ATRRM PRSRT. STD. P.O. Box 1189 U.S.POSTAGE Covington, GA 30015 PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 1096 Address Service Requested accomplishments. this issue, along with other with along issue, this Greenfield Village. More are featured in featured are More Village. Greenfield Northern 4-4-0 #7 (Baldwin 1897), at 1897), (Baldwin #7 4-4-0 Northern beautiful example is Detroit & Lima & Detroit is example beautiful restorations of vintage rolling stock. A stock. rolling vintage of restorations It’s been a good year for completed for year good a been It’s Fall 2013 Fall Number 14 Number 2 3 ASSOCIATION OF TOURIST RAILROADS PRESIDENT’S COLUMN AND RAILWAY MUSEUMS By G. Mark Ray The purpose of the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums is to lead in the advancement of railway Coming together in California, Conference Recap heritage through education, advocacy and the promotion of I’d like to start this column by congratulating the Orange best practices. Empire Railway Museum (OERM) for a fantastic conference. I will be the first to admit that I was worried For more details, or to report address changes, please contact us at: about this one last year in Montreal. In the end, we had a ATRRM great host, a great location, great weather, and a great P. O. Box 1189, Covington, GA 30015 program. Thanks once again to Tom Jacobson and his team www.atrrm.org for all their hard work! 770-278-0088 Future Conference Dates and Hosts [email protected] The selection of the conference dates is becoming increasingly challenging. Our predecessor organizations Officers held them at different times - TRAIN was typically in early President: G. Mark Ray, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum November and ARM with either in September or October. Vice-Presidents: When a joint conference was held, November was chosen. Scott Becker, Pennsylvania Trolley Museum November had typically been a slow month for most of those who had a demonstration railroad to operate so Linn Moedinger, Strasburg Rail Road worked well for many people. For the 2013 Fall Conference, Secretary: Ellen Fishburn, Orange Empire Railway Museum the OERM had requested earlier dates to allow them to Treasurer: Alan Barnett, Indiana Railway Museum operate their Day Out with Thomas event and both organizations agreed (this was prior to the merger). Directors In looking at dates for future conferences, the Board has Richard Anderson, Northwest Railway Museum to be cognizant of many factors - weather is a top Scott Becker, Pennsylvania Trolley Museum consideration, hotel availability which can impact costs, John E. Bush, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad host availability such as this year when OERM needed to Steven M. Butler, San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad shift dates to avoid a conflict. Unlike in the past, our Don Evans, West Coast Railway Association schedules leave little free time. We are all doing more seasonal special events, which pile on top of the other Terry Koller, Georgia State Railroad Museum special events. We’re to the point to where there is no single Bob LaPrelle, Museum of the American Railroad time on the calendar where everyone is free. Linn Moedinger, Strasburg Rail Road What’s the solution? We are going to publish conference G. Mark Ray, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum dates for the next three years and farther if possible. This Ken Rucker, National Capital Trolley Museum should allow everyone to put these dates on their calendars Jim Schantz, Seashore Trolley Museum and do their best to plan around the conference. Also, Donald Tallman, Colorado Railroad Museum starting next year, we will have the conference in November Jim Vaitkunas, Minnesota Streetcar Museum in an even number year. The odd number year time may be Meg Warder, Black Hills Central Railroad adjusted to suit anticipated weather conditions (such as Kyle Wyatt, California State Railroad Museum visits to Calgary, Alberta or Squamish, British Columbia) or take advantage of other unique opportunities (such as Committees Illinois Railway Museum in 2015). Keep an eye on news bulletins from the Association or watch the Association Renewal Parts: Rod Fishburn, Chair, website for updates (click on Conferences). I can tell you for [email protected] 2014, we will be in Kingston, NY, (Trolley Museum of New York) on April 4-5 for our Spring Meeting and in Tyler, TX, Staff (Texas State Railroad hosting) on November 4-8 for our Fall Suzanne Grace, Executive Director Meeting. P. O. Box 1189 Where does ATRRM go from here? Covington, GA 30015 As I prepared for the recent board meeting, I was looking [email protected] at the vision of where we wanted to be in 2020. There are 770-278-0088 eleven items on that list. We have already accomplished six of them. As I reviewed this list, one of the remaining five Aaron Isaacs, Editor struck a chord with me - “every museum and tourist railroad 3816 Vincent Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55410 wants to belong.” My mind started thinking “how can we [email protected] make this happen?” There are many things that ATRRM can do to make it an 612-929-7066 organization that everyone wants to belong to and I shall list a few: The Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums is a •Networking - One of the best things that I get from Professional Affiliate Member of the American Association of ATRRM is the network of contacts that I now have around Museums. the world. I can reach out anywhere to get a question answered or bounce an idea off of someone and I think that is tremendous. We need to take this a step further. We need a way to network electronically with colleagues. We need to To advertise in Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums, contact Aaron Isaacs at [email protected]. To download an advertising rate sheet, go to www.atrrm.org, and click on Publications. 4 5 share our ideas and knowledge with our Strategic Plan. Our current plan was They are not alone. The Maine each and grow stronger as an industry. hatched during our first joint Spring Narrow Gauge Museum is having to Being able to share our operating meeting in Strasburg way back in 2009. move from its prime location on the experiences and lessons learned quickly That plan carried us through the merger Portland, Maine waterfront to a rural and efficiently may sound foreign to process. Now that we’ve accomplished site 17 miles away. The Golden Gate many of you but believe me, there is no that, it’s now time to map out our path Railroad Museum is currently homeless need for any of us to reinvent the wheel forward. You are welcome to join us in and forced to be a tenant of the Niles over and over again. Kingston and be a part of our moving Canyon Railway. That arrangement •Vendor Support - Our industry is forward! may not last. The Timber Heritage blessed with vendors who offer many Museum in Eureka, CA is gambling specialized services or components to that they can talk the local harbor support what we do. Unfortunately, not THE MOST-AT-RISK authority into a long term lease of the many people know they exist or what LIST Samoa shops site. they provide. ATRRM needs to build a Ownership transitions are always list of vendors/suppliers that is By Aaron Isaacs fraught with danger. On top of accessible to our members. This list everyone’s list is the East Broad Top, would provide contact information as I was recently asked to help the which is currently being sold piece by well as the services and/or products National Railroad Historical Society piece to a non-profit about which not a they provide. It should also work in compile its second annual list of the lot is known. The previous private reverse, for example, if you are looking most-at-risk rail heritage sites or ownership by the Kowalski family for a good or service, the list would tell equipment. Lists of endangered sites, lasted for 60 years, but in the end was you who can provide it and where you first used by the National Trust for unsustainable. It’s unclear if the new could find their advertisement (if they Historic Preservation, have become an ownership will be viable. have chosen to advertise with us). effective tool to focus attention on the Other museums are endangered for •Conferences - Conferences are our need to fund more historic preservation, other reasons. The Shore Line Trolley signature events. Achieving a good one before it’s too late. Museum, unfortunately located in a that pleases everyone is impossible (as I Anyone familiar with railway low-lying tidal marsh, has seen its have learned). However, we can work preservation knows that way too many collection badly damaged by a pair of to achieve a good balance among deserving projects are going begging hurricanes. Construction has begun on educational topics and events. This is for lack of funds. This is especially true new carbarns on the site’s highest where member feedback is needed. when discussing individual pieces of available ground, but will it be enough? Seminar topics have to be chosen well rolling stock. During the “hunter- Natural disasters seem to hit railway in advance of the conference (usually at gatherer” period, which ran from the museums and tourist railroads with least 9 months) so that speakers and 1950s through the 1980s, museums some frequency. Mid-Continent was marketing materials can be arranged, grabbed whatever they could to save it badly flooded, as was Kentucky printed, and distributed. With this in from the scrapper.