Feature Articles 3 Departments 2 T his Edition is a celebration of Birthdays. Our Society and the 142 are 20! It is hard to believe that from the original 8 members we have grown to over 400! And look at what we have accomplished! I hope the next 20 are as exciting and bring us even greater accomplishments. It is my feeling that with the group of dedicated Volunteers we now have, the Sky is the limit. However, for us to continue to grow, we cannot do it with out you, our Members. To those of you who have come out and helped in 2009, a big Thank You! To those who I haven’t had the pleasure of working with yet, I look forward to! I hope to meet a lot of “new” faces this year. If you can give a hour or a day New this year, “A Day Out With Thomas” was a big hit, but more about that in a later edition. 2009 accomplishments Successful Easter Trains Warren County Winery Trains Day Out With Thomas Expansion of the "Ol Susquehanna Mine" New sliding windows in the Bi-Levels. They are a big hit, (thanks to all that made this happen). Great Pumpkin and Corn Maze trains The Polar Express Maywood Station Their Documentary DVD has won a Bergen County Preservation Award. NYS&W Alco S-2 locomotive No. 206 to be added on to the State of New Jersey Historical Register. Upcoming work Bringing the M1 to Phillipsburg to finish the work on it. Brush cutting along the ROW Coach work Tender on the 142 Let’s continue to work together and make 2010 a Great Year for all aspects of our Society! As always, my “door” is always open to you our members. President, John Stocker 2 The Polar Express 2009 Twenty years of the New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society Inc. Martin Den Bleyker President’s Message John Stocker 20 Bel-Del News Les Coleman 21 Maywood Station Historical Committee Ed Kaminski 23 Shop Talk Martin Den Bleyker Covers Front: Maywood Station, The Butler Shops, The Susquehanna M-1 and Susquehanna 142. Photo: Ed Kaminski Rear Top:The SU100 on Starrucca Viaduct. Photo taken on 2/19/09. Photo: Keith Smollin Rear Bottom: The 3618 at night in Bogota. Photo: Ralph Bonanno 2009 Meeting Schedule & Entertainment March 13 - Wyckoff May 8 - Wyckoff July 17 - Phillipsburg September 11– Wyckoff November 13 - Wyckoff
over a year before work could start. It was also mentioned that the NYS&W Railway had donated the NYS&W Railroad’s archives, mostly silk drawings of various facilities. These turned out to be far more problematic that one might think. In 1990, New Jersey Transit tried an experiment in conjunction with the NYS&W. They ran the Ski Train up the Main Line to Hawthorne, where I lived, and then up the Susquehanna to Vernon for lodging in the old Playboy Club site. The Society was asked to staff the trains along with another group. Our people came prepared with a list of explicit instructions for car attendants. The other group mostly sat around the bar car having coffee and doughnuts. Unfortunately, the new owners of the Playboy Club were trying to condo it out and spent much of the travelers’ time with a sales pitch. The weather didn’t cooperate either and I learned something about skiing. We had a boxcar on the train for baggage that was little used as skiers rent the skis when the conditions could prove to be a bit rocky (literally). See, there was a cold snap near the end of both weekends, but no snow. What was there was artificial, laid down when the temperature finally dropped. Most passengers agreed, the weekend was a flop, but they were so happy to be back on the train. We were on our way at hosting such events. Later in the year, the United Railway HistoriTWENTY YEARS OF THE NEW YORK SUSQUEHANNA & WESTERN TECHNICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC. By Martin Den Bleyker, #163 T he clock keeps ticking. The calendar pages keep turning. Lo and behold, we have reached a milestone, our twentieth anniversary. This group has been preserving and reporting the history of our namesake railroad and related topics for two decades. And, yes, our historical group at twenty years can now say we are making history as well. As such, I am very pleased to present you this story. I’ve been there almost from the beginning. At the time, the Hoboken Festival was being held in the spring, rather than the autumn. So it was that in 1989, I wandered over to the NYS&WT&HS’ table in front of a Budd RDC only a few months after the formation of the group in November the previous year. The RDC had been stripped of any graffiti and cleaned, then given a maroon letter board with a silver “SUSQUEHANNA” across it. Being a long-time fan of this underdog railroad that lived across the street from my home of so many years, it required an investigation. The car was dark and dingy inside, yet familiar, as I had ridden it, or one of its sisters, regularly on the old Erie Main Line to work a couple of years earlier. I bought a newsletter, which told me about their meetings. I invited two of my friends, ex-Morris County Central alumni all of us, to go to the meeting in a Wyckoff ambulance hall. Little did I realize the germ of progress I had just seen. It was at the meeting we found out about the effort to create a state museum of transportation and that the RDC, now back in its original designation of M-1, was given to the Society on lease to restore for the effort. Volunteers were being recruited to do the work. I quickly enlisted. It would be 3 cal Society (URHS), owner of M-1, signed a lease on the old Morris County Central engine house in Newfoundland. I remember a trip up there, peering into the darkness through the door and seeing the shiny end of the car finally delivered. How ironic shortly after, as four former members of the MCC went to work on M-1 that July 14th. In order to raise funds, the Society drew on its experience with the Ski Train and ran an excursion up the Susquehanna that included full dining service, complete with NYS&W china we had made. A side tour to the Ogdensburg mine was made out of Franklin and the seats that emptied were filled with local customers for a short trip to Warwick. A somewhat toned-down version ran for two days the following year with a substitute attraction. When passing the MCC engine house, we had the M-1 rolled out for inspection as we made significant progress on it by then. In order to accomplish these trips, the Society re-created Susquehanna Transfer, under the I-495 approach to the Lincoln Tunnel and prepared the Ridgefield Park Station for passenger loading. A few months later, September 12, 1992, we requested a crew from the NYS&W to perform a shakedown cruise to Sparta with M-1. It was with great pride, after all the work we put it, that I opened the controller on our way to Sparta under the NYS&W pilot’s direction. We had a transmission overheat that shut down one engine, but the other carried us back up the mountain and home without issue. Shortly after, the car appeared once again in Hoboken and those that remembered it from its previous trip were astonished at the change. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but there was an immediate interest in RDCs as a tourist conveyance that followed. We became known as the “RDC gurus.” We took the M-1 to Steamtown and on to Syracuse to demonstrate the future RDC service there. Our purpose then was to run RDC trips, which started September 26th 1992 in Whippany. We soon ran into a problem. When running our last Christmas trip out of Newfoundland, we had people on the platform crying that we (Continued on page 4)
were sold out. That was the adults, they didn’t want to tell the kids. The people already on the car insisted we get them on and we’ll find room, such was the cozy atmosphere. We stuck kids five across in the seats and used the ticket sellers’ folding chairs but we squeezed 117 people into that 88-seat car. Here began the impetus to get more RDCs. With a priority to get an RDC-2 or –3, I began shopping. I made trips to Baltimore and Montreal in the process, but it was my trip to Tennessee that yielded the M-2 and M-4. In a both-or-not deal, the Society bought the M-2 while two of our members bought the M-4. This was the second piece of equipment we owned, as we already obtained the ex-MCC locomotive #18 in the Newfoundland shop. But in the process, we hit our first major downside. In making improvements to the shop in Newfoundland, a heavy snowfall brought down the roof before we finished the supports. The building was condemned and razed. In looking for another home, we had investigated the mine site at Ogdensburg, with thoughts of operating on the Hanford Branch, but the NYS&W took out the rails at the same time. In running the stack trains, they wanted the building gone and a siding installed with that rail. It was graded, but never installed, and we had three homeless RDCs. Thus began the next phase. We went back to The beautifully restored Maywood Station in Maywood, New Jersey Photo: Ed Kaminski Two major events then started about the same period. running large trains, with M-1 as a coach. Meantime, the Susquehanna had purchased the Mikado #142 from Valley Railroad and we had to share track time. It was a replacement for #141, which sank in 6000 feet of ocean while being delivered. We then became known as the “Techies” in a cartoon that showed our people in diving gear on our “first excursion” to salvage it. Back to reality, we helped run the 142 trips and occasionally one of our own in the autumn. Eventually we were the operators of 142 to Baird’s Farm on our excursions. We also ran it on New Jersey Transit’s Raritan and Boonton lines. We were raising money to construct a new engine house, and the site in Butler was chosen. But then an event that shocked the country, indeed the whole world, occurred with the terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center, something much too close to home for me, being a PATH employee. It was to affect the Society history as well. At first it was the inconvenience of having the Dunellen Railroad Days trips on the Raritan Line cancelled. We would return the following year. Soon after, certain powers decided we needed almost a half-billion dollars in liability insurance to run a steam engine. I recall the estimated premium to be somewhere between $350,000 to 450,000 yearly. The Susquehanna opted to sell us the engine it couldn’t use on its own track. We then leased their cars, or those of another tourist line, and continued on New Jersey Transit. But, while still close to “home rail” if not on it, the writing was on the wall. Still, we proceeded with the construction of a new shop in Butler. 4 Maywood was getting tired of the run-down eyesore of a station and wanted it demolished. A home-grown committee wanted to save the building, but the mandate was that only the Society would be involved with such a project. The committee became Society members and, working as an autonomous group within the Society (even to the point of their own web page), got the building an historical designation and raised money to restore it. It is now one of the finest examples of such work in the entire country. Another facet of this benefited our archives. After so many years, we finally had a home to store and display them, as well as members willing to catalog them. The start of the other event was far more complicated. With the need to raise funds ever present, we continued to run trips, but New Jersey Transit’s rates for movement and inspection and requirements for insurance were all rising. If we wished to continue improving ourselves and restoring equipment, we needed to find a permanent home. This also prompted an effort to find equipment of our own to run with the steam engine. At first we came across MetroNorth’s SPVs, a more modern form of the RDC. Restoring one or two to full operating condition would be nice back-up to M-1, but we mostly wanted them to be coaches. They turned out to be a logistical nightmare, still unresolved at this writing. We then found five Long Island coaches, slightly newer then the series the Susquehanna was using. They reside in Butler for now as we then came across Metra (Chicago) bi-levels. We obtained several and ended up trading four of them for the NYS&W’s coaches and keeping three. We now had two locomotives, 3 RDCs, 7 SPVs (two were sold already), 10 LI coaches, three bi-levels and a leased car to power them… and still no real home. The effort to create the state museum, always part of our goal shared with other societies, was not going well. The site was picked as Phillipsburg, with Port Morris a very close second and probably developed as a satellite site. But the (Continued on page 18)
T wenty years, wow! In Martin’s article he noted that some of his friends from the old Morris County Railroad days went with him to a NYSWTHS meeting, well I am one of those, and the other was Wayne Nilsen. For some time now, I have been honored to be the General Manager and Vice president of the Society, and our ability to overcome obstacles, and achieve things no one could believe possible, has always made it interesting. The Morris County Central Railroad was perhaps the incubator for many of my ideas, and most definitely, my indoctrination to the rather dysfunctional and unusual world of tourist steam railroading. One of the great things about the MCC was the amazing teachers I had. From Earl Gill , the vision behind and owner of the MCC, to my eventual friendship with Walter Rich, the CEO of the New York Susquehanna & Western Railroad. Both were visionaries light years ahead of their time. The list of people I was lucky to come in contact with is endless and I owe the success of much of what we have been able to accomplish to the education these wonderful people were able to provide. One of the MCC people who gave me quite an education was the now famous O. Winston Link. Winston went on to become famous for his cutting edge night photography, most notably his documentation of the last days of steam on The Norfolk and Western Railroad. You see, I started volunteering at the MCC when I was 13 years old. I was not old enough to go out to the bars on Saturday night like many of the other guys. I would spend my nights in the care of Winston, usually trekking up to Howard Johnsons for ice cream in his 1966 Buick Wildcat. That car was as eccentric as he was! During these times I heard stories of steam railroading you couldn’t imagine, but, one thing stuck with me. Winston’s take on railroad photography was unique. He didn’t believe in just taking pictures of trains, the human element was almost always evident in his work. Winston always noted that the railroads wouldn’t exist were it not for the men and women that make the railroad systems work, and the people they serve. When I sat down to write an column for this 20th Anniversary issue, I kept this point in mind. It’s about people, our friends and family, fellow society members and our patrons. It’s truly amazing how long many of us have worked side by side towards a common goal. Those of us from the MCC days have been friends, family and fellow workers for over 30 years! I couldn’t imagine how I could do justice to the many people who worked so hard all these years to make what we have today a reality in just a few short paragraphs. Taking some advice from Mr. Link, I decided to make a collage of some memorable moments from of my time with the Society and share it with you in the following pages. We have always been more of a huge “family” than simply a historical society. From our Saturday night BBQ’s at the railroad, to trips, vacations and the overall adventure of running the steam railroad, we have always been there to make it happen. Winston was right, it’s all about the people … Chris Cotty A moment with the crew during Westfield Railroad Days. Left to Right Mimi and Earl Pardini, Chris Cotty, Gary Matthews, Nick Zisa, Dave Mason, Dave and Chris Hutsabaut and Frank Capalbo 5
miles of track. In 2006, that was extended to 51/2. In 2008, we could only obtain an additional 900 feet, but every little step is important to extend to the regular run of 8-1/2 miles, and eventually to the whole 15 miles and be able to run excursions like a dinner train. No longer just car attendants, we actually now provided the engineers and conductors, and even management. While it was disappointing to us that we should land so far from home, we’ve made the best of it. As some of our eastern New Jersey members came out to work less often, we’ve gained new members closer to the site who are taking their place and, most importantly, we now have a steady income. I still like to point out that the NYS&W isn’t that far away. One only needs to travel 17 miles north on our new home line to reach the old Delaware Branch of the NYS&W. Sadly, any hope of returning to the real home rail seems further diminished The M-1 on New Jersey Transit visiting Netcong railroad days in 1997 (Continued from page 4) property slated for use in Phillipsburg went instead to a developer. During this process, the town asked the Black River & Western, owners of the Belvidere & Delaware River Railway there, if they could start some form of operation. The Black River went out and obtained a Brill Model 55 motorcar to do so, dubbed the “Delaware Turtle.” Right about this time our business manager, Chris Cotty, approached the Black River to ask about any ideas where the Society could permanently run its steam program. And so it was that on May 1st, 2004 we graduated to an operating railroad. In partnership with the Black River, we were the weekend operators of the line. We started with 3-1/2 by the passing of NYS&W president, Walter Rich in 2007. We now carry his name on the cab wall of 142. During all this activity in the last twenty years, it can’t be forgotten that the Society, based on preserving the history of an “underdog” railroad, none-the-less has peaked at as many as 570 members in half the states of this country and in five foreign countries. While we currently have no foreign members, this issue of the Reflector will still be delivered in 28 states to around 470 people. What was once a Xeroxed copied newsletter has grown to a color magazine and our calendar remains one of the best year after year. I don’t suppose anyone in 1988 had any idea of what they had started, or what the Society would become, and as such, there’s no speculating on what else we may accomplish in the future. All I can say is we’ve had our share of naysayers over the years and all it’s done is to strengthen our resolve to do it anyway. In fact, we’ve thrived on it. Happy twentieth to the New York, Susquehanna & Western Technical and Historical Society, Inc. and many more productive, innovative and historic years to come! Opening day on the Belvidere and Delaware River Railroad. Many people said it couldn't be done. Who ever said “ it will never work in Phillipsburg” never could have been more wrong. This year we had over 60,000 riders. 18
TWENTY YEARS OF THE SOCIETY Society Equipment Roster Locomotives No. 18 142 206 M-1 M-2 M-4 290 291 292 294 295 296 297 298 299 200 201 202 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 Model 18-ton Mikado SY S-2 RDC-1 RDC-1 RDC-1 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 SPV-2000 Gallery Gallery Gallery 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach 3/2 coach Newfoundland Engine house Butler Repair Facility Baer Repair Facility Maywood Station Built 1942 ALCO Previous owners 1938 Plymouth Drew Chemical, MCC, NYS&W 1989 Tang Shen Valley Railroad, NYS&W NYS&W, URHS MUs 1950 Budd 1950 Budd 1950 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd 1980 Budd NYSW, CNJ, CR, NJT, URHS (lease) NYSW, CNJ, CR, NJT, Kasten, TennValley NYSW, CNJ, CR, NJT, Kasten, TennValley Privately owned M-N M-N Sale pending M-N Sold M-N Sale pending M-N Sale pending M-N Sold M-N Sale pending M-N Sale pending M-N Coaches 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1950s Pullman 1950s Pullman 1950s Pullman 1950s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman 1960s Pullman Buildings Built 1977 for Morris County Central Leased Built 2000 on NYSW property Built 2006 on private property (industrial siding) Built 1876, restored 2006 Leased CNW, Metra CNW, Metra CNW, Metra Long Island, K. Bitten, NYSW Long Island, K. Bitten, NYSW Long Island, K. Bitten, NYSW Long Island, K. Bitten, NYSW Long Island, Cape Cod Central Long Island, Cape Cod Central Long Island, Cape Cod Central Long Island, Cape Cod Central Long Island, Cape Cod Central 19
pictures with Crotchety Clyde the Conductor (see picture) or the lights and trees. Every trip was sold out by early November, and ridership totaled almost 18,000. Like last year, Nestle Corporation donated an entire trip to the underprivileged of the Warren County area, and Helene Meissner of NORWESCAP distributed over 600 tickets for this trip. We also sponsored a food drive during Polar Express to benefit NORWESCAP’s Food Bank, and that helped them with needed food to area families for the holidays 142 and the Passenger Fleet Bel-Del News 2009 Operations What a year we had on the Bel Del. Things started off with a bang at Easter, we had over 3100 riders, an increase of 33% over 2008. The regular season was about on par with 2008, but we did see increases at the Susquehanna Mine, the Corn Maze and the Winery trains. The big news was that we had a visit in July from Thomas the Tank Engine, and for 6 days he shared the rails with our 142, delighting children and adults alike. All told, we had over 20,000 riders/visitors during the 6 day event. We had 6 circus style tents and an entertainment stage set up so the children could go from tent to tent and enjoy the entire Thomas experience. There was an Imagination tent, run by John Cannizzaro, a video tent, 2 food tents, a merchandise tent run by Gary Shea and Bill Doran, a tent for Sir Toppam Hat and one for an onsite professional photographer. Due to the success of Thomas, and the exposure of all these people to our operation, we decided to expand our Polar Express season. We added 8 additional trips, a big circus style tent and brought back the professional photographer and food vendor we used for Thomas. Again, this proved to be a big hit: people appreciated the food, warmth and opportunity to take Our CMO, Gary Matthews, spent a very busy year keeping the fleet and 142 rolling. He spent the winter doing his usual 142 work with help from members of the steam team – Devin Stasek, Greg Ruch Jr, Steve James, Don Young, Jesse Dorn, Doc Koschker, Ken and Kurt Christensen to name a few. He then was told that Thomas was coming. That meant he had to build passenger step platforms for the Kilns and Lehigh Station, laid ties at the station so 2 crossings could be built, worked with Joe Trench to add a second sluice run to the Mine, built step boxes for Thomas, and have his team replace 16 windows in the bi-level coaches with sliding windows. In his ‘spare time’, he welded 2 sets of steps that were rusting out on the passenger cars, replaced the brake pads on 3 coaches, replaced new air hoses throughout all 5 LI coaches with the help of Jesse Dorn and Kurt Christensen, and still found time to make trips up to Butler to work on the M-1 with Dave and Chris Hutsabaut, Les Coleman, Don Chadruc, Ken and Kurt Christesen, Martin Den Bleyker, Wayne Nilsen and others. Interior work on passenger car 530 was done in the spring, and Joe Trench replaced the old tiles with a new tile floor. Steve James took out and reinstalled all the seat frames. Keith Dorn put in a lot of hard work and magic to allow the seats in this car to FLIP! Needless to say this has been a passenger favorite, and as other cars get taken out of service Keith will continue to work his magic. In addition to all this, the BRW donated an old boom truck and hi-rail truck to us for use on the railroad. Don Chadruc, Al Elliot and Martin Den Bleyker spent many days working on the rails cutting brush, spraying weed killer and keeping the right-of-way clear. If you see a pattern here of names mentioned over and over again it is because these people are out there volunteering their time on a regular basis. There isn’t space here to mention everyone, but to all who have helped, Gary Matthews, the THS Officers and Board wants to say THANK YOU! The amount of work accomplished this year is absolutely amazing, and the pile of projects to be done is still increasing, so if you have any time or talent, please feel free to call us or just drop in to help. The most notable thing in all of this is that the 142 ran every weekend, and did not miss a day of work due to any mechanical failures. The steam team is to be commended on their dedication and hard work to make this happen. Prmotions Greg Ruch, Jr. – Fireman Steve James – Firemen Dave Hutsabaut - Conductor Crotchety Clyde the Conductor posed with our patrons for a professional “Polar Express” picture. 20
By Ed Kaminski Maywood Station Museum Celebrated its 5th Anniversary at the October 4, 2009 Open House At the October 4, 2009 Museum Open House, the Maywood Station Historical Committee celebrated the 5th Anniversary of the Maywood Station Museum. The museum originally opened on September 25, 2004 after over tenthousand volunteer hours were spent by the MSHC restoring the landmark station starting in June 2002. Before the Museum Open House, a new historic marker was unveiled at Maywood Station signifying its status as being listed on the National Register and State of New Jersey Register of Historical Places. Also, a dedication of New York, Susquehanna & Western ALCO S-2 Locomotive #206 was conducted to celebrate its recent placement on the State of New Jersey Register of Historical Places. The MSHC acquired the locomotive in October 2008 and has been working on restoring it since. The MSHC 2009 Year in Review I’m pleased to report that Maywood Station Historical Committee has concluded our best year since the opening of the museum on September 25, 2004. Fortunately, the depressed economy has not prevented visitors from attending open houses and experiencing all of the museum offerings. We set our alltime highest attendance total in 2009 with 2289 visitors. Our previous totals were year 2008 – 1982, year 2007 – 2142, year 2006 – 1967 and in year 2005 – 1621. Aside from the 8.7% increase in visitor attendance over 2008, the museum saw a 46% increase in revenue from museum open houses. Each of the museum’s scheduled six Sunday open houses from April through November were well attended as was our Annual Santa at Maywood Station in December. Highlights of the year included MSHC member Ed Quinn’s U. S. Coast Guard exhibit at the April and May open houses, Maywood Day in June, Annual Railroad Day in August, the 5th Anniversary of Maywood Station Museum in October and MSHC member Doug Dezso’s Vintage Candy Container exhibit in November. We already have several new exhibits planned for our 2010 museum open schedule and new displays will be added throughout this upcoming winter. In early April, we released the Maywood Station Story documentary on DVD and it won The County of Bergen Historic Commendation Award in the Category of Education. The DVD has been received extremely well by the public and we’ve had to have it re-run twice due to demand. This was followed with word in June that New York, Susquehanna & Western S-2 Locomotive #206 was nominated by State of New Jersey Historic Preservation Office for placement onto the State of New Jersey Register of Historic Places. NYS&W S-2 #206 was formally added on the State of New Jersey Register of Historic Places on September 10th and a dedication was held at the 5th Anniversary of the Maywood Station Museum Open House. NYS&W S-2 #206 is currently being considered for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. MSHC members have worked tirelessly restoring NYS&W S-2 #206 since October 2008 when it was moved to Maywood Station. 2009 also brought numerous additions to the museum’s collections and several displays inside the station were changed. Inside Caboose #24542, the majority of the scenery on the operating model train layout was completed and at the October 4 open house, an 89-car coal train was run marking the longest train yet operated for visitors. Looking ahead to 2010, we will be continuing the restoration of NYS&W S-2 #206 and have some new projects on the drawing board. We also expect to further change displays inside the museum and in Caboose #24542. I want to thank all of our membership for continuing to take pride in maintaining and preserving Maywood Station and continuing to set goals to improve the museum. I also want to thank all of those who continue to support the Maywood Station Museum At Maywood Station's 5th Anniversary Open House on October 4, 2009, Maywood Mayor Tim Eustace (left) breaks a bottle of champagne on the coupler of NYS&W S-2 #206 during a dedication of the locomotive in recognition of being placed on the State of New Jersey Register of Historic Places. (Photo by Keith Smollin) 21
Announcing a New Book! A new book, entitled Maywood - The Borough, The Railroad and The Station has been authored by historian and Maywood Station Historical Committee President, Edward S. Kaminski. The 128-page book is scheduled for release by Arcadia Publishing on January 25, 2010. The book traces Maywood's history from a farming community through its population and industrial growth brought on in part by the coming of the New Jersey Midland Railway in 1872. Separate chapters include The Borough of Maywood, The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad in Maywood; and Maywood Station including its role in the development of Maywood and its recent restoration and museum with over 200 quality images and detailed captions. MSHC members Rob Pisani, Kevin McCoy and Jim Pepe are shown working on various items on NYS&W #206 at the April 25, 2009 work session. (Photo by Ed Kaminski) Maywood Station Caboose 24542 is seen during the first snowfall of the winter in this time-exposure night photo taken on December 16, 2008. (Photo by Ed Kaminski) Noted author and one of the foremost authorities on the history of the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad, Harold Fredericks, (left) poses with MSHC member and retired U. S. Coast Guard Commander, Ed Quinn Photo by Keith Smollin) Maywood Station is seen decorated for the holidays in this timeexposure night photo taken on December 16, 2008. (Photo by Ed Kaminski) NYS&
but in the end, we had a second coach with a new floor. But this was not all. Member Keith Dorn took on the challenge of loosening the seat frames. The Long Island Railroad welded them shut as a safety issue while they still had them. Walkover seats today have either a gravity clutch, much like a seat belt, or a lock to circumvent the issue. Our original estimate was four man-hours per seat to undo the welds, but Keith had it down to as little as 20 minutes per seat. We now have a coach where the seats flip again. Once the word was out that Thomas the Tank T he fun never ends! Every year immediately after Polar Express, the real work gets started in the Mechanical Department. Our 142 was torn to pieces as usual, though the list of winter work really didn’t have any major ticket items this year, at least to start off. There were more than enough minor ones to keep the crew busy. With some well attended Saturday sessions pretty much the norm this go-round, the most interesting remark came the first weekend of March when it was said, as a reference to how well things were coming along, “We’re putting parts back on the engine already.” And then came the yearly inspection. While doing a hydro test for the F.R.A., three staybolts in the firebox began weeping. After the one replaced last year, and with the engine becoming twenty years old, this is not totally unexpected, but it caused a delay in finishing off the winter cycle in time for the May regular season opening as the lagging must be removed to expose the bolts. Then, the weeping bolts must be drilled out and new ones welded in before replacing the lagging. Meantime, the 530 and 533 were paired off and set Engine would be visiting this year, planning for that event began in earnest. I am covering all the preparations for that in the Thomas story, but all else went on hold until after the event. One such project I hope to get to this year is to start the permanent wiring for lights and power to the station, especially after the Thomas work damaged the current installation. This year we also will be doing work on #142’s tender. Plans are to lift the tank off of the tender frame and replace the wooden deck it sits on. Sheet metal work will continue on the Long Island Railroad ( Susquehanna) passenger cars, we will construct an open air flat car, and complete necessary brake work on all equipment. Two more of the Long Island Railroad cars will also have their floors replaced and our last Bi-Level car will be cleaned and finally put into service. If the budget permits we will also be painting some of the cars exteriors this year. Finally coming to completion is the RDC M-1 project. Over the last year the whole interior has been rebuilt with a new tile floor being installed soon. With all seats replaced, and new tile she should be better than new. As I see it, there are five distinct sections of our Society: Membership, which holds the member meetings and special events; Publications, which puts out the Reflector and calendar and keeps the archives; Maywood, the All of our hard work paid off this year! For the second time we won the Warren County Tourism Award. This year for “A Day Out With Thomas”. Above President John Stocker, Vice President Chris Cotty, Trustee Kevin Griggs and Trustee/Mechanical Department Chairman Martin Den Bleyker receive the award. committee that restored and runs that station; Operations, which runs the Phillipsburg trains and Mechanical, which keeps our equipment. You can contact the latter two through Mechaniin front of the shop. The 533 was there for its generator, but 530’s floor was becoming a nightmare, popping tiles off it at an alarming pace. We tore up the floor and found it was a layer of ¾” plywood, then ½” plywood, then a layer of luan, basically a thin sheet of veneer wood, and finally the tiles glued to that. Therein lay the problem. The luan was easily ripped off with the tile still holding on wholesale. Combined with some water leaks, this was the culprit. It was the only car laid out that way. A few “million” nails had to be removed or hammered down from its installation before the tile could be attached to the plywood remaining. Much of the plywood along the windows was replaced due to the water, 23 cal@nyswths.org for information about helping out in either department. Our members stepped up and delivered in July, even on the operating Fridays. But, we’re always looking for new people to help with the routine days as well, which are the base upon which we can do the big events.
1 Publizr