Hello Craig,
Not to get in a "tit for tat", but the "needed" comment comes direct from Mr. Gould's post, "we needed the narrow gauge trucks for rider cars". As such the three gondolas were de trucked and turned into storage platforms because their trucks were needed for the new rider cars.
While I will agree that it is physically possible to restore the gondolas at some point, I don't think that it is realistic to think that it will ever happen as any restoration would require the destruction of the newley created rider cars.
The problem lies not with the creation of the rider cars but with the short sighted mentality that artifacts within the Museum's care should be destroyed as an expedient to the creation of the new cars.
Once you go down that road, where do you stop? RGS 0404 could carry a lot more people if the interior was removed (and put into storage for future reinstallation) and benches put along the walls. Same could be said for the Rico and the B-7. I realize that these are extreme examples, but the thought process that gets the Museum there is the same one that allows it to justify destroying the gondolas for their trucks.
The new rider car project, as conceived by Jack Campbell, was an excellent idea. Trade coach 256 to the C&TS for some standard gauge flatcar frames that have been stacked in a pile in Antonito for years along with enough parts to make trucks for said frames. Coach 256 will be cared for and restored by the Friends of the C&TS and the museum will get new, high capacity rider cars without having to use any of the artifacts in its collection. A win - win for all involved. Building the new cars out of metal made the idea even better as, aside from paint, very little time would be consumed in the future trying to keep them from rotting away, in theory freeing up time and monetary resources for maintenance of the artifact collection.
The problem comes when the decision is made that it is quicker and easier to destroy said artifacts than it is to complete the project as originally conceived.
Jason Midyette
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2015 08:18AM by Jason Midyette.
