Re: RR Museums
Author: THAT guy
Date: 04-17-2011 - 08:44
DH Wrote:
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> I do stay away and I don't donate time and money
> any more to ones that I know squander their human
> and material resources. Not every railroad museum
> is well managed. I feel no compelling reason to
> use my volunteer time any longer to help them sort
> matters out.
> I still support museums that seem to preserve
> history and take care of their members.
>
> As for my personal collection, I hope to sell it
> off rather donate it. I've seen too much donated
> material lost, forgotten, sold, or pilfered by
> museum staff.
>
> P.S. Only the strongest RR museums will survive
> the next 20 years.
Yep! AND...I've personally noted 'custodians of collections' cherry-pick recent media collections for their own, then box everything up and shove it in a boxcar. OERM is now more than 50 (!!) years old, and you still can't get a copy of a print, even if they knew they had it. In all fairness, they are starting serious efforts for a library research facility, but that's still years and many, many dollars away.
How many diesel switchers do you need to restore while so many more fragile things get neglected?
Good, wood bodied/framed equipment left to rot while someone's favorite steel car gets all the money and time- then doesn't get finished anyway!
Good policies implemented, then not followed one iota. Where does it go from here...?
My son will get my entire collection God willing. Nothing will be donated.
Yet, in all my bashing I have to say that if it weren't for these museums and amusement parks (Knott's), it all would have been scrapped years ago.