And it's a shame that is their policy... I bet people would pay good money (i.e. some cash flow for the museum) if there were exclusive photo charters on Strasburg using some of the museum's rolling stock.

Yes, it would be a win-win for everyone involved.

Okay, for the love of all that is holy......

1) The cost to overhaul any of the Museum's potentially operable locomotives would exceed $1 million in today's money. (We can make exceptions for a few odd pieces like the PRR GP30 currently in CR paint it never had, or the Lehigh Valley RDC, both of which arrived in operable condition.) I'm not even sure the Strasburg would agree to a lease on, say, the H10 or whatever on terms that would pay for such an overhaul now, let alone want to use the GP30, etc. (How many charters were run while the Reading FP7's were in town? Maybe two in fifteen years....)

2) The Strasburg RR is possibly THE WORST POSSIBLE excursion line to hold an "exclusive" event upon. It's close to major metro population areas. Every crossing is wide open. You can "crash" at a wide variety of locations. Unless you have J. Monty Burns' snarling hounds or shooting drones chasing people off, "freeloaders" with or without drones can get into just about every possible decent photo location on the railroad--the exact opposite of the Cumbres & Toltec, Cass, etc.

3) To completely disprove your pie-in-the-sky fantasies: How close is the LIRR G5, a PRR-design steamer perfectly profiled for Strasburg operation, to being fully funded for restoration after HOW MANY YEARS?!?!?!? And IT'S ALREADY THERE!!!!!!

4) Strasburg pretty much has it all already. You want small steam? It's there. Big steam? A 2-10-0 ain't big enough? Authentic Pennsylvania coach? What, the Ma & Pa 20 won't cut it? Operation to photograph? See #2 above. First-Class and "Business Car" service? It's there. Hell, they had mixed trains for a while, WITH STEAM!
You want faster and longer and bigger? The Reading & Northern is just a few miles away!

YES, it's nice to have SOME stuff potentially operable for special events or "demonstrations" so you're not accused of being a "mausoleum." But the more practical answers, like the B&O Museum's ex-PRR/MARC cars behind a switcher, won't satisfy a lot of fanatics. But they sure seem to satisfy enough of the people that count--the ones buying tickets!

Hang on - when were the Reading units there at the museum?

Why would a museum spend a million dollars and then not want people to see it?

Train people are a unique kind of crazy!!!!

No, the "unique kind of crazy" is the one that said:



So, which is it?

Do we want everyone to publicly see it at no direct cost to them (which means the same place that can't get the money for a roundhouse now has to get MORE money to make them operable, in contradiction of modern museum conservation practices), OR do we want "exclusive private charters" to supposedly pay for these restorations?

Let me tell you the PROPER answer:
Neither.

MANY times over 20+ years.........

out-of-date Philly NRHS page at http://www.trainweb.org/phillynrhs/FP7A.htm



http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... ?id=245211

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1019764

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1063297

That’s your opinion, not mine.

No. That's not an opinion. That's bloody reality.

The Railroad Museum of Pa., unless we start seeing the Commonwealth deaccessioning the entire Pa. Historic & Museum Commission into private hands after some versions of Argentina's new president takes over both the USA and the Commonwealth, IS NOT going to allow the deaccession or lease of its "artifacts" for restoration to operation in the 21st century. It doesn't matter how you wish to fund such missions. The only opinion in all this is that I think that's how it should be, for the protection of the artifacts.

Don't get me wrong; I'm glad many others and I got the privilege to see and ride behind "7002" and 1223, and cars like PRR 3556 and WM 1006, both in Strasburg service and on the main line. But by now I'd consider myself lucky just to ride an original Santa Fe El Capitan bilevel anywhere in Santa Fe territory.............

We may be more realistic in hoping the Smithsonian tries to fire up the John Bull in 2031.

Or, let's look at the other option:
Your share of the "PRR mixed freight charter" is $6,935. Pay in advance.

I told customers when giving tours that we’d never see southern steam on the mainline again and that nobody would ever restore a big boy.

I’ve now learned to never say never.

The museum changed its mind once, it can change its mind again.

Museums don't have minds. They suffer (and occasionally benefit) from having many minds involved, each with their own perspective, goals, and interests which can occasionally merge enough to allow for something to happen. Just considering the multitude of varying opinions offered in this and the Mainline Steam thread from people who belong here due to a common interest show how divergent common interests can be.....

Wow - a classic case of someone not reading closely enough. My original reply clearly said rolling stock. No mention of motive power as that is a clear prohibiting cost driver.

Why so eager to jump down someone's throat and rant?

No it's not.

It's NOT the museum's job to provide a spectacle or even make money.

It's the museum's job to preserve the artifacts in its care for the observation and study of future generations.

As much as I would LOVE to see 1223, 7002, or 1187 under steam and running around, I ALSO understand that the entire purpose of them being IN a museum is not just so that I can see them and understand what they are and how they worked but so that people in the future can too.

Adding something like PTC to 1223 would forever change its nature and would conceivably make people in the future believe that PRR had installed it themselves.

I have no idea where anyone has suggested restoring and/or operating the museum's motive power in the previous replies to this threat, so I won't make further comment on that since almost everyone agrees it's not feasible given the museum's current stance and goals.

You are correct that it's not the museum's job to make money. You are also correct that it's the museum's job to preserve the artifacts in it's care for future generations. If the current state funding, the current event offerings, and current flow of donation money are not able to sufficiently fund the preservation of the museum's pieces (and stabilize the deteriorating ones in the yard/provide cover for them in the future), then perhaps the museum should look into more ways to stimulate money coming in - hence my comment.

Do you have any suggestions on how the museum could help raise funds for preservation and stabilization of it's artifacts outside of the museum's current offerings?

Multiple posts claim it’s wrong for a museum to restore equipment to operating condition and operate it. So is Nevada State, TVRM, Illinois Railway Museum, California State, etc. all wrong?

If those operations are wrong I don’t want to be right!!!!