I'm going to have to agree with Junior on this. Why save these pieces of cars when there are other more worthy projects out there. Heck there are some MILW cars languishing out there right now looking for owners that would be a better use of limited funds than these small pieces of car bodies.

Kevin O

Junior,

Your argument would hold water if there was one overarching organization that was undertaking the preservation of all railroad history in the US. However, this nation is full of many different people and groups, each with their own dreams and goals. The problems facing the RRMPA are of no consequence to the people in Montevideo. The money that the Milwaukee Road museum would raise to incorporate the skytop bodies into their facility would NOT be money that would otherwise have gone tothe RRMPA, or any other rail preservation effort. It is most likely local money raised from local sources or from Milwaukee Road fans. You are comparing apples and oranges.

The only thing that matters is whether the members of the Milwaukee Road museum deem this project to be worthy of their time and efforts, and whether that museum's funders feel that it is a worthy project. All of our disparate railway preservation projects are truly local in nature, funded locally and important to a local audience.

Instead of chastising a group out in Minnesota for pursuing a project that they feel is in their best interest, perhaps turn that energy inward and address the rotted out hulks in your own back lots.

First, I wasn't chastising this group solely. It was a blanket statement.... and with so many different groups out there, it does present a problem, whereas a single overarching organization may not have the same problems. Each case can be treated differently. I would think for arguments sake, you would understand the point.

Yes, certain groups of railfans will donate to particular causes (I think its quite safe to say the Trolley preservation community is the best example of this type of 'dedicated' funding source), but we ALL know that time and again, it has been proven that the Railfan does not fully support any one museum or operation, but rather it is the John and Jane Doe who know not a darn thing about trains other than they like them and will donate to a certain extant or the said Corporation who has a yearly alloted amount of "charitable monies" to dispense, who really pump out the dollars for each of these causes.

Sure, you may very well see them raise the needed funds for this project and thats great. But for arguments sake, what happens when the next project comes up there or at another nearby museum and jsut so happens to be a significant item worth preservation beyond anyone's comprehension and the average Joes say, "hey, that's nice and all what you're doing, but I just gave to that other train organization last month...aren't you guys all the same?" or when the corporation says "sorry, we've given out our yearly allotment to the museum over there"...what is left?

My point was, with SO MANY different Rail-preservation groups (some who are rather "fly by night") trying to feed off the same dollars, both public and private, it's getting to be a smaller and smaller pool to pull those dollars from. The Rail Preservation Community needs to factor that in, when making their decisions.

Right now we are in a stage where there is an abundance of OLD equipment, long out of service, and even longer since being repaird, that is being offered or sitting around awaiting funding. When the rail preservation movement really started to take hold in the late 50's and early 60's, equipment was just coming out of service, parts supplies were abundant and so was the knowledge among the peoples. Regulations were time tested and rather lenient. Today, that cannot be said. There is a reversal of rolls in a sense. The rules have changed and are often much more stringent, there is an abundant supply of very old equipment but with fewer knowledgeable people and even littler supplies sources to economically restore this equipment without having to find "specialized" shops and or individuals to do the work - often at a far greater expense than the item is worth. Sure, worth is in the eye of the beholder, but the old "robbing Peter to pay Paul" routine only works for so long.

Again, not just talking about these Skytops, but the whole notion that "as much as possible must be saved NOW" often with complete disregard as to how it will be preserved phsyically and financially for the future.

I too agree. This whole business concerning taking steam locmotives and dropping them in the middle of parks is just the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Did the whole world forget that metal rusts? I was reading an article about preserving steam locomotives that was published in the 60's, and in the article, the author claims that a steam locomotive on display will outlast the sphinx! Provided it gets painted ever 1000 years. Working on 6167, the amount of damage that its sustained in just over 40 years on display is staggering. I've found thick blocks of metal that have just complety corroded, laminated and disintegrated.

Then there is the huge head ache of trying to look after these things. A few hundered thousand dollars for asbesots abatement here, another couple thousand for sandblasting there and so forth.

After my experiences, I really wish they didn't save as much as they did. And with all the derelict steam locomotives sitting in parks all across Canada and the US, its just a matter of time now before the cutting torches start coming out.

It's a case of simple adaptive re-use. It happens all of the time and it's one of those things that you can never predict. What if a local tourist railroad bought the shell and then cut down a MU trailer and re-installed the shell. It's their equipment and money. A lo of people might not like it but who is to say that it is any better or worse than turning an old roundhouse into a brew pub or furniture store? If you have the money then you get to do whatever you want.

Speaking of Brew Pubs and Furniture stores, I like how that museum now has to store virtually the entire collection outdoors and without any sort of security at all. I see that the building gets vandalised on a regular basis (graffiti and even the occasional broken window), so I really do wonder how all this equipment (which had been stored inside the roundhouse for over 25 years) will fair now that it all has to sit out in the open...

I guess it's a sort of a blessing managed MRHC to get the remains of those MILW Skytops from the wreak Lansdowne. I remember years ago when they both parked on the waterfront in downtown Detroit next to Cobo Center, now the Detroit Princess docks their. Hopefully they can piece together something from the remains.