CHM's PDP-1 (was Re: PDP-8/I at the RICM)

Im involved with the preservation of a working stationary steam engine We run about 6 times a year and we replace wear parts as would have been done throughout its working life. http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk/leawood/ I take guidance from 5.8 below and the fact that the maintenance required to do that means we inspect it more so can deal with its condition and any problems as they arise etc. See section 5 of http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/discover/site-information/487-standards-i… 5.7 Demonstrating an object in motion can add immeasurably to our understanding of its purpose and significance; riding on a transport exhibit designed to carry passengers not only shows us how it was made and controlled, but demonstrates conditions of life for those who worked on it or used it. A visitor who has never seen textile machinery at work will have difficulty understanding a static loom, let alone the working conditions of Victorian mill-hands. Running an early computer gives an unique insight into early computing practices. 5.8 Operating an object may also actually contribute to its preservation, eg through distributing lubricants or varying stress points. 5.9 Operating an object may also help to preserve or rediscover appropriate skills. 5.10 However, operating most mechanical objects will inevitably result in their wearing out. At the very least surfaces will be worn and information thus be lost; at the worst the object will end up like the proverbial Grandfather's Axe, with little or nothing preserved from the days before it entered the museum. Dave Caroline