Preservation/Restoration/Rehabilitation

Now that the dustup over the repainting of 489s tender has sort of died down, I believe that a brief discussion on the subject of Preservation/Restoration/ and or Rehabilitation of things under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service may be in order. This is not to reignite the flames but to attempt to get us all somewhat on the same page.

It is my understanding that now the C&TS is now designated as a National Historic Landmark. The NPS guidelines are so detailed and complex that it would be difficult to stay out of hot water with the NPS. In the current case, the repaint of the tender could be just the sort of thing the NPS would take exception to if they so chose.

So I suggest that you take some time and at least familiarize yourself a little bit with the NPS guidelines. The National Historic designation is nice to have, and something that we can point to with pride. But it does carry a sizable responsisbility.

And before someone points out the obvious, the following URL says little or nothing about railroad related issues. I'm going to keep digging into this and perhaps come up with something better. Either that, or perhaps someone else on here can help out.

[www.nps.gov]

CJ