[PRCo] Re: MUSEUM MUSINGS

[Fred W. Schneider III]

ROGER Jenkins wrote:
> 
> Question 1 answer-- maintenence money goes to repairing diesels instead
> of electric ry cars . Steam engine they have has constant maint.
> problems and as far as I am concerned even tho steam does bring out the
> public , the money poured into steam engines is huge compared to
> electric cars . It is curreently recieving new tubes !! And there is
> another steamer waiting in the wings , a UP 2-8-2  WHICH NEEDS ALL KINDS
> OF WORK DONE TO IT BEFORE IT RUNS .  The current engine is Ventura
> County #2  a 2-4-2 .

I get a strong feeling we are dealing here with the question of who
likes steam versus who likes electric cars.  Could this be, "I like
trolleys.  How dare they run steam?"  Because the trolleys have been
gone from L. A. for 40 years, I imagine that their membership support is
also pretty much gone.  There is no question that steam has a greater
public response, especially if you pay the licensing free to put a
pretty face on the front of the smoke box.  I imagine it would even be
hard to get a good school program going for the trolleys because they
never ran in that area.    
> 
> QUESTION 2  Their budget only allows so much to be done and repairing
> damage done during operations is a low priority item at OERM.  PCCs run
> around with missing battery box covers from previous accidents !  It
> took 5 or 6 years to fix a PE blimp that collided with a diesel on a
> siding after running thru an open switch at nite !!  operator
> inattention was the blame for this one.

Maybe I need to add OERM to my list of threatened tramway museums.  Of
course, what I cannot see is whether the issue is simply a battery box
door or much more significant damage to the rear of the car that
prohibits hanging of new doors.  And I also can't see how many men and
women are willing to drive out from Los Angeles every weekend to work on
them.  
> 
> QUE  3   No body knows what they are [sanders ]  The position of Safety
> Officer has been open for several years.

Not unusual.  Safety officers don't make friends.  If I work at
Baltimore Streetcar Museum at this time of the year, I generally get
several shovels of sand and apply it to the loop at the visitor's center
(for my own protection as much as for anyone else).  It usually attracts
no attention.  
> 
> QUE 4  Your right Fred but the present boss of restorations would not
> even allow one to remove a shake shingle siding that was applied to a
> car to asses what was under it . How do you come up with a "TO DO " list
> if you cant see whats needed .?  duh

I don't know why you need to remove it.  It cedar shakes were installed,
then we know that the tongue and grove siding under it is shot.  It
wouldn't have been installed if it was not needed.  Why take it off and
leave it off.