There is a great deal of imagination and enthusiasm in many of the postings on RYPN, but there is sometimes a lack of practical managerial experience evident. The cost of failure in railroad preservation is very high. Impractical plans that are incorrectly estimated, and inefficiently executed can not only discourage staff and volunteers, they can dry up contributions and head the museum or the equipment down the track to the scrap yard. I suspect that the money I have seen wasted so far by organizations that chose to pursue impractical projects would be close to the price of a brand new diesel-electric passenger locomotive. In a few cases the money spent trying to make something "run" would have covered the cost of constructing a building to house and protect the equipment.

Preservation is a business, and it needs to be run as a successful business in order to perpetuate the organization and maintain the collections. Good ideas and management practices that work well, need to be identified and shared, and that includes ideas from non-rail preservation organizations. RYPN can make a significant contribution to preservation as a forum for discussing and sharing such information, provided that we are willing to listen and learn from the experiences of others.

PC

I am one of those who enjoys infusing the board with an occasional pun or twist of humor. It comes from my background in education. If everything is taken seriously, as in dealing with a crisis, I fear topics grind down into boredom and witless gnashing of teeth. That being said, those who are making a difference, or who have a "track" record Ross Rowland being one of them, Project 6069, Joe 6167, and others, deserve to be encouraged and given encouragement and positive kudos, every time they undertake something voluminous and new.
What rakes my coals is the infusion of political rhetoric, blaming some undefined group you don't like, as being the source for all your problems and frustration. Repeating canned inanities is hardly constructive, and show lack in individual thought.
The other serious flaw in this board is the singular know-it-all who puts everybody "in their place" with his universal criticism.
Keeping this board positive, uplifting, encouraging,and problem solving seems a difficult task at best. Those who make the jobs of moderators more difficult, should be shown the door.