[PRCo] New Railfans, Historians and Lack of Background Knowledge

[Fred Schneider]

Continuing on the subject that we (or I) was belaboring on Friday (or  
maybe it was Thursday) about historical societies and museums having  
trouble finding qualified and knowledgeable library and archives  
help ... the theme that if you and I don't do it, the next generation  
won't know....

Well, last night at the East Penn Traction Club meeting I bought a  
new book for the library:

Tri-State Traction
The Interurban Trolleys of Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas and  
Northeast Oklahoma
by Edward A. Conrad


The book at first appears to be a very well researched history of  
what took place in that corner of rural America.   Then as I got into  
it more deeply at 2 AM, I began to visualize a younger man who  
writing it who had no knowledge of industry practices and who had no  
might have had no social contacts within the industry.

I noticed that he had obtained a lot of pictures from the collection  
of the late Terrance Cassidy, who grew up in Kansas City and migrated  
to Media, PA.   Terry was killed in an automobile accident about 20  
years ago and his collection is in several historical societies out  
in the heartland of the U. S.   Terry was incredibly knowledgeable  
but appearently those who follow him are now.

The sub title alone:  interurban trolley cars.   Now I always thought  
an interurban car ran between cities and a trolley car ran in a  
city.   I know I'm picking nits.

Then I get to page viii and I see a builders photo of Southwest  
Missouri Railway No. 30 at, according to the caption, "an unknown  
date and location."   The roster in the back of the book indicates  
this is a Jackson and Sharp car built in 1902.   I know for a fact  
that is correct because I own the original J&S 8x10 glass plate and I  
printed the photo that Terry had that wound up in the University of  
Missouri and was used in the book.  Four pages later, on page 12, is  
a American Car builder's photo of Southwest Missouri Railway #62 with  
the American Car name on plate in front of it, including the order  
and the date.   Again, the caption reads "unknown date and location."

The author is apparently too young and too undereducated to  
understand that railway car builders and steam locomotive builders  
photographed one car from every order!

Am I faulting Mr. Conrad?  Not necessarily.   But it does underscore  
the problems that Ed and Tim have with the library at PTM and that  
every historical society archivist has.   We have the knowledge.   It  
took us a half century to get it.   Damn it all, I don't know how we  
pass it on.   There is simply too much to pass on because, in order  
to do so, we need funds for full time library staff so we can be  
there to train the next generation.

What is the option?   We will simply loose a lot of knowledge.   The  
information that needs to be kept will be retained by the society.    
The worthless information, i.e. where did trolleys run in Pittsburgh,  
will eventually vanish because society doesn't need it.   In time we  
won't care about motorman's day cards used by West Penn Railways.  Or  
why Altoona had a unique 63 inch track gauge.  And half the cars in  
our trolley museums will also disappear.   Sadly, they won't all be  
the duplicates that go either.

Book of Prophesy by Fred3....