A Consolidation of Museums?

[wallyworld]

The larger subject of where do we run the comparatively few engines we have outside of a few miles of low speed museum track or a short line once in a while has been on mind. I think one advantage the British appear to have is running room so these beasts can stretch their legs. I am not suggesting that a miracle would occur that the Class Ones would allow this let alone the insurance issues, logistics and so forth..but what interesting and someone please correct me if I am wrong but it seems the UK has a comparative abundance of privately preserved stretches of track in excellently maintained condition...engineered for speed. We seem to have engines without track....how any engines just languish? I was thinking of the SF SP and SP&S engines....you know a lot of museums have the title of "National"...but really arent in scope...I sometimes wonder if ( down the road) there would be perhaps a merging of regional interests and museums into a truly national one. Would there be an economy of scale? IRM sees to be the closest fit...the variety of equipment is amazing...even Steam Town seems short of falling short of a truly national scope....I visited there and while I know funds are in short supply, I was saddened to see the state of most of it's equipment...outside of regional bickering over this would a consolidation make sense? Perhaps located in a accessible location outside of an urban area?

[Georgia Observer]

 I agree that some consolidation of our underfunded and undermaintained rail museums (many of which a better than "collections") would be a good idea.  However, a central National museum would not be practical in a country as big as the U. S.  Strong regional museums would be the best way to go in my opinion.  The California State Railroad Museum closely fits the comprehensive regional museum idea.  As best I recall, there are no stray Southern or New York Central pieces diluting the scope and power of their presentation.  The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has the Great Northern Pullman "Cutbank Pass" in their inventory but they would like to send it to some appropriate home in the North/Northwest.

There is no official body around to arbitraily make this happen, and probably shouldn't be.  But until something is done to rationalize the rail preservation efforts I fear the next twenty years will witness the loss of cars and locomotives on a scale not seen since the 1950's.

Georgia Observer

[wallyworld]

 Actually a regional structure makes more sense. If economic conditions worsen, it may force the hand of some museums to consolidate, or risk the deterioration of their assets. For a while I was following the back and forth squabbling of St Louis and Steamtown (?) over a Mother Hubbard currently in St Louis, far from her "natural environment." so perhaps this would be more of a challenge than one that can be easily overcome.There is an umbrella organization, but looking at the agenda for their Spring Meeting, it appears to be more fluff than substance, at least on the surface..probably like most conferences, the serious conversations take place after-hours. I just hope this potential issue doesn't sit on the back burner till it becomes a real issue.Even a broad based museum like the Smithsonian has had attendance down around 5% at this point. The head of Smithsonian said

"We know the same thing is happening across the board in museums," Small said at a press conference held after the September meeting of the 160-year-old institution's governing body, the Board of Regents. The Smithsonian had 17.4 million visitors through August this year, down from 18.3 million in the same time period this year.

 

 http://www.railwaymuseums.org/

[Wdlgln005]

I wonder if the museums could someday be a part of the State Park system? Under the federal banner, we have Steam town, Promontory Point, and some Canal Parks "Historical district". There could be some other parks added to the system.
The advantage would be for each state to promote it's unique heritage and tourism industry. Another advantage could be the use of state tax funds to keep the operation going.The state park at Cass WV or at the EBT is a good example.

 

 

[wallyworld]

 I think that even if private groups relinquished managerial control over these assets ( which is questionable even perhaps objectionable to them) there is the larger obstacle of the funding, which is, as far as the Park service, an issue now in terms of deferred maintenance, which based on the poor economic shape we are in will probably get worse before it gets better. Although its a shame that we have so many infrastructure issues in terms of the funding required in the "make work" funding that seems to be a part of the 'WPA" sort of recovery plan, as there is certainly a lot of work left hanging...these days...the K4 comes to mind, sitting in pieces...a lot of machinists, boiler makers, welders, tool and die workers could be put to good work...although crumbling bridges versus a sixty year old museum piece is a no brainer...I fret about  the UP program...traffic is down...time will tell. 

[coborn35]

 Going federal is a terrible idea.

The thing we DONT need right now is interference from people who know nothing about how a museum operates.

[Dakguy201]

I have seen comments from officials of the IRM indicating that state funds are not welcome as a source of support because of the "strings" that would inevitably follow.  I doubt that the politicans of Illinois are markedly different than those of other states.

Just yesterday, we saw Congresspersons attempting to influence business decisions at Citigroup.  While I do not defend the management of that business, neither do I believe that Congress could do it any better.  However, Citi accepted a bailout, so now they must politely listen to advice from someone's whose knowledge of banking was acquired in River City, Iowa. 

Someone once said, "There is no problem so bad a politican can't make it worse."