Arguably the largest percentage of trolley museums provide a passenger ride for several miles on hard-to-maintain track laid on difficult-to-come-by land. It occurred to us that many of the huge "Big-Box" stores, industrial sites, and supermarkets are going belly-up in this economy, leaving enormous empty spaces that, in our own experience lie vacant for --- in many cases ---years. They could be turned to good and interesting use.
Dictum One : Don't Ride 'em, watch 'em
Take into consideration the tremendous impact that size has, and how it can convert our model thinking . Here's GH Scale, named for the late Gordon Hatch of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Picture these one-quarter-full-size models that can run both outdoors and indoors because they are safely powered by electricity, like any model railway equipment . With one stroke, costs have been reduced to manageable proportions.
Dictum Two : Size Matters
Suddenly, the concept of a museum like this becomes readily manageable.
1. Youngsters, eager for new experiences and without the funds or physical strength of adults, can become viable candidates for both membership and internship as working members;
2. retired adults are an enormous untapped resource. One Florida retirement community alone --- No ! not a nursing home, not a managed care facility --- may have over 2,000 residents, both working and retired. They can participate or volunteer; the operating budget no longer matches that of the Pentagon ; and retired workers often carry with them the very skills and work ethic required for restoration, light construction, and old-new ideas.
3. the scope of both display and operation is within everyone's capability.
4. Convenient location of, and access to, many of these vacant properties translate into many more visitors and easier access by volunteers and staff.
5. The cost of exhibits and trolley barns 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 manufacture metal and wood parts on site for its own use and for sale to the public, Made in the U.S.A., they can be used as a basis for training youngsters in the use of serious machine tools under adult supervision.
8. Some of these might even become adjuncts 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).
9. In that last regard, a recent survey indicated that a large majority of our youth don't even know which way to (ready for this one?) turn a screwdriver ! Now, there's a selling point for a private education initiative ! Our education systems (of which we ourselves have been members for many years) always lag many years behind our country's needs, and fail to provide adequate career guidance to both students and workers alike.
It doesn't take much to start a traction museum along the lines suggested above, one that would match the best of the maritime museums. It does take good sense, initiative, and will.
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