Did you know the NRHS Alco Historic Photos is the custodian of a collection of almost 300,000 photographic negatives and about 10,000 drawings and documents relating to the ACO and its successor ALCO Products? Take a few moments to browse around the NRHS website and you’ll find some interesting things like this Amtrak RS3. 

Credits:  Photo by the Bremen Inquirer as seen in Classic Trains Winter 2010, story line in part from Kalmbach’s “Working on the Railroad,” 2011.

Working on the railroad has always been dangerous work. In years past few conventional insurance underwriters would consider policies for railroaders. Whether switchmen in the yards dodging rolling equipment, or brakemen jumping from boxcar to boxcar tying down hand brakes, many a railroader never came home at the end of the day, leaving a trail of mourning widows.

A sobering example of the dangers of railroading is this B&O SD40 with a cabful of lumber.  On June 15, 1979, at Bremen, Ind., a load of lumber on a westbound train shifted and slid into the cab of No. 7598, running backward as the trailing unit on an eastbound.  A brakeman riding the diesel’s cab sustained minor injuries — and no doubt paid special attention the next time he passed another train.

Many safety improvements have occurred over the years, with the invention the Westinghouse air brake and the Janney coupler being prime examples.   In the years before and since the accident above, lumber transport by rail too has changed.  In the very  early days boxcars were used for transport of lumber products, a manual and cumbersome process.  Today the modern center-beam cars have replaced open flat cars for lumber and other shipments such as dry-wall and plywood.

Submitted by Gary O. Ostlund.

 

 

UP COMING PHOTO CONTEST – September 15-30, 2018


Submission Deadline , 
October 7, 2018

Get out there! , Never know what you’ll find on the rails!

Below are the dates for other upcoming chapter photo contests. During the months listed all members are invited to shoot pictures and submit no more than two entries each to webmaster@westkentuckynrhs.org by the deadline listed with each contest. You must be a paid member of the chapter to participate in these contests.

Jim Pearson or the membership will judge the photos and select 1st through 3rd place and the winners will be presented in the Pennyrail and on the chapter website. We’ll also view them at the meeting following each contest.

At least the 1st place winners will be used to produce a chapter calendar for the next year.

All submissions must have a caption that lists at least the railroad, location and date with photographers credit and any other relevant information.

November 15-30, 2018
Submission Deadline: December 7, 2018

January 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: February 7, 2019

March 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: April 7, 2019

May 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: June 7, 2019

July 15-30, 2019
Submission Deadline: August 7, 2019

 

The 2018 NRHS convention will be held Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 7-12, with headquarters in Cumberland, Md. The tentative schedule includes scenic rail trips through the countryside of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus the annual meetings of the Society. The registration room for the convention will open in mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The board meeting for the NRHS Fund Inc., will be held that evening.

The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday with an all-day outing to Cass, W.Va. to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad up to Spruce, W.Va. At that point, there will be a “cross platform transfer” from the Cass steam train to the Salamander diesel train to Elkins, W.Va. Lunch will be served on the Salamander. Once in Elkins, NRHS members will re-board the buses for the return trip to the hotel in Cumberland.

The tentative schedule for Thursday includes a charter train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the depot on Cumberland (three blocks from the hotel) to Frostburg, Md., behind the newly rebuilt steam engine No. 1309. Photo run-bys are scheduled for this trip. Cab rides will be offered in both directions with proceeds benefitting the NRHS.

To read more from the NRHS News, go to https://admin.nrhs.com/NRHSNews/NRHS_News_October_2017.pdf.

 

Al Weber, 2018 NRHS President

As you may of heard Amtrak has announced a new policy for private passenger cars and special trips.  This change will effect many of our members and I would like you to read it.  You can find the Amtrak Policy at  https://admin.nrhs.com/public/AmtrakPolicyChanges.pdf

I would like you to contact your congressmen and women expressing your thoughts on this Amtrak policy change.  You can find the committees and the contacts at http://rpca.com/webpages/Gov_Contacts.html

It would be nice if you also contacted your Senators and Representatives about this expressing your views on the policy change.  The link to find them and their contacts is at the bottom of the RPCA Gov_Contact page.

Thanks,  Al Weber

 

The 2018 NRHS convention will be held Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 7-12, with headquarters in Cumberland, Md. The tentative schedule includes scenic rail trips through the countryside of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus the annual meetings of the Society. The registration room for the convention will open in mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The board meeting for the NRHS Fund Inc., will be held that evening.

The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday with an all-day outing to Cass, W.Va. to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad up to Spruce, W.Va. At that point, there will be a “cross platform transfer” from the Cass steam train to the Salamander diesel train to Elkins, W.Va. Lunch will be served on the Salamander. Once in Elkins, NRHS members will re-board the buses for the return trip to the hotel in Cumberland.

The tentative schedule for Thursday includes a charter train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the depot on Cumberland (three blocks from the hotel) to Frostburg, Md., behind the newly rebuilt steam engine No. 1309. Photo run-bys are scheduled for this trip. Cab rides will be offered in both directions with proceeds benefitting the NRHS.

To read more from the NRHS News, go to https://admin.nrhs.com/NRHSNews/NRHS_News_October_2017.pdf.