The Order Board Volume 4 Number 3 Summer 2002

A Publication of The Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society

Message from the President

Our annual picnic/meeting is quickly approaching; August 24th. So, I need to report on the State of the Society. We have come a long way since the days when we met during the month of October. Some times in Haley Tower, others in the open field behind it; with crock pots of Jackson’s firehouse chili, a loaf of real good freshly baked bread and a thermos full of Chieko Sprague’s famous herbal tea. In 1998 we decided to take that leap and incorporate with the intention of saving Haley tower. Who knew what that was going to lead to? Now, we have two towers, a couple of out buildings and a depot on the way and we are solvent. All this is a result of hard work by a very dedicated group of people, several of whom drive many hours and make multiple trips to the Museum monthly and contributions by many individuals and organizations. It is also consistent with our Wabash Valley Railroaders Museum “Master Plan” from 1999. This plan and the Museum name came about due to our proposals for grants from various organizations and CSXT asking just what we planned to do with Haley after acquisition. Now, it is time to possibly modify the plan. Our next major acquisition is a small depot of Vandalia Railroad (PRR) origin, which you can read more about later in this newsletter. There has been some discussion among the board as to where to place the depot once we get it here; modifying the master plan. We are looking for member input on this subject and will be discussing it at the annual meeting. Copies of the plan, which included an artist’s rendition of the complex by Jim Rhodes, will be available at the picnic. Or drop us a note and we can mail you one. You can also view Jim’s drawing at our web site http://www.haleytower.org. Also on the agenda, will be the election of two of our officers. The Secretary/Treasurer and a Director position currently held by Jim Rhodes and Ralph Bell respectively are up for election/re-election. There are no mail in ballots or nominations as this was changed at last year’s annual meeting. So, if you would like to vote or step up and run for a position, you will need to attend the meeting. If you have not been to the Museum in a while, you really need to come out and see what your support and dollars are creating. The picnic and annual meeting are free. So, money should not be a problem. th Thank you for all your continuing support and I hope to see you on August 24 . Remember, the meeting starts at 11:30AM with picnic immediately following.

Sincerely, I am your President

Bill Foster A NEW BUILDING FOR THE MUSEUM?

On May 8, at the monthly meeting of the board of directors, Secretary/Treasurer Jim Rhodes announced that he had been informed of a railroad building that might be available to the Society. The building is a depot built during the Vandalia Railroad era and was used in Turner, Indiana. It still stands in Turner but was moved from its original location beside the former right of way to the back yard of a home in that town. The depot building is constructed of wood with dimensions of approximately twelve feet by thirty feet. The building's front has a walk-in door on one half and a rolling freight door on the other half. Jim reported that the owner was willing to sell the structure for $500. Although no official decision was made, the board agreed that the possible acquisition merited further study. Jim and President Bill Foster said they would investigate. The two officers visited the site and spoke to the owner of the building who expressed an interest in saving the structure. The owner gave the impression he would donate it to the Society so it could be moved to the Museum. While there, Bill and Jim took a few photographs of the depot so other board members could see its condition and then vote on whether to save it.

Photos by Jim Rhodes & Bill Foster Before the June meeting of the board, Bill Foster met with a representative from the company that moved both Haley and Spring Hill towers, MCF Movers of Newburgh, Indiana. MCF stated that they could move this depot at a cost of $7000 and that it could be moved and reset in two days if a new foundation is in place before they begin their work. Bill reported this information to the board along with word that part of the $7000 cost has already been pledged. After some discussion the board voted to proceed with acquisition and relocation of the building. Board members decided that placement of this depot on Museum grounds should be decided by the membership of the Society because the eventual location of this structure might be a radical departure from the Museum's original master plan. That plan was depicted in a drawing made by Jim Rhodes in the summer of 1999. Copies of Jim's drawing were sent to members in volume 1 number 3 of "The Order Board" and a reduced copy is shown here. The Haley Tower Historical and Technical Society is a representative organization with most decisions made by the elected officers and board of directors. Members are always welcome at the monthly board meetings where they can make their views known before the five board members vote on any topic. The annual meeting provides each member with a better opportunity to voice opinions on the way his or her dues payment is spent and on the future direction of the Society and the Museum. All members of the Society are encouraged to attend the annual meeting and picnic on August 24, 2002. At the meeting everyone will have a chance to express opinions on location and then vote on the topic. The master plan for the Museum may also be discussed to determine if other major changes should be made or if the original plan, with minor variations, should be followed. words on behalf of HTH&TS. Dave Honan, HTH&TS TWO SOCIETIES member and president of the Rose-Hulman Model Railroad Club then greeted the group on their behalf. COLLABORATE FOR The next presentation, "A Brief History of the C&EI 'Whippoorwill' and 'Meadowlark' Passenger ONE GREAT MEETING Trains", was given by Bob Lehnen of the C&EIRRHS. Dr. Lehnen was instrumental in the production of HO The Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad scale models of the coaches used in the two passenger Historical Society held its spring annual meeting in Terre trains. He stated "Good models require detailed Haute on Saturday, April 27. The Haley Tower historical research." That research was the basis for his Historical & Technical Society acted as host and presentation. members of both groups were invited to attend. Several The two trains used eleven streamlined, people are members of both of the groups. Bill Foster, lightweight passenger cars made by the Pullman- president of HTH&TS, arranged most of the details of Standard Company. Seven of the cars were used on the meeting. "Whippoorwill" as it ran from Chicago to Evansville Bill worked with the Signature Inn in town to with stops in Clinton and Terre Haute. The other four reserve a block of rooms with reduced rates for members cars were used on "Meadowlark" on its trips from who wished to stay over the weekend. In return for the Chicago to southern Illinois. business, the Signature Inn provided a meeting room Bob gave details of the construction of the where a social mixer took place on Friday night. The original cars. His sources included Pullman's original HTH&TS provided the refreshments for this gathering plans provided by the Illinois Railway Museum. The and two Haley Society members presented programs on cars eventually were incorporated into the consists of rail related topics. "Hummingbird" and "Georgian" which were trains Ralph Bell gave a slide presentation on "Saving operated jointly by the C&EI and L&N Railroads. By Spring Hill Tower" consisting of photos taken by him 1972 all of the cars were lost to wrecks or scrappers. and Dave Honan from April 30 to May 4 of 2001. That Following Bob's detailed and informative was the week that the tower was cut into three pieces and presentation, the attendees moved to the other half of the moved from its historic southside location to the Wabash Kahn Room for a special event from the Rose-Hulman Valley Railroaders Museum. Model Railroad Club. Dave Honan said a few words The second presentation was a two-part before introducing fellow Rose-Hulman student Mike videotape shot by Joe Dermody. Part one showed "The Raffay who is the club's vice-president. Greenwood Job." Joe followed the activities of this Conrail train as it worked its way from Duane Yard to Greenwood Yard and back in September of 1990. At that time, many businesses along First Street in Terre Haute had industrial spurs connecting them with the railroad. Part two of Joe's video showed CSX signal gangs erecting a new signal bridge at West Haley. Erection of this bridge began shortly after "Day One" in the summer of 1999 and culminated on September 8 of that year. It was part of the signal changes that led to the eventual closing of Haley Tower. On Saturday morning the C&EIRRHS met in the Kahn Room of the Hulman Memorial Union on the Photo by Bob Mount campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. A Mike spoke of the history of railroad passenger folding partition divided the room with one side service in Terre Haute, then unveiled a spectacular HO containing the modular HO train layout of the Rose- scale model of Terre Haute Union Depot. The original Hulman Model Railroad Club and tables where vendors depot was finished in 1893 and was home to 104 daily sold railroadiana. passenger train stops, Mike said during pre-unveiling In the other half of the room the meeting was presentation. called to order by C&EIRRHS president Doug Christensen. Doug spoke briefly of his career with the continued on page 4 C&EI. He then introduced Bill Foster who said a few determine the itinerary for the trip. He also shot video The Liberty Bell and famous entertainers and sports of many of the scenes and this video was shown on figures passed through during its heyday, he said. monitors on the coach during its travels. The video The original depot stood near the corner of proved helpful as most of the tour took place during a Ninth and Sycamore Streets from 1893 until 1960 when steady rainfall that obscured views of some of the it was razed. The depot was actually a complex of locations. buildings and consisted of two train sheds, freight buildings and the almost triangular headhouse that had a two hundred foot tower at its apex. The north-south train shed covered the tracks of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois and Evansville & Terre Haute railroads. This smaller train shed was 400 feet long. The second, 700 foot long structure protected the tracks of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis.

Photo by Bob Mount

The coach left the Rose-Hulman campus and traveled west along U.S. 40 paralleling the former route of the Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Company. After passing under the Canadian Pacific bridge, built in 1904, the coach traveled north on Fruitridge Avenue and passed over the site of the Pennsylvania Railroad's East Yard. Fruitridge is parallel to the CP elevated trackage that was built as a wooden viaduct and later back-filled. The line was built by the Photo by Bob Mount CTH&SE. The model of the depot is also of a grand but The group then rode past Van Yard and the smaller scale. It is twelve feet by five feet and took 264 locations where Preston and Dewey towers formerly hours to build at a cost of $3400, about one and a quarter stood. The travelers also learned of a tragic train wreck percent the cost of the original structure. Dennis that occurred north of Dewey in 1944. The coach Kirchmann of Cloverdale built the model and donated proceeded north to the place still known as "Otter Creek part of the construction expenses to the Rose-Hulman Junction" even though many years have passed since Model Railroad Club more than one rail line went through the area. This impressive model is so accurate that it will The tour made its way to Clinton, Indiana via be displayed at the Wabash Valley Historical Museum at U.S. 41. The THI&E traction line ran along the east side Sixth Street and Washington Avenue from February to of the highway to reach that town. The restored Clinton July 2003. This will allow people from the Terre Haute depot was open for inspection and the tour group was area to see a part of the city's railroad history and perhaps treated to refreshments. The rain did not dampen the gain some understanding of the railroad's importance to spirits of the visitors and many from the group walked to the area. the old freight depot to study its condition. Many more photos can be seen at the Rose- The Turner coach took the tourists through Hulman Model Railroad Club web site at Clinton's "Little Italy" to an area where several coal www.rose-hulman.edu/Users/groups/ModelRailroad. branch rail lines ran out of the town. Then the group saw The web page has many photos of the model taken Clinton siding, Jackson yard and Mid-States Railcar during its construction plus some historic pictures of the before heading back to Terre Haute via parts of old and actual depot. The model club hopes to soon add photos new State Road 63. taken during the unveiling. Back in Terre Haute the group viewed the The meeting participants broke for lunch and current track alignment just east of the Wabash River then many of them boarded a Turner coach for a four- where the "S" curve was installed to allow trains bound hour tour of historic railroad sites in western Indiana. continued on page 5 HTH&TS president Bill Foster had traveled the area to for St. Louis to move from the former New York Central At the conclusion of the weekend many line to the former Pennsylvania Railroad line. The tour members of both societies felt that the joint venture had continued down First Street allowing a view of the line been beneficial for both groups. featured the previous evening in "The Greenwood Job." The next area visited was Spring Hill where the visitors had a chance to view the interlocking and the former location of the Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society's second tower. Through an arrangement with CSX the group MORE VOLUNTEER was allowed to disembark at Baker Yard so that everyone could take a closer look at the only former OPPORTUNITIES FOR Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad facility remaining in use in Terre Haute. Haley Tower is the only other SOCIETY MEMBERS former C&EI facility remaining in the city. The tour eventually arrived at the Wabash From time to time Haley Tower Historical & Valley Railroaders Museum where many participants left Technical Society members travel to rail related events the bus to view the interiors of both towers. After around Terre Haute. There the members set up display everyone had looked around the Museum the coach tables from which they sell the Society's fund-raising returned to Rose-Hulman. merchandise, recruit new members and generally This relatively short tour covered a huge publicize the existence of the Wabash Valley Railroaders number of rail related locations around Terre Haute and Museum. Past events these members have attended gave many of the visitors their first understanding of how include model railroad shows in Terre Haute and Urbana, extensively the city and the railroads depended on each Illinois and "Transportation Days" in Effingham, Illinois. other. Within the next two months the Society will The day was not yet over. A buffet dinner was travel out two more times. In one case we return to an served in the Kahn Room and was followed by another event we attended last year, and the other event will be informative presentation. one we have not attended in the past. Richard Wallis, author of The Pennsylvania First, and new for us, is the "Little Italy Railroad at Bay, studied rail operations in Terre Haute Festival" in Clinton, Indiana taking place from August extensively for his book. The time period covered in the 30 through September 2. This is Labor Day weekend. It book was mainly the second half of the nineteenth should be an enjoyable weekend with plenty of train century since the focus of the book was the life of watching opportunities since we will be working in the William Riley McKeen. McKeen was one of Terre restored Clinton depot just feet from the CE&D Haute's early railroad advocates. subdivision. Society member John Fuller will also be in Mr. Wallis's research, however, covered rail the depot where he will be selling prints from his operations in Terre Haute up to the present and he shared collection of historic railroad photos. with the group some of that information. Since the The second event is "Transportation Days" in model of Terre Haute Union Depot had been unveiled Effingham. This event will be held on September 14. that morning Richard gave more details of the depot's Again this year the Society will have display tables in history, operation and eventual demolition in 1960. Agracel's Total Quality Warehouse where the Effingham As Richard spoke the audience watched slides Railroad will display their locomotives. We are able to that were shown by HTH&TS member John Fuller. The set up at this prime spot because Society member Dave combination of Richard's descriptions and the Fredrick is Superintendent of Operations for the photographs helped the viewers understand Terre Haute's Effingham Railroad. Last year's display included a CN railroad history. SD75i locomotive and IC parlor car 101314. The model Saturday evening wrapped up with the business train show that was held in Effingham's shopping mall meeting of the C&EIRRHS that was also held in the last year will also be at the warehouse. Kahn Room. HTH&TS members who attended last year had On Sunday the Wabash Valley Railroaders a great time and we hope many of you will join us this Museum opened at 9AM so the members of both year. If you would like to help contact Bill Foster or societies could visit and take a closer look at the towers Ralph Bell at the annual meeting or at the phone or watch trains that passed by on the former C&EI and numbers or e-mail addresses shown on the picnic NYC lines. invitation. OPERATION LIFESAVER TRAIN IN INDIANA CSX ran Operation Lifesaver Workshop trains in the state in mid May. The railroad stated "The objective of this train is to eliminate needless tragedies in Indiana by increasing public awareness about highway-rail grade crossing safety and pedestrian safety along the railways." Invited guests included, among others, public officials from towns along the routes, police officers, and, on Wednesday May 15, four board members from the Haley Tower Historical & Technical Society. President Bill Foster formerly served as a presenter for O/L and is often in contact with CSX officials in his capacity with the Society. He was invited to ride the train and bring along three others from our group. Directors Charlie Foster, Ralph Bell and Bill Eccles were all free that day and went along on the trip. Photo by Kevin Nelson HTH&TS member Trish Eccles drove her husband to the train and, while waiting to wave goodbye, was invited by railroad officials to join the journey. Wednesday's trip began at Baker yard in Terre Haute at 9AM and made a round trip to Evansville with stops in Vincennes and Princeton. The following day the train ran from Indianapolis to Sidney, Ohio and back. Kevin Nelson of Marion, Indiana shot the photo above in Muncie. He was kind enough to allow use of his photo here since no one from the Society was able to photograph the full length of the train. The consist on both days was locomotives 9993 and 9992 followed by coaches Kentucky, Youngstown, Mississippi, Florida, New York, Indiana, Illinois and Massachusetts. The train's support crew lives aboard the train as it travels the CSX system so, as it spent the night in Baker yard, it was protected by blue flags. At 8:30 the flags were removed and the train backed north to the yard office so everyone could board. Because the HTH&TS members waited while others went aboard they were unable to get seats in the theater section of "Massachusetts" until later in the journey. The back wall of the theater car is glass so that occupants can look back at the track they have traveled. Over the glass are two monitors, one showing the view from a camera mounted on the front locomotive and the second showing the train's route and current location as determined by a global positioning receiver on the train. Between the monitors are gauges showing the current speed of the train and the air pressure in the brake line. Vast flooding was occurring in southern Indiana at the time of the trip so the passengers viewed high water in many places along the CE&D subdivision. North of Vincennes the Wabash River lapped at the ballast. Near Decker huge irrigation rigs stood in flooded fields. Between Decker and Hazleton the rail line crosses the White River but it was virtually impossible to determine the river's normal location because the valley between the two Photo by Ralph Bell towns was completely flooded. After the southbound stop at Princeton chefs aboard the train served a buffet lunch. In the photograph at the left can be seen, from left, Bill Foster, Bill Eccles and Charlie Foster helping themselves to the meal. The train continued south past the wye at Bypass Junction on the north side of Evansville. The train backed to the west via the south leg of the wye and then pulled around the north leg of the wye to return to Terre Haute. While riding, the HTH&TS members had the time to speak to public officials and police from the Wabash Valley and officials of CSX. Trish Eccles especially felt that she had accomplished a great deal while speaking with State Police officers and Terre Haute Mayor Judy Anderson. Riding the train afforded views not usually seen by the public because regular passenger service has not run on this line for about two decades. The preparation for a siding and spur to the Toyota plant in Gibson County was clearly seen and photographed by Ralph. Also, CSX was preparing for a maintenance blitz along the entire route so track crews and their labors could be seen as the train slowed for speed restrictions. The train arrived back at Baker yard at 3:30PM, thirty minutes late because of a broken air line on an autorack in the preceding train. No one complained about spending a little more time on this rare mileage trip.