Re: 346 tender back in Golden

ebtrr Wrote:
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> Ryan, I don't agree with you at all and feel
> compelled to air my opinion.
>
> "whatever changes are made to her become part of
> what she is"
> "#346 is its own prototype. Anything you do to it
> is written in its history"
>
> So, If it keeps it running it is OK to do. By your
> measure, it would be just fine if 346 was painted
> lavender as long as it keeps running. It's OK to
> cut out the bottom out of the boiler and connect a
> chain drive diesel to the axles. It keeps it
> running, right? Scrap the boiler and mount a
> fiberglass water tank on the frame? It's now part
> of her, right? It's written in its history, right?
> How many will even know the difference? Just where
> do you draw the line?
>
> "People should be more concerned with
> functionality, not preserving appearances of rusty
> pieces of metal that are past their usable life"
>
> What you seem to prefer is not preservation, nor
> conservation. It is modernization. All you seem to
> care about is operation. If you don't care about
> preserving pieces of metal that are past their
> usable life then you are REALLY in the wrong
> hobby. #346 is ancient piece of junk by modern
> railroad standards. Do you think US Gypsum would
> want to use her in its daily freight operations?
> By your own standards the entire locomotive (not
> to mention 318) should be thrown out and replaced.
> If all you are interested in is keeping a
> locomotive running, then go work for UP or CSX.
>
> "It's not like each repair a railroad made was
> special or sacred."
>
> I would not say sacred, I would say it is part of
> the locomotive's history, whether desirable or
> not. The CRRM is a MUSEUM not a tourist railroad.
> Living history is great and admirable, but passing
> off history as something it was not is a lie. In
> its current form, the 346 was a third string
> locomotive running on a money loosing operation
> with underfunded repairs. That is what it was and
> the patches are part of that story. If you are
> restoring 4449, that is a very different story.
> Should they look the same? Should the 346 be
> restored to look like it was pulling the 20th
> Century Limited?
>
> "When you restore an old auto for show, do you
> keep all the dents and dings in the car?"
>
> If you are restoring a "1946 Hudson" by all means,
> restore it to showroom quality. If you are
> restoring "John Smith's 1946 Hudson" and it has
> the dent John Smith put in the back fender and the
> scratch he put in the bumper and the wire he ran
> to the choke, then NO do not put it back to
> factory condition. All those things tell the
> history of John Smith's 1946 Hudson. This is
> "D&RGw #346", not "a 36" gauge consolidation". If
> you want to restore a mass produced item to
> showroom quality, then work on an EMD f-unit or
> GP-9. Leave the unique pieces to others who value
> their uniqueness.
>
> For the record I do volunteer on a NG, a lot. I
> have done track, rolling stock and mostly railroad
> buildings. I DO get old photos and replicate
> changes, patches and even inconsistencies. That is
> part of the history of the artifact and helps to
> tell its story. It creates the "mood" of the item.
> Yes, concessions must be made to the long term
> survival of the artifact and its nearer term
> functionality, but that does not preclude
> preserving its character. Railroads were not
> showrooms. They were dirty, gritty, industrial
> sites.
>
> I'm sick if hearing "if the railroad were doing it
> now they would not have done that any more." If
> the railroad were doing it now, they would cut it
> up into scrap, tear up the line, burn the
> buildings, and give the CEO a big bonus. That is
> why it is in a MUSEUM, to be PRESERVED. It is not
> our duty to preserve what might have been by now,
> it is to preserve what it was THEN!
>
> For every artifact (and YES 346 is and artifact)
> you must choose "Period of significance" to which
> you intend to restore it. In my opinion, in the
> case of steam locomotives the restoration point
> should usually be the time the last did what it
> was intended to do. For 346 That was pulling
> trains on the main. Not running in a circle, a
> fresh from the factory locomotive, being a parts
> donor, or a main line loco demoted to yard
> switcher. Yes, every artifact has history since
> that important time in its life, but that is not
> the history we are here to preserve.
>
> Here are my guidelines:
> When possible conserve.
> When not possible to conserve, repair.
> When not possible to repair, replace in kind.
> When not possible to replace in kind, replace in
> spirit.


Well said!