The SETOFFSETOFF

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN RAILCAR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION (NARCOA)

January/February 2005 Volume 19 - No. 1

Photo taken on the Indiana and Northeastern run, August 23, 2004, by Charlene Morvay

CPresident’s MessageO...... N T 2 OctoberE Run To CheeseN Country ...... 13T S Board of Directors Nominations ...... 3 Shortline Railroad Operators...... 22 Letters to the Editor ...... 4 An Unscientific Look At Miles Run ...... 24 From the Director’s Desk ...... 5 Wilderness Tours Acadian Adventure ...... 25 Safety Comments ...... 9 Want Ads ...... 29 Rule Book Changes Proposed...... 10 Excursions ...... 33 NARCOA Insurance Update ...... 10 NARCOA And The Jake Award ...... 35 Custom Built Update ...... 11 Roster ...... 36 Days Gone By ...... 12 Page 2 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Please submit materials President’s Message for the March/April issue of Kathy and I hope you all had a Happy Holiday season. The As you know the NARCOA Annual Meeting was held in early December at SETOFF the Wyndham Hotel near Chicago’s’ O’Hare Airport. A couple of you have by February 15 asked why we use that location. Basically, the central location and volume of as follows: air service into Chicago provides the least expensive location for our meeting. We have moved the dates forward to September 23 and 24, 2005. We will meet Classified Ads again at The Wyndham – O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. All NARCOA members Excursion Announcements are invited to attend this meeting. Letters to the Editor This issue of The SETOFF will not carry the minutes of the meeting. The Board All other materials does have the minutes in its possession for review, but due to holiday obliga- Photos tions of the entire board we cannot complete all approvals in time to meet this Charlene Morvay deadline. 17825 Route 8 Union City, PA 16438 We made a change in the way future runs are reported and included in The [email protected] SETOFF and NARCOA website. I wish to thank Bill Coulson for a fine job in working as a middle man during the past two to three years. How to submit runs and ads for The SETOFF and www.narcoa.org are available in this issue and on the web site. In this issue a request for comments on possible rule book changes is pre- sented by Jim McKeel. None are earth shattering; the Area Directors will appreciate your comments regarding these proposed changes. Thirty days after delivery of The SETOFF, the Area Directors will vote on the possible changes. If you participate in the feedback to your Area Director, we will have a better rule book. Our current rule book certification cards are due to expire on January 31, 2005. The expiration date has been extended to January 31, 2006. Excursion Coordinators please be aware that it is your responsibility to verify that all operators on your runs have a current rule book, certification card, and current NARCOA liability insurance. Operators must be prepared to show their cards at set-on. Operators may not run without these items in their possession. Coordinators also must be aware of any changes in operators during a run. The alternate operator must have their current rule book and insurance card in their possession as well. Points were assigned to two Excursion Coordinators for failure to follow this procedure. The Board did decide at the December meeting that the mentoring program is to be implemented as a requirement beginning June 1, 2005. While not all affiliates have completed their processing of the program, the board felt that the hurdles are surmountable and we look forward to all affiliates actively accepting this standardized mentoring procedure. A couple of Excursion Coordinators have expressed concern about having to mentor new operators on their runs. The program does not require every run to be a mentoring run. It does require all operators to be rule book certified, carry NARCOA liability insurance, and be mentored to operate after June 1, 2005. Affiliates do need to make mentoring sessions available for new operators where runs are appropriate and safe for the mentoring activity. Hank Brown – Chairperson of Operations Committee is working on recommended Safety Inspection forms to be published on the website and in The SETOFF. Again these are not mandatory, but are available to Excursion Coordinators if their affiliate does not have a standard form. A form is being created for both motorcars and hy- rails. An updated version of the rule book has been released; this is Version 5.2. A sticker will be issued to you via The SETOFF and the new version is available on the web site at http://narcoa.org/docs/rules/ RULEBOOK_VERSION_5.2.pd. Please keep an eye out for news of insurance in both the liability and property damage areas. Tom Norman is working closely with United Shortline to facilitate 2005 coverage. We know we have lost Lloyds of London as a re-insurer. While not the end, it does show how difficult coverage is to secure for our hobby and short line railroads. We are hoping to have new policy details in place to allow runs after February 1, 2005. At this time we are insured through January 31, 2005. Last, please take a moment to read Bob Knight’s column about “Winterizing your Motorcar”. With today’s fuels, our cars need a little extra care so they run well and continually through the year. Best regards and safe running, C. Patrick (Pat) Coleman, President The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 3

Board Of Directors Nominations Open Submitting Materials For Even-Number Area for Publication Nominations for Board of Directors for even-number areas are open until 1Materials received by the 15th of Feb- ruary, April, June, August, October or March 30, 2005. Incumbents are automatically nominated unless they de- December will appear in the following cline to run for another term. two–month issue, subject to editing for space. Include email address or phone Area 2 Joel Williams number. Area 4 Tom Falicon Area 6 Pat Rock 2Submit hard copy, photos or .jpeg images, clearly labeled as to sub- Area 8 Ken Annett ject and photographer. Area 10 Tom Norman 3Electronic submissions are preferred To be nominated, one must: for text. Be a member in good standing with NARCOA. 4We cannot reprint copyrighted mate- Be at least 18 years of age. rial without authorization. Include per- Be from the same area as the person nominating you. mission to reprint with all copyrighted materials. To nominate a member for the Board, first contact that person and verify that he/she will be willing to serve. Then send a letter informing me of the 5Originals are archived, not returned. nomination. Also at that time, the nominee should send a write-up of 100 Letters to the Editor must be signed to 150 words or less about him/herself to be put on the ballot. 6and include email address or phone number for authentication. “Name Voting will take place as in the past with all ballots received by July 31, withheld upon request” may be sub- 2005, being counted. Results will be announced in the September/October stituted when the letter is published. SETOFF. All such letters will be printed as dis- cussed in the NARCOA policy book. Carl L. Anderson, NARCOA 1330 Rosedale Lane Hoffman Estates, IL 60195 The email: [email protected] SETOFF Volume 19 Number 1

To order these inspection tools, Editor Charlene Morvay contact: 17825 Route 8 Union City, PA 16438 Hank Brown [email protected] 622 Oak Street Publisher Ernie Jeschke Cottage Grove WI 53527 4106 N. Adrian Hwy. Tel: (608) 839-4939 Adrian, MI 49221 email: [email protected] [email protected] NARCOA Joel Williams Membership Box 802 Lock Haven, PA 17745 INSPECTION TOOLS joel.williams@ earthlink.net Wheel profiles are $6.00 plus $4.25 for shipping; wheel calipers are $10.00 The SETOFF is the official publica- plus $5.65 for shipping. You can purchase both for $20.00 (includes tion of the North American Railcar shipping). Operators Association (NARCOA) and is published bimonthly to pro- The wheel profile is necessary to determine whether the wheel is flat. Often mote safe operation of railroad the wheel is very thin in the flange area and the profile will show that. It motorcars, and to encourage fellow- will show any wear that the wheel has between the flange and the flat ship and exchange of information section of the wheel. among motorcar enthusiasts. Mem- bership in NARCOA, which includes The gauge is necessary to determine whether there is enough thickness in a subscription to The SETOFF, is $24 per year and is available from Mem- the flange area to give a safe ride. NARCOA rules say that you must have bership Secretary Joel Williams at at least 1/8" in throughout the wheel to have a safe wheel. However, this the above address. does not guarantee that you will not “hunt” on the rails if you have a wheel that is flat or has no profile. Visit NARCOA’s Website at: http://www.narcoa.org Hank Brown Page 4 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Letters To Glad to see a letters section added to the Setoff! The Editor Quite an opener for the column, but I think the topic escaped. That would be the rights of the operators vs the rights of the meet coordinator, or the rights the MC has to override the rule book. Like it or not, no individual has the right to de- grade a group below the standards set within the rule book. When this hap- pens, it says that the person overriding the rule book doesn’t believe that the operators can perform within the guidelines that granted a license. That will never set well with anyone. How is it that a meet coordinator is given such power? I’ve said it before, a safe operator is a respected operator. Jerry Van Loo

Does any other area have as many meets or car miles recorded? It would be Do you have a comment, sug- interesting to log the car miles in each of the eleven areas and compare the gestion, or complaint? Here’s number of incidents over the years. Area 2 had meets on 16% of the railroads the place to air it. mentioned in the March/April SETOFF. Send your input to: It is said that meet attendance is down, but I have no data. Observation says that it is. Maybe that is because we run the same trackage year after year. It is not for [email protected] lack of trying because with six affiliates running meets in Area 2, there is compe- Please put LETTERS in the tition for access and for new railroads. There are always a few non-NARCOA subject line. meets, usually held on short notice on short segments of track. Prices remain as they have been at below $1 per RT mile generally. NOTE: Any views expressed or implied in this column are There has been discussion on what to do about attendance, with gas prices not those of the editor. being quoted as one significant reason. My own feeling is that features need to be added to attract people back for the fifth or sixth time. Catered lunches, plenty of bathroom facilities, museum tours, shop tours, and other things come to REMINDER: When submitting mind. Some affiliates are very good at arranging group rates at good hotels and photos and articles electroni- providing good maps and directions. Perhaps better “customer relations” would cally, please reduce the size improve attendance. One affiliate provides unpaid volunteer ground-based (from megabytes to kilobytes). flaggers so that the motorcars never have to flag themselves. My old country phone lines To add new trackage, I spent at least six months negotiating with a major rail- will not handle big files. road this year. The good news is that they did not charge us anything for use of ALTERNATIVE: Burn a CD the trackage and the set-on point was one of the best I have ever seen. The bad and snail-mail it to: news is that we had to pay ten or twelve of their employees for the day. In addition they wanted to inspect all cars a month ahead of time to ensure their Charlene Morvay equipment standards were met. I was never able to obtain any copy of the regu- 17825 Route 8 lations though. Oddly enough, they never discussed the insurance at all. I had Union City, PA 16438 provided them with full information on all aspects of NARCOA, a copy of The SETOFF with the list of 126 railroads toured, our rulebook, and a video that I put together. The plans were dropped because it would cost as much as $400 per car for a one day tour of less than 100 RT miles with no other features. It has not come to this yet! However if twenty operators can commit to this next year, the negotiations could be re-opened. Another “new trackage” meet is planned for spring. It will be a non-NARCOA K meet but all safety standards will be imposed. Yet another two-day meet on new trackage is planned but I am not the EC on it. Respectfully submitted, Richard Ray Area 2 Member The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 5

From The Director’s Desk Area 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT) by Warren Riccitelli

Happy New Year! It’s the beginning of a new year and I have to look at the past year and reflect a little. The most inspiring thing has to be the safety record that has continued here in the Northeast. We have been accident free since I have been in office and for years prior to that. My congratulations to all for being part of this accident-free group. I guess that the safety meetings have been a good sounding board for instilling safety in everyone (or is it that no one wants to hear AL?). Last year we added a few more railroads to our list. And this coming year looks to be an even better one for new railroads and more rides. The only problem I have seen is that with adding more runs, our head count average has dropped. Most of these runs have been run at a deficit. If you want more excursions, please support and participate in the ones that we are scheduling. Another great moment for me this year was the presentation by NERCA of the annual contribution of $350 to the Jake Safety Award. This award is sponsored by the NARCOA affiliates for the presentation of pins to the railroads awarded the Jake Award annually. NERCA as well as eight other affiliates contribute annually to make this program a success.

Area 2 (DE, MD, NJ, PA) by Joel Williams

The annual board meeting took place on December 3rd & 4th in Chicago. Various reports were given including the 2004 affiliate report. Six new affiliates were approved. Area 2 affiliates are: Appalachian rail excursions, Central Pennsylvania Excursions, Northern Central Railcar Association, Volunteer Railroaders Association. The membership report shows 1736 total members with Area 2 at 198 voting members. One of the topics we discussed is the gas tank rule (Page 6, #11). Members are confused about the wording so I proposed that we should change the wording to make it clear, or drop the mention of RED painted gas tank altogether. The board voted not to make any changes but a great hub-bub went out on the web that we changed the rule so gas tanks would now have to be painted red. No changes to the gas tank rule were voted in. The red color remains a recommendation, but not a requirement. We voted for a new rule about reverse movements because some operators are unfamiliar with the danger of running backwards without clearance. Of course, this should only be done with the meet coordinator’s permission. It was felt that this rule needs to be in the rulebook to educate operators. Who should be permitted to operate a motorcar? We discovered this is in need of clarification. Only certified insured operators should be at the controls even though a certified and insured person is aboard. This is what we represent to our insurance company and so must be followed. What about operator’s certifications that expire soon? The board decided that they would all be ex- tended another year since the rules have not changed except for some minor wording. Our insurance for 2005 is not yet nailed down. I used to say that this was the only insurance policy for railroad motorcars in the world, but I can’t say that anymore since the operators, down under, in Australia have insurance. But it’s still tough and Tom Norman is working hard to complete the deal. Insurance information will be sent as soon as we can. Page 6 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Area 3 (IN, MI, OH) by Bruce Carpenter

I survived my first Board Of Director’s meeting in Chicago! Having never been deeply involved with NARCOA’s governing body, I definitely have a new appreciation for what it’s all about! I’ve never been one to speak negatively about NARCOA or the B.O.D.’s actions or policies. I’ve supported them in the past and will continue to support them in the future. Now however, by seeing what it takes to implement such policies and rules, I know how difficult a very simple issue can become to deal with! Fortunately, we have a very strong Board, made up of highly moti- vated, railroad oriented members who share common goals of supplying our members with safe, well organized excursions, yet protect and govern our fragile hobby at the same time. I know, many complain about the quantity of rules and policies NARCOA has adopted over the years. Thank goodness a good set of policies and rules exist, as some precedent-setting decisions were made at this year’s meeting. Without going into a whole lot of detail, for the first time a member engaged in criminal trespassing with a Hy-Rail vehicle, was arrested, fined and received a five year suspension of all NARCOA privileges. Judiciary points dealt out this year involved regular members as well as a Board member. Although not perfect, the actions taken by the B.O.D. shows the integrity and fairness of the system currently in place. I think it;s important that the general membership learn two things about this years meeting: 1. bootlegging will not be tolerated, and 2. all members, including Board members, are treated equally! Local News: The 2004 season is over and we’ve had some great motorcar excursions. We rode at least three new railroads in three states. This is a testament to the commitment made by our excursion coordinators to keep digging up new lines to operate on. I only wish I could say we had a safety record to match the great excursion schedule. We had a couple of avoidable accidents that involved some minor injuries as well as an insurance claim. Although unfortunate, a lesson can be learned from both incidents! Do not become complacent with your motorcar. Be alert of your surroundings and track conditions at ALL times! Ohio Valley Railcars sent all current OVR members an early Christmas gift this year in the form of a safety vest. They had custom vests made with the OVR logo embroidered on the back, and mailed them out around Thanksgiv- ing. If you are an OVR member and did not receive a vest, let me know! Please plan to attend the Great Lakes Railcars annual meeting at the Hoosier Valley RR Museum in North Judson, Indiana on Jan. 8, 2005. After the meeting, there is a tentative motorcar excursion in the works. For further informa- tion, please contact Gary Greenwood. Although not in our area, the new Appalachian Rail Excursions affiliate has concluded their first season and although not all excursions were sold out, they had a great, safe, first year! Great job guys and good luck! Last I would like to thank Stan Conyer for the years of dedicated service he has provided to the NARCOA B.O.D.. Remember SAFETY should be your primary concern on and off the rails. See you all in 2005. Have a great New Year’s holiday.

NARCOA is taking orders for a dry erase marker boards, custom decorated for NARCOA. They feature full color photos of member’s motorcars and come with a solid oak frame. They are great for the shop, office or home. Would make a terrific gift for a host railroad or that special motorcar person in your life!

We need a minimum of 50 to place an order. We already have about 10 requests, so we’re 20% of the way there. The company manufacturing the boards, can custom design a special board for your individual affiliate. Ohio Valley Railcars has already purchased 50 boards to hand out to railroads and railroad contacts.

Specifications: Made in the USA and can withstand any dry erase marker on the market. They are magnetic and have an area to write down upcoming excursions, as well as a large area to write general notes. Size: 18" x 24" solid oak frame, with hanging hardware included. Price is $27.50 ($20.00 for board, $7.50 for shipping). Send check made out to NARCOA for $27.50 to:

Bruce Carpenter, 10241 Co. Rd 25A, Wapakoneta, Ohio 45895, email: [email protected] The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 7

Area 4 (KY, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) by Tom Falicon

Happy New Year Area 4! I’d like to wish that all of you out there in Area 4 land have the best year you’ve ever had in your life!! At the time I am writing this letter, I have just returned from Chicago, home of the 2004 NARCOA Board meeting. NARCOA Board members, committees and volunteers all came together to make this one of the most productive meetings I’ve ever attended. Many important issues were discussed and worked through during two full days of sessions. Stan Conyer and Jim McKeel, our two departing directors, were thanked for their hard work and our two new directors, Mark Springer and Bruce Carpenter, were welcomed and put right to work! Mark has already been doing a tremendous amount of work for us as the Judiciary Committee chair and as a former NARCOA Director-At-Large. Bruce fit right into our group and by mid-day it was as if he’d been there for years of meetings. As the meeting drew to a close, each of us felt that we had done our part in laying the foundation for a very positive upcoming motorcar season. Once again, it’s time for the even numbered NARCOA areas to hold elections for their directors. As I’ve said to you guys in the past, I really enjoy doing this job for you and I hope to continue doing it for many years to come. I’ve always made a good effort to keep you updated with Area 4 news in each issue of The SETOFF, and whenever I meet any of you at various motorcar excursions, I enjoy informing you of the latest NARCOA news. If you guys feel that someone else could do the job better, then let’s get that person nominated and voted into the job. But if you like the job that I do for you, please vote for me and show your support. Even if I am not running against an opponent, show your support by casting your vote for me. Let’s send Carl Anderson a record number of Area 4 votes for the 2005 election!

Area 5 (AL, GA, FL, MS) by Bobby Moreman

We in Area 5 are very proud of another successful and safe year. We had numerous motorcar excursions in Florida and Georgia throughout the year. Thanks to Jim Garner, Jimmy Garner, Keith Mackey, Charlie Pultz, and Dave Ferro for taking the time and effort to continue running their highly successful excursions. I also want to also thank Bill Stringfellow, Kenneth Huffines, Jim Hughes, Lola Hughes, Kathy Pultz, Brenda Moreman, and Sophie for their invaluable help in making my excursions so success- ful. While we had a injury free year, we did have some problems that have gone to the judicial committee and they have been adjudicated to my satisfaction. I just returned from our annual Board of Directors meeting in Chicago. It was the longest meeting that I have yet attended and probably the most successful. Unfortunately when I returned home to Chamblee, there already was misinformation about the decisions made at the BOD meeting. I just don’t have an answer to that. I would recommend to that small group that think the BOD is meeting in secret sessions and making decisions that are a detriment to our NARCOA group to take up a collection, have a mem- ber come to the BOD meeting in Chicago and tape record the meetings. Yes I know that will not work because another group will appear to say the first group is a fraud or something. BEST THING to do – at the next BOD meeting in September 2005 in Chicago, all members that can possibly attend, please come and make your voice heard. We listen. I look forward to another successful year in 2005 and wish all our members to be safe, healthy, and wise. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Page 8 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Area 10 (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY) by Tom Norman

As Area 10 director, I thought I would highlight some accomplishments of the excursion coordinators and NARCOA affiliates in Area 10. Area 10 consists of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Wyoming. Our area has 135 NARCOA members of which 72 are insured operators. The insured operators consist of 48 in Washington State, 33 in Oregon, 8 in Idaho, 5 in Montana, and 1 in Wyoming. Roughly 10% of NARCOA insured operators live in Area 10. NARCOA affiliates that have set up excursions in Area 10 include Motorcar Operators West, Pacific Railcar Operators, Southwest Railcar Ltd, Nehalem Bay Railway Speeders, and Wilderness Tours LLC. Excursions were held on at least 18 railroads in 2004, including Port of Tillamook Bay, Cascade & Columbia River, Willamette & Pacific, Lake County Railroad, Portland & Western, Tacoma Rail, Pend Oreille Valley Railroad, Central Montana Rail, City of Astoria, White Pass & Yukon, BG & CM Railroad, Central Oregon & Pacific, Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, Great Northwest Railroad, Rarus Railway, Saint Maries River Railroad, Puget Sound & Pacific, and the Alaska Railroad. In addition, our affiliates also had excursions in British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon, part of Area 8. This is quite an accomplishment, as most excursions take place during the summer season. We all need to thank the excursion coordinators and affiliates for their hard work in organizing, scheduling and coordinating these great events!

Area 11 (AZ, CA, HI, NM, NV, UT) by Pat Coleman

Are you ready for the upcoming runs this late Winter and Spring? When I first entered this hobby I was strongly counseled to drain fuel and oil over the winter or to make sure I ran the engine once a week during periods of inactivity. While not perfect in following this counsel I do the best I can and my motorcars respond in kind. I hear that in the West, we have a number of different fuel blends for local EPA considerations in reducing pollution. Some of these fuels are chemically detrimental to float bowls, fuel lines and other carburetion parts. If you don’t have the facilities to drain fuel at least add fuel stabilizers to your fuel tanks. Assuming we have insurance by mid-February it appears that we already have runs in planning if not confirmed stage for February and March. Thank you to all the Area 11 coordinators that work far ahead to insure runs are available for you on a variety of railroads. November 2004 saw the sad, but necessary selling off of Chuck Harrison motorcars, parts and equip- ment. Chuck and Marie have contributed much to our hobby. Cards and letters can be sent to: Chuck and Marie Harrison c/o Jeanie Karadanis 1125 S. Canton Lane Reno, NV 89521 This SETOFF issue has several possible rulebook changes that I will appreciate your comments on. Email is [email protected] and phone is 925-979-1030, fax is 925-979-1609. Best regards and safe running. The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 9

SAFETY COMMENTS - WINTER SHOP TIME by Bob Knight, Chairman, NARCOA Safety Committee Now that the helter-skelter of the holidays have passed and the motorcar season is at a slow ebb, we can now focus on “Shop Time” for our motorcar(s). I’m sure many have thought about a change or two you want to accomplish over this winter season. I have heard many speak of electrical and engine work, paint jobs, wheel changes and frame maintenance, just to mention a few. With your “shop time” how about adding to your “To Do List” some safety related items? Here are some for consideration: 1. Paint the brake control arm handle red or some part of it red for quick recognition in an emergency. 2. If you do not have a rear view mirror, consider installing one. 3. Consider installing a rear gas tank guard. 4. Check brake shoes for wear – replace if needed 5. Check your wheels for wear – use Rule #7 listed under motorcar mechanical standards as a guide. 6. If your car has a turntable, inspect it for loose parts and make sure the audible alarm is in good working order. 7. While checking the turntable, be sure you have the correct clearance above track rail heads (at least 2-1/2" minimum). 8. For your OWN SAFETY, remember to use proper ventilation when you use certain solvents, cleaners, paints, etc. Read the label Please understand that the above items are only suggestions and are meant to make you aware of safety thoughts while in your shop or garage. If you have more ideas please e-mail, write, or call the safety committee so we can share you thoughts and ideas with all our members. Have a great, safe winter season. P.S.: The final numbers are in now . . . and you veterans mentored 76 new and returning members. Way to go!!!

Speeder In The Garage Page 10 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Rulebook Changes Proposed by Jim McKeel Rules Committee Chair

The NARCOA Board of Directors discussed possible additions and changes to the current NARCOA rulebook at the 2004 annual Membership/Board of Directors meeting and proposed that two items be added to the rulebook. It has been proposed that a rule be added that addresses the operation of mo- torcars at NARCOA insured excursions by persons who do not have a current Certificate of Examina- tion card and/or current NARCOA insurance. This had been addressed in the insurance information paperwork in the past, but had not been included in the rulebook. The proposed rule would be added to Section II of the rulebook as Rule #20 and would read as follows: “20. OPERATOR CERTIFICATION / INSURANCE “All persons operating a motorcar or hy-rail vehicle on any NARCOA insured excursion must have successfully completed the NARCOA rulebook examination and obtained a NARCOA Certificate of Examination, and must have current NARCOA liability insurance coverage through the NARCOA in- surance program. All persons operating a motorcar or hy-rail vehicle on any NARCOA insured excur- sion must have a current Certificate of Examination card and a current NARCOA insurance card in his/ her possession. (Exception: persons designated by the railroad on which the excursion is being run who are in the performance of their duties as railroad liaison/escort.)” It has also been proposed that a restriction on reverse movements be included in the rulebook. This is already in place in the Operations Handbook in Section 4.1, E, 12; but it was felt that this was significant enough that it should be included in the rulebook as well. A reverse movement during an excursion that is made without adequate precautions in an area where there are visual obstructions could result in an unnecessary collision. There is really no change in operations with the addition of this rule, but it does make it more visible by placing it in the rulebook. The proposed rule would be added to Section II of the rulebook as Rule #21 and would read as follows: “21. REVERSE MOVEMENTS “Reverse movements are not permitted except as authorized by the Excursion Coordinator or his desig- nee.” Please forward any comments you might have on the addition of the two rules noted above to your Area Director within 30 days of the date of mailing of this newsletter. The Board of Directors will then take a final vote on the addition of these rules at the conclusion of the 30 day period allowed for your comments. Thank you for your consideration of the need for our continued safe operations and the need for continuing to present that image as we enjoy our excursions. This is necessary not only for each participants safety and well being, but also to ensure that we maintain that positive image to our insur- ance carrier and our host railroads.

NARCOA Insurance Still Pending by Tom Norman NARCOA Insurance Administrator

As of 12/15/04, the cutoff date for input to this issue of “The SETOFF”, I have not received a renewal proposal for the 2005 insurance program. Our insurance will expire on 1/31/05. I have received a Notice of Nonrenewal of Insurance from Lloyd’s London. The reason for nonrenewal is “discontinued program”. That means we must find another insurance company with a satisfactory Railroad Liability Insurance program. Once I receive a renewal proposal, I will make a special mailing to all NARCOA members, with insurance program details, and application forms. The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 11

CUSTOM-BUILT MOTORCAR COMMITTEE UPDATE by Tom Falicon

During the 2004 NARCOA Board Meeting, the Custom-Built Motorcar Guidelines were adopted by the Board as a reference item. Please make note that this text is only a set of guidelines for someone wishing to build a car or someone wanting more information on custom-building or highly modifying motor- cars. These guidelines ARE NOT a set of enforceable rules! They are for reference purposes only. The guidelines will be posted on the NARCOA website. They will also be included in the NARCOA Opera- tions Manual and if a member does not have internet access, the guidelines will be available from the committee chairman, Tom Falicon, by contacting him by mail or phone. The Custom-Built Motorcar Guidelines are an on-going piece of work, so if any of you ever come across information that you feel would be beneficial to include in our text, please feel free to forward it to Tom Falicon. Those of you that have previously requested the rough draft of our guidelines will have auto- matically been sent the revised final copy of the guidelines before you have read this column. I would like to thank the many NARCOA members and the Custom-Built Committee who all supplied me with their thoughts and information to get this text finalized. I would also like to thank Kenneth Huffines who converts the guidelines to a PDF file every time I change my mind and want to improve the text (and yes, those times are numerous!).

Unique Lawn Ornament

Harry Riblett writes: Thought your readers might like to see my use for my replica Sheffield hand car – a Christmas lawn ornament! The hand car hasn’t gotten much use re- cently, since our local tourist railroad (Wilmington and Western) is still recov- ering from hurricane damage. Best Wishes, Harry Riblett 416 Riblett Lane Wilmington, DE 19808 (302) 994-0479 Page 12 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Days Gone By by Charles and Carl Anderson

Railroading has been in our family a long time. Our grandfather, John Anderson, worked as a laborer on a section gang out of Colville, WA, for the Great Northern Railway, which led to our father working on the track also out of Colville, until he bid and got the section of Tonasket, WA. Charlie and I both graduated from Tonasket High School and also worked on the track as summer help while in high school. The song “Wreck of the B & A Speeder” was written by a neighbor after our grandfather and Bunge (the section foreman at Colville) had a mishap with the motor car. It jumped the tracks! Bunge had a reputation for running the motor car with the throttle wide open. Bunge is on the left, with the vest and tie. The Boss (our grandfather) is not in the picture, but our uncle John is the third from the right. He went on to be the section foreman in Anacortes, WA. Note the motor car looks like a hand pump car with a gas engine installed with a box covering it. How about the ride? Looks like 2” x 10” boards on each end which the men sat on. Hang on to those hats – that must have been a real thrill! Charles & Carl Anderson

WRECK OF THE B & A SPEEDER (to the tune of “Casey Jones”)

Said Bunge to Anderson “I’m going to let her go, Said Bunge to Anderson, “You’re losing your nerve, I used to drive a speeder on the B & O, Just see how pretty she took that curve. Forty years in a section shack, You bet your life she’s a damn fine car. Never had a hand car leave the track.” The Devil couldn’t wreck her with a tamping bar.” (chorus) (chorus) Bunge and Anderson working on the Railroad, All at once she left the rails, Anderson and Bunge both a feeling fine, Picks and shovels and dinner pails. Bunge and Anderson working on the Railroad, Went so high that they never got back. Riding a speeder on the B & A line. Two old jerries was laying on the track. Said Anderson to Bunge, “You’d better take it slow, (chorus) The old speeder’s out of kilter and the gasoline is low. Bunge shouted, “My God, are you dead?” If you don’t shut her down before you reach that switch, This was the only thing Anderson said: The whole damn business will go in the ditch.” “Take this message to that wife of mine, (chorus) She’ll have to get another Daddy for the B & A Line.” The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 13

October Run to Cheese Country by Steve Hauff

Pacific Railcar Operators organized an October 9th/10th, 2004 run on the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (Oregon) from Buxton to the coast at Tillamook (and the renowned cheese factory). Run- ning in October in the Pacific Northwest almost always guarantees exquisite scenery, highly change- able weather, and a trip that is more of an adventure than simply a motor car ride. The Railroad The line was originally built in the years 1902 to 1911. The construction took place under the corporate name of Pacific Railway and Navigation Company – a Southern Pacific subsidiary. The parent company took over the line in July, 1915 and operated it until 1990, when the railroad was sold to the Port of Tillamook Bay. The line is currently operated by the Port, and boasts significant freight traffic and an excursion train. The Port also has a quarry on the line which generates occa- sional rock trains. Six-axle EMD locomotives are the mainstay motive power, generally run in groups of at least four locomotives. Our seton/setoff point, Buxton, is situated at the western edge of Willamette Valley, at an elevation of about 260 feet. To make it to the coast, the railroad had to cross two summits, one about 8½ miles west of Buxton at Tun- nel 25 (about 1100 foot elevation) and the major summit at Cochran – elevation 1824 feet.

It was mid-1924 when this photo was taken at the now-extinct station at Salmonberry. The 175 foot steel span had just been finished, replacing one of the wood Howe trusses that had been installed when the line was built. At the far right is the passenger train to Tillamook – a pair of coaches and two head-end cars, most likely being pulled by a ten- wheeler. Long-gone are steam locos and scheduled passenger runs, but the bridge is still extant and still carries freight as well as passengers on the line’s excursion train. (Photo from the collection of Tom Hampton)

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Wood was available, plentiful and cheap during the construction of the railroad. Large ravines such as this one near Reliance, gullies and rivers were all spanned with wood structures for both their convenience and economy. By the 1920s, however, the structures had outlived their usefulness and were rapidly replaced. (Photo from the collection of Tom Hampton.)

The average grade from Buxton to Tunnel 25 is about 1.9%. From Timber to Cochran the average grade is 2.3%, with many areas significantly steeper – the belt drive cars were very aware of the grade! Surmounting the Coast Range was accomplished by building many large bridges and boring ten tunnels, with an aggregate length of 4700 feet – the longest being Tunnel 25 at the first summit, with a length of just over 1400 feet. The height of the bridges was often deceiving. The area was logged primarily in the ‘20s and ‘30s and the intervening decades have allowed significant stands of Douglas Fir and Hemlock to re-establish themselves along the line. It is only when you peer downward when crossing a bridge that you become aware that the trees which are surrounding you are rooted in the ravine more than 100 feet below. After the summit at Cochran, the line follows the drainage of the Salmonberry River and then the Nehalem River to Nehalem Bay and tidewater at the town of Wheeler. At Wheeler, the line turns south, through Brighton, Manhattan Beach, Rockaway, Saltair, Garibaldi, and Miami (yes, there is a Miami in Oregon), before arriving in Tillamook.

Although not evident today, the area around Reliance was clear-cut when this photo was taken in 1924. The size of the bridge is impressive, well over 100 feet tall and over 400 feet in length. Today there is no vantage point to see the ridge. Tall conifers line both sides of the bridge and you are only mildly aware of the size of the structure as you pass over it. (Photo from the collection of Tom Hampton)

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The Run October in western Oregon can be damp. There are those that would argue that just about anytime in western Oregon can be damp. Suffice it to say that as we drove from the Portland area toward our seton point at Buxton, most of us experienced our share of raindrops. Seton was scheduled for the unusually civilized hour of 8 AM, and as luck would have it, about 7:30 the clouds parted and provided a dry period long enough to get the cars on the track. Buxton is a far from ideal place to set on a large number of cars – its use was necessitated by freight operations in the normal starting station at Banks. The seton points are minimal and parking for vehicles is severely limited. It was interesting to note that virtually everyone recognized that the process was going to be tough and pitched in to help smooth it out in any way possible. Getting the entire herd of 27 cars, two trailers and a hi-railer on the track proved to be unexpectedly easy. After the safety meeting, we headed west. There’s no warm-up for the grade, it starts immediately from Buxton. Although the rails were wet – and slippery – the participants were dry, the result of the unexpected hiatus from the showers. Not long into the run, however, the rain started again and we watched the scenery roll by through the strokes of our windshield wipers. We quickly found that the weather pattern for the day was going to be intermittent showers – but relatively warm, for October. The scenery quickly became beautiful. Mile after mile of mature conifer forest surrounded the railroad - with enough maples and alders to provide color. In some areas, the fallen leaves covered the ties with only the two ribbons of steel protruding through. In areas where the leaves were still dry, the motor cars kicked-up a wave of debris that followed the speeders. Safety note: Squashed leaves and rain on the railhead make for unbelievably slick rail. The cars just don’t stop. Long following distances and flagging far in advance of stopped cars are an absolute necessity. (There is, however, a strange feeling of power when a tired, old, underpowered, two-stroke car spins its wheels in the middle of one of the upgrades.)

The seton/setoff at Buxton was a challenge. Parking was tight, maneuvering room was limited and places to put the cars on totaled two. Still, through great cooperation and coordination, the task was completed safely and quickly. (Photo by Mary Hauff)

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The run provided participants with about 4700 feet of underground running. The ten tunnels varied greatly in length from under 200 feet to over a quarter mile. The tunnels also provided a short course in construc- tion methods, with sections of the tunnels being unlined, wood-lined, concrete-lined or gunited. A short pause to reverse into a passing siding illustrated why two-cycle cars should be kept moving in confined spaces. The still air of the tunnel allowed the blue pall of two-cycle exhaust to rap- idly fill the bore. Despite the protestations of the four-stroke contingent, the two- bangers knew that they had performed the valuable task of mosquito control in the tunnel. We made several stops on our way to Enright and our planned meet with the ex- cursion train. At each stop, the rain abated long enough for us to complete our social obligations (make it to the portable facility). The stop at Enright was about an hour and enabled us to grab our lunches and dine with our fellow travelers – until the squall hit. Then it was back to the cars, close the doors – or pull the side curtains – and con- template the fact that it occasionally rains – hard – in Oregon. As luck would have it, when the excursion train approached, the weather cleared and we were able to greet the passengers looking somewhat better than drowned rats. I rationalized to myself that the excursionists in the dining car, nibbling on their prime rib, and washing it down with a fine Oregon red, were envious of us in the speeders, standing there in our rain gear, munching on granola bars. Oh well, it made me feel better at the time.

West of Salmonberry, the railroad joins the Nehalem River. The valley is bucolic, an occasional farm or stump ranch nestled among the trees. By October, the maple and alder were starting to lose their leaves and a thin blanket of fallen foliage covered the ties. Many of the trees were starting to sport yellow plumage and the low sun cast deep shadows.

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Mildly unorthodox in its paint scheme – though immediately recognizable – the pink and black “Pink Phink” (aka “Barbie- Car” or “Mary Kay”) provided an alternative to the generally modest paint schemes. The Fairmont C-7 (Canadian M-14) is owned and often operated by Samantha Hauff, who at 25 years of age, has been with the hobby for 20 years.

The run down the Salmonberry and Nehalem Rivers to Wheeler was filled with more spectacular scenery which we were able to enjoy without getting soaked. At Wheeler, we stopped at the excursion train depot and descended, almost en masse, on the espresso stand across the street. Wheeler, like most of the Oregon coastal towns is a tourist mecca during the summer (and fall) months. Those of us who stayed with the cars fielded a barrage of questions from mystified tourists wandering the trail that paralleled the railroad. The dialog generally went something like this: “This is the only one that’s pink. Why is it pink?” “It’s my daughter’s and she wanted a pink car. We’re a very color-liberal group.” “Aren’t there trains on these tracks? Aren’t you afraid of being hit?” “We have found that 5000 ton trains and 1500 pound speeders should not occupy the same point in the space/time continuum. We stay out of their way.” “If it’s raining, don’t you get wet?” “Sometimes.” “If it’s cold, don’t you get chilly?” (Teeth chattering) “Sometimes.” “Then, why do you do it?’ “Because it’s great fun, with wonderful people… and it’s one of the few times I can get away with wearing ear plugs around my wife.” (Wife interjecting) “Say that again.” (Pointing to ear) “Sorry dear, can’t hear you.”

All 27 motor cars, two trailers and a hy-rail truck bunched together for a photo on one of the trestles. Several of the trestles were long enough to accommodate the entire speeder group. (Photo by Bill Coulson)

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From high in the air, to under the ground in a matter of a few feet. The roughness of the ter- rain through which the railroad was built is evi- denced by the proximity of a tall trestle to a tun- nel. Construction of the railroad was no easy task and present day operations are a constant chal- lenge to the train crews.

Sentinel to a bygone era, a steel water tank still stands at Enright. The pull to the summit was significant and in steam days, helper locos were often found on the trains. Posed in front of the tank is B.J. King’s Kalamazoo 56-ON, of Milwaukee Road heritage. (Photo by B.J. King)

At every stop, the “place to meet and greet” was the line for the portable facility. The Tillamook line runs through largely uninhabited territory so the portable convenience became a very popular place. (Photo by Mary Hauff)

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From Wheeler south, the line runs through a succession of towns, with dozens of road crossings. Puzzled residents and visitors waved at us from almost every corner as we moved in fits and starts through the populated areas. The largest town between Wheeler and Tillamook is Garibaldi, where we’d ultimately tie up for the night. By the time we reached Garibaldi, the rain had again started and we made the last nine miles peering past our windshield wipers. At Tillamook, we stopped at the back fence of the cheese factory and a contingent bailed off the cars for the two block walk to the factory visitor’s center. Luck was again with us and we were treated to a spectacular double rainbow and only slight precipitation. The break in the weather allowed the cars to be turned on the portable turntable rapidly, safely, and most importantly – without getting soaked. After collecting the entire group we retraced our steps to Garibaldi and put the cars, and ourselves, to bed for the night. Having a motel directly across the street from the rail line facilitated easy parking of the speeders. Sunday morning dawned with no rain, but the temperature had dropped and a thick coastal fog blanketed Garibaldi. Despite the lack of precipitation, it was cold and wet. The minor discomfort actually proved to be an asset, providing incentive to get loaded, have our safety meeting and get underway. We found out that there was to be a freight extra run and we would have to move briskly to make the pass at Enright. We were rolling with little delay.

Turning point for the run was at the cheese factory at Tillamook. We had a portable turntable – compliments of the A-4 – and used it to turn all the cars. It is amazing how quickly 27 cars can be turned. (Photo by Mary Hauff)

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The ride from the summit to Tillamook was punctuated by periods of rather heavy precipitation. At Tillamook, however, the clouds parted long enough to treat us to a spectacular rainbow – although doubters still kept the raingear on. (Photo by Mary Hauff)

Fog presents some interesting problems for speeders. We were fortunate that the fog was not thick enough to cause major external visibility problems, but we quickly found that windshield defroster systems on motor cars tend to be lacking. It was several miles before we were able to quit our constant wiping of the windshield. Arguably more annoying was the fact that the aluminum roof condenses the fog on the inside, so that at every rough track joint, the speeder rained inside. The first occurrence of the internal precip was greeted with glances of “Where’d that come from?” A quick look up revealed a lot more water waiting for its chance to rain on our parade. A preemptive towel strike by the whole crew solved the problem. Moral to this story … If the car has been out overnight in cool, damp weather, look up! The run to Enright was made briskly and without incident. The scenery was even better than the previous day, being highlighted by bright sunlight. After the meet with the freight train, we crested the hill and drifted down to Timber where we were treated to a wigwag highway crossing signal still in operation. These relics of 70 years ago are rapidly becoming extinct and are certainly worthy of inspection. The final miles to Buxton were almost anticlimactic. The weather and scenery were beautiful, the cars were all running well and most of the mileage was a long drift downgrade – a relaxing finis to the trip. The setoff was unique. The parking difficulties at Buxton had jumbled the trailers and tow vehicles – they were certainly not in the order of the speeders. Common sense again prevailed, and as a tow rig was extracted from the parking lot, the speeders were shuffled back and forth across the cross- ing to get to the correct car. The setoff proceeded with little loss of time and no loss of temper – thank heavens for a congenial group! It was a wonderful trip. Special thanks to B.J. King and Rory Moore, our meet coordinators for putting on a great run. NOTE: The participants on this run should also be thanked for their gracious $275 donation to the Jake Safety Fund.

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In the 1920s, the Magnetic Signal Company was heavily marketing its “Magnetic Wigwag Flagman” highway crossing signal. By the late ‘20s, the device had become the standard crossing signal (for major highways) in California and was being adopted by several of the transcontinental railroads. In addition to the swinging light, a gong provided an audible warning. In 1928 one could purchase all the parts necessary for a single crossing for the princely sum of $550.

Guy Howard’s Fairmont ST-2 poses with one of the rare finds on the trip – a working wigwag crossing signal. The signal is located at Timber, Oregon, and is the last one on the line. The ST-2 was one of four belt-drive cars that braved the elements on the run. During stops that occurred in the rain, there was a lot of electric-starter envy going on. Page 22 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Short Line Railroad Operators Recognize Value of Organized Motorcar Clubs & Activities by Larry Bowler For owners and operators of short-line railroads, the deci- sion of what to do with branches that are no longer used is of concern. Simple abandonment of the tracks and right- of-way are frequently not an acceptable consideration. Although the price of salvaged rails is increasing, there is practical and emotional reluctance on the part of railroad- ers, who have lived railroading for years, to abandon a cor- ridor. Residential neighbors to the corridor frequently have a love- hate relationship to the tracks. There develops a sense of ownership for “their” rails, a phenomena based in part upon the mystique of rail travel. Airport management recognizes this mystique with some of those who enjoy “hanging around” around the airport environment. There is some- thing that draws people to the mystique of travel, whether by train or by airplane. Most often neighbors to rail corridor’s do not want to see a resumption of frequent railroad traffic with it’s noise and whistles on corridors that have been inactive for extended periods of time. They do, however, like the existence of the rails. Rails seem to add to the ambience of their communi- ties. Short line railroad operators, who are concerned with neigh- borly relations, are frequently willing to make an effort to satisfy their neighbors while protecting their rail resources. This creates a dilemma that procrastination will not solve. The Recreational Railroad Coalition Inc. (RRC) was cre- ated recently in California to present an option for short line railroads facing this issue. Drawing from the commu- nity of recreational rail motorcar operators, RRC has orga- nized to make opportunities for it’s adherents to put life back onto otherwise dormant rails in the form of “speeder cars.” The Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad (ST&E) owns a 10-mile branch from its yard in Stockton to the agricultural village of Linden, Calif. This Linden Branch has not seen freight service for nearly 20 years. It had become a liability to the railroad company and an eyesore to the community of 74 neighbors along the right of way. RRC approached ST&E and made an offer to lease the branch, cut the trees which had grown in the center of the tracks and the weeds alongside, clear and upgrade the crossings, ties and rails to a standard which would facilitate the comparably light weight of the privately owned rail motorcars and to put a rolling presence on the tracks. continued . . . The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 23

The activities of operating motor- cars established a security presence for the company and has served to discourage trespassing, dumping and the myriad of violations to their private property and right of way. In addition to this service the pres- ence of RRC has reestablished a life form on these formerly dead tracks. Residents and neighbors wave a welcome to the colorful motorcars as they pass by on “their” tracks. The Linden Branch has been trans- formed from a public relations li- ability to a welcome recreational railroad corridor.

Larry Bowler (foreground) cleaning up the right-of-way on the Linden Branch.

The question of insurance is dealt with in the package offered by the North American Rail Car Operators of America, a national association. NARCOA requires all members of legitimate regional motorcar clubs, (there are four on the West Coast) to be licensed and insured under a commercial general liability insurance program, designed to protect the NARCOA member and the railroad company from liability. This insurance program provides a $10,000,000 per occurrence liability limit with a $20,000,000 general aggregate. RRC is not a motorcar club but a coalition of individual members of legitimate, certified clubs. Club membership, licensing and insurance are a prerequisite to operating a rail motorcar on the Linden Branch. To obtain a license an operator must take a written test and demonstrate practical profi- ciency and safe practices to the satisfaction of an assigned mentor. Safety supercedes all other considerations while on the rails. Not only with the operation of the railcar but with any personal movement in proximity to the rails. RRC works closely with the railroad in exercising its maintenance of way responsibilities. Many motorcar operators are profes- sional, fulltime, railroad employees. In exchange for the security, public relations, light maintenance of way and rebirth of life to other- wise dead tracks, the ST&E railroad company grants access for recreational railroad use, a mutu- ally satisfying trade-off and an option to the dilemma of what to do with unused and unsightly tracks. Larry Bowler, President RRC h Page 24 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

An Unscientific Look At How Many Miles A Typical Operator Ran In 2003 by Kenneth Huffines

Some motorcar operators keep a logbook for their railroad miles. Typical entries contain the date, railroad, mileposts for start and turn-around, and other notes important at the time. I thought it would be interesting to gather everyone’s miles and compare the data. A “call for miles” was published in The SETOFF and the speeders e-mail list in early 2004, asking for your 2003 data. The number of responses was low. Of NARCOA’s 836 insured operators for 2003, only 34 re- sponded with data. This is just 4%, hardly a scientific sample, nor representative of NARCOA in whole. But it will have to do. (There were more than a few folks who replied they didn’t keep a log, but thought it a good idea and would start.) Responses ranged from 40 to 4,400 miles. Some were exact to the tenth of a mile, others were more relaxed. Obviously there is no “typical” operator, as some folks go on many excursions while oth- ers do one or two a year. Responses were divided into 500 mile categories (0-500, 501-1000, etc). As might be expected, there are more responses in the lower groupings, with 50% occurring in the first three categories. The average of the 34 replies was 1,641 miles.

CATEGORY (miles) NUMBER % OF OVERALL 0-500 9 26.5% 501-1000 5 14.7% 1001-1500 3 8.8% 1501-2000 5 14.7% 2001-2500 2 5.9% 2501-3000 4 11.8% 3001-3500 1 2.9% 3501-4000 2 5.9% 4001-4500 3 8.8% The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 25

Wildness Tours Acadian Adventure – October 3-9, 2004 By Alan and Karen Wilber

Our adventure started out in Windsor, Nova Scotia, the pumpkin capital of the world. Windsor was having its pumpkin festival. Some of us arrived early to join in on the festivities and tour the area. The following is a photo- type tour of our trip. Over the years, Hank and Carol Brown’s Wilderness Tours have coordinated many excellent excursions. Hank and Carol are not planning on hosting any excursions for 2005. They are going to take the year off but do plan to attend excursions put on by fellow participants of their excursions. They are working on some new and exciting tours for 2006. Karen doesn’t want to wish a year away – but she’s looking forward to 2006 and another year of Hank and Carol Brown’s Wilderness Tours.

At the fairgrounds they were having the pumpkin John Kemmet and Sharon Smith at Long Pond where weigh-off. Checking out the judging for the heaviest the first recorded hockey game was played in 1800. I pumpkin is Karen Wilber. The winner was a whop- think John said he was there when they played the first ping 1101 pounds. A week later, they take these large game. pumpkins, cut the tops off and make boats for their pumpkin regatta.

Hank and Fred along with the pilot from Windsor and Our group stops at the Acadian Cross, the site where Hantsport Railroad giving our safety talk. 6500 Acadians were deported to France in the fall of 1755. The 3000 acres of farm land in front of this monu- ment are below sea level. They built dikes with sluices with one way valves to drain the land with help from the 35-45 foot tides. Page 26 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

Our next stop was Hopewell Rocks that is near Set on at Salem & Hillsborough RR . Hillsborough, New Brunswick our next rail trip. Below are the flower pots at Hopewell Rocks at mid tide. The tides in this area are some of the highest in the world.

After setting on, we visited their maintenance shop. They also had a steam engine that needs rebuilding. Their tractor with steel wheels was set up for mowing the right of way.

After our tour we were treated to breakfast in their din- After we left the station at Hillsborough we followed ing car and were served by the mayor of Hillsborough, the Petitcodiac River then we headed inland and cross Ms. Bennett. Hiram Creek wood trestle. The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 27

At our stop at Salem Station we noticed we were riding The next stop on our Acadia adventure takes us to on rails that were rolled in 1903. We also saw 1935 date Antigonish Nova Scotia and the Cape Breton RR. Hank nails. The rails were in good shape for being that old. & Fred and our pilot giving us our usual safety talk. The track (after Salem) is not used for their standard excursions. This area has not been maintained over the years, and is overgrown with brush.

Also on this trip we had from Virginia, Al Freed with We travel along St. Georges Bay on welded rail. This his 1956 Pontiac Hy-Rail. track is used by Canadian VIA Rail.

Crossing at Canso Causeway into Cape Breton. We then cross over the Narrows at Barra Strait. Page 28 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

At the end of the day, we arrived in Sydney. The next We sat around an underground garden used by the day took us to the Miner’s Museum. A guided tour was miners to eat their lunches. They used these spots to given by a retired coal miner who started working in brighten up their days since they went to work and the mines when he was nine. Some of these mines go up returned home in the dark. to seven miles under the ocean. Our guide demonstrates drilling holes for blasting.

After the Miner’s Museum tour we moved on to Fortress Louisbourg for a tour of this reconstructed 1744 national historic site. Mad dog filming our tour.

On our way back to Antigonish we passed by Bras d’Or At Orangedale, we watched a 24 year old girl load a Lake. pulp wood train. We were told she had been doing this for the past four years. The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 29

Want Ads The SETOFF is happy to print all ads received from members. There is no charge for placing an ad. All ads will run for three issues; please notify if item is sold. No full page ads are accepted. Send ads directly to Charlene Morvay, 17825 Route 8, Union City, PA 16438 or email: setoff @velocity.net For Sale For Sale For Sale

Fairmont MT-19 with Trailer – Car has Fairbanks-Morse 40-B Railroad Mo- Two Fairmont - M19’s - The first is an a fiberglass cab shell. Asking $1,500. tor Car, two cylinder aircooled engine, open car with spare cab. Price $1500 Contact Carlos Bast 2503 Pheasant friction drive. Car in running order and firm, and the second M19 is a closed Ridge Trail apartment # 4 Madison, all in original form as when retired cab with sanders. Price $1900 firm. WI 53713, or phone: (608) 274-9881 from the Winston-Salem Southbound Both cars ran last year. Contact Bill MA05 Railway. Also an original turntable Young, R4 Box 230 Bruceton Mills, WV goes with car. Price is $2150.00 for 26525 Tel: (304) 379-7784 or email: MOTOR CAR PARTS ASSORTMENT- I both items. [email protected] JF05 am closing out some of my last re- maining motorcar parts: One, former Fairmont Railway Motorcar Master OEM Fairmont brake shoes – for 16 Canadian MT-19 fiberglass cab body M2 and a predecessor to S2 style. Belt inch wheels. These are original new in good condition. Includes doors and driven, 20 inch wheels, metal front Fairmont brake shoes, shoes only, no windows. Could be adapted to make with 2 windows, metal running wood blocks with Fairmont part num- either an enclosed “M” or “MT” 19. boards, 8 HP, Type HP QBA, Group E, bers. I have four different shoes, Price $250.00 FOB Norfolk, VA; One, Special 1, Mak HP 13, Engine #82573. M16397 for MT-14, MT-19, M-14, M-19, Fairmont M-19 frame, frame members Car in running order and all in origi- M-19-W for icebreaker wheels, are straight and have good floor pans. nal form as when retired from the M16411 with steel insert, and M16385 Has front and rear safety railings and High Point, Thomasville & Denton RR for A3, A4, and A5 cars. I have many includes the motor box tunnel enclo- Co. An original turntable goes with car. shoes in all four sizes. Price is $7.50 sure. Does not have axles or wheels. One piece of turntable missing. Price each for M16411, $10.00 each for No top panel. Could be converted into is $2150.00 for both items. Contact M16397 and M-19-W, and $15.00 each a MT-19 or used to start a home-built Ray Hinkle, P.O. Box 1127, Welcome, for M16385, plus shipping. Contact speeder. Price $500.00, FOB Norfolk, N.C. 27374 or Tele- 336-731-4231 or Dave Sigafoose P.O. Box 5328, North VA; Two railroad shop built trailer-car email [email protected]. Branch, NJ 08876-1303. Tel: (908) frames with axles and wheels. No MA05 625-6282 or email: bodies on either. Price $750.00, FOB [email protected] JF05 Blue Ridge, Ga. I Have pictures of all Fairmont Sale – I have several M19 items for highly interested buyers. and M14 cars for sale at $5,000 each. Contact Hugh Cain, e-mail: Also available are several cabs and Parts etc. – MT-14 parts car, SP mo- [email protected] MA05 turntables. Cars are in the 254800 S/ tor car semaphore block signals (see N series and from the Union Pacific July/Aug 2003 SETOFF), MT-19 Cana- Fairmont MT-19 – Retired Southern Railroad. I also have one ST2AA4-2 dian cab, new 20 HP Briggs and trans- Pacific car with good running engine. car available. Contact Richard mission, near new brake shoes for 40-psi oil pressure, Fairmont hydrau- Erickson, P.O. Box 220 Wallsburg, MT-19, complete M-19, and US&S style lic turntable, new seats, brakes, en- Utah 84082. Tel: (435) 654-3570 “B” semaphore parts. Call or write for gine cover, battery. Car is NARCOA MA05 prices. Dave Myers 928-567-6285, ready with excellent wheels (1/4"), [email protected] JF05 flashing stop light, headlight, horn, fire Fairmont A-3 D-2 – This small gang extinguisher, electric fuel pump and car is equipped with all required safety Electric Winch – Superwinch model tow bar. Doors and frames are in- equipment. It also comes equipped S4500 rated at 4500lbs. This 12-volt cluded, just needs paint and you’re with rotating beacons and a loud air electric winch is capable of lowering ready to go! Price $5500 Firm. Please horn. It has a metal roof with front, rear and raising your MT-14 or MT-19 or email for more info and photos. Con- and side curtains. Out front is an extra any car or item up to 4,500 lbs. Winch tact Richard Pope Apple Valley, CA Tel: large running light for tunnels. Inside has power in and out. Located in the (760) 240-3485 or email: there is ample overhead stowage, San Fancisco Bay area. Asking price [email protected] MA05 safety belts for all seats, and wiring for a radio. This car has been oper- $350.00. Contact Rich Corbell Tel ated on over 20 runs with no (650) 756-5435 or email: breakdowns. Asking $6,500. Contact [email protected] Keith Trouette at Fax: (707) 468-7484 JF05 or email: [email protected] JF05 Page 30 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

For Sale For Sale For Sale

Four Fairmont motorcars – M-19 Woodings CBL - Motorcar comes 2001 Nomad Sport Wagon 5th Wheel open “flat-top”, barn stored 10+ years. complete with a Tecumseh 18HP en- Travel Trailer - This is a 34 foot toy Compression and spark tested. Price gine, good profile wheels, all brake box trailer manufactured by Skyline $1200. CR-7, built 7-2-43. Open “flat- riggings, wiper motors, running lights Homes. The 9300 lb trailer has a top.” Engine rebuilt, car rebuilt. New and a complete dash cluster. This car 15000 GVWR rating that offers a spa- wire, brakes, sheet metal, lights, horn, is all-original but does need lift bars cious bedroom with a double bed and paint. 12-volt system. No seats. Nice and slight fiberglass work. Photos are closets. The center compartment pro- car with no problems. Price $1800. available. Asking price is $1,600 US vides a full accessory kitchen; four Have front and roof for same, $200 or CDN equivalent. Car is located in seat dining area, and a couch. The each. M19AA built 7-1-81. As found southern British Columbia, 3.5 hours rear section is equipped with standard on the British Columbia Railroad, north of Spokane, Washington. Car is and narrow gauge rails with an elec- Kootenay Division. Road Master’s car. “ sold as is where is”. Please do not tric winch that can accommodate “A” No curtains. One seat. Alternator miss- hesitate to contact me for further de- type motorcars. The Chuck Harrison ing. Needs work. Price $1400. M19AA tails. Contact: Terry Baumann Nelson, family wishes to sell the trailer for built 5-20-58. Chicago, Burlington and BC Canada Tele: (250) 229-4474 or $22000. However, the selling price is Quincy Railroad. New gaskets/seals. e-mail [email protected] JF05 negotiable. The trailer was used three Ports cleaned. Honed out. New tim- times and is located in Las Vegas, ing. Frame apart and sandblasted. Nevada. Interested persons can con- Canadian Fairmont MT-14L/trailer - Front and top. No curtains. No seats. tact Jeanie Karadanis at (775) 849- Railcar includes an Onan CCKB two Ready to put back together. Will be nice 7741 or Cel (775)-250-6012 for cylinder four-stroke engine, two-speed $2000. All cars are located in Everett, details. JF05 transmission, a double chain drive WA, 30-miles North of Seattle. Con- and a fiberglass cab with tinted glass tact Bruce Ferguson (425) 277-5228. Fairmont MT14 L2 and Trailer – This windows installed. This car will be JF05 is a narrow gauge motorcar. Car is found with good profile wheels, new painted red. It is in wonderful shape double drive chain, fuel pump, strobe and comes with lots of goodies. In- Fairmont S-2 motorcar – Parted out, light, new carburetor, new battery, new cluded is a Les King turntable, new the engine, frame, wheels and axles brake riggings, USFS spark arrestor, wheels, LED lighting, wigwags, strobe are gone. I have the cab parts, rear new bumpers, hitches, tow bar, alu- beacon, side curtains and a narrow safety rail, control panel and brake minum lift bars, seats and seat belts gauge trailer. Asking $10,500 for both idler pulley parts etc. All parts reason- This excellent retired Canadian Pa- of them. I can deliver to the Wheeling ably priced and serviceable. Also avail- cific unit has completed thousands of and Lake Erie area. Please call if you able is a new S-2 blade pulley (M- miles. Car has a PRO safety decal are interested. Contact Jaime 37071A) price $60.00 and a rear hitch and comes NARCOA ready with all Samuell Tel: (740) 427-4444 or email (48745) for $15.00. All items are FOB mandatory items installed. Car comes [email protected] Reno, Nevada. Contact Fred Lienhard with many spare parts and complete JF05 Tel: (775) 323-0928. JF05 Fairmont and CP histories. Serial and engine numbers match. Also available is a factory built 2003 12’ tilt single Fairmont MT19 B1 - Solid good run- axle trailer, 3,500 lbs axle, treated deck ning unrestored Canadian car with the Fairbanks Morse 40B – This ex Nor- newest Onan engine. Car tracks great folk and Western Railroad car has with 12” sides, front mounted winch, 15” tires with white spoke wheels, two and is completely NARCOA ready. new brakes, wheels, wheel bearings, Comes with a one-car trailer. Asking chain, friction wheel, spark arrestors, inch coupler, front tongue jack, seven- way RV plug and two good tie straps. price $4500.00. Car is located in Iowa. carburetor and fork lift seats. The en- Contact Brian Freeman Tel: gine was overhauled and has new The MT-14 is priced at $4,500 and the trailer at $1,100. Take the whole set- (515) 287-3599 or email rings, bearings, valve job and an over- [email protected] JF05 hauled magneto. This engine starts up home for $5,600 for a ready to roll easily and runs very well. Car includes package deal. The installed two-way radio and antenna are not included at railroad added cab front and roof. . I’ve Fairmont M9 G - Ten year old restora- operated this car on several excur- this price. Both items are “sold as is where is” condition. All sales are in tion on an ex IC car. Good solid ROC sions in California with no problems motor that still runs the correct 6-volt at all. This car is ready to go and only US funds or CDN equivalent. Car is located in southern British Columbia, positive ground system. Complete needs some bodywork and paint. The with new side curtains. A good solid asking price is $4000 for this most 3 .5 hours north of Spokane, Wash- ington. Please do not hesitate to con- dependable car with a one-car interesting and unique car. The car is trailer. Asking price $3500.00. Car is located in central California. Marv. tact me for any further details and pic- tures. Contact: Terry Baumann Nelson located in Iowa. Contact Brian Free- Weber Tel: (831) 425-5467 or email man Tel: (515) 287-3599 or email [email protected] JF05 BC Tel: (250) 229-4474 or email [email protected] JF05 [email protected] JF05 The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 31

For Sale For Sale For Sale

Fairmont MT14 with trailer - Motorcar Original Fairmont Motorcar Owners Fairmont MT-19B – With trailer. Re- has the original aluminum closed cab Manuals tired D&RGW, car is rail ready. Car will and has been painted professionally meet all NARCOA and local club bright yellow, custom sliding windows Available manuals and their copyright equipment requirements. Price have been added in the doors. This dates: $4250. car includes two seats with safety belts, factory turntable, Hunter heater, MT-19AA October 1954 Fairmont M-9B – Car is restored, has two bell Nathan horns, new brakes, S2-F August 1941 an aluminum front and new top and new chain, new tow bar, fire extin- S2-E May 1941 upholstery. Price $3450. guisher and less than 1000 miles on S2-E May 1941 rebuilt Onan engine. Car is very clean S2-K September 1960 Wooding CBI – Car comes with extra and meets all NARCOA regulations. ST2-H December 1957 transmission, rear axle and new Included is a custom trailer equipped ST2-H February 1947 transmission and differential gears. with an electric winch and spare tire. ST2-K-1 August 1960 Price $1750. Priced at $8,000. Contact Richard M9-G September 1950 Teunis 2501 Bell Hill Road Kelseyville, M9-G-2 September 1950 Beaver BC-2M – Roadmaster re-en- CA 95451. Tel: (707) 279-1914 Fax: M9-G-2 July 1950 gine by the factory with a large 23-HP (707) 279-2663 or email: M9-G-2 September July 1950 Kohler engine. Car has rebuilt hydrau- [email protected] JF05 M9-G-2 September 1950 lics, new hoses, and extra set of new M9-G-I-6 August 1946 air ride bags. Historically one of only M9-G-2 July 1950 two cars known to exist Price is nego- M9-G-2 September 1950 tiable. Fairmont - MT14 – Will carry up to four M9-G July 1950 passengers. Car is equipped with fac- RO-C Engine July 1952 Also available are several CN style tory turntable. Price $4000.00. RO-C Engine September 1951 MT-19A and MT-14L’s. Several Aluminum Frame Push Car – Car QBA Engine July 1947 D&RGW MT-19 A’s and MT-19B’s. Pic- has16" wheels and has been con- QBC Engine September 1947 tures, prices and more information verted to a passenger car. Has roof A3-D-2 December 1948 (Gang Car) upon request. Call between 5:00 p.m. and room enough for 4 adults. Price A3-D-2 December 1948 and 8:00 p.m. PST on weekdays or $500.00 A5-C-3 October 1955 anytime on weekends. Contact Sal Set of new 16" Fairmont wheels. A5-C-3 September 1945 Jacobs 31 Boardwalk One, Larkspur, Price $500 A5-C-3 September 1945 California. 94939. Tel: (415) 924- Gas heater - for newer Fairmont Mo- A3B-1-8 January 1937 4701. MA05 torcar $50.00 (Includes Hercules Manuals) Contact: Gene Lott Blue Rapids, Kan- M19-H-1 Sept 1959 Fairmont A5 – Car has a wooden cab sas Tel: (785) 363-7953 after 6:00 (Covers G/H cars) and built by the Leigh Valley Railroad. p.m. MA05 M14-H-1-1 May 1946 The Waukesha FC-206F engine and W83-B-1 Tie Nipper Feb 1957 transmission has been completely MT-14M - January 1985 rebuilt. Engine is bored to .020 over. (Onan Engine) (8.5 x 11) Semaphore, Car block and parts - Electric system is 12-volt. Asking MT19A2-14 February 1981 US&S Motor Car Block Indicators guar- $6,500 Contact Luke Anderson P.O. (Onan Engine) (8.5 x 11) anteed to work but need to be Box 54 Dillonvale, Ohio 43917 or Tel: MY19 Series A February 1981 restored. Complete US&S train order (740) 769-2924. MJ05 board semaphore also needs to be (8.5 x 11) restored. US&S style ‘’B’’ semaphore parts. Call or write for prices. Contact All manuals are original and in “good original” condition. $23.00 each Fairmont S-2 - This car is NARCOA Dave Myers (928) 567-6285 or email compliant and ready to roll. Ran great [email protected] MJ05 post paid. Contact Randy Rundle (785) 632-3450 or email fifthave@oz- two years ago, but has not run since. online.net MA 05 This car is located on Long Island. I can help arrange delivery by me to Northeast/Mid Atlantic area, but deliv- ery is not included in the price. I am asking $3,500. Contact Richard Gorddard 18 Second Street Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 Tel: (631) 588-1931 or email: [email protected] MJ05 www.leskingmotorcars.com - Your source for parts and remanufactured motorcars Box 164, N. Lawrence, Ohio 44666 - Toll Free (Orders Only) 888-833-7989 Tech Support & Info 330-833-2868 - Fax 330-830-5213 Page 32 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

For Sale For Sale Wanted

Former D&RG MT-19 and tandem axle Five Fairmont S2 Cars – $5,000 for Back issues of The SETOFF as fol- trailer. The speeder comes with a all. Sides open; have tops and fronts. lows: Summer ’87, Winter ’88, Sum- cover, gas tank cover, and uninstalled Please contact Richard A. Hinds, 189 mer ’88, Spring ’90, Fall ’90, Fall ’91, seatbelts, extra gears, and a heater. E Andrew Rd., Springfield, IL 62707. and Winter ’93. Copies are The trailer features a battery, winch, 2 Phone: (217) 487-7750. MJ05 acceptable. Please contact Roger J. spare tires and tiedowns. This Hoffman Tel: (937) 429-3392 or email: wonderful car is located in [email protected]. MJ05 Odessa, TX. $5,000 firm. Email [email protected] or phone 432- 362- 5757. Ann Nichols MJ05 Fairmont MT19 - New to the hobby looking for an MT19 that is NARCOA legal and rail ready. I live in Washing- Push Cart – This small aluminum cart Wanted ton State but I am willing to travel to is in good condition and would make buy the right car. Trailer not needed an excellent port-a-potty wagon. Ask- Looking for any information about but would be a plus. Please contact ing $250.00 USD. Contact Tony “Sheffield” motorcars. Mr. Richard R. John Daniel 7602 E 468 PR Benton Andrusevich RR #1 Hannon, Ontario, Boulet PO Box 126 Marine on St. Croix, City, WA. 99320. Tel: (509) 588-4704 Canada L0R 1P0. Tel: (950) 692-5949 MN. 55047. Tel: (651) 433-3982 or or email: [email protected] Mobile (612) 433-3982. JF05 MJ05 Differentials – A4 differentials from the Canadian National Railway shops. Looks like a reconditioned unit. Ask- FAIRMONT MT19A - New member Used 14" Fairmont wheels. Any that ing $700.00 USD. Also have an A4 dif- looking for MT19A located in the Pa- had to be replaced at the NARCOA ferential marked “core” only. Asking cific Northwest. I will pay premium wear limit are fine. Hubs and axles for $350.00 USD. Contact Tony price for the right NARCOA ready car. these wheels also possibly helpful. Andrusevich RR #1 Hannon, Ontario, Trailer not needed. Contact Jerry Also interested in other wheels Canada L0R 1P0. Tel: (905) 692- 5949 Bates Tel:(208) 858-2103 or e-mail: smaller and lighter than the standard [email protected] 16". Mark Milbourne email: Fairmont MT19 – This retired CN in- JF05 [email protected]. Phone/ spection motorcar has an Onan CCKB Voicemail: 423 725 4010 ext 324 engine that runs good. Car is MJ05 equipped with a fiberglass cab. Ask- Fairmont A-6 or A-8 motorcar – Re- ing $2,500 USD. Contact Tony storable, running or not. Must have Andrusevich RR #1 Hannon, Ontario, complete drive train and be suitable Canada L0R 1P0. Tel: (905) 692-5949 for rebuilding. Contact Steve Need any information on what I be- Patterson 4019 Perry Street Denver, lieve to be turntable rails. Need pic- Hy-Rail Equipment – Available are both CO 80212-2171. Tel: (303) 256-8494 tures of a complete set, drawings, or hydraulic and manual equipment for or email: [email protected] literature. Email any information or ½-ton and 1-ton trucks. Also several JF05 part availabilty to Albert Hawkins 72 makes from $1,500 USD and up. Pine Valley Drive Byron, GA 31008. Fairmont brand manual set for a Tel: (478) 956-1030 or email Dodge Dakota $1,500 USD. Contact Wheel-bearing retainer for a Veloci- [email protected]. MJ05 Tony Andrusevich RR #1 Hannon, pede Hand Car. Contact Danny Ontario L0R 1P0. Tel: (905) 692-5949 Dineen at (506) 6727384 or email: MJ05 [email protected] MJ05

Carburetors Parts and Service - Car- buretors parts for C-5 and 8. Carbure- I am searching for a NARCOA ready tor rebuilding offered. Head gaskets MT14 or MT19; preferred location is for ROC, OD, ROB, QBA and RQ en- Northeast/Mid Atlantic area. Will con- F gines also available. Some complete sider all areas however. Also willing gasket sets or single gaskets. Engine to trade a Fairmont S-2 for a running or complete car restoration work. Con- NARCOA ready MT14 or MT19. Con- tact Carey Boney Wallace, NC tact Richard Gorddard 18 Second Tel: (910) 285-7489 or email Street Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 tel: [email protected] MJ05 (631) 588-1931 or email [email protected] MJ05 The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 33

Non-NARCOA Excursion: Excursions Oregon & Fitchburg Railroad Members who have organized meets Friday through Sunday – April 29,30, May 1, 2005 are encouraged to advertise those Green County Wisconsin is happy to sponsor “Depot Days” in Brooklyn, WI. over events here. the Oregon & Fitchburg Railroad Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 01, 2005. Set on will be Friday night in Brooklyn, with an evening run from Brooklyn to We will publish all notices received. Oregon, WI leaving at 7:30 p.m. We will be giving rides to the general public on Include details of the trip such as time Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. weather permitting. Car will be schedule, total mileage, costs, restric- leaving every hour. Lunch will be provided to those who help operate motorcars tions and conditions for attending. and to those who help flag at crossing. This is not a NARCOA event and insur- State whether or not NARCOA rules ance is not required. For more information contact Al Lesko Tel: will be in effect and whether insurance (608) 897-4855. is required. Send meet notices to: Charlene Morvay Great Lakes Railcars 17825 Route 8 Algoma Central Railway Union City, PA 16438 Tuesday – Friday, July 5 – 8, 2005 or GLR is pleased to sponsor a four-day run over the Algoma Central Railway July 5-8, 2005. Participants will travel approximately 1180 round trip miles between email: [email protected] Sault Ste Marie, Ontario Canada to Hearst, Ontario and back. Inspections and set-on will be Monday, July 4, 2005 at Sault Ste Marie with departure on Tuesday PLEASE NOTE: Advertisement of a July 5, 2005. We will spend two nights in Wawa, and one night in Hearst, Ontario. meet in the SETOFF does not consti- Fee has yet to be determined, but will include fuel. Meals and hotels are extra. tute responsibility by NARCOA and/or Additional safety equipment needed: safety vest and seat belts. NARCOA and its officers, or the SETOFF and/or its Great Lakes Railcars rules will apply. Send trip deposit of $50.00 to Stan Conyer editorial staff for meet conditions. 9333 W. St. Road 46 Columbia, Indiana 47201. Email [email protected] Meet attendees must exercise cau- tion in the observance of safety con- Hobo and Winnipesakee Scenic Railroads ditions and rules and must accept full responsibility for themselves, their Friday-Sunday June 3-5, 2005 guests and their equipment when at- Hobo and Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroads is sponsoring the 17th annual tending any meet. track car meet which includes an optional barbecue dinner on Friday evening, travel round trip from Lincoln, NH to Weirs Beach, NH on Saturday, optional dinner on the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train Saturday evening, and travel round trip from Tilton, NH to Weirs Beach, NH on Sunday. Swap meet for participants on Friday evening, slide shows on Friday and Saturday evening. Trip fee is $70.00 prior to May 1, 2005 and includes one track car, operator, one crew member, two (2) commorative coffee mugs, coffee and donuts Saturday morning. This is the oldest track car meet in the nation. All participants must adhere to the State of New Hampshire rules and regulations for the operation of track cars and the Hobo Railroad operating rules and regulations as specified in the timetable. Questions about equipment should be directed to the meet coordinator. For additional information please check the Hobo Railroad website at http:// www.hoborr.com www.hoborr.com or mail a stamped self addressed envelope to the meet coordinator, Paul G. Yorkis, 24 Kimberly Drive, Medway, MA 02053, phone 508-533-4848 or email mail to: [email protected]

Rocky Mountain Division Black Hills Central Railroad, Hill City, South Dakota June 3-4-5, 2005 $35.00 per car. 25 car limit first trip (reservations required), no limit on the other trips. Five minute rule will be in effect. NARCOA insurance not required, but motorcars must pass a NARCOA inspection. Railroad has final say on all safety/ inspections/motorcar issues. Membership the RMD is required. See www.rockymountaindivision for details. Contact: Gus Mocilac: [email protected] Page 34 ● The SETOFF ● January/February 2005

North Central Railcars North Shore Scenic Railroad (NSSR) “Rail & Sail” July 31, 2005 (Sunday) NCR is pleased to announce a 1-day excursion over the North Shore Scenic Railroad between Two Harbors, MN and Duluth, MN on the afternoon Sunday, July 31, 2005. We will display our cars at the historic D.M. & I.R. station (adjacent to the ore docks) in Two Harbors for several hours, then travel approximately 52 miles round-trip between Two Harbors & Duluth. During our 2.5 hour layover in Duluth, participants can either tour the Canal Park area and have dinner on their own, or take a 2-hour, narrated harbor tour, including a buffet pizza dinner. We plan to return at dusk with some night operation. The excursion fee is $75 per car, which includes 2 admissions to the NSSR museum. The cost of the harbor tour (including pizza buffet) will be additional and is explained in the registration materials. There is a 25 car limit. Complete details will be sent upon receipt of the excursion fee. This is a NARCOA-insured excursion and all NARCOA rules will apply. To register for the excursion or obtain more information, contact Michael P. Ford, 7712 Carpenter Court, Plainfield, Indiana 46168-8035. Tel: (317) 839-9320 or email: [email protected].

North Central Railcars Wisconsin Northern Railroad Company July 30, 2005 (Saturday) NCR is pleased to sponsor a first time, one-day motor car excursion over a portion of the Wisconsin Northern Railroad on Saturday, July 30, 2005. We will run make two round-trips from Rice Lake, WI to Almena, WI (via Cameron, WI), for a total of 72 miles. Excursion fee is $75 per car and includes all railroad fees and related excursion costs. Complete details and registration materials will be sent upon receipt of the excursion fee. There is a 25 car limit. This is a NARCOA- insured excursion and all NARCOA rules will apply. For further information, con- tact Michael P. Ford, 7712 Carpenter Court, Plainfield, Indiana 46168-8035. Tel: (317) 839-9320 or email: [email protected].

The following form is posted on the NARCOA website. A copy of the filled out forms will be routed to the Editor for inclusion in The SETOFF. EXCURSION SUBMISSION AND ADVERTISING FORM (*) Required Fields for NARCOA Website. You may fill in all fields for “The SETOFF” publication.

*Railroad: ______*Affiliate / Sponsor: ______*Date: ______*From: ______State: ______*To: ______State: ______Set On Point:______Set On Time: ______*Round Trip Miles: ______Total Number of Days: ______*Cost: ______Car Limit: ______Restrictions and Other Special Requirements: ______Description of Railroad, Hotel Information, etc.: ______NARCOA Rules and Insurance Required (circle one): Yes No *Contact: ______Contact’s Address: ______*E-Mail Address: ______*Phone Number: ______The SETOFF ● January/February 2005 ● Page 35

NARCOA and the Jake Award by Dave Verzi, Tom Norman, Al McCracken

As many members know, NARCOA is a co-sponsor of the Jake Award. This award is the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s safety award given to injury free member railroads. The award was the creation of Jake Jacobson of the Copper Basin Railroad. NARCOA member Al McCracken was instrumental in our involvement with this program. From his own personal funds he produced individual award pins that are distributed to each employee of award winning railroads in addition to the prominent award plaque given to the railroad by ASLRRA. The pins feature a profile of Jake with an enameled border stating “Jake Safety Award” additionally they are dated. The back of the round pins has NARCOA written in a rectangle. This public relations program has received enthusiastic support from member railroads and clearly benefits NARCOA in expanding relationships with our Short Line Railroads. The cost to NARCOA to fund this program is around $2,500 annually. Al has contributed funds to start the program, and it has been sustained by contributions from various NARCOA Affiliate groups. All NARCOA Affiliates are asked to make an annual contribution to sustain this fund. We need your help to keep pin production in pace with the demand. Donations should be made payable to NARCOA, noted Jake Fund, and sent to Tom Norman. He keeps a separate line item in the Treasury for the fund and proceeds are directed to Al when the pins are produced. NARCOA Affiliates contributing in 2004 were: Northern Central Railcar Association $100, First Iowa Division $400, Great Lakes Railcars $200, Southeastern Railcar Operators Inc $100, Motorcar Operators West $369, Pacific Railcar Operators $790 and $275, and North East Railcar Association $350. Thank you (affiliates) for your participation. Please contact Tom Norman, Al McCracken or Dave Verzi with questions.

NARCOA Member Decals for 2005 Available R.W.G. is now offering official NARCOA decals for 2005. These are high-quality, self-sticking printed vinyl decals that come in two different logo versions, sizes, and colors. The decals are sold in pairs. Motorcar version is 3” x 3-1/2” at a price of $5.00 per pair. Large NARCOA on-track version is 1-3/4” x 4” at a cost of $4.00 per pair. Small NARCOA on-track version is 1-1/4” x 3” at a cost of $3.00 per pair. Colors: Black on white OR red on white. When ordering, please state both SIZE and COLOR. PLEASE ADD .50 CENTS FOR POSTAGE AND HANDLING. ALL PROFITS WILL BENEFIT NARCOA’s GENERAL FUND. Send orders to: R.W.G. c/o LARRY BREUER P.O. BOX 21 GRANTVILLE, KANSAS 66429

Send inquiries to email: [email protected] North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA)

OFFICERS President Pat Coleman Secretary Joel Williams Vice President Ken Annett Treasurer Tom Norman

Area 1 Director Area 9 Director Operations (ME, NH, VT, NY, MA, CT, RI) (AR, CO, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX) Hank Brown Warren Riccitelli Mark Springer 622 Oak Street 39 Jacksonia Drive 143 North Arcadia Cottage Grove WI 53527 North Providence RI 02911 Wichita KS 67212 Tel: (608) 839-4939 Tel: (401) 231-5640 Tel: (316) 721-4804 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Rule Book CertificationTest Area 2 Director Area 10 Director Al McCracken (NJ, PA, DE, MD) (WA, OR, ID, MT, AK, WY) 2916 Taper Avenue Joel Williams Tom Norman Santa Clara CA 95051 67 Julia Drive 1047 Terrace View Drive [email protected] Lock Haven PA 17745 Alberton MT 59820 Tel: (570) 893-1610 Tel: (406) 722-3012 NARCOA Web Master [email protected] [email protected] Bill Stringfellow 204 Lake Court Area 3 Director Area 11 Director Woodstock, GA 30188 (IN, Lower MI, OH) (CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, HI) (770) 751-1257 Bruce Carpenter Pat Coleman [email protected] 10241 Co. Rd. 35A 1989 Robin Ridge Court Wapakoneta, OH 45895 Walnut Creek CA 94597 NARCOA Forum & Communications Tel: (419) 738-5384 Tel: (925) 979-1030 Rich Stivers [email protected] [email protected] 1548 Fuchsia Dr. San Jose CA 95125-4833 Area 4 Director Director at Large (non–voting) [email protected] (WV, VA, KY NC, SC, TN) Mike Paul Tom Falicon 1780 Maricopa Drive Rules 1227 Sawmill Creek Road Oshkosh, WI 54904 Jim McKeel Bryson City NC 28713 Tel: (926) 235-2607 9742 Yosemite Ct. Tel: (828) 488-8063 [email protected] Wichita KS 67215 [email protected] Tel: (316) 721-4378 Director at Large (non–voting) [email protected] Area 5 Director Dave Verzi (MS, AL, GA, FL) 10059 Aldridge Drive Bobby Moreman Columbia Station OH 44028 Committee Chairs 3520 Cold Springs Lane Tel: (440) 236-3374 Chamblee GA 30341 [email protected] Affiliates ...... Dave Verzi Tel: (770) 457-6212 Custom-Built Motorcars ...... Tom Falicon [email protected] The SETOFF Insurance ...... Tom Norman Charlene Morvay Judiciary ...... Mark Springer Area 6 Director 17825 Route 8 Rules ...... Jim McKeel (MN, WI, IL, Upper MI) Union City, PA 16438 Rail Preservation ...... Warren Riccitelli Pat Rock Tel: (814) 438-7104 Data and Computer 6745 County Road A [email protected] Compatibililty ...... Pat Coleman Amherst WI 54406 FRA ...... Ron Zammit Tel: (715) 824-6285 Nominations, Elections Legal Forms ...... Mark Springer [email protected] Carl Anderson 1330 Rosedale Ln. Area 7 Director Hoffman Estates IL 60195 (ND, SD, NE, IA) [email protected] Carl Schneider Safety 1302 – 6th Avenue S.E. NARCOA Licensed Radio Call Sign Bob Knight Altoona IA 50009 WPHT745 – 151.625 mHz Tel: (515) 967-5181 1212 Vale Street [email protected] Sandwich IL 60548 Tel: (815) 786-3096 Area 8 Director [email protected] D (Canada, Mexico, Australia) Ken Annett 3483 Church Street Windsor ONT, Canada N9E–1V6 Tel: (519) 969-8695 [email protected]