Much like any other organization, CSRM has evelved and changed in many ways over the past 28+ years. The people, both paid and volunteer, have changed, and circumstances have changed, too. Not saying it's all good or all bad, just that it has changed, and will continue to change.

There once was a time when certain staffers thought the mission of the museum was to turf out all the other, "amatuer" museums in the area, and a time when they thought that they were automatically entitled to receive anything they wanted from the railroads. There was time when they grabbed anything and everything, either because they needed it to add to an interpretation, or simply because they didn't want any other museum to get it (whether it fit into CSRM's mission or not).

Too, there was disagreement over what to restore or even whether to restore, some or all of the equipment. And as time went by, it seemed to some of us outsiders that budget cuts seemed to fall far more heavily on the restoration shop and staff than it did on, say, the number of park rangers or office staff.

State financial support has also changed, as has the state and local political situation.

No doubt, things will continue to evolve here, and we won't like some of the ways things go. In that respect, it's almost the Steamtown of the west. But it's way better than nothing!