THE
TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official
Newsletter
Internet Edition
VOLUME 23 NO. 3 | MAY 2001 |
Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site
APRIL MEETING NOTES
President Phil Snyder opened the meeting with a report on the March 16 Chapter Trip to New York City; including news of the PCC cars, the ferry trip, and PATH trains. The minutes were approved as read by Ron Cleaves and the Treasurer's report was approved as read by Ralph Stevens followed by a brief report by National Director Tom Posatko.
REQUEST FOR INFO: Chapter Member Richard Hall is seeking information and diagrams of the B&O in Cecil County, MD.
Frank Ferguson, who provided the ten opening slides for the evening, reported that the Acela train can be seen regularly on weekdays at 7:55 AM northbound through Newport, DE
The program for the evening was provided by guests Chris White, proprietor of Red Star Railways, [website: http://www.redstarrailways.com/] along with Peter Bergs on Russian Railways. We saw 5 foot (broad) gauge trains under 3000 VDC catenary over concrete ties and 75 cm gauge (~2 ft.) in Lithuania and Latvia. We also saw a peat processing operation using narrow gauge side dump cars in Estonia and the very rare and unusual "Latvian Bog Diggers". This was a very interesting and informative presentation that was enjoyed by all. Our special thanks to our special guests.
AND THESES NOTES FROM THE PRESENTERS: LITHUANIA -- the dual-gauge station was PANEVEZYS, on the line from Panevezys to ANYKSCIAI. This line closed on March 25, 2001. LATVIA -- the narrow gauge line runs from GULBENE to ALUKSNE (the latter about 10 miles from the land of the Russian Bear). The peat-hauling line was near MISA. ESTONIA -- the peat-hauling line and the narrow-gauge museum were near the little village of LAVASSAARE, in southwestern Estonia. The narrow-gauge diesels were built at KALUGA, about 13 miles south-southeast of Red Square in Moscow. The broad-gauge diesels (that looked like Alcos) were built at LUGANSK in Ukraine. The broad-gauge diesel railcar sets were made by RVZ in Riga, Latvia (which factory now is closed -- the Latvians pissed off the Russians, doubled their prices, and generally shot themselves in the foot).
MARCH MEETING NOTES
After calling the meeting to order, President Phil Snyder had Secretary Dan Frederick read the minutes of the Feb. meeting and Treasurer Ralph Stevens give the Treasurer's report; both were approved as read. Following National Director Tom Posatko's report there was a discussion of the Chapter Picnic coinciding with the grand re-opening of the Wilmington & Western on May 19.
There was a discussion of the May 19 dedication in Fairmount Park by the PRRT&HS for the Philadelphia & Columbia RR. Dan Frederick reported on the use of AMTRAK helicopters to patrol the Northeast Corridor. Ralph Stevens corrected a note in the last issue's Chapter Events which should have read "Port Jefferson" (not "Jarvis"). John Iwasyk reported on an NS rebuild project from Atglen to Columbia (Columbia Low Grade line from Safe Harbor).
REQUEST FOR INFO: Chapter Member John Iwasyk is seeking information and diagrams on any and all abandoned rail lines in the state of Delaware.
Frank Ferguson, who provided the ten opening shots of local events followed by the evening's program entitled "Highlights from 2000". We got to see Binghamton, NY, Waverly, Syracuse, Newark, Reading, Newport, PA. and Aiken, MD. There were shots of CSX, Conrail, NS, BNSF, Susquehanna, EMD, LMX, Rail Link, KCS, GWWR, and UP. There was s section on Kansas including Topeka, Kansas City, and Sugar Creek, MO. Also seen were Belt Junction (Reading, PA), Pocopson, AMTRAK HHP and ACELA, British Columbia, CPR passenger in Fort McCloud, Lethbridge Tresle, Medicine Hat (Alberta), Swift Current (Saskatchewan), and Shirley, MT. This was another of Frank's exquisite presentations.
NEWS BITS
U.P. Loads 100,000th
PRB Coal Train - OMAHA, March 19 -- Union Pacific Railroad Saturday loaded its
100,000th coal train out of southeast Wyoming's Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB)
coal field since Union Pacific and the former Chicago & North Western
completed a 107-mile rail line to the region in August 1984. "Hitting the
100,000th train mark during the 16th year the line has been open proves the
capital investment in our coal corridor across Nebraska into Kansas City
continues to pay dividends," said Lance Fritz, Union Pacific's vice
president and general manager -- energy.
Union Pacific's recent major capacity projects on the corridor included:
* The completion of a four-year, $327 million
construction of a third main line track between North Platte and Gibbon,
Nebraska in 1999.
* Last year's completion of a four-year, $157 million
project constructing a second main line track between Gibbon and Marysville,
Kansas
* Also last year, UP began a nearly $60 million project
to construct 37 miles of second main line track on its line between South
Morrill, Nebraska and Shawnee, Wyoming. As part of the track construction, 24
bridges were built at various locations.
* Union Pacific is spending $14.6 million on increasing
capacity at its South Morrill rail yard and $4.2 million on a new bridge at
South Bayard, Nebraska.
* UP repurchased the 107-mile rail line between Upland,
Kansas and St. Joseph Missouri from RailTex, Inc. in August 1998 to add
additional capacity between Marysville and Kansas City. The line between Upland
and Hiawatha, Kansas handles primarily westbound empty coal trains.
Use of new high-horsepower locomotives and distributed
power in coal trains have also helped increase efficiency of trains. The average
number of daily loaded trains being moved out of the SPRB continues to improve.
Union Pacific is currently averaging over 34 trains a day, two trains a day
better than the all-time high of nearly 32 a day set during January 2001. A new
two-day loading record of 78 trains was set on March 8 and 9, surpassing the old
record of 76 trains set on July 12 and 13, 2000.
Another reason for the improved coal train numbers is
the success of the joint UP/Burlington Northern Santa Fe coal train dispatching
area at BNSF's dispatching center in Ft. Worth, Texas. By having both railroads'
train dispatchers in the same room, instead of hundreds of miles apart, train
movements on shared track in Wyoming are better coordinated.
Union Pacific Corporation is one of America's leading
transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific
Railroad, is the largest railroad in North America, covering 23 states across
the western two-thirds of the United States. It is the leading carrier of
low-sulfur coal used in electrical power generation and has broad coverage of
the large chemical-producing areas along the Gulf Coast. With competitive
long-haul routes between all West Coast ports and eastern gateways and as the
only railroad to serve all six major gateways to Mexico, Union Pacific has the
premier rail franchise in North America. The corporation also owns Overnite
Transportation, a nationwide less-than-truckload carrier, and Fenix, a group of
technology companies. [from http://www.uprr.com/uprr/notes/corpcomm/375a.shtml
]
How much faster is a trip on
the Acela? the following are approx times shown as hours:minutes
miles reg train Metrolnr Acela Expr [from AMTRAK schedule]
Wash,DC 0 - - -
Wilm,DE 110 1:31 1:21 1:14
NYC 116 1:54 1:38 1:49
Boston 231 4:45 -:-- 3:28
avg speed(w/stops)DC-Wilm: regular = 73 mph, Acela Express = 88 mph
avg speed(w/stops)NYC-Boston: regular = 48 mph, Acela Express = 66 mph
Bennett Levin says that he will/would make his former Conrail E unit diesel locomotive now painted PRR 5711 available for special trains and fan trips. He and his family want the locomotive to be seen by many. The locomotive has to be operated by Amtrak due to liability reasons. So far there are some trips being planned. One is definite, locomotive and the other locomotive that he is refurbishing will be attending the RAILROADERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM WEEKEND in Altoona in October pulling the Horseshoe Curve trips. The other trips are still in the planning stages. Those trips will probably be publicize when things are finalized.
May 3-5 is the PRR T & HS annual convention in Camp Hill Pa. which is west of Harrisburg. June 2-3 is PENNSY DAYS at the Railroad museum in Strasburg where many things are being planned. There will be a banquet there on Saturday night to help celebrate the 25 anniversary of the Philadelphia Chapter of the PRR T & HS. Saturday, May 19 will be a dedication of a state historical marker a dedication of a marker of the Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad (PENNSY PREDECESSOR). The Ceremony will be in West Philadelphia, in Fairmont Park at Edgely & Belmont Aves. where there are SLEEPER STONES (pre wooden ties) remanning after the ceremony maps will be made available for people to check out other PRR related relics between Philadelphia and the PAOLI area. Then there will be a late afternoon reception at the Wayne Train Station open to all. The local PBS TV station here will be showing a show on the PRR and its employees to be seen sometime in late June. Saturday, June 9 will be the second 50 anniversary of the second batch of RDC'S that were delivered to the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines (PRSL). The cars were delivered to the railroad at the end of May and the begging of June. The West Jersey Chapter NRHS and the Cape May Seashore Lines are again co SPONSORING the event. Plans are still being finalized at this time. Might want to check their web site and the West Jersey NRHS web site from time to time to find out further details and information. [from HDBtrains]
Temporary Empire Service
Schedules During Metro North Track Work Program April 1, 2001 to July 8, 2001.
Amtrak is changing its schedule Metro North will begin major track work bridge
rehabilitation at New Hamburg,NY (south of Poughkeepsie ) on April 1,2001. The
program will disrupt service for 10 weeks. All Amtrak and Metro North trains in
both directions must operate on one single track in an 11-mile segment between
Beacon and Poughkeepsie. On weekends, the single track segment will be 14 miles
long. The revised schedule is a compromise. On weekdays, 38 Metro North and 26
Amtrak trains operate over the line. There is insufficient capacity on the one
remaining track to handle all Metro North and all Amtrak trains without some
delays. A delay to any particular train will impact successive trains. Even
though schedules have been lengthened, some delays are inevitable. This section
of the Empire Corridor is operated and controlled by Metro North. They have
worked with Amtrak to develop a joint schedule to accommodate both Amtrak guests
and Metro North customers. However, final decisions on construction and
operating practices rest with Metro North.
SERVICE IMPACTS Between New York and Albany:
* Trip times between New York to Albany will be 10 to 15 minutes longer than
normal.
* From Albany, most trains will leave EARLIER-in some cases by as much as 25
minutes.
* Some trains will be temporarily canceled from April 29 until July 8:
* Several trains that normally operate seven days a week on the same schedule
will have different timings on Saturday and on Sunday.
Service to Utica, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls:
* Trip times will be slightly longer due to lengthened schedules between New
York and Albany. Some eastbound trains will wait in Albany Station longer than
usual holding for a slot through the construction zone.
* Generally, departure times are EARLIER for both eastbound and westbound
trains.
The Adirondack:
* Trip times will be slightly longer due to lengthened schedules between New
York and Albany.
* Current Trains 68/69 will operate weekdays only close to normal schedules. On
weekends, Trains 70/71 will operate between New York and Montreal approximately
30 minutes later than weekdays.
The Ethan Allen:
* General - Time that had been added to Rutland schedules due to track
conditions between Whitehall and Rutland will be removed. Slow orders have been
addressed.
plus many more detailed schedule changes [from Amtrak Customer Service Center
via HDBtrains]
Dover rail station reveals a
historical whistle-stop
Discovery presents a peek at Delaware's past By J.L. MILLER Dover Bureau
reporter 03/21/2001
Workers renovating the old Pennsylvania Rail Road Station in Dover have
discovered a long-forgotten cache of documents detailing the operation of the
railroad in its heyday. Tuesday, workers from the Delaware Public Archives
donned dust masks and ventured into a formerly sealed attic where the records
had languished for about 70 years. They lowered the yellowing documents by a
bucket attached to a rope, examining them briefly before packing them into boxes
for the short trip to the archives building. "There's waybills, receipts
from passenger tickets, all kinds of railroad activities," said Joanne A.
Mattern, manager of records services for the archives.
They reflect the activities of the railroad at a period when
it really was at its peak, Mattern said. The documents, some of them dating to
World War I and possibly earlier, detail the comings and goings of Delawareans,
their belongings and the goods they produced.
One receipt detailed an April 30, 1917, shipment from Felton
Creamery Co. to Dover's Sanitary Dairy. Even a receipt that documented the
shipping of a 55-pound dog was saved and eventually tucked away in the attic of
the railroad station at the foot of Loockerman Street, on the east side of the
tracks. The station, built in 1910, served as a passenger and freight depot on
the busy rail line that ran from northern Delaware to the tip of the Delmarva
Peninsula at Cape Charles, Va. After World War II passenger and freight service
began to decline. By 1958 the Pennsylvania Rail Road operated just one daily
passenger train from Delmar to Wilmington, and it ended that service in 1965.
The Pennsylvania Rail Road, which later became the Penn Central, shuttered the
station and went bankrupt. The state acquired the station -- and the tucked-away
records with it. The station housed Magistrate Courts 7 and 16 until 1999, when
the courts moved to new quarters on West Street. Late last week, contractors
working on the $1.2 million project to convert the station into state office
space stumbled across the old records and informed state officials. Archives
workers removed about 100 cubic feet of documents and hauled them to the
archives building. "We'll clean them up and find them a home," Mattern
said. Because the mission of the archives is to preserve public records, the
railroad papers will end up in another public institution, possibly a museum.
Reach J.L. Miller at 678-4271 [from http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2001/03/21doverrail.html]
Mountain Rail Extravaganza
Cass Scenic Railroad and Three Excursions
THREE-DAY TOUR: Fri., June 1, to Sun., June 3
As new sections of historic rail line are re-opened for
excursions through West Virginia's mountain scenery, this popular tour becomes
even more spectacular. Led by railroad historian Joe Nevin, this year's trip
includes Cass Scenic Railroad's legendary journey to the top of the
second-highest point in West Virginia behind a geared steam locomotive, and
extensive new sections of rail line on two of the three other excursions. These
include a chartered trip along the Greenbrier River, a ride through the Cheat
River wilderness, and first-class accommodations aboard the extended New Tygart
Flyer.
Friday's travel is down the scenic Shenandoah Valley before turning west into
the region known as Virginia's Switzerland. After lunch at the Highland Inn in
the charming village of Monterey, the group continues westward to Cass for a
tour of the historic lumber-town buildings and remnants of the great mills that
once filled the valley.
Continuing to Durbin, the group takes a 10-mile, chartered
trip along the Greenbrier River in an open observation car and wooden caboose of
the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad.
Accommodations for the night are at the newly renovated Hermitage Motel in
Bartow. Dinner and breakfast the next morning are provided in its restaurant.
Saturday begins with a shop tour at Cass, where participants
learn about the railroad's collection of restored locomotives, including seven
Shays, a Climax, and a Heisler. A bag lunch is provided during the
four-and-a-half hour roundtrip ride to the top of 4,842-foot Bald Knob. During
this trip the train traverses grades as steep as 11 percent, passes through two
switchbacks, and stops at Whittaker Station to see an authentically recreated
logging camp, and at a spring where the train takes on water. At the top of the
mountain a large viewing platform offers panoramic views into two states.
During the return trip, the group leaves the Cass train at Spruce Siding to
board the chartered Cheat Mountain Salamander, a self-propelled rail car. In a
49-mile excursion, the Salamander passes the ghost town of Spruce, goes through
the "Big Cut" on the west slope of Cheat Mountain, passes the High
Falls of the Cheat, and follows Shaver's Fork to Bowden, where a barbecue dinner
is served at scenic Revelle's Campground.
Saturday accommodations are at the Elkins Motor Lodge, where
a buffet breakfast is provided on Sunday prior to a driving tour that highlights
Elkins railroad history. At noon the group boards the New Tygart Flyer's Mardi
Gras observation/lounge car for a 50-mile excursion that includes a cold buffet
lunch. The train climbs from the Shaver's Fork Valley and passes through the
unique S-curved Cheat Mountain Tunnel and the rugged Tygart River Valley to
Belington.
Fri., June 1, 8 a.m., to Sun., June 3, 7:30 p.m., by bus from the Mayflower
Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., N.W., with a stop at the Vienna Metro
south-side Kiss and Ride at about 8:25 a.m.
Singles registering at the double-room rate are paired (on a nonsmoking basis)
if possible, but must pay the single-room supplement if not. Detailed
information is mailed to registrants. The new phone number for Resident
Associate Program overnight-tour registration is (202) 357-3030.
Mountain Rail Extravaganza CODE: USW-VR1 Fri., June 1, to Sun., June 3
TICKET TYPE: General Admission Resident Associate Member Single Room Add
TICKET PRICE: $ 519.00 $ 389.00 $ 48.00
ANNUAL DOUG WEAVER MEMORIAL PHOTO CONTEST
The National Railway
Historical Society's Wilmington Chapter's Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo
Contest
will be held at the regular Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 20th.
Here are the guidelines for entering images in this year's contest:
Crossing The Susquehanna
By Richard E. Hall NTXBOSQR.BRG © 2000 R.E. Hall
This is not another story about building, or rebuilding, the
railroad bridges crossing the Susquehanna River. This is a little story
regarding my father-in-law, the late Ralph Winant, when he was a machinist's
helper at the once busy B&O roundhouse in Wilsmere Yard. The roundhouse not
only serviced B&O locomotives, but back then, there were some Reading Co.
and CNJ freight trains that ran to Wilsmere and "turned", with some
engine servicing being done there. When the B&O revised their operating
practice and closed the Wilsmere Roundhouse, he chose to stay in Wilmington and
be furloughed rather than accept the offer of transferring his family to
Brunswick, Md., at the other end of the division.
The incident being related here took place back in the late
1920's, not too long before the Wilsmere roundhouse was closed. At that time
there was a quarry operated by the Standard Lime And Stone Co. located between
the west end of the B&O's Susquehanna River Bridge, MP 59.4, and the Havre
de Grace Station at MP 60.2. The quarry was listed as being at MP 59.9, the same
MP location as "BG" Tower. As the story was told to me, "BG"
Tower was still active at that time. The stone company had a contract with the
B&O to maintain or repair their small steam locomotives used for switching
the cars in the quarry.
I know where the quarry was located and have been past it on
a fan trip over the old Susquehanna Power Co./Philadelphia Electric Co. railroad
that ran from Conowingo Dam to Havre de Grace. As I recall, that out of the way
fan trip was run by the Baltimore Chapter, NRHS. For that trip, the PRR had
provided two steel 52 foot PRR gondolas for the passengers to ride in. They were
about all that the electric company's little gas mechanical drive Plymouth
locomotive could handle on the way back up to Conowingo.
I do not know how many locomotives the quarry company had
there back in the 1920's, but I can remember seeing the smoke and steam from
them, and perhaps from some steam shovels. It was quite visible from the wharf
at Uncle Walton Campbell's Warehouse at Port Deposit, back in the early 1930's.
Back then, as today, the quarry also shipped stone out by barge, but loading the
barges has changed. I wonder if the small rails of the quarry's narrow gauge
track crossing of the power company's standard gauge track is still embedded in
the cement slab near the quarry's wharf?
One afternoon in the late 1920's, the roundhouse foreman at
Wilsmere was instructed to send a machinist and his helper down to the quarry at
Havre de Grace to make a minor repair to one of the quarry locomotives. The
grates would not operate to shake the ashes from the firebox down into the ash
pan. A passenger train would be ordered to stop at Wilsmere for the mechanics to
board with their tools and it was to stop at the quarry to let then off. That
was to be done at the end of the day shift so as not to interfere with the
regular work in the roundhouse. When they had finished their work, an eastbound
train was to be stopped for them to return to Wilsmere.
The train that was to stop for them may have been #7 or #27
since they were to be dropped off at "BG" Tower. Wilsmere was a daily
except Sunday 7:04 PM flag stop for #49, but that train only went as far as
Aikin, on the wrong side of the river. [The B&O had changed the spelling for
that station from Aikin to Aiken in 1904, but was still using Aikin in the
1930's.] My father-in-law and a machinist named Armour, who lived down on Elk
Neck and who's first name I have forgotten, boarded the passenger train with
their tools. Most of the Armours from down in the Elk Neck area were railroaders
back then, but the ones that I remember from the 1930's had a Hudson-Terraplane
dealership and garage and a fish wharf.
The sky had been overcast, and now the clouds were getting
heavy by the time that the passenger train made another extra stop at
"BG" Tower, just long enough for them to get off with their tools.
They were shown the quarry locomotive needing repair and started to check it out
to find out just what the problem was. That did not take very long. They soon
found that the problem was such a minor one that the quarry's own locomotive
crew could easily have corrected it.
A cotter pin had come out of the rocker bar pin and the
rocker pin had worked out of position in the rocker bar, but the pin was still
hanging in the hole in the shaker bar yoke. In only a few minutes, they had
driven the rocker bar pin back in place and installed a new flat washer and
cotter pin. Their repair job was completed in minutes. As soon as they could
have a train stop for them, they would be heading home after earning some rather
easy overtime. Or so they thought.
By then it was after dark and it had also started to rain
during the short time that they had been working. They picked up their tools and
went over to "BG" Tower and asked the operator to call the dispatcher
and request that he order a train to stop at "BG" Tower to pick them
up and return them to Wilsmere Yard. As soon as they could get back and report
to the roundhouse, they could go home to a good meal. The operator relayed their
request to the dispatcher, but the response was a surprise, not quite what had
been anticipated. The dispatcher flatly refused to issue an order for any
eastward train to stop at "BG" Tower that night so that anyone could
board it. The operator was sympathetic, but he could not display a signal to
stop a train without the proper authority. It probably would have had to be a
freight train anyway, but I am not sure if they were too late for #36, the last
eastward passenger train for the day.
It was still raining, the night was starting to get chilly
and they were starting to get hungry. There was no point in walking to the
passenger station because it was closed and locked by that hour of the evening.
Although they were railroad employees, and they were still on duty, the company
rules did not permit them in the tower at "BG" except to ask the
operator to send their message to the dispatcher. The only place that they could
think of to get inside for some protection from the rain, without leaving the
railroad's property, was across the Susquehanna River at Aikin.
They knew that there were passenger coaches at Aikin for
trains #48 that departed Aikin eastward to Philadelphia at 6:30 AM and #61 that
departed Aikin westward at 6:50 AM for Camden Station, Baltimore, both ran daily
except Sunday. Train #48 was scheduled to stop at Singerly, Elk Mills and Newark
and was scheduled to arrive at Wilsmere, a flag stop, at 7:21. Except for the
three stations mentioned above, Wilmington and Darby were the only other
scheduled stops between Aikin and Philadelphia, all other stations were flag
stops. Except for the old timetable schedule listings, I know little about the
operation of these trains other than there is mention in the 1933 Employee
Timetable of a telephone located at the engine track on the Perryville branch.
It would require walking across the long, high Susquehanna
River Bridge in the rain and darkness, but those coaches at Aikin would provide
protection from the weather and a place to get some sleep. So they picked up
their tools and started walking across the B&O's Susquehanna River Bridge in
the rain and darkness. They had only the dim light of their kerosene lantern
which was to have provided them with light to work on the quarry locomotive. The
lantern provided some light to see the bridges narrow, wet and slippery wooden
walkway so they could watch their footing and try to keep their balance while
carrying their tools. A misstep or slipping on the wet walkway could have meant
a long fall down into the waters of the Susquehanna River, or to the hard ground
on Garrett's Island, or at least losing their tools.
Luck was with them that night. They reached the east end of
the bridge without any mishap and went to the coaches for train #48 and were
able to get in. Making themselves as comfortable as possible under the
circumstances, they were able to get some sleep. They rode train #48 back to
Wilsmere the next morning and immediately reported to the roundhouse office with
their tale of the previous evenings events.
As you might well imagine, when the roundhouse foreman saw
them, he "went through the roof" because they had been on overtime
since they had left the Wilsmere Roundhouse the previous afternoon. They told
their story about going to "BG" Tower and the operator requesting the
dispatcher have a train stop for them, and the dispatchers refusal. Some
checking with Baltimore, and a phone call to the night operator that had been on
duty at "BG" Tower confirmed their story about the dispatcher refusing
to stop a train for them to return to Wilsmere. With that, they were in the
clear, but you may rest assured that the B&O's night trick dispatcher sure
heard about it!
The dispatcher got an ear full and then some. The quarry
company was only responsible for paying for the time that was used by the two
men in traveling to and from Havre de Grace and in actually repairing the quarry
locomotive. My father-in-law and Mr. Armour never learned the full story of how
the dispatcher was disciplined, which is understandable. But it was well known
that the B&O's management was most unhappy with his action that night.
That dispatcher had done something that was unthinkable. It
was enough to give a company auditor an ulcer, if by some strange chance he did
not already have one. The dispatcher had caused the railroad to have to pay two
men for several hours of overtime while they were sleeping in the coach at Aikin!
© 2000 R.E. Hall
Wilmington Chapter NRHS
Membership Questionnaire - May 2001
1. Name (Optional) ___________________________
2. Age (Not Optional) ________
3. What prompted you to join the Wilmington Chapter of the NRHS ?
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What are your favorite Wilmington Chapter
activities ? [ number from 1 to x , with 1 = you like most]
_____ Chapter Meetings (news, etc.) _____ Formal, chapter trips (pay up front)
_____ Slide programs (members) _____ Do-It-Yourself trips (just show up)
_____ Slide programs (guests) _____ Picnic (do-it-yourself)
_____ Do-It-Yourself slide night _____ Picnic (prepared, barbecue, box lunch)
_____ Guest Speaker talks _____ Share-your-other-hobby night
_____ Photo Contest _____ Railroadianna Auction
____________________ Other (please be specific)
5. I would like to see our Chapter:
DO MORE of: ________________________________________
DO LESS of: ________________________________________
DO SAME AMOUNT of: ________________________________________
6. I would like to see our NEWSLETTER:
HAVE MORE of: ________________________________________
HAVE LESS of: ________________________________________
ELIMINATE: ________________________________________
HAVE SAME AMOUNT of: ________________________________________
ADD (that it doesn't have now): _______________________________________
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________
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.
Saturday, May 5, 2001 Middletown &
Hummelstown Railfan's Day
9 AM - Night Photo Session, Middletown, PA, fare $32 + $10 for caboose, for
info: 908-233-3603
Friday-Sunday, May 11-13, 2001 Cass Spring Photo Special
Carl Franz's annual photographer's weekend, fare = $185, call evenings or
weekends 301-942-6197
Saturday, MAY 12, 2001 Railfan Day on Cape May Seashore Lines
with matching ex-PRSL RDC's on ex-PRSL trackage between Cape May Court House and
Cape May City, New Jersey. Two complete round trips with numerous photo stops,
lunch break in Cape May, night photo session after dinner. Trip departs the
Fairgrounds Station at Cape May Court House at 10:00 a.m. (directions sent with
ticket order). Fare $30 ($25 for chapter members and their guests) includes both
round trips and the night photo session. Order tickets from Wilmington Chapter
NRHS, c/o Steve Barry, 117 High Street, Newton, NJ 07860. Information phone
973/383-3355 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), e-mail steve@daylightimages.com or visit
www.daylightimages.com/capemay.html .
Saturday May 19, 2001 Grand ReOpening of Wilmington & Western
Railroad
11 AM, Greenbank Station, first train to Hockessin 12:30 PM, to Mt. Cuba 1 PM,
hourly Doodlebug
June 18-23, 2001 NRHS National Convention to be hosted by St. Louis
Chapter
Saturday & Sunday, June 23-24, 2001 Great Scale Model Train Show -
Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD.
July 22-28, 2001 NRHS Basic Rail Camp 2001
Steamtown National Historic Site, $550 per teenager
August 12-18, 2001 NRHS Basic Rail Camp 2001
Steamtown National Historic Site, $550 per teenager
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
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
CHAPTER EVENTS
Saturday May 12, 2001 10
AM Chapter Trip Railfan Day on Cape May Seashore Lines
Thursday May 17, 2001 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial
Photo Contest
2001 special category: Scenery (2/3 of shot) - East of the Mississippi since May
1999
our annual do-it-yourself transport, bring your own food & chair, summer
extravaganza!
Saturday May 19, 2001 unofficial
Chapter Picnic at Wilmington & Western Grand Re-Opening
Saturday June 9, 2001 ? AM Chapter Outing Father's Day
NYC-LIRR-Port Jarvis
details not known at this time
Thursday June 21, 2001 7 PM Chapter Meeting Do - It - Yourself Program
Thursday July 19, 2001 7 PM Chapter
Meeting program by Kerry Ann Hannah from Wilmington's AMTRAK office (and member
Robert O'Connor's daughter) entitled "AMTRAK War Stories"
Thursday Aug. 16, 2001 7 PM Chapter
Meeting Do - It - Yourself Program
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
>>> check out our NEW website >>> http://www.WilmingtonNRHS.com