Can anybody recall any rail-car restorations that the PLA has finished other than open cars in the last 5 years? Definitely one of the most unorganized groups I've seen. When are people going to begin to realize that you cant finish a project with only one person working on it at a time, and that you need to finish a project before starting another. Take the diner for instance, its been on shop trucks for almost two years now, and because of that, they have decided that nothing at all can be done as if 15 years hasn't been long enough.

Lets not forget that the total of cars on the property has got to be reaching close to 100, a very good percentage of which is just rotting away. You cant save everything folks. All your doing is wasting your money away.

Guess its right in line with an organization that doesn't think of itself as a tourist railway, museum, or a business. Its a drinking CLUB centered around the steam department who do nothing but destroy any piece of equipment on the property they don't like, and alienate any member that doesn't fit in with their methodology of thinking(i really hate to admit it but they are the only semi-organized individuals on the property aside from Mr Wise and his works of art whom i see as a separate entity from the PLA and deserves the utmost in respect). Then turn around and bash the Golden Gate Railroad Museum to everyone they meet spilling tales of "careless GGRM switch crews" even though they cannot back up their stories with any bit of fact other than saying "they just arent safe". Mind you, everyone is required to be put through the NCRY train crew "qualification" classes despite the fact that pretty much everyone who operates for GGRM are retired or current Class 1 railroaders, and are 100% supervised by NCRY MOPs and have yet to be found in violation of any rules or regulations. Sounds like a group of people who obviously have no idea what they are doing and would never care for the priceless pieces of history stored on the property. Yea. Right. Get real.

I could only sit through one board meeting before vowing to never go to another. Instead of conducting business, it was 45 minutes of story time and another hour of everyone yelling back and forth saying, "we cant do this because of this and cant do that because of them".

Lets not even go in to the maintainence of the cars. Oh heck why not. See those pretty freight cars in their photo freights? A petition was made with the FRA to get 40 year extensions so they could be used for such service. Last year the FRA denied all but one car because of defective equipment. Yet they are still using them as evidenced by the last Steamfest as well as last weekends "Winterail" festivities. And the passenger cars? That primer grey coach was well known by the operating department to have ran for almost two years every sunday, charter, and train of lights with near dual flanges because of improperly adjusted brake rigging. there was almost a 3/4 inch dish in the wheel when it came off. I cant think of any cars that have current COT&S dates, let alone brake valves rebuilt in this century (almost all UC equipment). Most of the diaphragms are resting on their respective cars couplers. And the upholstery is all falling apart on the seats. All the wooden window frames are rotting and now begining to fall apart. And people blindly stumble off the train when the cars are used when the sun is down (other than train of lights) because there is near zero vestibule lighting. And the flooring in some cars is becoming more of a tripping hazard than anything bringing upon them great liability.

I think i've said enough. Does this sound like an organization that deserves another piece of railroading history for the moment to you? I would like to see this piece go to a place where it is certain that it will be cared for with the utmost in respect.

I wish the PLA good fortune, and I hope to someday see the PLA make the same attempts to make nice with the GGRM as they have to the PLA and all must remember that both organizations are in it for the same reason (or at least better be) and thats rail history and preservation. Currently i see the future looking pretty bleak for an organization who has has such great and noteworthy achievements in its past. But i continue paying my membership dues only for the weekly dose of low priced entertainment.

Flame away

Disgruntled Member