"What I do not understand about this particular thread is the connection being made between COVID and the operation of Baldwin 26 at STEA.

COVID and the responses suppress visitation. There are restrictions on capacity or distance and it's hard to be nostalgic when you are fearful.

Shuttle ridership is driven by the casual visitor who sees it as a part of their visit, not the purpose or the highlight. It allows people with small children to have a rid that does not tax a tot's patience.

"Baldwin 26 was built as a shop switcher so why not operate it as it was designed by having yard switching demonstrations a few times a day, weather permitting? This would be a great interpretive use of the locomotive, some of the beautiful rolling stock, and the yard itself. It would also be a great opportunity to teach the public about the interactions between crew members using the whistle and hand signals. All in the great outdoors with adequate social distancing, if necessary."

An almost perfect observation, with one tiny omission. It's also useful for crew training and development. You learn the peculiarities of the yard, to plan routes and work efficiently and if you dump the train, oh well it's not like you are holding up people sitting in coaches on a 95 degree day. A trainee engineer who smacks the freight consist a little too hard doesn't knock somebody down with all the risks that entails.

Until the dropping of the fire at the end of 1999, we did a lot of that sort of thing. There used to be a switching demonstration where we put two cars together and showed how to switch their order in the train, there was also a change for the kids to actually give a signal.

Then there was this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z_PZC_gpgI

I will tell you that we implored the former Superintendent to add a third trick to at least the weekend docket when a second or third engine was running because we learned a long time ago, visitors want to see movement. In such operations, you also get a much better chance to answer peoples' questions and give them a little safety reminder. Plus railroads were really a freight enterprise, so give the visitor some sense of that.

I miss sitting in the cupola or standing on the back end of the hack with a couple of freight cars pacing the excursion train to the east Mall Siding Switch fowling point and seeing all the people experiencing two trains at once-a lot of happy faces.

Occam’s razor doesn’t defend your argument when you’re the one making all of the assumptions.

Sup - I know ostensibly the thought process. My point is that the use of yard switching demonstrations would obviate the connection between the two. You parsed my post a bit too much. If they were two separate ideas I would have made two separate paragraphs.

I mentioned the yard demonstrations because it was something Kip and I had discussed as one of his goals in getting 26 back in steam.

Thanks for the reflections regarding 26's life prior to the rebuild. Seems so long ago.

I had to call my brother to verify but we both recall not being able to open windows on the Saturday trip that got hung up in the Nay Aug tunnel. It may have just been the particular coach we were in, I don’t remember the number.

I second this question. Who do we contact regarding our concerns? And if we choose to "skip over" the current super and go higher up - where do we go?

"I second this question. Who do we contact regarding our concerns? And if we choose to "skip over" the current super and go higher up - where do we go?"

Before I tell you this, I must tell you that the very purpose of the administrative state (bureaucracy) is to provide a sort of continuity that is immune to public concern. To some extent this is a necessity. You wouldn't want to find out that the license or permit exception you need at the Department of Widgets can't be considered, because poor Mrs. Kerbopple passed away suddenly and nobody else has access to Form 1314-F.

That's why bureaucracies are built with the element most resistant to damage in the universe-Redundancy. The problem with redundancy is it creates a collective responsibility and authority that vests in everybody and nobody at the same time with much more authority than responsibility. Responsibility is sparse and occasionally "arbitrary and capricious".

Consider the now retired first Superintendent of Steamtown. He completed the development phase of the operation, and ended up with one of the most coveted assignments in the NPS Gettysburg. Completely defensible and logical actions like eliminating the observation tower brought him enemies and he was hit up with charges of impropriety in replacing Eastern National with the Gettysburg Foundation.

https://www.doioig.gov/sites/default/fi ... -site1.pdf

Page 15 reveals something interesting. An employee was terminated for "blogging" during work hours.

What makes that interesting?

The Superintendent viewed porn at work.

And no, I'm not singling him out. You might remember this occurred en masse at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Of course, the IG investigation report did not reveal that; the Washington Post snagged an internal memorandum.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2 ... images4784

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/archi ... a8d04.html

He wasn't fired, he was reassigned, not terminated like the lower ranked employee who merely blogged at work and I think ended up at the Gettysburg Foundation for a bit. Note, the report mentioned the possibility, he disclaimed interest.

So who do you call? I'm not sure. The Regional Office is unlikely to be responsive, there's nothing you can tell them that they don't already know-or think they know. If you think you know of waste fraud or abuse, you can file a complaint with the Department of Interior Inspector General, but you see what happened with the former Superintendent there. Some of the worst decisions (i.e. failing to stabilize the storm damaged storage building, resulting in its partial collapse and safety mandated demolition, the give away of CP2816 to an alien corporation) were the responsibilities of the dead.

I once had some success with a concern by calling a former Senator (his office replied in writing in hours) but all I was asking for was a contact name. Toomey's on his way out and Casey is from Scranton, but I'm guessing if he hasn't rattled cages in the fifteen years he's been in the Senate-he won't now.

Then there's the Congressman, and I have no idea who that is anymore-Pennsylvania keeps losing seats, so boundaries are redrawn constantly.

I actually think things are going to get much worse, because I think we've crossed the event horizon. The brain drain in the last few years is astounding and I don't know how you train the next generation of people for engine service or mechanics without running trains.

I have no dog in this fight so I'm not going to touch the rest of that, but this comment puzzled me.

Why was this such a bad decision? One could argue that Canadian Pacific has taken far better care of 2816 during the last 23 years than Steamtown ever did, and therefore this action was in the best interest of the artifact.

"Why was this such a bad decision? One could argue that Canadian Pacific has taken far better care of 2816 during the last 23 years than Steamtown ever did, and therefore this action was in the best interest of the artifact."

It wasn't a bad decision in the sense that it found a better home.

I have no problem with it going there. I helped prepare the engine to go.

The problem is that the National Park Service is supposed to be protecting United States' properties; and I can't remember whether or not the engine was accessioned into the collection.

Not getting some fair market value exchange is a fiduciary breach for custodians and trustees.

It was a bad deal.

If I recall correctly, that's about the time CP was ditching their last GP-9's.

Me- I'd have said 2816 is yours in exchange for 7312 (The GP-38-2 that was named for long time D&H/CP/Steamtown engineer Bernie O' Brien and the former Lehigh Valley 312)

What did they receive for it?

I believe CP moved some surplus rolling stock for them at no charge.

"I believe CP moved some surplus rolling stock for them at no charge."

I don't think that happened and I don't think it was fair market value.

See here please: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41187&hilit=2816

If you have other information, please share.

Superheater wrote, above:

"The problem is that the National Park Service is supposed to be protecting United States' properties; and I can't remember whether or not the engine was accessioned into the collection.
Not getting some fair market value exchange is a fiduciary breach for custodians and trustees.
It was a bad deal."

From Section 6.6 of the "Recommended Practices" of the Heritage Rail Alliance:

"Whenever possible, and consistent with the museum's fiduciary responsibility, the museum should dispose of deaccessioned objects to other museums, historical organizations, or similar education institutions, and by means of gift, trade, or sale, in that order."

While it's unclear if SNHS, or the NPS itself, is a member of HRA (or is even able to be), the deaccession and disposal of CPR 2816 seems to reflect this standard museum practice, which is perhaps what one should expect of a place that amounts to a railroad museum, whether static or operating (and regardless of whether any trains are operating in 2021).

The "consistent with the museum's fiduciary responsibility" language is conspicuous, but so is the overarching principal of acting in the best interest of the deaccessioned artifact, preferably by giving it away to an entity which will do a better job of taking care of it, which CPR has undeniably done.

Superheater, it your problem with the "fact" that 2816 was gifted to the CPR directly, rather than to a museum? Is it actually the case that CPR received title, as opposed to via a charitable entity set up for the purpose? From the perspective of the Yoo-nited States Taxpayer, etc., blah blah, what difference does it make? It is not as though NPS had expended significant entrusted resources in the care and upkeep of the locomotive, nor in its acquisition.

I'm hard-pressed to understand your criticism of NPS apparently acting pretty much exactly as a responsible museum should act in respect to this artifact. I can think of a few more Canadian steam locomotives now rotting in Scranton that might also be well-served if NPS were to simply give them away to suitable organizations in Canada. Honestly, if the best we can come up with for retaining items like CPR 2929 or CNR 47 is their "railfan significance" (i.e., the only 4-4-4 in the USA, the only 2-6-4T etc) rather than actual historical significance whether to the Scranton site specifically, the region, or to American railroading in any way, shape or form, it's not very hard to understand why "our" expectations of Steamtown are different from what its directors, curators, etc. may conclude.

Thank you for citing Recommended Practices on Railway PRESERVATION News.

Wesley

"Superheater, it your problem with the "fact" that 2816 was gifted to the CPR directly, rather than to a museum? Is it actually the case that CPR received title, as opposed to via a charitable entity set up for the purpose? From the perspective of the Yoo-nited States Taxpayer, etc., blah blah, what difference does it make? It is not as though NPS had expended significant entrusted resources in the care and upkeep of the locomotive, nor in its acquisition."


My issue is the proper exercise of fiduciary duty.

There's a reason for process in these matters. Public announcements, sealed bids, Auctions (especially Vickrey auctions), all ensure that not only is the value of public assets maximized, but that individuals don't engage in self-dealing.