THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
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MEETING NOTES

Your editor was late returning from a business trip so I can't give you details of the business portion of the meeting.] The program at the April meeting was an excellent slide presentation by Warren Olt on the Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad (a.k.a. Ma & Pa). Although it is only 50 miles "as the crow flies" between Baltimore, MD, and York, PA, the Ma & Pa managed to construct a 77 mile short line between those points. We saw views of "old #6", an American type 4-4-0 and the 1936 fan trip by the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers (with a round trip fare of only 50" for the 100+ mile ride!). We also saw the first run of the 600 horsepower diesel #70 in 1947. There were views of Lucius Bebe on the train he chartered to promote one of his books. And, finally, views of the last passenger run in August 1954. Many of those present seemed almost as excited by the old automobiles in the photos as they were by the locos and rolling stock. Our many thanks to Warren for a fine evening's presentation!

A LOOK BACK by Historian Ron Cleaves

MAY 1974: The program for the May meeting was an exceptional one. Mr. John Clemmers of Penn-Central showed his 16mm black-and-white films of railroading in the west during the 1920's and 1930's. The program lasted for two hours and there was still several hundred feet of film to go when the meeting, due to the necessity of time, had to be adjourned. At May meeting too, plans were finalized for a trip-meeting to be held again aboard a West Chester local.

In rail news, Reading Railroad GP-30 and 35 locomotives can be seen at Reading Co.'s Beech Street Roundhouse trackage, and pulling the daily round-trip freight trains on Reading's Wilmington and Northern Branch. Round-trip freights RW-7 (Reading to Wilmington) and WR-20 (Wilmington to Reading) still continue to operate on a daily basis on the W&N branch. Virtually gone now from service on this branch are the venerable Alco RS-3 locomotives, which for many years were a common sight pulling trains over the W&N line.

FROM THE EDITOR

My apologies to those patient authors who have provided articles for the newsletter. Work demands and business travel have taken their toll on my time, as has the neighborhood pressures for a presentable exterior to home and garden. I hope to prep an article or two very soon. Please note I am also trying to provide timely activity announcements and advertisements, along with those articles, and still keep the newsletter under the one-ounce postal rate. If anyone feels strongly about more articles and less space for notices, (or keep it as is) please let me know, I would appreciate your input.

ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST

The Wilmington Chapter's Annual Photo Contest will be held at the regular Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 15th.

Here are the guidelines for entering pictures 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, as always in the past, must have been taken within the LAST FIVE years (anywhere on this planet).
  
• For the newly ADDED REGULAR category #6 only, VINTAGE PHOTOS", the photos can be of any railroad related subject but must have been taken 25 or more years ago, that is before May 1, 1972.
  
• For Special Category #7 only, photos must have been taken between May 1, 1995 and May 15, 1997 and must include a STATION WITH A RAIL VEHICLE OF SOME SORT in the image.

CATEGORIES

1. STEAM - Photos with a steam locomotive as the primary subject.
   
2. DIESEL - Photos with a diesel locomotive as the primary subject. This category also includes, gas-electrics, Doodlebugs, RDCs, SD-40-2s, and FL9s north of Harmon, and the like.
   
3. HEAVY ELECTRIC - Electric power on big railroads. This category includes AEM7s, X2000, Silverliners, FL9s south of Harmon, and the like.
   
4. TRACTION - Trolleys and light rail including streetcars, PATCO, Metro, all subways, etc.
   
5. GENERAL - Any photo that does NOT include one of the above as the primary subject. Passenger and freight cars, stations, signals, railfans, and the like go here.
   
6. VINTAGE - Any railroad-related subject photographed 25 or more years ago.
   
7. SPECIAL CATEGORY for 1997 - STATION w/vehicle- Photos must have been taken within the last 2 years with a station & rail vehicle in the image.

In honor of the Annual Photo Contest and the 50th Anniversary of the Olympian Hiawathas as noted in the Hawk Mountain Railway Historical Society's The Hostler, I decided to include the following pages. I want to thank the father of one of my friends for finding and sending to me, just because he heard I liked trains, the prints of photos which he took many years ago.

These photos are by Adolf G. Zeisler.
Top: 1940 Milwaukee Road Depot with original steam engine Hiawatha and newer Hiawatha Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bottom: 1942 Milwaukee Road Diesel 'Hiawatha' at old Milwaukee Railroad Depot Milwaukee Wisconsin

NEWS BITS

The following question was raised during a deep philosophical discussion by some of the most serious prototype and model railfans in the area: "What was the gauge of the Underground Railroad?" (referring, no doubt, to the one of Civil War fame and not referring to any metropolitan subway systems or other subterranean railroad operations). And the answer, of course: two foot! Financially strapped AMTRAK is once again looking to sell the space above the tracks leading to 30th St. Station in Philadelphia. The latest quote calls for a $115 million project above the four acre rail yard. Other plans and proposals have been around since the 1980s. [from The News Journal]

The Reading & Northern bought three SW-1500 locomotives from Conrail; 9505, 9506, and 9512. They also have four ex-Lehigh Valley U-23B's: RN 2393 (ex CR 2782 ex LV 506), RN 2394 (ex CR 2781 ex LV 505), RN 2395 (ex LV 504 wrecked, now for parts), RN 2396 (ex CR 2777 ex LV 501). [from Hawk Mountain's The Hostler]

New York Susquehanna & Western RDC-1 M-2 and M-4 were at Conrail's Buffalo Frontier Yard in early April. The Budd cars are coming home to New Jersey to join NYS&W RDC-1 M-1. [from Jersey Central Chapter's News]

The Transfer Table

The Transfer Table is published six to ten times per year as the newsletter of the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Items in this publication do not represent the official position of either Officers or Members of the Wilmington Chapter or the Editor of this publication.

Permission to reprint articles and news items appearing herein is granted to NRHS Chapters and other newsletters provided appropriate credit is given.

Contributions are always welcome and should be sent to the editor at 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 - Walt Robbins
National Director - Ed Thornton
Editor - Greg Ajamian
Public Relations - Ken Berg
Event Photographer - Doug Weaver

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Mail: Wilmington Chapter - NRHS, P.O. Box 1261, Wilmington, DE 19899-1261, USA
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