NOTE: The Lite Version is our electronic version which is available for free from this web site.  It has limited content but gives you a taste of what is offered in our Full Version.

The Full Version is our printed newsletter which is mailed to you.  It contains everything in the Lite Version along with many other reprinted pages from other NRHS newsletters, railroad publications, and flyers that contain photographs, drawings, and maps.  The full version is just another benefit of joining our chapter. 

THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition

Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site

JANUARY 18, 2007 MEETING NOTES

This reporter was unable to attend the last meeting and did not receive any detail about the meeting. The program was to be by Dan Frederick entitled "Travels in Europe."

NOTICE: IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER

If our normal "THIRD THURSDAY" NRHS meeting is canceled due to inclement weather, it will be postponed and held on the FOURTH THURSDAY.

If it must again be canceled, it will NOT be rescheduled. We will simply wait for the next month's normal "third Thursday" meeting. If the weather looks bad or is predicted to be bad, you may telephone the Claymont Community Center to see if it will be open that evening.

FROM THE EDITOR

A reminder to be certain to renew your membership and send a check to Ralph soon, if you have not already done so.

NEWS BITS   

• The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate the safety of railroad overpasses in two western New York counties following two derailments in as many days in December. Investigators will review safety and maintenance records kept by railroads and inspect several overpasses in Erie and Chautauqua counties, according to Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y. Higgins requested the investigation after a Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed on an overpass in Buffalo Dec. 11, sending a light tower crashing onto a passing minivan. The driver was not seriously hurt. A spokesman for Canadian Pacific, which was operating on Norfolk Southern's line at the time, said the train was slowing down to stop when crews noticed three cars at the end of the train had derailed. The day before, a CSX train derailed on an overpass in suburban Cheektowaga, sending a boxcar to the road below. No one was hurt. CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan said after the accident that a commitment to track maintenance, inspections and training had dramatically decreased derailments in recent years. He could not be reached Wednesday to comment on whether the cause of the December derailment had been found. Following the accidents, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he will reintroduce a rail safety bill this year that would increase fines for accidents, establish new requirements for investigations and inspections and require the broader use of new safety technology. The legislation also would create a $50 million infrastructure grant program. In Erie County, where both derailments occurred, 18 railroad accidents took place between January 2005 to September 2006. That included the derailment of a CSX train carrying an empty cask used to transport spent U.S. Navy nuclear fuel, Higgins said in a Dec. 13 letter to the FRA. "A startling pattern of train mishaps give western New York residents the right to question whether those responsible for protecting their safety are sufficiently rigorous in ensuring proper track management and upkeep is taking place," Higgins said. The investigation will begin next week and last about four weeks, Higgins said. [from AP, 1/3 via American Rail Link for Wednesday, January 10, 2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• On Sat., Feb. 17, the B&O Railroad Museum will present "The Collapse Heard Around the World - Events and Programs Highlighting the Museum's Tragedy and Triumph," a day of programs detailing how the museum recovered, in just under two years, from the February 2003 snowstorm that collapsed its roundhouse roof. Participants can learn how the museum overcame the tragedy with special programs throughout the day. The museum will also provide visitors the opportunity to purchase limited quantities of surplus material leftover from the roof collapse. All proceeds will go to repair locomotives damaged. [from Trains News Wire, 1/5) via American Rail Link for Wednesday, January 10, 2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• A CNJ 0-6-0 is under restoration in Minersville, PA. Also, former CNJ #98 (Blue Comet observation) arrived sometime last week after languishing on the end of track at the WK&S. (from Ed Thornton)
   
• Union Pacific moved 194 million tons of coal from Wyoming's Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) during 2006 - a new record for the railroad. Compared with 2005, Union Pacific moved an additional 895 trainloads of SPRB coal during the past year - an increase of 15 mm tons of coal, or enough to generate a year's worth of electricity for nearly 2.5 mm homes. As train numbers increased during 2006, so did train size. UP trains transporting coal out of the SPRB averaged just over 15,000 tons each in the fourth quarter--an increase of 200 tons over last year's average. Investment in capacity improvements and new processes helped UP achieve the increased tonnage. Additional rail line improvements in Wyoming are expected to help boost capacity on the Joint Line owned by UP and BNSF. Future improvements - a fourth main line on Logan Hill and a third main line north of Reno Junction - coupled with the addition of 14 landing spots at the mines for trains, also are expected to increase Joint Line capacity. According to data released late last year by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy, coal inventories at the nation's electric utilities were expected to end 2006 at their highest levels in four years. (from Railroad Week In Review - JAN. 19, 2007 via Ed Mayover)
• 
  If you have access to the Internet and would like to see some up-close photos of Conrail's E-8 #4022 then check out http://www.conrailcorp.com/4022trip.html (from Tom Daspit)
   
• If you've ever called Amtrak to check if a train is on time or to make a reservation, you have spoken to "Julie," Amtrak's computerized attendant. That is her real name-she is Julie Stinneford, 41, who does such voice work for many firms. She lives near Boston and records from a studio in her basement, the New York Times reported in a recent story, one of several publications to have featured her in the past year. When Amtrak created the application, the railroad decided to name it for her. In an audio interview with the Times, Stinneford said, "Julie is a system that was designed to be very, very helpful to people, even to people that don't like to use this type of technology, who aren't comfortable unless they are actually talking to a human being. The persona is somebody who's very friendly, unflappable, and makes people feel relaxed about talking to a machine. In fact, some people tend to forget that they're actually talking to a machine when they're talking to me." According to the Times, a few times each month Stinneford records updates to Amtrak's Julie program to account for changes, such as arrival and departure times, rates, station changes, and security requirements. The Julie program handles about 25 percent of Amtrak's call volume, which is about 5 million calls a year. The program began in April 2001, and according to the Times, has saved Amtrak $13 million. (from Trains News Wire, 1/8 via American Rail Link for January 17, 2007 via Ed Mayover)
   
• A major environmental review of a plan to reinstate passenger service between New York and Scranton via the abandoned "Lackawanna Cutoff" revealed "no adverse problems" that would delay the project. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad built the 28.5-mile Lackawanna Cutoff (also known as the New Jersey Cutoff) between 1908-1911 at a cost of $11 million. It headed straight across western New Jersey between Port Morris and Slateford Junction, Pa., bypassing some 40 miles of slow, curvy, hilly track of Lackawanna's original main line. Massive cuts and fills and large, reinforced-concrete viaducts characterized the line, which was built without any at-grade crossings of roads or other railroads (for the story of the use of concrete on the Cutoff, see the November 2006 issue of TRAINS). Conrail tore up the Cutoff's track in New Jersey in 1984, but the state of New Jersey completed the purchase of the property in May 2001Officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have cooperated on a joint plan to restore passenger service from New York's Penn Station through northern New Jersey to Scranton. The project would require reconstruction of 88 miles of railroad, including the complete rebuilding of the abandoned cutoff portion. (In Pennsylvania, the old DL&W main line is operated by freight short line Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad, and also sees passenger excursions of the Steamtown National Historic Site out of Scranton.) The project includes track and signal improvements to 60 miles of right of way, new stations, parking facilities, a storage yard, and additional rail rolling stock. NJ Transit would operate the new service. Proposed stations would serve Blairstown and Andover in New Jersey and East Stroudsburg, Analomink, Mt. Pocono, and Scranton in Pennsylvania. Efforts to restore the line, which began in the 1980s, have gained momentum and political support in recent years, given population growth, which has helped fuel daily congestion on Interstate 80 and contributed to New Jersey's failure to meet the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act. Mitigating auto pollution by constructing a rail line would help. New Jersey must address that issue by 2010 or lose billions in federal highway funding. The study has hiked the estimated price of construction to $510 million, which is nearly double from original estimates and far above the $120 million in federal funding approved to date. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has committed $40 million in required matching funds to the project, but the higher cost estimate will double the match required from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to $100 million each. Despite the deficit, Hay told the newspaper the project will proceed should it receive the "highly recommended" rating from the FTA, required to receive federal funding. (from Trains News Wire, 1/8 via American Rail Link for January 17, 2007 via Ed Mayover)
   
• The Wilmington News Journal ran a two page graphic spread on January 26 about the 100th anniversary of the Wilmington Train Station. See Richard Hall's commentary about that article later in this newsletter. Ceremonies were planned for Sunday, January 28 and an article about that celebration appeared in the Monday, January 29 newspaper. The article said very little about the station or the ceremonies and referred to model trains on display as "choo-chooing around the track." The article in Friday's paper had stated there were to be speakers, but there was no report on any speakers, so we don't know what the may have said. The report had nothing about the history of the station, its construction and operation over the years; only a reference to the departure of the first southbound train. (from Richard Hall)
   
• The mission of Friends of The Furness Railroad District (FFRD) is to increase community awareness of the cultural and historical value of the train station vicinity, including its architectural significance and importance as a major gateway into the City of Wilmington. In addition, FFRD will advocate for and influence improvements to the train station vicinity. Their vision is that when FFRD has completed its mission, the train station vicinity will be a vibrant, bustling area full of Wilmington residents and visitors to the state. The vicinity will be commonly recognized as an important historical and architectural asset for the City of Wilmington and become a city icon. [from their website http://www.downtownwilmington.com/ffrd ]
   
• In the January 2007 issue of The Transfer Table, in the section entitled "News Bits" on page 2, the first item stated that an Austrian Railways Siemens-built Eurosprinter ES64U4 was credited with breaking the world speed record for electric locomotives by traveling at 213.75 mph on one trip and 221.82 mph an hour later. In an e-mail to the Editor from Doug Andrews, he stated that he recalled that a special French Railways (SNCF) TGV Atlantique trainset ran at a record 513.3 km/h or 321 mph on May 18, 1990. This surpassed the previous record set by TGV in 1981 at 380 km/h or 236 mph. The newest TGV service between Paris and Metz is scheduled to operate at the TGV standard of 320 km/h or 186 mph. In the spring of this year SNCF is scheduled to try for a new record at 550 km/h or 342 mph. (from Doug Andrews)
   
• The Delaware Public Archives Celebrated the Delaware Railroad with Exhibit and Model Railroad Display. Unfortunately, no one saw anything about the display before the last meeting and newsletter. The press release was eventually found on their website an read as follows: The Delaware Public Archives will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Delaware Railroad with a special, limited time exhibit featuring documents from the Archives' Delaware Railroad Company collection and a Delaware related model railroad display created by the Delaware Seaside Railroad Club. The exhibit will include passenger train schedules, railroad maps, correspondence, stock certificates and other documents related to the Delaware Railroad Company. In addition, the S-scale model railroad display will feature the Lewes Ferry Terminal, the Georgetown and Lewes Train Depots, and several other familiar Delaware scenes along the railroad route. The exhibit and display will be featured at the Archives from Tuesday, January 23 through Saturday, January 27. The special exhibit hours will be from 10:00 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. on each day. On Wednesday, the exhibit and display will be open until 7:30 p.m. The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Duke of York Street in Dover, Delaware. (from http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/news/index.shtml)
   
• On October 24, 2006, Norfolk Southern confirmed that it has purchased an A-B-B-A set of streamlined F units from Kansas City Southern for business train use. The four units are in operating condition, but NS spokesman Rick Harris said they are en route to the railroads Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa., where they will be given a complete mechanical review and receive any needed repairs. The units are slated to be painted in a version of Southern Railway's classic "tuxedo" scheme of black and white with gold striping and lettering. Harris said the units would likely make their debut in spring 2007, depending on the type of mechanical work needed. The four locomotives were acquired by KCS last February, when it purchased the locomotives and rolling stock of special train operator Rail Cruise America, based out of St. Louis Union Station. While KCS has retained the eight Rail Cruise America passenger cars it got in the deal, the Fs were never placed in service before their sale to NS. The four units, two F9As and two F7Bs, have varied histories: Rail Cruise America (RPCX) F9PH 1010 was built for the Baltimore & Ohio as B&O F7A 937 and was later renumbered to B&O 4580. It was sold to Morrison-Knudsen in 1975 and was one of six B&O F7 units rebuilt by M-K into F9PHs in 1980 for the Maryland Department of Transportation. It was numbered 7181 for MDOT, which used it in commuter train service on former B&O lines out of Washington, D.C. to Baltimore and Martinsburg, W.Va. When the Maryland Rail Commuter Service (MARC) was created the unit was renumbered to MARC 81. When MARC retired its cab units the locomotive was acquired by Rail Cruise America and numbered 101. RCPX F9PH 1020 followed a similar route; it was built as B&O F7A 947, later 4590, 4557, MDOT 7185, MARC 85 and RPCX 102. The two F7B units were originally built for the Chicago Great Western. RPCX 2010 was built as CGW 113D in October 1950. CGW merged into Chicago & North Western in 1968, and it carried the same number on the C&NW until September 1971 when it was renumbered Chicago & North Western 317. In 1985 it became part of Chicago & North Western's business train fleet and was numbered C&NW 410. When Union Pacific acquired C&NW in 1995, it subsequently sold off the North Western's F units and the locomotive went to Rail Cruise America in 1998 becoming RPCX 201. F7B 2020 was built in December 1950 as CGW 114B, was renumbered in August 1971 to C&NW 318, became C&NW 411 in 1985, and RPCX 202 in 1998. (from Trains News Wire)
   
• An article entitled, "How millions of dollars were wasted trying to fix a North Philly rail station." by Daniel Campo was published: Jan 24, 2007 in cityspace on the philadelphia citypaper.net. The article noted that the 1901 Renaissance Revival station is the oldest surviving depot on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Kurt Bell, the archivist for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, estimated that in 1930 there were as many as 4,000 passenger boardings or departures on 40 different trains each day. While millions Amtrak passengers used the 30th Street Station in 2006, the railroad estimates only 605 passengers used the North Philadelphia Station in 2006; that's less than one person getting on and one person getting off an Amtrak train each day. Two multimillion-dollar revitalization proposals were made during the 1980s. These projects were to be a part of Mayor Wilson Goode's 1986 "North Philadelphia Plan." In 1994, Amtrak had a plan to rehabilitate the historic station. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission targeted the area in 2005. Link to Article <http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/01/25/train-wreck>
• 
  Metro-North Railroad workers may go on strike this summer. Eight unions that represent 3,500 workers, or 70 percent of the unionized labor force, have been working without a new contract since the end of 2003, and were released from mediation by the National Mediation Board on Nov. 7. The unions want parity with Long Island Rail Road workers, who have had historically higher pay and some better benefits for the same jobs. The railroad offered terms that would make them fall farther behind. see article at <http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070127/NEWS01/70127002/1006/NEWS01> [from the Poughkeepsie Journal on Saturday, January 27, 2007 via Ed Thornton ]
   
• Founded over three decades ago in 1976 by Austin M. Coates, Jr., United Rail Passenger Alliance, Inc. (URPA) is a nationally known policy institute that focuses on solutions and plans for passenger rail systems in North America. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, URPA has professional associates in Minnesota, California, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Texas, New York, and Tennessee. For more detailed information, along with a variety of position papers and other documents, visit the URPA web site at http://www.unitedrail.org. URPA is not a membership organization, and does not accept funding from any outside sources.
• 
  It was during the evening of February 16-17, 2003, that a record 28 inch snowfall caused the collapse of the 1884 Passenger Car Shop (Roundhouse) at the B&O Museum in Baltimore, MD.

The Transfer Table Logo

The drawing in the header on page one of The Transfer Table is currently of the transfer table in the Wilmington Amtrak (x-PRR) car shops in Wilmington, Delaware. That header has been used since October 1997. Greg Ajamian created that artwork from a July 1988 slide provided to the Editor in by Hal Barker in March 1997. Prior to that time, there was a different hand drawn image of the same transfer table. And before that various versions of the NRHS logo were used.

The first issue of The Transfer Table to use the Wilmington Railroad Station artwork in the masthead was May-88, Volume 10, Number 5. It was used continuously through the Sept 1997, Volume 19, Number 9 issue except for two issues, namely January 1990, Volume 12, Number 1 and April 1994, Volume 16, Number 2.

In the tiny print below the drawing, the fine print states that it was created by Julian Milburn 5/11/1991. He graciously agreed to let our Chapter use his artwork. [ Editor's Note: I am glad to finally be able to share a photograph of the artist that has been in the "To Be Run" file for many, many years. ]

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.

Thursday, March 1, 2007 Delmarva Rail Passenger Association (DRPA) Meeting6:30 PM in the Customer Service Conference Room on the Concourse Level of the Wilmington Amtrak Station. The Wilmington Station is celebrating its 100th birthday. If you have any old photos or interesting stories regarding the station, please share them. For more information go to www.citylifewilmington.com/ffrd

Thursday, April 5, 2007 Delmarva Rail Passenger Association (DRPA) Meeting6:30 PM in the Customer Service Conference Room on the Concourse Level of the Wilmington Amtrak Station

Thursday, May 3, 2007 Delmarva Rail Passenger Association (DRPA) Meeting6:30 PM in the Customer Service Conference Room on the Concourse Level of the Wilmington Amtrak Station

CHAPTER EVENTS  

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

Thursday Feb. 15, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Mike Burkhartentitled "2006 in Review"

Thursday March 15, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Greg Ajamian entitled "Many Magnificent iMages of Miscellaneous Machines" (a.k.a. "I'm Not Sure Yet")

Saturday April 14? 2007 ? AM Chapter Trip to Baltimore Light Rail (details to follow) A do-it-yourself, pay-as-you-go, bring-your-own-whatever Chapter outing

Saturday Apr. 19, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson

Sunday May 17, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest2007 special category: Interior of RR Equipment or Structure

Thursday June 21, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Phil Snyderentitled "25 Years Ago"

Thursday July 19, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting A Do-It-Yourself?

Thursday Aug. 16, 2007 6? PM Chapter Trip in lieu of normal meetingprobably Circle Trip to Bryn Mawr/Norristown

Thursday Sept. 20, 2007 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by ??? entitled "???"

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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