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THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition

Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site

SEPTEMBER 15, 2005 MEETING NOTES

      President Phil Snyder called the meeting to order at 7 PM. The minutes, read by Secretary Dan Frederick, were approved as corrected. Ralph Steven's Treasurer's report was approved as read.

    Phil Snyder reported that the Chapter Trolley Trip went well for the approximately 30 people that participated. The "volunteers" for the Election Committee are Allan Patterson, Len Arcus, and Jared Downs. Ralph was also named as the new Trip Director and Ron Cleaves was named as the new Event Photographer.

    Duane Conly reported that the upcoming Saturday is Transportation Day in Wilmington.

    After a short break, Phil Snyder presented his slides of the Toronto Trolley Trip and included some shots of vintage streetcars from 25 years ago.

PUBLIC NOTICE

    Richard E. Hall of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has prepared a book of over 160 pages on Company Service Cars of the PW&B, PB&W, and PRR.

    The work presents a selection of car numbers and history with many drawings representing the work train, wreck train, cabin, and other company service equipment of the PW&B, PB&W, and PRR which were maintained at the Wilmington Shops and / or saw service in our general area, primarily on the PW&B, PB&W main line, Media Division (the old P&BC which later became the Octoraro Branch), Delaware Division, and the former Norfolk Division (NYP&N).

    Detailed lists include: Car Numbers, Tools For Maintenance Of Way Tool Cars, Supplies For Camp Trains, Materials to Equip a Pay Car, Tools & Supplies for Cabin Cars, & more. Drawings include: Pay Cars, Business Cars, Maintenance of Way Equipment, Dynamometer Cars, Cranes, Clearance Car, hand cars, & more.

    Proceeds support the Wilmington Chapter. Price only $ 16.00 Plus $3.95 Postage (for each copy) Please make checks payable to: G. Ajamian and send orders with your complete mailing address to: Wilmington Chapter NRHS, P.O. Box 1136, Hockessin, DE 19707-5136.

   NEWS BITS

•     Train Schedules Adjusted as Track Work Continues on Keystone Corridor Capital Improvement Project WASHINGTON ATK-05-080 September 29, 2005 - As the Keystone Corridor capital improvement project continues, Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced new schedule changes effective Oct. 3 between Paoli and Bryn Mawr, Pa. Once the project is complete, Keystone passengers will enjoy reduced trip times, increased train frequencies, and improved ride comfort.

    From October 3 to mid-December, the main track renewal production gang (including the Track Laying Machine which installs concrete ties and welded rail) will be working on Track #2 to rebuild the track between Paoli and Bryn Mawr. The crews will replace wooden ties with new concrete ties and lay continuous welded rail. The project begins on Track #2 at Paoli Station and continues east toward Philadelphia - covering portions of Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties and includes communities such as Paoli, Devon, Wayne, Radnor, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Ardmore, Merion, Overbrook, West Philadelphia and University City. Work on Track #2 to 30th Street Station will be completed in 2006, when work will begin on Track #3.

    Over the past six months, the Track Laying Machine has been working between Lancaster and Parkesburg, PA. When it arrives in Paoli, the nature of the work environment will change. Train frequency east of Paoli is ten times higher due to SEPTA R5 service. SEPTA will reduce its non-rush hour service to facilitate this phase of the project.

    While most of the work will be done during the day, some work is reserved for nights to allow for smoother train operations. Every consideration will be given to the communities adjacent to Amtrak property to limit the inconvenience from the potential, temporary increase in noise levels which the construction may cause. Amtrak train schedules have been modified slightly to minimize or eliminate potential delay from these construction outages. To advise passengers of track work and the new schedule, Amtrak has posted notices in all stations along the route and on board Keystone trains.

    When the Keystone Corridor project is complete, scheduled for the end of 2006, Amtrak will be able to offer all-electric powered train service, with Harrisburg - Philadelphia trip times of between as little as 90 minutes (express) and 105 minutes (standard). Today, trip times range from 115 to 125 minutes. Currently, Amtrak operates diesel locomotives between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Also, train frequencies between those cities are expected to climb from the current 11 weekday round trips to 14 round trips upon completion of the project.

    Ridership on the Harrisburg-Philadelphia-New York Keystone Service has continued to grow in recent months. For the first 11 months of FY '05 (beginning Oct. 1, 2004), ridership is up 17%, or 142,000 passengers, (971,000 v. 829,000 for the same period one year ago.)

    The track work will result in the following improvements:

• Installation of 80 track miles of new concrete ties
• Installation of more than 40 new track switches
• A new signal system between Lancaster and Harrisburg
• Upgrade of 16 existing bridges and culverts
• Upgrade of overhead electrical wires (catenary)
• Upgrade of electrical substations to support use of electric locomotives.
• Increased maximum speeds from current 90 mph to 110 mph
• Increased train frequencies to 14 round trips from current 11

    Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 22,000-mile route system. For schedules, fares & information, passengers may call 800-USA-RAIL or visit www.amtrak.com.
 

•     Amtrak To Postpone September 20 Fare Increase WASHINGTON ATK-05-076 September 15, 2005 Ð Amtrak announced today that it has postponed its planned fare increases, originally scheduled to become effective on September 20. No new date for the fare action has been set. Amtrak postponed the action to conclude additional briefings with public officials and other interested groups. On September 9, Amtrak announced a fare increase in part to recover escalating fuel costs. As part of the overall fare increase, Amtrak intends to standardize and reduce its discounts on monthly Smart Passes, which are currently as much as 70%. An average of 1,989 NEC Regional train Smart Passes & 178 monthly Empire Service Smart Passes are purchased each month. [thanks to Ralph Stevens for the link to Amtrak News Releases]
   
•     Detour of California Zephyr to Track Historic Transcontinental Railroad Route - Some Colorado and Utah stops affected until Nov. 4 - CHICAGO ATK-05-071 August 31, 2005 - Scheduled track improvements on the Union Pacific Railroad in Colorado will require Amtrak to use an alternate route for the California Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City during five periods in September, October and November. The detour will follow the historic transcontinental railroad route through Wyoming and Utah on freight rail tracks that passenger trains have not regularly traversed since 1997.

    On Sept. 1-7, Sept. 16-23, Oct. 1-8, Oct. 16-23 and Nov. 1-4, Amtrak will be unable to use the Union Pacific route between Granby and Grand Junction, Colo., west of Denver. On those days, the California Zephyr will detour between Denver and Salt Lake City via a northern route through Wyoming, making no intermediate station stops. On the days the train detours, Amtrak will provide alternate motorcoach transportation at Denver, only to and from Glenwood Springs, Colo., and Grand Junction. Passengers traveling between Chicago and Denver or between Salt Lake City and the San Francisco Bay Area (Emeryville) will be unaffected. Service to Fraser-Winter Park, Colo.; Granby, Colo.; Green River, Utah; Helper, Utah and Provo, Utah, will be suspended on the days of the train's detour.

    Amtrak has informed passengers ticketed between Denver and Salt Lake City during the 35 days of the detour and/or the alternate transportation from Denver to and from Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction. Passengers have been offered travel on alternate days or refunds. The detour route will follow a portion of the original transcontinental Union Pacific route that was completed in 1869. While the scenery is less mountainous than the California Zephyr's regular routing, it offers broad vistas of the high plains and an opportunity to see pronghorn antelope and other wildlife. Amtrak regrets the service disruption and has notified the affected communities. However, the Union Pacific has said the improvements are needed to maintain safe and timely operation of trains over the regular route. The railroad plans to install more than 86,000 cross-ties on more than 135 miles of its trackage. For more information about the California Zephyr, fares and schedules, call 800.USA.RAIL or visit www.Amtrak.com.

•     Norfolk Southern Restores Rail Service to New Orleans - Sixteen days after Hurricane Katrina struck, Norfolk Southern Corp has completed repairs to its Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, restoring rail freight service into New Orleans and reopening important interchange points with western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern Chairman and CEO David R. Goode said, "The resumption of rail service following this disaster is a tribute to the dedication and efforts of Norfolk Southern people. They did the job in record time - safely and under extremely challenging conditions - in order to bring rail service back to New Orleans." Nearly five miles of track were washed from the top of the 5.8-mile long rail bridge and into the lake. Nine cranes on barges were used to lift the track out of the water and back onto the bridge. Nine miles of track running through New Orleans itself required major repairs due to washouts and other water-related problems. Since the hurricane struck, Norfolk Southern employees have inspected some 1,400 miles of railroad track, removed 5,500 downed trees, installed 11,000 railroad ties and unloaded and surfaced track on 55,000 tons of ballast to restore bridges and rail lines to service. (NS News Release September 13, 2005)
   
•     New York State and New York City officials broke ground for the permanent new PATH subway station at Manhattan's World Trade Center site. The original station was destroyed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A temporary PATH WTC station has been open since November, 2003. The new station is expected to cost approximately $2.2 billion and will be integrated with the planned Fulton Street Transit Hub, which will link the several lines that converge in and near the WTC site. (from USDOT & wire services via American Rail Link for June 29, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
•     Katrina's impact on the railroads of New Orleans - A while ago I did an operating and financial audit for the New Orleans Public Belt Line (NOPB) and in the process got to know a little about who's where and why. Five of the Big Six Class Is plus KCS serve New Orleans (CP does not). There are three short lines in Louisiana: NOPB, New Orleans Gulf Coast (Rick Bertel) and Louisiana & Delta (GWR). I'm told the L&D which lays to the west of NO was pretty much unscathed, but there's no way to know about the others just yet. There are two east-west freight routes through NO, both of which use the Huey Long Bridge. BNSF uses NOPB to link up with NS and CSX over track that follows the Miss River up to NS' Oliver Yard and over to CSX' Gentilly. The other route is the NS "Back Belt" across the north side of NO through Metairie and UP uses this for most of its eastern business. This line appears to have been spared much of the flooding and may be back in business by the time you read this. CN's former IC route and KCS both come into town from the northwest and their involvement with NOPB - when I was there at least - is minimal. The former does a lot of export grain out of the Midwest (I remember Hunter Harrison telling me about six turns a month on grain trains on the IC) as well as a significant chemical trade, much of which is head-to-head with KCS. It's entirely possible that the chemical plants worst hit won't be rebuilt and the business will migrate west to Houston. CSX has said it'll have to fix about 150 miles of rail east of NO through Miss and into AL, including its Bay St Louis bridge. NS hopes to have its Pontchartrain bridge back shortly, literally picking the pieces of the concrete-deck ballast bridge up out of the water and putting them back on the pilings. Both UP and BNSF come into town over former SP track, so such that is damaged is UP's to fix. The net result is that through traffic that traditionally uses NO is finding other ways - St Louis, Memphis, the KCS "Meridian Speedway" over to Dallas. (via Railroad Week In Review-Sept 9, 2005 - Roy Blanchard via Ed Mayover)¥ Police in South Africa continued to stand guard over a derailed train carrying 180,000 crates of beer. The train derailed the previous Friday near Waterval Boven, approximately 124 miles east of Johannesburg. By Saturday, police were battling up to 200 persons from nearby towns who were attempting to loot the train. "It was a lot of trouble from one train crash," said a railway spokesman. "They [the police] were firing rubber bullets into the crowd...The issue was the beer." (wire services via Weekly Rail Review - Week Ending 27AUG2005 - Dave Mears via Ed Mayover)
   
•     RailAmerica Completes Acquisition of Four Short Line Railroads from Alcoa - BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct 03, RailAmerica, Inc. today announced the completion of its acquisition of four short line railroads from Alcoa for a purchase price of $77.5 million in cash. The four railroads acquired serve Alcoa aluminum manufacturing operations in Texas and New York and a former Alcoa owned specialty chemicals facility in Arkansas. For the twelve months ended June 30, 2005, the four railroads handled 30,000 carloads, generated revenue of $20.8 million and operate a total of 25 miles of track. (Press Release http://www.railamerica.com/index.html)

    RailAmerica's North American system of railroads consists of 43 short line and regional railroads operating approximately 8,800 track miles in 26 states, six Canadian provinces. Our operating railroads own or lease approximately 450 locomotives and 7,400 rail cars. Our North American Rail Group serves more than 1,600 rail customers and employs approximately 1,800 people.
 

•     Many New Orleans Streetcars Still Under Water: Much of New Orleans' public transit infrastructure, including the brand-new Canal Street streetcars that debuted to considerable fanfare in April 2004, the riverfront trolleys, and at least half of the 350 buses in the fleet, remain partially submerged in floodwaters and may be beyond repair, Regional Transit Authority officials said in a story published September 12 in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The 24 apple-red streetcars Ð assembled largely by hand by RTA artisans as part of a $161 million project that restored rail service to Canal Street after an absence of nearly 40 years - were stored at the A. Philip Randolph Operations Facility in the 2800 block of Canal as Hurricane Katrina approached the Louisiana coast. The RTA also used the Randolph facility to house about 175 buses and the seven streetcars that have comprised the riverfront line for the past 16 years. When transit workers evacuated the building nearly two weeks ago, water levels in the parking lot had already risen Òup to the steering wheels'' of most of the vehicles. In the 16 months since they began operating, the Canal streetcars, which cost almost $1 million each, became very popular among locals and visitors, boosting ridership on the line beyond expectations. Major said the 35 streetcars on the historic St. Charles Avenue line appear to have escaped serious water damage, although the condition of the tracks and the bed beneath them, the overhead electrical system, and the power stations is unknown. (from Trains News Wire, 9/13 via American Rail Link for September 21, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• Chicago Commuter Train Going Nearly 60 Mph Above Speed Limit: A commuter train was going almost 60 mph above the speed limit just before it derailed, killing two people and injuring dozens of others, the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday. Mark Rosenker said the Metro train was traveling at 69 mph and should have not be going more than 10 mph when it switched tracks at a crossover just before jumping the tracks Saturday. The speed information came from a preliminary reading of one of the train/s three electronic data recorders, popularly known as Òblack Boxes,Ó Rosenker said. Investigators conducted a three-hour interview Sunday with the train's engineer. The 41-year old man had been on the job for 45 days after completing Metra's six-month training program, which included at least some training along the route where the derailment occurred. He also had worked for more than five years as a CSX Corp. freight train engineer. The double-decker commuter train was headed into Chicago from Joliet on Saturday morning with 185 passengers and four crew members when its locomotive and five rail cars jumped the tracks about five miles south of downtown. Transportation officials also determined Sunday that the train signals were working, meaning the engineer should have had time to slow the train upon seeing the signals, even if he was traveling 69 mph, Rosenker said. (AP, 9/19 via American Rail Link for September 21, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
•     Bizarre Accident On Conrail North Jersey Shared Assets: At approximately 03:40 this morning northbound CSXT train Q-418-16 operating from Pavonia Yard in Camden, NJ to Selkirk, NY was involved in a bizarre vehicular accident. Train Q-418-16 powered by CSXT 9023, CSXT 8667, and HLCX 8141 and consisting of two loads and fifty-five empties that totaled 2,320 tons was struck by a garbage truck that crashed through a guard rail and off an overpass down onto the train. The accident occurred at Paterson Plank Road in North Bergen, NJ located at milepost QRN 1 on the Northern Branch. The truck crashed into the 41st car in the car in the train, PLMX 35190, an empty haz-mat car containing residue liquified petroleum gas. Luckily, the car did not leak and there was no explosion. Unfortunately, both the driver and passenger were fatalities. The mishap shut down all rail traffic through the area for several hours resulting in delays to many trains. (Conrail Technical Society, 9/17 via American Rail Link for September 21, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
•     A plague of grasshoppers in Pennsylvania sparked the invention in 1836 of the sand box on locomotives. Thousands of grasshoppers covered the ground and tracks, interfering with train operations. At first, the railroad hired men to walk along the tracks to sweep the insects off the rails with brooms. This didn't work well because as soon as the pests were swept from one place, they jumped to another. Then, scrapers and brooms were attached to the engines, but the brooms wore out quickly, and the scrapers forced trains to move at a crawl. Finally, a forgotten genius came up with the idea attaching sand boxes to locomotives so streams of sand would be deposited on the rails automatically in front of the wheels. The sand provided traction against the crushed bodies of grasshoppers as well as oil drippings and frost. Soon, all roads adopted the sand box device. (via American Rail Link for September 21, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
•     Police Battle Beer Train Looters In South Africa: Hundreds of looters battled police Saturday and Sunday at the site of a South African beer train derailment Aug. 19 in violence that left one woman dead, according to a story from Reuters. South African police said they are keeping a heavy guard on what is left of 180,000 crates of beer from the South African Breweries train near Waterval Boven, 124 miles east of Johannesburg, Superintendent Izak van Zyl said. By Saturday morning, police were battling up to 200 people from the nearby township trying to make off with crates of beer. "It was a lot of trouble from one train crash," Van Zyl said. "They were firing rubber bullets into the crowd. The issue was the beer." A 19-year-old woman in the crowd was killed when she fell under the wheels of a truck, he said. Police handed the site over to railway security staff but were back again on Sunday morning, firing more rubber bullets as looters converged on the train. Officers raided nearby houses, recovered three out of 500 missing cases and arrested six people. Van Zyl said 20 officers would remain at the site until the overturned wagons and surviving beer crates could be recovered, an operation that could take up to a week. (Trains News Wire, 8/22 American Rail Link for August 24, 2005 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
•     $9 Million For Newark, DE Transportation - On Tuesday, August 16th, Senator Carper and Congressman Castle announced $9 million in federal funding to improve commuter rail from Wilmington to Newark and Newark to Middletown. This funding will increase frequency in trains from Wilmington to Newark and build a new rail connection from Newark to Middletown. The event will be held at Newark Train Station. Projects:
  • Northeast Corridor Commuter Rail Project from Wilmington to Newark: $5 million would be allocated to add a third track west of Wilmington; relocate the existing Newark station; construct a new pedestrian overpass across the Northeast Corridor track, and acquire four commuter rail cars. Remaining project authorization would be $14 million in federal funds, with the rest of the money provided in future spending legislation.
  • Middletown-Newark Commuter Rail Connection: $4 million would be allocated to provide a commuter rail connection from Middletown to Newark and a connection at the Newark station to Amtrak and SEPTA regional rail service. Total project authorization would be $24.9 million in federal funds, with the rest of that money provided in future spending legislation. *The funding for this project is for preliminary engineering, which is the technical study done to determine all relevant aspects of the location, to identify feasible route alternatives or design options, and to assess various cost/benefit parameters before advancing to a more detailed final design. This phase will allow time to determine environmental consequences as well as develop more accurate cost estimates. (News Release from Press Secretary, Office of US Senator Tom Carper)
     
•     The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum Documents the History and Technology of the Commonwealth's Forest Industries Fall (September - November) Hours Open Wednesday through Sunday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Closed Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving

    The Lumber Museum is located in north central Pennsylvania, on US Route 6, midway between the communities of Galeton and Coudersport, Potter County. The museum is set in the heart of the Susquehannock State Forest, where an abundance of State Parks, campgrounds, rental cabins and motels are available for an overnight stay. Forest trails and roads, streams and lakes and picnic grounds provide an excellent vacation choice for hiking, rafting, canoeing, hunting, fishing, bicycling, swimming and picnicking.

    Take a tour of the grounds where a 1912 Shay-geared logging locomotive, Barnhart Log Loader, Brookville locomotive and restored CCC Cabin are on display. Experience the rugged lifestyle of the woodhicks in our re-created logging camp.

    The Engine House shelters one of the museum's most interesting exhibits, a 70-ton Shay locomotive that was actually used in logging operations. Ephraim Shay, a Michigan sawmill operator, is generally credited with the invention of the first geared locomotive in America. Shay determined that a small locomotive with power conveyed to the trucks rather than the drivers would achieve a slow but powerful engine, capable of climbing steep grades and traversing rails laid over rough, uneven terrain. Shay's invention was built by using a flat car placed on ordinary trucks. A small portable upright boiler with vertical engine was fastened to the center of the car. Then, using a flexible shaft, bevel gears and pinion wheels, the power was connected to the trucks, thus, in the 1880's the first Shay was born. Lima Machine Works of Lima, Ohio began producing Shay's invention. The logging railroad was immediately successful, since it provided economical transportation of logs and lumber to distant mills and markets and opened up previously inaccessible stands of timber. The Shay-geared locomotive became the locomotive most predominately used in Pennsylvania logging, and over 2,000 Shays saw service within the United States and in foreign countries.

    Brookville Locomotive - The restored 15-ton switch engine is the museum's newest exhibit. Manufactured in 1945 by the Brookville Locomotive Works, the locomotive had been delivered to the Elk Tanning Company's tannery at Wilcox, Pennsylvania. The diesel powered "switcher" moved cars of hides and hemlock bark on the tannery sidings until the 1960s when the tannery was abandoned. The locomotive, together with other equipment and machinery, was sold to a local salvage company. The switch engine remained on their lot for almost 40 years until it was discovered by employees of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum. A grant from the Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania to the museum volunteers funded the restoration.

HOURS - September through November, Open Wednesday through Sunday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm except Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving - Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, 5660 US 6 West, PO Box 239, Galeton, PA 16922 814-435-2652 http://www.lumbermuseum.org

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.

Every Sunday in October excursion trains on the SVRR in October Passengers may board the train at the Government Center in Verona at either 1:00 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The round trip will take approximately two-hours as we travel over the scenic Middle and North Rivers and through the cattle and agricultural farms along the route. Ticket Prices Adults:$15.00 To reserve tickets please call 1-888-5SV-RAIL, ext. 12 (1-888-578-7245, ext.12). Pay for your tickets as you board the train. Check out our website at www.shenandoahvalleyrailroad.com for information.

Saturday, Oct. 15 FULL MOON HAYRIDE on WILMINGTON & WESTERN 8 & 9 PM

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 15-16 STEAM MEETS STEAM WEEKEND Two steam locomotives meet at Greenbank Station every half hour on Wilmington & Western Railroad

Saturday, Oct. 22 RAILS TO THE ADIRONDACKS An all-rail train excursion from Syracuse to Thendara, NY. (Syracuse to Utica on Amtrak, Utica to Thendara on Adirondack Scenic Railroad, featuring a visit to the newly-reconstructed Remsen Station with photo run-bys and static displays, etc.. Leave Syracuse at 8:45 am, return at 7:00 pm. Fare from Syracuse: Adults $62.00, Senior (62+) $57.00, Children (2-15) $47.00. Food will available on and off the train. Boxed lunch served on train for $10.00 additional. Service will also be made available from Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester and Utica. Excursion sponsored by American Rail Link and Central New York Chapter, NRHS. Information: 315-469-0864 or e-mail at: americanraillink@twcny.rr.com or www.rrhistorical-2.com/cnynrhs PDF copy of flyer can be obtained from americanraillink@twcny.rr.com "NOT JUST AN ORDINARY TRAIN RIDE, BUT A RIDE INTO HISTORY"

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 29-30 STEAM MEETS STEAM WEEKEND Two steam locomotives meet at Greenbank Station every half hour on Wilmington & Western Railroad

Saturday, November 5 & Sunday, November 6, 2005 TRAINS & TROOPS Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, PA, Regular Museum hours = 9 - 5 Mon. thru Sat; 12 - 5 Sundays Guys & gals in uniform, splendid railroad and military archival displays, enjoy the patriotic spirit. Ride troop trains on Strasburg Rail Road with living history reenactors on both days. Trains & Troops program. Troop train tickets are sold separately by the Strasburg Rail Road on line at www.strasburgrailroad.com.

Saturday, Nov. 12 MAYWOOD, NJ STATION MUSEUM 2005 11am to 3pm.; The museum will be open to the public

Saturday, December 10 & Saturday, December 17, 2005  HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Strasburg, PA, Regular Museum hours = 9 - 5 Mon. thru Sat; 12 - 5 Sundays Nostalgic glimpse at holiday rail travel - costumed engineers, conductors, ticket agents and passengers representing the past century and enjoy seasonal music, festive decorations, Jack Frost Station and a Polar Express party for young children among our world-class collection of trains. Included in the regular Museum admission. Ride the Santa trains on the Strasburg Rail Road with the jolly old elf on both days. Home for the Holidays program. Santa train tickets are sold separately by the Strasburg Rail Road on line at www.strasburgrailroad.com

Saturday & Sunday, Feb. 4 & 5, 2006 SCALE TRAIN SHOW, TIMONIUM, MD9 am to 4 pm Sat., 10 am to 4 pm Sun. DOUBLE SHOW Great Scale Model Train Show & All-American Hi-Rail & Collectors Train Show, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium MD http://www.gsmts.com

December 2-4 - Strasburg, Pa., Thomas the Tank Engine at Strasburg Railroad

The Norfolk Southern Exhibit Car visiting 18 Communities will tour the company's rail network from New York to Georgia in 2005, making stops in 18 communities where it will be open to the public. The car's 10-state May-December itinerary will include a special five-city whistle-stop train operated by Norfolk Southern to promote safe transportation of hazardous materials. The Exhibit Car is a rebuilt passenger rail car with interactive displays highlighting Norfolk Southern's transportation network. Among the displays, guests can take the engineer's seat of a locomotive simulator and operate throttle, brake and horn. Some 1.5 million people in more than 360 communities have viewed the traveling showcase since 1971. 2005 Exhibit Car tour schedule: For further information, contact: Rick Harris, 757-629-2718 [from http://www.nscorp.com ]

July 2-9, 2006 Independence Junction 2006 Philadelphia, PA NMRA Convention The convention will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in center city Philadelphia. An entrance to the center is the beautiful Headhouse of the ex Reading Railroads' Center City Passenger Terminal.

CHAPTER EVENTS  

Thursday Oct. 20, 2005, 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by program by Greg Ajamian
entitled "A Short Vacation in PA" (not Dave Ruth as previously listed)

Thursday Nov. 17, 2005, 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson entitled "2004 Part Two"

Sunday Dec. 11, 2005, 5 PM Holiday Dinner in lieu of normal monthly meeting program by Steve Barry

Thursday Jan. , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by TBD

Thursday Feb. , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Allan Patterson

Thursday Mar. , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson entitled "2005 Review"

Thursday Apr. , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Mike Burkhart

Thursday May, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest, 2006 special category: TBD

Thursday June , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Dan Frederick

Thursday July , 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Dave Warner

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 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: Ralph Stevens, Jr.
Event Photographer:  Ron Cleaves
Web Master: Russ Fox

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