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
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