Talk to Don Curry, Exec Director at Seashore or Scott Becker, Exec Director
at the PA Trolley Museum and probably still President of the Association of
Railway Museums.

I suspect there were other contributing factors in addition to different
philosophies on the use of collections.  Seashore is in that transition, and
may be for years, between private fan club open to the public and museum.
They are working to improve interpretation.  Much of the collection is under
cover but not necessarily indoors, and those pieces indoors certainly are
not in what some might consider the most ideal climate conditions.  While
the board is elected by the members, there are "shares" involved which are
linked to financial contributions.  The library needs lots of work.
Importantly, however, the public does experience riding a streetcar -
something most have never done!

It does bring up again, the greater issue of whether to operate collections
objects, of any type.  _History News_ had an interesting article on
collections care in living history museums in its summer issue.

Seashore member since I was a munchkin and now sporadic volunteer,
(all opinions expressed here are my own, of course)



--
Rhonda R. Newton                                     || "lifelong
PA Federation of Museums & Historical Organizations  || ailurophile"
[log in to unmask]                              ||