Why Could Not Steamtown Have Stayed Private?

Taylor Rush · **Joined:** Tue Sep 21, 2004 1:32 pm **Posts:** 114

The Star Cinema in Stayton, Oregon you can see the latest films for $5. Popcorn is a couple bucks for a tub, candy is $2, and a large soda is $2. Five of us saw The Avengers on opening night and got drinks and junk food for everbody for just over $40.

Taylor

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 10:53 pm

railfan261 wrote:

Why could not Steamtown have stayed private? Was there no other way short of government intervention to save it? I value the preservation of steam locomotives so it is no sweat off my back government money funds Steamtown, but still, wasn't there any way Steamtown USA could have stayed just that and not have to have swapped the initals "USA" for "NHS"?

There are three possible types of enterprise.

1. The private sector: For-profit companies
2. The public sector: Government
3. The civic sector: Non-profit organizations

Now let me put it to you this way:

Successful for-profit tourist railroads in Michigan:
1990- Adrian & Blissfield

Failed for-profit tourist railroads in Michigan:
1932-1961 East Jordan & Southern
1962-1985 Marquette & Huron Mountain
1964-1988 Cadillac & Lake City
1978-1982 Boyne City RR
1980-198x? Keewenaw Central
1984-2006 Coe Rail
1988-1989 Little Traverse Scenic Railroad
1989-1991 Kalamazoo Lake Shore & Chicago
1989-1995 Leelenau Scenic RR
1990-1994 Alanson & Petoskey
199?-200? Grand Traverse Dinner Train
1999-1999 Chesaning & Owosso RR
2006-2010 Michigan Air Line

Successful government historic railways in Michigan:
Huckleberry Railroad

Suspended government historic railways in Michigan:
1976-2003 Detroit Citizens Railway "on haitus"

Successful nonprofit railroad museums in Michigan:
1929- Henry Ford Museum
1969- Project 1225 aka SRI
1973- Michigan Transit Museum
1996- Buckley Railroad
1982- Southern Michigan RR
1975- Little River Railroad
1996- Coopersville & Marne

Failed nonprofit railroad museums in Michigan:
[none]

Any questions?

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Mon May 07, 2012 11:29 pm

On the subject of bargain theaters, I have a few examples not too far from Martinsburg, W.Va.

The Shepherdstown Opera House features music, movies, and stage work, all appropriate for a theater dating back to 1909. General feature films, usually of the art-house type, are $9.50, but there are reduced price showtimes for as little as $3.00, and older films, such as "Casablanca," show up regularly on "Retro Wednesdays:"

http://www.operahouselive.com/index.php

A bit downgrade, but also a lot cheaper, is the Delco Cinema in the Delco Plaza in Winchester, Va. The last time I went all tickets were $2.50 (they may be $3.00 now), and the popcorn isn't expensive, either. Be forewarned, though, this in a shopping plaza that is on a website for "dead malls."

http://www.whitepages.com/business/delc ... ester-va-1

http://www.moviefone.com/theater/kleebe ... /showtimes

History for everybody, including shopaholics:

http://www.deadmalls.com/

http://deadmalls.com/index.html

http://deadmalls.com/features.html

http://deadmalls.com/malls/delco_plaza_mall_va.html

The Star Theater in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. has tickets at $3.75; they are also in an older building, and want to be just a fun movie place that's a bargain:

http://www.starwv.com/

http://www.starwv.com/wordpress/star-theatre/

http://www.starwv.com/wordpress/star-theatre/history/

http://www.starwv.com/wordpress/star-th ... rn-recipe/

Now, if only we could get some good rail movies, better than "Unstoppable," which wasn't as terrible as some others--in fact, a fellow I know who's into film and runs a local media company enjoyed it quite a bit--but we didn't need a freight train balancing on the wheels of only one side, the blooming thing isn't a monorail. . .

LVRR2095 · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 4:59 pm

The Roxy Theatre in Northampton, PA is $3.00 per seat. It is a fabulous restored movie theatre complete with a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ. Behind the theatre is the NS's "Lehigh Line" which is the old LC&N Lehigh and Susquehanna RR mainline.
http://www.roxytheaternorthampton.com/index.htm

Keith

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Tue May 08, 2012 5:52 pm

"The Roxy Theatre in Northampton, PA is $3.00 per seat. It is a fabulous restored movie theatre complete with a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ."

Shhhhh!! Don't tell my wife, she likes pipe organs, and will suggest, as women do, that we spend gas money to go there!! Anymore, even for local stuff, that's more than the tickets and popcorn and dinner, too!!

"Behind the theatre is the NS's "Lehigh Line" which is the old LC&N Lehigh and Susquehanna RR mainline."

After reading that, I couldn't resist:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33202

Mark Z. Yerkes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:47 pm **Posts:** 486

ok guys, I was being sarcastic. This has gone WAY off topic.

railfan261 · **Joined:** Fri Apr 27, 2012 6:30 pm **Posts:** 226

Re-railing this topic -

So in essance, I take it nobody other than a railfan as rich as F. Nelson Blount could have kept Steamtown a private venture?

Too bad we lost Blount so soon after he founded it, btw. What would have happened had he lived?

CanPac2317 · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2012 4:01 pm

railfan261 wrote:

Re-railing this topic -

So in essance, I take it nobody other than a railfan as rich as F. Nelson Blount could have kept Steamtown a private venture?

Too bad we lost Blount so soon after he founded it, btw. What would have happened had he lived?

Too many variables to paint an accurate picture as to what exactly would have happened, realistically. Those more experienced with the early days of Steamtown could better comment.

M Austin · **Joined:** Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:05 am **Posts:** 489

railfan261 wrote:

Too bad we lost Blount so soon after he founded it, btw. What would have happened had he lived?

Blount and Jerry Jacobsen would be locked in a heated contest to see which could build the biggest roundhouse!

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2012 7:24 am

The winner would have had to be Blount; he had that l-o-n-g Big Boy to put away. . .

J3a-614 · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2012 7:31 am

In all honesty, was Vermont a good location? For that matter, is Scranton? And most importantly, how good are we as businessmen and women? Let's face it, many of us are short on that end of the skill set. I should know, I'm an auditor, and I or anybody else in the accounting field can tell you at least half of the people in business shouldn't be in business.

There's also the matter of plain old luck in being at the right place in the right time. Again, based on 30 years in my line of work, I would say that is fully half of the secret of "success" in a business venture. All the rest of your skill, work, discipline, and all the rest that supposedly makes capitalism work is only half of what you really need; you also need that luck element, too, and that's something out of your hands entirely.

tomgears · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2012 7:32 am

It would have taken the commitment to invest a huge private fortune into keeping the collection going and not to mention sooner or late he would have died anyway. Steamtown fared much better than the Paulson Spence collection and just look at the Stewartstown predicament with the George Hart estate.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2012 12:51 pm

J3a-614 wrote:

In all honesty, was Vermont a good location? For that matter, is Scranton? And most importantly, how good are we as businessmen and women? Let's face it, many of us are short on that end of the skill set. I should know, I'm an auditor, and I or anybody else in the accounting field can tell you at least half of the people in business shouldn't be in business.

There's also the matter of plain old luck in being at the right place in the right time. Again, based on 30 years in my line of work, I would say that is fully half of the secret of "success" in a business venture. All the rest of your skill, work, discipline, and all the rest that supposedly makes capitalism work is only half of what you really need; you also need that luck element, too, and that's something out of your hands entirely.

I'm conjuring one of those "internet meme" posters of this situation:

WHERE TO LOCATE THE RAILROAD MUSEUM?
Where the History Committee chose: Cumbres/Orbisonia/Wiscassett/Spencer/Baltimore
Where the Restoration Shop Chose: Arizona/New Mexico/Nevada desert
Where the Operations Department Chose: Flat, straight, level welded rail
Where the Railfans Chose: Altoona/Cass/Scranton/St. Louis/Roanoke
Where the Tourist Marketing Committee Chose: Orlando/Greenfield Village/Durango/Williams/Las Vegas/Conway
Where the Politicians Chose: Scranton/Sacramento/Griffith Park/Strasburg
Where The Guy With The Money Chose: Vermont/Ohio/Upper Peninsula Michigan/Williams

Where the Patrons and Benefactors Chose After The Above Processes: ....... ?????

Mark Z. Yerkes · **Joined:** Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:47 pm **Posts:** 486

J3a-614 wrote:

In all honesty, was Vermont a good location? For that matter, is Scranton? And most importantly, how good are we as businessmen and women? Let's face it, many of us are short on that end of the skill set. I should know, I'm an auditor, and I or anybody else in the accounting field can tell you at least half of the people in business shouldn't be in business.

There's also the matter of plain old luck in being at the right place in the right time. Again, based on 30 years in my line of work, I would say that is fully half of the secret of "success" in a business venture. All the rest of your skill, work, discipline, and all the rest that supposedly makes capitalism work is only half of what you really need; you also need that luck element, too, and that's something out of your hands entirely.

It was initially in Vermont because Blount lived in New England. Scranton was chosen because it was more of an economic center than Bellows Falls. It still could be, if the place was used right.