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Re: (erielack) Steamtown 10th Anniversary
Ken,
You raise several excellent points. I agree that running a diesel is
OK---and I think most of the general public would agree also. The purists
would, of course, have a differing opinion. Nevertheless, such would be a
good time for the park angers to point out that one of the reasons why the
railroads opted to replace steam in the first place was due to maintenance
and running costs.
Now regarding the purpose of Steamtown and who should decide it, you're
asking the $64,000 question. When Steamtown was conveyed to the NPS it was
more or less understood in many circles that this was a deal with the devil
and that although there wasn't any other viable alternative that NPS was
unprepared to take over a rail museum and an operating railroad. Indeed,
while the static museum fits more with the "true" NPS persona, clearly the
steam operation is vital to the success of the museum. I have my doubts
that NPS management would agree with the last statement--although I'm sure
they would give it lip service--because to them it's at best a necessary
evil (or so it appears). Having said that, I'm not clear on how to
influence NPS. In theory, they should be somewhat responsive to the local
congressional delegation, and to a lesser degree the local political
structure, but in practice the NPS bureaucracy seems to rule the day. In
short, they may occasionally tweak policy based on local influence, but I'm
not convinced that the lion's share of influence comes from the top down
within NPS.
Chuck
Ken Clark
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Sent by: erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org
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s.elhts.org Subject:
Re: (erielack) Steamtown 10th Anniversary
07/05/2005 03:27 PM
Please respond to
Ken Clark
I was at Steamtown yesterday. The trip to Tobyhanna ran with the ex-NKP
geep and a Delaware-Lackawanna RS3. The CN locomotive had problems on
Sunday, running over an hour late down to Tobyhanna. The crews I talked to
yesterday were not sure what was still wrong with it, but it is back in the
shop for more analysis and, hoefully repairs.
Personally, I got a kick out of the first generation diesel powered train,
but it was obvious a lot of people there were disappointed. I think the
staff did everything possible to have steam for the excursions this
weekend, but it didn't happen. The Scranton Times had a fairly negative
article about Steamtown the other day, pointing out that attendance has
dropped from 200,000 to 70,000 last year and that this year will be even
lower. The National Park Service is quoted as saying they are in the midst
of changing their focus and this is a transition year. I think it begs the
question of what is the purpose of Steamtown and who should decide it.
Ken
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