Restoration Notes: A Day in the Life of a Railway Museum.

Wednesday, December 23, 1998

Some months ago, Greg Gneier wrote a letter to L. A. City Council President John Ferraro requesting that consideration be given to donating a surplus City forklift to the Museum. While the wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly, they also grind persistently, and, at Mr. Ferraro's instigation, the Council voted to donate a forklift. I would like to quote from the donation agreement that was signed by Mr. Ferraro:

"SCSRA is a nonprofit California educational corporation that provides volunteers and assistance to help develop Travel Town into a world class railroad museum. Their plans include development of an interpretive center, an operating demonstration railroad, and docent guided tours for the enjoyment of City residents and visitors."

These plans, of course, are the joint plans of SCSRA, ASRA and the Department of Recreation and Parks, but it is nice to hear them recognized in an official City document.

The donated forklift is a Mitsubishi FG-20 in working condition. Its capacity is 4,000 pounds, which makes it suitable for the majority of our needs.

We are grateful to Greg Gneier for spearheading the request, to Mr. Ferraro for recognizing our need, and to the City Council for voting to support the donation.