by Chapter President, Ricky Bivins
Hello Everyone. April Showers will Drown May Flowers…WHAT. That is not how the little ditty goes but it seems to be the case. Those same “showers” have changed a lot of travel plans of late. Some of those plans were in place for our very own members. The Rare Mileage Trips over the Illinois Central i.e. Canadian National via Paducah KY and to Princeton KY across the new Tennessee River Bridge at Kentucky Dam being one of them. Many freight trains are being diverted as well. I have seen a lot of Tri-level Auto-rack cars on the Henderson Subdivision at Mortons Gap KY. These normally run on the Texas Line between Henderson KY and Louisville KY. Not to mention some BNSF traffic. But fear not, the rains will abate, rivers will subside and rail traffic will resume.
The April meeting was very informative if you missed it. There is a lot going on at the National level of our organization. Many changes have taken place and more to come. Wallace Henderson reported many of the changes are being brought on by simple economics. The NRHS national level officers and representatives have been faced with rising cost of travel to attend the Spring and Fall board meeting and the National Convention. If left un-addressed, these rising cost will undermine the streighnth and effectiveness of said board meetings. This will weaken our National Organization and eventually affect our local Chapter as well. Wallace pointed out that he has over the years spent an average of $10,000 per year OUT OF HIS POCKET to attend these very same meetings. I was shocked by this yet it is easy to see. This years Convention is on the West Coast….The cost from our mid-west location would be staggering. These costs and continued effectiveness is the very things out National Officers are reviewing and making changes too. Wallace will have a very in-depth review in the coming months. Please make it a point to pay attention. It IS important to our Chapter and the over all health of our National Organization.
If you missed the April meeting, you also missed the conclusion of Dr. Fred Ripley’s 1980’s era slide coverage of the former Pennsylvania Railroad in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. I find this type of program to be very informative and very one on one. I like the idea of asking questions of the author and/or photographer about the location, time or element of the program. It is not very rewarding to ask the DVD player!
This, as you might expect, brings me to make a point…again! There should be one or two dates left for the year to sign up for a program or refreshments. SO…it is not too late to do so.
The May meeting is in Hopkinsville KY, hosted by our Hop’town members. Try to find time to be there, I assure everyone of a good time of trains, rail history and fellowship.
Rick Bivins