There were some comments here about WRM not progressing. I think the biggest hit to WRM came when the State of CA built a direct competitor: that gorilla called CSRM in Sacramento.

It's really an ultimate irony that WRM, which tells the story of private railways put out of business by government transportation is itself being put out of business by government (CSRM). Irony! Man, that is an angle the museum should take in marketing itself... the struggle between private enterprise and big government. Get the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford to write an article about WRM!

Well, WRM is criticized for running off the steam and diesel disciplines. Yeah, that was a waste of resources, waste of emotional energy, and a decision with a negative rate of return. They should have kept diesels and steam to give the place more interest.

Well at least WRM was never massively negligent with artifacts, the way CSRM was with its Santa Fe collection. Gotta hand it big government to mess things up in a big way.