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Re: (erielack) Historic artifacts (was: Sale of Erie Lackawanna Station Sign)

Hi Paul T., and All,
 
Back in the mid 1960's when I was a young teen, I learned that the NY&GL Wayne, NJ, station was scheduled to be razed and wanted those "WAYNE" station signs as well as the iron ticket window grate inside, though to my recollection, that grate did not have the fancy "E" as part of its design like the Pompton Plains one had.  My folks told me to write a letter to the EL and ask for them, which I did.  In due course, I received a letter from Geo. Eastland who told me I could have them and keep checking, as when the station was being demolished they would be put aside for me.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  
 
Reading the letter, my mom wanted my dad and me to go down there immediately with a ladder and remove them, but my more conservative dad, who otherwise encouraged me in my railfan activities and modeling efforts, told me I should wait like the letter said and keep checking, which I did most every day (that was a good long bike ride from Pompton Plains!).  You guessed it, within a couple of weeks, someone else had help themselves to "my" signs and grate.   I wote again to Eastland, hoping they hade been removed and saved for me, but that was not the case and he was sorry to hear of it. 
 
A year or two later, both the signs showed up inside a used car dealer's office in Lincoln Park, Tom Barry, who would not listen to any claim I voiced.  Even later when I was in college, I saw that Tony Citro had at least one of them, but he did listen and asked me to show him the letter which I unfortunatelty by then had misplaced.   Of course decades later, I found the letters back home and sill have them.   I wonder where "my" signs are now, lol!
 
So while I understandably have mixed feeling about "liberation" of artifacts, I am glad to see many objects that have been saved from certain destruction.  That includes our local station records that I and at least one other railfan carted off "without permission" when it was "cleaned out" by the new 1966 owners.  Those records, many now repatriated, are part of our town museum archives today.  
 
Jay
 
W. Jay Wanczyk

From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paul.tupaczewski_@_alcatel-lucent.com>
To: EL Mail List <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
Cc: Len Allman <len_allman_@_yahoo.com>; Paul Cappelloni <pcap.bprr@verizon.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2011 2:19 PM
Subject: (erielack) Historic artifacts (was: Sale of Erie Lackawanna Station Sign)

> Does an historic artifact lose its value when removed from 
> it's original location?

I don't think so. Look at all the "historic artifacts" that are in museums today - are they worth less?


> Do we as "railfans" want to 
> encourage vandalism to say nothing of encouraging theft?

I'm not a fan of theft, but if stuff is going into the garbage, I'm all for taking it for the sake of preservation. Case in point: They were rebuilding a road bridge adjacent to the Boonton Line in my hometown when was in high school. To make room for the construction they tore down all the former DL&W line poles and piled them up to haul off to the dump. Of course, one of the crossarms has the ceramic "DANGER: High Voltage" that was ubiquitous on many DL&W line poles. So I relieve the cross arm of this neat piece - otherwise it would be under piles of rubble in some dump today.


> was a popular rumor during EL days that a railroad "boss" had 
> a fine collection of Erie Railroad clocks that had formerly 
> been in stations.  I was never in his house and never saw him 
> take a clock from a station, open or closed. If the clocks 
> were "liberated" doesn't that reduce their value?

Again, no. You're actually preserving or increasing their value (depending on how many are still in existence). Was the way they were obtained legal (or at least, morally acceptable?)  That you'll probable never know.


Let's face it - a good portion of the cool railroad artifacts floating around nowadays were NOT obtained legally. Whether it was an employee who set aside a couple of lanterns, or an overzealous (or greedy) antique collector ripping down a station sign, none of it is really "legal" - of course, is there an entity representing the EL who would fight the perpetrators today? Highly unlikely.

    - Paul

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