by NaugyRR
Before you or someone else starts a GoFundMe, you might consider some questions...
Where is the unit going to go once it's purchased? Are any museums interested in the piece? Is there someone with enough private property that's willing to take the unit in? Will it be somewhere secure and out of the elements?
How is it going to get there? How much is going to cost to get it there? Who is going to pay for the transportation costs?
How is it going to be supported once it's "saved"? Who's going to pay for the restoration and upkeep costs? The cost of materials to restore it and maintain it? The property taxes if on private land?
The bill to save the unit is going to multiply from the scrap value very, very quickly.
I understand the desire to save equipment, but there's more to it than just cheering that "SOMEONE SHOULD FUND THIS TO BE SAVED NOW!!!". I'm sure if it was feasible to save, an organization like the RRMPA or URHS would have made arrangements by now. But just blindly saving a unit without a game plan is how you end up with units rotting away in the middle of the woods somewhere.
I appreciate and respect the history of transit and railroading equipment, but the fact of the matter is that we can't build an Ark for all the trains we love that will be retired. At some point we need to acknowledge that and learn to appreciate the experiences we had with the equipment and keep the memory alive with books, videos, and models, and support the museums that do house and maintain equipment that did survive so that future generations can appreciate railroading the same way we do.
Where is the unit going to go once it's purchased? Are any museums interested in the piece? Is there someone with enough private property that's willing to take the unit in? Will it be somewhere secure and out of the elements?
How is it going to get there? How much is going to cost to get it there? Who is going to pay for the transportation costs?
How is it going to be supported once it's "saved"? Who's going to pay for the restoration and upkeep costs? The cost of materials to restore it and maintain it? The property taxes if on private land?
The bill to save the unit is going to multiply from the scrap value very, very quickly.
I understand the desire to save equipment, but there's more to it than just cheering that "SOMEONE SHOULD FUND THIS TO BE SAVED NOW!!!". I'm sure if it was feasible to save, an organization like the RRMPA or URHS would have made arrangements by now. But just blindly saving a unit without a game plan is how you end up with units rotting away in the middle of the woods somewhere.
I appreciate and respect the history of transit and railroading equipment, but the fact of the matter is that we can't build an Ark for all the trains we love that will be retired. At some point we need to acknowledge that and learn to appreciate the experiences we had with the equipment and keep the memory alive with books, videos, and models, and support the museums that do house and maintain equipment that did survive so that future generations can appreciate railroading the same way we do.
"That sapling that once grew just south of Wassaic may be long gone, and the Harlem Line’s appearance may have changed over the years, but for decades to come, I can count on it continuing to provide me with funny recollections"
