Brian Westgate Wrote:
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> So how do train-haters come to power at a . . .
> railroad museum?

Because it started as a trolley museum, and even though it evolved into a museum including all aspects of rail technology, many of the trolley people resented it and want the non-trolley equipment excluded. In museums across the country where both trolleys and trains are preserved, it's often seen that the "train" people think the trolleys are fine but the "trolley" people are against the trains. At trolley-only museums, the members are often anti-train as well. I've seen this personally in a number of places. It's as if the trolley fans feel threatened because they see themselves as a dying breed. The interesting thing about the WRM situation is that the avowed electric-only types managed to get rid of lots of stuff they didn't want (much of it going to Portola), but oddly kept certain other non-electric things like the Pullmans and the WP ten-wheeler. Seems a bit hypocritical, eh?

Some years ago, I was part of a group touring a trolley museum on the East Coast. Despite their electric focus, they had one steam locomotive. Our guide dismissed it with something like, "Nobody likes it or wants it here, and everyone wishes it would go away." Shortly after, we find out that every time they have local politicians, VIPs, or prospective donors visit, they take them for a ride behind--you guessed it--the steam engine.