Transfer Table May 2003

THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition

VOLUME 25 NO. 4

MAY 2003

April 17, 2003 MEETING NOTES

The meeting was called to order at 7 PM by President Phil Snyder and the minutes were approved as read by Secretary Dan Frederick, as was Treasurer Ralph Steven's report. There was no report from the National Director or the Trip Director. Phil Snyder talked about the Chapter Trip in June and the Chapter Picnic in June at Perry Point in Perryville, MD.

President Snyder also stated that the Chapter would collect donations of ANY size, no matter how small, during the Chapter meetings in May & June for the recovery efforts at the B&O Railroad Museum and the Chapter plans to MATCH the funds collected before forwarding them to the museum.

Richard Hall reported on the Air Brake Instruction Car that was at the Wilmington & Western RR, a PRR M-70 car that was converted in 1928, is now at Strasburg being fully restored. He indicated that the instructive cut-aways have been fully restored and will be re-installed in the car when it is finished.

Frank Ferguson reported while railfanning the Maryland & Delaware RR from Massey to Chestertown he had seen fellow Chapter Member Ken Berg. Dan Frederick reported on EastRail and the Baldwins at the SMS Special. There was a lengthy discussion of the roof collapse at the B&O Museum and of the photos and reports posted regularly at the museum's website [ www. borail.org ].

After a short break, 23 members were treated to Mike Burkhart's presentation of a wonderful assortment of slides beginning in 1989. (This reported was especially pleased by the second slide of the show - a high & wide load!). There were views of Meyerstown, PA, Steelton & Highspire RR, #89 running at Strassburg, the Monongahela, and U.S. Steel motive power. We saw the last Alco T-6 ever built, the Mountain Laurel RR, the B&LE, W&LE, P&LE, RF&P, and the Maryland Midland. We saw a rebuilt GP-38 on the D&H as well as Susquehanna's C-420, B40-8, and F-45. Also represented were NJT's U34CH, AMTRAK Turbos, and a Providence & Worchester M-420. Other roads included Tioga Central, Genese & Wyoming, Levonia Avon & Lakeville, Bath & Hammondsport, Vermont Railway, Clarendon & Pittsfield, Ontario Northland, and Kelly's Creek & Northwestern RR Co. among many others! We even saw Kentucky's TTI Baldwin and UP Challenger #3985 as #676 on the CC&O (Clinchfield). If you weren't there, you missed one great show!

NEWS BITS

The Wilmington News Journal ran a story on April 10, 2003, entitled "Cecil-Newark rail line to be studied" subtitled a "Long-range plan proposes linking up with commuter service in Perryville". Noting that AMTRAK charges $45 to $95 one way from Wilmington to Washington, DC, it pointed out that the MARC fare from Perryvile to Washington is only $9. But, don't get too excited, >IF< the study is favorable to rail service >AND< it is approved, the new track work would mean a likely starting date of 2020 or 2025. What was particularly disturbing to read was the fact that the ONLY gap in the 460 miles of commuter rail lines between Richmond, VA and New London, CN is, you guessed it, the 20 miles between Perryville, MD and Newark, DE.

A recently announced Amtrak Outlines 5-Year Renovation Plan to renovate Civil War-era tunnels and replace overhead electrical wires installed when Franklin Roosevelt was president under a five-year upgrade plan.

It has been reported that they plan on tearing down the roundhouse at the Wilmington Shops in June or July of this year. Amtrak is currently busy cutting up the E-60s about 100 feet from the roundhouse. They were going to scrap all of them but have decided to keep five of them for the time being.

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 15th, 2003.

Here are the guidelines for entering images in this year's contest:

As usual, there will be two separate contests; one for prints and one for slides. Each contest will have the same SEVEN categories. Prizes will be awarded for winners in each category (that is fourteen winners in all), plus additional awards for the best print and the best slide in the show.
Each member can have up to three entries per category
(that's 42 total photos if you are really ambitious: up to 21 total slides and 21 total prints!).
Photos for the five normal, standard, REGULAR CATEGORIES #1-#5, as always in the past,
must have been taken within the LAST FIVE (5) YEARS (anywhere on this planet).
For the VINTAGE CATEGORY #6 ONLY, the photos can be of any railroad related subject but must have been taken 15 OR MORE YEARS AGO, that is before May 1, 1988. As voted on at the January 1998 meeting, the time frame was changed from "more than 25 years old" to "more than 15 years old".
For SPECIAL CATEGORY #7 ONLY, designed to get people out to take new pictures; photos must have been taken in the LAST TWO (2) YEARS; that is, between May 1, 2001 and May 15, 2003 and must be a photo taken from inside a railroad structure or piece of equipment looking out.

CATEGORIES [note timeframes]

STEAM - Photos with a steam locomotive as the primary subject within the last 5 years.
DIESEL - Photos with a diesel locomotive as the primary subject within the last 5 years.
This category also includes gas-electrics, Doodlebugs, RDCs, and FL9s north of Harmon, and the like.
HEAVY ELECTRIC - Electric power on big railroads within the last 5 years.
TRACTION - Trolleys and light rail including streetcars, all subways, etc. within the last 5 years.
GENERAL - Any photo that does NOT include one of the above as the primary subject within the last 5 years. Passenger and freight cars, stations, signals, railfans, and the like go here.
VINTAGE - Any railroad-related subject photographed 15 or more years ago.
SPECIAL CATEGORY for 2003 = any photo taken from inside a railroad structure or piece of equipment looking out. and taken within the last two (2) years.

Wilmington Chapter's Rescheduled Toronto Trolley Trip

Sat., May 17, 2003 Wilmington Chapter NRHS Do-It-Yourself Pay-As-You-Go Trip to NYC
With visit to WTC Ground Zero site, ride on the new extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System, and ride on new Newark City Subway Cars

7:09 AM LV Philadelphia 30th Street Station on SEPTA R7 #1703
7:55 AM ARR Trenton, NJ

8:13 AM LV Trenton, NJ on NJT #7816
9:14 AM ARR Newark, NJ (Penn Station)

~9:25 AM LV Newark, NJ on PATH
~9:50 AM ARR Hoboken Terminal

10:00 AM LV Hoboken Terminal on Ferry
10:10 AM ARR WFC

Walk to Ground Zero observation platforms

11:20 AM LV WFC on Ferry
11:30 AM ARR Hoboken Terminal

~11:45 AM Ride Hudson-Bergen Light Rail System, photo stop(s), and LUNCH
~1:00 PM

~1:05 PM LV Hoboken Terminal on PATH
~1:30 PM ARR Newark, NJ (Penn Station)

~1:33 PM LV Ride NJT Newark City Subway with photo stop
~2:33 PM ARR Newark, NJ (Penn Station)

3:10 PM LV Newark, NJ (Penn Station) on NJT #7851
4:12 PM ARR Trenton, NJ

4:46 PM LV Trenton, NJ on SEPTA #1726
5:33 PM ARR Philadelphia 30th Street Station
TRIP is COMPLETE!

Disclaimers/Notes 1. The only time which is definite is the 7:09 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. 5. Combination SEPTA/NJT tickets can be bought at 30th St. Station for entire ride between Philly and Newark. Look to be able to purchase them at 30th St. Station. 6. Bruce will meet up with the trip at Hamilton.

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.

June 21-22, 2003 Great Scale Model Train Show - Timonium, 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. www.gsmts.com

June 27 - July 6, 2003 The Fair of the Iron Horse 175 years of American Railroad at the B&O Railroad Museum. CANCELLED

July 1-6, 2003 2003 NRHS Convention - STAR SPANGLED RAILS
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) and the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc. (R&LHS) will hold a joint convention, named Star Spangled Rails, in Baltimore, Maryland July 1 - 6, 2003. Hosted by the Washington, DC Chapter of the NRHS and the R&LHS, the convention will offer exciting mainline excursion trains, other informative, fun rail oriented trips, educational seminars and the annual banquet. There will also be non-rail excursions to see the history and culture of Maryland.
Star Spangled Rails will coincide with the 175th Anniversary of Railroading in the United States and will occur at the height of the B&O Railroad Museum's America on Track Celebration. The highlight of the Museum's celebration will be a recreation of the 1927 "Fair of the Iron Horse". The fair will include special exhibits at the museum and Baltimore's Carroll Park. Railroad equipment of all kinds and vintages will be on display, something special no one will want to miss. Besides all of the exciting public events of the Fair, special private events for Star Spangled Rails attendees only are being planned in conjunction with the museum. For more information, check the official convention website at www.starspangledrails.org. Pre-registration NOW!

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

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

CHAPTER EVENTS

Thursday May 15, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest 2003 special category: 2003 special category: "Inside view of a piece of railroad equipment or the inside of a railroad structure."

Saturday May 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip Circle Trip to "Hoboken Terminal" see details elsewhere in this newsletter

Saturday June 7, 2003 11 AM Chapter Picnic location not available at this time.

Thursday June 19, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Richard Hall.

Thursday July 17, 2003 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Bruce Barry.

Thursday Aug. 21, 2003 7 PM Chapter Trip Circle Trip to "Yet-To-Be-Determined" Instead of normal monthly meeting - Do-It Yourself - probably Philadelphia - Camden - Trenton.

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"

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

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