Re: RTM 19th Century Treasures

["Trevor Edmonds" <trevor_edmonds@dingoblue.net.au>]

Chris wrote...

> By moving the collection off SRA land to your 55 acres is it a realisation
> by DSR&M management that it may be evicted should the sale of the line may
> not eventuate?

No its been part of the published plan since before we moved to Dorrigo. The
land was purchased in the early 1980s.

> Having a static museum is probably a good idea, as the opposition down the
> line seem to be running out of money trying to rebuild the line.

We have always thought so.

> What amazes me is that nobody from either of the groups had the forsight
to
> realise the true cost of rebuilding the line.

We reopend the line in 1986. We did not have the forsight to see more than a
decade of legal obsticles, which has allowed the work done to be lost.

> It is one thing gathering a large amount of rolling stock for free or at
> scrap metal prices but maintaining it in good order it is very expensive.

This has recently being canvassed in the other thread that is running.
Please refer to my other postings for an answer/coment on this point.

> Added to that you have the additional cost of the line.
> I think the DSR&M should have stayed to the Newcastle region where there
is
> a larger population base, where they could have had a museum and run the
> occasional train on SRA lines.

Ask 3801 Ltd how easy it is to run a train on SRA metals. I have crewed on
enough of their trains to have ample first hand experience of how easy it
is. As for the population base, a high touist visitation rate is probably
more important. That was one of the prime criteria in selecting Dorrigo.

Trevor