THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
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July 17, 2003 MEETING NOTES

    The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by President Phil Snyder and the minutes were approved as corrected after reading by Vice  President (or was it by Historian) Ron Cleaves in lieu of a vacationing Secretary Dan Frederick. The Treasurer's report was approved as read by Ralph Steven. Although there was no report from Trip Director Bruce Barry, Steve Barry reported that the Toronto Trip was in need of more sales to break even. President Phil Snyder reported that the Wilmington Chapter had collected $61 at Chapter Meetings for the B&O Museum repairs and had "rounded up" the matching funds for a total donation of $130. He also noted that the Annual Holiday Dinner would be at Maximillian's again this year on Dec. 7th.

    There was a lengthy discussion by members about the NJ Transit derailment. Another discussion about the B&O Station in Aberdeen, MD. Frank Ferguson noted that the station was still standing and that the demolition crane had be removed from the scene.  Editor Greg Ajamian reported an E-mail was received from Ed Davis of Chesapeake City, MD that he was in the process of purchasing the Lincoln University Train Station and would like any information or photographs that any members could provide. Appropriately Education Fund Chairman, Ed Thornton has responded. Frank Ferguson also reported that the Morristown & Erie has taken over the former Pennsy line from Chadds Ford to Nottingham for the rest of the year and that they may be leasing power from the Brandywine Valley. Steve  Barry and Phil Snyder reported on their trips during the NRHS National Convention in Baltimore. Steve provided the "current events" slides for the evening on the East Broad Top's Railfan Day. 

    We were then treated to Bruce Barry's excellent program on the Stainless Steel Streamliners of Eastern Canada. With the help of a local expert on the trains, terrain, turnouts, trips, and terrific locations, he was able to catch The Chaleur 32 times in 336 miles, The Ocean 13 times in 527 miles on one trip and 14 times in 383 miles on another, and finally he caught The Bras D'Or 29 times in 291 miles. The Chaleur was easy to chase as it was limited to 10 mph over the many bridges on the route. On the other hand, The Ocean was tough to beat to its next stop with its track speed of 80 mph.  We saw shots of them turning the train at Halifax on the balloon track in the container yard. We also saw them turn the train, this time car-by-car, on a turntable at Brodeur. A unique shot was one of The Bras D'Or with the MU hatch closed (by special request) contrary to normal crew practice. Another crew practice, stopping at the Orangedale RR Museum has now become an "official" stop over. Bruce closed an outstanding show with shots of the Acadian.

NEWS BITS   

    On July 25, 2003, Amtrak President David Gunn announced in his employee advisory that the board approved a budget for Fiscal Year 2004 of $1.812 billion that included projects "vital to bringing the railroad to a state of good repair" and that materials for those projects are already being ordered. In the same advisory, he noted that the previous day the House Appropriations Committee had voted $900 million in funding for Amtrak for FY '04. Gunn said in his advisory, " if enacted, this amount would cause the shutdown of the railroad."

    Ed Davis of Chesapeake City, MD [ eddied@dol.net ] E-mailed that he is trying to find out any information on the Passenger Station in Lincoln University, PA. He is in the process of purchasing this property and wants to restore it to as close to original as possible. He and his fiancée love old buildings and this will be the second one they have purchased to restore. Their main objective is restore it and capture it's history, not eliminate it. Any help or photos will be greatly appreciated.

    Link Museum to focus on NS heritage - A unique part of Norfolk Southern's heritage will be preserved and displayed when the O. Winston Link Museum opens later this year in Roanoke. The museum highlights the final days of steam motive power on NS's predecessor Norfolk and Western Railway, as seen through the world's largest collection of Link photographs - some 275 - as well as related artifacts and displays. [from http://www.nscorp.com/nscorphtml/newsbreak/0703/index.html#link ]

    Our Trolley Driver, Bill Monaghan, reports that Pilot cars will run on Route 15 on Sunday August 24, SEPTA will run a simulated load line with 15 LRV's from around 10 AM to 5 PM. This is being done to check to see if there is enough power to run the New PCC Cars and check out the track work. The LRV's will run from 63rd and Girard to Cumberland Loop. Get your cameras ready!!!!! Check out FPT at  http://users.snip.net/~trolleydriver/FPT.htm            

    Norfolk Southern Corporation's Exhibit Car is scheduled to visit 17 locations on the company's rail system this year. The Exhibit Car is a rebuilt passenger rail car with displays depicting the history and modern operation of the Norfolk Southern transportation system. A locomotive simulator, the car's most popular display, puts guests in the engineer's seat in control of throttle, brake and horn. Some 1.5 million people in more than 340 cities have viewed the traveling showcase since 1971. (Photo courtesy Norfolk Southern.) The car began its 33rd year of service May 9-11 at the landmark Chattanooga Choo Choo. Other 2003 Exhibit Car scheduled appearances are: Sept. 13-21, Strasburg Railroad, Strasburg, Pa.  Oct. 24-26, Wellsboro, Pa.  Dec. 5-7, Strasburg Railroad, Strasburg, Pa. Norfolk Southern provides the Exhibit Car at no cost for community events throughout its rail transportation network. Requests for the car for 2004 can be made through the Norfolk Southern Web site at www.nscorp.com.

    A record-breaking snowstorm in February collapsed the roof of the B&O Railroad Museum's 1884 Baldwin Roundhouse, the Museum's signature building and collections exhibit space. Committed to restoring, rebuilding and reopening this national treasure by late 2004, the curators of the B&O Railroad Museum have initiated the restoration process of more than 150,000 damaged pieces of the collection, ranging from rail cars to an original B&O tea bag. The Museum is home to the oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western Hemisphere. For ongoing updates and information on the B&O Railroad Museum, its restoration and the grand reopening, please visit www.borail.org. [ This information and the report on The Memnon later in this newsletter were provided with permission to reprint  courtesy of the B&O Railroad Museum. Continuous updates are available online at www.borail.org ]

Special Permission was obtained to reprint B&O Roundhouse Restoration Report for Friday, June 6, 2003 - No. 57 "Memnon" Damage Report from http://www.borail.org/roundhouse_restoration_report/20030606.asp

Preliminary Observations Of Collection Pieces By The Guest Curator Team
Object Information:
Common Name: Steam Locomotive, 0-8-0
Specific Name: B&O No. 57 'Memnon'
Builder/Location: New Castle Manufacturing Company, New Castle (Wilmington), DE
Date: 1848
Purpose: Freight service
Brief History: The B&O No. 57 "Memnon" was built to handle the tough grades and heavy coal loads from Cumberland, Maryland. Affectionately called the "Old War Horse," the "Memnon" was a valuable asset to the Union during the Civil War by hauling soldiers and supplies. It became part of the B&O Railroad's collection of exhibit locomotives in 1892.

Comments and Observations
Locomotive

• Damage is generally confined to left side of locomotive and cab.
• The left cylinder has a side front crease and scrape.
• The cab joints and fastenings are generally loosened and some are pulled apart. The paint and varnish joints are broken.
• The cab was hit and displaced in a counter-clockwise direction, with front right corner staying in place and cab shifted approximately 8" to right at rear. In addition, the cab is wracked out of plumb and pushed toward rear at left top.
• The left cab roof, left front eave and scotia, left side eave and scotia and roofing metal are broken.
• The left lower cab side panel and rail are broken.
• The rear overhang eave, fascia and scotia are displaced at the centerline joint.
• The cab roof is pushed down in the middle. The ceiling structure is broken. The ceiling board fastenings are loosened. With regard to the equipment on the ceiling, the whistle linkage and cab signal gong are broken out. The gong is pushed over a nut (breaking gong material at center), and the wood gong base is broken with pieces remaining on the cab ceiling.
• The upholstery of both cab seats are torn.
• The cab roof has a number of creases from being struck by debris.
• The boiler jacket is scuffed and dented in several locations.
• The left handrail is bent down in the middle and both stanchions are broken. The middle stanchion post is bent toward the cab. The question remains about whether only the stud is bent or if boiler shell is dented as well.

Steam Dome - Whistle, Safeties, etc.

• The whistle is broken off.
• The front edge of the safety valve/whistle horn is deflected on both sides. Locking safety appears intact, while the spring balance safety lever is bent into cab.
• The left running board is broken at the cab and at the check valve.
• Headlight and bracket.
• The headlight door is broken off.
• The left headlight bracket casting is cracked at the rear on the inside of the cylindrical portion of casting.

Tender

• The tender flair is intact.
• The left rear tender truck bolster beam shows evidence of new cracks.

Notes
At this time, the suspension, running gear or machinery, and rotating or reciprocating components have not been assessed. These parts of the locomotive do not appear on visual inspection to have been affected by the roof collapse except where noted, but further inspection is required in order to reach a final conclusion in this area.

This information provided courtesy of the B&O Railroad Museum. Continuous updates are available online at www.borail.org.

RAILFAN EXCURSION ON THE STEWARTSTOWN RAILROAD

    The Harrisburg Chapter, National Railway Historical Society invites you to join us on a chartered railfan excursion on the Stewartstown Railroad in Southern York County on Saturday, August 16, 2003 at 2:00 pm. Be along as we traverse the entire 7.4 miles of the "Famous Farmer's Railroad on the Deer Creek Valley Route." The train will depart from the Stewartstown Railroad Station just off Pa Route 851 in Stewartstown, four miles east of Exit 1 on I-83. For further directions, the Railroad phone number is 717-993-2936. Multiple Photo Stops will be made en route to New Freedom. Upon arrival at New Freedom, we will detrain for dinner.  Dinner will be at the individual expense of the rider, and those preferring to bring their own food may do so. We will then depart New Freedom at 6:30 pm to return to Stewartstown. Tickets can be ordered via the form at the bottom of this page. No Refunds will be given on purchased tickets.

Coach Tickets are just $ 15.00 per person, and capacity is extremely limited. A limited number of seats are available in the caboose at a price of $ 25.00 per person.  Ticket prices are the same for all age groups. Ticket reservations must be made by August 1, 2003, and only checks or money orders will be accepted. Flyers can be obtained at the Harrisburg NRHS website at http://nrhs-hbg.pennsyrr.com

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Ticket Reservation form for Stewartstown Railroad Trip  Saturday, August 16, 2003

_____ of coach tickets at $ 15.00 each

_____ of caboose tickets at $ 25.00 each, capacity is limited

Total amount enclosed $ _________

Checks must be payable to Harrisburg NRHS

Name:_______________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________

City, State, zip_________________________________________

Phone# _______________________

Email address:________________________________________

Mail to: Harrisburg NRHS Stewartstown Trip
Bill Gingrich
536 Ridge Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2751

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.

Now through December 7, 2003 - On the Road to Paradise: A History of the Strasburg RR An Exhibit at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

August 14 - 17, 2003 Railroad Circus Days @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Thursday 9 - 5 Friday 9 - 5 Saturday 9 - 5 Sunday Noon to 5 = It's the fun of the big top in colorful and exact miniature. See scale model replicas of circus trains, equipment and performances, displayed by the David Deacon Blanchfield Ring of the Circus Model Builders International. Regular admission.

August 16-17, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Gettsyburg, 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Gettsyburg College, Gettsyburg, PA

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 B&O Fund-raiser Night at Camden Yards
7:05 PM Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay, call 410-752-2462 ext. 220 M-F 9:30-4:30 or www.borail.org

August 21-24, 2003 Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railfest-100th Anniversary of Western Films
long list of special events, for info call 1-888-TRAIN-07 or check at www.durangotain.com

Sept 6-7, 2003 Chapter Trolley Trip - Toronto [was June 6-7, 2003] Full details on the trip can be found at http://www.daylightimages.com/streetcar.

October 11-12, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

October 19, 2003 Susquehanna Valley NRHS Chapter's 10th Annual Train Show Southern Tier Railfest 10 AM-4 PM, Heritage Country Club, Binghamton, NY call 607-775-1267

October 17-18, 2003 Halloween Events @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
October 24-25, 2003 Halloween Events @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Oct. 31- Nov. 1, 2003 Halloween Events @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
6:30 - 9:30 PM Treat the entire family to a fun-filled evening of ghostly railroading as you visit the cavernous Railroad Museum and ride the legendary Strasburg Rail Road. Kids and adults come in costume! . Tickets - One ticket covers both the train ride and Museum admission: $17.95 for ages 12 and up and $10.95 for ages 3 to 11. Combined tickets required, must be purchased only from the Strasburg Rail Road -- at their ticket booth, call the SRR at 717 687-7522 or order them on-line at www.strasburgrailroad.com. (This page will also provide details regarding train departure times which you must select, and whether you should plan on visiting the Museum efore or after your train ride. Get your ticket for best time while they last!)

November 8-9, 2003 Troops and Trains @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania Sat. 9 - 5, Sun. noon- 5 Greet our guys and gals in uniform and experience the role railroads played time and again in the defense of our nation. Fascinating railroad archival exhibits and displays. Regular admission.

November 8-9, 2003 Taking the Swing Train 40s Dance @ RR Museum of Pennsylvania 7 PM Sound of the Roses 18-piece band. Details.

December 13, 2003 to April 19, 2004 PAGEANT OF LOCOMOTIVES @ RR Museum of PA Photography From North American Railroad Fairs = No aspect of railroad history can match the splendor of the great North American railroad fairs. Railroad fairs gave companies an opportunity to unveil their latest technologies and display celebrated equipment of the past. This exhibit documents the best known fairs of North America and the excitement generated by each, including, for example, the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia; the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Chicago; the 1904 World's Fair, St. Louis; the 1927 B&O Fair of the Iron Horse, Halethorpe, Maryland; the 1939-40 World's Fair, New York; and the 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair.

December 27, 2003 Home for the Holidays @ Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania 9 - 5 Take a nostalgic glimpse at 100 years of holiday rail travel. Meet engineers, conductors, ticket agents and passengers and enjoy seasonal music and festive decorations among our world-class collection of trains. Regular admission.

January 24-25, 2004 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

April 3-4, 2004 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

June 19-20, 2004 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

October 9-10, 2004 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium
9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

Thursday, August 21, 2003 Wilmington Chapter NRHS
Do-It-Yourself/Pay-As-You-Go/Circle Trip to Overbrook, PA. and back.

6:02 PM Leave Marcus Hook, PA on Septa R2 #4664.
6:35 PM Arrive at 30th St. Station.
6:49 PM Leave 30th St. Station to Overbrook, PA on Septa R5 #575  Malvern bound.
6:58 PM Arrive at Overbrook, PA.

10 minute walk to Malvern loop at least.

7:18 PM Leave Malvern Loop at 30th St. on Route #10 Trolley bound for City Hall.
7:43 PM Arrive 30 St. Station Subway station.

8:37 PM Leave 30 St. station on Septa R2 #4273 Marcus Hook Bound.
9:09 PM Arrive at Marcus Hook, PA.

Additional rail trip if interested by traveling on Market-Frankford Line to Frankford and back from 30th St. Station Subway station.

7:52 PM Leave 30th St Subway Station to Frankford El station on Market-Frankford Line.
8:19 PM Arrive at Frankford El Station.
8:33 PM Leave Frankford El Station on Market-Frankford Line bound for 69th St. station.
8:59 PM Arrive at 30th St Subway Station.

9:37 PM Leave 30th St Station on Septa R2 #4275.  Wilmington Bound.
10:09 PM Arrive at Marcus Hook, PA.

Disclaimers/Notes
1. The only time which is definite is the departure out of 30th Street Station.
2. While a schedule has been listed, we do not guarantee any of the times will be met. We may adjust our schedule depending on time, delays, or weather conditions.
3. Seniors must show Medicare card to receive discounts.
4. You will be responsible for purchasing your own tickets.

CHAPTER EVENTS  

Thursday Aug. 21, 2003 6 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip to Overbrook, PA. instead of normal monthly meeting.

Fri-Sat. Sept. 6-7, 2003 Chapter Trip Toronto Trolley Trip

Thursday Sept. 18, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Phil Snyder Cross Country Part 3 = AZ to LA to Philadelphia

Thursday Oct. 16, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson, Jr. entitled "If Everything Pans Out "

Thursday Nov. 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Bill Folger

Sunday Dec. 7, 2003 5 PM Holiday Dinner program by Steve Barry at Maximillian's INSTEAD OF normal monthly meeting

Thursday Jan. 15, 2004 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by ?

Thursday Feb. 19, 2004 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by ?

Thursday March 20, 2004 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Mike Burkhart

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 Website, thanks to Russ Fox at:   http://www.WilmingtonNRHS.co

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
    Education Fund:   Ed Thornton
    Public Relations:    Frank Ferguson, Jr.
    Trip Director & Event Photographer:  Bruce Barry
    Web Site: Russ Fox

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