Feb 2011 Newsclr10p3
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11 Volume 42 Number 2 February 2011 Dues are due NOW. Trains of Our Youth - Minnesota Railfans Association Trip to Omaha and Grand Island, NE Chicago Great Western’s Omaha train arriving in St. Paul, Labor Day 1962. Photo by Russ Isbrandt Contents Meeting Notice Officer Contact Directory P.2 The February meeting of the Northstar Chapter of the Directions to Roseville Lutheran Church P.2 NRHS will be held on the third Saturday of Well Known Twin Cities Railfan Bill Cordes Passes P.2 February, on February 19th, at the NEW location, Roseville Lutheran Church at 1215 Roselawn Avenue, Minnesota Railfans Private Car Trip to Omaha and midway between Lexington and Hamline Avenues in Grand Island, NE P.3 Roseville. See map on following page. High Speed Rail U.S.: Ready or Not? P.4 There will be a pre-meeting get-together at the Keys Railway Age Breaking News P.5 Cafe and Bakery at the northeast corner of Lexington From Trains Newswire - Chicago Snow Storm P.6 and Larpenteur starting about 5:15 pm. IMPORTANT: PLEASE CALL Bob Clarkson at 651-636-2323 and Observations of Passenger Train Operation Reports leave a message with your name and the number of from Chicago Snow Storm P.7 persons coming with you. Last minute walk-ins can sometimes be a problem. Photos of Chicago’s Metra During Snow Storm P.8 Amtrak Press Release on 40th Anniversary Plans P.8 The program will feature Dawn Holmberg’s trip to the Minutes of the January 22 Membership Meeting P.9 Railroad Passenger Car Alliance in Pueblo, CO. Railfan Calendar P.10 1 Northstar Chapter Officers Board of Directors Office Name Email Phone President Dawn Holmberg [email protected] 763-784-8835 Vice President H. Martin Swan [email protected] 612-961-1684 Past President Cy Svobodny [email protected] 651-455-0052 National Director Bill Dredge [email protected] 952-937-1313 Treasurer Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835 Secretary Dave Norman [email protected] 612-729-2428 Trustee Bob Clarkson [email protected] 651-636-2323 Staff Program Chairman Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 Newsletter Editor Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156 Newsletter Production Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 and Distribution Chapter Mail Box Northstar Chapter PO Box 120832 St. Paul, MN 55112 NRHS Chapter Librarian / John Cartwright [email protected] 651-481-8479 Historian Webmaster Dan Meyer Website: www.northstar-nrhs.org NOTE: Consult the website for any announcements regarding chapter activities including cancellation of any meeting for any reason, including weather. MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Dues are $48 ($36 for the National dues and $12 for the local dues). Family memberships are $5 per person additional. The student rate is $22 ($16 for the National, $6 for the Northstar Chapter). If you want to join, an application is available at http:www.northstar-nrhs.org/. Print out this application and send it with a check made payable to “Northstar Chapter NRHS” to Northstar Chapter NRHS Membership Services, P.O. Box 120832, St. Paul, MN 55112. A subscription to this newsletter may be obtained for $15 for either printed or electronic edition by sending a check to the post office box above specifying the form of the newsletter you desire. A subscription does NOT include voting privileges at chapter meetings nor any of the NRHS membership benefits and no membership application is needed. Directions to Roseville Lutheran Church Well Known Twin Cities Railfan, Bill Cordes, From the east and west take MN 36 to Lexington Avenue. Passes Drive south on Lexington Avenue to Roselawn Avenue From Email of Hudson Leighton as published in and turn right. The large lighted parking lot is on your right MN [email protected] as you travel west on Roselawn. Use the lower entrance and Email from Aaron Isaacs to the church and turn left through the commons area. Bill Cordes We’ll be in room 40, the Diamond Room. Age 75 of West St. Paul Died January 24, 2011. Pre- ceded in death by parents, Louis and Clara; brother-in- law, Glenn and step-nephew, Glenn G. He is survived by sister, Karen; step-nieces, Elizabeth and Bernadette and friend, Michael. He was great uncle to Jeremy, Tammy and Jeffrey and great-grand uncle to Liliahna, Lyle and Marcos. Internment services will be private. Washburn- McReavy Davies Chapel. From Nick Tharalson, Marion, IA Bill, or Willie as many of us called him, had suffered a series of strokes over the past several years. For many of us, Bill was THE anchor of the Twin Cities railfan community. Oh, he was loud, sarcastic and obnox- ious, but he was also knowledgeable, informed, and ac- tive. He was one of the founding members of the Minne- sota Transportation Museum, and was very active in its 2 affairs, especially the Lake Harriet trolley line. He was a During the layover at Omaha, we watched much freight traction advocate his entire life and although we never activity on the adjacent UP, saw a couple of CRI&P trans- talked about it, I know he would have been glad to learn St. fers and a "Q" train of standard passenger equipment Paul was going to get a light rail line on University, al- move out. Then it was up the stairs to the covered walk- though he long personally advocated a subway on that way across to UP Union Station, and off westward on the route. He also traveled widely and took many slides and UP's local, No. 7. The equipment we rode was a Milwau- movies, the latter which drove most of us nuts because he kee ex-Hiawatha coach with full reclining leg-rest seats. always seemed to run out of film at the critical moment. Videotape was a godsend for Bill, and even then, he ran Once out of Omaha we settled down to watch the prairie out of battery at the wrong times. Plus, he documented go by. At Fremont there was a pair of C&NW engines sit- many of the MTM and streetcar restoration projects over ting on the house track. Again we picked up speed and the years. began passing the traffic on US 30. A crude check found Omaha Trip Rough But Fun our speed to be 80-85 mph. By Dick Prosser From the Minnesota Railfans Newsletter After stops at Schuyler, Columbus, and Central City, we Cinders and Sparks glided into Grand Island, a mere 500 miles from the Twin The following article appeared in the November 1963 issue Cities. After a quick reconnoiter of the depot and lunch, a of Cinders and Sparks, edited by Dick Prosser. small group of us hoofed it to the roundhouse. There was UP Steamer at Grand Island - Omaha Trip Rough, But 0-6-0 4466 sitting out in the sun, looking ready to run, Fun given water and a fire. Since a UP steamer in good shape A comfortable crowd of 21 turned out for Steam Locomo- is rare in 1963, the shutters snapped. tives+Old Rails Relics's experimental "Omaha Over- nighter" private-car tour over the CGW using SOO 48, Oc- The hike back to the depot brought us back nearly to train tober 25-27, 1963. time and No. 8 was there for the return trip. A “Q” freight waited as we rattled over CB&Q railroad crossing and we Ye Editor (Editor’s note: Dick Prosser) was the only pas- had our last look at the 4466. We plunged quickly across senger boarded at St. Paul. While waiting for CGW 13 to the prairies eastward into the twilight. It was dark more come down the hill from Minneapolis, I had a brief visit with than an hour as we slowed to a halt back at Omaha. After Minnesota Transportation Museum Committee’s "Barney" a leisurely supper, back to the Burlington Station where Olson, who was catching the Rock Island for Des Moines CGW 14 awaited us with 48, platform trailing and MRA so I told him I would see him at the CGW ‘s bridge over the drumhead sign lit on the tail. CRI&P at Pine Bend. However, by the time 13 arrived and cleared, he was somewhere around Farmington or After recording the scene on film, we moved some lounge Northfield. chairs onto the platform and took our ease like a conven- tion of nabobs as the train pulled out. Our 81ft., 89-ton Once under way there was a crowd on the platform (with “land yacht” (Jim Moe’s apt description) caused consider- 48 in the middle of the train, platform forward) until the able consternation at the Transfer as 14 picked up mail. A train picked up speed south of lnver Grove. The group switchman was so goggle-eyed at the sight that he adjourned to the lounge for Jim Moe’s and Clark Johnson's tripped over a rail and fell headlong. slides of steam and trolleys in the East and South inter- rupted for the stop at Dodge Center. Harry R. Johnson and Once out of Council Bluffs, the platform got cold enough Hartley Hokanson had driven over from Mankato to see us that, one by one, even the hardiest fans deserted it. After go through. this busy day, bedtime came early, even if bouncy. The slide show ended as we neared the division point and Kenyon, breakfast, and the unpleasant discovery of the junction of Hayfield. As the crews changed, we found Mike Austin mail car behind us arrived simultaneously, as we McLaughlin had been our fireman.