NATIONAL TRACTION : A PUBLICATION OF THE ELECTRIC RAILWAYS NETWORK, VOLUME ONE, 28 June 2012

T⁴ MUSEUMS : A RADICAL NEW APPROACH TO TRACTION MODELLING AND TROLLEY MUSEUMS

WHAT ?

First, probably many of you are wondering what T⁴(T-to-the-Fourth-Power) means.  It's our abbreviation for the four T's :

Trolleys (in North America : streetcars, not shopping carts)

Trams (essentially, European, Australian, and Asian trolleys, streetcars, and light rail)

Traction (the old professional name for rail equipment powered by electric traction motors, such as trolleys and box cabs), and

Transit (Light Rail, the New York subways, the Chicago El, the London Tube, the Paris Metro, interurban electric railways, etc.).

WHY ?

Second, why an organization of this stuff? We already have model trolley groups, trolley museums; the famous Tich tram museum in the U.K. (England) ; the many fine local trolley museums in the United States, and many others. Do we really need to organize more ? ... and why now ?

BECAUSE :

Questions with easy answers, once you consider the broad perspectives of Time and Space Available .

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, large amounts of decreasingly-available space, and many volunteers, who are much more concerned these days with finding money in the budget for food and shelter than with repairing old rail equipment.

2. Equipment maintenance is a difficult labor-intensive task , requiring large financial expenditures, time, shelter for the equipment, machine shops, as well as highly specialized fittings and replacement parts.

3. 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 lack of knowledge about "streetcars", how they work, and the mission, ethic, and function of museums, [we know; we've been there].

4. The ride provided to visitors is overshadowed -- in many visitors' minds -- by the ubiquitous thrill-based "rides" available at theme parks and amusement parks. One might call it "The How-Fast-Can-It-Go Syndrome" .

5. Grant money, local government appropriations, and private donations are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.

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

7. This entire Tractatus was, and in a sense, still is, primarily addressed to TROLLEY MODELERS, the forgotten Majority.

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EDITORS' NOTES and COMMENTS : A BOLD NEW IDEA
 
Faithful readers may find some of this repetitive of some of the material previousy written. Still, this beats sending Thoughts and Ponderings to an entire mailing list, given the escalating costs of sending anything anywhere these days. 
 
If you think it's really worthwhile, send five dollars (much of which goes to the US Postal Service) and the recipients' names and addresses for every recipient you deem worthy (head of a model traction group, of a trolley museum, of a transit advocacy group, Publisher of a trolley publication, Editor of a museum newsletter, or even just a Trolley Buddy), and I'll send him/her/it/them a copy of all 26 pages. NOT COPYRIGHT, SUITABLE FOR REPRODUCTION AND FRAMING, ON RECYCLABLE PAPER, MADE IN THE U.S.A. 
 
Any time you want, you can change your mind and ask to be demitted from any and all mailing lists, and keep the material you already have .
 
Fair enough ????