NEXT MEETING: April 21 Duncan Richards presents Chinese Steam VOL. 59 No. 8 APRIL 2016 In just a few weeks, we will be welcoming visitors to tour our Upper Yard and the trains that we have one display. PHOTO BY MICHAEL BARKER Moving Forward With winter snow retreating and Adirondack Scenic Railroad on June 5. temperatures climbing, it’s time to get Tickets are only available on-line from our ready for another operating season at the web site,. You can find details about the museum. If you missed our first Annual trip on page 3 and 7. Rules Class, a make-up session has been To all those who have volunteered in the scheduled for May 1. Rules Class is past, I sincerely thank you for your service. mandatory for anyone who wants to work To everyone else, please consider donating on train crew this year. The first portion is a few hours of your time this summer to INSIDE safety training, which is strongly suggested help us ensure a smooth operation for our for all volunteers. visitors. After all, we only get one chance We will have two scheduled hands-on to make a good first impression. The best 2016 Schedule ...2 training events on May 21 and June 4. advertisement for us is a happy visitor! Jim Otto and Mark Wilczek will head up We had a very successful museum season Museum News ....3 instruction for brakemen, conductors, and last year. Your contributions will ensure engineers. Otto Vondrak will coordinate our continued growth into the future. New Projects .....6 orientation and training for Museum Guides As we move into our next stages of and other non-train crew volunteers. development and expansion, your support Museum Trips ....7 We have many projects in the works that will be most important. Would you like to will help the visitor experience overall. help out and not sure where to start? Please We could use your help to complete them contact me at (716) 474-2833 or before our June opening weekend. You can [email protected]. I’d like to hear see the partial list on page 6. from you! Trip Chairman Dave Shields has put —Mike Dow, together a fun day trip to Utica to ride the Museum President ROCHESTER & GENESEE VALLEY RAILROAD MUSEUM • RGVRRM.ORG www.rgvrrm.org MUSEUM OFFICERS President Mike Dow 2016 Museum Schedule (716) 474-2833 Train rides resume in June 2016! Enjoy a mile-and-a-half round trip train ride behind vintage diesels, while you tour the largest collection of historic trains in New York State! Vice President Industry Depot is located at 282 Rush Scottsville Road, Rush NY 14543. We’re just 20 Joe Nugent minutes from downtown Rochester, easy to find from Exit 11 off I-390 in the Town of Rush off Route 251 West. Your ticket is good for museum admission and unlimited Treasurer round-trip train rides (space permitting). Visit www.RochesterTrainRides.com for details. Jim Ziobro Recording Secretary Otto M. Vondrak June 18-19 - Opening Weekend Corresponding Secretary July 16-17 - Caboose Train Rides Joel R. Shaw August 20-21 - Diesel Days Weekend Trustees Dave Boswell September 17-18 - RG&E/Kodak Weekend Rob Burz Jim Johnson Jim Otto October 1-2 - Pumpkin Patch Trains Dave Peet David Scheiderich October 15-16 - Pumpkin Patch Trains Mark Wilczek October 29-30 - Pumpkin Patch Trains TICKETS: Adults: $10.00, Youth/Seniors/Military: $8.00 Trains depart Industry Depot every half-hour. The official publication of All seating is first-come, first-served. the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum Free parking located off Route 251. Refreshments available. Volume 59, No. 8 EDITOR Otto M. Vondrak RochesterTrainRides.com [email protected] facebook.com/RochesterTrainRides PRINTING AND MAILING Dave Peet ©2016 Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. T0615-A The Semaphore is published monthly by the Rochester & EST. 1937 • RGVRRM.ORG Thank you for supporting the volunteers and mission of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Your Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. Electronic distribution visit helps pay for the preservation of Rochester’s rich railroading heritage. This ticket entitles the bearer to one by e-mail is free. First-Class mailing is available for $7.00 a round-trip train ride and all rights and privileges that would normally follow such a journey. This ticket is non-redeemable and non-transferrable. PRESIDENT 10.00 year. Non-member mailed subscriptions are $12.00 and run $ from January 1 to December 31. Member meetings are held GOOD FOR ONE ROUND-TRIP ORIGINATING STATION the third Thursday of each month, and the Board of Trustees FARE INDUSTRY AND RETURN meets the first Thursday of each month. Any items related to TIME DATE the activities of the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, and regional railroad history and current events are $ 00 ADULT gladly accepted for publication. ADULT 10. ★ CABOOSE ★ COACH ★ BAGGAGE ★ EXTRA 2 • APRIL 2016 • THE SEMAPHORE MUSEUM CONTACT INFO MUSEUM PRESIDENT Mike Dow (716) 474-2833 [email protected] MUSEUM MANAGER Mark Wilczek (585) 721-1377 [email protected] MOTIVE POWER SUPT. Joe Nugent (585) 944-1047 [email protected] OPERATIONS SUPT. Jim Otto (585) 755-8942 [email protected] TRACK AND R.O.W. SUPT. Bob Achilles (585) 421-0876 [email protected] MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN Sam Rosenberg Volunteers Joel Shaw and Norm Schaddick continued working on the wood deck of our new homebuilt [email protected] TC trailer. The next step will be to add plywood sheathing to help protect and strengthen the deck. This new trailer will be used to transport materials in support of our track gang. VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR Jim Ziobro (585) 889-5316 [email protected] PROGRAM CHAIRMAN of service above and beyond to the success SATURDAY, MAY 1 Adam Lloyd of our museum. Jim’s appointment will be RULES CLASS MAKE-UP SESSION (585) 662-7295 [email protected] for the interim until elections are called The make-up session for our annual this November. If you have candidates Rules Class is scheduled for Saturday MONTHLY PROGRAM for consideration, please contact museum May 1, 9:00 am, at the Rochester Institute Our monthly meetings are held at the president Mike Dow. of Technology. Rules Class will be held at 40&8 Club in downtown Rochester. RIT, Louise Slaughter Hall (Building 78/ Located at 933 University Avenue, doors 2016 ANNUAL BANQUET CIMS), Room 2170. Class will begin at open at 7:00 p.m. and the meeting begins at Our 2016 Annual Museum Banquet was 9:00 a.m. with introductions and mandatory 7:30 p.m. Our museum bookstore will have held at the River’s Edge Party House on Safety Training. Book of Rules class will the latest titles for purchase, and a cash bar March 12, 2016. Our keynote guest speaker follow, then Air Brake/Train Handling is available. was Mike Smith, president of the Finger class. Coffee and donuts served in the On April 21, member Duncan Richards Lakes Railway. His presentation explained morning, we will pass the hat for pizza will present his travels to China to how his company successfully invested in delivery at noon. photograph the last of regularly scheduled the restoration of rail service on a cluster Taking an annual rules class is mainline steam action. of branch lines centered on Geneva that required for all volunteers who wish to Monthly meetings move to Industry Conrail had all but given up on. work in train service. The first part of Depot on June 16, July 21, and August As part of our annual awards program, the class is safety training that is strongly 18. Following a brief business meeting, volunteer Scott Gleason was presented suggested for ALL Volunteers, regardless enjoy rides on our museum railroad. with the prestigious Fairmont Cup if you are in train service or not. The class Please welcome our new Program trophy for his outstanding service to our is free to attend, but you must RSVP so we Chairman Adam Lloyd. One of our new organizations. The board established have enough class materials for everyone volunteers, Adam is already quite active the new Lifetime Achievement award attending. Please call me (585) 721-1377 around our museum assisting with various to recognize volunteers who have made or [email protected] to confirm projects. If you have suggestions please continuous significant contributions your spot or if you have any questions. direct them to his contact information towards the success of our museum for —Mark Wilczek, Museum Manager above. more than 35 years. The first two recipients —Adam Lloyd, Program Chair of this award were Rand Warner and Dave MAY 21 and JUNE 4 Luca. As is tradition, the Annual Cupcake VOLUNTEER HANDS-ON TRAINING NEW TREASURER Award for Most Under-Appreciated Board Two hands-on training sessions will be Please welcome Jim Ziobro as your new Member was presented to out friend and held for all museum volunteers on May 21 museum Treasurer! Jim was appointed by colleague Jeff Hagan of the Central New and June 4, starting at 11:00 a.m. These the board to fill the vacancy left by Dave York Chapter NRHS. sessions are open to all museum members Peet. We thank Dave for his many years —Otto Vondrak, Event Coordinator and volunteers and those members of the RGVRRM.ORG • APRIL 2016 • 3 ABOVE: Finger Lakes Railway president Mike Smith was the keynote speaker at our annual banquet on March 12. He outlined the investments his company has made over the last 20 years to improve freight rail service in the Finger Lakes and Central New York regions.