Seashore Trolley Museum Boston Day June 19, 2010 (Saturday)

It's good that you seem so determined, hopefully that will last! If you get started on simple tasks (cleaning it, prep work, etc) and keep with it, this will show people that you are serious, and you will get the support you need. This includes financially as well as in physical help and cooperation from different department heads.

In the meantime (for the purpose of keeping this thread on topic) let's focus on what kind of events could go on during Boston Day... We shouldn't just be talking about what cars will run, but also what other activities could go on to represent our metropolitan area. During Christmas Prelude, for example, we decorate the cars for the ride, but the Christmas theme goes beyond the streetcars. There is music playing; complimentary hot drinks, candy canes, and pastries are served; and the conductors (some of them... I was never really good at it) make their talks at the end of the line relate to the season. These are all the types of things we should be doing for a Boston themed day, on top of running lots of Boston equipment.

IRM has done one further, they not only base a day on Chicago, they have also had a North Shore day. So if anyone knows people out there, or at other museums, talk to them and see if you can come up with ideas based on what they do. Don't even limit it to railway museums. The museum of science often themes different things for a new feature which may be playing in the Omni theater, or if a special exhibit is in town like the recent human body one. Ideas can come from everywhere.

Some basic thoughts:
-The store can have special Bostonian items for sale that aren't usually sold.
-We could put up bus stop signs around the property which represent different eras and the different companies and agencies leading up to and including the MBTA
-We have Boston turnstiles which could be set up on temporary platforms and put in the visitors center.
-We could re-name our stations for the day putting signage up to represent some of the significant stops on our system of both the past and present. (Example, Morrison Hill could be called Dudley, Meserves Crossing could be renamed Harvard, and Talbott Park could be Park St.) At each of these stops could be a set of displays to give additional information about the real stop and pictorial tours of what they used to be like. (I just pulled those stops out of my head)

These are just a few basic principles which could be built upon or used to get people brainstorming. If you think of something, POST IT! The more ideas we have the more we'll have to work with to make the day as interesting as possible.

I can rember at one time at Seashore in the day when we would run special days and have the equipment to run. We did have a Boston day in the past as well as a Canada day which was a great time too. I know the museum members are comming up with new ideas for events in the future. And as Corey said besides talking about it and planning is great, but work needs to be done to make it come together. As little as sweeping out a car to washing windows and seats off to make the car ready for service.

CRail wrote:It's good that you seem so determined, hopefully that will last! If you get started on simple tasks (cleaning it, prep work, etc) and keep with it, this will show people that you are serious, and you will get the support you need. This includes financially as well as in physical help and cooperation from different department heads.

In the meantime (for the purpose of keeping this thread on topic) let's focus on what kind of events could go on during Boston Day... We shouldn't just be talking about what cars will run, but also what other activities could go on to represent our metropolitan area. During Christmas Prelude, for example, we decorate the cars for the ride, but the Christmas theme goes beyond the streetcars. There is music playing; complimentary hot drinks, candy canes, and pastries are served; and the conductors (some of them... I was never really good at it) make their talks at the end of the line relate to the season. These are all the types of things we should be doing for a Boston themed day, on top of running lots of Boston equipment.

IRM has done one further, they not only base a day on Chicago, they have also had a North Shore day. So if anyone knows people out there, or at other museums, talk to them and see if you can come up with ideas based on what they do. Don't even limit it to railway museums. The museum of science often themes different things for a new feature which may be playing in the Omni theater, or if a special exhibit is in town like the recent human body one. Ideas can come from everywhere.

Some basic thoughts:
-The store can have special Bostonian items for sale that aren't usually sold.
-We could put up bus stop signs around the property which represent different eras and the different companies and agencies leading up to and including the MBTA
-We have Boston turnstiles which could be set up on temporary platforms and put in the visitors center.
-We could re-name our stations for the day putting signage up to represent some of the significant stops on our system of both the past and present. (Example, Morrison Hill could be called Dudley, Meserves Crossing could be renamed Harvard, and Talbott Park could be Park St.) At each of these stops could be a set of displays to give additional information about the real stop and pictorial tours of what they used to be like. (I just pulled those stops out of my head)

These are just a few basic principles which could be built upon or used to get people brainstorming. If you think of something, POST IT! The more ideas we have the more we'll have to work with to make the day as interesting as possible.

These are all very good ideas. I think we can call the Visitors Center Lechmere for the day.

CRail wrote:It's good that you seem so determined, hopefully that will last! If you get started on simple tasks (cleaning it, prep work, etc) and keep with it, this will show people that you are serious, and you will get the support you need. This includes financially as well as in physical help and cooperation from different department heads.

How would you know anything about this stuff? 3274 was put in a great spot in shop 1 yard for you to work on it.. and there it sat for about 3 years and you never did anything to it. You should have taken Bobs advice and tag along with others projects until you were truly established at the museum. That is exactly what chris should be doing. Giving people false hope is a bad thing and it keeps people(that do not have a "tough skin") away from the museum.

I understand that you are just brainstorming, but the ideas you are throwing out there.. require alot of work.. and will most likely never be done. Cool things happen around the museum because a member had a good idea and put up the cash and sweat to see it through. I say this on the side of logic.. not to be negative. I just don't see you putting fourth the effort or money to make these things happen.

Brandon,
The whole idea of this thread, and the discussion of these things is to put this stuff out into the community to get feedback so we can generate as many Ideas as we possibly can. We can also get a sense of what people want, and base the event on that to optimize satisfaction. This way we will be able do have this event again! If we decide just to do things that we think are fun, then we aren't serving the community very well then are we?

The old way of doing things didn't work. You weren't around when we hosted a day for the BSRA, so you didn't see how it was a flop. There were other times we dropped the ball as well, which has given us a bad rap with a lot of Boston fans. If you want to improve that, then it's time we come up with some new ideas, and TELL the community what we are thinking (as well as listening to what they are thinking). If you'd prefer a repeat of past horror stories, then you've got the right attitude. Shut down people's ideas and tell them that we've already got it figured out, they're in for a treat, but we're not going to tell them what it is. That is a good way to prevent interest.

Also, this conversation is for Boston day. Other topics and opinions, especially ones involving your displeasure with the accomplishments of fellow members, are not warranted here and they are not appropriate. It is a turn off to people who may have once been interested in these events.

To the rest,
I continue to encourage new thoughts and ideas, no matter how radical they may seem. Had someone told the founding fathers when they acquired Biddeford & Saco car 31, that it would be the first of nearly 300 vehicles (and growing) to be saved by an organization which would develop from their small movement to save 1 car, I'm sure they'd have passed the person off as certifiable.

Alright, we are totally off topic... Lets keep this to the EVENT named in the thread title, please. Otherwise I will have to lock this.

CRail wrote:You have to get people behind it, you can't just go fix it yourself (as in it's far too involved, not that you wouldn't be allowed to try). Trust me! If you could 3274 would be up and running by now! Find the right people to talk to about 3127, I would certainly support that (meaning help you with it) project! There is a lot of knowledge out there in regards to the basic PCC and all electrics as well. The Picture Window cars have rapid transit controllers like the 01100 Orange Line cars and are far more complicated to work on. I'm going way off topic here, so I will digress.

ck4049, If you want to work on a PCC, I encourage it, I just don't want you starting off thinking you'll have it running in a month and then get discouraged and give up on it. Definitely use this Boston Day as a reason to tell people, "hey look! we need this thing to run!" and hopefully we will get the support from others needed to get the job done. I strongly feel that 3127 should be the target for this effort, as it is the best mechanically (or should be). I really feel we should have at least one of each type up and running. Maybe for Boston day 2015 we'll have 3019 (Tremont Car), 3127 (Wartime), 3221(All Electric), 3274 (Picture Window), and 3340 (Ex Dallas). Hey, I can dream!

As far as 3221's location I believe its in either the Fairview or Fairview-west yard (unless it's been moved, there's been A LOT of shifting in the past few months and a lot of stuff got scrambled, I'll bring myself up to speed in the spring). It could be the other tarped car in Bennet though, I might be mixing them up. The other 2 cars over there thought are 2026 (flatcar) and 3292 (Picture Window).

(Further discussion of specific cars and where they are should probably be diverted to a thread of its own over in the Museums forum.)

End point being that it is very unlikely (nearly certain) that a Boston PCC will not be in operation for Boston Day 2010, but if there is enough of a push behind it, it is certainly a possibility for 2011!

You are absolutely right. I bet my life that a Boston PCC will not run before June 19th and I will work hard to get a restoration team together to get to work on a Boston PCC. I know a whole lot of people who really want to ride on one and I am already in the Bus and Rapid Transit departments so I can get Bill to help me. I really want to see a PCC running by the Christmas Prelude in December, but I need help with the planning and the management of a project. If anyone here knows about PCCs, I am accepting your help. Im going to try to keep this on topic for now on. Thanks.

Are any of the 01100's operable?

I would like to see 0719 run as I have fond memories of riding those cars in my youth

Jon

[quote="jonnhrr"]Are any of the 01100's operable?




Not that I know of.

The 01100's have never run or moved from the track they are stored on in the 4 years I have been active in opperations. Most imperative for cars to be used on our line is having a trolley pole mounted on the roof and those cars lack poles among other things at this time.

The 1100s used to be outside of Shop 1 about seven years ago. I hope Bill will get to work on them soon!

What's going on with the 1924 Blue Line box motor? Haven't heard anything on it yet.

It arrived in December, I think.

Does anyone have an updated list of equipment for Boston Day?