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The Next Generation Rail Historical Society

About the Erie Lackawanna Historical & Technical Society

The seeds of the Erie Lackawanna Historical & Technical Society go back to at least 1996-1997. Several DL&W, Erie and EL enthusiasts independently began to form thoughts about how to take advantage of the then still-young World Wide Web to share information about their favorite railroads. Web sites heavy in images were beginning to appear, as were web sites which were narrow in their focus. What three of these enthusiasts envisioned was a web site which would become a valuable research and reference tool for modelers, historians and fans - a virtual digital archive, if you will.

As each continued to develop the idea independently, the three individuals became aware the other two had similar thoughts in how the Internet and World Wide Web could be used to reach out to other people interested in the three railroads in a way previously unattainable (or unimaginable!) They presented their ideas to people in a position to help put these ideas into motion, but it seemed to be met with indifference.

As the years went by, our three intrepid souls continued to discuss the original concept of a virtual archive and began to expand upon the concept. Once again the topic came up within the framework of the aforementioned organization of which they were members. Some progress was made – the value of a web site was finally acknowledged, although passive resistance or possibly indifference was shown towards the virtual archive concept.

In parallel with the use of the Web to build a virtual archive, it also became apparent to our intrepid three that “fallen flag” railroad historical societies all faced a looming crisis: Once the current generation of members proverbially “rides the Lake Cities or Phoebe Snow” for the final time, who was going to carry forward the history and knowledge of the railroads? Traditional societies, including both modeling as well as railroad historical societies, were with few exceptions, showing stagnant or declining membership levels. So a major consideration became how to attract new members and in particular, how to capture the interest of the people who would become the next generation of DL&W, Erie and EL modeler, historian or fan.

After considerable analysis of the situation, it became increasingly apparent that a quick reaction to the situation was not going to happen within such a fixed and long-established organization. It had matured and, as with so many things in life, this maturity lead to a feeling of comfort with the status quo and a loss of enthusiasm and energy to devote to new endeavors.

In the course of trying to effect changes from within, it became clear there were others, members and non-members, who shared our three's vision and concerns. Something else became clear from the ensuing discussions: The culture of passivity was not going to be changed. So then, how to move this idea forward? Every day, more first-hand history was being irreplaceably lost. Capturing this knowledge for future generations was going to require a level of effort, sense of purpose and dedication which seemed to have disappeared. It was collectively decided the best way to proceed was to form a new society, one which was built on a culture of participation and encouraged ownership, and would utilize the latest currently-available technology as a vehicle to make these goals happen in a rapid fashion.

From the years of conversations and discussions with a wide range of individuals, the following principles were developed:

• Members need to have a sense of ownership in the Society if they are going to be willing to contribute to it. It needs to feel as well as be in fact, their society.
  
  
• No one should be excluded from seeking to serve the Society in a way they feel they can best fulfill that goal. Not every member is an expert modeler, researcher or author, they may have other talents which they are willing to share and can be of use to the Society and its members.
  
  
• Members should be members and not subscribers. Not every member may feel compelled to participate in the governance and elective process, but that should be their choice rather than having no choice.
  
  
• A clearly defined set of by-laws should set forth the rights of the members of the Society and what the responsibilities and accountabilities are of the people they elect to run their Society.
  
  
• The Society should have an elected Board of Directors who serves at the will of and in the interests of the membership.
  
  
• The Society should collectively do everything it can to encourage participation and sharing of information and knowledge among its members and with the interested general public.
  
  
• The Society should endeavor to reach out to other railroad and general historical societies and work with them cooperatively. Raising the level of public awareness to what these societies offer will benefit all of us.
  
  
• Everyone has something worth contributing and sharing; an anecdote, memories, pictures, memorabilia, family history, work experiences or their time and effort. All should be encouraged to give what they feel they best can to further the Society's mission for the betterment of all.
  
  
• The Society should apply available technology to the best of its ability to disseminate, inform and educate its members and the general public.

And so the Erie Lackawanna Historical & Technical Society was born. We believe we have embodied the principles stated above in the very foundation of the Erie Lackawanna Historical & Technical Society.

Will we achieve these goals? That will depend on our membership. If you want to ensure we do meet them, become a member of the Erie Lackawanna Historical & Technical Society. Your participation is the most important component to achieving success.