THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
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MEETING NOTES
At the October meeting, the minutes and Treasurer's report were approved as read. National Director Ed Thornton polled the membership on how to vote in the upcoming election for regional VP. Election Committee chairman Len Arcus reported the ballot for next year consists of only and exactly this year's officers. President Phil Snyder reminder the membership that the annual holiday dinner will begin at 6 PM (cocktails at 5 PM) and you should call Ron Cleaves at 302-798-2328 for reservations so we can get a head-count. Editor Greg Ajamian reported that the annual November Model Railroad Open House lists are in local hobby store now. In memory of Chapter Member Doug Weaver, his son, Jeff, will have one more open house on Saturday, Nov. 1. Phil also reported that CSX has been doing trackwork above Maximillian's. Dan Frederick reported on Union Pacific difficulties in the southern US. Roy Meinzer provided another favorable report about Northlanz. President Phil Snyder attended another meeting of the renovation committee for the old B&O passenger station, a building designed by Frank Furness.

Bruce Barry's slide presentation covered a north western US trip he took in early June 1997. We saw the SP 4449 Daylight in the Columbia River gorge, Vancouver (Washington), and Kelso, WA. There were shots of SP assisting AMTRAK, P&W SD-7, and even Tom Smith. We actually saw bright, clean, shiny SP units and filthy UP units!, the Les Dalles Portage RR, Pasco roundhouse, and the Port of Vancouver. Bruce went back on another trip to see the last runs over Tennessee Pass at Emery, Echo Canyon, Weaver Canyon, and Evanston, WY. We saw UP 844, Bear River Canyon, Royal Gorge, Leadville (CO), the Colorado & Southern, the Utah Railway, and an all-Rio Grande (June) "ski train".

A LOOK BACK  by Historian Ron Cleaves
November 1972: The November meeting was during 'Model Railroad Month,' with members invited to bring their models for display. On November 19, a trolley trip was held aboard an 80-series car of SEPTA - Red Arrow Division near Philadelphia. The special trip covered both the Media and Sharon Hill routes. In local rail news, brand new GP 40-2's can be seen on Chessie System freights, along with still-painted-and-lettered B&O units including GP-30's, 35's, and GP-9's. Occasional Western Maryland, C&O, and Reading units can be seen on mainline trains and passing through Wilsmere Yard.

NEWS BITS

According to RailAmerica's information on the Internet, the Delaware Valley Railway Corporation (DVRC) was acquired by RailAmerica in July 1994 and operates 55 miles of track in Delaware (10) and Pennsylvania (45). In 1996, there were 1,818 carloads of iron and steel products, chemicals, agricultural products, lumber, and processed food products.
[from http://www.railamerica.com via Ed Thornton]

Delivery statistics as reported in various issues of Railway Age magazine:

A 1918 Richmond trolley #1240 was placed inside the Virginia Historical Society's new addition on August 26,1997, before they could finish the construction. The city street had to be closed to allow the two cranes to lift the 28 foot long, 8 foot wide object. You see it Monday - Saturday, 10 AM - 5 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. For info call 804-358-4901. [from Richmond Times Dispatch via Old Dominion Chapter's Highball]

A squad of Texas Department of Criminal Justice inmates helped restore railroad equipment for the Texas State Railroad State Historical Park in Rusk, TX.  Since December 1966, the seven man crew has restored and painted seven passenger coaches, two tank cars, a fuel tender, a school bus, and two box cars. They also performed routine locomotive maintenance and are now restoring 4-6-2 No. 500. The crew normally does mowing, trimming and planting trees and flowers at the Coffield Unit northwest of Palestine,TX. The tradition of using prisons goes back to the 1890's when state prisoners built the railroad to transport iron to the state-owned iron foundry at the prison in Rusk. [from Texas State Railroad press release via Gulf Coast Chapter's Gulf Coast Railroading]

National Transportation Safety Board issued its report on the Nov. 23, 1996 Amtrak derailment at Portal Drawbridge in Seacaucus, NJ. Amtrak became aware of cracks in 6 of 16 sidebars in January 1966, and chose to use welding as a temporary repair in April. The NTSB censured Amtrak for its decision to use welding for the repair. [Newark Star Ledger via Jersey Central Chapter's Jersey Central News]

On October 3, a failure was detected in the trailing truck on steam locomotive #614, which is why it could not be used on the Oct 4 & 5 Hoboken to Port Jarvis excursions. NJ Transit GP40's were used instead [ from Jersey Central Chapter's Jersey Central News]

Union Pacific delays and other problems assumed to result from growing pains from trying to absorbing CNW and SP result in two to three articles a week in the Wall Street Journal according to member Dan Frederick. Among the excerpts which he shared at the Chapter meeting were incidents like the 51 days it took to get a shipment of plastic resin from Houston to Fort Worth, another shipment taking two and a half round trips Memphis to Little Rock trying to get to California via El Paso, TX, and the a carload of tire soot that stopped 14 times in Louisiana and Arkansas trying to cross the Tennessee border.

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 Bruce Barry

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