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money losing operation.
The interpretive programs Friends started have
demonstrated that they can more than support themselves and
bring a
significant increase in heritage tourism to Sutter Creek.
And the most recent pour at Knight included a bigjob for an historic
railroad - all the hardware required to build four gallows
style turntables.
Similarly, the SPCRR at Ardenwood has created all the
patterns required
to build Carter-style railroad trucks and coupler systems
for narrow gauge
rolling stock replication. Gross income of only $150,000 a
year in projects
on the scale of the turntable iron work would be a
sufficient "nut" to keep
Knight in operation with a minimum staff of five.
So everything is in place to guarantee the preservation of
Knight Foundry
with one exception - an effective sales and marketing
campaign. What
organization is better equiped in terms of networking
potential for
communicating the marketing message to the preservation
community
regionally and nationally than the SIA?
In a larger sense, the case for supporting Knight Foundry
in this way, is the
case for supporting the practice of historic skills and the
development of
standards and methodologies for skills preservation.
Replacement parts
and crafted elements for the restoration of our historic
built environment
should by any standard of integrity be created whenever
possible by using
authentic production processes. And that's the best
possible sales pitch for
Knight Foundry. We rest our case.
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