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THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition

Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site

MARCH 16, 2006 MEETING NOTES

The meeting was called to order by Phil Snyder and the minutes approved as read by Secretary Dan Frederick. The Treasurer's Report was approved as read by Ralph Stevens. National Director Tom Posatko reported on the upcoming Board of Director's meeting in Indianapolis in April. Paul Kutta reported on national's The Bulletin.

Arcadia Press has contacted the Chapter to see if we had material for a proposed new book on Wilmington, DE. Richard Hall, Ron Cleaves, and Allan Patterson will be looking into the details. If anyone has photos of Wilmington trains, they can contact one of the three members about POSSIBLE inclusion AFTER they find out MORE details about what is involved.

The evening's program by Frank Ferguson was entitled "2005 Review." We were treated to views of Drevo, Soldier Summit, Helper, and Ely, Nevada. Frank spent four days chasing steam and diesels in Nevada. We saw the Nevada Northern, the Heber Creeper, and an MRS-1. Other parts of the program included Phillips, WV and Shays and a Heisler in Cass. We saw Winchester Station and the Bell Del. Frank also documented the last day of the Brandywine Valley and the first day of the East Penn on the Wilmington Northern. As always, Frank treated us to another get show.

APRIL 20, 2006 MEETING NOTES

The meeting was called to order by Phil Snyder and the minutes approved as read by Vice President Ron Cleaves. The Treasurer's Report was approved as read by Ralph Stevens. There was no National Director's Report. Greg Ajamian reported that the two x-Air Force "critters" that were being stored in Elsmere, DE have been cut up by CSX.

The evening's program by Mike Burkhart was entitled "Final Days of Conrail" and opened with views of Meyerstown, PA. We saw a Conrail GP-10 as well as motive power from CSX, NS, Metro North, Susquehanna, and Monongahela. There were also "Ballast Express" locos in their Spartan paint scheme. We traveled to Acca Road in Richmond and saw the first run of Conrail's #6500, an SD60i. We also saw the RTL-2 TurboLiner. In addition there were views of the Lycoming Valley RR, North Shore RR, the Nitnany & Bald Eagle, York Rail, Middletown & Hummelstown, and the Buffalo & Southern. It was a great show enjoyed by all.

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   

• Renovation of Wilmington station set to begin - In February, architects unveiled plans to refurbish exterior of the downtown station, which was built in 1893 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The multimillion-dollar renovation of the historic Wilmington Train Station includes more than $10 million in federal funding for the renovations. The work is expected to be done in phases during the next few years. The train station is structurally sound but needs improvements. Congress earmarked $6.5 million for the project under the federal transportation bill approved in August of 2005. Phase I includes plans for replacing and waterproofing the station's three platforms, replacing windows, rehabilitating terra cotta and tearing down about 700 feet of 1940s era canopy that is not historically significant. The last major renovation was in the 1980s. All trains will continue to run on a regular schedule during the renovations. (Hopefully, there will still be passenger trains to use it when the work is completed! Ed.) (From an article by Kristin Harty in the Wilmington (DE) News Journal via Ed Mayover)
   
• The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History announced plans on April 12, 2006 for a major architectural transformation to focus on three areas: architectural enhancements to the museum's interior, constructing a state-of-the-art gallery for the Star-Spangled Banner and updating the 42-year-old building's infrastructure (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, fire and security systems.) To prepare for the transformation, the museum will begin closing some of its exhibition galleries ( including the " America on the Move" exhibit) this spring and summer, and the full museum will close to the public as of September 5. (Labor Day, September 4, will be the last day to visit the museum.) Construction will begin in the fall of 2006 and the museum is scheduled to reopen by summer 2008.(from http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=792#closing)
   
• LIRR, AMTRAK WORKING ON GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL COMMUTER LINK: An agreement reached recently by the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak has pushed the long-awaited commuter rail link to Grand Central Terminal closer to reality, railroad officials said Tuesday in a story in the Long Island, N.Y.-based newspaper Newsday. But federal funding of the $7-billion plus East Side Access project still must be secured.To access the tunnel to Grand Central, the LIRR must travel over and also under property owned by Amtrak. Both the LIRR and Amtrak own tracks, property, and yards at Sunnyside, Queens, and also share tracks at the Harold Interlocking west of Woodside. Harold Interlocking is where LIRR and Amtrak Northeast Corridor trains merge to go through the four East River tunnels into Penn Station.LIRR and Amtrak have agreed to allow LIRR to tunnel under the Amtrak-owned Sunnyside yard so LIRR trains can connect to the tunnel to Grand Central, Dermody said. LIRR officials and Amtrak also agreed on a configuration of Harold Interlocking to route trains to and from both Penn Station and Grand Central."The most important thing we needed was a separation of the traffic patterns coming out of the New York tunnels and going to New England," said David Hughes, Amtrak's acting president. "You build something like this every 100 years. If you don't get it right, you have to live with it a long time."LIRR will also obtain easements from Amtrak that will cost $35 million and will relocate some Amtrak maintenance and employee facilities. Dermody said the Federal Transit Administration had "strongly suggested" an agreement be in place before a full funding grant was announced.The East Side Access alignment will connect to LIRR's Port Washington Branch and mainline tracks within the Harold Interlocking. From Harold, the alignment will proceed through five tunnels under the yard to a section beginning at the edge of the existing LIRR facility. (from Trains News Wire 2/8, via American Rail Link for February 15, 2006 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• AMTRAK STATEMENT ON FY07 FUNDING PROPOSAL: Amtrak Acting President and CEO David Hughes made the following statement on the Administration's funding proposal for FY07 announced today: "The Administration's proposal serves in part as recognition of the strategic reforms currently underway at Amtrak to reduce costs and make us more efficient. It is imperative that we continue to pursue these measures with urgency and energy. While the growth in our operating deficit has been halted and ridership continues strongly, we must seize the opportunity presented by the growing demand for passenger rail service around the country and make improvements to our customer service. If we can do this, and do our jobs well, we will have made the best case for continued public support for Amtrak. This is the first step in a nine-month process. Last year, Congress voted and the President signed an appropriation for Amtrak of $1.3 billion for FY06. This year, we again look forward to working with Congress and the Administration as we make the case for federal support." (from Amtrak, 2/08 via American Rail Link for February 15, 2006 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• TORONTO UNION STATION TO GET A COMPLETE RENOVATION: Union Station, the transportation hub used daily by 100,000 Ontario commuters and VIA Rail intercity passengers, is about to undergo the ultimate renovation Ð and when it emerges from the plaster dust five years from now, travelers may not want to leave the place, according to a story in the Toronto Star. The city council voted 33-7 this week to lease the historic building to a private consortium that will invest up to $150 million in renovations, including $26 million in repairs that have been put off since the city acquired the building in 2000. While VIA Rail Canada, the passenger-train operating successor to the railways which built Union Station, continues to use it as a major hub for Quebec-City-Montreal-Toronto-Windsor Corridor trains (including the joint VIA Rail-Amtrak Maple Leaf between Toronto and New York), and as the eastern terminus of the transcontinental streamliner The Canadian, the vast majority of patrons using the station today are from GO Transit commuter trains and Toronto Transit Commission subway and streetcars.The plans, which have taken six years to complete, call for a mix of high-end and fast-food restaurants, 130,000 square feet of retail space with brand name and independent retailers, entertainment venues including the possibility of a comedy club, a boutique hotel or offices in the station's west wing along York Street, and room to fit in a future rail link from the station to Toronto's airport. (from Trains News Wire, 2/8 via American Rail Link for February 15, 2006 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• THIRD TRACK TO ROSEVILLE? UP HOLDS THE KEY TO PROGRESS: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed $112 million to support intercity rail operations in his upcoming budget. He wants to invest another $500 million in capital improvements. In addition, Placer County is planning to place a sales tax measure for transportation on its November ballot. Passenger rail is popular with voters frustrated with perennially clogged freeways. Placer County would like to include a rail component as part of its funding package. It would attract votes in an area where increasing taxes is always a tough sale. A few years ago, the UP trimmed its work force just as global trade began to boom and the demand for freight train service soared. At the same time, the railroad was struggling to absorb and repair the badly deteriorated infrastructure it inherited when it merged with Southern Pacific railroad. UP's railyard at Roseville and the tracks east of there are notorious choke points in a freight operation that was in crisis just a few months ago. UP officials made it clear to the California delegation that getting its freight business in order is its first, second and third priorities. Accommodating passenger service runs some distance behind. But as Celia McAdam, the head of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency and one of those who made the trip to Omaha, observed, a third rail line could be a win for both the railroad's freight business and the public. It adds capacity on a corridor that badly needs it. But UP must move quickly to meet Placer's deadlines. The county has to finalize its sales tax proposal in the next few months. Meanwhile, the Legislature and the governor are pushing huge competing transportation infrastructure bond measures, both of which include rail projects. While Northern California nervously waits for a go-ahead from Union Pacific, Southern California passenger rail operators are ready to go to bid for construction of a third track to facilitate booming service between Los Angeles and Fullerton. Unlike UP, the BNSF Railway Company, the private freight railroad that owns the right of way in the south, sees a benefit in cooperating with the public sector. Sadly, Union Pacific's myopia threatens its own interests and the public's. (from Editorial Opinion, The Sacramento Bee via American Rail Link for February 15, 2006 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• NEW EXCURSION TRAIN SERVICE TO START IN SOUTHERN COLORADO: A new excursion-train service in Colorado's San Luis Valley is expected to begin in late May on the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad out of Alamosa, the railroad and the Denver & Rio Grande Historical Foundation, its partner in the project, announced last week. Alamosa is 120 miles southwest of Pueblo, Colo. The diesel-powered excursion trains, consisting of coaches and a food service car, are scheduled to run daily out of Alamosa, in two directions. The San Luis Express will go east, crossing the 9,242-foot-high La Veta Pass, to the town of La Veta, about 60 miles to the east. The Toltec Gorge Limited will run from Alamosa 30 miles south to Antonito, and make a connection with the narrow-gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad's steam-powered train to Osier, Colo. Each excursion will return to Alamosa the same day. The trains will run through mid-October.. The Alamosa-based railroad, originally part of the Denver & Rio Grande Western, through mergers became property of Southern Pacific and then Union Pacific, which sold it a few years ago to RailAmerica, the shortline portfolio holding firm based in Boca Raton, Fla. Chicago-based Permian Basin Railways purchased the property last year from RailAmerica and christened it the San Luis & Rio Grande. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic operates a portion of the former D&RGW 3-foot-gage line from Antonito through Osier and over Cumbres Pass to Chama, N.M. (from Trains News Wire, 2/13 via American Rail Link for February 15, 2006 - George Read via Ed Mayover)
   
• URGENT MESSAGE FROM NRHS NATIONAL: RailCamp Program: On May 1, 2006, I informed Mr. R. L. Eastwood, Jr. that the NRHS was terminating his involvement with the RailCamp program, effective immediately. The Society took this step reluctantly. Mr. Eastwood has managed the RailCamp program at the Steamtown National Historical Site since the program's inception in 1998, and it was our intention that he would continue to manage the Steamtown program in 2006. Unfortunately, recent actions by Mr. Eastwood have convinced us that his continued involvement with the program would present an unacceptable risk to both RailCamp and the NRHS.In making this decision, we had to take into account Mr. Eastwood's growing lack of cooperation with NRHS management in the administration of the RailCamp program. Mr. Eastwood has continued to make statements advocating policies that are in conflict with those of the NRHS, and in some cases are also not in compliance with the law. In addition, Mr. Eastwood has continued to engage in personal attacks on other NRHS volunteers, and these have only escalated since his termination.In a separate development following Mr. Eastwood's termination, Mr. Bruce Hodges, Assistant Director of the program at Steamtown, has submitted his resignation from that position. Mr. Hodges' departure was for personal reasons and was neither requested nor desired by NRHS management. The National Railway Historical Society continues to regard RailCamp as one of our most important activities. We are committed to the continuation of the program at Steamtown, the expansion to an additional venue at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum, and the improvement of RailCamp as an educational and enjoyable experience for our next generation of rail enthusiasts. The NRHS is already reallocating our resources to assure we will conduct quality programs this summer despite these staffing changes. Specific changes will be the subject of a separate announcement in the near future. From: Gregory P. Molloy, President
   
• U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) said that he would introduce legislation to create a "national rail police force" to protect Amtrak. Sen. Biden said that his bill would spend $82 million annually for a 1,000-member "federal marshal" force for Amtrak. The senator noted that there are currently only 288 Amtrak officers to cover the entire country. [from wire services via Weekly Rail Review - For The Week Ending 11MAR2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• Officials in Germany said that Berlin's new main train station was expected to open in time for the World Cup soccer tournament to be held in the city in June. The new station, constructed over the last 10 years at a cost nearing $850 million, is believed to be the only new central train station to be built "from scratch" in Europe in nearly a century. Once the new station is in operation, Berlin's two other large train stations "the Zoologistcher Garten Station in the former West Berlin and the Ostbahnhof in the former East Berlin" will close. [from New York Times via Weekly Rail Review - For The Week Ending 11MAR2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• CANYON FALLS & WESTERN RAILWAY OPENS FOR 4th SEASON ON MAY 6th: Open Fri-Sun, 12:00-Dusk thru Memorial Day, after which we will be open Thurs-Sun, 12:00-Dusk until after Labor Day. Their first industrial siding is 50% complete and should be operational by Memorial Day Work progresses on our Hand-car shed which will house an operating HO scale model railroad that will be open to the public- Memorial Day opening is planned. The Canyon Falls & Western Railway is located in Seeley Lake, Montana on Route 83, off Route 200, about 50 miles northeast of Missoula. Information: 406-677-RAIL (7245) or: www.jcabwolfe.net/canyonfalls.htm [from American Rail Link for March 29, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• BNSF HAS PLANS TO SHIP ETHANOL: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway executives are making plans to ship "green" ethanol fuel from plants in Nebraska and Iowa to the Fort Worth area by summer, the carrier's chairman said Thursday.
  + The ethanol will be needed as an additive to regular gasoline in order for the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area to comply with federal clean-air standards during the hot summer months.
  + The railroad company will haul tankers of ethanol each week from processing plants in the Corn Belt to North Texas.
  + The tankers will return to the Midwest hauling refined gasoline.+ Iowa and Nebraska, which are major corn-growing states, have emerged as the leading sources of grain-based ethanol, a product made from corn..
  + "We hope to be able to use a temporary storage facility at our North Yard in Fort Worth," Rose said. "We don't need a large facility, we just need to have a place where the delivery trucks can come and pick it up."
  + Because ethanol cannot be moved in pipelines along with regular gasoline, railroads are the only means of shipment to Texas from the Midwest.
  + The ethanol is mixed with the conventional gasoline at its destination for delivery to gas stations. [from Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3/24 via American Rail Link for March 29, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• UNITED PARCEL SERVICE SWITCHES SOME ROUTES FROM RAIL TO ROAD: Package delivery giant UPS will move fewer parcels via railroads as it embarks on a plan to reduce ground delivery times, according to The Virginian-Pilot. What's being taken from the trains is going to trucks, which offer UPS faster transit speeds on certain routes, company spokesman Norman Black said. The switch should have little effect on the nation's biggest railroads, including Norfolk-based Norfolk Southern Railway Co., as they are straining to carry record levels of cargo. In some cases, crowded tracks have delayed shipments, disappointing customers. UPS moves about 15 million packages daily, and about half a million of those will see faster transit times as a result of the changes, Black said. However, he would not say how many packages will migrate from rails to roads. Even with the switch, Atlanta-based UPS remains one of the largest users of railroads, Black said. It spent $750 million on rail services in 2005, mostly for trips of more than 750 miles. "We still do an awful lot of business with the railroads, and we still use their networks where we can," he said. (Railpace Hot News, 3/24)
   
• GRAND CANYON RAILWAY TO BE PUT UP FOR SALE: After proving naysayers wrong, the owners of the Grand Canyon Railway have decided to move on, according to an article in Phoenix's Arizona Republic newspaper. GCR owner Max Biegert says he will be the first to admit that he nearly lost his shirt in the first seven years after he brought the Grand Canyon Railway back from the dead. He and his wife, Thelma, were advised against buying the 65-mile railroad. Critics said people wouldn't purchase tickets for a ride that was pricey and not picturesque. That was 17 years ago. Today, with a lot of business savvy and a boost from their opening, in 1995, of a hotel next to their station in Williams, the couple has built the vintage railroad into a healthy enterprise. It has nearly 500 workers, revenue that has almost doubled to nearly $40 million since 2000, and likely ranks third in the U.S. in tourist riders carried. TRAINS magazine, in a sidebar to its May 2006 cover story on Alaska's White & Pass & Yukon Route, the country's top tourist-hauler, reported that the Grand Canyon Railway carried 222,000 riders in 2005, placing it third in the U.S., behind second-place Strasburg Rail Road, a historic line in Pennsylvania's "Dutch" country. Now the Biegerts are ready to go out on top. They are putting the railroad, which provides daily tour service from Williams, on Interstate 40 and old Route 66, to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, on the market. They're trying to ensure that the railroad retains its Wild West theme - daily rides feature an old-fashioned shootout and train robbery - and that their future development plans for Williams will be realized. Max Biegert said a price has not been determined. "If I was 20 years younger, you couldn't pull me away from this, and I'm going to be extremely careful in who I let buy it," said Biegert, 78. "We think we are going to have quite a few choices in buyers. "The railway's 469 employees, along with others in the city, were told of the planned sale on Friday. "There's a lot of concern here because anytime there's a change in by far your Number 1 economic driver, everyone wants to know what it means for the future," Williams City Manager Dennis Wells said. The Biegerts have hired Phoenix investment banking firm Peacock, Hislop, Staley & Given to locate a buyer within the next two years. In addition to the Williams depot, railroad equipment, and track and right-of-way, the Biegerts own a restaurant, the 300-room hotel, and an RV park within the city. All that would be sold as part of the railroad. Biegert said he also would like to see the buyer follow through with a master plan for more than 100 acres of railway property east of the depot. The Biegerts never intended to get into the rail-tour business. They thought they had retired in the early 1980s after making a fortune in aerial crop dusting and, later, the day-care business. But money they lent to an investor trying to redevelop the railroad in the mid-1980s wasn't repaid and, in a settlement, they became the new owners. According to the company Web site, the line was built to transport ore from the Anita mines, 45 miles north of Williams, in the late 1800s. Prospectors flocked to the area with dreams of riches, but the boom went bust when there was not enough ore to fulfill those dreams, and the railroad ran into financial trouble in 1899.The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway took over the line and completed it to the Grand Canyon in 1901, which, besides being a tourist destination, became a lifeline for area ranchers and lumbermen. Santa Fe stopped passenger service to the Grand Canyon in 1968 after ridership declined due to the rise of automobile travel. The line was reopened for passenger service on September 17, 1989, by the Biegerts. [from Trains News Wire, 3/27 via American Rail Link for March 29, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• NKP'S 765 RETURN TO STEAM: On Saturday, March 25th, 2006 historic steam locomotive #765 ran its first mainline trip after completion of an exhaustive, ten year rebuilding effort by the volunteer members of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS). A series of break-in runs were held from Fort Wayne, Indiana east to Van Wert, Ohio on the tracks of the Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern railroad. Over 13,000 volunteer hours and over $700,000 were spent putting history to work in order to return the 765 to the way it looked and operated in the service of the Nickel Plate Railroad from 1944 to 1958. The locomotive preformed flawlessly, with railroad officials commenting that the 765 "is a sleek machine with some serious power." FWRHS Operations Officer Rich Melvin, who ran the 765 during the break in runs declares, "The 765 has never run better than it did that weekend. The overhaul is an unqualified success. The engine's performance is a shining testimony to the men and women of our all volunteer crew." These runs were not publicly announced for a number of reasons, one of which was at the request of the railroads involved, but from Indiana to Ohio, townspeople poured to the streets at the sound of the locomotive's characteristic whistle. Many souls were enlivened, smiles broadened, and friends were made. The 765 had spent the early part of its retirement in Lawton Park in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana, and after years of exposure to the elements, the FWRHS was formed to restore the locomotive to operating condition. In 1979, five years after being removed from the park, the 765 was successfully moved under its own power for the first time in twenty-one years. For the next fourteen years, the locomotive would become a roving historic landmark, bringing the sights, sounds, and smells of a bygone era to over a million passengers and people who watched trackside. This break in run was the next step toward returning to excursion service. We'll continue to build relationships with railroads and explore business opportunities that will allow us to bring the sights, sounds and smells of historic railroading to life. This 61 year old machine has a stellar history and a bright future. We at the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society cannot wait to share our pulse quickening history lesson with the world again. [from Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, 3/28 via American Rail Link for March 29, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• AMTRAK is Planning Catenary and Electrical Upgrades; The major upgrade program includes replacement of the old 138 kV oilstatic (oil insulated) cable in Baltimore and the first phase of a project between NYC's Hellgate Bridge and Metro North in New Rochelle, NY that is expected to take three years. The new catenary on the Hellgate Line will replace the 1920's "floating beam" style that was designed to minimize the impact on adjacent tracks in the event of a failure.Dock Interlocking which controls three movable bridges over the Passiac River, is one of AMTRAK's busiest. The mechanical interlocking machine , one of two remaining on the Northeast Corridor, was installed in 1929. Cables dating from 1929 and insulation dating from the 1950's are blamed for many recent problems. (from AMTRAK Ink, Feb. 2006)

This copyrighted article was written for the "Transfer Table", the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society by Chapter Member Richard E. Hall © Richard E. Hall 2006

HORSEPOWER ERRATUM? By Richard E. Hall

The April 2006 issue of another chapters newsletter carried a brief but interesting three paragraph item titled "What Is Horsepower?" The first line starts with "Hauling power is measured in horsepower", a statement which certainly is open to question since the horsepower of the diesel engine unit is only one factor in the process of determining the hauling power of a locomotive. The term tractive effort of an engine has been carried over from steam locomotives and is generally accepted as an indication of the hauling power of a locomotive. How often did you see horsepower used in regard to a steam locomotive? For starters, there was boiler horsepower, cylinder horsepower, driver horsepower at the rail, drawbar horse power, but the important thing was how much it would pull as stated in tractive power stated in pounds.

The wording of the opening statement is not the point I take issue with, what I question comes at the end of both the first and second paragraphs. The problem here comes from mixing the since of mechanical physics with plain old equestrian husbandry and applying the blended mix to modern railroad motive power. Horsepower is stated as either the power exerted by a horse in pulling, or quoting Webster, "the unit of power, numerically equal to a rate of 33,000 foot-pounds of work per minute(= 550 foot-pounds per second)". Few horses are capable of developing the pulling power equal the measure of one horsepower of energy as stated above.

Near the end of the first paragraph was a statement in reference to a 150 horsepower automobile engine which read "That means it as strong as 150 horses." Alluding to the pulling power of a locomotive pulling a train of 50 to 100 cars in the second paragraph, it refers to some locomotives having 6,000 horsepower, then ends with "That means it is 6,000 times as powerful as a strong horse." I find a problem with the wording of the statement. One need not be highly knowledgeable in equestrian husbandry to see the problem with that statement about horsepower and the pulling power of a horse, especially since the average horse of today which differs from what would have been the average horse when I was younger.

In the era from the late 1800's into the early 1900's, there were still many draft horses in use until they were replaced by trucks. Many of the large draft horses developed one horsepower of energy but there were also many which developed less. There are horses on the Amish farms such as we see in Lancaster County, which appear to be capable of developing from three-quarters to seventh-eights horse power. By contrast, the average farm horse such as I grew up with was likely to develop only a little over two-thirds of one horsepower. The typical or average horse of today is bred for sport or pleasure, not for work, and in some cases would hardly be capable of developing half a horsepower of energy, if even that much.

But at the same time, the newsletter also referred to the pulling power of a horse. The pulling power of a horse would be measured in pounds and with some practice could be roughly estimated. The pulling power of a horse is, or at least back in my younger years, was generally considered as being equal to approximately one-eighth the weight of the horse.

Horses also provided the power from the early part of the 1800's until replaced by small steam engines and tractors, later by gasoline engines, diesel power units and electric motors for shaft driven equipment where water power was not available. The horses powered a treadmill which through gearing and shafts powered the machines which where generally small enough to be a portable power source was needed. Some larger models were also for use in a fixed location. The power to operate machines was provided through a mechanical device rather simply and descriptively called a horsepower.

Another simple type of such power was the sweep which dates back to ancient times, from one to as many as twelve or fourteen horses going in a circle driving a central vertical shaft connected to gears and shafts to deliver the power where it was needed. The sweep was less expensive than a unit known as a "horsepower", took more space and was less efficient producing less than one horsepower of energy per horse used. Even so a sweep was reportedly used to power one of the public ferries on the lower Susquehanna River at Perryville.

A mechanical unit called a "horsepower" was a treadmill type device developed about 1830 which could be inclined slightly and varied in size to accommodate from one to four horses providing the power to the treadmill. Horsepower treadmills were used to power cream separators, small feed or flour mills, pumps, saws, cider presses, grindstones, small threshers and other jobs on farms and small businesses. Shaft speeds could be controlled through gear boxes called power jacks. A large horse on a good horsepower treadmill elevated at an angle of 1:4 could actually develop slightly over two horsepower of energy with one horse.

It would be interesting to know how the modern representatives of breeds such as my favorites, Clydesdales and Belgians, compare to the same breeds of an earlier era, also a comparison with the Morgan breed, lighter and not quite as strong but noted for their endurance, and some of the less popular breeds and today's version of the average farm horse, such as is found in Lancaster County. Perhaps somewhere in the NRHS there may be an ___ (Alpha Gamma Rho = National Agricultural Fraternity) Brother with expertise in the modern horse who happens to also be a Ferroequestrianoloiest (a student of the iron horse, a serious and studious railfan type character) and has already made such a study comparing the pulling power of horses and how many would be required to actually match the power of a given diesel locomotive, or various locomotives.

As you can see, mixing some facets of the science of physics with diesel locomotives, horses, a bit of equestrian husbandry, pulling power, horse power as a unit of energy and plain old horse pulling power can become a wee bit confusing.

© 2006 NRHS, Richard E. Hall

SP STEAM IN TEXAS by Tom Smith

Admirers of Southern Pacific steam power are more fortunate than fans of many other railroads, since several SP steam locomotives still exist and some of these preserved SP steam locomotives have been restored to service. In Texas a former SP 4-6-0 makes three trips per week over the rails of the Fort Worth & Western Railroad at the head of the Tarantula Train, otherwise known as the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Former SP 2248, a one time member of SP's T-1 class, was built by Cooke in 1896, making her one of the oldest locomotives still in service. Most of the class was extinct by the 1930's, but the 2248 and a few sisters survived when they were assigned to the fire trains that protected the SP snowsheds. SP sold the engine to an individual in 1960, and it was used on the Texas State RR before being sold to the FtW&W.

If you can get over these indignities of a fake oil headlight, brass bands around the domes, the phony cap stack and the nickname "Puffy," an afternoon on the Tarantula Train can be an enjoyable experience, as I discovered during a visit to Texas this past summer.

The train originates at the former Cotton Belt depot in the historic district of Grapevine, just a few miles north of the DFW Airport, and makes an 18 mile run over former Cotton Belt trackage to the Fort Worth Stockyards, which is now a shopping and entertainment complex. The train pulls into the Stockyards, and passengers unload under cover. (oh yes, there is a train robbery!). The engine cuts away, takes water from a water tank, and is turned on a turntable, after which it proceeds to the opposite end via a track on the outside of the building and couples onto the train to make a shorter run to the 8th Ave. yard. Passengers can spend a few hours and many dollars at the Stockyards, or buy another ticket for the Trinity River Run, and collect another 5 miles. At the 8th Ave. Yard, the engine runs around the train and pulls it back to the Stockyards tender first, where it again cuts away, and runs around the train for the return trip to Grapevine.

Don't expect to be dazzled by the scenery, the whole trip is through various degrees of urban sprawl. But the little Ten Wheeler covers the trip in under an hour and a half including stops at busy crossings used by the UP and BNSF.

Passengers are carried in open window former Lackawanna MU cars, and there are also two open-sided cars. A snack attendant was kept busy selling iced bottled water. Crews were very friendly and invited me into the engine cab and showed me around the Grapevine shop.

There is another turntable at Grapevine where the engine is turned and then tucked away it its shed where another former SP steam locomotive, Class MK5 2-8-2 771, is also kept. It had been displayed at Victoria, Tex. but was moved to Grapevine for possible rebuilding for service to relieve the 2248. The Tarantula Train makes 4 trips each week (Thursday-Sunday) between February and December. The Thursday trip is powered by a FtW&W diesel, but steam is scheduled to run Fridays through Sundays, running up almost 150 miles each weekend. That's a demanding schedule for a 109 year old steam locomotive. I

nformation can be obtained by calling 817-410-3123 or visiting www.gvrr.com. A visit in the spring or fall would be a lot more comfortable than the summer! The Dallas-Ft. Worth area has many other attractions for visiting railfans, including the Age of Steam Museum, the Trinity Railway Express, and the McKinney Ave. Trolley. Tom Smith 2005

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.

Second Sunday each month from April to Nov. - Chesapeake & Allegheny Steam Preservation Society from 11:00am to 3:30pm, Leakin Park, Baltimore, MD, http://calslivesteam.org/ The rides are free and there are picnic tables nearby for those who wish to make a day of it.

Thursday, May 18th, 2006 - Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest

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, 1991. 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, 2004 and May 18, 2006 and must be a photo of "Railroad Bridge With Railroad Equipment On It".

CATEGORIES: [note timeframes]

1. STEAM - Photos with a steam locomotive as the primary subject within the last 5 years.
2. 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.
3. HEAVY ELECTRIC - Electric power on big railroads within the last 5 years.
4. TRACTION - Trolleys & light rail including streetcars, all subways, etc. within the last 5 years.
5. 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.
6. VINTAGE - Any railroad-related subject photographed 15 or more years ago.
7. SPECIAL CATEGORY for 2006 = RR Bridge w/RR Equip and taken within the last two (2) years.

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.

July 18-23, 2006 Buckeye Rails New Philadelphia, Ohio 2006 NRHS Convention - NRHS annual convention will be held in New Philadelphia, OH. Info on www.buckeyerails2006.org

May 31 - June 4, 2006 Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus Train Wilkes-Barre, PA. Will be in Wilkes-Barre, PA

June 2 - 4, 2006 RAILROAD HERITAGE DAYS Railroad Museum of PA, Strasburg. Regular Museum hours and admission fees, the amazing and diverse heritage of the industry that built our nation, see historical and contemporary displays and presentations on Pennsylvania's many remarkable railroads, operating model train layouts, railroad art, music, stories, special photo opportunities, interpretive tours and much more. http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/visitors/calendar.htm

June 25, 2006 Pennsylvania Live Steamers Regular Run Day Graterford, PA. Open to the Public 11 AM - 3 PM, (Rain Date July 2), 468 Gravel Pike, SR 29 0.5 mile N of SR 113/SR 29 intersection

July 1 - 4, 2006 RAILROAD HERITAGE DAYS Railroad Museum of PA, Strasburg. Regular Museum hours and admission fees, the amazing and diverse heritage of the industry that built our nation, see historical and contemporary displays and presentations on Pennsylvania's many remarkable railroads, operating model train layouts, railroad art, music, stories, special photo opportunities, interpretive tours and much more. http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/visitors/calendar.htm

July 8-9, 2006 The National Train Show¨ Philadelphia, PA NMRA Convention10 AM - 6 PM, 10 AM - 5 PM, 180,000 sq. ft of trains, layouts, and more; www.nationaltrainshow.com

July 22-23, 2006 Model Train & Collectors Show Williams Grove, PA9 AM - 4 PM, 11 AM - 4 PM, Williams Grove Historical Steam Engine Show Grounds, www.williamsgrovesteam.com

July 23, 2006 Pennsylvania Live Steamers Regular Run Day Graterford, PA. Open to the Public 11 AM - 3 PM, (Rain Date July 2), 468 Gravel Pike, SR 29 0.5 mile N of SR 113/SR 29 intersection

Aug 27, 2006 Pennsylvania Live Steamers Regular Run Day Graterford, PA. Open to the Public 11 AM - 3 PM, (no Rain Date), 468 Gravel Pike, SR 29 0.5 mile N of SR 113/SR 29 intersection

November 19, 2006 Auburn Heights Hunters Moon Trains, Museum & Grounds Open6:30 - 9:00pm Auburn Heights, Yorklyn, DE, http://www.auburnheights.org

November 24-30, 2006 Holiday Festival of Trains at the B&O Museum Baltimore, MD Monday Ð Friday, 10 a.m. Ð 4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. -  5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m. -  4 p.m. Holiday celebration of toy trains and model railroading layouts beginning with the arrival of Santa by locomotive on Friday, November 24, 2006. The festival features many different layouts including the Museum's "HO" model train layout in the C&O #725 passenger car and the outdoor "G" scale layout. Children can visit with Santa on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the Festival. Museum closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. http://www.borail.org/

CHAPTER EVENTS  

Thursday May 18, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest2006 special category: RR Bridge w/RR Equipment

Thursday June 15, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Phil Snyder entitled "25 Years Ago"

Thursday July 20, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Dave Warner entitled "That (July) 70's Show"

Thursday Aug. 17, 2006 6? PM Chapter Trip in lieu of normal meeting probably SEPTA Trip to Bryn Mawr

Thursday Sept. 21, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Dan Frederick entitled "Touring Europe"

Thursday Oct. 19, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by ???entitled "???"

Thursday Nov. 16, 2006 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson entitled "???"

Sunday Dec. 3 or 10 5 PM Holiday Dinner in lieu of normal monthly meeting

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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