First, I'm a political independent who strongly dislikes both the DNC AND the RNC and the ignorant fools who run those organizations (not to mention some of the third party groups), so don't EVEN think of lumping me with any of those misbegotten idiots.

Second, I know goddamn well that CSRM bit off far more than it could chew when it took in the collection and that they did promise to take care of it (on paper), and the folks in charge there certainly deserve to be slammed hard for it; however as Andy points out below, politics were involved with the deal and at levels well above that of the CSRM. This was not just a simple goodwill donation; this was very much a part of the Santa Fe management's efforts to secure California's endorsement of the proposed merger with Southern Pacific. They knew damn well (or could've determined it if any of 'em had really cared) that CSRM didn't have proper storage facilites for the entire collection and that it could end up sitting outside exposed to the elements and the scum who've vandalized it.

Like I said, Santa Fe management was far more interested in cleaning up the railroad's property (including disposing of "unnecessary" structures and equipment) and in completing the merger than in what happened to a historic collection that deserved to be in the hands of a museum or historical organization that could and would take proper care of it. Go ahead and waste more hot air on this of you want; I've already wasted enough time here.