Steam & Excursion > Guys.....what do you think?

What do you folks think is the value of the NRHS when it comes to preserving the heritage of the steam locomotive for the future?

Keystone1 Wrote:
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> What do you folks think is the value of the NRHS
> when it comes to preserving the heritage of the
> steam locomotive for the future?


I think there far more to preserve than locomotives.

I never have been a member, what I recall about NRHS are excursions. Has NRHS ever been in the steam locomotive preservation business? AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

I think the answer lies in the the meaning of the initials of their society's NAME....

Regionally & Locally, some have been very active in sponsoring & helping to staff excursions.
Many have assisted with loco restoration and operations. Mostly depending on a very few dedicated members.
Examples: places like Portland, OR!, Erie, Pa., etc.
Some chapters, not so much.

I'm all for such groups and ALL their varied efforts.

Wes C.

A lot of the preservation efforts within the NRHS depended on revenue from running excursions. Particularly, those that were able to run Southern Ry and NS steam excursions were able to not only provide support for any locomotives owned by chapters or chapter-affiliated museums but also maintained coaches and rolling stock that was used on those excursions. Probably the most affluent chapter was the Roanoke Chapter but others such as Atlanta, Birmingham, Louisville and others also contributed to the museums that owned locomotives. Some of the museums sprang from NRHS chapters. In addition to any financial aid, many of these chapters provided car hosts, ticket outlets, etc for excursions. If they sponsored trips and were successful at selling tickets, they earned money for their own projects.

On the other hand, many of the NRHS chapters were under funded or had little opportunity to earn the funding they might need due to not having excursion sponsoring opportunities. Those are (and were) movie or slide show clubs.

Many of today's museums were started by NRHS members who are now mostly gone.

-JH

I think the NRHS has completely lost credibility. Contract out everything you can (and pay thru the nose for it) and do away with your yearly Chapter activities bulletin. Now you want to do away with the Chapter model. Just where do these clowns think money will come from for preservation once most of the membership is gone?

The NRHS got all tangled up in their shorts over that Railcamp program. Now there is a lawsuit from one of the participants. Imagine the financial hit from that.
Should 've kept the focus on preservation. Too late now.
Thinking of dropping out myself.

Hey...for what it's worth. I took my first train picture in 1955. Since then I have photographed steam locomotives in regular service on 5-continents, with multiple repeats. I am not now nor have ever been a member of the NRHS. Hmmmmm.