railway museum quarterly TRAINLINE

Number 7 Published cooperatively by the Tourist Railway Association Winter 2012 and the Association of Railway Museums

Before the ARM/TRAIN convention in Chattanooga, host Tennessee Valley Railway Museum ran an excursion to Summerville, Georgia, over shortline Chattooga & Chickamauga behind recently restored Southern 2-8-0 #630. TVRM regularly runs to Summerville and has installed a turntable, out of the photo at left. #630 is about to pull across

the street where it will be watered from Requested

a fire hydrant before coupling on for the Service Address

return trip. For more on the PERMIT NO. 1096 NO. PERMIT

Chattanooga convention, see page 16. MN CITIES, TWIN

Confers, GA 30012 GA Confers,

Aaron Isaacs photo. PAID

1016 Rosser Street Rosser 1016 U.S.POSTAGE

PRSRT. STD. PRSRT. ARM 2 3 ASSOCIATION OF RAILWAY MUSEUMS TOURIST RAILWAY ASSOCIATION The purpose of the Association of Railway Museums is to The Tourist Railway Association, Inc. is a non-profit lead in the advancement of railway heritage through corporation chartered to foster the development and education and advocacy, guided by the principles set forth in "Recommended Practices for Railway Museums" and operation of tourist railways and museums. incorporated in other best practices generally accepted in the wider museum community. TRAIN Membership ARM Membership Membership is open to all railway museums, tourist Membership in the Association of Railway Museums is open railroads, excursion operators, private car owners, railroad to nonprofit organizations preserving and displaying at least related publishers, industry suppliers and other interested one piece of railway or street railway rolling stock to the public persons and organizations. TRAIN, Inc. is the only trade on a regularly scheduled basis. Other organizations, businesses association created to represent the broad spectrum of and individuals interested in the work of the Association are invited to become affiliates. For more details, or to report what is called “creative railroading”. address changes, please contact the Association of Railway Museums, 1016 Rosser St., Confers, GA 30012, or email to OFFICERS [email protected]. President: Rick Burchett, Chehalis-Centralia RR Call us at (770) 278-0088 or visit our Web site: (360) 570-9191 (home/office) www.railwaymuseums.org. Vice President: Linn Moedinger, Strasburg Rail Road Directors (717) 687-8421 Richard Anderson, Northwest Railway Museum, Secretary: Syl Keller, Monticello Railway Museum, [email protected] Monticello, IL (309) 376-3361 (home) Scott Becker, Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Treasurer: Alan Barnett: Indiana Railway Museum [email protected] Bob LaPrelle, Museum of the American Railroad, (812) 936-2405 [email protected] Peter Murphy, Exporail, DIRECTORS [email protected] John E. Bush: Roaring Camp Railroads G. Mark Ray, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, (831) 335-4484 Ext. 138 [email protected] Ken Rucker, National Capital Trolley Museum, Steven M. Butler: San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad [email protected] (262) 853-9662 (cel) Jim Schantz, Seashore Trolley Museum, Jeffery D. Jackson: American Heritage Railroads [email protected] (970) 259-6505 Jim Vaitkunas, Minnesota Streetcar Museum Chris Bertel: Thunder Mountain Line [email protected] Kyle Wyatt, California State Railroad Museum, (817) 737-5885 [email protected] Richard N. Noonan: California State RR Museum (916) 445-3145 Officers G. Mark Ray: Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum President: Bob LaPrelle Vice President: Scott Becker (423) 240-1480 Secretary: Ellen Fishburn, Fenner Stevenson: Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad [email protected] (515) 432-4249 Treasurer: Ken Rucker, 1313 Bonifant Road, Silver Spring, MD 20905-5961, Meg Warder: Black Hills Central Railroad (605) 574-2222 [email protected] Erv White: Grand Canyon Railway. 928-607-1493 Frankie Wiseman: Middletown & Hummelstown RR (717) Committees Renewal Parts: Rod Fishburn, Chair, 944-4435 X-18 [email protected] STAFF Staff Suzanne Grace, Executive Director, 1016 Rosser St., Executive Director: Suzanne Grace (770) 278-0088 Confers, GA 30012 [email protected] [email protected] Editor: Aaron Isaacs (612) 929-7066, [email protected] Aaron Isaacs, Editor, 3816 Vincent Ave.. S., Minneapolis, MN 55410, [email protected] Webmaster: Bob Harbison (253) 833-2068 Web site: http://www.traininc.org The Association of Railway Museums is a Professional Affiliate Member of the American Association of Museums. To advertise in Railway Museum Quarterly/Trainline, contact Aaron Isaacs at [email protected]. To download an advertising rate sheet, go to www.railwaymuseums.org/Static/documents/RateCard.pdf 4 5 PRESIDENTS’ REPORT 2. Do you run a museum? 2 Vendor exposure at conferences, Yes 80.0% access to vendors By Bob LaPrelle, ARM and No 20.0% 1 Recommended Practices Rick Burchett, TRAIN 1 Fellowship 3. Do you operate a railroad? 1 Supplier info The joint ARM/TRAIN conference Yes 78.6% 1 Regulatory advice in Chattanooga was perhaps the most No 21.4% 1 Grant info ambitious to date, with an extra day of 1 Legal advice activities, plus an extra pre-conference 4. How did your 2011 ridership or 1 Professional recognition excursion. Our thanks to the Tennessee visitor count change compared to 1 Maintenance support Valley Railway Museum for putting on 2010? 1 Restoration a great show and doing it in style. Increased greatly 9.8% 1 Cataloguing You’ll read more about it in this issue. Increased somewhat 25.5% Stayed about the same 43.1% For anyone who has attended an *** Decreased somewhat 19.6% ARM or TRAIN conference, it will Decreased greatly 2.0% come as no surprise that networking is With the ARM/TRAIN merger the number one benefit, followed by the imminent, it seemed like a good idea to 5. How has your ridership or visitor sharing of information. Networking take the temperature of the membership. count changed in the last decade? leads to longtime friendships among the A survey was handed out at the Increased greatly 28.3% attendees, and those relationships pay conference. It asked our members to Increased somewhat 30.2% huge benefits when it comes to doing evaluate how they are doing, what Stayed about the same 17.0% what we do. The conferences provide ARM/TRAIN services are most Decreased somewhat 17.0% plenty of good information and that was important, and what new services they Decreased greatly 7.5% the number two benefit cited in the would like to see the new organization comments. Number three is the provide. 6. How would you describe your information provided at other times of According to the survey, our organization’s financial situation? the year by Trainline/RMQ, the Parts membership is heavily non-profit, even Large surplus 3.7% Letter and other initiatives. on the tourist railway side. Four of five Modest surplus 29.6% As part of the merger, both Boards respondents run both a museum and a Break even 50.0% have committed to greatly increasing tourist railway, a strong indicator of the Modest deficit 13.0% their advocacy role. The survey shows overlap between the two. Despite the Large deficit 3.7% that the membership values the widespread perception that ridership is advocacy efforts to date and wants declining, those surveyed said 7. Do you use volunteers? more in the future. We certainly agree. otherwise. Ridership in the last year Yes 89.1% increased for 35.3% of respondents, No 10.9% 11. Is there a member need that while only 21.6% said it had declined. neither association is currently Looking back over the last decade, the 8. If you use volunteers, how have your addressing and which you trend is even more pronounced, with volunteer hours changed in the last believe the new organization 58.3% citing an increase versus 24.5% decade? should provide? who saw fewer riders or visitors. Increased greatly 16.3% 3 Stronger regulatory Advocacy Even after three years of the Great Increased somewhat 40.8% 2 More on marketing Recession, most of us are holding our Stayed about the same 24.5% 2 Marketing members to the public own financially. 16.7% said they are Decreased somewhat 14.3% 2 Repository for parts, publications, running a deficit, while 50% were Decreased greatly 4.1% used equipment, regulations, breaking even and 33.3% were doing past seminars better than break-even. 9. How would you describe the future 1 Mechanical competency with Volunteers are clearly the lifeblood viability of your organization? newcomers to industry of our member organizations, used by Secure and will grow 55.4% 1 More information sharing nine out of every ten. We often worry Secure but will not grow 28.6% 1 More industry data (ridership, that the existing volunteers will “age Long term viability in doubt 16.1% revenue) out” and not be replaced, yet the survey Long term survival unlikely 0.0% 1 More FRA updates tells a different story. 57.1% said their 1 Less expensive conferences volunteer hours had increased in the last The last two questions were open- 1 More job enrichment programs decade, compared to 18.4% who saw a ended rather than multiple-choice, so 1 More visibility in broader museum decline in hours. here are the comments in rank order. community When we asked attendees if their Responses that were basically the same 1 More on websites, electronic organizations would remain viable into were grouped. communications the future, 16% said their long-term 1 Thinking ahead to the future of viability was in doubt. That’s never 10. What are the two most important our members good to hear, but the other 84% benefits you currently receive from 1 Group buys of services (insurance, predicted a secure future. 55% saw ARM or TRAIN? payroll, HR policies, bylaws growth as well as security in their 28 Networking development, legal) future. That’s good news. 15 Info at conferences, seminars 1 Joint membership and website 10 Information, RMQ/Trainline 1 "How to" section in ARM/TRAIN 2011 6 Advocacy RMQ/Trainline Member Survey Results 5 Annual conference 1 Specification committees 1. Is your organization non-profit or for- 5 Parts sourcing/info 1 Restoration expertise profit? 5 Regulation advocacy 1 Support for fund raising and grants Non-profit 89.3% 3 Regulatory info 1 Training outside conferences For-profit 10.7% 3 Standards and best practices

6 The last question asks what we can to translate that predisposition into accompany a parent who is already a do in the future that is not being done volunteerism and attendance. Here are volunteer. “An 11-year old boy was now. The responses speak for some suggestions drawn from several looking for something to do one day. I themselves and your Boards will take interesting conversations. asked him if he’d like to help replace this feedback to heart. Overall, the The First Step: Diane Kopasz, bricks in our platform. He took to the survey reveals that our industry is in Director of Communication for the task with relish. Now he’s 18 and a pretty good shape, and gives us good Association of Children’s Museums, regular volunteer.” Stevenson adds that reason to be optimistic about the future. recommends that to connect with young he’s not averse to calling a parent to ask people, “go to where they already are, if a child can help. “When the answer is on cell phones, on line, using iPads and yes, they often bring friends.” FRA ADVISORIES apps. Make connecting with you fun Stevenson could have written the NOW ONLINE and cool. Draw connections between Haapala article in HAND TO HAND. trains and other things that are current Finally, don’t overlook the fact that Bob Opal is retired from Union to young people, technology, perhaps, many schools and colleges require Pacific where he specialized in or employment. Show trains to be students to complete a public service regulatory issues. He has stepped something with a future.” She adds that requirement. School papers may run forward to keep TRAIN and ARM “exhibiting at innovation conferences public service announcements about members advised of FRA regulatory and idea expos in your area will your search for volunteers, and your developments. In order to give our showcase what you do.” local newspaper or television station members the most timely and Kopasz then called attention to the might do a feature about young people understandable information, Bob has Fall 2011 issue of ACM’s quarterly serving the community. Juvenile courts developed one-page Regulatory Action newsletter, HAND TO HAND (to look for venues to assign as community Summaries and posted them online. download a .pdf, go to service for non-violent offenders. The On the TRAIN website you’ll find http://tinyurl.com/772o2o2), the theme Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts encourage them under the “Regulatory” button. of which is “Volunteers.” There you’ll community service too, as do religious They will also appear in the middle of find seven articles devoted to engaging organizations. the ARM home page. young people in the work of your To find the local Boy Scout Council Each Regulatory Action Summary facility. They include “Work With Me for your area, visit tells how the proposed rule applies to Here: Changing Organizational Culture http://tinyurl.com/7j3anjj, and alert the tourist railways and when the rule to Engage Volunteers” by Jay Haapala Council that your location is available becomes effective, followed by links to of the Minnesota Children’s Museum, for tours (perhaps discounted or gratis). the rule itself. “Tucson Teens Volunteering…and Not Better yet, create and offer special Don’t look for these updates in Just ‘cuz Mom Said So” by Jennifer small group learning opportunities as an RMQ/Trainline. A quarterly publication Phillips from the Children’s Museum activity for troops in your area. For simply isn’t timely enough, so they will Tucson, and a Q & A with Marcia Hale, even greater involvement, Renée only appear online. a specialist in working with volunteers Fairrer, Public Relations Manager for in the “education/attraction Boy Scouts of America, suggests, “the MARKETPLACE environment.” most significant way to expand on the Suzanne Grace, the Executive relationship is for someone from the By James Porterfield Director of ARM/TRAIN, echoed railroad to offer to become a merit Kopasz in part by saying, “encourage badge counselor for the Railroad Merit young people with hands-on activities, Badge.” For information on this Badge, The Next Generation: like volunteering for work projects. go to http://tinyurl.com/7xlonxp. Some Suggestions Then take the time to mentor them and Designate a member of your staff, or a Steve Barry, the Editor of RAILFAN foster their continued participation.” permanent volunteer, to promote your & RAILROAD, once said, “The She also recommends the creation of willingness to work with interested railroad doing more to create the next interactive exhibits. This has two scouts through your local Boy Scout generation of railfans than any other is advantages: By assigning the creation Council. For more information on how the North Western Railway. That’s or such exhibits to young volunteers, to begin this process, visit where Thomas the Tank Engine™ you involve them, and their work is http://tinyurl.com/p9xhaf. Similarly, works.” Many of you are familiar with likely to capture the attention and you can begin to engage the Girl Scouts the popularity of Thomas with pre- imagination of other young people. by going to schoolers. Today, when children Suzanne then referred me to Fenner www.girlscouts.org/councilfinder/. outgrow Thomas, there is Chris Van Stevenson, General Manager of the Other Resources: Kalmbach’s Allsburg’s story of THE POLAR Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & TRAINS4KIDS magazine, launched in EXPRESS for 6- to 12-year olds. Next Museum in Boone, Iowa, who is known 2010 and aimed at 3-to-8 year olds, comes Harry Potter, who boards the to be effective at developing a cadre of helps bridge a child’s interest from Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 3/4 young volunteers for the railroad. “We Thomas to the Polar Express and at King’s Cross Station and sets off for start by recruiting kids from local Hogwarts Express. To order copies for Hogsmeade Station and Hogwarts schools to help us with our Santa your gift shop, contact Kalmbach’s Academy. Express and other special trains for retail sales operation at 800/558-1544, What this adds up to is a favorable young children,” Stevenson says. “That ext. 3, by email at [email protected], predisposition to trains among a broad familiarizes them with the railroad. We or on the web at swath of children approaching their mid then encourage our established people www.Retailers.Kalmbach.com. teens and eventual adulthood. Thomas, to welcome and embrace their presence. To keep abreast of evolving social Van Allsberg and Harry Potter lay the Our goal is to provide them with a media tools and their use, enroll in a groundwork, portraying trains and positive and fun experience. Our free subscription, such as to SOCIAL railway heritage (in each case the eventual aim is to involve the teens in MEDIA TODAY locomotives are steam) in a favorable the rest of our season.” He reports that (http://socialmediatoday.com), an light. Your task, in addressing the his operation has worked with kids as aggregating service that delivers current critical issue of engaging a new young as 11 or 12, who may thinking on all aspects of social media generation in the railway community, is 7 communications and marketing each example, published in 2010 by the attendees, drop me an email at week. You don’t have to be a respected Kaiser Family Foundation, [email protected]. Together technology wizard to benefit from of its offers this: that among all 8- to 18-year- we can develop a database of what content, and you can pick or skip links olds, 84% have home internet access works. as you choose. (compared to just 47% in 2000); that This assumes you already have a 64% of this group make recreational Something Completely Different: Facebook page, a Twitter account, and use of a computer each day; that those Concerning the aforementioned Polar use Flickr and YouTube. But if who do use a computer spend an Express™, that event has been reported Facebook-Twitter-Flickr/YouTube average of 2 hours 19 minutes daily on by many to be a huge success, with sounds like a hazing ritual or treatment the computer; and that the three most capacity crowds, added runs, perhaps for a contagious disease to you, social popular activities, in order, are visiting even some disappointed late-comers. media is the perfect place to assign your social networking sites, playing How could you make it any better? first Teen Committee of volunteers to computer games, and watching videos. John Smith of the Durbin & begin work. How might this data alone impact your Greenbrier Valley Railroad in Elkins, If you haven’t witnessed the appeal effort to attract young people to your West Virginia, tried this: He recruited of GEOCACHING to young people events or become volunteers? the local theater group that does his (last summer I watched a half-dozen Two Warnings: Everyone who spoke murder mystery dinner trains to create a teens enthusiastically pour over a patch on this subject pointed out two dance routine to serve the hot of hillside near Brush Tunnel, along the additional things to consider: 1]. chocolate. With carafes of hot Western Maryland Scenic Remember that young people have chocolate pre-placed in each of the six Railroad/Great Allegheny Passage rail what Fenner Stevenson calls “a higher- cars in his train, twelve chefs would trail between Frostburg and than-average level of energy,” making enter a car and, using elaborate gestures Cumberland, Maryland, looking for a proper supervision and a written policy synchronized to the Hot Chocolate Geocach tag), go to of disciplinary procedures (one song, replicate the scene in the movie www.geocaching.com/travel/default.asp identical to what you apply to older when hot chocolate is served. They’d x to learn how you might employ this volunteers) necessary; and, 2]. Be sure then move to the next car. He reports electronic tool to build interest in your your background checks on both adults that the children were “thrilled” and the facility. and youngsters include a search for any adults “amazed.” The biggest Visit www.socialbrite.org and click record of child abuse. challenge? Very little time to pull the on the FREE REPORTS tab to locate Help!: If you have positive routine off for the 40 people in each and download research reports on all experiences attracting, training, car, just the 2:38 minutes of the song’s manner of helpful subjects. An 85-page managing, and making use of young soundtrack. The added cost was report titled “Generation M2: Media in people ages 15 to 25 in your railroad allocated among other per-person costs, the Lives of 8- to 18-Year Olds,” for heritage facility as volunteers or such as for the mugs, cookies and bell.

8

PIGGYBACKING People embrace technologies like very old-fashioned envelopes. these because they solve everyday At heart, these “Digital Issues” are By John P. Hankey problems, let us accomplish all sorts of about hardware, software, systems, tasks more efficiently, and open all technologies, and other Let’s begin with a point many of us sorts of new and previously unimagined technical/logistical/contractual issues. find drearily familiar: Powerful forces possibilities. I can, for example, be The first question might be one of of technology, commerce, and who- relatively certain that no one in the simple cooperation. Put another way, knows-what-else drive us ever-deeper United States in 1820 even remotely does every museum, heritage rail into the “Digital Age.” The changes believed it possible to cross the operator, historic site, NRHS Chapter, unfold at an accelerating pace. Many of continent in one week. Just five decades and commercial railroad heritage the opportunities are bewilderingly later, it was not only possible, but also enterprise need to reinvent the wheel? complex and require skills and hailed as an example of human There are creative and efficient private resources beyond our means. We don’t progress. firms beginning to offer ticketing and seem to have much control, and in any My point is not to celebrate “the other specialized back office services, case, large corporations set the agendas. railroad.” My real hope is to enlarge an and that is A Good Thing. The more It is difficult enough just to keep up active conversation within railway small businesses we can support (ones with the tail end of the wave, much less heritage. It started some time ago and that understand our core missions and fully embrace the possibilities. has ebbed and flowed according to how deliver good value), the better all But wait! We’ve been there before. distracted we were and what immediate around. Substitute “Railway Age” for “Digital crises we happened to be dealing with. We would be well served to see Age,” and you also describe the way It begins with a query: How should the where we can aggregate our common many—perhaps, most—Americans felt field of railway heritage as a whole functions and (at least for certain 150 years ago. As the new suite of engage the “Digital Age”? That is not a purposes) act jointly. NRHS and technologies we call “The Railroad” rhetorical, academic, or casual question. ARM/TRAIN have been heading in (steam locomotives, the telegraph, And it is not something we can deal that direction for several years. There standardization, the emergence of a with piecemeal or half-heartedly—at are other railway heritage organizations flexible, robust transportation network) least, not if we really want to take full with (collectively) many thousands of gained coherence in the mid-Nineteenth advantage. members. Would it make sense to Century, people had pretty much the I certainly don’t know the answer, coordinate and streamline functions like same response as we do to “The but it seems like a good idea to at least membership services, newsletter Internet” and its related developments. get some ideas out on the table. There delivery, website maintenance, and Both are classic “disruptive” and are folks throughout the museum, digital content provision? “foundational” technologies that preservation, and operation I am not for an instant suggesting fundamentally change the way we do communities who are doing interesting that any single railway heritage our business and live our lives. things and pushing the edges of our organization compromise its identity, 11 give up its Chattanooga (in my opinion one of the independence, or change finest, most productive meetings what it does for its railway heritage has ever held), Greg members. But it may be Molloy and Jeff Smith of the NRHS time to find ways to presented an idea. NRHS, like ARM streamline and automate and TRAIN, is essentially a national the ways we get certain coordinating organization for hundreds things done. If we of regional and local railway heritage cooperated, there may be entities. The NRHS “national” enough “back office” organization recently completed a work to get volume reorganization and institutional discounts and support streamlining, and is facing the same fairly-paid contractors to issues ARM/TRAIN are dealing with. do the label-licking, There is much institutional overlap, and envelope-stuffing, data many NRHS Chapters are museums, entry, list maintenance, operating heritage railroads, and newsletter-producing, ARM/TRAIN members. There are FRA reporting, and other common issues and shared challenges. sorts of Internet-based NRHS has substantial Internet and busywork. IS/IT resources. As part of the Railway That requires Heritage Initiative, it had previously cooperation and created the online “Railway Heritage coordination. Calendar,” an Internet resource where ARM/TRAIN and any railroad-related entity could post its NRHS account for a upcoming events. Clearly, NRHS substantial of active understands that it can be an “honest railway heritage entities broker” and colleague institution in across the continent. advancing a common agenda—in this Why not invite the case, a straightforward “Master Canadian Council for Calendar” so that we can all at least Railway Heritage to join have a sense of what other folks are the effort? doing. At the final joint The details of the NRHS offer to the ARM-TRAIN general field of railway heritage were conference in both powerful and subtle: NRHS is

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12 willing host a “portal” site, on which potentially astonishing depth and reach. Georgetown Loop, Cumbres & Toltec almost any legitimate railway heritage It is an ambitious (but surprisingly and North Carolina Museum of institution could post data, links, straightforward and economical) Transportation. In the past, government information, or whatever might be initiative. To be successful, it will funding permitted most of these useful to anyone hoping to learn more require the cooperation of organizations institutions to employ considerably about some aspect of railway heritage. across the continent and throughout the more paid staff than the volunteer-based Greg Molloy and Jeff Smith describe field. It is one of the ways we can make independent non-profits and to build it as a safe, neutral, accessible place to railway heritage easier to find, easier to larger facilities. Full-time professional post data sets and resources, serve as a enjoy, and a reliable—if small— staff in turn led to more marketing and clearinghouse and “roadmap” to railway presence in the parallel universe that is higher levels of visitation. It’s fair to heritage, and generally give us a the Digital Age. say that the non-governmental museums prominent Internet presence where all The National Railway Historical have often been envious. sorts of audiences could engage railway Society is offering us all the kind of That perception is being turned on its heritage in all its varieties. opportunity that only comes along once head by the Great Recession, which has This would not be an “NRHS Site,” in a great while. We have nothing to hammered state budgets. Not but a platform for railway heritage lose and a great deal to gain by at least surprisingly, legislatures faced with cuts generally that just happens to be hosted seriously considering it—and then to basic services have viewed state-run by the NRHS—an important acting on it. Look for more details in museums as less than essential. As a distinction. It is a deceptively simple the next RMQ—which you might even result, the state-run museums have had idea. NRHS would provide the read as a digital file. to absorb major funding cuts. underlying site, server capacity, Because its economy is so dependent information architecture, and system on tourism, the Great Recession hit administration. It would be a TOUGH TIMES FOR Nevada particularly hard. Budget cuts “gateway,” in the sense that anyone STATE MUSEUMS started in 2007 and worsened in 2009. entering would be invited to explore the At the time, the seven state-supported whole range of railway preservation. It By Aaron Isaacs museums were 100 percent funded was their hope that a broad spectrum of through the state general fund. As tax railroad-related organizations would Most railway museums are revenues dropped, this made them participate and help make it easy for independent non-profits, but a small immediate targets for cutting. For new audiences to become interested in number of institutions are state-owned awhile it appeared that the Nevada State some aspect of railroading. and operated. This includes the Railroad Museum’s Carson City and Think of it as a digital version of the California State Railroad Museum and East Ely locations would both close. famous Information Desk at Grand its subsidiary Railtown 1897, Nevada That didn’t happen, but as of July 1, Central Station, or a giant, indexed, State Railroad Museum, Railroad 2009, museum support was cut by 50%. well-organized bulletin board of Museum of Pennsylvania, Cass Scenic Museum staff statewide went from 40 Railroad, Texas State Railroad,

13 hours per week to 32 hours per week. one of the most challenging financial Railtown is an important economic All seven museums, which includes situations of any state. Among the many engine for Jamestown and Tuolumne Carson City, East Ely and the Boulder programs targeted for funding County, welcoming over 55,000 City tourist railroad, closed Tuesdays reductions are state parks, which visitors in 2011. There are six through Thurdays. Statewide the include the California State Railroad permanent and five part-time seasonal Division of Museums and History Museum in Sacramento and its State Parks staff, another three part- reduced its employees from 97 to 59. affiliated Railtown 1897 State Historic time employees of the nonprofit CSRM Because the economy has been slow Park in Jamestown. Following years of Foundation, and 150 active State Parks recovering, there has been no accumulative but less drastic funding volunteers who in 2011 contributed restoration of hours, staff or budget. reductions, in 2011 the State some 24,000 hours. There are also Because of the cuts, all museum Legislature mandated a $22 million cut 1,300 Railtown Associates (members). activities have been reduced in state park expenses over two years. Although State Parks’ flagship accordingly. Fewer hours caused a In response to the Legislature’s planned railroad museum in Sacramento is not comparable reduction in income, as cuts, a Park Closure list was developed on the closure list, its budget has also well as all museum restoration using a variety of criteria including been reduced. Seasonal employees have activities. According to Division of revenue and attendance. The list had hours reduced and vacant full-time Museums and History Administrator identifies 70 of the system’s 279 State positions have gone unfilled. A Peter Barton, the state economy seems Park units for closure—including statewide layoff process leaves to have stabilized this year. He foresees Railtown. additional uncertainty, but Museum little change in museum budgets during What would “closure” mean? visitation and ridership numbers remain the present biennial budget cycle, which According to CSRM Museum Director strong. Hammond believes it is too ends July 2013. Nevada’s Paul Hammond, it could mean soon to predict whether Parks budget Sesqucentennial is 2014, and hopefully mothballing the Park with a skeleton cuts will continue, or whether that will bring some restoration of staff if no alternatives are found. The legislators will conclude that further services. Another cause for hope is that property is unfenced and there are cuts to State Parks could harm the the museums now get half their funding numerous pieces of rolling stock and tourism industry, one of California’s from hotel taxes, and only half from the equipment stored outside. Given these economic bright spots. general fund. concerns, closing Railtown could be a According to a pair of stories in the Among the Nevada State Railroad fairly expensive and complex Charlotte Observer, the North Carolina Museums operations, Boulder has been undertaking and the operation difficult Transportation Museum has lost half of the bright spot, with annual ridership to rebuild in the future. Hammond notes its $1 million annual funding, on top of growing to over 30,000 in 2011. The that State Parks staff is working experiencing a 25 percent drop in Carson City museum saw 17,000 actively with local government officials visitors. The visitor decline is the direct visitors and East Ely 11,000. and other interested parties to develop result of charging admission for the It’s well known that California faces alternatives to closure. first time. Prior to the cut in state

14 15 subsidy, admission had been free and The museum’s west yard has been an day. annual attendance was around 100,000. open-air static equipment display for Due to tight clearances inside the Despite the new ticket revenue, many years. Funding has been received tunnel, Southern abandoned the museum staff has been cut from 18 full to build a new roundhouse (the Missionary Ridge line, replacing it with time employees to eleven. turntable is already in place). The a longer route that loops around the According to the Observer, all state design phase is almost complete, and north end of the ridge. At East funding is scheduled to disappear in construction will take place over the Chattanooga, the Ridge line is located 2013, although museum staff is next 2-3 years. on a fill about 20 feet above the parallel lobbying for a delay. Other state funded East Chattanooga Belt Line, which historic sites are experiencing cuts, but circles the east side of town. TVRM NCTM is the only one being cut ARM AND TRAIN MEET leased the 4.3-mile Belt Line and laid a completely in such a short time. The IN CHATTANOOGA ramp on a 4 percent grade to connect it museum is projected to generate with the Ridge line, which is abandoned $350,000 in annual revenue in 2012, but By Aaron Isaacs south of the East Chattanooga depot. its staff estimates it needs $750,000- The Belt Line picks its way south 875,000 per year to operate. Preconference trip 1: To Georgia through the east side of town with side The museum’s foundation has raised The Tennessee Valley Railroad of road running and numerous grade money for capital improvements and Museum (TVRM) hosted the third joint crossings, including a couple of specific programming in the past, but ARM/TRAIN conference, and the last diagonal crossings through for the first time is contributing general one before the two organizations merge intersections. Along the way it passes operating funds, $100,000 this year. in 2012. Attendees experienced a the Chattanooga National Cemetery, That number is expected to increase conference jam-packed with seminars where the Andrews Raiders of Great next year. The foundation has five full- and plenty of train riding. As usual, Locomotive Chase fame are buried next time employees and cut two positions there were optional pre-conference to a memorial, following their several years ago. trips, but this time TVRM put on a pre- executions. After winding between In late 2009, the State of pre-conference 90-mile round trip industrial buildings, the Belt Line Pennsylvania implemented a reduced excursion to Summerville, GA behind reaches the junction of the former budget that resulted in employee newly restored Southern 2-8-0 #630. Central of Georgia line from Macon. furloughs. Railroad Museum of The trip was open to the general public Norfolk Southern owns the first couple Pennsylvania lost several staff and functioned as a break-in for #630 of miles and NS dispatchers must clear members. It was able to hire some of before traveling to Knoxville for a excursions to enter the line. them back with funding from the Norfolk Southern excursion. Heading south through more Friends of the Railroad Museum, which Through ownership and trackage industry, the former Tennessee, stepped up its fund raising. Fundraising rights, TVRM now has over 50 miles of Alabama & Georgia soon diverges to by the Friends has replaced most of the track available to it from its the right. This line used to reach lost funds but the furloughed employees Chattanooga base of operations. The Birmingham, AL, but was truncated took considerable expertise with them. original core of museum trackage is the when Southern took over the TAG. As in California, state museum former Southern line through the TVRM ran a few excursions over it employees have statewide seniority, Missionary Ridge tunnel, which dates until the track deteriorated. which brought in some people who had from 1856. The tunnel line connects the The old C of G is now state-owned worked at other museums. According to Grand Junction headquarters with the shortline Chattooga & Chickamauga, Director Charlie Fox, the primary shop complex at East Chattanooga, which hosts TVRM all the way to impact of staff reductions was on the three miles away. The Missionary Summerville. This line also suffered interpretive and collections Ridge local shuttles between the two from poor track until recent trackwork departments. Those positions are now detached museum sites several times a improved the ride, but it’s still Class being filled to a large extent by volunteers. Conventiongoers traveled from the hotel to TVRM via train, behind Southern Despite the reduced operating GP30 #2594, which is leased from the Southeastern Railway Museum. This is side budget, RRMP still receives about $1 of road running on the East Chattanooga Belt, leased by the TVRM from Norfolk million annually from the state, and generates another million in revenue. Southern. Don Evans photo. Under the circumstances, Fox feels that the museum weathered the cuts quite well. The admission price did not change. Annual visitation is about 130,000 and holding steady. Further budget cuts are not anticipated. Capital funding from the state was not reduced, and three major capital improvements are expected to bring in more visitors and revenue. As of January 2012, the Rolling Stock Hall is heated for the first time. Temperatures in the Hall used to drop as low as 20 degrees in the winter, which discouraged attendance and was also hard on the exhibits. $4.5 million has been authorized for entirely new exhibits. Preliminary design has begun, with completion over the next 2-3 years.

16 One with a 15 mph speed limit. Despite being rather slow, it’s a scenic rural line once it gets south of Rossville. A two percent grade takes it over the south end of Missionary Ridge. There are lakes, woods and plenty of curves, as well as several small towns. Freight service is operated under contract by shortline conglomerate Genessee & Wyoming. At Summerville the depot now houses the local history museum. In 2003, TVRM worked with the state and town to install a turntable just south of the depot. TVRM also has a turntable at East Chattanooga, making it one of the few museums to own a pair of operating tables. A third one, originally from the Southern’s Peagram shops, has been acquired for Grand Junction, where powered is currently wyed. The consist included a dining car and the crew put on an accurate recreation of a vintage diner experience. A soup and sandwich lunch was prepared on board and served by properly uniformed waiters in long Above: TVRM’s Hiwassee River train negotiates the 2% grade of the Hiwassee Loop. aprons. Actually, they carried food- Below: Competing tourist trains of the Hiwassee River and Blue Ridge Scenic railroads lay laden trays from the kitchen and held over in Copperhill, Tennessee. Jim Vaitkunas photos. them as the steward, in proper Southern fashion, placed the food on each table. TVRM has a deserved reputation for emphasizing train operations over interpretation, but this was extremely well done. Preconference trip 2: Hiwassee River In 2007, TVRM extended itself even further, successfully bidding to run the passenger excursions and freight service on the Tennessee end of the former Louisville & Nashville “Hook and Eye” line. Located 64 miles northeast of Chattanooga, it is now owned by the states of Tennessee and Georgia. TVRM created the for-profit Hiwassee River Railway to operate the line from just east of Etowah to Copperhill, on the Georgia state line. Gee Creek is the passenger pickup area at Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River miles per hour, but we certainly the Hiwassee River. This led to a trivia State Park. Passengers are bussed from exceeded that on tangents. contest on the bus trip back, counting the Etowah depot. Etowah depot is There’s a two-hour layover for lunch the number of places in North America owned by the city as a history museum and souvenir shopping in where the trains of two tourist railways and has a model diorama of the loop. Copperhill/McCaysville, which sits on meet. See the answers on page 28. We rode the regular passenger run, the Tennessee/Georgia state line. which covers the 44 miles between Gee Oddly, the Ocoee River changes names Chattanooga Choo Choo Creek and Copperhill. GP7 #710 in as it crosses the state line, becoming the Before 1971, Chattanooga had two Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Toccoa. During the layover, we were large train stations. Union Depot served colors pulled the four-car lightweight surprised to see a second tourist train the Louisville & Nashville. It was torn consist. The line is extremely scenic. arrive from the other direction. This is down in 1973. Terminal Station opened The first half of the trip twists and turns the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad, which in 1909 and served the Southern and along the Hiwassee River. It then comes up from Blue Ridge, GA, 13 Central of Georgia. The last passenger climbs over a ridge to reach the Ocoee miles to the south, the Georgia-owned train departed in 1970. It survived and River watershed, crossing over itself on portion of the railroad. Its passengers in 1973 was converted into the the two percent grade of the famous also lunch and shop in Copperhill, so Chattanooga Choo Choo. It’s more than Hiwassee Loop. The track is in the two consists lay over on the same a hotel in the historic building—it’s a excellent shape, with heavy welded rail track, separated by a few hundred feet. complex of nine buildings, some of and frequent flange lubricators, so the According to our crew, the two which were built when it became a ride is as fast as the frequent curves railroads are rivals, and competed to run hotel. will allow. Track speed is officially 20 17 The former Terminal Station is now the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and convention complex. Besides preserving the historic headhouse and other outbuildings, the Choo Choo is notable for the collection of 54 lightweight and heavyweight passenger cars that now contain hotel rooms and restaurants. New Orleans streetcar #959 circles the grounds several times daily. Jim Vaitkunas photos. really use a paint job. One wonders about the hotel’s long term prospects. Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Conference host TVRM has established itself as one of the most dynamic, fast growing museums in North America. Railway museums can be placed on a continuum from nothing but static displays on one end to nothing but train operation on the other end. TVRM is pretty far toward the train- only end of the continuum. That’s not to say they don’t embrace historic accuracy (they do and more on that later), but running trains is clearly their primary activity. And run trains they do, on 252 days in 2011. There are days when three different passenger trains and two freights (real freights, not photo What sets the Choo Choo apart from Pennsylvania P70. One of the depot freights) are running simultaneously. other similar reuse projects are the tracks is occupied by New Orleans That is probably a record for a railway railcars on site. The former station streetcar #959, which takes an museum or tourist railway. On most tracks hold 54 passenger cars, both elongated horseshoe tour of the days the Missionary Ridge Local makes heavyweight and lightweight. Most complex every two hours. multiple trips between the museum’s have been converted to hotel rooms, Despite its rail attractions, the Choo Grand Junction and East Chattanooga two per car, while a couple serve as Choo is looking a bit tired with deferred sites 3.1 miles apart via the Mission restaurants. There are numerous maintenance showing. Many of the rail Ridge Tunnel. veterans of the Southern and one cars have rust and the streetcar could Dixieland trips leave from Grand 18 Junction, pass through the ridge, traverse the East Chattanooga Belt and head down the Chattooga & Chickamauga to Chickamauga (20 miles) and Summerville (52 miles). In the past, TVRM ran the Downtown Arrow between the museum and the Chattanooga Choo Choo. This requires a see-saw movement on the busy Norfolk Southern mainline, including crossing the equally busy parallel CSX. It still runs for special occasions, but the frequent delays encountered while crossing the NS and CSX has ruled it out as a regular service. It ran for the conference, and was delayed an hour by traffic. The Hiwassee River trains began in 2007 and ran 76 days last summer. One third of the trips cover the entire 50- mile line from Etowah to Copperhill. The rest are short turns to the loop at the 25-mile mark. There are a number of other special occasion trains. Day Out With Thomas, Halloween and Christmas trains use the Missionary Ridge route. Fourteen dinner trains ventured down the Chattanooga Belt last year. In 2011, TVRM expanded further by partnering with Norfolk Southern to revive its steam excursion program, featuring Southern 2-8-0 #630. The emphasis is somewhat different from the Southern and NS steam programs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s where large engines hauled very long trains with the goal of breaking even on operating expenses. Its small size limits #630 to a handful of cars. Passengers are carried and their fares help defray expenses, but this is much more of a marketing and community outreach effort by the railroad. Nonetheless, it’s a big undertaking for TVRM. NS has purchased six coaches from Connecticut DOT that formerly ran in Shore Line East service out of New Haven. They are being gutted and refurbished. As this is written the 2012 steam schedule is unclear. NS is basically chartering the engine and TVRM engine crew. Altogether, TVM carried over 93,000 passengers in 2011. Most of them (82,942) rode the short distance Missionary Ridge local, with 7733 and 2952 respectively on the much longer Top: The TVRM Soule Shops at East Chattanooga. Middle: Inside the shop, a set of drivers from Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 #261 is turned on the Niles wheel lathe, typical of the shop’s contract work. Bottom: An ex-Army GP7 rolls onto the turntable. The East Chattanooga depot is at left. Jim Vaitkunas photos. might change in the future, but is controversial within the museum. However they are painted, TVRM’s coaches are clean and in good repair. The air conditioning works and I didn’t see foggy sealed windows. TVRM Roster Summary In service Other Steam locomotives 1 5 Diesel locomotives 5 10 RDC cars 2 1 Passenger cars 13 24 Freight cars 28 Non-revenue cars 17 Total 103 *Includes 1 diesel and 6 passenger cars that are privately owned.

Two coaches have recently been donated by NRHS Bluewater Chapter and two more are on lease. Despite acquiring some non-regional rolling stock for train operations (the three RDC cars of B&O heritage are examples), the majority of the Static displays at TVRM’s Grand Junction site. Central of Georgia #349 has been collection is from railroads that served cosmetically restored. That’s Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis tail car #1103 Chattanooga or came reasonably close. from the City of Memphis streamliner. Excursions leave from the depot in the More than a third of the collection is ex- distance. Jim Vaitkunas photos. Southern, with minority showings from Central of Georgia, Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis/Louisville & Nashville and even Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia. Freight Hauling freight is where TVRM differs from every other non-profit museum in North America. Plenty of for-profit short lines run both freight and tourist trains. Some non-profits are tenants of for-profit freight haulers. A couple of non-profits handle the occasional freight car on their own railroad. However, TVRM is the only non-profit with for-profit freight subsidiaries. There are three in all. It started with switching the Allied Metal Company plant located on TVRM’s own railroad just north of the Grand Junction depot. East Chattanooga Belt Railway, leased from NS, was the first for-profit subsidiary. Besides providing access to the Chattooga & Chickamauga from excursion trains, the Belt has a couple of online shippers who ship periodically. Copperhill is what it sounds like, a copper mining town. The mine is Hiwassee River and Dixieland runs. cars. Many are ex-Southern, but their closed, but the tailings piles contain identities are not obvious because most minerals that are used in steel The collection are painted in the maroon Tennessee Keeping all these trains running production. This is shipped out in pairs Valley colors and have no signs of 35-car unit trains that are combined requires a substantial passenger fleet. explaining their origins. While this Motive power includes #630, Nashville, for interchange to CSX at Wetmore, makes for a uniform appearance, it about three miles east of Etowah. For Chattanooga & St. Louis GP7 #710, tends to mark TVRM as more of a Southern high hood GP30 #2594 motive power TVRM has leased four tourist hauler than a museum. To an GP38s. The ore is destined for Mobile, (leased from Southeastern Railway extent this is a holdover from the long- Museum), U. S. Army GP7s #1824 and AL, then by ship to China. Freight on term administration of the late museum the Hiwassee River has been off and on. 1829, and US Army RSD-1 #8669. founder Bob Soule. According to a TVRM owns 14 operational passenger Trains were running when we visited, couple of members I spoke to, that but since have stopped again. 20 21 Conventioneers retraced the route of the Civil War’s Great Locomotive Chase. The last stop was the final resting place of Andrews’ Raiders, executed by the Confederates and memorialized at Chattanooga National Cemetery. John Prestholdt photo.

and coaches #857 and 1688. The goal of becoming a full service steam shop was realized in the late 1990s. The Iron Curtain had fallen and Polish State Railways was finally getting rid of steam. TVRM was able to purchase American-built machine tools originally sent to Poland under the post-World War II Marshall Program. Included were a quartering The latest for-profit enterprise is the around the clock operation. machine and a journal turning lathe. Tyner Terminal Railway. It switches the In 2010, freight service contributed Since then, the shop has done contract Enterprise South Industrial Park, which $741,000 to the museum’s bottom line. work for engines around the country. includes the newly constructed When the VW plant is running at full When we visited, the drivers for Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly capacity, that number should increase. Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 #261 were on plant, which opened in April 2011. It is the wheel lathe. located on the NS, a few miles east of Shop activity The shop employees fill multiple the museum. TVRM successfully bid on The museum’s East Chattanooga roles, running freight and passenger the switching contract. The plant shop services and restores TVRM’s trains as the need arises. A couple of opening in April 2011 was celebrated in rolling stock. #630 recently graduated, years ago Lookout Sheet Metal, style with an appearance by #630. The having been extensively overhauled TVRM’s preferred sheet metal vendor, plant is still coming on line, so freight with what is essentially a new tender. went out of business. TVRM bought shipments have been sporadic to date, Southern 2-8-2 #4501 is being rebuilt, the equipment, relocated it to the East but in the future should become an along with Southern E8 diesel #6914 Chattanooga shops, and hired Steve IT’S FUN! IT’S EXCITING! It’s the ALL-NEW issue ties, and more! Games, stories, activi

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75&9YLQGG Call Mike Yuhas Contact your distributor to reserve your spot by February 16: or order direct: 1-888-558-1544, ext. 625 1-800-558-1544 ext. 818 or e-mail [email protected] or e-mail [email protected] Kalmbach Publishing Co. 21027 Crossroads Circle Waukesha, WI 53186 22 3LQGG $0 Griffith, a longtime Lookout given the more recent periods they can exhibits starting with the exhibit employee. He now does all of the interpret, but Lanier’s effort has baggage car in the Grand Junction museum’s sheet metal work, as well as spurred an active discussion. yard, which hasn’t been updated in outside contract work from which the As mentioned earlier, the dining car many years. museum profits. In 2010, the sheet crews have made a real effort to The Grand Junction yard of static metal shop earned $54,000 for TVRM. reproduce the experience of eating in a display equipment still has a ways to Southern dining car. The results, go. Explanatory signage is lacking and Historical interpretation at TVRM which predate Lanier’s hiring, are Lanier plans to do something about Recognizing that it needed to do impressive and are credited to that. However, one piece, pretty little more in the area of historic volunteer dining car steward David Central of Georgia 4-4-0 #349 interpretation, TVRM hired Trevor Duncan. (Baldwin 1891) received a cosmetic Lanier. His title is Operations An unexpected opportunity makeover in 2008. In the future, Lanier Supervisor, and those duties take up presented itself when the United Way would like to see the RPO restored, a the majority of his time. However, ended its lease of a TVRM-owned visitor guide created, on-board signage Lanier holds a masters degree in public warehouse at East Chattanooga. When inside the coaches, and an oral history history and came to TVRM after they vacated the building a year ago, it project on TVRM’s own history. working for the National Park Service was discovered to house an honest-to- as an interpretive ranger. goodness records vault. Lanier lost no The bottom line Since running trains are such a high time claiming the vault for archival Put all this together and you have a priority, Lanier’s started by trying to storage of the museum’s large large enterprise. At the beginning of make train operations appear as collection of technical drawings, 2011, TVRM had 19 full time and 15 historically accurate as possible. blueprints, documents and photos. The part time employees. There are 1000 That begins with how the crews are HVAC, fire suppression and humidity members, including over 100 who dressed. Two years ago Lanier drafted control was serviced and the volunteer. They contributed over a volunteer handbook with uniform documents were moved in. A new 17,000 hours in 2010, equal to 8.3 full standards. Conductor uniforms are group of archive volunteers has formed time equivalents. Annual income for brass buttoned, with vests and to catalog. 2010 was almost $3.7 million and may appropriate footwear. For the steam Temporary exhibits have started to have approached $5 million in 2011. crews in engine service the appear. Lanier brought in the O. anachronism of baseball hats and T- Winston Link traveling exhibit, as well shirts has largely disappeared. Things as two other temporary exhibits. He are not so clear-cut with diesel crews, would like to move into permanent

23 STEAM OPERATIONS CORPORATION

By Aaron Isaacs When steam locomotives disappeared from main line operations in the late 1950’s, few would have thought that over 50 years later companies would exist that specialize in the restoration of these tools of the industrial revolution. While on our way to the TRAIN/ARM conference in Chattanooga we arranged a shop visit to TRAIN member Scott Lindsay and his company Steam Operations Corporation in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Lindsay started his full time career working as a mechanic and fireman on the Chessie Steam Special and Safety Express back in the late 1970s and early 1980s with former Reading and Chesapeake and Ohio 4-8-4’s #2101 and 614. These main line steam programs saw annual system-wide excursions over the Chessie and Family Lines (now CSX) Systems. In 1982, Lindsay was hired to work in the Norfolk Southern (NS) Birmingham, Alabama Steam Shop, to assist in the restoration of Norfolk and Western Class J 611. During the next 12 years he worked both in the shop and on the road with the N&W 611, 1218, Southern 4501, Savannah & Atlanta 750 and the short term leased locomotives that often augmented the Norfolk Southern steam excursion program. It was during this time Lindsay formed Steam Operations Corporation and with the assistance of Norfolk Southern Corporation upper and steam shop management team became the contractor to provide labor for the maintenance and operational services of the NS steam excursion program. Scott Lindsay with the frame and newly cast cylinders for Austin Steam Train’s Since the conclusion of the NS program in 1994, Steam Operations ex-Southern Pacific 2-8-2 #786. Corporation has continued to provide the industry with all aspects of steam 40-ton overhead crane, manual and (www.chsgeorgia.org) in Savannah, locomotive services including CNC milling machines with the largest Georgia is ongoing with its frame operational and cosmetic restoration, having a 40-foot table, a lathe that can sitting on the shop floor next to the training, consulting, locomotive swing 12 feet and a 600 ton wheel #786 frame. Work on the #15 has relocation, accident repairs, engineering press. included reverse engineering parts and services, inspections, project Since that time, shop projects have systems for replication as no detailed management, Form 4 development and included reverse engineering of builders drawings are known to exist. assisting customers in steam locomotive locomotive parts and systems using Some of the viewed work includes new repairs and long term maintenance and Auto Cad. These drawings were then front and rear frame rails, axles, new operational programs that exceed used to machine and mate new cylinder tires, crank pins, piston rings, piston Federal Railroad Administration castings (see photo) to the former rods, crossheads and guides, rocker minimums or maximums as found in 49 Southern Pacific 2-8-2 #786 frame. boxes, eccentrics, eccentric straps and CFR Part 230. Photos showing the shop and detailing many other components. In early 2006, a deal was negotiated some of the complex engineering, Lindsay states that recent customer Listerhill TMC, a division of Wise layout, machining and set up work for projects requiring combinations of both Alloy’s, in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, these new castings can be found on the shop and off site work have included providing Steam Operations Austin Steam Train web site or broken driver wheel casting Corporation the much needed large www.pointech.com/786 . replacement, broken frame replacement, shop floor space, machinery and At the same time, a ground up tire replacement, new bearing boxes support personal required to restore restoration of former Scott Lumber cast and machined, roller bearing boxes these locomotives. Highlights of the 2-4-2 #15 for Coastal Heritage repaired, locomotives relocated by both 150,000 square foot facility include a Society’s Roundhouse Museum rail and truck, locomotive inspections, 24 cosmetic restoration work, new boiler repairs to the north end of the roof over required only servicing the brakes and construction engineering and consulting the shop boilers, repaired west wall bearings. One is now loaded with work for running gear, tender and boiler windows and side sheathing, returned hardwood crossties and the other with issues. the main shop steam engine to operation passenger car truck frames. CP has also Lindsay is committed to keeping with compressed air, and restored a donated buffet lounge-solarium steam alive in the 21st Century with portion of the overhead belt, shaft and #411752 River Forth (National Steel “quality repair, operation and pulley system to operation, linking the Car, finished by CP Angus Shops maintenance practice and merging the engine to the wheel lathe, permitting 1929). The 80-foot heavyweight was disciplines of the steam era with today’s lathe demonstrations. built as a tail end car for the CP’s Trans technology”. This commitment has Robertsdale Post Office building: Canada Limited between St Paul and been possible because of the completed much of the internal Vancouver. development of a network of companies finishing. and individuals who are recognized as Coal refueling bunker: restored one Illinois Railway Museum Union, IL top professionals and industry leaders in of the metal chutes to operation. Chicago Burlington & Quincy their specialized areas. He says, “It is Repaired wind damage to several lightweight baggage car #993 (CB&Q the responsibility of all steam building roofs. Havelock Shops 1950) has been locomotive contractors, owners and restored and is now being used to house operators to maintain these historic Heritage Park Historical Village Pullman freight car correspondence machines in good condition to ensure Calgary Alberta files. The car had been demoted to work their safety, reliability and longevity”. Add this to the list of new and train service and required body work, different events in the last issue of door repairs and a new silver paint job. HERITAGE RAILNEWS RMQ/Trainline. The museum held its The records are part of the museum’s 7th Annual “Pulling The Past For The Pullman Library collection, but Future” Train Pull Competition. previously had been inaccessible due to Friends of the East Broad Top Sponsored by the Canadian Pacific lack of display space. Here’s a recap of the Friends’ 2011 Railway Police and the Calgary Police The museum has received the huge restoration efforts: Service, 14 teams competed to pull railroadiana collection of the late Julie Restoration of combine #14: repaired 1905 CPR 0-6-0 #6144 (Angus Shops Johnson. It included over 6000 books, the end platforms, installed new end 1905) 30 feet in a timed event that extensive records from the Chicago, beams, repaired the wooden side sills, raised $500,000 for the Special Aurora & Elgin interurban, and realigned the frame, started hidden Olympics. thousands of rail-related artifacts of all reinforcement of the car sides and roof, Canadian Pacific has donated three kinds. Over 20 loaded pickup truck trips repaired bolsters. pieces of rolling stock, a 35-foot flatcar were required to move it all to newly Main shop building: Completed built in 1918 and a 41-foot flatcar built leased warehouse space. in 1919. Both have good decks and

25 collection of railroad artifacts, along Railroad Museum. Funds from the with museum offices, meeting room, equipment sales have gone into track displays and archives. repairs. North Dakota Railroad Museum Roundhouse Railroad Museum Mandan, ND Savannah, GA The museum has purchased the The Central of Georgia Railway Northern Pacific depot from Steele, ND Historical Society has acquired a and moved it 50 miles west to Mandan. Central of Georgia 41-foot flatcar for restoration and display at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum Roundhouse Museum. The car is Chippewa Lake, OH believed to be the last surviving The museum has purchased Shaker example of the Central of Georgia Heights Rapid Transit line car #101 10701 - 10800 series flatcars built in (Detroit United 1923) from the Ohio 1925 by Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railway Museum. The car was Railroad Co. It is unmodified, retaining originally built for the Eastern the original K brakes and Andrews Michigan interurban. It was sold to truck frames with Simplex bolsters. The Shaker Heights in 1932. car, which had been in captive service Ohio Railway Museum for several decades at the Plant Hammond at Coosa, GA was donated This pew-type seat from a chapel car Worthington, OH The museum has been thinning its by Georgia Power Company was discovered at the American collection. Erie gas-electric car #5012 Seashore Trolley Museum Baptist Historical Society at Mercer (Bethlehem Steel/EMC 1931) and Kennebunkport, ME University in Atlanta, GA. The North Shore interurban #154 (Brill The museum has undertaken a series Northwest Railroad Museum will use 1915) have been sold to an undisclosed of repairs and upgrades to its carbarn it to replicate the seats in its chapel party. Eastern Michigan, later Shaker buildings, which have been showing Heights Rapid Transit line car #OH/101 car, now in mid-restoration. NRM their age. The Riverside carbarn has has been sold to Northern Ohio Railway received new column footings and photo. Museum. Norfolk & Western foundation improvement to stabilize it heavyweight combine #1511, and its tracks. The Highwood barn has Iowa Railroad Museum Pennsylvania RPO car #6510 (Altoona Boone, IA also gotten new column footings, new Shops 1920), Pittsburgh Railways PCC rear exit doors and asphalt paving The museum, which runs the Boone #1772 (St. Louis 1949) and Chicago across its front apron. New culverts will & Scenic Valley Railroad, is nearing Transit Authority L car #4449 improve drainage. completion of its new James H. (Cincinnati 1924) are all currently for Andrews museum building. Partially sale by Ozark Mountain railcar. Two Siouxland Historical Railroad funded by a major donation from heavyweight passenger cars have been Association, Sioux City, IA Andrews, it will house his large donated to the Dennison (Ohio) Depot Attendance for 2011 was about

26 32,000, 39 percent higher than 2010. NRHS RAIL HERITAGE September 12 - 15, 2012: Narrow Gauge Convention Walkersville Southern CALENDAR Location: Bellevue, WA Walkersville, MD Event Type: Convention The railroad has purchased a former April 19-21, 2012: Train Collectors For more information, visit: Pennsylvania Railroad 1949-built GE Association Eastern Division York Meets http://seattle2012.com/ 44-tonner from the South Carolina Location: York Fairgrounds, 334 Event status is firm. Railroad Museum. The railroad is a Carlisle Ave., York, PA former PRR branch and the locomotive Event Type: Meeting October 18-20, 2012: Train Collectors will be repainted in its original **The National Toy Train Museum Association Eastern Division York Meets Brunswick Green. Current power is a (NTTM) holds an open house the Location: York Fairgrounds, 334 25-ton Plymouth. Wednesday before every York Meet. Carlisle Ave., York, PA (Wednesday, April 18)) Event Type: Meeting Western Pacific Railroad Museum Event status is firm. Portola, CA **The National Toy Train Museum The loss of the museum’s former (NTTM) holds an open house the April 20-22, NRHS Spring Wednesday before every York Meet. Western Pacific Hospital due to an Conference arson fire has set back the long term (Wednesday, October 17) Location: Richmond, VA Event status is firm. development plans and put the museum Event Type: Meeting in a financial hole. Plans for the Event Status: Firm building included an interpretive November 5 - 11, 2012: Joint ARM- display center, offices and a library. TRAIN Fall Conference June 17 - 25, 2012: NRHS 2012 Location: Montreal, CANADA Those potential uses must now wait Convention until a new building can be erected. In Event Type: Conference Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Joint ARM-TRAIN Fall Conference the meantime, demolition and site Event Type: Convention cleanup cost $49,000, equal to about 25 will be hosted by Exporail, The Canadian For more information, visit Railway Museum from November 6 - 11, percent of the annual budget. Fund www.nrhs.com raising is underway. 2012 in Montreal, Canada. There will be Event status is firm. a pre-conference tour on November 5th. Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Schedule is now in the planning stage. Railway Museum, Alna, ME June 23 - July 2, 2012: Train Plan to join us for a memorable The museum held its 15th Fall Work Collectors Association Convention - conference and visit to the birthplace of Weekend. The four-day work session hosted by Dixie Division of TCA Canadian Railroading. averaged 52 volunteers per day, Location: Atlanta, GA Event status is firm. reaching 85 on the Saturday. Among Event Type: Convention the completed projects was a 240-foot For more information, visit: November 15 - 19, 2012: NRHS Fall extension of the main line track. www.dixiedivisiontca.com Conference Event status is firm. Location: Fishers, IN Event Type: Meeting Event status is firm.

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27 T/RMQ TRIVIA: TOURIST TRAIN First Class Railroad Pins and Patches MEETS

Our conference review story on page 17 describes the convergence of two competing tourist trains at Copperhill, Tennessee. On the bus ride back to Chattanooga we tried to think of any other places in North America where tourist or museum trains run by separate organizations met. The list is short. In Antonito, Colorado, the Cumbres & Toltec and the Rio Grande Scenic are timed to connect. The New York Museum of Transportation and the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum share a railroad that connects their two sites, which are about a mile apart. Their trains meet at the midpoint and exchange passengers. The trolleys of the Rockhill Trolley Museum meet the East Broad Top’s trains. If readers can think of any other cases, let us know.

Shore Line Trolley Museum has completed the restoration of Georgia Power Company #948 (Cincinnati 1926) that began 45 years ago. Jeff Hakner photo.

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30 31 The Historic Rail Park and Train Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky preserves the large Louisville & Nashville station, as well as a typical L&N passenger train from the 1950s. John Prestholdt photos.

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