A New Concept in T-to-the-Fourth-Power Museums

First, probably most of you are wondering what "T-to-the-Fourth-Power" means.

The several hundred good people who have been reading this Blog may already know :
It's an abbreviation for the four "T"s" :
     Trolleys
     Trams (essentially, European, Australian, and Asian trolleys, streetcars, and light rail)
     Traction (the old name for rail lines run by electricity), and
     Transit (the New York subways, the Chicago El, the London Tube, the Paris Metro, interurban electric railways, etc.)

Second, why a museum of this stuff? We already have trolley museums; the famous Tich tram museum in the U.K. (England) ; the many local trolley museums in the United States, and quite a few others. Do we really need more ?

... and why now ?

Questions with easy answers, once you think it through in a broad Time and Space perspective.

1. Our North American trolley museums are delightful , nostalgic collections of antique and vintage traction equipment. BUT, they need very large budgets which will undoubtedly increase with time and inflation, and large amounts of ever decreasingly-available space.

2. Equipment maintenance is a difficult labor-intensive task , requiring large expenditures these days

3. The ride provided to visitors is overshadowed --- in most visitors' minds --- by the kinds of "rides" available in theme parks and amusement parks

4. Volunteers --- for any optional activity --- are becoming less and less available because of economic times, an older labor force that needs to spend its time in more financially rewarding ways, the increasing dearth of knowledge about "streetcars", how they work, and the mission, ethic, and function of museums, [we know; we've been there].

5. Grant money, local government appropriations, and private donations are becoming rare.

6. Much information regarding traction, and appreciation for its role, is fading from the public consciousness.

What is the answer ? ... or rather, what is one solution?

Follow the course set by maritime museums, which have become satisfied with --- and flourish with --- model ships.

Arguably the largest percentage of trolley museums provide a passenger ride for a few miles on hard-to-maintain track laid on hard-to-come-by land. It occurred to some of us that with many of the huge "Big-Box" stores, very large restaurants, and Supermarkets going belly-up in this economy, leaving enormous empty spaces that, in our own experience lie vacant for --- in many cases --- years, could be turned to good and interesting use.

Dictum one : Don't Ride 'em, watch 'em

If we take into consideration the tremendous impact size has, and can convert our model thinking into mega-model size --- anywhere from "Live Steam" scale (one-eighth size) up through GH size for the late Gordon Hatch of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (one-fourth size) models --- that can run indoors because they are safely powered by electricity, like any model transit equipment --- you realize that, with one stroke, costs of acquisition, construction, and maintenance have been reduced to manageable proportions.

Dictum Two : Size Matters

Suddenly, these museums become readily manageable, on every count.

1. Youngsters, eager for new experiences and without the funds or physical strength of adults, can become candidates for both membership and internship as working members;
2. retired adults: an enormous untapped resource. One retirement community --- not a nursing home, not a managed care facility --- alone can have over 2,000 residents who can participate or commit to volunteer; an operating budget no longer matches that of the Pentagon ; retired workers often carry with them into retirement the very skills and work ethic required;
3. the scope of both display and operation is within everyone's capability.
4. Location of, and access to, many of these vacant properties : much more convenient, translating into many more visitors and easier access by volunteers and staff.
5. Cost of exhibits drops dramatically.
6. Non-availability of replacement parts is much less of an issue.
7. A modest machine shop can serve dual purposes : it can be used to site-manufacture metal and wood parts for use in the museum OR offered for sale to new hobbyists, and it can be used as a basis for training youngsters in the use of serious machine tools under adult supervision.
8. Some of these museums might become adjunct facilities of school systems that are strapped for money and that (coincidentally) are not building a knowledgeable labor base for the future of manufacturing in America (North and South). Working with the Society for Industrial Archaeology or other such major non-profits as engineering schools could also be considered.
9. We just read a survey which indicated that a large majority of our youth don't even know which way to (ready for this one?)  turn a screwdriver ! There's a selling point for a private education initiative !
10. Our education systems (full disclosure : of which we ourselves have been members for many years) often appear to lag many years behind our country's needs, and generally provide inadequate career guidance to both students and workers alike.

It doesn't take much to start a traction museum, one that would match the best of the maritime museums, other than the good sense and the will.

If the project seems beyond the means of a group, just compare it to running a conference or exhibition each year, with attendant set-up, breakdown, advertising, and persuading members to pitch in. Here, once set up, the basics remain. Comparing it to an operating trolley museum leaves the operating approach far behind in many ways.

More requirements and ideas will follow !