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Debbie Conway named Superintendent of Steamtown National Historic Site
Steamtown without an operating steam locomotive. No reason to go their now!!!
OK Debbie, this is what you do: Steamtowns got a lot more stuff laying around than they can possibly use, like most museums. Now’s the time for one big whopping yard sale to unload it all and raise some badly needed funds. I’ve seen the photos of the Steamtown storage and display areas and quite frankly it looks like a junkyard.
Raise the money, get the steam engines working again. You don’t want wags calling it “Dieseltown” on your watch, do you?
F. Nelson Blount and Don Ball, Jr. must be spinning in their graves. As Ed Harris (playing Gene Kranz) said in Apollo 13, “Tell me this isn’t a government operation.” They go to all the expense and trouble of fixing up the Steamtown site, then find out a few years down the road that operating and maintaining steam locomotives takes a lot of money. Who could have guessed? I hope Ms. Conway is politically adept enough to find a way to cajole someone to appropriate sufficient funds to get the steam fleet running again, and I don’t mean some little industrial engine. Why would I drive 4 hours for that when I have Cass Scenic, Western Maryland Scenic, and NS’ 21st Century Steam program, to mention but three examples, practically in my back yard?
I completely agree with previous comments. On our several visits over the years we have been able to enjoy the “yard special” behind steam. Steamtown without billowing coal smoke is not the same. Walking through the yard and checking out the deteriorating relics is heartbreaking. There are many pieces I assume are rare or even unique that are decomposing before your eyes. The whole place could at least use a roof over it, perhaps a la PA State Rwy Museum in Strasburg. Lots for Ms. Conway to worry about and get done- I wish her the best.
One last thing and then I’ll say no more. To paraphrase Frederick the Great “He who attempts to save everything saves nothing!”
Sometimes the hard decisions have to be made by someone, what goes, what stays, if it means saving the rest.
As others have said: “No steam at Steamtown, no reason to go.” Would it be possible to lease an operating steam locomotive for at least a few of the summer excursions. Perhaps arrangements could be made to lease the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern pacific. It certainly would increase interest, and perhaps an increase in the ridership would offset the costs.