Texas Railroading Heritage Museum News - February 2014

Gulf Coast Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, est 1961

The Express   Mid-February2014   News For the Friends of the              Texas Railroading Heritage Museum                 www.houstonRRmuseum.org     713 631-6612              Visit Our Website Museum Will Be Known as "Texas Railroading Heritage Museum" It's official- when we re-open in Tomball, we will take the name Texas Railroading Heritage Museum. Anybody interested in suggesting or designing a new logo?.   Museum Planning Session to Feature Brainstorming Session and Discussion of Master Plan Development   The Gulf Coast Chapter will replace half of its program meetings with planning meetings in 2014. Why? Because there are numerous decisions that are required before a new museum can be established.   The February 18th meeting will feature two teams of consultants who will discuss museum master planning and then facilitate brainstorming sessions to try to clarify our next steps. For example, at some point we will need to determine which cars we will move to Tomball, in what order they will be displayed, whether or not to make interpretive improvements before moving in, and if so, which improvements are the most critical and the most practical.   Everyone is invited to participate. The Logan's Roadhouse Restaurant on Highway 290 is the site and if you want to come earlier than 7:30 for dinner, we will have a private room.  The third Tuesday of odd numbered months will continue to feature railroading programs of interest.     Board Adds Curator Position ....if only we had a curator "Curator (from Latin: curare meaning "take care"). Traditionally, a curator of a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery, museum,library or archive) is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material. " The Gulf Coast Chapter of the NRHS, the owner of the Texas Railroading Heritage Museum, now has a position (but not an incumbent) to focus on the interpretive aspects of our collection - telling the story of regional railroading development through artifacts, interesting signage, attractive and perhaps even interactive displays. In our long history, we have typically only been open a few hours each weekend and there have been enough qualified volunteers to give every visitor a personal tour. However, we have aspirations of being open six days a week in Tomball and that means it will be difficult to give every visitor a guided tour. Accordingly, we will need to rely on signs and videos to tell the story. Furthermore, there are aspects of our story for which we do not have representation in our collection. A Curator will be responsible for identifying these gaps and recommending acquisitions to make our presentation comprehensive and logical. The first step in the process is beginning on Feb 18th with a planning meeting to discuss our vision for the museum, building on the collection we have. Anyone interested in participating is invited to Logan's Roadhouse at 7:30 p.m. April 12th Trip to Dequincy via Motorcoach with Return on Sunset Limited Reservation Deadline March 15th JOIN THE GULF COAST CHAPTER FOR A MOTOR COACH/TRAIN EXCURSION TO THE DEQUINCY, LA. MUSEUM FOR "RAILROAD DAYS" ON SATURDAY, APRIL 12TH. WE WILL LEAVE THE HOUSTON AMTRAK STATION AT 7 A.M. BY BUS AND RETURN VIA THE WESTBOUND SUNSET LIMITED FROM LAKE CHARLES ARRIVING 6:18 P.M. THE SAME DAY.  RESERVATION PROCEDURE: Reserve your own seats on the train (Lake Charles to Houston) through Amtrak and your seats on the bus by sending $30 per traveler ($20 for children ages 3 through 12) to Gulf Coast Chapter Event Committee, 1536 Indiana Street, Houston, TX 77006. The check should be made payable to the Houston Railroad Museum. If you prefer, you can use a credit card on the Chapter web page, www.houstonRRmuseum.org.     AMTRAK RESERVATIONS: Reserve your one way ticket from Lake Charles (LCH) to Houston (HOS) by calling Amtrak at 800-872-7245 or via the web at www.Amtrak.com. A reserved seat is currently $20 with half price for children and small discounts for seniors and NARP members. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT YOU MAKE YOUR AMTRAK RESERVATIONS FIRST BEFORE SENDING A CHECK TO THE CHAPTER since the train does sell out but we could add bus seating capacity. Amtrak raises fare price as the trip gets nearer.  FOOD: Coffee and rolls will be provided on the bus and there will be food vendors at the festival. Dining or snack service will be available on the train. You are free to bring picnic materials(small cooler only).   Call 713 319 8906 for more information.   What's Happening? Upcoming Events The February meeting of the Chapter will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18th at Logans Roadhouse, 12950 Northwest Highway. Non-members are cordially invited.    Work parties are conducted many Wednesday mornings, Thursday evenings, and Saturdays. Call or check Chapter web page to confirm. Gulf Coast Chapter National Railway Historical Society The Texas Railroading Heritage Museum is owned and operated by the Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The Museum is currently closed although the Chapter meets monthly(except for December) on the third Tuesday of the month for a planning session or a program of interest to railroading enthusiasts. While the museum is being stored, the meetings are held at various locations. Check the museum web page or Facebook for information on the location. Visitors are always welcome. .