I'm doing a research paper for a graduate course in museum studies and my topic is to try and determine what is being done to document restoration work being done in relation to steam locos or similar industrial items. I'm looking for copies of evaluations of locos for restoration, proposals to do restorations, cosmetic or operational, and reports on work done. I've gotten material from the state museums in Nevada and California, have spoken with Steve Lee of UP, talked to some in the tourist RR industry, and have had help from some who do this work on a contract basis, but any other help would be appreciated. I'll also be using what I did when I headed up the cosmetic restoration of the Lake Street Elevated Forney loco at the Museum of Transportation. I will keep any dollar figures confidential if they are included, or you can black them out. I can be reached at (314)432-5626, and my address is 970 N. Spoede Rd #13, St. Louis, MO 63146. <br>



rdgoldfede@aol.com

This is a subject that certainly deserves more attention. I'm afraid that among volunteer museum groups, at least, restoration is seldom documented at all. The details are locked in somebody's head, and when that person is no longer available, the information is lost. At least that's been my experience, and it can be a very serious problem.<br> One person you should talk to, if you haven't already, is Glenn Guerra. I haven't seen him for a while and I'm not sure how to get hold of him, but I should think if you send a letter to East Troy it will get through to him eventually - he's supposed to be working on their Sheboygan car at Plymouth. He has quite a bit of experience in this field and is always stressing the importance of documenting the process.<br> I would be glad to post the report I wrote on the restoration of an interurban car. Have fun critiquing it. I'm not sure how to post it, however, not being much of an Internet expert. If nothing else works, I'll have to put it in an envelope.<p>Keep us posted on your findings. Thanks.<p>Question to moderator: What is the best way to submit a 20-page report? It's in MS Word format. I'd guess you don't want that much material in this message board. Alternately, I can probably cut it down to whatever length you can stand.<p>hicksra@mail*northgrum*com<br><br>

Your "large" file on documenting a restoration project sound like it would make a good article for the article page. I, for one, do not object to too much detail in an article such as that-- it's a good way to learn. Why not think about submitting it ?<br>



hpincus@mindspring.com