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January9,2015DearAll:Forthosewhohaveasked,myapologiesfornotlettingyouallknowthatthe2014drawingitemwillbedrawninafewdays(theholidaysandillnesseshavekeptusfromdrawingthewinner).Wewillannouncethewinneralongwiththegiftcertificateswinner.Thankyouforyourpatienceandunderstanding.Wewillbeshortlyannouncingthe2015drawingitemasthemembershipissupportingthisendeavor.Eachyeartheresponseandsupportitreceivesisbetterandbetter.Asinpastyears,wewillhavealimitednumberoftickets,sodon’twaittoolongtogetyours!Asareminder,theeblastsandattachmentswillbeplacedontheWB&Awebsiteunderthe“About”tabforyourviewing/sharingpleasurehttp://www.wbachapter.org/2014%20E‐Blast%20Page.htmTheattachmentsarecontainedintheonePDFattachedtothisemailinanefforttostreamlinethesendingofthisemailandtoensuretheattachmentsareabletobereceived. ClickontheRibbonontheLeftandyouwillseean“index”ofthedocuments
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andyoucanclickonthemtogotothem.IfyouneedaPDFviewertoreadthedocumentwhichcanbedownloadedfreeathttp://www.adobe.com/products/acrviewer/acrvdnld.html.Toretainacopyyoumaywanttosavethefiletoafolderdifferentfromyourtemporaryfiles(downloadinganduseisinyourdiscretion).2015TCACONVENTIONSeehttp://tcaconvention.org/OPENHOUSEINVITE–SandyandClemClementSeetheattachedinvitefromSandyandClem,theyhopeyoucanmakeit.REMINDERS:JohnBuxtonwillbedisplayinghisDorfanCollectionattheopenhouseonSaturday,January10,2015.HebecameinterestedinDorfanin1996whenhisMommovedtoaretirementhomeandtheyfoundanOGaugehopperamonghisDadsthings.Knowingnothingaboutitorwhyhehadit,heresearcheditandlearnedthatDorfanwasmadefrom1924to1936inNewarkNJ.Afterfindinglittleatlocalshows,heheardaboutTCAYork,andjoinedTCA.Sincethenhehasaccumulatedafairsizecollection,andhasworkedtogetthemtorun.Dorfanenginesarediecastandhave
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noframes,sothewarpinganddegradationcanmakerunningachallenge.HehasenjoyedDorfanCollectingbecauseofitsshorthistoryandoperatingchallenges.It’shardtobelievethat80yearsagoitwasthe#4ToyTrainManufacturerandnowitisgenerallyunheardof.Hewillalsobesharinghistrolleymemorabilia.JohnBuxtonhashisChristmasGardenupandrunningatWebersFarmsinParkville,MDhttp://www.weberscidermillfarm.com/[email protected],JohnishopingtoseeyouattheChristmasGardenonJanuary10from12‐3asheopensituptosharewithusall.Ifyoudidnotpayyour2015duesin2014,pleaseclickonthelinkandforwardyourduestoDaveEadie.(http://www.wbachapter.org/wbna%20stuff/wba_application_2014.pdf)
UPCOMINGWB&AEVENTSMarch14,2015–WB&AAnnapolisArmoryTrainShow,detailsattachedandmarkyourcalendars.May9,2015–JointVTC&WB&A(akaNORTH MEETS SOUTH)GreatTrainShowandSaleattheEaglesLodgeat21CoolSpringRoad,Fredericksburg,[email protected]
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information,it’snevertooearlytostartplanning.WearepleasedtoannouncethatAllenCrottswillbetheTrainDoctorattheshow.Knowofalayoutthatwouldliketoset‐upattheShow?Ifso,pleasecontactRussellformoreinformationatjryouens@verizon.net.LAYOUTFORSALETheattachedhas3picturesofalayoutforsale,ifinterested,pleasecontactmeandIwillputyouintouchwiththeindividualsellingit.WEBSITES/LINKSOFINTEREST/THINGSTODO/BOOKSCourtesyoftheVTC:SuncoastFlyer;HighGreet;EmpireStateExpress;andNorthstarNews.CourtesyofAndrewwhileathisson’scrickettournamentinNewcastle,hespenttwohoursatSandgaterecordingthevarietyofactionthatpassedthrough,enjoy.CourtesyofTheFrederickNews‐Posthttp://www.fredericknewspost.com/your_life/life_news_collection/hobbies_and_recreation/train‐lovers‐gather‐around‐model‐locomotives/article_ca143398‐7633‐5b18‐8d3f‐1ebd5ac8bad6.htmlseealso
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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frederick‐County‐Society‐of‐Model‐Engineers‐Fcsme/266885386669323ClemClementandfriendsclosingdowntheNationalChristmasTreeRailroad,whatafantasticjobtheyalldoforsomanytoenjoy,thankyoutoyouall.SeeClem’sclosedownwritingattached.NationalCapitalTrackersatthe2014ManassasCandyFactoryTrainShow:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce‐xTQPUDIIWanttosupporttheC&OHS?IlearnedofaprogramthruKrogerPlusCard,seeattached.
https://www.facebook.com/wba.chaptertca?fref=ts&ref=br_tf
UPCOMINGCALENDAREVENTS(pleasesendmeitemstoincludeonthecalendar)–ifyouliketoseesomeotherdatesfromaroundthecountry,checkout:
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1. Checkouttrains.comcalendarofeventsat:http://trc.trains.com/events.aspx?page=list&type=1&cat=
2. ScheduleforTrackerscanbefoundat:www.nattrackers.org
3. 2015ScheduleforWorld’sGreatestHobbycanbefoundat:http://www.wghshow.com/index.html
4. 2015ScheduleforGreenberg’sTrain&ToyShowcanbefoundat:http://www.greenbergshows.com/schedule.html
5. Linkforvarioustrainshowscanbefoundat:http://www.greattrainexpo.com/andhttp://trainshowinc.comandalsohttp://www.modeltrainshows.com/
6. January10‐11,2015–DelmarvaModelRRClubHolidaytrainshowOpenHouseat103E.StateSt.(Rt.54),Delmar,DE,formoreinformationcontactPeteJacksonat302‐674‐2015http://www.delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org/events.html
7. January9–January12,2015–DominionGardenFestofLightscelebratesthe30th1800LakesideAve.,Richmond,Va.23228.Tickets800‐594‐8499,Info:www.lewisginter.orgAnniversaryofLewisGinterBotanicalGardens
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8. January11,18,25,2015–AntietamStationRRMuseumAccessandModeltrainLayoutscontact:[email protected]‐800‐9829
9. January9‐11,2015–VisitBevell’sHardware,Inc.AnnualTrainDisplaysee:www.bevellshardware.comor434‐292‐7208109N.HighStreet,Blackstone,VAMon‐Sat.10‐4andSun.12‐3(ClosedChristmasDayandNewYear’sDay)(TCAMemberBobbyDanielscreateshis20x60’Lionellayouteveryyear,thankyouBobby!)
10. January10‐11,2015–WGHinHampton,VAvisitwww.wghshow.com
11. January10‐11,2015–FloridaRailFairVolusiaCountyFairgroundsinDeland,Floridawww.gserr.com
12. January11,2015–RRMemoriesOnlineRailroadianaAuctionclosesforcatalogauctionwww.railroadmemories.com
13. January11,18,25andFebruary1,2015–ModelRROpenHouseat423E.PatrickStreet,Frederick,MD21701https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frederick‐County‐Society‐of‐Model‐Engineers‐Fcsme/266885386669323
14. January11,2015‐9A‐12:30PPlumber’sUnionHall2791SouthamptonRoadPhiladelphia,PA
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19154FamilyAdmission(2AdultsandAllChildrenUnder12y.o.)$5.00seewww.ADTCA.com
15. January17,2015–AtlantaRRShowNorthAtlantaTradeCenterinAtlanta,GAwww.gserr.com
16. January17‐18,2015‐WGHinRaleigh,NCvisitwww.wghshow.com
17. January18,2015–TTCSAnnualTrainShowatUticaUnionStationinUtica,NYhttps://www.facebook.com/TTCSUticalTrainShow
18. January18,2015–TrainShowGerman’sVillainVermllion,Ohiowww.norwalkandwesterrr.com
19. January18,2015‐VirginiaTrainCollectors,TidewaterTrainShow,Nansemond‐SuffolkAcademy,3373PrudenBlvd.Route460,Suffolk,Va.23434.9:00amto2:00pm.Admission$6.00fornonVTCmembers,Info:RussellYouens,2019Floyd,Ave.Richmond,Va.23220,{804}342‐6023,http://www.vatraincollectors.com/who‐are‐we#!__who‐are‐we/vstc3=page‐3
20. January24‐25,2015–RRHobbyShowatEasternStatesExpoinSpringfield,MAwww.railroadhobbyshow.com
21. January24,2015–TCARaleigh,[email protected]‐756‐7842
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22. January25,2015–CatalogAuctionGoldenSpikeEnterprisesMailBidRailroadianaAuctionwww.gserr.com
23. January25,2015‐AnnualWinterTrainMeet8A‐1PClarionEssingtonPA76IndustrialHighwayEssingtonPA19029$5.00ppAdmission,Childrenunder12freew/PayingAdult
24. January25,2015‐ToysandTrainsShow/Sale9A‐3PWestchesterCountyCenter198CentralAveWhitePlainsNY10606seewww.westchestertoytrain.com
25. January31‐February1,2015–TheGreatScaleModelTrainShowMakin’Tracks!CowPalace–TimesSat.9‐5/Sun.10‐4attheMarylandStateFairgrounds,2200YorkRoad,Timonium,MD21093http://gsmts.com/
26. February7‐8,2015‐WGHinColumbus,OHvisitwww.wghshow.com
27. February8,2015‐NewHope–SoleburyTownshipTrainShowandSaleNewHope‐EagleFireCompany46NorthSuganRoadNewHope,PA18938$5.00ppAdmission,Childrenunder12freeFutureShows(Allin2015)–May3,Oct4
28. February14,2015‐HagerstownModelRRMuseum,Inc.TrainfestWinter2015ModelTrainsalere:railroadingandmodelrailroadingatWashingtonCountyAGCenter7313Sharpesburg
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Pike9‐2p.m.contactinfo:Email:[email protected];Phone:301‐800‐9829;WebSite:www.antietamstation.com
29. February14,2015–JacksonvilleRailFairatPrimeOsbornConventionCenterinJacksonville,FLwww.gserr.com
30. February14,2015–SP&SRailwayHistoricalSocietySwapMeetatAirportHolidayInninPortland,ORwww.spshs.org
31. February14‐15,2015–GreaterBuffaloTrainShowatErieCountyFairgroundsEvenCenterinBuffalo,NYwww.wnyrhs.org
32. February14‐15,2015‐WGHinLouisville,KYvisitwww.wghshow.com
33. February21,2015–GreaterHoustonTrainShowatStaffordCenterinHouston,TXhttp://sanjac.leoslair.com
34. February21‐22,2015–AllentownTrainMeetAssociatesSpringThawTrainmeet,seewww.allentownmeet.com
35. February21‐22,2015–SpringThawTrainShowatAllentownFairgroundsAgHallinAllentown,PAwww.allentowntrainmeet.com
36. March8,2015‐EarleighHeightsShows9‐237. March14,2015–WB&AAnnapolisArmoryTrain
Show,detailsattachedandmarkyourcalendars.
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38. March15,2015–GilbertsvilleTrainShowattheGilbertsvilleFireHall,1454E.PhiladelphiaAvenue,Gilbertsville,PA19525
39. March15,2015–JerseyCentralNRHSTrainShowinMotherSetonHighSchoolinClark,NJwww.jcrhs.or
40. March15,2015–WinterailatScottishRiteMasonicCenterinStockton,CAwww.winterail.com
41. March20‐22,2015‐3rdAnnualM.A.G.M.A.Gem,MineralandFossilShowatCampStephens,Asheville,NCwww.wncrocks.com/magma/fieldtrips3.htm
42. March22,2015–ArbutusShowsfrom9‐143. March29,2015–GreatBataviaTrainShowatthe
ClarionHotelinStockton,CAwww.gsme.org44. March28‐29,2015‐WGHinEdison,NJvisit
www.wghshow.com45. April11,2015–RailroadianaConsignment
AuctionatBrooklineAuctionGalleryinBrookline,NJwww.tagtown.net
46. April11,2015–FloridaRailFairatVolusiaCountyFairgroundsinDeLand,FLwww.gserr.com
47. April11‐12,2015–TheGreatScaleModelTrainShowMakin’Tracks!CowPalace–TimesSat.9‐5/Sun.10‐4attheMarylandStateFairgrounds,
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2200YorkRoad,Timonium,MD21093http://gsmts.com/
48. April11,2015–ArkansasRRMuseumRailroadianaShow&SaleinPineBluff,ARwww.arkansasrailroadmuseum.org
49. April16‐18,2015–NRHS&ATRRMJointConferencesinYork,PAwww.atrrm.org
50. April18‐19,2015–SuperTrainRRShowatGenesisCentreinCalgary,ABwww.supertrain.ca
51. April23‐26,2015–KatyRRHistoricalSocietyConventioninDalls/Ft.Worth,TXwww.katyrailroad.org
52. April23‐25,2015–EasternDivision/TCAYorkMeet
53. April25‐26,2015–OttawaTrainExpo.AtErnst&YoungCentreinOttawa,ONwww.ottawatrainexpo.com
54. April30‐May3,2015–PARRTech&HistoricalSocietyMeetinginStateCollege,PAwww.prrths.com
55. May1‐3,2015–NYCentralSystemHistoricalSociety,Inc.2015Convention&Meetingvisitwww.nycshs.org
56. May3,2015‐NewHope–SoleburyTownshipTrainShowandSaleNewHope‐EagleFireCompany46NorthSuganRoadNewHope,PA
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18938$5.00ppAdmission,Childrenunder12freeFutureShow–Oct4
57. May9,2015‐JointVTC&WB&A(akaNORTH MEETS SOUTH)GreatTrainShowandSaleattheEaglesLodgeinFredericksburg,VA‐[email protected]/[email protected]
58. June4‐7,2015–Railway&LocomotiveHistoricalSociety,2015R&LHSConventioninAltoona,PA
59. June20‐28,2015TCA2015NationalConventionhttp://www.metca.org/2015convention.html
60. June7,2015–9‐1p.m.SpringHamburgDutchTrainMeetattheHamburgFireCo,FileHouse–PineStreet,Hamburg,PA
61. June20‐21,2015–TheGreatScaleModelTrainShowMakin’Tracks!CowPalace–TimesSat.9‐5/Sun.10‐4attheMarylandStateFairgrounds,2200YorkRoad,Timonium,MD21093http://gsmts.com/
62. July20‐26,2015–12thAnnualWNCRounduphttp://wncrocks.proboards.com/#ixzz3Jd1YzWsH
63. July26,2015‐9‐1p.m.SummerHamburgDutchTrainMeetattheHamburgFireCo,FileHouse–PineStreet,Hamburg,PA
64. August8,2015–LynchburgRailDay2015www.crewerailroadmuseum.org
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65. September13,2015–9‐1p.m.SummerHamburgDutchTrainMeetattheHamburgFireCo,FileHouse–PineStreet,Hamburg,PA
66. September18‐20,2015–ATRRMFallConferenceinUnion,ILvisitwww.atrrm.org
67. September20,2015‐GilbertsvilleTrainShowattheGilbertsvilleFireHall,1454E.PhiladelphiaAvenue,Gilbertsville,PA19525
68. September27,2015‐ArbutusShowsfrom9‐169. October4,2015‐NewHope–SoleburyTownship
TrainShowandSaleNewHope‐EagleFireCompany46NorthSuganRoadNewHope,PA18938$5.00ppAdmission,Childrenunder12free
70. October24‐25,2015–TheGreatScaleModelTrainShowMakin’Tracks!CowPalace–TimesSat.9‐5/Sun.10‐4attheMarylandStateFairgrounds,2200YorkRoad,Timonium,MD21093http://gsmts.com/
71. December13,2015–EarleighHeightsShows9‐272. December19,2015‐ ArbutusShowsfrom9‐1
Asalways,ifyouprefernottoreceivetheseemails,pleaseletmeknow.Allmybest,Colleen
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Asaremindertoall,Igathermyinformationfromallsources,lotsofitcomesfromthemembershipwhoincludesmeontheiremails.Irespecteveryone’sintellectualpropertyrightsanddomyupmostbestnottoinfringeonanyone’sandtogivecreditwhenIamawareofwhomtogivethecreditto.Thiseblastisaninformationalnewsletterandmyintentistosharewithyouinformationyoumayfindofuseorinterest.
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Just returned from my son’s cricket tournament in Newcastle. While in Newcastle I was able to get near the tracks on a couple of occasions. One occasion was today where I spent two hours at Sandgate recording the variety of action that passed through. The trains sighted include the following (thanks Lewis for the notes): 8.43am - AS316 EL56 & EL64 8.59am - RV120 XRN004, XRN001 & XRN018 9.10am - HV207 9208, 9206 & 9313 9.13am - 5424N 8143, 8125 & 8134 9.29am - BG209 TT103, 9202 & TT128 9.39am - WK372 TT02, 9210 & TT03 9.52am - BC223 XRN008, XRN029 & XRN030 10.12am - 4BM4 NR106 & NR26 10.19am - NO122 9214, 9302 & 9315 10.27am - 4190N RL307, C509 & C506 10.29am - BW201 5031 & 5005 10.34am - WG302 5003 & 5023 10.43am - 4BM7 6026 & LDP008 10.47am - BG116 XRN012, XRN024 & XRN005 10.47am - AS195 EL56 & EL64 I’ve attached some phots from this mornings action plus a couple of phots of train no. 2122 arriving at Joppa Junction and working its way along the up refuge at Goulburn. I have a few more shots from Whittingham Bank which I will post in a day or so. Cheers Andrew.
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WB&A CHAPTER TCA TOY TRAIN SHOW
March 14, 2015 SHOW OPENS AT 9:00 AM and ENDS AT 2:00 PM
(Opens 8:00 AM to WB&A Members )
At the Annapolis Armory!! 18 Willow Street Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Admission: $5.00
Children Under 12, Military, and WB&A Members Admitted Free.
THE ONLY TRAIN MEET IN THE ANNAPOLIS AREA THE SHOW WILL BE ADVERTISED FOR THREE DAYS IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS
New This Year: National Capitol Trackers O Gauge Modular Layout
Directions: Going U.S. 50 East toward Annapolis, take Parole Exit (#23), left onto West Street for ¼ mile, left on Hudson Street, and proceed to the armory. Going US 50 West, take Parole Exit, bear left (away from Jennifer Rd), left on West St. and follow the directions above.
All vendors selling repro parts, etc. must have a Certificate of Compliance and display it. Sorry, No refunds. ----------------------------------------------------------------------detach here------------------------------------------------------------------------ PLEASE contact John Buxton at [email protected] OR (410) 665-3330 to reserve your table(s) AND send this reservation form with payment to: Send Reservations to: All Tables: $25.00 each $ __________ Dave Eadie Admission: $5.00 $ __________ 7825 Wintercress Lane Non-WB&A Helper (s): $5.00 Each $ __________ Springfield, VA 22152 Total Due: $ __________ Number of WB&A Members Attending (Free Admission) __________ Make check payable to WB&A Chapter and mail reservation, by March 01, 2015, to guarantee a table. Badges and table assignments will be distributed at time of Show. Tables not occupied by 9:30 AM March 14th, 2015 may be resold. No refunds. Name: _____________________________________ TCA# ______________WB&A# _________ Address: _________________________________ City: _______________ ST: ____ ZIP: ______ Day Tele: __________________ Eve Tele: _______________ EMail_______________________ Name of Helper (s)________________________________________________________________ Name of Helper(s) ________________________________________________________________ NOTE: Set-up starts Friday afternoon (Mar 13th) and at 7:00 AM., Saturday, March 14th, 2015. Free coffee & donuts for tableholders 7 AM until 9 AM Saturday. I agree to abide by all rules of the Association, including those of its Divisions, Chapters, and Committees.
Signed_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Weather NICE Temp 31 Deg , CAVU, light wind Jim Gray and I arrived about the time we got there. Access was quick and easy. Very small crowd with lots of questions. More trash that I has seen in a while all along the fence: all picked up. The remaining trains were preforming properly. Several folks comments and asked about the big crates nearby. Most did not know this was the last night. I spoke with a family including 5 kids. They was thrilled to realize they had made the scene just in time. I was so though and convincing that the Dad popped me a fiver which is the other log cabin. I recycled a hand full of pennies to the kids. In the last try one of the kids landed his coin in the passing train. He was a hollering and rubbing it in on his siblings. I loved it. Neato to be there with a good sized moon overhead. Sadly folks were ushered out about 9:55 and we and are down and done done. Painful to close up a wonderful event for another year. We have professionally conducted another super event for the residents and visitors of ole DC and the Presidents Park. Congrats to all involved. I can’t wait for next year. I love this worthwhile task. Clem Clement
“NORTHmeetsSOUTH”
GreatTrainShow&SalePresentedbyVTC&WB&A
OpentothePublic‐Saturday,May9,20159:00AMTo5:00PM
Admission:$5(FREEActiveMilitary(w/ID)&ChildrenUnder12)EaglesLodge‐21CoolSpringRoad,Fredericksburg,VA22405
Plentyoffunforthewholefamilyincluding:TrainsforsaleincludingLionel,MTH,K‐Line,AmericanFlyer,etc.‐G,O,S,HO,N,Standard&ZGauge(oldandnew)(subjecttochange).OperatingTrainLayouts;TrainRaces(forchildren);LegoDisplay;TrainRepairs&Parts;FreeTrainAppraisals;PrizeDrawing(s);SnackCounterandFreeParking;NOTE:6am.Saturday,May9,2015forset‐upofyourtable(possibleset‐upFridayfrom12‐5callRussell804‐342‐6023(leavemessageifnoanswer)onorafterMay6toseeifpossible).**********************************************DetachHere**********************************************
MakecheckpayableforVTCtoVTCand/orforWB&AtoWB&AChapter.Mailreservation,byApril25,2015.Badge/swillbeprovidedattheshow.Tablesnotoccupiedby9:30AMmayberesold.AllvendorsellersofreproductionpartsmusthaveaCertificateofCompliance(andmustbedisplayed).Norefundsgiven.
VTC‐SendReservationsto:RussellYouens2019FloydAvenueRichmond,VA23220Phone:804‐342‐6023;Email:[email protected]
#ofMemberTables____x$25.00(pertable)=_____#ofNon‐MemberTables____x$30.00(pertable)=_____Admission:$5.00$___________(VTC&WB&A)Helper(s):$5.00Each$___________GrandTotalDue:$___________
WB&A‐SendReservationsto:ColleenHall474CherokeeRunRoadLinden,VA22642Phone:540‐622‐2258;Email:[email protected]
#ofMemberTables____x$25.00(pertable)=_____#ofNon‐MemberTables____x$30.00(pertable)=_____Admission:$5.00$___________(VTC&WB&A)Helper(s):$5.00Each$___________GrandTotalDue:$___________
Name: VTC#_______________ _WB&A# Address: City: STATE: ZIP: DayTele:() EveTele:() E‐Mail: @ NameofHelper(s):
IagreetoabidebyallrulesoftheVTCand/ortheWB&Athatmaybeinplacefromtimetotime.Signed Date:
HIGH GREEN The Official Newsletter of the
Chesapeake Railway Association Volume 41, Number 1 January 2015
www.chessierail.org
Paul Bergdolt Leads The Way
In the third and final chapter of his Excellent Rail Adventure, Paul Bergdolt operates a vintage diesel locomotive on the Chinnor Railway in the UK. In this photo he’s seen with his right hand on the controller and left hand on the vacuum brake. Read about it in this High Green! This Month’s Meeting: Wednesday, January 7 at 8 p.m. at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, featuring Alex Mayes’ 2014: Year in Review. Following Meeting: Wednesday, February 4 at 8 p.m. at Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, featuring John Meise’s presentation of The Western Maryland Railway in the 1970s, Trains in the Snow and Local Shortlines – Long Gone.
HIGH GREEN
January 2015 Page 2
Chesapeake Railway Association Officers and Directors President Tim Moriarty 2781 Prince Harold Court, Herndon, VA 20171-2441 (703) 758-7449 [email protected] Vice President Wayne Kirchhof 16490 A. E. Mullinix Road, Woodbine, MD 21797-8430 (410) 489-5987 [email protected] Treasurer Paul Bergdolt 8832 N. Westland Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-1206 (301) 926-6136 [email protected] Secretary Bill Breazeale 11302 Orleans Way, Kensington, MD 20895-1017 (301) 942-0083 Directors Bill Breazeale 11302 Orleans Way, Kensington, MD 20895-1017 (301) 942-0083 Equipment Chief Tim Moriarty 2781 Prince Harold Court, Herndon, VA 20171-2441 (703) 758-7449 [email protected] Program Director Tim Moriarty 2781 Prince Harold Court, Herndon, VA 20171-2441 (703) 758-7449 [email protected] Editor Tim Moriarty 2781 Prince Harold Court, Herndon, VA 20171-2441 (703) 758-7449 [email protected] The High Green is published monthly prior to each membership meeting. Contributions for inclusion in the newsletter are welcome. Send news items, articles and photos (via email or hard copy) to the editor at the address above. Originals will be scanned and returned. Be sure to include caption information. Please send address changes to Paul Bergdolt at the snail-mail or email address above.
JANUARY TIMETABLE 2: WM Railway Historical Society Membership Meeting at 8 p.m. at the Community Center, 4770 Ladiesburg Road, Union Bridge, MD. 3-4: Great Scale Model Train Show at the B&O Railroad Museum, 901 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21223, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 for all, ages 2 and up. Members enter for free. For details go to www.borail.org/holiday/train-show.aspx 3, 4, 9, & 10: Delmarva Model Railroad Club Holiday Train Show Open House at 103 East State Street (Route 54), Delmar, DE. For more information contact Pete Jackson at 302‐674‐2015 or go to www.delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org/events.html 9: Winchester Chapter, NRHS Christmas Party at 7:30 p.m. at 7:30 p.m. at the Calvary Church of the Brethren, 578 Front Royal Pike (Route 522), Winchester, VA. The church is located south of Route 50 near Winchester Airport Road (southeast of Winchester and east of I-81). 10-11: Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show at the York Expo Center, 334 Carlisle Ave, York, PA from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adult admission is $8 and kids under 12 enter for free. 10-11: World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour train show at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666. See: www.wghshow.com 12: Baltimore Chapter, NRHS Membership Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, 1911 Falls Road, Baltimore, MD. 13: Action Coalition for Transit Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Silver Spring Center, 8818 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. 15: Old Dominion Division RRE Membership Meeting at 8 p.m. at James Madison High School, 2500 James Madison Drive, Vienna, VA, in Room 110. The closest entrance door to this room is Entrance No. 1. Pre-meeting dinner at 6:30 at the Amphora Restaurant, 377 West Maple Avenue in Vienna. To reach the school from the Amphora Restaurant, go south two blocks on West Maple Avenue to James Madison Drive and turn right. School is at the end of this street. The evening’s presentation will be Highlights of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, two commercially-produced films featuring Lehigh Valley mainline operations. We will see mostly freights at various locations including Bound Brook, NJ; Mountain Top and Sayre, PA; and Manchester, Ithaca, Geneva, Buffalo, and Suspension
Bridge, NY. Motive power includes Alco diesels in Cornell red; Snow Birds; and Norfolk & Western run-throughs on Apollos. Also included are an Erie-Lackawanna detour freight and a Delaware & Hudson switcher transferring cars to the Lehigh Valley. We will visit an open house at Sayre in 1940 with a streamlined 4-6-2 and the road's famous Wyoming 4-8-4s on display. Many thanks to Dave Bieritz for providing this program. 16: Washington DC Chapter, NRHS Membership Meet-ing at 8 p.m. at 8 p.m. at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, VA, near the Amtrak station. Presentation TBA. 20: Potomac Chapter, NRHS Membership Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the main auditorium, Montgomery County Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD. Bob Cohen will present The History of the Manassas Gap Railroad, a digital program covering the history of Norfolk Southern’s line between Manassas and Strasburg, VA. Bob will present some of his, as yet, unpublished photos and information on the line, mostly from the eastern half of the line, from Manassas to Strasburg and on to Harrisonburg. His first book covered the western end of the line from Strasburg to Harrisonburg and the Potomac Chapter program for January will cover the history and stations of the eastern end and a little bit of the west end as well. We should see something from almost every station on it, so bring your questions on a part of history few realize dates back to 1850. And nary a diesel will be in sight for the entire program, for you history buffs. Along the way, we shall see surviving remnants of construction completed in the 1850s and which never had rails placed on it, including a partially completed tunnel in Loudoun County, VA. 20: Rivanna Chapter, NRHS Membership Meeting at the Hibachi Grill, 1185 Seminole Trail, Charlottesville, VA, starting with a social hour and dinner/buffet at 6 p.m. and the meeting and program at 7 p.m. Visitors are welcome. 24: Building Tour of Washington Union Station hosted by the National Building Museum from 10 a.m. to noon. Historic architect John Bowie of John Bowie & Associates and architect of record George Eisenberger of Michael Winstanley Architects & Planners will lead a tour of restoration projects underway and planned for this iconic building. National Building Museum membership is required to attend; the tour itself is free. For more information see the events section of the National Building Museum's web site at www.nbm.org
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31 Jan-1 Feb: Great Scale Model Train and Railroad Collectors Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $9 for adults on Saturday and $8 on Sunday; $18 on Saturday for a family of any size and $15 on Sunday. Children up to 15 accompanying an adult enter for free. Sundays Until 28 Jan: Open House at the Baltimore Society of Model Engineers at 225 West Saratoga Street, 3rd Floor walk-up, Baltimore, MD 21144 from 1 to 5 p.m. There is no fixed admission fee but donations in any amount are greatly appreciated. For information call 410-837-BSME (2763), send email to [email protected] or go online to www.modelengineers.com
AROUND THE BEND 7-8 Feb: Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center, 2371 Carl D Silver Pkwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adults $7 ($2 more if purchased at the door), kids under 12 free. Admission is good for both days. 14 Feb: Antietam Station Model Train Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Washington County Agricultural Center, 7313 Sharpsburg Pike near Sharpsburg, MD, 6.5 miles south of I-70 Exit 29 on MD Route 65. Admission is $5 donation, under 12 free. For further information call 301-800-9829, send email to [email protected] or go to: www.antietamstation.com/Events.html 21-22 Feb: Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Adults $7 ($2 more if purchased at the door), kids under 12 free. There is a 50-cent per ticket fee if tickets are purchased at the door using a credit or debit card.
INTERNAL BIDNIZ Our next meeting will be on WEDNESDAY, January 7 at 8 p.m. at Montgomery College, 51 Mannakee Street, Building SB (Welcome Center), Room 213, Rockville, MD. The evening’s feature will be Alex Mayes’ 2014: Year in Review, a digital program covering his railfanning exploits in 2014. The program begins with a trip to CSX’s RF&P Sub following a snowstorm in January to photograph Metrorail, Amtrak and CSX trains, and then two days on snowy Sand Patch grade. The program then segues to a trip on the Auto Train to Florida, with scenes of Florida East Coast Railway and Tri-Rail commuter trains, and a side trip to Key West. Next is a two-week trip to North Carolina which includes chasing three North Carolina shortlines, CSX and NS mainline action, and three days at the Streamliners at Spencer event. The 2014 NRHS convention in Arkansas follows, with scenes of the Arkansas & Missouri’s Alco fleet in action, and a chase of the Monett Turn with the A&M’s new EMD SD70ACes. The program concludes with scenes of loading ex-Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 onto a flatcar at the B&O Museum for transport to the Western Maryland Scenic Railway for extensive overhaul and return to service.
How was December’s meeting? If you were there, you know the answer: There was no show! Unfortunately our presenter, John Meise, attended a funeral that day in Wilmington, DE, but heavy traffic on I-95 slowed him down on his return trip, and by 8 p.m. he was only as far as Baltimore. John will be back, however, in February for a presentation covering the Western Maryland in the 1970s, trains in the snow, and long-gone local shortlines. Saint Patrick’s Day Trip: This year’s annual Saint Pat’s Day trip will be a return to Culpeper, VA, our destination in 2008. For those who haven’t been there yet, Culpeper is a bit like Fredericksburg in that it’s a farming town that has become “gentrified” as more and more people move away from the Beltway area to live and work further out. For example, someone may live in or near Culpeper and work in Chantilly. This has spawned the kind of downtown businesses that one wouldn’t expect to see in a typical farming town, but you will find them in Culpeper, where there are numerous places to eat, drink and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. To discover what the town has to offer, go to www.visitculpeperva.com The flyer accompanying this newsletter has all of the details, and of particular note is the fact that Amtrak requires a full roster and payment before the end of the month, so don’t delay – sign up today! Why stay home that day when your friends will be on the train?
LAST RUN Alex Mayes writes: Ron [Dieter]’s wife of 46 years, Linda, called this morning (12/11) to inform me of Ron’s passing yesterday, December 10, 2014. He had been in failing health over the past year, and succumbed to natural causes. Ronald H. Deiter was a long-time member of the Washington DC and Baltimore Chapters NRHS, and the Old Dominion Division of the Railway Enthusiasts. He was the editor of the Washington Chapter’s newsletter The Timetable for many years, and also served as the president of the Washington Chapter for several years. Ron met Linda on a Baltimore Chapter fan trip to Luray, VA, in the fall of 1967, and they married a couple years later. Ron was an avid electric railway enthusiast, and was very knowledgeable about current and long abandoned electric railways in the U.S. and Europe. He wrote the book The Story of Metro in 1990, which is a well-researched detailed history of the early days of the DC Metro system from design and construction through 1985. He also had several articles about electric railways published in national and historic publications. There is no memorial service planned at this time, but Linda said she may organize a service in the spring. If you would like to send Linda a sympathy card her mailing address is provided below. Mrs. Linda Deiter 200 North Pickett Street No. 1505 Alexandria, VA 22304
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PAUL BERGDOLT’S EXCELLENT RAIL ADVENTURE Chessie member Paul Bergdolt recently went on vacation to the UK to visit friends and ride the trains. This is the third and final installment of his rail adventure. My 2014 UK Vacation Part 3: Wednesday, October 1st was my day on the Chinnor Railway. I would have the entire railway for myself to experience my Platinum Diesel Driver Experience. Chris and I arrived at Chinnor around 9:30 AM. There we were met by Roger Fagg, the Chairman of the CPRR and Duty Line Manager that day. I signed in on the Duty Record Card. Roger then gave me a safety briefing regarding train operations and hand signals. I would be operating the Class 17, Clayton No. D8568 for four round trips to Thame Junction and return. I met the rest of the crew: John Web as driver, Brian Woodham as second man and Steven Jacklin, also second man. Our train would be hauling four carriages. We were given the green flag by the guard and off we went. John patiently instructed me on applying power via the controller (throttle), slowing the train via applying the vacuum (train) brakes, and setting the engine brakes where appropriate. This along with watching your speed when in a speed restrictive stretch of track, applying the right pressure as indicated on the vacuum gauge, along with blowing the horn at the appropriate time before going through an at-grade crossing. We also made stops to set road barriers before we could continue. Throw in a permanent way (roadbed) that is constantly rising and falling all the way to Thame. Operating a diesel for the first time with all these responsibilities gives one a new perspective and appreciation for an engine driver who has to safely haul a train filled with passengers while maintaining the operating schedule for that day.
Fire/Secondman Steve Jacklin walking toward the Clayton at Thame Junction while a Chiltern Railways DMU set lays over between runs in the background. When we got to Thame Junction, I had to stop the train at the appropriate spot on the main without fowling the passing siding. The Clayton would then be able to safely reverse on the passing siding in order to couple up to the rear carriage for the ride back to Chinnor. Stopping
a four-carriage consist on the mainline that has minuscule leeway between the turnouts reminded me of the difficulties that Walkersville Southern has. Our runaround track has tight clearances when we are parking our regular excursion train for the day while assembling our evening dinner train. There is a barrier just beyond the end of the passing siding where the track continues to the Princes Risborough station of Chiltern Railways. I was surprised when I saw a Chiltern DMU set parked adjacent to the bumper post on their side of the barrier when we were ready to run around our train. I thought at that time would the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) allow this back home, even with the barrier? I learned from Claire later that the Chiltern crews use their portion on the line as a layover track to store their train before heading back south to London on their next scheduled run. When we got back to Chinnor, they would uncouple the Clayton and send it into its siding in the yard. Since there is no passing track at Chinnor, the diesel shunter Haversham came out of its siding, was coupled on to the train and pulled it into its siding, clearing the Clayton’s siding. The Clayton would then come out, couple back to the front of the train and pull it into the station, ready to go for trip to Thame.
Paul poses with his Diesel Driving Experience Certificate in the Clayton at Chinnor. We had two round trips that morning, took our lunch break, and then made two final round trips in the afternoon. After we completed our final run of the day, Steve Jacklin presented me with a certificate stating that I have successfully completed the Diesel Driving Experience day on the Class 17, Clayton, no. D8568. After all of the crews had finished parking the equipment and finishing their paperwork, I presented all who had participated that day with a Walkersville Southern mug along with a 2007 U.S. Quarter that honored the completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory. I wanted to express my appreciation for the CPRR members who took a normal workday off to crew my Diesel Driving Experience.
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Steve Jacklin presents Paul with his Diesel Driving Experience Certificate at Chinnor Station. That evening I joined Claire and Chris at the monthly membership meeting of the CPRR. Roger was the meeting chairman and introduced me to the members. I held up my Squire, Lemkin back pouch in one hand and the Diesel Experience Certificate in the other hand. In the spirit of the Monty Python’s Vocational Guidance Counsellor sketch, I told the meeting that I have gone from accountancy to engine driver in one go of it and did not take the intermediate steps of insurance or banking (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h-wVe9a6rQ). The mem-bers got a good laugh out of my statement. Both Thursday and Friday I took rail day trips. Thursday, I took a trip on First Great Western (FGW) to Torquay in Devon. Mike Walker emailed me that FGW is a construction site with electrification of the main to Bristol, rebuilding of Reading station, a new FGW Depot and a new viaduct over a mile long. It was all that along with being a busy station. I went to the Torquay Museum to view the Agatha Christie and World War II exhibits. I had a pleasant dinner at a café in the Torquay harbor before returning.
British Press Gangs, 2014 version. The author (left) and Claire Conway-Crapp (right) at the Festival of Food at Stowe.
Friday, I purchased a Day Travelcard to London. I took in exhibits at both the Photographers’ Gallery and Museum of London. Claire told me to stop at King’s Cross to view their new waiting area. In the area, they have a Harry Potter 9¾ shop where you can get your picture taken wheeling a baggage trolley into the wall while wearing a Hogwarts scarf. Saturday, I assisted Claire at her Mid-Shires Orchard Group exhibit at the Festival of Food at Stowe. Mid-Shires is involved with both conservation and management of historic heritage fruit trees and orchards. We sliced, clean, chopped up, and pressed apple fragments to produce apple juice straight from the tree. I remarked to Claire and others that after 200 years, we still have British press gangs.
With Claire still occupied with her Stowe exhibit on Sunday, Chris, his son Richard and I went for a boat ride in Bedford on the Great Ouse River. Claire joined us that evening to a last evening pub dinner that I treated everybody in appreciation for their hospitality during my stay. Monday, I flew back to DC.
PRESERVATION NEWS New Coach in Service on the WS: For a decade an old MP54 coach languished on a yard track in Walkersville as other projects were given priority. Restoration began in earnest in early 2014 in order to replace the unpopular ex-LIRR 2962, a 1950s-era coach on long term lease, which left in mid-August for a new owner in New York. (See the Sep 2014 HG.) Starting from a gutted shell covered with rust, peeling paint and no side walls, no floor, and no windows, volunteers worked to restore it to its former glory. New steel outer walls were installed, a new floor went in, a heater was installed, the interior was sandblasted and painted and paneling was added, light covers and new windows were put in place, and old paint was removed with a needle scaler and an angle grinder and replaced with primer. New seats were installed just days before the first Santa run on the last weekend in November. Below is a photo of the car in revenue service on a Santa train.
John Meise photo
Since the exterior is still a “work in progress,” the car was placed right behind the locomotive so passengers would enter it, not from the side, but through the cars behind it. In the months ahead the exterior will be
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completed for the 2015 season and the number 7091 will go on its sides. Below is a shot of the interior.
Wayne Kirchhof photo
For more information on this type of car, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRR_MP54 If you’re interested in taking part in completing the car’s restoration, contact your editor at 703-758-7449 or send email to [email protected] Old Aberdeen Train Station Lifted and Moved: More than a decade of effort by members of the Historical Society of Harford County paid off earlier this week when the 129-year-old former Aberdeen B&O Railroad station was moved 50 feet from the space it had occupied along the railroad tracks since 1885. Once a stop on the B&O's old Royal Blue passenger line between Baltimore and Philadelphia, the building has not been used as a passenger rail stop since the late 1950s, when passenger service was discontinued.
The current owner of the adjoining rail line, CSX, wanted the station moved for safety reasons because of its proximity to its busy intercity freight operations. The station has been vacant for a number of the years after the railroad quite using it for track gangs and to store supplies. The Historical Society has been working with CSX, the City of Aberdeen and various local and state historic preservation groups for about 11 years to find a new location for the station where it can be restored and reopened to the public as a museum or for some other public use. The Maryland Historical Trust has provided $100,000 in grants to support the project. The former passenger rail station off West Bel Air Avenue is a one-and-a-half-story, Victorian-style structure built with a wooden frame and brick foundation, according to a description provided by the Historical Society.
The station was designed by noted architect Frank Furness, a Civil War veteran who designed a number of railroad stations in the Northeast, both small stops like the one in Aberdeen and more grandiose urban terminals like the old Broad Street Station in his native Philadelphia. The existing Amtrak station in Wilmington was also designed by Furness, as was an adjoining office building. David Anderson/Baltimore Sun, December 19, 2014
Vintage Railroad Again on Track to Bring Prosperity to PA Towns: A historic train line formerly used to provide service to iron forges in Pennsylvania's rural Berks and Montgomery counties has been revived to serve a nascent tourism industry. The Colebrookdale Railroad, an 8-mile stretch between Pottstown and Boyertown to the north, uses century-old passenger cars on a 150-year-old rail bed to take passengers through what operators call a "secret valley." "It's comprised of the valley of the Ironstone Creek and the valley of the Manatawny Creek," said conductor Nathaniel Guest. "In these two valleys are among the oldest iron-making sites in the New World. That industry that made Pennsylvania an international power and garnered our reputation as the Keystone State grew up here along what became the Colebrookdale Railroad." Guest encourages passengers on the restored vintage rail cars to look out the windows to see remains of those long-gone 19th-century iron forges, remnants of original stone bridges built by Civil War soldiers, a bald eagle nest, and sheer-cut rock passing inches from the train.
"We ask that you please keep your head, your hands, your arms, all the body parts you wish to keep inside the train at all times," Guest warned the 110 passengers during a recent sold-out ride.
Guest is not just a conductor; he is the executive director of the Colebrookdale Preservation Trust, a group he started as a law student six years ago when he learned the former owner of the underused railroad was petitioning to legally abandon it. As a train enthusiast, a preservationist, and a budding lawyer, he saw a way to utilize all of his interests in a single project.
The revival of the Colebrookdale Railroad is the centerpiece of a planned network of recreational trails for hiking, biking, camping, and water sports in the adjacent creeks.
"The creeks are stocked. There's wonderful fishing, but it's hard to access. That's one thing the train will provide," said Guest, who envisions a railcar designed to transport canoes and kayaks.
Six years ago, the railway was ready to be abandoned. Its owner at the time, East Penn Railroad, was filing the paperwork to legally abandon the tracks. Berks County Commissioner Mark Scott thought that would have not only effectively destroy an historic amenity, but create a public liability. He urged his fellow commissioners to purchase the railway, using $1.3 million from an already existing environmental fund.
Scott admits it was a gamble. "There are plenty of people in my party -- the
Republican Party -- who want smaller government and would be quick, as they were, to criticize the county getting involved in buying a marginally profitable – at best – railroad," said Scott. "Nevertheless, in my experience, once a railroad is abandoned, it's gone forever. Many railroad companies who abandoned rail lines in the '70s and '80s rue the day they did it." Seeking Montgomery County's support
The rail straddles a county line: Boyertown is in Berks County, Pottstown in Montgomery County. To make
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the enterprise work, both counties need to be on board. So far, they seem to be.
The Colebrookdale Preservation Trust approached the Montgomery County commissioners for matching funds to buy an abandoned, historic rail station, believed to have been designed by architect Frank Furness, which is now propped up in nearby Birdsboro.
Guest would like to move it 10 miles, to Pottstown, to serve as the railroad terminus.
The commissioners are considering investing some economic development funds into the project.
"All of our boroughs – the older boroughs like Pottstown – are in need of economic development," said Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce Castor. "Pottstown is clearly on the rise. Pottstown is forward-thinking.
"If you want to attract top restaurants and social gathering spots, you have to have patrons who utilize them," he said. "If you provide attractions, then you have an influx of people to stimulate the economy."
Commissioners are expected to vote on how to spend the county's economic development funds in early 2015.
Right now, the Colebrookdale Railroad is in beta-version, with a single vintage passenger car, an open flatbed car, a partially refurbished car used as a makeshift lounge, and no stops along the route. If all goes well, Guest said, he should have the Furness rail station and another vintage passenger car refurbished next fall, in time for the holiday season. Peter Crimmins/Newsworks, December 29, 2014 via Alex Mayes (It’s a great ride! Ed.)
PASSENGER RAIL NEWS 18 Amtrak Cars Head to Florida: Eighteen shiny new Amtrak baggage cars rolled through Elmira [NY] on Wednesday morning (12/17) bound for Florida. The cars are part of Amtrak's effort to modernize its fleet and were scheduled to arrive around 9 p.m. Friday at Amtrak's Hialeah, FL, maintenance facility for final inspection. They are slated to enter service in early 2015 on long-distance routes.
Bob Jamieson photo
The cars are part of a $300 million contract from Amtrak through which CAF USA will produce 130 long-distance passenger cars — baggage, diner, sleeper and bag-dorm cars. Work is expected to continue into 2016. Employment has grown to 800 at the Elmira Heights plant, which expanded to fulfill this contract and others. Bob Jamieson/Star-Gazette, December 17, 2014 Man Struck, Killed by MARC Train: Prince George's County police said Ascenscion Guevara, 41, of Beltsville, was trying to cross the tracks to get to a local coffee shop when he was hit by a MARC train about 6:15 Monday morning (12/15). Guevara died at the scene. Based on preliminary information, the MARC train was traveling south from the Muirkirk Station to Union Station at the time of the collision near the 11600 block of Baltimore Avenue in Beltsville. The accident and resulting investigation closed MARC's Camden Line in both directions for several hours, creating delays for train commuters and drivers. Service returned to normal at about 10:45 a.m. The passengers on the train involved in the crash were able to continue to Greenbelt at about 8:45 a.m., after they were held at the fatal accident scene for more than two hours. Andrew Mollenbeck, WTOP, December 15, 2014 Rare Local Appearance on the NEC: Thanksgiving saw Amtrak provide extra service to handle the surge in traffic, to include using New Jersey Transit cars. Wayne Gordon writes, “This is Amtrak holiday special 1099 with the second set of NTJ equipment heading southbound at Seabrook at 4:44 pm. The train was about 30 minutes late at this point. As Art [Audley] mentioned, would be kind of a rough ride from New York. This picture was from a frame grab of the video that I was taking of it going by, maybe at 30 mph. It had to switch over to Track 3 from Track 2 for the stop at New Carrollton.”
Wayne Gordon photo
FREIGHT RAIL NEWS Swing Bridges of Baltimore: There are still two active swing bridges on former Baltimore & Ohio branch lines in Baltimore operated by current owner CSX. One of these is on the Sparrows Point branch that connects to the main line at Bay View, and crosses over Bear Creek, just outside the former Patapsco & Back River yard (now the Baltimore Industrial Railroad) where the branch terminates. This
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yard, known as Greys Yard, served the now-closed steel mill at Sparrows Point. Rail carloads on this line seem to consist mainly of material from the ongoing scrapping of the steel mill.
Bear Creek Bridge near “Greys Yard” (PBR). The other active swing bridge is on the south side of Baltimore, on the Marley Neck branch that terminates near the Baltimore Beltway’s (I-695) Key Bridge (near Fort Armistead Park), where the branch crosses Curtis Creek. These bridges appear to be similar in design and construction. While their exact built dates are not currently known, one of the concrete bridge piers at the Curtis Creek bridge shows a built date of 1929, so that’s probably a good indication of the construction dates of the bridges themselves. Both are kept open for maritime navigation and only closed when a train is approaching. This is particularly necessary for the Marley Neck branch bridge as a large U.S. Coast Guard yard is located just south of the bridge, and frequent Coast Guard boat traffic must navigate through the open span to reach Curtis Bay and the main water routes around Baltimore, and eventually the Chesapeake Bay. The bridges are not normally manned and a bridge operator is only called when a train needs the bridge to be closed. This happens perhaps only once a day, usually at night, on the Bear Creek span.
The bridge on the Marley Neck span is closed more frequently, perhaps four times in a typical 24-hour period, although the times appear to be fairly random.
Both bridges were constructed with an operator’s cabin built high on the top of the rotating span. This required the bridge operator to reach the open span by use of a small boat. Surprisingly, this is still the method used for the Bear Creek span. The bridge on the Marley Neck span was modified some years ago so the operator can close the bridge from controls on the fixed part of the bridge, so a boat is no longer needed. There are additional controls on the center moving span, so there is no need to climb the ladders to the high control tower still existing in the center of the movable span.
Even so, when high winds are in the forecast, the operator is not to operate the bridge, probably for fear of being blown off the span. Both bridges also are protected by last operating original B&O CPL signals in Baltimore Terminal. The Bear Creek Bridge is easily photographed from parallel Route 157 (Peninsula Highway), but the bridge is now normally only closed for a passing train at night.
The Marley Neck Bridge, while more often closed during the day, as seen in the photos above and below, is far more problematic to photograph. There are no easy access public access roads and the side of the bridge adjacent to the Coast Guard base would not be a good location to be seen taking pictures. Perhaps the best views would be taken from boat from the river itself, but again avoiding the Coast Guard base or the abandoned Curtis Bay Ordnance Depot on the opposite side.
Certainly the most significant swing bridge in the Baltimore area was the so-called “Spring Garden Bridge” which carried the two-track Western Maryland Railway main line into its sprawling Baltimore yards at Port Covington. With the abandonment of Port Covington yards, the bridge has been out of service for many years and permanently left in the open position. What is left of the Western Maryland main line is now accessed by a connection on the former B&O South Baltimore Industrial Track at Westport.
The photo is taken from a public park that exists on the Port Covington side of the river.
The bridge had been considered for preservation as part of a bike trail; however, the project appears to be hold as there are concerns about deterioration of the bridge pilings. Guest columnist
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WHERE THE TRAINS ARE Many industries with a requirement to switch rail cars have replaced their aging locomotives with trackmobiles, one of the last industrial switchers in Baltimore is the Plymouth MDT at Domino Sugars. This locomotive occasionally makes its way out the plant and across a public road to switch cars, but generally it’s hidden within the confines of the complex at Locust Point. The plant’s address is 1100 East Key Highway, Baltimore, MD 21230.
The Domino Sugars plant, a huge complex, looks very much like the old days when industries like these were everywhere in the US, and this one is still very much in business. The huge orange neon Domino Sugars sign on top of the factory has been an icon of Baltimore for decades, and a model of the sign is available in different scales.
The two curved tracks going into the plants buildings are so tight that CSX’s MP15 locomotives squeal loudly as they roll over the track. These tracks are also the reason Locust Point must use MP15 switchers, as no other motive power can work around the curves in the plant. Guest columnist
A LOOK BACK DOWN THE TRACKS TO… 10 JANUARY 1945 The 718th Railway Operating Battalion left Frouard on 5 January 1945 and opened Headquarters at Longwy, France, on the following day. Longwy, best known as one of the fortress cities of the old Maginot Line, is situated almost at the juncture of the borders of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Railheads served by the 718th reached northward from Longwy to Libramont, through Bastogne (famed for the spectacular defense of it by the 101st Airborne Division) north to Saint Vith. Eastwardly, the 718th operated into Luxembourg City, which was under almost direct enemy artillery fire daily. Thus the 718th served truly as an international railroad, operating in three countries, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, at the same time.
Death struck again at the battalion while located at Longwy. Sergeant Joseph Cushman of Company C, who had proved his worth on many occasions, died in a spectacular train accident near Messancy, Belgium, early on the morning of 10 January 1945. "Joe," as he was best known, had been an air brake expert for the battalion, a safety representative, an expert locomotive engineer, and of great assistance to the Adjutant since soon after the activation of the unit. He died when his train, the prized Three Star Special, was struck by an ammunition train which rolled down the grade near Messancy. The ammunition, exploded by the impact, devastated the countryside. Joe tried to cushion the impact by backing up his train, and died a real soldier and hero. Although warned of the approach of the runaway train, he declined to leave his post. Sgt Cushman was buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Grand Failly, France, near Longuyon. 718th vet Joe Weeks of Anaheim, CA, wrote: “Engineer Sergeant Joe Cushman had started his long rations train up the sharp grade near Messancy, Belgium. He knew that an ammo train was up ahead, but it should have been miles away, so he and his crew were surprised when they heard, in the distance, emergency blasts from a train whistle. Joe sounded his own whistle in reply and proceeded cautiously. When they heard the whistle again, and closer, he braked to a stop.
“Suddenly, they saw up ahead, the ammo train had lost its brakes and was coming fast back down the grade on the same track as Joe's train. He threw the locomotive into reverse, and slowly the rations train backed down the grade, but the gap was closing.
“Joe shouted to his fireman, ‘Signal the crew, and jump.’
“They did jump from the train, but Joe stayed at the throttle, hoping to use his train as a brake to save both trains. The courage of one man was pitted against a runaway bomb. Joe lost the race.
“He was a real hero and was awarded a Bronze Star, posthumously.” Via the History of the 718th Railway Operating Battalion, Transportation Corps and Joe Weeks.
COMING UP Next month’s High Green will feature the closed steel mill and its railroad at Sparrow’s Point. Stay tuned!
Amtrak HHP-8 locomotives have reportedly made their last revenue runs in early November; MARC HHP-8s; however, remain in service. John Fuller writes, “By chance I had one (#651) roll up and stop in front of me at Baltimore’s Penn Station last July while in town for the day. It’s not a great shot, given the visual clutter at that location, but it’s the last time I saw them in Amtrak service. I did not have a scanner with me so I don’t know which train this was, but from the timetable, it was probably #174.”
Chinnor Signalman, Steve Growcott, hands up the token to the Clayton’s crew on the Chinnor Railway in the UK. Read the third and final installment of Paul Bergdolt’s Excellent Rail Adventure in this High Green!
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KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM
Thank you, C&OHS member, Ray Saunders, for bringing this fundraising program to our attention!
If you are a Kroger Customer and want to support the Society at no cost to you, then please check out the information below:
Dear Friends, The Kroger Community Rewards Program was announced in the Holiday 2014 issue of The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine. I would like to give an update on information that I found out after our announcement. The program is regionally based. If you are located in any of these states: VA, WV, OH, KY or TN, you may be eligible to participate on the Society's behalf. (Only portions of these states are included in the Kroger's Mid-Atlantic region).
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For those of you who did not see the ad in the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society's magazine, the Kroger Community Rewards Program is a way for non-profits and charitable organizations to make fundraising easy ...all you have to do is sign up, shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card! To sign up, you must have an email and a Kroger Plus Card. If you need a Kroger Plus Card, you can ask someone at the service desk at any Kroger store. Next go to https://www.kroger.com/communityrewards, sign in and register. (You may have to click the SIGN UP TODAY button.) Enter your zip code, favorite stores(s), email address and create a password. You should get an email message back; click the link within the body of the email. At the next location, click on MY ACCOUNT and enter zip and email address. Click on EDIT KROGER COMMUNITY AWARDS INFORMATION and put in your Kroger Plus Card
number. Then enter NPO Number: 92553 (This represents the C&OHS.) PLEASE TAKE TIME TO REGISTER AND HELP THE C&OHS WITH FUNDRAISING! You may call Kroger Community Rewards Customer Service with any questions @ 1-800-576-4377. Sincerely, Brandy Dudley C&O Historical Society 312 E Ridgeway St Clifton Forge, VA 24422 Phone: 540-862-2210 Email: [email protected]
All Aboard for Chessie’s Annual Saint Patrick’s Day Excursion to
Culpeper, Virginia! Sunday, March 15, 2015
“Dinner in the Diner, Lush in the Lounge” Join your friends for a celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day aboard a train to Culpeper, Virginia! We’ll depart from Washington Union Station at 11:05 a.m. on Train #51, the southbound Cardinal, and we’ll enjoy the views of the Virginia countryside as we head south. Our train will arrive in Culpeper at 12:30 p.m. at the old Southern Railway depot, beautifully restored as a town hall meeting and visitor center. Within easy walking distance of the station you’ll find a variety of restaurants catering to almost every taste and budget, and there’s even an ice cream parlor for dessert. Relax with a cup of coffee at a coffeehouse only a block from the station or bring your cup down to the tracks and watch the parade of NS freight trains rumble through town. After a day spent enjoying lunch and watching trains, we’ll board Train #50, the northbound Cardinal, at 4:11 p.m., arriving back at Washington Union Station at 6:06 p.m. in time
for dinner at home. Amtrak requires a complete passenger list and full payment NLT January 29, so please submit your ticket payment NLT January 27. Don’t delay, seats are limited! For further information contact Ticket Agent Tim Moriarty at 703-758-7449 (home) or send an email to [email protected] Notes: (1) Fares are not refundable unless a person is found to fill your seat. (2) The trip is open to CRA members and non-members alike for
the same price. (3) You will be on a group ticket held by the Chessie Ticket Agent. (4) Fare covers only the Amtrak ticket. Meals and drinks, at the restaurant of your choice, are not included. -------------------------------------------------------------<uncouple here>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes! Sign me up for Chessie’s Saint Pat’s 2015 trip! Enclosed is my check or money order made payable to the Chesapeake Railway Association. Mailing address for ticket orders: No. of adult tickets _______ x $35 = $_____________ Chessie Ticket Agent 2781 Prince Harold Court No. of senior tickets _______ x $33 = $_____________ Herndon, VA 20171-2441 No. of senior tickets _______ x $18 = $_____________
Total = $___________ Others accompanying me are:
Name ___________________________________________________________ ____________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________ City ____________________________ State _____ Zip __________-________ ____________________________________ Phone (______) ______ - __________ Email ___________________________ ____________________________________ Photo credits: Trip Advisor, Garmin Geek and R. W. Dawson
Suncoast Flyer
Published By
Winter 2015 Roderick D. Smith, Editor
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From The Siding
Happy New Year!
The holidays are now over and I hope everyone had a safe and
enjoyable holiday season.
As we begin another year, Chapter meetings and Bob's Train luncheon
dates have been updated at the end of this newsletter. Our Chapter
meeting times and dates have also been coordinated with the
Waldemere Fire Station for 2015.
Plans are under way for our 25 year anniversary which is quite a
milestone. Thanks to former and current members that have made this
happen. Details are shared later in this newsletter. The invitation has
already been sent out and a copy is at the end of this newsletter.
Please come out and support your organization!
For those who would like to share information and/or stories, all
correspondence can be sent to me by e‐mail at
[email protected] or you can reach me at 302‐438‐0685 or at
941‐924‐3160 when I am in Florida.
Enjoy this edition of the Suncoast Flyer!
Rod Smith
Editor
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Railroad Ties ‐ The New Biofuel
Discarded railroad ties have become an important source of biomass
fuel. members of the Biomass Power Association use about 815,000
tons of ties annually as fuel. This use helps conserve forests, promotes
recycling, allows states to meet renewable energy goals, and reduces
methane emissions if left to decompose or be landfilled. This could also
be a source of carbon credits for the rail industry. ( courtesy Bob
Cleaves of the Tampa order Board)
More Rock Island Trivia
It was July 21, 1873, and the first train robbery by the James‐Younger
gang (it was one of the first recorded robberies west of the Mississippi).
Nine gang members to include the James and Younger brothers made
up the gang. The gang's target was a Rock Island train coming through
Adair, Iowa. While 2 of the men had dinner at a house near the train
station, the other 7 members stole a tie hammer and a spike bar from a
handcar house. Later, all 9 members met about 4 miles from Adair
where they pried off the fish plate and pulled out the spikes. They then
tied a rope to the north rail and slid it under the end of the south rail.
The gang members then hid in a small gully and waited for the train.
The gang thought the train would halt, but it didn't. About 8:30 PM,
the engineer, seeing the rail, slammed on the brakes, but the
locomotive and two baggage cars derailed killing the engineer and
injuring the fireman. Some passengers were injured and the gang was
shocked by what they had done, but still half of the gang boarded the
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train while the other half stayed outside with the horses shooting their
guns to keep the passengers inside the cars. The robbery netted $2,000
from the express car and another $1,000 from the passengers. Only
the men were robbed, not the women and children. During the
robbery, Cole Younger told the passengers they had not intended to kill
or hurt anyone. After robbing the passengers, the gang jumped on
their horses and made a clean get away while yelling a rebel yell. Rock
Island engines were draped in black for mourning the death of the
engineer. (courtesy Rock Island Argus newspaper article dated August
7, 1985)
Suncoast Chapter 25th Anniversary Celebration
The 25th anniversary celebration will be held on Saturday, January 31,
2015 at the Laurel Oak Country Club. It will begin with a reception at
11:30 AM, and a lunch buffet at 12:30 PM. Following the lunch, there
will be a Chapter program honoring our 25 years with a certificate
being presented by a National organization representative. Following
this will be a special guest speaker, Jackie LeClaire, a former Ringling
performer, who will provide us with what life was like on a circus train.
Other historical organizations of Sarasota County as well as elected
officials have been invited to help us celebrate. All net proceeds will go
to support the Venice Area Historical Society Circus Car Project. It
should be a very nice affair. Invitations have been sent out and a copy
is attached at the end of this newsletter.
NRHS Annual Convention Update
Tickets have been on sale as of November, 2014. Visit the NRHS web site.
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Vermont Railway System, the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad, and timeless New England charm headline the National Railway Historical Society’s 2015 convention in Rutland, Vermont. Taking place June 14‐20, 2015, the convention will feature seven days of rare train rides, one‐of‐a‐kind photo opportunities and historic tours, followed by a public rail excursion on June 21.
Highlighting the 2015 convention are specially chartered passenger trains over the colorful and historic Vermont Railway System ‐‐ many traveling freight‐only routes and featuring photo runbys. Roundhouse and facility tours are also planned. Vintage locomotive fans will savor an excursion on the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad pulled by 1940s‐era BL2 diesels, of which only a handful survive.
LOCATION: The 2015 NRHS Convention will be based in Rutland, Vermont from June 14, 2015 to June 20, 2015 plus a public excursion on June 21, 2015.
HOTELS: The Convention will be based at the Rutland Holiday Inn which will host all convention meetings, seminars and the annual banquet. The hotel is offering a special room rate of $99 for one person, $119 for two, $139 for three and $159 for four. Rooms include free hot buffet breakfast offered in advance of event departures. (Courtesy NRHS Newsletter)
NRHS Dues Update
By now, NRHS members in good standing should have received their dues notices for 2015. Dues for 2015 are payable directly to NRHS. NRHS is collecting the National dues directly from our membership and is encouraging everyone to renew as soon as possible, using the online option with a credit card instead of sending paper checks. When members use the credit card option, a processing charge for each paper check is avoided. The online option leaves more of the dues revenue
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available to NRHS and its programs rather than paying for additional outside administrative support. For those that lack internet/computer capability, they may send their checks to the Suncoast Chapter and the Chapter will combine them and send one check to national with a list of participants. (Courtesy NRHS Newsletter)
NRHS Lawsuit Settled A final settlement over the 2012 accident involving Barry Smith at RailCamp in 2012 has been reached. This is a public document under Docket No. 30702230 filed with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The accident involved Barry Smith, a camp counselor and a camper. Barry was driving a rental vehicle and had a serious accident injuring the camp counselor. Barry was also injured in the accident but the camper was not injured. The NRHS has been involved with the lawsuit for several years. This ends all claims over the accident. (Courtesy NRHS Newsletter)
Rail Camp
• RailCamp East will be held July 5 ‐10, based at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.. • RailCamp Northwest will be August 2 ‐ 9, headquartered at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA . Applications will be available on the NRHS website. Those interested can also request an application by email addressed to [email protected]. The tuition in 2015 will be $1,290, a slight increase from 2014. Early application is strongly encouraged and final deadline to apply is April 15, 2015. (courtesy NRHS Newsletter)
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The Railroad Caboose
The word caboose basically means the working headquarters of the conductor and rear brakeman. However, the original term was a nautical term meaning a "house on deck where the cooking is done; a galley. The first time the word was used in regards to railroading was in 1855 in reference to conductor cars on the Buffalo, Corning, & New York line (later a part of the Erie‐Lackawanna System). It is rumored that Commodore Vanderbuilt may have had some influence in introducing the name to railroading because of his maritime interests. Then, in 1889, a trainman named Eggerton sued Commodore Vanderbuilt for injuries received in a "caboose car". The first caboose of record was the last box car of a freight/passenger train on the Auburn & Syracuse Railroad (later part of the NYC) in the 1840's. The conductor, Nat Williams, kept flags, lanterns, chairs, and tools in a wooden box car and used an overturned barrel as a desk. The first cupola for a caboose originated in 1863 when an N&W freight conductor named Watson suggested the idea and that railroad appears to be the first to use such a structure. Until 1884, the idea to use a cupola appeared to be a local decision. However, the 1884 edition of the Master Car Builders Dictionary mentioned cabooses with "lookouts". It was called many names over the years, but it was always officially the "caboose". Some of the more interesting ones are as follows: Brain Box (conductor was considered the brains) Glory Wagon (reference to the men killed in train wrecks) Monkey Cage/Monkey Hat (a derogatory name) (Courtesy The Railroad Caboose by William Knapke with Freeman Hubbard)
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NRHS Suncoast Chapter 2015 Meetings* Place: Waldemere Street Fire Station
Meeting Time: 7:00 PM in the 2nd floor conference room
Date Topic Refreshments
January 27 TBD Mike James
January 31 Circus Life On The Railroad Laurel Oak CC
February 24 German Train Travel‐Kim Cool John Moran
March 24 TBD Bob Mazur
April ‐ TBD Chattaway's Picnic All
April 28 TBD Ernie Gerlach
May No meeting
June No meeting
July No meeting
August No meeting
September 22 TBD Allen Jelks
October 27 TBD Rod Smith
November 24 TBD Dan Conway
December No meeting
*The Suncoast Chapter meets the fourth Tuesday of the meeting month
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Bob’s Trains Lunch Schedule 2015
(2nd Wednesday of each month)
January 14
February 11`
March 11
April 8
May 13
June 10
July 8
August 12
September 9
October 14
November 11
December 9
10
Suncoast Chapter
National Railway Historical Society
All aboard for our 25‐year anniversary celebration!!
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2015
Departure Station : Laurel Oaks Country Club, 2700 Gary Player Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34240 (Garden Room)
(1.8 miles east of I‐75 Bee Ridge Road exit; on left); 941‐378‐3608
Departure Time : 11:30 AM; your train ticket includes a full buffet lunch and cash bar
Order Board : Reception ‐ 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Lunch ‐ 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Program ‐ 1:30PM to 3:00 PM ‐ with special guest speaker
JACKIE LECLAIRE, FORMER RINGLING B&B CIRCUS PERFORMER TO SPEAK ON:
"TRAVELING BY RAIL WITH THE CIRCUS"
Cost: $33.00 per person ; net proceeds donated to the Circus Rail Car Project of the Venice Area Historical Society
RSVP by check made out to Suncoast Chapter, NRHS, to be received not later than January 23, 2015
Questions to: Mike James : 941‐697‐6481 or [email protected]
Ted Cover : 941‐379‐0758 or [email protected]
Rod Smith : 302‐438‐0685 or [email protected]
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Number of persons attending @ $33.00 per person $ _________
Names of attendees ( First and Last) ___________________________________________________________________________
Organization and Title (if any) ________________________________________________________________________________
Send checks to: Mike James
33 Mark Twain Lane
Rotonda West, FL 33947‐2140
YOU ARE INVITED TO OLD CAR AND TRAIN DAY
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2015
12-5 PM AT
THE CLEMENT HOME
12106 GARY HILL DR FAIRFAX VA 22030
Bring your significant other, kids, parents, and any other train, antique or old car lovers to join in the fun and fellowship of antique trains and old cars. Weather permitting, additional antique cars may join us. New additions to the antique train collection are on display and some trains are under power. Bring “show and tell” trains, if you like, and we’ll try to run them. If you have trains to be repaired, this is a good time to drop them off. A favorite appetizer, finger food or dessert brought for sharing would be gratefully appreciated. DIRECTIONS: Take Route 66 West to Exit 55, VA 286 (old Route 7100) South to Braddock Road. Turn right toward Clifton/Centreville. Turn left at the traffic light onto Colchester Road and go 2.2 miles. Cross Popes Head Road (Church on corner), turn left on Saddlehorn Drive (Through the brick entranceway into Colchester Hunt Village.) Second right is Gary Hill Drive. We are the first house on the left. Alternate route: Take Braddock Road West off the 495 Beltway. Travel west about 15 miles, cross under Fairfax Parkway and turn left at the traffic light onto Colchester Road and continue as above. See you on Train and Old Car Day! Sandy and Clem Clement Ph. (703) 830-5597 C (571)-239-1701 Email: [email protected]
Page 1 Northstar News January 2015
Volume 46 #1 January 2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wheel work completed on Mid-Continent's CNW locomotive Trains Newswire Dec 26 2014
NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. – Wheel work for Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 has been completed at the Strasburg Rail Road shop in Strasburg, Pa. Steve Sandberg, who is serving as project consultant for the locomotive’s owner, the Mid-Continent Railway Museum, told Trains News Wire the work included new tires and crank pins. The project included installing new tires and truing/turning the tire seats. The museum is able return the engine to original specifications, since the museum and the project members have original documentation, blue prints, and measurements. The goal among the team members working on the engine is to have it operating in 2016, but that depends on keeping a tight project schedule and continued success in fund raising at a pace faster than the restoration work expends those funds. Because of the inherent uncertainty in fund raising and the chance for unforeseen delays, the museum does not have an official estimated completion date. Contents
Meeting Notice P1 Officer Contact Directory P2 Editors Column P2 Library Open House P2,3 Minutes of last meeting P3 NRHS report P3 Minnesota Zephyr Units report P3 Amtrak Empire Builder Schedule P4 California Railfan Trip (Part 3) P4,5,6 Northpole Express report P7 Seattle Area Landslides P7 BNSF Big Lake track expansion P7 Optimism on Railroad coal Deliveries article P7,8 Wilmar Bypass P8 Extra news,photos P9-13
Meeting Notice Next business meeting will be held January 17, 2015 6:30 pm, at Roseville Lutheran Church at 1215 Roselawn Avenue, midway between Lexington and Hamline Avenues in Roseville. See map on page 2.
Program after the meeting – Greg Smith Slide Show from his personal Collection. There will be a pre-meeting get-together Jan 17, 2014 at the Keys Cafe and Bakery at the northeast corner of Lexington and Larpenteur starting about 4:45 pm. PLEASE CALL Bob Clarkson at 651-636-2323 and leave a message with your name and the number of persons coming with you.
Reminder: Dues for 2015 are Due!
Page 2 Northstar News January 2015
Northstar Chapter Officers (please note changes from last year)
President Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304
Vice President Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835
Past President H Martin Swan [email protected] 612-961-1684
National Director Jim McLean [email protected] 612-747-8541
Treasurer Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156
Secretary Dave Norman [email protected] 612-729-2428
Trustee Gary Rumler [email protected] 651-385-8752
Staff
Program Chairman John Goodman [email protected] 612-839-0905
Newsletter Editor Committee: Richard Tubbesing, Dawn Holmberg
[email protected] [email protected]
763-757-1304 763-784-8835
Newsletter Distribution Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304
Calendar Committee John Goodman Dawn Holmberg
[email protected] [email protected]
612-839-0905 763-784-8835
Trip Director John Goodman [email protected] 612-839-0905
Chapter Librarian/Historian
John Cartwright [email protected] 651-481-8479
Web Master Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835
Chapter Mailbox Northstar Chapter NRHS PO Box 120832 St Paul MN 55112
Library Data Base Administrator
Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156
Meeting Site Editor’s Column From the east or west take MN 36 to Lexington Avenue. Drive south on Lexington Avenue to Roselawn Avenue and turn right. The large lighted parking lot is on your right as you travel west on Roselawn. Use the lower entrance to the church and turn left through the commons area. We’ll be in room 40, The Diamond Room.
From the Editor: Happy New Year. John Goodman is now on the NRHS Board of Directors, and will be working on the NRHS convention for 2016. John has done a very commendable job working on past NRHS conventions which were very successful. We wish John continued success in his work with the NRHS Board of Directors. President Note: As new President, I am honored to be President for the next two years. I look forward to working with our very competent BOD members and to serve our organization and its membership. My proverbial ‘door’ will always be open to suggestions to make our organization better, and better serve our membership. I prefer any communication to be my e-mail address (see below) or at our meetings. Please feel free to converse with me or any of our BOD members with any suggestions you may have. Regards, Richard Tubbesing
Reminder Again, I will repeat…Al Weber President of the NRHS, has many hurdles to overcome. His job is very difficult based on the financial situation of the NRHS. Current members of the NRHS should have received a membership renewal notice. . Please consider renewing your NRHS membership. Also, our Library will be open before our next business meeting! See Below. We also have a few 2015 Calendars still available. If you haven’t purchased one, please do.
Page 3 Northstar News January 2015
. LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE ..
There should be plenty of live action on the BNSF St. Paul Sub. There will be an open house at Northstar Chapter NRHS Library 2:00 to 4:00 pm Saturday January 17th 2014. We now have additional seating in our viewing room. (Thanks to furniture we acquired from the old Midway Amtrak station.) The library is at 2010 East Hennepin Avenue, the Central Research Building Room 226. From the west take I-35W north to the Hennepin Ave exit and drive east just past Stinson Blvd. From the east take I-35W South / MN 36 West to Stinson Blvd. Turn left on Stinson to Hennepin Ave just under the railroad overpass, turn left. From either direction take the first driveway to enter the parking lot. Selected railroad DVD’s will be shown. You will be free to access and peruse any of our 1,300 Railroad Books and our collection of Timetables. At 4:30pm we will adjourn to Keys Restaurant at Lexington and Larpenteur. Drive straight east on Hennepin / Larpenteur to Lexington. Please join us.
Minutes of the October 18, 2014 Membership Meeting of the Northstar Chapter NRHS Chapter president H. Martin Swan called the meeting to order to order at 6:37 p.m. in the Roseville Lutheran Church with 19 members and guests present. Those present were asked to introduce themselves. The minutes of the October 18th membership meeting were not ready when the November 2014 issue of Northstar News went to press, but they will appear in a future issue, so we can vote to approve them at a meeting early next year.. Election of 2015 chapter officers - there were no nominations from the floor for any of the offices. There was a motion to approve the proposed slate of officers. The motion was seconded and carried. There was an important message from John Goodman. As he is now a member of the BOD of the National NRHS, he can no longer be a member of the Northstar Chapter BOD. Therefore the office that he held on the chapter's board as national representative is now vacant. Jim Maclean was appointed to hold this office until December 31st. This was approved by those members of the chapter's board present at the meeting. John reported on some of the developments relating to the NRHS at the national level. John also noted that we need more people to sign up for the chapter's Holiday Party in early December. Treasurer Russ Isbrandt gave his report. He also reported on finances of the calendar. Joe Stark gave a reort on sales, including those at several recent flea market events. John Cartrwright reported on the chapter library. We have been continuing to view movies from the Cordes Collection. We have had some of them scanned into DVDs and hope to do more in the future. Cheer Committee - Marty said that he would send a card to Dawn Holmberg, who is recovering from eye surgery. We got another donation from the family of Doug Johnson. We will invite them to attend our Holiday Party. There was no other business. Marty gave a brief address. He thanked those who had served on the chapter board. There was a round of applause for Marty. A motion to adjourn the meeting was made, seconded, and carried at 6:55 p.m. There was a brief break. There was a message from John Goodman about procedures for paying 2015 dues to the national NRHS. The program was Members; Night. We are particularly looking for images that could be used on the 2016 chapter calendar. Respectfully submitted, Dave Norman, Secretary.
NRHS Report by Board Member John Goodman .
The Winter NRHS Board of Directors meeting will be held January 10th and 11th at Roanoke VA. A report will be in the next newsletter. National NRHS 2015 Dues can now be paid by electronic methods. You may pay via electronic or PayPal methods. Dues continue to be $50.00 for the year. Please go to NRHS.com, then in the upper right hand corner please click on memberships. If you have any questions or doubts...please e-mail me at [email protected] , or you may phone me at 612-839-0905 (cell) and I would be happy to discuss this situation with you. Thank You. John H. Goodman, District 6 NRHS Director.
'Minnesota Zephyr' F units Now Gone. By Steve Glischinski | December 15, 2014. Trains Newswire HOYT LAKES, Minn. In Minnesota this month, followers of Electro-Motive F units can rejoice that two of the classic cab units will be preserved, while mourning the loss of three former LTV Steel/Erie Mining Co. F9 B units. The three B units, Nos. 4223, 4224, and 4225, were scrapped earlier this month at the former Erie Mining plant site in Hoyt Lakes. According to Erie Mining historian and long-time employee Doug Buell, their prime movers, generators, and most of their trucks were shipped out of the plant by flatbed truck, while any remaining scrap from the units is being cut up and will be shipped off for recycling. The units were last used in 2008 by Cliffs Erie Mining, which purchased the assets of LTV Steel Mining in 2002.Erie Mining Co. purchased 11 F9s, five A units and six B units, to haul taconite pellets from its mine and plant at Hoyt Lakes over a 72-mile private railroad to its ore dock on the North Shore of Lake Superior at Taconite Harbor. Operations began in 1957, and the fleet of F9s remained intact even after LTV Steel acquired Erie Mining in 1986. Four F9s, two A units and two B units, were destroyed in a runaway derailment at Taconite Harbor in January 1997. LTV shuttered the taconite plant in 2001.There followed two revivals of the railroad. In 2004 Cliffs Erie hired a contractor to claim leftover chips and pellets from the mine due to the high iron prices, and used the Fs to move them to Taconite Harbor. In 2008, No. 4210 and the three B units were used to haul cars of pellet remains and fines from Taconite Harbor to Hoyt Lakes where it was shipped out by rail. The units had been stored at Hoyt Lakes ever since. F9A Nos. 4210 and 4214 remain intact at Hoyt Lakes, while former F9A No. 4211 and F9B 4222 have been preserved by the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth. The news is happier in southern Minnesota, where two former Minnesota Zephyr F7s will begin their journey from Stillwater to Alamosa, Colo. Nos. 787 and 788 have been sold to Heritage Rail Leasing, a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings. Crews will begin loading the locomotives onto flatbed trucks Monday. They will be trucked to Progressive Rail's facility at Randolph and loaded onto flatcars. They will then be moved to Northfield and
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interchanged to Union Pacific for the trip to Alamosa. Iowa Pacific has no current plans for the locomotives, so they will be stored after their arrival in Colorado. The two Minnesota Zephyr units are No. 787, built in 1953 as Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 804, later Burlington Northern Nos. 9756 and 716, and No. 788, ex-Chicago & Northern Western No. 4082A, then No. 410, built in 1949. The units were last used in December 2008 when the dinner train made its last run. Its six-mile route has since been converted to a trail.
Amtrak Empire Builder Resuming regular Schedule From John Goodman CHICAGO – Amtrak will resume operating the Empire Builder (Trains 7/27 & 8/28) on its regular schedule and route in both directions, effective with the departures of Jan. 12, 2015. The return of the previous timetables from Seattle and Portland will offer more attractive arrival and departure times for the balance of the winter recreation season in the Flathead Valley of Montana, near Glacier National Park. Additionally, Leavenworth and Spokane, Wash., and Sandpoint, Idaho, passengers will again enjoy same-day round trips to Portland or Seattle. Three additional hours eastbound and 90 minutes westbound were added to the schedules in April west of St. Paul, Minn. This was done to accommodate $1 billion in BNSF construction projects to add capacity and to help improve service for all traffic on its route. Amtrak and BNSF continue to work cooperatively on the operational and maintenance issues that affect Amtrak trains on this line. BNSF is committed to work to improve the performance of the Empire Builder going forward. "Local community and business leaders depend on the Empire Builder and see Amtrak service as an important public transportation link," said DJ Stadtler, Amtrak Executive Vice President/Chief Operations Officer. "We will work closely with BNSF to fulfill a commitment to Amtrak passengers and our communities to operate this train on schedules our customers expect." "BNSF has a long history of hosting passenger service on our freight network. The investments we are continuing to make will help improve reliability for all our customers, including Amtrak," said DJ Mitchell, AVP Passenger Operations, BNSF Railway. Also effective with the schedule restoration, the Empire Builder will resume operating on its normal route in both directions in North Dakota. Amtrak will then discontinue the use of chartered buses to cover missed station stops in Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Rugby, N.D., which has been routine since May. Amtrak President & CEO Joe Boardman visited North Dakota earlier this year to engage community leaders and stressed the importance of reliable service. Current on-time performance data are available on Amtrak.com, including responsibility for each element of delay. This information is also presented to passengers when booking travel on the website and is available elsewhere from Amtrak. California Trip (Via Amtrak) May-June 2014 (Article By R Tubbesing. Pictures by R Tubbesing, Roger Libra) Continued from December Newsletter(Part three): June 01, 2014 This was an unplanned day. Since our train didn’t leave LAUPT until 10:00 pm, we had the whole day to explore. We decided to go back to the summit at Cajon pass which we liked before. We drove up I15 to the Junction with Highway 138. We missed the turn off (I wasn’t a good navigator here!) and had to go north on I15, to turn around and found that the freeway was backed up for at least a couple of miles. After creeping up the hill, we finally saw what was causing the delay-a motor home had overturned on the northbound lane causing traffic to be condensed from three lanes to one lane. Alas, we snuck onto the shoulder and got to the next exit and turned around to head back to Highway 138 and the head east to the summit again. After stopping at McDonalds for an ice cream cone and beverage we headed east. We got to the summit just as a BNSF WB auto-rack was approaching to head downhill. A UP WB manifest train was sitting at the summit of the Palmdale Cutoff waiting to head downhill too. Then a BNSF WB Stack came by. Soon after, a BNSF WB manifest which changed from track 3 to track 2 under the signal bridge went through. Then the UP WB 3–unit manifest started down the hill on the Palmdale Cutoff. Whew! four trains in about an hour. Then we decided to head east on Highway 138 toward Victorville and to another well-known location called Lugo. We followed a dirt road near the tracks along the highway a good location near a signal bridge and a nice S-curve in both directions. It wasn’t too long, and we got a BNSF EB stack at speed snake along the track and past us. Then a BNSF WB stack went by, followed by another EB Stack and while filming that, along comes a UP High-railer by on the near track. He gave us a friendly wave! Then we headed east and then north into Victorville trying to follow the tracks and scout for a good photo location. As we followed the tracks, I think we missed about 2 or 3 BNSF stack trains that went by before we could find any location to set up, or check the signals. After a stop for a snack in Victorville, we found where the famous Route 66 was and followed the tracks all the way to Barstow. As we left Victorville, we passed a huge cement plant, and another BNSF train passed before we could find a good location to set up. Along the way, we stopped at some road crossings to check signals, and they were dark. We passed another BNSF train as we got near Barstow. This is the location of a vast BNSF yard and the junction of the line to Mohave and the Tehachapi Loop. We went through town to a bridge over the tracks to the Amtrak Depot, which is the former AT&SF depot. We found a nice museum there with many ex-Santa Fe units and equipment on display. After browsing around, we could see south to the departure yard and there appeared to be an auto-rack ready to head east. We waited but it was still being refueled and waiting for a crew. It was late in the afternoon and we decided to head back to LA. We again followed the tracks, and encountered a short BNSF manifest heading west, which we followed and got some pacing shots of it. We then headed down the road to get a runby at a rural road crossing. It was time to head to LA, since we were about 2 hours from downtown LA. We got to LA about 8:45pm, after a gas up and meal at West Covina CA just off I10. We dropped off out rental car and proceeded to the new Metropolitan Lounge to wait for a boarding call to Amtrak Train #2/22 the Sunset/Texas Eagle. We left right on time, after getting to our economy bedrooms-the last car on the train (nice for looking out the back window!) and retired for the night.
BNSF WB Stack at the Summit
BNSF EB Stack at Lugo
AT&SF F45 at Barstow Depot Museum
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June 02, 2014 We got up early in the morning and before breakfast, found that we were entering Maricopa, AZ, which is Amtrak’s station for Phoenix passengers. It is interesting landscape of the high desert that we passed with occasional mountains in the distance. After breakfast, we headed through Arizona to Tucson were we had a nice break to stretch our legs, and saw a nicely restored depot with an SP steam engine on display. We got some video by some of the UP yard facilities as we left and continued onto New Mexico. We stopped at Lordsburg, NM which was just an open spot near the tracks in front of the main downtown storefronts. Just room for a few parking spots and that is it! We headed to our next stop in El Paso, TX, but about 20 miles west in New Mexico, we stopped to refuel at the new $418 million UP Santa Teresa yard. (See August 2014 Trains Magazine news story about this.) We watched two intermodal trains depart to the east as we were refueled and then a manifest departed as we got underway toward El Paso. As we departed, we passed the manifest and headed close to the Mexico border and into El Paso. There was another nicely restored depot. We departed El Paso, and took some video as we headed east along some UP yards and facilities (passing the Heritage MP unit in by the fuel racks) and headed east. We had dinner in the diner, then went back to our rooms and retired for the night as the West Texas landscape went by.
SP Steam engine Tucson AZ depot
Sunset Ltd near El Paso TX
El Paso Station
June 03, 2014 At above 5am, we arrived in San Antonio, about an hour late. This is where the Texas Eagle and Sunset Ltd parts of the train are split, one going to New Orleans and the other to Chicago. After sitting while this switching was made, our Texas Eagle consist was about seven cars, with the Diner and Sightseeing Lounge part of the consist. Our sleeper car was now the 2nd car in the consist. I think we departed about 8am and headed north to Fort Worth. At about mid-morning we went through Austin, the capitol of Texas across the Colorado River as the rain drops started falling, the first rain we encountered on our trip. Heading north, we passed by a station stop at Cleburne, home to a BNSF yard (shops famous in Santa Fe days for converting F-units to GP like CF-7 locomotives back in the 1970s I believe) then headed north to Fort Worth where we arrived in the mid-afternoon. The train station is a new multi-transportation center just north of the old Santa Fe depot and freight house. We departed and went to the Station’s Enterprise rental car to get our car, (Great Service here) and then proceeded to the Country Inn and Suites north of Downtown but with a view of the UP mainline north of Ft Worth. After settling in we watched a couple of UP freights go by and then went to a Mexican restaurant next to the hotel for a good meal. Returning to the Hotel we retired for the evening…. After I had my evening cigar!.
Pullman car and troop car Temple TX
Crossing Colorado River Austin TX
Cleburne TX Shops
June 04, 2014 Since this Wednesday, both the Grapevine Railway in Fort Worth, and the Texas State Railroad in Perris, TX were closed, as they only operate on weekends. We decided to head north along a UP branch line and BNSF main line northwest to see if we could find some rail action. We headed north along Business #287 which generally follows the BNSF main to Wichita Falls, TX. After passing through Saginaw, we passed the many facilities of Trinity Rail Car-plants in which there were tank car parts waiting for assembly of the tank cars, now booming with the massive increase of oil production in this country. All we saw were some MOW crews working and some grade crossing construction, so we didn’t encounter any trains. Then we decided to find the BNSF HQ north of Fort Worth and went to their visitor center. They have a nice museum, consisting of artifacts and artwork of the BNSF predecessor roads. Outside, there are four Budd stainless steel business cars that were once used as business cars, now encased in concrete and used by BNSF for Board and other staff meeting, thus we could not go inside. After spending some time at the visitor center, we headed back to the Fort Worth station to turn in our car, and board the Heartland Flyer to Oklahoma City. The train consisted of three Superliner coaches (the center car had a Snack bar on the lower level, much like on the sightseer Lounge cars) with an Amtrak P42 at each end. The train left about 5:30pm and arrived at Oklahoma City about 9:30pm on time. We checked into our downtown hotel, the Colcord, for the night.
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Heartland Flyer in Oklahoma City
Crossing the Washita River near Ardmore OK
Crossing the Red River into Texas
June 05, 2014 After having breakfast at the hotel, we took the shuttle to the Oklahoma Station, where the tracks are above the old station which is a former Santa Fe Station. We boarded the train to return to Fort Worth and departed a little late after the 8:25 am departure. Heading south, on the BNSF mainline, went through Purcell, Pauls Valley and Ardmore, OK and along the scenic area along the Washita River and near the Chickasaw National Recreation area north of Ardmore OK. Then we crossed the Red River of the South, the border with Texas and a brief stop at Gainesville, Texas. We got into Fort Worth close to 1pm, just a little late. Then we waited for the Texas Eagle to arrive from San Antonio, scheduled to arrive 2pm. After checking, it was late. (Problems with the equipment). After spending some time in the station, we watched a number of ‘Trinity Express’ commuter trains to Dallas arrive and depart. At about 5pm, the Texas Eagle arrived and stopped south of the station. It sat there as Amtrak People swarmed around the train to attend to mechanical problems, I presume. The northbound Heartland Flyer pulled into the station and departed on time. Then the Texas Eagle came into the station. We boarded at about 5:45pm (3 ½ hours late) and found our sleeper, the 2nd car in the train. No air conditioning in the Economy Bedroom half of the car. It was unbearably hot in the car, however the Bedroom section of the train was cool! After we parked our luggage, the car attendant herded us to the diner where it was nice and cool, and we waited for dinner. The train has to make two backup moves to get on the BNSF main, then backups past the UP/BNSF junction at Tower 55 before heading east off the wye to Dallas. I think Amtrak is considering using the Trinity Express (ex: Rock Island) line between Fort Worth and Dallas to eliminate the time consuming backup moves. After dinner and sitting in the lounge car for a while, we headed back to our still very warm sleeper. The crew had opened the doors to the Crew car ahead and some of the cooler air made its way back to our car. After spending a lot of time in the lounge car, I headed back to our sleeper at about 12:30am and found that it was quite a bit cooler, at least you could lie down and try and get some sleep for the night.
BNSF WB Stack Sitting at Saginaw TX
BNSF Office Car at BNSF HQ
Trinity Express Commuter Trains at Fort Worth Station
June 06, 2014 The last day! We woke up early and headed to the diner for breakfast. We were still behind schedule as we headed close to St Louis by mid-morning. We headed into St Louis with views of the mighty Mississippi and got into St Louis Station, now a transportation hub. After a lengthy stop, we headed out of St Louis, past the St Louis Arch and along to river to a bridge over it to East St Louis, where we past some of the TRRA power moving cars from their East St Louis yard. Then it was on to Chicago. We had a descent lunch and knowing we were 3 – 4 hours late, we had to make changes to our evening flight out of Midway airport from 6:15 to 9:15pm. Once we got to Chicago, with Roger’s ankles and my knees, we got a Red Cap to take us to the cab stand in front of the depot. We tried one way out of the station, but it was blocked by construction, then tried another way, but it was also blocked. We headed back to the main station, stopped at the escalator to the front entrance, the Red Cap took all four of our bags up the escalator (in one trip!) and to the front of the depot, placed us at the head of the line to catch a cap. What a performance, and What Service… needless to say he got a substantial tip for his effort! We got a cab (The fare was not much more to Midway that the Shuttle service they have to Downtown) and got to the airport in plenty of time to catch our flight to MSP. Had a good flight and my sister Carol picked us up at the airport and got home about 11:30 pm. A Great but long trip! R Tubbesing
St Louis Transportation Hub
Leaving St Louis on the Texas Eagle
Crossing the Mississippi River, St Louis
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North Pole Express at St Paul Union Depot Dec 6,7 Dec 12,13,14 2014 with Steam Locomotive #261 – A Great Success (8000 Passengers!) , (Sellout Runs!)
See the Video from KARE 11 “All aboard the North Pole Express! | Video | kare11.com” See link below: http://www.kare11.com/video/3940533606001/1/All-aboard-the-North-Pole-Express
No holiday for landslides: Amtrak service suspended again in Pacific Northwest Trains Newswire: December 26, 2014 SEATTLE – A landslide has caused a suspension of Amtrak and commuter-train service between Seattle and Everett, Wash., following a Dec. 24 landslide on BNSF Railway. The tracks, which are used by Amtrak Cascades and Empire Builder trains and Northline Sounder commuter trains, are expected to reopen today, Dec. 26. Amtrak is providing alternate transportation between Seattle and Everett. Northline Sounder service between Everett and Seattle remains canceled today. Sound Transit will provide special buses with direct service to/from Northline Sounder stations in addition to local bus service. If there are no additional blocking events, service will resume for the special Sounder trains for the Seattle Seahawks football game on Dec. 28. The frequent slides have meant delays for freight, Amtrak, and Sounder commuter trains dozens of times over the last few years. When a landslide occurs, BNSF imposes a 48-hour moratorium on passenger trains, although freight service resumes as soon as the slide is cleared.
Railway expansion could shut down businesses in Big Lake, Minn. On Wednesday, December 24, 2014 7:02 AM, Rick Krenske <[email protected]> wrote In relation to the double track project between Big Lake and Becker next year. "BIG LAKE, Minn. (KMSP) - A push to expand a railway from Big Lake to Becker could spell trouble for some businesses. In order to expand, Burlington Northern Santa Fe would need additional land near the tracks – but some of that land is already owned. Tootsie's Tavern is one of the most popular watering holes in Big Lake, but Gerry McKernan said his bar could be forced to call "last call" if the railroad tracks behind it expand. "This is ridiculous," McKernan said. "They'll put me out of business in a month for what they are offering." BNSF wants to go from one track to two for a 10-mile stretch between Big Lake and Becker to help ease congestion on the rail lines. Even though the rail bed used to hold two tracks years ago, new regulations require them to be farther apart – so BNSF wants an extra 25 feet of right of way, which would affect more than a dozen nearby homes and businesses. "Everyone in this area completely understands BNSF need to get rail traffic moving effectively," Joel Scharf, interim Big Lake city administrator said. "I think everyone understands it but I think they are concerned with how quickly it came about and the impact it will have on local businesses." With how quickly it came about and the impact it will have on local businesses, the railroad company sent letters to the city and property owners offering anywhere from $2,000 to $2,500 for their land. But city leaders say moving the water and sewer lines under the tracks would cost about 2 million dollars, which is about half their total budget and roughly what they pay for police and fire each year. "The amounts that were initially proposed really aren't a drop in the bucket to the value the property actually bears" McKernan said. McKernan said giving the railroad an extra 25 feet would cost him up to 40 parking spaces, and with the bar already squeezed between the railroad and Highway 10 his business would definitely feel the pinch. "Alright pay me," McKernan said. "I can't lose that much parking lot, I'd lose all my business the first weekend." Utilities, railroads guardedly optimistic about coal deliveries. From Rick Krenske Friday, December 19, 2014 9:53 AM Article by: JIM SPENCER, Star Tribune: They worry that if weather turns harsh this winter, the rail system could be overtaxed. WASHINGTON Representatives of the power and rail industries expressed guarded optimism Thursday about coal deliveries needed to generate electricity for Minnesota this winter. Speaking to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), officials from BNSF Railway, Minnesota Power and the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator agreed that stockpiles of coal, which had been critically low at many electricity generating plants, have grown recently. But they warned that unexpected bad weather or unanticipated shipping problems on the state's overcrowded rail system could change that. "We've got a stockpile that gets us into the coldest months of the winter," Dave McMillan, Minnesota Power's vice president of external affairs, told the Star Tribune after his FERC testimony. "But we need assurances that it doesn't start dropping when Feb. 1 gets here." McMillan had described to the FERC board how his utility got down to a four-day supply of coal at one point in the past year and had to use trucks to carry in emergency supplies. McMillan also told the board that recent coal delivery problems forced Minnesota Power to take the 'unprecedented step' of shuttering four production facilities. He said the utility is looking for a government-monitored coal delivery recovery plan from BNSF, a plan the railroad has resisted. "Lack of a recovery plan does not give us confidence that the supply will continue," McMillan explained to the FERC board. Todd Ramey, representing Midcontinent Systems, the nonprofit that operates the electrical grid in Minnesota and the rest of the Upper Midwest, told the board that delayed coal deliveries have not yet left utilities unable to supply customers with electricity. But Ramey said coal delivery problems sometimes forced consumers to pay more for the power they used. The cost of electricity was up 9 percent in the fall of 2014 compared to fall of 2013, he noted. Current coal deliveries in Minnesota and other states have been sufficient in recent weeks to help build up reserves, Ramey told the Star Tribune. At current delivery rates, it would take 'an extended period of severe weather like a polar vortex' to run stockpiles to zero and threaten transmission of electricity to customers. Still, the issue is far from resolved. Coal shortages have forced roughly a third of the utilities with whom Midcontinent works to adopt conservation measures in the past six months, Ramey said. Even as he described investments in track improvements and a weather forecast that makes BNSF feel 'more prepared this year than last,' Stevan Bobb, the railroad's chief marketing officer, made a point of apologizing publicly to McMillan and other customers for delivery problems. Those problems were brought on by sharp spikes in shipments of crude oil from the Bakken Fields in North Dakota, bumper crops of grain in the U.S. and Canada and increases in transport of manufactured goods as the country's manufacturing sector recovers from the Great Recession. BNSF has "not met expectations across all the markets we serve," Bobb said. By the end of 2014, Bobb said, BNSF will fall about 5 percent short of the 286 million tons of coal its utility customers expected the railroad to ship. But he noted a 'trend' of improving stockpiles. FERC commissioner Tony Clark asked Bobb whether trains hauling Bakken crude get priority on BNSF's limited track space because they bring in more revenue, an allegation frequently voiced by frustrated farmers who can't get their products to market. Bobb said train movements were determined by 'volume.' "Our transportation team, which makes the daily decision about which trains to move, doesn't have visibility into the
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rates or economics," he explained. One sticking point in the coal delivery system appears to be the definition of a critical shortage that could get special attention from the railroad. BNSF picked 20 days as the threshold for critically low coal supplies that cause the railroad to 'focus attention,' Bobb said. McMillan and Ramey told the Star Tribune that virtually all utilities consider a dip below a 30-day reserve a sign of significant trouble. Anything below 20 days usually leads to conservation measures or production slow downs. "We would like a coal supply never to fall below 30 days," McMillan said. "Maybe in this day and age that's not possible." Jim Spencer 202-383-6123
Historical RR Timetables available (Repeat from last month) . The Northstar Railroad Historical Society now has their collection of historical RR employee and public timetables available in digital (.pdf) format. Thanks to John Gaertner for all his work in scanning these in. We have a 21 page index of timetables available on our website. We can also send you the index via E-mail. For a nominal fee (All proceeds go to the chapter!) of $15 we will create an initial DVD of timetables of your choice. Each additional DVD will be $5. Place your order and selections (or for a copy of the index) via email to [email protected] and remit your check to Northstar Chapter NRHS PO Box 120832 St Paul MN 55112.
Milw. Rd. timetable Sept 1949 CB&Q timetable Nov 1942
Subject: Metro News - Wilmar BNSF Bypass Provided by Rick Krenske Sat, Jan 3, 2015 12:59:23 PM Group reapplies for grant to build Willmar railroad bypass. By David Little on Dec 29, 2014. WILLMAR * BNSF Railway, along with local governmental partners, will try again to obtain a federal grant to help build the proposed $50 million railroad bypass, also known as a wye, west of Willmar to possibly divert up to a third of the trains in and out of the city's rail yard. In their first attempt in 2014, the partners did not receive any funding under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program when the grants were announced in September, so they'll be submitting another application in 2015. The partners, Willmar City Council, Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners, Minnesota Department of Transportation and Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission, have approved another memorandum of understanding to financially assist in supporting the wye project. Bruce Peterson, director of city planning and development services, said the partners continued their discussion regarding the proposed wye project after the first grant application did not receive funding and they agreed it was worth pursuing again. "We realize that this is something that's going to take a while to get done and if we can get the funding in 2015, if we're successful this next year, we should be able to complete it by 2017," Peterson said. "And if not, we'll have to come back for a different memorandum of understanding if we're going to try it again." Peterson said he believes BNSF is considering revising its level of participation and allow the governmental partners to reduce their share. "There was some response from the federal grant agency that perhaps we're asking for a little too much money and they wanted the railroad to contribute more. That will all be analyzed when we do our next application," he said. Peterson said BNSF's consultant has already done the engineering for the project. "The nice thing about this project is a great deal of it has been engineered. So if it did get approved for funding, it's got the ability to turn around very quickly and go to bid," he said. The proposed 2.5-mile, north-south wye would connect BNSF's Morris subdivision track, which goes to the northwest to Fargo-Moorhead, and the Marshall subdivision track, which goes southwest to Sioux Falls, S.D. The wye would run parallel along the east side of County Road 55 and would include a spur into the Willmar Industrial Park. Associated with the project is construction of motor vehicle overpasses at the intersection of state Highway 40 and County Road 55, and at County Road 55 and U.S. Highway 12. Officials have said the wye would reduce congestion in the rail system and help efficiently move oil, coal and ag commodities. At the present time, trains entering Willmar from either the Morris or Marshall subdivisions must disconnect and move the engines to the front of the train before continuing either northwest or southwest. The wye would allow trains to bypass Willmar without entering the yard and reconfiguring the trains. Peterson said grants will be announced in the late summer of 2015. In theory, he said, the grants go to areas to help them recover from the recession. "We aren't in a real good position to require money for that purpose because we did not suffer that badly from the recession," he said. "But we do qualify because we do have a major carrier through this area and because of all the changes economically west of here in the Bakken (oil field in North Dakota). That's the driving force behind this. Every train car that hauls oil is one less that's hauling coal or ag products."
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CP Holiday Train Visits St Paul Dec 12 2014 .
Holiday Train at St Paul Union Depot
All Photos by Dawn Holmberg
Metro News - Como Area Rail Upgrade provided by Rick Krenske . Sent: Fri, Jan 2, 2015 1:33:11 PM Como residents open to $25 million rail upgrade.Article by: EMMA NELSON , Star Tribune Updated: January 1, 2015. St. Paul neighborhood residents say they would support bridge project, amid concerns about a possible oil train derailment. The pieces of art hung on Ron Okenfuss' living room walls are almost always straight. He credits the trains. After more than 10 years living near the tracks, he's gotten in the habit of constantly straightening pictures shaken by the daily rumbling. The increasing presence of trains influences day-to-day life in this St. Paul neighborhood, where houses lining dead-end streets on Lake Como's southern end come within feet of the tracks. "You always have to think in the back of your head, OK, what if there's a derailment and something weird happens", Okenfuss said. Derailment worries have escalated as residents have found themselves on a route frequented by North Dakota oil trains. The neighborhood was included in a recent Minnesota Department of Transportation study evaluating the risks associated with potential oil train explosions and
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fires. With those risks in mind, residents say they'd support the $25 million bridge the study suggests as a safety precaution, despite concerns about the effect of such a project on the neighborhood's character. Therese and Richard Kelly have lived in the neighborhood since 1975 and remember when residents' biggest concern was pollution from the trains. They also remember accidents, including a derailment, though those trains weren't carrying flammable Bakken crude oil. "Now, with fire potential, it's really raised a red flag in the neighborhood," Therese Kelly said. Oil trains often stop on their way through the area, she said, spending anywhere from five minutes to half an hour waiting for track to open up. It can make it tough to get out of the neighborhood, something she said has become more worrisome now, considering that a derailment could trigger a major evacuation. The MnDOT study comes a year after Casselton, N.D., a town 24 miles west of Fargo, was evacuated after an oil train derailment caused explosions and a fire. In the event of such an incident here, the surrounding half-mile radius would be evacuated. That radius measured from the Como Avenue crossing, an area with rows of old houses and three nearby schools, is the most densely populated of 100 sites included in the study. The bridge suggested in the MnDOT report would separate rail and street traffic. Lawmakers have raised concerns about the project's price tag and potential impact on the neighborhood's environment and livability. Therese Kelly said she'd support the bridge, though she'd want the railroad company to carry the cost. "I feel that it would be an asset to the neighborhood," she said. Okenfuss agreed, though he said he's not too worried about an accident.Ultimately, he said, the Como neighborhood's assets ? namely, the nearby park. and lake, outweigh any liabilities the railway line might bring. It's an old neighborhood, and the trains have always been part of it. "It's not like you bought your house and then had a surprise rail line behind you," he said. Emma Nelson * 952-746-3287. SNOW TRAIN North Freedom WI
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. From John Goodman, Article by Jerry Ratliff . Good example of possible public and private partnership- extending double track for Northstar- possibility!
BNSF to replace second main track on Staples Sub December 29, 2014 RELATED TOPICS: CLASS 1 FREIGHT RAILROADS | BNSF | INFRASTRUCTURE
MINNEAPOLIS – BNSF Railway has not announced its capital improvement projects for 2015, but one item on the improvement agenda is relaying 10 miles of second main track on its northern transcontinental Staples Subdivision main line between Big Lake and Becker. The second main was torn out as a cost saving measure in the 1980s, and created a bottleneck almost from the time it was removed. With dramatic traffic increases in the last several years, BNSF is moving ahead with plans to relay the second main. The railroad has already approached businesses in Big Lake about purchasing land, KMSP-TV reports. Even though the line used to be double track, BNSF wants to widen the centers between the two tracks, which would affect more than a dozen homes and businesses in Big Lake. In the 1990s, when Northstar commuter rail service was first being planned, the service would have extended from Minneapolis to St. Cloud and included putting the second main track back in. But a change in funding formulas resulted in the commuter line’s western terminal being cut back to Big Lake. There have been discussions about extending Northstar to St. Cloud in the future, but with no firm plans or funding in place for expansion, BNSF is undertaking the double track project on its own. The Big Lake-Becker segment is one of two single-track portions of the Staples Subdivision. The other extends 28 miles from Little Falls to Philbrook, just east of Staples, which is under CTC control with several sidings. The majority of the current Staples Sub was once part of the Northern Pacific’s main line. The portion from Northtown Yard in Minneapolis to St. Cloud was joint Great Northern/Northern Pacific track with one main owned by GN and the other by NP, with NP handling maintenance of the line. Jerry Ratliff
Colfax Railroad Museum (Wisconsin) receives its first steam engine . Posted: Dec 30, 2014 6:09 PM CST By Jesse Yang Colfax (WQOW) - With thousands and thousands of miles logged and weathered to perfection, a piece of history is now resting its wheels for all to enjoy. Delivered on four wheels from Annandale, Minnesota, the old steam engine came to a halt Tuesday for its final destination at the Colfax Railroad Museum. Herbert Sakalaucks, the chairman of the Colfax Railroad Museum, says, "There are not a lot of steam locomotives available anymore. Most of them are already in parks or museums. This museum is dedicated to preserve it and to show people what the day-to-day experiences were on the road, whether you worked on it, rode on it, or shipped on it." With four locomotives and 15 rail cars on deck, the museum plans to further showcase how iron horses have changed over time. Lois Sakalaucks, from Eau Claire, says, "It is a process that is done with love and understanding and trying to keep the traditions of the railroads in the forefront." Herbert says, "This engine is one of the few prairie designs left in existence. We wanted it in the museum so we could have an example of a steam-type locomotive here. We already have a diesel and two small, narrow-gauge locomotives here too." Getting the train to town was no cheap ticket, a cost of about $20,000. Herbert says, "We're trying to raise about $40,000 and we've already raised $10,000 there." But, it's a cost that staff say is worth the price to give future generations a glance at American history. Herbert says, "They are able to go into the equipment. They can go into the cabooses, see how the crews rode, and see what the experience was like. They can get into the cabs of locomotives. They can see how the engines and the motors of the locomotive actually worked." Lois says, "Children just are very interesting. They are so nthusiastic about learning something about the trains." The 1911 steam engine was purchased from a Minnesota resident who passed away in 2013. The Colfax Railroad Museum is raising funds to renovate and have it on display, hopefully by May. Also on its to-do list: repairing the roof and renovating the interior of a house that served as a train depot back in the late 1800s. The roof of that house was partially destroyed during a tornado in June. Subject: Metro News - Pulling Up Tracks In Stillwater from Rick Krenske Sent: Wed, Dec 31, 2014 4:46:48 PM Thanks to Bob Helwig for this article Less than two weeks ago on December 22nd, the locomotives of the Minnesota Zephyr were loaded up on trucks to begin their permenant departure from Stillwater. The Minnesota Zephyr was operated as a popular dinner train from 1985-2008 until raising costs and diminishing interest caused it's owner and operator to lose $1.6 million in the last two years of the attraction's run. Until last week, the train sat, unused and
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for all practical purposes abandoned, across the street from the Warden's House Museum. It's removal marks the end of another chapter of Stillwater's story. But this isn't the first time a piece of iconic railroad history has disappeared from Stillwater.
Pulling Up Tracks by Brent Peterson There have been many buildings that have come and gone in Stillwater either by fire, flood or by just being torn down. Some don’t bring many memories back, some bring a few, but no other building brings back the flood of memories than the old Stillwater Union Depot. It was the Stillwater and St. Paul Railroad that constructed an 18-mile railroad track from White Bear Lake to Stillwater. The track reached the north part of Stillwater on December 29, 1870 (144 years and a day ago) and that was when Stillwater was connected with the rest of the world. Within the next 15 years, Stillwater was the end of the line for four branch lines of three different railroads. This made for much passenger confusion, so a petition was passed around by Stillwater residents for the creation of a “Union Station.” The transfer company, which linked the railroads together, took on the depot project. The head of the transfer company was Dwight M. Sabin, a Stillwater resident and U.S. Senator. The transfer company was in “receivership” or what today we would call chapter 11, but the company went ahead with the construction of the new depot in July 1887. Chicago architects Edward Burling and Francis Whitehouse were contracted to design the building and local contractor L.W. Eldred was hired to build it. The building opened to the public on February 7, 1888 to a great charity ball. The headline in the Stillwater Gazette read, “For Sweet Charity’s Sake” and continued with “The opening of the Union Station a Brilliant Success.” The exterior of the building was done in the Gothic Revival style with stone arches, gables and at the northwest corner, a 75-foot clock tower. The building was built with “drab colored cut stone, furnished by Henry Furst & Co. of Chicago.” Each stone was numbered and fit in the place for which it was designed in a “snug” manner. The foundation walls were constructed with Stillwater stone furnished by C. Colgren. The roof was made of slate with tin and copper rain spouts. All the pine timbers used in the construction were purchased from Hersey & Bean lumber company and from John G. Nelson. F.H. Lemon, of Stillwater, did the painting and decorating of the building. Inside the building there were oak, maple and pine floors, along with beautiful stained glass windows and terra cotta fireplace mantles. It had 20 functioning rooms on two floors that were ornately decorated with tongue and grooved wainscoting and bevel edged mirrors. The depot was equipped with electricity, but it also included gas lighting. The total cost of the depot was $45,000 and Sam Hadley was the proprietor of the “cozy little barbershop” and Dan Harkins was in charge of the baggage room while George Hill oversaw the “check room.” Three transfer companies operated the depot at one time or another, all failing. James J. Hill’s Northern Pacific Railroad purchased the final transfer company in 1902. Northern Pacific stopped passenger service from the depot in 1927, but kept a ticket office there until 1954.
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In 1903, just after Hill purchased the transfer company, a new ticket agent started at the depot. Joseph Carroll, later known to most of Stillwater as “Papa” Joe Carroll would work and live at the depot for more than five decades. The depot went through many changes of occupants during its life. Morey Crotto operated the lunch counter starting in 1932. The ladies waiting room was converted into the bus depot in 1946. By 1952, the bus depot closed and the place was used by the St. Croix Valley Arts group until 1955. Russell Gilbert took over ownership of the depot in 1955 where he began his business called United Fabricators and Electronics [UFE]. He sold the depot to Hooley’s in 1959 when his new building on South Greeley Street was completed (which, of course, WCHS purchased and is the process of converting into the new Washington County Heritage Center). Hooley’s torn down the old depot in April 1960 to make way for a new and modern supermarket. It has been more than 50 years since the Union Station was hauled away from the skyline of Stillwater’s downtown. It is probably the most felt and grieved building that was lost in Stillwater, but not the only one. As Stillwater prepares itself for another transformation with the construction of the new St. Croix River Crossing, let us not lose sight of what once was and vow to not to lose anymore than we already have.
Railfan Events (Thanks to Rick Krenske, Joe Stark) Woodbury Flea Market by the Newport Model Railroad Club
Saturday Jan 17 2015 9:30AM – 2:00PM
Woodbury High school 2665 Woodlane Dr Woddbury MN 55125
$5 admission
All Aboard Night Trains Twin City Model RR Club www.tcmrm.org
Every Saturday night 6-9pm from November 29th 2014 through February 28 2015
Bandana Square 1021 Bandana Blvd E Suite 222 St Paul MN
$10 Children under 4 Free
18th annual Model Railroad Show & Sale
Jan 17,18 2015 9-5 PM Stevens Point Holiday Inn Convention Center Hotel 1001 Amber Ave Stevens Point WI 54482
$3 $2 kids ages 11-16
Great Tri-State Rail Sale www.4000foundation.com
Jan 31 2015 9-3pm La Crosse Center 2nd & Pearl Streets La Crosse WI
$5 Children under 12 free
Great Minnesota Train Expo www.gmte.net
April 25-26 2015 9-5 PM
Eagan Civic Center Arena 3870 Pilot Knob Rd Eagan MN
$5, Children under 8 free
4th Annual Model Railroad Train Show Southern Valley Railway Email: [email protected]
Aug 15,16 2015 P.E.M High School Gym 500 West Broadway Plainview MN
$5 Children under 12 free
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Northstar News 1515 Creek Meadow Dr NW Coon Rapids MN 55433 3768 Address Correction Requested
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