THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
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MAY MEETING NOTES 

(Your Editor didn't make it to the June meeting)

Chapter Trip To NYC by Bruce Barry

The Chapter's annual trek to New York City took place on Saturday, June 9. Seven chapter members enjoyed a day under sunny skies with a trip that included riding 6 different transit systems. This year's trip would be a circle trip around the Long Island Sound with a connecting ride between rail transit systems on the Port Jeff Ferry. In attendance we Phil, Ron, Ralph, Fred, Dan, Ernie and I.

The first two parts of the trip were familiar to everyone. We would use SEPTA to Trenton and then NJ Transit to NYC. Two members boarded SEPTA MUs at 30th Street Station and headed north to Trenton, NJ. There, two more members joined the group for the NJ Transit ride to Penn Station. At Hamilton, the remaining three members boarded the MUs and off it was to New York City.

Once in Penn Station, we made our way through the throngs of people to the Long Island ticket booths to purchase our tickets to Port Jefferson. Standing about 20 deep in line, it appeared that there would be a substantial wait to get tickets. However, the line moved very fast and the man to the left of the lines was playing some good tunes on his guitar, thus acquiring the tickets was not as painful or long as it appeared it would be. While the rest of the members were getting their LIRR tickets, I made my way across the concourse to the MTA ticket machine to get our passes for the Subway which we would need later in the day.

The first part of the Long Island trip included a half-hour stop at Jamaica. There were many choices of trains to Jamaica and the first one available was a race train to Belmont Park. This train proved too crowded so we opted to take the train on the next platform, which would leave 5 minutes later, but was much less crowded (being able to sit down makes the trip more pleasant).

Once at Jamaica, we headed for the west end of the platform to photograph other trains coming into the station. In the half hour, we were able to photograph 5 inbound and 4 outbound trains, including one set of Long Island Railroad's new bilevel fleet. After this, we boarded our train, a set of MUs, to Huntington. At Huntington, we changed trains to a LIRR connection to Port Jefferson. The connecting train is tucked into a siding just west of the station and immediately follows the train from Jamaica into the station. While our train was unloading, the Port Jefferson train waits about 100 feet behind making a good photo opportunity for those who are quick.

We arrived into Port Jefferson about 5 minutes late making our tight connection to the ferry even tighter. Looking at the maps, it appeared it would be about a 3/4 mile walk to the ferry and we would be fine. However, it proved to be well over a mile (most downhill) and we arrived in time to watch the ferry leave. In hind-sight, we should have called ahead for taxis. The bus which was to arrive at 12:45 and stop at the ferry slip at 12:50 showed up to the ferry slip at 1:10 (so this option is not a reliable one either). Missing the ferry gave us about 50 minutes to regroup and grab a snack at a chocolate and ice cream store.

A quick note about the last train to Port Jefferson. The equipment was Long Island's new bilevel cars. The car we rode in appeared to be just old enough to have lost the new smell, but new enough to be without much sign of use. The equipment was very clean and had a very comfortable ride. In the front of the car is a sign indicating the next station stop and when you are arriving at the station. It worked! The speakers to provide the audio to match the sign also worked and was very clear and understandable. Sometimes new is better.

At 2 o'clock, we caught the ferry leaving for Bridgeport. Those who brought their lunch on board chose wisely. Dad and I had a hamburger and fries which if they were cooked that same day, I would be surprised. I hadn't had food that bad for a long time. Everyone was able to sit out on the back deck of the ship to enjoy the cool air and scenery of the Long Island Sound. We couldn't have had a better day for the trip. The sun was out and the humidity was low. With the breeze on the Sound, you could sit comfortably out on the deck and enjoy the fresh air.

Once we arrived in Bridgeport, we made the quick walk to the station and caught the next train on Metro North to Grand Central Terminal arriving around 4:40 PM. Once in GCT, we took a quick look at the restored station (still spectacular the second time around) and headed for the subway shuttle. The MTA passes that we bought earlier expired after 2 hours of purchase (huh, makes no sense. If you stand in the extremely long line and pay a person you get tokens good all day. If you go automated, you have to use them within two hours....go figure). So we bought some tokens and parted ways with Fred and Ralph. The shuttle took us to Times Square where we caught a downtown number 1 subway to Penn Station.

At Penn Station, we made our way to the NJ Transit train for home. We arrived about 20 minutes before departure and the board hadn't posted the track number. The station was busy as usual, however at this time, there were a lot of people standing around. I told Dad, "look at everyone standing still, they are waiting for our train". Sure enough, as soon as they posted the track number, approximately 10 minutes before departure, 400 people made their way to the train, clearing out the concourse.

The ride back was the reverse of our way to Penn Station and ended our trip to New York City. New York was again a great place to visit and railfan. I want to thank Ralph Stevens for the idea for the trip this year and his help in planning it. As usual, I think about next year's trip on the way home. Maybe it will be a trip to see how many towers we can find on Long Island via the train.

WEB SITE PHOTOGRAPHS FROM CHAPTER MEMBERS
 If anyone has any photos that they would like to put on our Chapter's web site, there is a photo section where they can be posted. Russ can scan slides, negatives, and prints for those who do not have a digital camera or do not have access to a scanner. Contact Russ Fox directly.

NEWS BITS

  The High Line - A City Divided, A City United; The Construction of Elmira's Railroad Elevations, 1932 - 1937 an exhibit from May 4, 2001 until February 24, 2002 at the Crossroads Gallery in the New York State Museum.
During the 1920s and 1930s, Elmira was served by four railroads: the Pennsylvania; Erie; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; and Lehigh Valley. On the Erie alone, between 60 and 70 passenger and freight trains moved through the city each day, blocking over a dozen street crossings. By 1924, Chemung County had 233 rail intersections with streets and highways, and the growing volume of automobile traffic meant these two forms of transportation were increasingly in conflict. The solution to the grade crossing problem was to elevate the railroads through Elmira and construct bridges for motor vehicles to bypass the rails in other parts of Chemung County.
    Historic photographs from the New York State Archives follow the progress of this monumental Depression-era project. Did the crossing elimination project unite Elmira, as local citizens hoped it would? Find out how the changes wrought by elevating the rails affected this upstate community and still resound to this day. This exhibition is organized by the Chemung Valley History Museum. The New York State Museum is located in downtown Albany, New York, in the Empire State Plaza across from the State Capitol. Open daily from 9:30am to 5:00 pm, Phone: (518)-474-5877 [From http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitnow.html ]

    An article in Railway Age entitled Chicago: Fluid at Last by Tom Judge indicates that about one-third of the rail traffic in the U.S. originates, terminates, or passes through the Chicago area. In 1999, the Chicago Gateway was in trouble. Dwell time in the major yards was averaging 41 hours. Throughput was averaging 45 hours. Metra commuter trains and Amtrak intercity trains were getting delayed by freight traffic. A very tough winter storm hit Chicago in 1998-99, just after the holidays, lasting 10-12 days. It ended up taking about 90 days to recover from that one storm. In April 1999, the railroads put together the Chicago Planning Group made up of representatives from BNSF, CSX Transportation, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific, as well as Wisconsin Central, Belt Railway of Chicago, Indiana Harbor Belt, and the two passenger carriers, Metra and Amtrak. Another group, the Chicago Transportation Coordination Office (CTCO), was formed on Jan. 1, 2000. They have taken dwell time at the major yards in Chicago from 41 hours down to about 27 as an average for the whole year. There are many days with dwell time less than 24 hours, about the industry average is for major facilities. The Chicago Planning Group worked on the development of a computer model of the Chicago Gateway (believed to be the most complex railroad model in the world) which includes Chicago's 893 miles of track, 125 interlockings, 57 separate yards, 4,600 control points (either a switch or a speed zone change), and all operating characteristics. The model includes 14,000 cars per day pointed toward Chicago, as well as more than 700 passenger trains and 500 freight trains. In December 2000, Chicago had twice as much snow as the 1998-99 storm and temperatures below zero for 30 straight days, but they were able to recover from this huge storm in three days. It took them 90 days for a storm that was half as intense in 1998-99.
[from http://www.railwayage.com/jun01/chicago_freight.html]

   A FIRST!! "Acela Express Weekend Offer - Buy One, Get One Free"
As our valued Amtrak customer, we wanted you to be one of the first to know about some exciting offers from Amtrak. To encourage you to try Amtrak's Acela Express service, we are offering our guests the opportunity to take a companion along for free on any weekend from June 23, 2001 through September 23, 2001. That's right, two travel for the price of one between any Northeast Corridor city pairs served by our weekend Acela Express Service. Certain restrictions apply. Please click on the link below for details. http://p01.com/u.d?3kXKhtWoi1nzEIx=110

   "Double Points for Amtrak Guest Reward Members" - Amtrak is also offering Amtrak Guest Rewards members double points any day of the week, when traveling between qualifying city pairs on the Northeast Corridor between June 23, 2001 and September 23, 2001. Please click on the link below for details. http://p01.com/u.d?0EXKhtWoi1nzEI6=120

"Expanded Acela Express Schedule Service" - On July 9, 2001 Amtrak is expanding its Acela Express schedule, offering you more travel choices on the Northeast Corridor.
* Four (4) weekday round-trips between Boston and Washington, D.C.
* Five (5) weekday round-trips between Boston and New York City
* Six (6) round trips between New York and Washington, D.C.
* Expanded weekend Acela Express schedule providing opportunities to experience this world-class service.
For complete Acela Express schedule information, click below: http://p01.com/u.d?tkXKhtWoi1nzEI0=100

SCHEDULE NOTES
Notices, announcements, schedules, etc. are provided here as a service to the members.
The Chapter has no affiliation with any commercial operation, museum, or tourist line.

Garden Railway Display at The Morris Arboretum of the Univ. of PA, 100 Northwestern Ave., Philadelphia through October 8, 2001, for info 215-247-5777 or www.upen.edu/morris

The Griff Teller art work display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in/at Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pa. will continue through the end of December of this year.

The High Line - A City Divided, A City United; The Construction of Elmira's Railroad Elevations, 1932 - 1937 an exhibit at the Crossroads Gallery in the New York State Museum until Feb. 24, 2002.

Sunday, July 22, 2001 Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour
8 AM - 8:30 PM, Lehigh Valley Chapter, $40 per person, for info 610-837-9435

July 22-28, 2001 NRHS Basic Rail Camp 2001
Steamtown National Historic Site, $550 per teenager

August 10-12, 2001 LACKAWANNA & ALCO Celebration 150th Anniversary of Delaware & Lackawanna Railroad and 100th Anniversary of American Locomotive Company. Scranton, PA

August 12-18, 2001 NRHS Basic Rail Camp 2001
Steamtown National Historic Site, $550 per teenager

Thursday, August 16, 2001 DO-IT-YOURSELF PAY-AS-YOU-GO CIRCLE TRIP INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL CHAPTER MEETING OF THE WILMINGTON CHAPTER NRHS THERE WILL BE A DO-IT-YOURSELF PAY-AS-YOU-GO CIRCLE TRIP AUGUST 16, 2001

5:58 PM LV Marcus Hook on Septa R2 #4664
6:35 PM ARR 30th Street Station

6:49 PM LV 30th Street Station on Market-Frankford Line
7:02 PM ARR 69th Street Terminal

7:07 PM LV 69th Street Terminal on Route 100 Trolley
7:35 PM ARR Norristown Transportation Center

7:54 PM LV Norristown Transportation Center on R6 #4273
8:37 PM Pass 30th Street Station (train becomes R2 #4273)
9:10 PM ARR Marcus Hook, PA

Other trains at Marcus Hook to photograph prior to start of trip:
~5:27 PM N/B Amt #120 Metroliner
~5:30 PM S/B Amt #121 Metorliner
~5:42 PM N/B Amt #178
~5:47 PM S/B Amt #85

WATAUGA & HARRISBURG CHAPTERS OF THE NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROUDLY OFFER COACH SERVICE ON THE NORTHERN EXPRESS AUGUST 19, 20, 21 2001
The Watauga & Harrisburg Chapters Of The National Railway Historical Society are proud to announce coach service on The Northern Express departing the Harrisburg, PA, AMTRAK Station on Sunday, August 19 returning Tuesday, August 21. Powered by Juniata Terminal PRR E8A's, this private car train, operated by AMTRAK, will have one Watauga Chapter NRHS coach in addition to the private cars. Seating is extremely limited. The Northern Express will traverse many rare mileage freight only lines throughout Pennsylvania over the 3 days on the following schedule:

Sunday, August 19: depart Harrisburg, PA at 6:00 am to Erie, PA arriving at 7:00 pm Via the Norfolk Southern Buffalo line to Emporium, and the Allegheny & Eastern Railroad from Emporium to Erie. This is all ex PRR trackage. Arrival in Erie will be in time for dinner. Hotel arrangements can be made for the Avalon Hotel in Erie at 814-874-1000 through Hospitality Network, Maureen Balsiger.

Monday, August 20: depart Erie, PA at 6:00 am traveling over CSX to Conneaut, OH and then Bessemer & Lake Erie to N. Bessemer. At N. Bessemer, the Union Railroad will operate the train into Duquesne, reverse directions and go back to N. Bessemer, where the B&LE again takes over and moves the train to Butler, where it is interchanged to the Buffalo & Pittsburgh and spends the night. Motel arrangements for Butler, PA can be made by contacting the Days' Inn at 724-287-6761.

Tuesday, August 21: depart Butler, PA at 6:00 am for Harrisburg over the B&P to Dubois, PA, where our train will switch to the ex-PRR Lowgrade line to Driftwood, PA. At Driftwood, the train will rejoin Norfolk Southern's Buffalo Line, arriving in Harrisburg at approximately 7:00 pm.

TICKETS: COACH TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THIS TRAIN AT A PRICE OF $ 675.00 PER PERSON, WHICH INCLUDES THE TRAIN TRIP, A BOX LUNCH EACH DAY AND TWO ADDITIONAL DRINKS PER RIDER. NO PASSENGER WILL BE ALLOWED TO STAY ON THE TRAIN OVERNIGHT. MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH RIDER. SEATING IS EXTREMELY LIMITED !! .TICKETS CAN BE ORDERED THROUGH THE HARRISBURG CHAPTER NRHS USING THE FORM PRINTED ON THE BACK.

THE NORTHERN EXPRESS TICKET ORDER FORM
CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY PAYABLE TO : HARRISBURG/WATAUGA NRHS TRIP
MAIL TO: HARRISBURG CHAPTER NRHS
TRIP COMMITTEE
637 WALNUT STREET
HARRISBURG, PA 17101-1924

# OF TICKETS ____ X $ 675.00 PER PERSON = $ ______
NAME ______________________________
ADDRESS ___________________________
CITY, STATE , ZIP__________________________________
PHONE # ________________________ EMAIL ADDRESS: ______________________

TICKETS WILL BE MAILED TO YOU. THE DEADLINE FOR TICKETS IS AUGUST 3, 2001. BOARDING TIME AT HARRISBURG IS 5:30 AM TO 5:50 AM ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2001. SEATS ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED. THE HARRISBURG CHAPTER, NRHS, GIVES NOTICE THAT IN THE OPERATION OF THIS AMTRAK CHARTER EXCURSION, ALL ARRANGEMENTS MADE BY THE HARRISBURG CHAPTER, NRHS, ARE SOLELY AS AGENT FOR THE TOURIST, AND AS SUCH HOLD ITSELF FREE OF ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, TO THE PERSONS OR PROPERTY OF THE TOURIST ARISING FROM ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER. NO SMOKING IS ALLOWED ON THE COACH, AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE PROHIBITED. BOX LUNCH IS INCLUDED ALL 3 DAYS. HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS IN HARRISBURG PA CAN BE MADE THROUGH THE HOLIDAY INN AT 717-234-5021 WHICH OFFERS FREE SHUTTLES TO THE AMTRAK STATION IN HARRISBURG. BOARDING TIME IS 5:30 AM SUNDAY MORNING ! QUESTIONS REGARDING THE TRIP ?? HARRISBURG NRHS 717-232-6221 OR EMAIL: eyer@epix.net or seigford@cs.com

DEADLINE FOR TICKETS TO BE ORDERED IS AUGUST 3, 2001. IN THE EVENT, THAT SUFFICIENT COACH TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD PRIOR TO AUGUST 3, 2001, THE COACH SERVICE ON THE NORTHERN EXPRESS MAY BE CANCELLED, AND YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED IF THE COACH SERVICE IS OPERATED ON THE NORTHERN EXPRESS AS LISTED ABOVE. WATAUGA & HARRISBURG CHAPTERS, NRHS, ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHANGE IN THE ITINERARY OR SCHEDULE. NO PASSENGER WILL BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN ON THE TRAIN OVERNIGHT. [From: meyer@dailyexp.com (Mark Eyer), wataugavalley@wireco.net, seigford@cs.com, via HDBtrains]

The Washington Chapter NHRS has a brochure/flyer out about that trip. The Dover Harbor is a part of the train. The Dover Harbor is coming from Washington to Philadelphia on Saturday, August 18 in the Morning as a part of a regular Amtrak Train. Then leave for Harrisburg via the Amtrak Philadelphia-Harrisburg Line on the Evening of Saturday, August 18 and spent the night in Harrisburg when other cars will be added. This will be a special train powered by the PRR E-8's. Then follow the NORTHERN EXPRESS ROUTING starting on Sunday morning. The special train and the Dover Harbor will return to Philadelphia on Wednesday, August 23. You may/might want to communicate with the Washington Chapter NRHS for further details and information. WASHINGTON CHAPTER NRHS Trip Information Phone Number is 301-490-7311

Saturday, August 25, 2001 Night Photo Ride - West Chester RR
9 PM, GP-9 #99 and RS-18 #1803, lighting by Kermit Geary, $15 per person RESERVATIONS REQUIRED, for info and tickets telephone 610-430-2233 or see website: www.westchesterrr.com

Saturday & Sunday, August 25-26, 2001 Great Scale Model Train Show - Gettsyburg
Gettsyburg, PA [NOT Maryland !] check their web-site www.GSMTS.com for info

August 31 - September 3, 2001 New Hampshire - Maine Tour
Lehigh Valley Chapter, reservations BEFORE JULY 20, $465/550 per person, for info 610-965-9028

Saturday & Sunday, October 6-7, 2001 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. [NOTE DATE WAS CHANGED !]

Saturday & Sunday, October 6-7, 2001 350th Anniversary of New Castle Delaware
10-5 Saturday, noon-4 Sunday, New Castle, Delaware

Saturday & Sunday, October 13-14, 2001 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. [NOTE DATE WAS CHANGED ## AGAIN ## !!] check their web-site www.GSMTS.com for info or call 410-730-1036

August 18 - 26, 2002 2002 NRHS Convention
Williams, Arizona (near Grand Canyon) with inbound and outbound steam powered trains planned from Los Angeles. Host Chapter(s) - Grand Canyon Chapter Web Site = www.canyonrails2002.com

CHAPTER EVENTS

THERE WILL BE A SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER AT THE NORMAL MONTHLY MEETING IN JULY

Thursday July 19, 2001 7 Chapter Meeting program by Kerry Ann Hannah
(Chapter Member Robert O'Connor's daughter) of the Service Recovery Team in Wilmington's Consolidated
National Operations Center (CNOC) and her boss, Cindy Cole - Director of Northeast Corridor Operations
program entitled "AMTRAK War Stories"

THERE WILL BE A Do-It-Yourself TRIP INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL MONTHLY MEETING IN AUGUST

Thursday Aug. 16, 2001 5:30 PM Chapter Meeting Do-It-Yourself Trip [Marcus Hook]

Thursday Sept. 20, 2001 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Greg Ajamian
program not known at this time (but will undoubtedly include some unusual freight cars!)

Thursday Oct. 18, 2001 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Ken Berg
entitled "Great Lakes Tour"

Thursday Nov. 15, 2001 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Kermit Geary
program not known at this time

Sunday Dec. 9, 2001 5 PM Holiday Dinner in lieu of normal monthly meeting
Program by Steve Barry

The Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) meets at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month [except August & December] in the Darley Room at the Claymont Community Center on Green Street in Claymont, Delaware.      Visitors are always welcome. Admission to regular meetings is free. Check out our  >>NEW Website <<<, thanks to Russ Fox at:   http://www.WilmingtonNRHS.com

The Transfer Table
   The Transfer Table is published six to ten times per year as the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.  Items in this publication do not represent the official position of either Officers or Members of the Wilmington Chapter or the Editor of this publication.
    Permission to reprint articles and news items appearing herein is granted to NRHS Chapters and other newsletters provided appropriate credit is given.   Contributions are always welcome and should be sent to the editor at SD40GMA@aol.com or send to: P.O. Box 1136, Hockessin, DE 19707-5136. Deadline for entries is the 25th of the month.

    Chapter Officers
    President   Phil Snyder
    Vice President & Historian  Ron Cleaves
    Treasurer   Ralph Stevens, Jr.
    Secretary   Dan Frederick
    National Director   Tom Posatko
    Editor  Greg Ajamian
    Public Relations    Frank Ferguson, Jr.
    Event Photographer  Bruce Barry

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