THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
Internet Edition
| VOLUME 21 NO. 6 | AUGUST 1999 |
Back To Wilmington Chapter Web Site
JULY MEETING NOTES
The July 15th meeting began with the minutes and Treasurer's
report being approved as read. Tom Posatko reported on the National
Convention, its huge crowds, that everything was late. The Wilmington
& Western request that our Chapter was sponsoring did not get funded at the
National Director's meeting. Tom said there would be 24 kids from 20
states at Rail Camp this year and due to difficulties on the Union Pacific,
there was only one photo runby (in a poorly chosen location) on his train trip.
National Director Ed Thornton reported that the new Acela trains on the
Northeast Corridor will be delayed until December (still trying to keep the
"late 1999" promise). Dave Watterson thanked the members for
their concern and support at the recent passing of his mother. Dave
reported that he had seen his first CSX repaint (#8767), the former Conrail
#5525. President Phil Snyder reported that the Acela train set was still
in Philadelphia 30th St. Station on July 14.
Paul Fortin shared some railroad history with us. He said he started working for the B&O Railroad on February 5, 1953. He later worked as a hostler for the Reading keeping steam up in locomotives over night. He told us that #632 was the last steam engine in use in Wilsmere in September 1953 and the last fan trip with steam out of Philadelphia was October 17, 1953. He said that he saw the last steam loco, #5314, in a stall in the Philadelphia roundhouse during the blizzard of November 5-6, 1953. We were all interested and amazed at the facts, as evidenced by one member noting that he "couldn't remember what he had for lunch today", let alone specific dates 40+ years ago!
The Do-It-Yourself show began with Dan Frederick's slides of Roanoke, Balcony Falls, and other Virginia stations in April 1999. Tom Posatko followed with slides from his trip to the convention in California; with Market Street trolleys, Sacramento Rail Fest '99, the UP trip to Keddie Wye, and an FPA-4 in Danbury, CT. Next, Bruce Barry showed his convention slides including diesel UP #9326 instead of #3985 on the excursion, the Napa Wine Train, and Tehachepi Loop. Frank Ferguson did a program on car body diesels including FL-9's, Metro North, and Long Island RR. Dan also brought slides he had purchased which included GN, PRR, LV, Allentown, and a NH rail bus. Bruce then showed shots of the Western Maryland Freight Photo Special of June 5, '99. And Frank showed more car body units in South Amboy and Point of Rock.
A LOOK BACK:
August 1985 by Historian Ron Cleaves
The meeting held on August 18,1985 at the Delmarva Power
Sportsman's Club in Christiana, Delaware, had 20 members and no guests.
The evening's program was a member's informal program featuring contributions of
slides, photo and post card albums, and an unusual presentation by member Roy
Meinzer of plans for the Hagley Museum industrial railroad reincarnation.
Roy presented drawings of rolling stock to be built similar to that which once
ran at the powder mills. In local rail news, former Santa Fe CF-7's and
switchers, still painted and lettered for the Santa Fe, have added color and
variety to Edgemoor Yard since their arrival in February 1985 and have been seen
heading up Amtrak work trains.
From The Editor
The reason I included both logos on the front page
was in honor of my 50+ NRHS newsletters. I am still experimenting with upgrades
and I still want to hear from you. Some members had asked for an updated
membership list, which is why it appeared in the May issue. Other members
have asked for more photos, which is why I've included winners from the photo
contests. Some asked for more articles about local railroading, so I'm
hoping someone will write about our Chapter Trips and outings.
WHAT WOULD >> YOU << LIKE TO SEE IN FUTURE NEWSLETTERS ?
Please drop me a post card or an E-mail to let me know. I will try to
accommodate as many requests as I can. Please understand that I'll have to
do the best I can if someone says they want MORE of "x" and someone
else says that they want LESS of "x" !
NEWS BITS
. No news bits this month.
. Definitive proof of an error in the reporting of the results of the 1999 Annual Doug Weaver Memorial Photo Contest! Below is a copy of the winning print in the Heavy Electric category. This photo, taken by William V. Russell, shows an electric trolley motor and calcine car (weight 19 tons). It was manufactured by the Copper Queen Reduction Works in October of 1906 in Douglas, A.T. [that's Arizona Territory because it wasn't a state until 1912!]. It was donated by Phelps Dodge Corporation to Douglas, Arizona on March 3, 1999.
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.
Saturday & Sunday, August 7-8, 1999 Great Scale Model Train Show, Eisenhower Tower, Gettysburg, PA
Thursday-Sunday, August 19-22, 1999 Railroad Circus Days at Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania 9-5,9-7,9-7,11-5; scale replicas of circus equipment and performances, info - 717-687-8628
Sunday, September 12, 1999 Great Winslow Junct. Scale Train & Railroadiana Meet 10 AM - 3 PM, Winslow NJ Fire Hall, Hall & Hay Sts.
Sunday, September 12, 1999 York-Hanover Train Meet 9 AM - 1 PM, Porters PA Fire Hall, Rt. 116, 4 miles east of Hanover/4 miles west of Spring Grove Saturday, September 25, 1999 Hillendale Train Meet 9-2 Saturday, Hillendale Rd. (1.5 miles north of Mendenhall Inn) Elementary School, Chadds Ford, PA
Saturday & Sunday, September 25-26, 1999 All Aboard Days: Fall Open House at B&O Museum Museum Hours 10 Am - 5 PM [ >>> all month of September = Seniors get in for $2.50 !! <<< ]
Sunday, September 26, 1999 Lehigh Valley Chapter NRHS Railroadiana & Model RR Show & Sale 10 AM - 4 PM, Dieruff Senior High School, Irving & Washington Sts., Allentown, PA, info 610-261-0133
Saturday & Sunday, October 2-3, 1999 Railfest '99 (Altoona) Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum, Altoona, PA info = 814-946-0834
Saturday & Sunday, October 2-3, 1999 Great Scale Model Train Show 9-4 Saturday, 10-4 Sunday, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD.
Friday - Monday, October 15-18, 1999 Railfest 1999 (Cumberland) 9 AM rail excursions on CSX to festival in Oakland, Western Maryland Station, return 3 PM Saturday & Sunday, October 16-17, 1999 Tom Marshall's Auburn Valley Railroad 1:00-4:30 PM, this will be the third and final operating weekend for this year
Sunday, November 21, 1999 Prime-Mover Train Show 9 AM - 2 PM, Aetna Fire Hall Rts. 273 & Rt. 2, Newark, DE for info call Tom @ 610-255-4785
Sunday, December 5, 1999 York-Hanover Train Meet 9 AM - 1 PM, Porters PA Fire Hall, Rt. 116, 4 miles east of Hanover/4 miles west of Spring Grove
Saturday, December 11, 1999 Home for Holidays at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania 1 - 4 PM, 100 years of holiday rail travel 1850's to 1950's, info 717-687-8628
July 12-16, 2000 NRHS National Convention to be hosted by Western Connecticut Chapter June 18-23, 2001 NRHS National Convention to be hosted by St. Louis Chapter
Ron Cleaves caught the work train laying fiber optic cable along the CSX tracks returning to Wilsmere Yard as it passed through Ogden, PA on May 23, 1998 WITH A CABOOSE!
CHAPTER EVENTS
Thursday August 19, 1999 7 PM Chapter
Meeting Do- It- Yourself Program
Thursday Sept. 16, 1999 7 PM Chapter Meeting program not know at this time
Saturday Sept. ?? , 1999 10 AM Chapter Picnic in conjunction with NRHS Days Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, Strasburg, PA
Saturday Sept. 25, 1999 ? AM Chapter Event in conjunction with Transportation Day Wilmington, DE Amtrak Station
Thursday Oct. 21, 1999 7 PM Chapter Meeting program by Frank Ferguson, Jr. entitled "The Last of Big Blue"
Thursday Nov. 18, 1999 7 PM Chapter Meeting program not know at this time
Sunday Dec. ??, 1999 5 PM Holiday Dinner in lieu of normal monthly meeting Program by Steve Barry
The Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) meets at 7:00 PM on the third Thursday of each month [except 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.foxcity.com/nrhs/wilm/wilm.htm
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. or send to: SD40GMA@aol.com
Deadline for entries is the 25th of the month.
Chapter Officers
President Phil Snider
Vice President & Historian Ron Cleaves
Treasurer Ralph Stevens, Jr.
Secretary Walt Robbins
National Director Ed Thornton
Editor Greg Ajamian
Public Relations Dave Watterson
Event Photographer Bruce Barry