What Era, Railroads, & Locomotives are you set on?

[ngauger]

They're stuffed and mounted, but deceptively so, i suppose. Sometimes it looks like all they need is a little maintenance.

ah well, at least they're still around.

That's basically the mission statement of any museum... To Preserve and Interpret artifacts for generations to come.

We have to "leave them" in mothballs so to speak, so that they will not deteriorate for our great grand kid's.. Great grand kids. (That's 6 or 7 generations there) Roughly 150 years.

In the meantime, they try too make them look the same way as they did when they were in operation. Museums would like nothing more than to fire a locomotive, even if they just had it go 400 ft up and down a siding. Great tourist draw!! but they can't. Any wear and tear on an "Original" Locomotive puts "miles (Or Hours) on the entire engine.. The wheels, frames, steam pipes and especially the firebox, boiler and tubing.

It's just not worth it to have 1 or 2 running, and expect it to be in "Historical" shape in 200 - 300 years.... And yeah - I hate it too... But if you get close to some engines.... You can feel the history,... It's a great thing......

I've been lucky enough to volunteer at a local museum (RR Museum of PA).. (Local being a 1-1/4 hour one way trip). I've worked on a few Locos and it's an enriching and enlightening experience...