building foundations, turntable pit and 1.5 miles of ties are still there. But money talks and rateables rule! Good thing the station is listed or they might have gotten that too!

Later!
Mr. Ed