the crusader - reading railroad heritage museumreadingrailroad.org/2rcths/crusader2013-12.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
The Crusader “Preserving the Past for the Future”
December 2013
The Crusader RCT&HS 1
Reading Railroad
Modelers Meet II
The Reading Railroad Modelers Meet II has
been approved by the RCT&HS Board of Directors
and will take place on Friday-Sunday, September 26
-28, 2014. After a successful first event last
October, the event planning team petitioned the
Executive Board for approval to hold a second event
in 2014. All that attended the 2013 event expressed
interest in attending again in 2014!
While event plans are far from complete, we
can tell you that one great part of this event will be a
tour of Jim Hertzog's Reading Co. Shamokin
Division HO model railroad layout! This layout has
been featured several time in Kalmbach publications
including the 2014 Model Railroad Planning Issue in
stores now. We'll also have clinics, model displays,
vendors and model awards.
We are expecting to have everything all set
and registration open in April.
CANCELLATION INFO: If winter
weather threatens please call the museum’s
phone number for meeting cancellation
information.
(610) 562-5513
Trains, trees, and gingerbread
Thank you for inviting your family and
friends to come to the holiday exhibit at the Reading
Railroad Heritage Museum. The exhibit closes on
January 26. The tree decorating contest had 350
visitor votes. The tree decorated by Girl Scout
Troup 1622 from West Lawn was the winner of the
youth division. The Heidelberg Historical Society
won the adult division. Gingerbread stations were
capably judged by Rebecca Dommel, Hamburg Area
High School art teacher; Brian Warfel, graphic
designer from Hamburg; Diana Green, owner of
Sweet Addictions Bake Shop, West Reading. Five
adult entries and two children’s entries were creative
and diverse and all were winners. Thank you to our
exhibit sponsors: Boat ’n RV, Hecky’s Sub Shop,
Key Printing, Marrella Financial Group LLC, Outten
Automotive Inc., and Texstyles. A door prize
winner was drawn from among the votes for each of
the 7 trees. Those who received prizes were from
near (Mohrsville) and far (Freehold, NJ). Again,
thank you to tree decorators, gingerbread station
creators, judges, sponsors, and visitors. THANK YOU: The Board of Directors would like to
thank Dale Woodland for his efforts to win a $1000 locomotive project grant from Kalmbach Publications. The grant winner would be determined by reader votes, but Dale received notice of this grant with only one week remaining in the contest. With time so short, he took the initiative to submit the 902. He then did what he could to alert the membership, but the grant was ultimately won by the ARHS. Such efforts by our members are strongly encouraged, and we will be looking for ways to be more successful with them in the future. Stay tuned for suggestions in a later edition. If anything comes up in the mean time and you need help, feel free to contact Mike Stehman (Fundraising). Again, Thank You Dale.
The Crusader RCT&HS 2
RCT&HS DECEMBER NEWSLETTER Due to inclement weather the December general
meeting of the RCT&HS was not held. Committee reports for
the month of December 2013 are printed below:
EXECUTIVE BOARD Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected] The December meeting of the BOD was held at 7PM
on November 26th at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum
in Hamburg, PA due to setting up at the Harrisburg Christmas
Show on our usual meeting date. Major topics of discussion
and motions carried are as follows:
Position Appointments – The board passed a motion
agreeing to Duane Engle’s appointment of Paul Payne to
the Executive Board to fill in the remainder of Tim
Weidner’s term as Director. Duane is seeking
suggestions for Compliance Officer. Members of the
board recommended Karen Confer and Don Crabtree.
MP&RE – Reports on car 1189 were received. The car’s
weight was measured and it is too heavy to be moved as
is by truck. Our mover will make a recommendation on
what to do to lighten the car. An agreement with
Steamtown to continue to store the FP7s for another year
has not been settled. Steamtown is asking for a $20,000
performance bond this time to ensure that we will remove
the locomotives if it is needed. This was never asked of
us before and meetings are scheduled to discuss this issue
with Kip Hagen at Steamtown.
Miscellaneous - RCT&HS Operations Flow Chart – the
committee is still working on tweaking this document;
security fence project; Munchkin RR – Duane Engle and
Jim Adams will work on meeting the requirements of the
state of Pennsylvania to open this attraction to the public
in 2014; Bee Line – the executive board passed a motion
appointing Dale Woodland as Associate Editor and to
grant Dale authority to write Bee Line publications and to
work directly with our printer.
The next general meeting of the Executive Board will
be held at 7PM at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in
Hamburg, PA on January 7, 2014. For a complete copy of the
board meeting minutes please contact Jeff Smith at
[email protected] . BUDGET & FINANCE
John Brown 717-426-2238 [email protected]
Nothing to report.
TREASURER’S REPORT Jim Adams 610-777-3764 [email protected] Correction Notice: On the profit & Loss report for October,
2013 printed in the November Crusader there is an expense
item listed as $130 for Travel Meals. The dollar amount is
correct but it was accidentally posted to the wrong account.
The Expense should have been reflected as Train Meet expense
– not Travel. A journal entry was made in December to correct
the posting.
The Crusader RCT&HS 3
SALES Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected] (for mail order questions contact Dave Heffner at 717-290-1493 [email protected]) We had our sales table at the PA Christmas Show in
Harrisburg. The show went very well. The following members
helped with the show: Greg and Barb Goodridge, Lee Schultz
and Duane Engle. Another successful sales event was at the
Fairlane Village Mall in Pottsville on December 19th through
the 23rd .
We still have some of the pre-order locomotives
available; they are the Reading and CNJ Heritage locos from
MTH and the Reading T-1s from Broadway Limited. They are
available at the museum store and at sales events.
The online store is up and running. More items are
being added to the store as time permits. Sales inventory will
be done sometime in January.
The next show is the train meet in Timonium, MD
Feb 1st and 2nd. If anyone can help with this show please
contact Greg Goodridge or Duane Engle.
FUND RAISING COMMITTEE Mike Stehman [email protected] John Greene will be holding a meeting on Tuesday,
January 14th at 7:30PM at the RRHM to discuss raising
money for construction of an MP&RE protection building.
All those interested should attend.
MEMBERSHIP
Melanie Zimmerman 717-445-6301 [email protected] As of December 17 we have 8 new members and 259
renewals for a total of 267 members for 2014. The
breakdown of members is 189 Individual, Lifetime or
Honorary, 21 Family, 35 Contributing, 17 Sustaining, 1
Student and 4 Corporate. At this time last year we had 291
members.
The total membership for 2013 is currently 948, with
3 more members than 2012. The breakdown of members is
621 Individual, Lifetime or Honorary, 110 Family, 136
Contributing, 57 Sustaining, 20 Corporate, and 4 Student
memberships.
Thank you to all who include donations with their
membership renewals. Your generosity is appreciated. A
receipt will be provided for donations of $5.00 and greater for
income tax purposes.
Membership dues are $35.00 for Individual ($45.00
outside the U.S.), $43.00 for Family ($53.00 for outside the
U.S.), $55.00 for Contributing (Includes a calendar), $100.00
for Sustaining (Includes a calendar and 4 free-admission
passes to the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum), $15.00 for
Student and $150.00 for Corporate (Includes a calendar and
Recognition in the Crusader Newsletter). All memberships
include 12 monthly issues of the Crusader Newsletter and 4
quarterly issues of the Beeline (as they are published). Remit
your dues to: RCT&HS Membership Committee, PO Box
15143, Reading, PA 19612-5143.
MUSEUM OPERATIONS
Dale Woodland 215-723-5848 [email protected]
The Trains, Trees and Gingerbread Exhibit is now
open. It appears the next exhibit will be Passenger Trains of
the Reading Company.
LONG RANGE PLANNING TASK FORCE Carol Adams 610-777-3764 [email protected] No report. MUSEUM BUILDING COMMITTEE
This committee needs a new chairman. If you are interested,
please contact a board member.
TRACK & GROUNDS Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected]
More work has been done to clean up and make the
concrete pad more appealing on the north side of the current
museum building. We are also looking to improve the
museum site as a whole. We can always use help in this area.
The work on the Canal Track in the area of our new
switch should begin this winter if the weather holds out for
doing this work.
The fence on the south side of the property is
basically complete. The rest of the fence work is on hold for
now as we wait for additional funding and look for where to
place the fence along the west side of the property. Anyone
that can help with any of this work, please contact me or Paul.
MOTIVE POWER AND ROLLING EQUIPMENT
Tim Weidner 610-780-0497
Car 1189 - Car weighed in at approx. 132,000 lbs, 12,000
lbs over the trucking limit. Two paths under study, 1)
Removing components, and 2) re-investigate rail transfer
possibilities.
Coaches – Awaiting response from R&N on assisting
with repairs.
94074 Caboose - Two more work days to finish
subfloor. Three additional window frames stripped and
out for glazing. Finish flooring options under study.
FP7 Units at Steamtown - Still awaiting feedback from
TRAINS magazine and/or NS. Working with Steamtown
on future possibilities for the units. The untimely passing
of Kip Hagen has put that on hold temporarily.
PASSENGER OPERATIONS Dale Woodland 215-723-5848 [email protected] No report. ACQUISITIONS Steve Schwartz 610-434-1289 [email protected] No report at this time but look for some news next month. ARCHIVES AND PUBLICATIONS Rick Bates 610-647-9359 [email protected]
Archives: Many thanks to the following for Archives
donations during December: some recent railroading
magazines from John Nevin; and an assortment of
paperwork, photos and artifacts from Ben Bernhart.
Sorting work continues in the Archives, and we hosted a
couple of researcher visits during December.
Publications: The next Bee Line is almost ready for the
printer; it will be a double issue on the Reading Locomotive
Shops.
CALENDAR Dale Woodland 215-723-5848 [email protected] John Greene 215-721-3006 [email protected] No report.
MODULAR Jonathan Barket 570-366-1533 [email protected]
We ended 2013 with 2 great shows. First was at the
Harrisburg Farm Show Complex for the PA Christmas and
Craft Show where we were 112' long. Last show for 2013
was held right next to Santa at the Fairlane Village Mall in
Pottsville where we were 96' long and made it in the Sunday
paper - even above the fold! Both shows were a great
success.
Our next show is scheduled for Timonium Md. At
the Great Scale Model Train show. We will be setting up on
Friday January 31st starting at 12:00 Noon. The show will
be both Saturday February 1st and Sunday February 2nd
with Sunday being the tear down after show hours. If there is
anyone able to assist with this show, please let me know as we
are in need of help. We plan to be a total of 120' long with
several new sections being taken to this show.
We will be having a meeting on Saturday January
25th starting at 12:00 noon. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF
YOU WILL BE ATTENDING. We will be discussing and
setting up our 2014 show schedule as well as the future of the
modular layout. Modular committee is also in need of
additional help to keep improving the layout as well as help
for all shows. In the past few years, we have lost
several committed members who regularly assisted at most if
not all events. If you ever considered helping out with a great
bunch of people and enjoying your hobby at the same time,
please let me know and we can help get you started having a
great time in the Modular Committee.
We are also looking for additional help to continue
working on the HO scale museum display layout. If anyone
would be interested in any part of this interactive display,
please let me know and we can get things set up to keep this
upgrade on the right track. MODELING -John Greene 215-721-3006 [email protected]
No report.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Steve Gilbert 610-781-2100 [email protected] No report. MAILING
Ken Riegel 610-777-4555
No report.
The Crusader RCT&HS 4
SAFETY Rick Hoffmeister 484-769-7872 [email protected]
No report. TRAIN MEET Tom Brown 717-279-6783 [email protected] The next RCT&HS train meet will be held at the
Leesport Farmers Market on Sunday, April 6, 2014 from
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE
John Greene 215-721-3006 [email protected]
The 2014 RCT&HS Convention will be held on
April 5th at the Trinity Bible Fellowship Church on Rt. 73 in
Blandon, PA. This is where we hold our monthly
membership meetings.
WEBSITE AND CORRESPONDENCE
Norman O. Mueller 610-446-6651 [email protected] Mike Martin 215-681-7428 [email protected] No report. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Lee Schultz 610-845-2414 and Rick Bates The committee is looking for nominations for President, 2nd VP, Secretary, and 2 directors for the 2014 election ballot. Current holders of these positions are Duane Engle, John Greene, Jeff Smith, Tim Weidner, and Greg Goodridge respectively.
Nominations will close on January 28th at the general meeting. Look for an election ballot in the next Crusader.
ENTERTAINMENT
Dale Woodland (215) 723-5848 [email protected] Anyone wishing to do a program in 2014 should contact Dale Woodland.
The Crusader RCT&HS 5
Hamburg Museum Track Fund
Receipts Current Month: December, 2013 = $516.00
Total: May 2007 thru December, 2013 = $32,668.70
Payments Current Month: December, 2013 = $0.00
Total: May 2007 thru December, 2013 = $29,366.28
Current Fund Balance = $3,302.42
Pay Down the Loan Program
Receipts Current Month: December, 2013 = $1,132.00
Total: Nov, 2010 thru December, 2013 = $32,981.80
Payments Current Month: December, 2013 = $900.00
Total: Nov, 2010 thru November, 2013 = $32,900.00
Outstanding Loan Balance = $64,100.00
In the News
Editor’s Notes
If you have a camera and attend an RCT&HS event
or are able to document news items related to the
Reading Railroad, I am looking for you. Please feel
free to send photos along with a small description of
the event or interesting news item. Photos not used in
the Crusader may be used on our web site. Thank
you.
Jeff Smith
649 Hamaker Road, Manheim, PA 17545
[email protected] 717-665-9311
RCT&HS Corporate Members
Russell & Julia Angstadt; Bethlehem Car
Works, John Greene, CEO, Telford, PA (215)
721-3006; C&C Tax Service, Inc., Reading,
PA (610) 796-9330; Centralia Coal Sales Co.
,Wilkes-Barre, PA (570) 822-4135; Doll and
Train Museum, Harrisburg, PA (717) 233-
3099; G&K Hobbies, Bill Krug CEO, Reading,
PA (610) 374-8598; Health Insurance Solu-
tions, Inc., Tom and Nanette Poserina, Health
Brokers (215) 721-2220; Lancaster Chapter,
NRHS, Christiana, PA (610) 593-4968; Mu-
nicipal & Financial Services Group, Annapo-
lis, MD (410) 226-9101; PENNVIA Private
Railcars, Inc., Passenger Dome car charters in
the US and Canada, West Lawn, PA (610) 678-
3604; R Y Models/Richard D Yoder, Wyo-
missing PA, (610) 678-2834; Rabenold,
Koestel, and Scheidt, Attorneys at Law,
Wyomissing, PA (610) 374-2103; RackAbility,
Inc., Ephrata, PA 17522 (717) 917-7403;
Reading and Northern Railroad, Co., Andrew
Muller Jr., CEO, Port Clinton, PA (610) 562-
2100; Reading Berks Historic Transportation
Assoc., Inc., Reading, PA; R. Harris Russo,
MD, Neurological Surgery, Kalamazoo, MI
(269) 343-3939; Security First Inc., Shilling-
ton, PA (610) 777-8890; Jonathan L. Shalter
III, Conservationist-Naturalist-Historian, Tem-
ple, PA; Town & Country Newspaper, Penns-
burg PA, (215) 679-5060; Vreeland & Linda
Wood/V J Wood Towing & Recovery LLC,
Hamburg PA, (610) 587-1335
The ex-Reading Railroad train station at
Shawmont in Philadelphia is again in the news as it
was included in the 2013 edition of the Preservation
Alliance for Greater Philadelphia’s “Endangered
Properties List” which highlights important historic
resources throughout the region that face uncertain
futures.
The station is believed to have been built
around 1834-35, which were the years the
Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown RR, a
Reading RR predecessor, opened its Norristown
Branch to Manayunk and Norristown respectively.
This would make it the oldest railroad building in
the country that was specifically built to be a
passenger station. It was discontinued as a
passenger stop in the 1990s, but a tenant continued
to live in the building until this year.
Community groups are now working with
SEPTA to find a way to preserve and rehabilitate the
structure. For additional information, there is a good
article at www.hiddencityphila.org and a YouTube
video if you search for “Shawmont Station”.
www.readingrailroad.org
Mark Your Calendars
January 28: General Meeting of the RCT&HS at Trinity Bible Fellowship
Church, Rt. 73, Blandon, PA
February 1 - 2: Modular and Sales at the Great Scale Model train Show in at the
Maryland State Fair Grounds in Timonium, MD
February 15: The Reading Company Passenger Trains exhibit opens at the RRHM
April 5: RCT&HS Annual Convention at the Trinity Bible Fellowship Church in
Blandon, PA
April 6: RCT&HS Train Meet at the Leesport Farmers Market
Save your Redner’s Tapes