VMT vs NCTM

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Ben, During this whole debate...I was thinking the same thing, except I could not put it in words, for fear of hurting some feelings, or stirring up a bees nest.

NCTM beats the pants off of VMT....In so many ways, One is admission prices, You can go to NCTM, and take a 20 minute train ride...for less than it takes just to get into VMT. You can go to NCTM, and do everything BUT ride the train, for FREE.

When you have a family of 4...that is important. But to be frank, I enjoyed visiting the Link museum just as much, if not more than VMT, part of this goes to the present dissembled state of 1218, it was so depressing to me, that since I saw it, I have not returned to VMT, But I have visited the Link Museum again since.

My NON-railfan wife summed it up nicely...for her and the kids, the train rides are paramount...they don't mind it when daddy, drools all over the displays. But their better be a train ride...and when train ride tickets at Spencer for all of us cost 20 bucks, VS. 30 bucks just to walk around a scrap yard (except for the J and a few diesels to her) is a clear cut choice. She can live without the train ride...than it comesdown to the 30 bucks, and needing to watch out for rusty steel. But she DOES like the 1776 SD45

She openly wonders about my sanity when I mention going back..Even though she is a non-railfan, she looks forward to Spencer's "railfest" with all the displays.

I also think that VMT could be dramatically improved with some kind of observation deck, you have a bustling main line ,not 20 yards away...and you cant hardly see it for the fence and equipment..even the railwalk is a disappointment, you cant hardly see the trains for the fencing..Atleast at the Link Museum they have several locations where you can view the main, in comfort.

heck..Just compare their websites..

http://www.vmt.org/

http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/Sections/hs/spencer/spencer.htm

Andy Jennings
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  To: NW Mailing List 
  Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 5:40 AM
  Subject: RE:VMT


  Sounds like politics to me!  It just makes me feel ashamed to go see a place like the North Carolina Transportation Museum at Spencer, and then look at VMT and realize what they could have if they wanted to.  IMO I believe if NCTM had the 611 she'd still be running.  Maybe not majestically through the mountains and countryside, but running none the less.  At least some of their stuff RUNS!  (As for 1218, I don't think it'll ever run again regardless of who has it.  It appears to be an empty shell.)

  In the Roanoke Valley, in a place that was built by the railroad, you would think that the historical railroad heritage would be a top priority for preservation and tourism.  I guess as usual, politics gets in the way.

  Ben Blevins

  nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org wrote:
    >IMO, moving the equipment currently residing in the NS
    >yard was an improvement because the general public is
    >not interested in a place that looks like a scrap yard
    >or a work-in-progress. They want attractive exhibits
    >in a nice setting. The actual artifacts probably
    >don't matter much.


    I take it you've never been to the IRM (Illinois Railway Musuem)... the 
    general public has no problem with it there. Of course, unlike the VMT, the 
    IRM makes a monumental effort to restore something (a lot of somethings) 
    every once in a while. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to 
    volunteer at the VMT, only to never recieve a call in return from anybody.



    >BTW, who is the "art guy from VT"? I didn't know
    >there was anyone in authority from VT at the museum.
    >Did I miss something?


    Could'nt tell you. I recall seeing a blurb in the Roanoke Times about it 
    some time ago. He wasn't in authority at the musuem, he was doing it for 
    the musuem.

    As for Bev, he's got a long road in front of him (assuming hte politics game 
    being played in Roanoke doesn't get him). Until the VMTs board realizes 
    that they are a blue-collar museum in a blue-collar town, it'll continue to 
    be SSDD no matter who is at the helm.

    Robb Fisher


    ________________________________________
    NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
    To change your subscription go to
    http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list





------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  ________________________________________
  NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
  To change your subscription go to
  http://list.nwhs.org/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20061019/f534431f/attachment.htm