Hi friends,

We had a very cool day at the Railroad Museum of PA yesterday, at least as far as RYPN posters go. I finally got to meet Scott Kwiatowski. Dave Collison was there, and it was great to meet him. And Nick Zmijewski who works there - and organized the entertainment.

Pennsy Days was the theme of the weekend. After I did my PRR milk train preso, Scott did an hour on what goes into saving, restoring and operating your own rolling stock.

It was one of the most honest, open and helpful presentations on preservation you could ask for. There didn't seem any detail Scott wouldn't talk about and give advice on. His handout package went even further into detail.

I'm not sure he wants to hit to the lecture circuit full time, but I highly recommend any chance to hear him speak. Good stuff.

Now, about taking the plunge into that first piece of rolling stock...

Rob

PS: In one of the those moments that reminds you need to get out to and talk to people as much as possible, after mentioning that I hit a dead-end on some information about the eastbound counterpart of train RJ-11, the empty milk train westbound out of Jamaica, NY, a gentleman stood up and shared with the room that he worked the extra board right around the start of WWII and that he often drew RJ-11 but never saw the loads go east! What I have wondered about for weeks, he has wondered about for 70 years! :-)

I know it is cliche to say, but people with these stories, especially articulate and pleasant people like this gent, need to be heard. It made an already great day even better.

Our thanks to you and Scott for your willingness to share your information and donate your personal time to travel and present it. And it should also be noted that Nick and Deborah have done an excellent job of seeking and scheduling interesting speakers for the special events at the museum. The way that the RMPA programs are operated is a fine example of a museum that is actively pursuing the educational goals that are a part of museum mission statements.

PC

Rob,

Are sure you have the right guy? Thanks for your kind words.

Your presentation was quite informative also. It was clearly a big hit with the crowd. And after with the mob that stuck around to speak with you, well, your a rock star man!

Scott

You should see lots of requests to show your programs. I noticed at least three local groups in this area had asked for program volunteers this month in their newsletters. Unfortunately that is probably a six hour drive (or more) each way from your location. Program chairpersons tell me the recession, the large number of retirements, plus the widespread switch to digital media have cut way down on the number of people who are doing new presentation projects.

PC

Might it be possible to have Scott's presentation posted here? Or, if we really want to get crazy, it's possible to setup virtual presentations where somebody is infront of a webcam and the whole world can watch. I'm not necessarily suggesting that, but just throwing the idea out there. As time goes on I keep thinking more and more about attempting to pick up a car or caboose, but the logistics of owning something like that just scare the bejesus out of me. Information on what to expect could be very useful to a number of people in similar situations.

I for one would like to see Scott's presentation. Can anyone that was able to attend share scans of the documents he handed out? Thanks.