I've previously griped about the Virginia Museum of Transportation here, generally about their sale of NYC&StL S-2 763 to the Ohio Central people and the gift shop. Your correspondent is petty, among other things.
In a pleasant response to my (probably) vituperative rantings, someone from the VMT said the following things:
You mentioned that "the best possible argument" for the sale is that we can't afford to maintain it. True as that may be, the heart of our decision , and the best supporting argument for it, is that 763 never ran in Virginia, and as such, belongs elsewhere. This is so that we can not only maintain the pieces in our collection that are germane to our mission, but also make room for additional pieces that would further enhance our goals, like the last remaining Y6 sitting in St. Louis, or the addition of Metrorail cars from Northern Virginia. Meanwhile, 763 can be restored and cared for properly. It's a win-win scenario....
As for the gift shop, I strongly encourage you to come back. We no longer sell wine or dog shampoo or anything of the sort -- it was universally recognized that those products were out of place here -- and a concerted effort has been made to ensure that the shop's merchandise serves as an extension of the educational experience provided by the museum.
First off, I want to thank my anonymous commenter---you've been added to the blogroll---for taking the time to respond. I also want to apologize to the fellow for not noticing his response sooner; my e-mail notification of his comment was buried in the 'bulk mail' folder of my e-mail account. (Sanford Wallace, a special level of Hell has been commissioned especially for you and yours.)
With regards to the transfer of NYC&StL 763, I invoke yet again the words of the otherwise loathsome Joschka Fischer: "Excuse me, I am not convinced."
I am willing to grant the point that no Nickel Plate steam locomotive ever turned a wheel in active revenue service in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The relevant article at VMT Musings indicates that this was a factor in the decision to seek a sale. The article also points out that the locomotive has been in the City of Roanoke since the mid-1960s, ostensibly some time after the Norfolk and Western-Nickel Plate merger of 1964. In other words, 763 has been within the borders of the Commonwealth for about forty years.
Forty years, ladies and gentlemen. I am tempted to suggest that the locomotive has been transmuted---not from separate property to marital property---but to an asset of the Commonwealth. Call it friendly adverse possession. I would also point out that the Nickel Plate 2-8-4 is historically significant to the Commonwealth, inasmuch as the Norfolk and Western's farewell to private passenger service was powered by NYC&StL S-2 759, back in May of 1971. That is a historical note of signficance, and since 759 is at Steamtown, it ain't coming back. Might as well have her sister, 763, here; perhaps repaint the latter to represent the motive power for that last train. I wouldn't object.
Our guest from the VMT also dangles a very attractive carrot in front of us, mentioning that they're still angling to get the last N&W Y6a, 2156 at the St. Louis Museum of Transportation. I have also heard that Castro's regime is bound to fall any day; President Kennedy has promised it. With respect to the VMT, I'll believe that they're getting the last Y6a when I can lay hands on the thing under the Claytor Pavilion.1
Another point made by our VMT correspondent was that, "the sale...keeps our doors open". Fair enough. I can't object to VMT trying to keep the doors open, but the reported sale price---$125,000---would cover in the neighborhood of four months' operating expenses, based upon a statement made elsewhere at VMT Musings. Er, selling off a crown jewel for four months' operating costs doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I hope I'm not being too acidic or snide when I say, "Sounds like Amtrak logic to me", although I don't know that 763 is exactly equivalent to Pennsylvania Station, New York, New York. Regardless, it's not like they're going to get their hands on another attractive example of 'big steam' that people would pay money for, so I'm not entirely sure that the disposal of 763 represents sustainable thinking.
What worries me is that the VMT might think, "Hey, we sold one; we can do it again!" the next time the financial crunch comes. A quick glance at the nice list of rolling stock they provide with every ticket sale suggests that there might be only three or four more candidates for such a policy:
CR SDP45 6670 (ex-EL 3639)
PRR GG1 4919
W&LE NW2 D-3
WAB E8A 1009
I wouldn't be reaching for the razor and my wrists if the W&LE switcher went to a good home. I'd be disgruntled if a surviving E-unit went for sale (although in fairness, they have an RF&P E8A in similar condition) and I'd be irked if they sold off the SDP45. I would, however, be outraged if the GG1 was sold; it may very well (depending upon exact operating boundaries and the like which I don't know) turned a wheel in revenue service here in Virginia; moreover, it's a GG1, arguably the best electric locomotive this country ever produced, be it an operational or aesthetic question.
As Jim Wrinn recently wrote in Trains, the issue is money. VMT Musings goes to great lengths to detail the (perilous?) financial condition of the museum. I'm not a resident of the City of Roanoke; I'm barely in the WDBJ viewing area and wouldn't be within range of Roanoke's public radio station if not for the network of repeaters that they operate in further western Virginia. Therefore, I may be out of place to say this but, What are you people thinking? If not for railroads in general and the Norfolk and Western in particular, Roanoke would still be "Big Lick" and probably wouldn't be worth Interstate 581, much less stopping there. Unfortunately, I don't have any political pull anywhere near the Roanoke area, so I can't just make a few phone calls. I don't even know who to ask.
It's not like the Roanoke Valley Vipers are exactly the class of their league or anything.
Arrgh. If I ever win one of those multiple-State, multiple millions of dollars lotteries---not that I actually play---I'd be on the phone to VMT within a week demanding the restoration to operating condition of N&W C630 1135 and SD45 1776, along with that ex-EL SDP45 that's off site, all while waving a seven or eight digit check.
Enough nastiness and so forth for one entry; in the vein of the execrable Joel Osteen, let me close with something uplifting: My VMT visitor asked me back to the place after my not-so-pleasant experience in the gift shop. I am pleased to report that I'd actually been there before the posting of the comment, and it was a completely different experience. There has been somewhat of a renaissance of rail-related material, and as the commenter noted, the dog shampoo and the wine are gone. Hooray.
Yes, I spent money. I also had a paid admission and enjoyed, yet again, wandering through the yard. I do appreciate the efforts being made to reshuffle the collection, because you can see more of it. In a way, this visit was a farewell to 763, which I've seen for years; to be perfectly maudlin about it, I patted the thing's flanks in the manner of a race horse being sent to pasture.
If all goes well, I'll be able to be there when she heads to her new life, which will hopefully include more care and feeding than VMT can afford.
NB: It's Tartan Day, and therefore there must Scottish content. Well, they have railroads in Scotland, and the tenuous Scottish railroads-Virginia Museum of Transportation connection will have to do until I dream up an ode to Scotch or Stornoway.
1 That being said, I've heard more than one individual state variations on, "There aren't three tracks under the Claytor Pavilion for nothing, you know". I could be proved wrong yet, and I'd like to be.
Posted by Country Pundit at April 6, 2007 10:00 AM | TrackBack