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Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New England

Moderators: MEC407, NHN503

 #1519901  by b&m 1566
 
NRGeep - The relation to the Conway Scenic, is that everyone and their mother, is trying to pawn off the Flying Yankee to the Conway Scenic, so the discussion went down a side track.
 #1519912  by Cosmo
 
That, and we need stuff to BS about while we're waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen with the FY. :P
Last edited by MEC407 on Thu Sep 12, 2019 3:34 pm, edited 1 time in total. Reason: unnecessary quoting
 #1519921  by gokeefe
 
I will have to admit to Cosmo's version of the events. :wink:

It's definitely disappointing to see the project stalled.

On the other hand at least it is in a state of arrested development as opposed to active decay.

It only becomes more historic (and therefore of greater intangible value) as each year passes by.
 #1519936  by MaineCoonCat
 
Cheer up.. At least it hasn't been "acquired" by the Boston Surface Railroad..
 #1519939  by Safetee
 
I am not sure that having absolutely no cover is good for the equipment even though the exterior is stainless. However, the real problem with it lingering in railcar purgatory is that the initial interest in it by folks who saw and rode it is obviously diminishing. Going forward,with the exception of 4014, today's kids don't seem to be quite as wild about restoring historic things as former generations.

i believe that the window for any meaningful happy conclusion for even a static display is shrinking every day. Of course it would be nice if somebody like Tim Mellon would jump in with a mil or so to finish it and set up some place as a tribute to the vision of 1930s new england railroading. But right now that seems as likely as the red sox winning the pennant again this year.
 #1519979  by MEC407
 
Safetee wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:07 pm ...today's kids don't seem to be quite as wild about restoring historic things as former generations.
In fairness, today's kids are pretty busy trying not to get shot every time they go to school, and the ones that are out of school are working 2+ jobs to pay rent and student loans.

I know or have met a lot of young people in the under-30 age group who are absolutely passionate about historic preservation and care very deeply about it but they simply do not have the time to volunteer or the disposable income to contribute. A lot of them are paying $800+ a month just for one room of a 3-bedroom apartment shared with two or more other people, plus utilities, plus insurances, plus student loans, plus everything else one needs to live. I've had a hard enough time getting people in the 50-60 age group to volunteer and those folks only have one full-time job and own their homes. When someone is working two or three jobs and barely has time to sleep, it's not easy to get them to come to another "job" and work for free, or make a charitable contribution.
 #1519984  by Safetee
 
30 years ago people in general seemed to be much more into things historic. national historic districts and istea funding were hot topics that all helped to facilitate interest in supporting historic restoration. today things are just different. attendance at most museums be they rail or revolutionary war etc are down. places like boston ,where folks used to cherish history, in their mad rush to duplicate the houston sky line are tearing down historic structures as fast as the lord will let them. and as far as todays youth, i'm not saying that all of Americas youth hates historic restoration. But i will say for most folks under 30 today, that little rectangular block of divine information in the right rear pocket of their jeans is their alpha omega. and in my opinion, the flying yankee just can't compete for thinking or funding in todays modern cyber world..
 #1520012  by b&m 1566
 
With all do respect, I don't believe the Flying Yankee, is in this situation because of Millennials, Generation Z or their electronics. Young or old it all started with bad decision making and bad book keeping from the Flying Yankee Restoration Group. To make matters worse the train is owned by the state and they refuse to get involved or invest in it. When you have an owner who refuses to be involved or spend a dime on it and a Restoration Group in charge that has gone missing, it doesn't bowed well for the train. That's where the real issue lies right now, the Restoration Group seems to have just disappeared and its owner, doesn't give a damn about it (group or train).
 #1520029  by Safetee
 
i was merely saying that going forward the future of the flying yankee restoration effort and related funding is increasingly in harms way because the folks who started and originally supported the project are disappearing and the youth of our country today largely don't have very much interest in things historic. the sins of the past certainly doomed the project at the start, but those are the sins of the past.

the future of historic restoration projects at this point in time is bleak. kind of like the early sixties when they tore down portland station, penn station, and wanted to do the same for gct. Fortunately for gct, it had a Mrs. Kennedy for a champion.
 #1520057  by gokeefe
 
Thankfully the "youth of our country" do not share in your opinion of their lack of appreciation for historic preservation. :wink:
 #1520112  by backroadrails
 
Safetee wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2019 8:07 pm today's kids don't seem to be quite as wild about restoring historic things as former generations.
I know this has been beaten to death by several members already, but there is more to it than just this. There is a big issue with museums and organizations finding younger members (not just in the rr community by organizations like the Masons, Lions Club, and the Rotary Club) are all trying to find new members. If you think about it, with the amount of stuff kids now a days have to deal with, between more school work, part time jobs, and everything which corresponds with the two its no wonder why there is a shortage. My first job during school vacation, I was working along 60 hours a week, and that's more than I work now, along with having to commute almost 300 miles a day to the job site I worked on. And I know equally as many 40-60 year old's which talk about joining a non-profit to volunteer but cant or don't want to make the time commitment. I know I have so much going on between work and family I have no time to volunteer. Just remember that Orion Vuillmont has saved more equipment by himself at age 15-17 than most of us ever will.
 #1520122  by b&m 1566
 
Well, I guess it's a good thing that the state requires paid licensed contractors to work on the Flying Yankee then. But that's in the past now. To put it simply, nothing else is going to happen to the Flying Yankee as long as the state owns it.
 #1520125  by NRGeep
 
New Hampshire's revenue from one day of state liquor
stores would pay for the FY's restoration. 🤑
Will never happen, yet the state could afford it; so donate
it to Conway please.
 #1520138  by BandA
 
It's difficult for volunteer & charitable groups to maintain enthusiasm over decades, without self-dealing or incompetence creeping in.

Doesn't the Illinois Railroad Museum have a similar streamliner that is operating?
 #1520140  by b&m 1566
 
NRGeep - what exactly is the Conway Scenic supposed to do with it? Your talking about more than just refurbishing a train, you need someplace to put it, so now your talking about aquiring land for the construction of a maintenance facility, refurbishing the Bartlett and Quebec Junction wye's (that might happen anyways with the 501's restoration). Will it help solidify the Conway Scenic as a premier railroad? Yes (not that it already isn't) but will it help or diminish their bottom line? Surely an investment like that, even if the state donates it to the Conway Scenic, will require some thought for the upfront investments I mentioned above. Not to mention the cost to move the train, land and permitting for a parking lot at the future station site (mostly likely Bartlett, if there's land available). Still doesn't touch the idea of building another building or refurbishing one of the derelict cars or the freight house to use as station/gift shop and restrooms.
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