I have had notes not this for a while, but wanted to sit back for a while to see what other people thought (and for the more practical matter that I have had precious little free time to write an adequate response).

The responses made so far highlight three different ways that a list can work. The first is to have a total list of equipment that is, or soon will be of interest to preservationists. There are a few examples of this already on line: Frank Hicks has compiled a master list of electric railway equipment that included that used by steam roads. It can be viewed at: http://www.bera.org/pnaerc.html . There is a list of surviving Baldwin Locomotives available at: http://yardlimit.railfan.net/baldwindiesels/existing/roster/index.html . In the UK the Vintage Carriages Trust has a survey of carriages and wagons – which includes those exported to North America: http://www.vintagecarriagestrust.org/surveystatus.htm . These lists are fact based, and are not composed with a view toward identifying what is most endangered.

The US preservation effort is handicapped by not having such a list. While it is presently beyond the capability of RYPN to initiate such an effort it is something that is definitely within reach. If any of you reading this are seriously interested in seeing such a project be carried out, please contact me off-line via the e-mail link below.

For those individuals and organizations that are actually going to acquire something for preservation – such lists are indispensable for knowing what is out there and for appraising the condition and integrity of any one item against others that are extant. Preservation organizations and individuals may very well want to follow a procedure similar to that outlined by Bob Crowley earlier in this thread to create a individualized most-endangered or preservation-priority list. (This is the second type of list)

The third type of list is the Most Endangered list, in the form issued by the National Trust for Historic Places and numerous other historic preservation organizations. As others have aptly identified, these lists are created primarily for consumption for the general public. While preservationists may or may not be aware of these places, the list does not in any way constitute a formal statement of preservation priorities. There are four elements to make such an effort successful. First the larger significance of the object has to be known and concisely expressed. Simply stating that is object threatened, is old, or the last from Xy&Z lines does not suffice. Second, the issuing organization should have a website that provides a quick means to address the response from the general public “what can I do?” – asking for a donation at this point does not suffice, is a bit crass. Third, the organization should have recognition within the wider historic preservation community. RYPN is about half way to two-thirds of the way there – and I have some ideas on the heat that will bring us the rest of the way there. The fourth element is selecting objects that the general public can relate to and where there is a realistic chance for preservation to occur. This is primarily an editorial decision – when that time arrives, however, nominations will be requested.

In the mean time, I would like to restate the call for statements of significance about railroad equipment, buildings, potential archaeological sites, archival collections, etc. The National Park Service’s guidelines for statements of significance for completing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places is the standard form expected in applications for public and private grants, and by the growing number of individuals who use such statements for historical research. It takes practice to write effective statements. We would welcome the submission of polished drafts, from which the authors could request comments on via the interchange. By working together we can improve the collective quality of our work and identify and avoid common pitfalls. Likewise, such statements would be helpful in composing a master-list of surviving equipment, or a RYPN most endangered list.

The National Park Service has an excellent website on how to compose a statement of significance as part of their bulletin on preparing nominations to the National Historic Register (which has lots of other useful information too)

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nhl/index.htm

Tom Cornillie