From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <007601c13262$eead4080$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 17:21:42 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) National City, CA National City depot ready for railroad festival SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE August 31, 2001 Railroad buffs will have the opportunity to celebrate their passion this weekend at Railroadiana 2001 at the National City Depot. The Labor Day event runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday at the depot, two blocks west of Interstate 5 at the Bay Marina Drive/Mile of Cars Way exit. The historic depot, built in 1882, will be open for tours. It was the origination and termination point for the Santa Fe Railroad's first transcontinental trains to San Diego. There will also be a swap meet for railroad and model train enthusiasts to add to their collections. In addition, the public can ride on the old Coronado Belt Line, riding from the depot to the Chula Vista salt works and back. The ride costs $10 for adults and $5 for children younger than 12. Shorter rides to F street in Chula Vista are also available for $5 for adults, $3 for children. Admission for Railroadiana is $3 for adults, $1 for children younger than 12. The event is a fund-raiser for the depot, which is operated by the San Diego Electric Railway Association. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <00ab01c13267$5447daa0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 17:53:11 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Oakfield, ME Staying on track Bangor Daily News Bangor, ME 8/17/01 If you stand on the platform at the old Bangor and Aroostook Railroad station in Oakfield, you might see the light on the front of a diesel engine as it idles in the railroad yard a half mile to the north. As the light gets brighter, you can anticipate that soon the train will pull past the station, rocking and rumbling at a breathtaking 30 miles an hour as it heads south with a load of lumber, wood chips, some boxcars and maybe a tank car or two. You are, for a brief minute or two, a kid again. The Golden Age of the railroad in Maine may be long past, but it is still vibrant at the Oakfield Railroad Museum on Station Street. There, in the restored railroad station of a town that was once the hub of the railroad in Aroostook County, one can find models, scrapbooks, scores of photographs, period communications equipment, clothing, maps, tickets, a restored weather vane shaped like a steam locomotive, which once graced the B & A water tower, and a massive collection of railroad magazines. "Oakfield grew up around the railroad," said the Rev. Mary Miller, president of the Oakfield Historical Society, which runs the museum. "You get a lot of people coming through who used to live here or had family members who used to work on the railroad." "It was the heart of the town," adds Patty Boutilier, a museum volunteer. Built in 1910 by the B & A, the station was used full time until September 1961, when the railroad discontinued passenger service. After that, it was used primarily to house maintenance crews until 1984. In 1986, the railroad announced plans to demolish the structure. That action was headed off when the Oakfield Historical Society formed for the express purpose of saving the station and purchased it for $1. Five years and $15,000 later, the station was reopened as a museum to preserve not only the history of the railroad, but also the surrounding towns that depended on it. The museum is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of only three remaining wood-framed Bangor and Aroostook Railroad stations in Maine between Searsport and Fort Kent. Clyde Boutilier is as much a part of the museum's history as any of the displays. He retired from the railroad after 42 years, his last job being that of a hostler, whose job it was to move locomotives around in the area of the long-gone roundhouse. It's Boutilier who can tell the stories and background behind so many of the displays at the station. The train-order hoop is a good example. The wooden hoop was held out to passing trains so the crew could get its orders. The station agent or operator would hold the hoop out and as the train passed, the conductor would hook his arm through the loop, retrieve the message, and droop the hoop back outside along the track. "The distance down the track where the hoop was dropped depended entirely on the popularity of the agent or operator on duty," said Boutilier with a grin. "That is quite true." Or he can tell you about the first portable telephone, which amounted to nothing more than a multi-sectioned wooden pole that was used to reach up and make contact with the telephone lines 12 to 15 feet overhead. The wires on the other end were connected to a field telephone that could be used by train crews. "Which way you wanted to call depended on which [overhead] wires you hooked onto," said Boutilier. He can also explain why tobacco cans were kept inside the resonator box on the telegraph, and smiles when he tells visitors why there were two waiting rooms, one for men and one for women. "There were quite a few woodsmen who used to use the train," he said. "That's where you could swear or spit on the floor." Outside, the station looks much as it did throughout its active years. It has been repainted in two tones of green and there's a mechanical train signal overhead and a Railroad Express Agency sign over the door. Nearby are two restored wagons that were used to move freight and baggage to and from the train along the platform. Nearby, there is a red and yellow caboose that has been almost fully restored. On the north side of the station is a section shack that houses a 1940s motor car used by maintenance crews as they traveled along the tracks, and an earlier version from the turn of the century that crews powered by hand. According to Miller, the vast majority of items at the museum have been donated over the past 10 years. "People don't have a lot of room when they're closing out a house or moving to a nursing home," she said. "They know these things are important and they don't want to throw them out, so they give these things to the museum." The museum is open weekends through Labor Day on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Beginning at noon on Sunday, Aug. 19, the Oakfield Historical Society will hold its second annual Railfan Day at the museum. The day will include a display of model trains, a barbecue sponsored by the Oakfield Community High School Alumni Association and music by Terry Levesque and The Aroostook Acoustics. "It reacquaints people with the railroad," Miller said of the day. More information about the museum is available at its Web site at www.ainop.com/users/oakfield.rr/, by e-mail at oakfield.rr.museum_@_ainop.com or by telephone at (207) 757-8575. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 18:18:05 -0400 From: "Kenyon F. Karl" Subject: (rshsdepot) =?iso-8859-1?Q?Train_station's_demise_40_years_ago_spawned_preservation_m?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?ovement?= Train station’s demise 40 years ago spawned preservation movement PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — It was 40 years ago Friday that the grand, 138-foot clock tower at Union Station was demolished in a blur of dust and rubble, a scene that remained embedded in people’s minds for day, months, and even years. The sprawling, granite train station was not Portland’s only landmark to fall victim to the wrecking ball during the urban renewal of the 1960s, but its impact was certainly the greatest. http://www.fosters.com/news2001c/august/31/me0831c.htm ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <00a001c1326e$8eb4f5e0$7e01a8c0_@_0018982498> References: Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 15:44:55 -0700 From: "Eric Miller" Subject: (rshsdepot) PA Train Station Calendars FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 31, 2001 CONTACT: GREGG MILLER 814-942-1848 PA Train Station Calendars Available ALTOONA-You won't spend a day without seeing one of Pennsylvania's great train stations with the 2002 Great Train Stations of Pennsylvania Calendar. More, the purchase of this unique calendar goes to support the establishment of a model train museum in Central Pa. "We wanted to build on the popularity of our previous calendars and make a calendar that residents throughout the state will enjoy," said AMTMA President Gregg Miller. "The calendar will also give residents throughout the state a chance to support our efforts by purchasing a calendar." The 21st Century has arrived on track twelve. The wall calendar contains twelve large glossy pictures of train stations in Pennsylvania including 1890s Altoona canopy, Lakemont Park trolley station, present Altoona station, Kittaning Point station as well as stations in Tyrone, Bellwood, Roaring Spring, Bellefonte, Greensburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Scranton. "These calendars make perfect gifts for people out-of-state, or for residents who want to relish some of the great treasures of Pennsylvania-railroad stations," Miller said. "They're also sure to bring smiles when given as holiday presents." The calendars will be available by Oct. 1 at the following locations: On The Right Track Hobbies, Roaring Spring Chamber of Commerce, the Railroaders Memorial Museum gift shop and R-Waffle King. They will also be available at AMTMA's mini-museum at the Station Mall and at Railfest Oct. 6 and 7. They can also be ordered by calling 814-942-1848. AMTMA is also looking for additional merchants around the state to help sell calendars. The cost of the calendars is $15.00, plus $1.99 shipping if ordered by mail. Sample photos can be found on AMTMA's website at http://www.amtma.org. ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #144 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <20010903121605.58299.qmail_@_web10004.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 05:16:05 -0700 (PDT) From: kim Tschudy Subject: (rshsdepot) Depot platform railings Group: Our New Glarus, WI Milwaukee Road depot restoration project took a big hit this past Friday and we need your help in giving us the answer we know is correct. We do not own the depot, the Wisconsin DNR owns it but the New Glarus Depot Preservation Society is supposed to be in charge of restoring it, but we aren't. We need to put a railing on a portion of the depot platform. The building was constructed in 1887 so historically it had no railing. We have no problem with putting a railing on that looks somewhat historically correct. We presented the DNR with photos of two Milwaukee Road depot railings and the DNR doesn't like them. "We want metal railings because they are easier to maintain." Fact is the DNR doesn't maintain anything they own. They let this depot sink 15 inches into the ground before finally doing something to remedy the problem. And then only because we forced them into doing something.And we had to use a lot of bad PR to get them to move to this point. Adding insult to injury the "railing" the DNR designed looks like a farm field road gate that we could buy off the gate trucks from Kentucky and Tennessee when they come through town each spring. Here is what we need: If you have any photos of depot showing a wooden railing a scan or photocopy would be excellent. Best if they are Milwaukee Road but that isn't a criteria. Actually any depot showing a railing would be fine as it makes the case that this is what the railroads used. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks KDT - --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <002d01c13476$94156560$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 08:47:22 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Winton, CA Blaze damages Winton rail station-turned-home BEE STAFF REPORTS Sacramento Bee WINTON -- Fire struck Saturday at the old Santa Fe Railway station, which is now a home, on Santa Fe Drive. One injury was reported, to a firefighter who suffered smoke inhalation, according to the Merced County Fire Department. The firefighter was treated and released. The family living in the house made it out safely, after owner Kevin Bever smelled smoke while making coffee at 6 a.m. The fire caused extensive damage to the two-story structure at 6120 Santa Fe Drive. The structure was built in 1911. Firefighters said the fire appears to have been caused by an electrical problem in a wall. Flames spread quickly into the attic. Bever said he had been remodeling the house for five years and was nearly finished with the renovation. It took firefighters more than two hours to contain the fire and several more hours to get the flames completely out. After getting his family out of the house, Bever started looking for the fire under the house and in the attic. He said he pulled a small section of siding off the outside of the home and saw fire inside the wall near the bathroom. He tried to douse the fire with a garden hose, but the flames spread quickly. Investigators said the fire caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage to the house, and $100,000 to the contents. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <008201c134ca$fe812840$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 18:51:39 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Summerville, SC Town planned with railroad in mind BYLINE: BARBARA HILL The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC) The idea of a resurgence of a commuter train between Summerville and Charleston has ebbed and flowed like the coastal tides for years. Whether this notion has an economically feasible future is still debatable, but history makes it clear that trains, including the commuter variety, had a vital past here. In fact, it is believed that Summerville could be called the oldest town in the world to have been planned with an eye toward utilizing fully the transportation advantages that came with the birth of railroads. The key was the linking of a farseeing railroad company, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, with C.E. Detmold, one of its most creative engineers. Specialized transportation led to the first surge of growth in Summerville. In 1831 the railroad purchased a large tract of land adjacent to what is now called "Old Summerville," the area of the first settlement of the village where planters had their summer residences. According to the Charleston Courier of Aug. 20, 1831, the railroad purchased about 1,500 acres at 37 cents an acre. The idea was to lay out a town with wide streets crossing each other at right angles, making squares of 4 acres each. Each of these squares was divided into lots of 1 acre each. An open area, facing the track, was left for a town square. Town halls since 1892 have faced this square. The initial offering was 300 acres in lots. At that first public sale the second week in August, the railroad auctioned off 130 1-acre lots for $3,684. The grand success of this railroad's plan to induce settlement here was the beginning of Summerville's sustained growth. It was noted that the company had made a good speculation. It paid $600 for the land; realized about $3,000 initially from timber; sold lots for upward of $3,600; and reserved a large amount of wooded land for future uses, as well as reserving several town lots. The layout of the fresh town area was the work of railroad engineer Detmold. He also played an important part in the selection of the route for the railroad. The Detmold Plan of 1832 for "New Summerville" still exists today. When the South Carolina Railroad was completed in 1833, it was the longest in the world (135 miles) and twice as long as America's first railroad (the Baltimore and Ohio, built in 1830). It would be the first train to carry U.S. mail, and it would run right through Summerville, which was one of the earliest stops on the line that would operate between Charleston and Augusta, Ga. The first railroad locomotive in America was named The Best Friend. It was built in New York state for the South Carolina Railroad Company. When it was put into operation, it weighed 4 tons and cost $4,000. The locomotive got its first trial pulling four cars with 40 passengers, achieving speeds of 16 to 21 miles per hour. Although an accident destroyed The Best Friend, its descendant locomotive, The Phoenix, did make several trips through Summerville on its regular route. In April 1848, the first accommodation - or commuter - train between Charleston and Summerville was begun, running in the summer months only. Between 1852 and 1858, yellow fever epidemics ravaged Charleston and other coastal regions. The epidemics led to another growth spurt for Summerville, and to the town's prominence as a health resort. Ten years after it was begun, the accommodation train began operating throughout the year. The once-prominent railroad station evokes another memory of days gone by. The building stood across from the north side of Hutchinson Park near where Main Street crosses the track. Local railroad historian Alexander McIntosh talked about the heyday of commuter trains in Summerville. It was not until the 1850s that the railroad extended into downtown Charleston. Many rails were destroyed during the Civil War, and when they were rebuilt after the conflict, it became possible for men to work in Charleston and live in Summerville. Shoppers could also go to Charleston by train, and students could attend private schools or the College of Charleston. McIntosh has a timetable from 1912 that shows several passenger trains as well as freight runs coming through Summerville on a regular schedule. "The commuter trains in the earlier years had a turntable just a block and a half below Hickory Street where the engines would be turned, and the railroad men could then take the train back to downtown Charleston," he said. The Summerville Short was one of those trains. This operated daily until the 1920s and was a popular train before many roads were paved. The Carolina Special, locally known as the "Carolina Creeper," was the passenger train that operated after that, and continued up until the 1960s. The last passenger station in Summerville was built in 1900. Frank Milburn was the architect, and the station was a substantial structure. It included waiting rooms and a baggage room. It was modernized with indoor plumbing a few years after being built. Southeastern Express leased some space there in 1924. It was about 100 feet long and 25 feet wide. A shed for loading and unloading freight was eventually added to the west side of the station. McIntosh described the station as being constructed of wood; it had wainscoting about halfway up and was then stuccoed. Up until 1946, early station colors would have been green with yellow trim. After that time, the standard Southern Railway colors were a medium gray with white trim. Later they simplified their style and made stations all-brick structures, The Summerville Depot stood until the 1960s, when it was torn down. McIntosh said the Carolina Special was taken off the line in 1963, and the line has been freight-only since then. Some 40 years later, a train whistle wafting along Flower Town tracks still stirs up nostalgia among some old-timers. Newer residents can conjure up future possibilities of avoiding cumbrous traffic and jammed parking lots. Who knows? Maybe the tide will turn once again in our direction. Barbara Hillis archivist for the town of Summerville. Information for this column was taken from "Summerville," the official history of the town, published in 1998. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <001f01c13531$3dd7d870$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 07:03:34 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Fire Devastates SP Bayshore Roundhouse -From Railway Preservation News... Fire Devastates SP Bayshore Roundhouse RyPN reader John Ezovski forwards to us the following sad news: Fire destroyed the roof covering nine of the sixteen remaining stalls of the ex-Southern Pacific Bayshore Roundhouse in Brisbaine, CA late Saturday evening. I have no information as to the cause of the fire. Attached are two pictures illustrating the damage. (See http://www.rypn.org/Briefs/September2001/010904.htm) The roof over the remaining seven stalls appears to have been protected by an internal firewall. Fire fighters were still on the scene when these pictures were taken Sunday afternoon at 3PM. Few railroad preservationists are aware of this incident, and little was said of it in local news media. The roundhouse has been abandoned and sealed off with chain link fencing since the late 1980s. (Erik Ledbetter via John Ezovski) ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <20010904022035.95641.qmail_@_web10002.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 19:20:35 -0700 (PDT) From: kim Tschudy Subject: (rshsdepot) Re: Depot railings Bill Wullenjohn, I looked at your website and agree with you about the railing being wood and ugly. Going through your website I found the King City depot railing to be a rather easy one to look at. Not particularly but certainly much better that the old farm gate railings the DNR designed. Odd though that the DNR wants us to use ugly farm gate railings and they use wood railings on their recreation trails. We questioned this and got the stock answer of we have a new way of looking at railings. Thanks for your help. KDT - --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #145 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <20010904122111.85006.qmail_@_web10003.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 05:21:11 -0700 (PDT) From: kim Tschudy Subject: (rshsdepot) Re: depot railings Paul Metzler Paul, It is not great to read that you ran into the same foolish stuff as we have but heartening to hear that there are other code people without a clue out running around. We've looked at the question of height needed before installing a railing and in Wisconsin it's 24 inches. We're safe for most of the platform but the ramp from the platform to the freight house is about 35 inches above grade. Had the architects and Wisconsin DAR listened to what we told them about National Register of Historic Places we would not be dealing with this today. Register guidelines for elevation are 6-8 inches above grade. Our depot was set at nearly 24 inches. The architect insisted that another 19 inches be added to the foundation but we got tipped off in advance and stopped it through the local building inspector and state historic preservation compliance officer. Many preservation groups face the same problems with code people and their ilk. Our state historical society asked why thought we were having so many problems with the architects Etc. Our not so flippant answer was not egotistical but from the heart. "We are smarter than they are about this building and know the proper ways to restore it which is something the architects don't know. Sadly the state historical person said they run into this all the time. What took place in our situation was the state hired an architect that had no background in historic restoration...they are strictly a new construction firm and not a very good one at that. The end result is we ended up with a $90,000 ADA bathrooms that take six 90 degree turns to get into stall and negotiate a 20' ramp if you happen to be a male. Our back of an envelop plan would have made it necessary to make at best one 90 degree turn, a straight shot in and no ramp. But what did a bunch of us bozos&NBS;know? Thanks for your insight on this issue. KDT - --------------------------------- Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <004601c13585$9c6d0f00$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 17:07:29 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Ridgely Junction, IL Damaged depot building faces uncertain future By JAYETTE BOLINSKI STAFF WRITER - STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER When Jim Woodruff got a call from a neighbor two weeks ago that a large tree had fallen on top of his beloved Ridgely Junction depot, he hurried to the building to assess the damage. He found that winds had caused a 300-year-old cottonwood tree to break off and fall onto the roof of the abandoned building. The tree broke off part of the roof on the depot's center tower and knocked off some of its roof tiles. It also damaged the chimney. Luckily, Woodruff said, the damage was not as bad as he had feared. "I was kind of surprised, but I'd been expecting the tree to fall on the building," he said. Damage caused by the fallen tree is the latest incident in a stream of vandalism and natural wear-and-tear that is threatening the future of the old depot building. The Ridgely Junction depot, which was built in 1909, stands in its original location off Sandhill Road. The deteriorating building is badly in need of repairs and attention. Woodruff, who is an amateur historian, a former photographer and a musician, has owned the building for about 14 years. He purchased the property with the hope of seeing it preserved. But he says he is getting older and his health is not as good as it used to be, which means he is not able to care for the structure and surrounding property as he used to. "It's solid as a castle," Woodruff said. "It's very structurally sound. It just needs some work on it." Built by the Illinois Traction Railroad, the building sits a block north of Sandhill Road behind the Springfield Township Maintenance Building. It sits in the shadow of the closed Sangamon Valley Landfill. The depot faces the old Smelter Line, which ran an electric inter-urban train into downtown Springfield. The Illinois Traction, later named the Illinois Terminal, ran its freight and passenger service in behind the station. Woodruff said Springfield residents, in the days before most people had cars, often would ride the train out to the country, get off at Ridgely Junction and picnic by the Sangamon River, which flows just the north of the depot. The building was last used as a depot in June 1955. Members of the Illinois Terminal Railroad Museum Society, a non-profit organization put together by Woodruff, hoped to restore the building and had several open house events at the building to generate interest in it. The building's architecture has a Spanish influence, but Woodruff, who owns the original blueprints, said he has never had a professional architectural assessment done of the structure. During the last few years, red clay tiles have been lifted from the roof, bricks have been stolen from the structure's foundation, burglars have broken into the building, stealing nearly everything that had been stored inside, and the grass and shrubbery nearby has become overgrown. People also have been known to use the property as a place to dump garbage. Vandals have set seven different fires in the building since Woodruff has owned it. Most were out by the time Woodruff got to the site. But he vividly remembers Oct. 17, 1999, when a strong urge came over him to check on the property. One he arrived, he found that someone - kids, he suspects - had set the building on fire, causing thousands of dollars in damage. Evidence of the black smoke from the fire still can be seen on the bricks on the east side of the building. "It went down really bad in the last three years due to vandalism and the fires," he said. "There have been a lot of break-ins. A lot of railroad-related materials have been stolen. It got to where I couldn't keep anything out here." Woodruff said he hopes someone will buy the building and turn it into a museum, visitors center, an office building or perhaps an open air pavilion. He also hopes someone will construct a bike path on the old railroad lines that pass the depot building and cross the Sangamon River. "I purchased it to see it preserved, not to see it deteriorate," he said. "I wanted it to be preserved and placed on the National Register of Historic Places." Woodruff said he plans to sell the building, and he hopes the next owner will want to restore it its original splendor. "Most of the depots and outbuildings have been demolished. The way Ridgely's going, it doesn't have too much longer,either,unless something's done with it," he said. "We just need to get a lot of the old dead trees out of there and clean it up and hope for the very best. It would be nice if the depot could be saved, but if somebody buys it, it will be up to them to decide what to do." photo of building at: http://www.sj-r.com/news/tuesday/090401railroad.jpg ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 21:34:41 EDT From: BGEEP40_@_aol.com Subject: (rshsdepot) Site update... Well, after trying for two days to get 4 photos to upload properly to the site, I have surrendered to the HTML gremlins and AOhWell and posted 2 along with info on the Euphora, MS station. Photos and info provided by Tom Lucas. Link below. Butch Getz BGEEP40's Home Page Also, more photos at: My Yahoo! Photos - Depots & Structures ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 21:34:41 EDT From: bgeep40_@_aol.com Subject: (rshsdepot) [illinois-central-model] Site update... Well, after trying for two days to get 4 photos to upload properly to the site, I have surrendered to the HTML gremlins and AOhWell and posted 2 along with info on the Euphora, MS station. Photos and info provided by Tom Lucas. Link below. Butch Getz BGEEP40's Home Page Also, more photos at: My Yahoo! Photos - Depots & Structures [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/47cccB/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/YSTolB/TM - ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ________________________________________________________________ Help preserve the history of the Illinois Central by joining The Illinois Central Historical Society. For membership information go to: http://www.icrrhistorical.org ________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from this group send mail to: illinois-central-model-unsubscribe_@_yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 21:34:41 EDT From: bgeep40_@_aol.com Subject: (rshsdepot) [IllinoisCentral] Site update... Well, after trying for two days to get 4 photos to upload properly to the site, I have surrendered to the HTML gremlins and AOhWell and posted 2 along with info on the Euphora, MS station. Photos and info provided by Tom Lucas. Link below. Butch Getz BGEEP40's Home Page Also, more photos at: My Yahoo! Photos - Depots & Structures [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/47cccB/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/raYplB/TM - ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Courtesy and Efficient Service always! Please Join the ICHS at http://www.icrrhistorical.org Our home page is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/illinoiscentral To unsubscribe email: illinoiscentral-unsubscribe_@_yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #146 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <003e01c13602$118d6c40$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 07:58:24 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Manhattan, KS City restoring 100-year-old depot Building: Project begins with a half-million-dollar face lift, roof restoration By Chris Grenz The Capital-Journal MANHATTAN -- The century-old Union Pacific Train Depot in Manhattan is on track to returning one day to a place of prominence in the community. After years of talk and several rounds of denied grant requests, a project is under way to restore the depot to its original condition, when it was built in 1901 for $10,000. The entire project is likely to take years, and fund raising will continue to be an issue. But workers have begun the first phase of the rehabilitation: a half-million-dollar refurbishing of the outside of the old building. When that phase is completed early next spring, officials will turn to the building's interior, for which fund raising has just begun in private circles. The city hopes to receive more grant money, but already has been turned down for a 2003 Kansas Department of Transportation grant. The building survived additions and remodeling, the flood of 1951 and a fire in 1981. The last passenger train left in 1971, and freight trains quit stopping at the depot in 1984. The building hasn't been in use since then. The city traded land with Union Pacific in 1990 to allow the construction of Manhattan's mall, the realignment of Fort Riley Boulevard, and the construction of a new K-177 highway bridge. As part of the realignment, the tracks were moved across the street from the depot. Now, the little building sits alone in the shadow of a highway overpass, tucked away almost out of site to passing motorists. The future use of the depot hasn't been determined, though everything from a restaurant to a museum has been suggested. Davis said the city must retain possession of the building to remain in line with the rules of the KDOT grant. As such, it will continue to be a building for the community to use, she said. "It's really been the center of a lot of pieces of Manhattan's history," Davis said. "People went to war from the depot in World War I and World War II. Teddy Roosevelt once stopped there and spoke from the back of a train. There is a lot of history linked to that building." Photo available at: http://cjonline.com/stories/090401/kan_depot.shtml ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <011701c1364a$05b348c0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 16:33:28 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Granville, NY Couple turning former train depot into home By GRETTA NEMCEK nemcek_@_poststar.com The Post-Star Glens Falls, NY GRANVILLE -- Wayne and Michelle Shaw have been staring at the old Delaware & Hudson Railroad station from their Main Street insurance business for 10 years. The building was deteriorating, they said, so they finally decided to do something about it. The Shaws bought the old station three months ago and are planning to turn it into their home. Built in the mid-1800s, the station still has sliding doors in the back where trains once dropped off packages. The original ticket windows are still in place in the middle portion of the building, which currently houses a beauty parlor. The Shaws already have gutted the back portion of the building, tearing the original wainscoting off the walls. "It's sad," Shaw said. "We would have rather left the wainscoting. But to make it feasible to live there, we just couldn't do that. We had to insulate and do what needed to be done to make it feasible to live there and be able to afford to live there." The couple said they have received some criticism from local people who disagree with their renovation plans. "The negativism was discouraging," Shaw said. "Some people can't see something before it's done, and some people can." Despite the messy work of renovation, Shaw said she has a clear image of what her future home will look like. "It's going to be beautiful," Shaw said. "Just changing the windows gave the building a new look." The Shaws currently are renovating the front portion of the building, where they'll live until the back portion is renovated. Then they'll move to the back and rent out the front. They plan to repaint the outside of the station, and Tuesday morning they were tearing off the roof. They've done a lot of the work themselves, with help from builder Mitch Bernard. Shaw said they anticipate the renovation work will be finished in about three years. They have a lot of work ahead of them, but they don't mind. "It's a labor of love," she said. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <00c401c136b0$84a4c760$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:47:11 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Save the SP West Oakland Diesel Shop -From the Altamont Press Newsline... Save the SP West Oakland Diesel Shop A grass roots effort is looking for support in saving the former SP West Oakland Diesel Shop Building located in West Oakland, CA. Please read and sign the petition at the link below. To those of you unfamiliar with this structure, the SP West Oakland Diesel Shop Building is inarguably THE most historically significant structure left in West Oakland, CA. It was constructed in the mid 1870's as a Car Paint Shop for the Central Pacific Railroad, as part of a major expansion of the CP's passenger car shop facilities in Oakland. The shop is a brick structure currently housing seven stalls for locomotives and rolling stock, and is still in use today as a inspection area for UP and Amtrak locomotives. Demolition notices have now been posted for the historic brick SP Diesel Shop Building (former SP Car shop, dating back to the 1870s), as well as for the set of buildings at 515 Bay Street, including the Electrical Shop. The Demolition Permit has not yet been approved, but these buildings are currently obviously slated for demolition, within the month! If you support the preservation of the diesel shop building, please sign the online petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/spdsl/petition-sign.html Harry Wong ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <00ca01c136b1$5aa245e0$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:53:10 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Truckee (CA) Railroad Days -From Tahoe.com... Railroad Days next weekend All aboard! Get your tickets and get ready folks, the 4th Annual Truckee Railroad Days are ready to roll into the station, Sept. 8 and 9. Truckee Railroad Days feature a wide assortment of old steam engines, special locomotives and train cars on display for all to enjoy. In addition to the amazing trains, this year's events include a re-enactment of a western shoot-out between the good, the bad and the ugly, a hometown Pancake breakfast, a parade, Hand-Car Races (with local teams invited to participate), Kiddy Carnival, chili cook-off and much more. Mark your calendar for Truckee Railroad Days, Sept. 8-9. Grand Marshall Eva Besio has been selected as the grand marshall of the Truckee Railroad Days parade this year. This will be the first year the parade has had a grand marshall. Besio and her late husband Angelo were both born here of Italian immigrant families. They established the store "Besio's Apparel," which was open for business for 35 years until it closed in 1985. Model Train show See your favorite model trains in action during the Truckee Railroad Days celebration. This year's model train exhibit will cover the classic era of Lionel, LGB, and American Flyer trains to today's highly-detailed models. Truckee Railroad Days will also have an elaborate garden rail exhibit sponsored by the Bay Area Garden Rail Society. The exhibit will be held at the community center on Church Street in Truckee and will be open to the public all weekend. Hand Car Races The 19th Annual Hand Car Races are back and will take place during the 4th Annual Truckee Railroad Days. The California State Railroad Museum will be supplying two official handcars built specifically for racing, and everyone is encouraged to gather a five- person team and race. Experience is not necessary. Each handcar team will consist of five members; four "pumpers" who drive the car along the track using the lever in a seesaw motion and the fifth member, who will push the handcar at the starting line. The race will take place on a 300-meter racecourse located at the Union Pacific "Balloon Track" just east of Highway 267. The competition will begin Saturday with practice runs at 8 a.m. and time trials at 1 p.m. Finals will be held at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9. Truckee Railroad Days encourages local business and local residents to come and participate. There will be five divisions: all women, all men, mixed gender with at least two women, member over age 40, plus teams over age 40 with at least two women as the "pumpers." The entry fee is $75 and special prizes will be awarded to the top three handcar teams and winner of the pusher's contest. Each participant will also receive a special commemorative Hand Car T-shirt. For more information contact Alan Harry with the Truckee Railroad Days (530) 582-3951. For more information please call the Truckee Railroad Days hotline at (530) 546-1221 or visit the Web site at www.truckeerailroaddays.com. Look for a special Railroad Days program in next week's Sierra Sun. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <006501c136af$1e6b26c0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:37:08 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Guelph, ON Guelph weighs buying railway station THE TORONTO STAR GUELPH - City council has voted to look at acquiring the heritage railway station on Carden Street. The Guelph Chamber of Commerce and the city's visitor and convention services have been identified as possible tenants to share the space with the underutilized train ticket office if the owner, the Canadian National Railway, decides to sell the property. The station, built by the Grand Trunk Railway, which was later absorbed by CN, is leased to Via Rail. The issue was raised because of reports that CN is unloading some of its stations, including those in Gravenhurst and Orillia, and that Via is not interested in holding the lease. Last month a 2-2 vote by the city's finance committee prevented the issue -From being brought to council, so Councillor Cathy Downer brought it forward by way of a special resolution. On Tuesday, councillors voted 8-4 to form a committee to develop a business case for purchasing the station. Downer said some stations had been sold for as little as a dollar, so the city should at least investigate the possibility. Councillor Dan Schnurr wants no part of the city acquiring another property. He and councillors Rocco Furfaro and David Birtwistle have said the city cannot afford to get into another property dilemma, after the expense of the downtown arena and the Guelph Centre Mall. On Tuesday night, Councillor Karl Wettstein took aim at comments that the push to acquire the station was coming from the Friends of Guelph, a group of local business people. Wettstein said it came from the city's own downtown economic strategy committee. Support for acquiring the station has come from the Chamber of Commerce, the local architectural conservation advisory committee (LACAC) and the Best Western Emerald Inn on Carden Street. Andrew Bailey, general manager of the downtown hotel and restaurant, said in a letter to council that having the visitor and convention services office in the station would create a "destination point for travellers'' and have a positive impact downtown. LACAC chair David Nasby concurred, pointing out that the station would be ideal for attracting tourists because of its heritage features and prominent location. Putting the chamber in the station would be a return to its roots. The chamber, now on Woodlawn Road, was once located in the former Canadian Pacific Railway station beside the Speed River at Eramosa Road, before the station was demolished and the site redeveloped for apartments. Bruce Poole, the city's chief building official, has inspected the CN site and reported to council that the station would need an immediate investment of $31,500 to repair windows, doors and other parts of the building. Eventually it would need $236,500 in renovations to make it a facility that could be leased. He said the city might be eligible for funding for repairs because the station is designated a rail heritage building. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <006d01c136af$a7117380$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 04:40:58 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Shakopee, MN Storied city depot has new life at last By: John Mueller, Staff Writer September 05, 2001 SHAKOPEE VALLEY NEWS It has played host to a U.S. president stumping for votes on a campaign swing and hobos seeking refuge from the cold. Travelers, mail and cargo have passed through on a westward journey from St. Paul. And after years of vacancy, left without protection from sometimes-merciless vandals, Shakopee's Union Depot is alive again. But instead of steam- and diesel-fueled engines coming and going, visitors to the 90-plus-year-old depot on Second Avenue West across from the city's downtown fire station are customers interested in the art of quilting. President William Howard Taft spoke to a crowd outside the depot in the fall of 1911 on a re-election campaign swing through Shakopee. Local legend has it that a second U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt, passed by the depot during a campaign swing. But its current tenants are more interested in quilting than politics. Lori Gillick and Becky Kelso are co-owners of Eagle Creek Quilt Shop, which opened in June. The two found the available depot, cold and empty, its windows boarded up, after fire destroyed the space they were preparing in January at Murphy's Landing. They invested several weeks performing restoration work - a sort of sweat-equity that reduced the monthly rent. Jerry Harvieux of Prior Lake is the owner of the 2,200-square-foot building, which sits on a 20,000-square-foot lot between Scott and Atwood streets. He purchased it six years ago from the Chicago-Northwestern Railroad for $42,000. Chicago-Northwestern jointly owned the building with Soo Line Railroad before Canadian Pacific Rail acquired Soo Line. Harvieux drove by the depot many times before he began the two-year process to purchase it. His curiosity led to an inquiry of its owners. "I kept driving by it, seeing it boarded up. Nobody was using it," he said. "I intended this as a restoration project." Many have envisioned the building as a café, although Harvieux says it lacks the electrical capacity and venting and is probably too small for such an enterprise. Local promoters of the arts were interested in the building in the mid-1990s, but that idea fizzled when the city declined to support the effort. Harvieux said the restoration work has totaled "less than $100,000" with funds dedicated to the work as they are available. It started with the roof and eventually the heating system. Along the way, he said, the building's electrical and plumbing systems were improved as well. He said the burn marks on the floor show where homeless people who broke into the depot before he purchased it made small fires to warm themselves. "A gang of swarthy laborers" broke ground on Shakopee's new depot in the fall of 1909, the Shakopee Tribune reported. The building's 22-inch-thick double-brick walls, tall windows, birch soffit and fascia have taken well to a fresh coat of forest green exterior paint. The wood trim inside the building has also aged well, enhanced by the renovating care of its new tenants. Gillick, Kelso and their friends could not erase the carvings of "Tex," a depot visitor from days past. Nobody is sure when Tex took refuge in the depot. His calling card is gouged in three places - in both restrooms and the former ladies' waiting room. "We wish Tex's train would have come along sooner," Kelso said. The depot was considered "handsome" when it opened in February 1910. The Scott County Argus newspaper touted it as "the finest of its size west of the Twin Cities on the Omaha road." It featured a pressed brick exterior and gray stone trimmings, tile floors, electric lights, water works and steam heat, the paper reported. The Shakopee Tribune reported that the facility was located on the same site as a wooden-framed version that served Shakopee and its travelers for more than 30 years. It was a freight depot for the old Omaha and Milwaukee railroad lines of the early-1900s. Passengers heading west from St. Paul to Mankato or south to New Prague stopped there waiting for the next train to continue their journey. The passenger train business through and around Shakopee dates back to 1871. It was popular with adults as well as youngsters, who used the train - although not always as paying customers - for fishing trips to Prior Lake and for "courtin'" young ladies between Prior Lake and Chaska. By 1952, the traveling public had turned to the automobile and, as one newspaper reported, "less than one passenger per train trip" passed through the Union Depot. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad asked the state for permission to abandon service on the line through Shakopee. That approval was granted and the service was dropped in the winter of 1955. By 1957, the Omaha was cutting back its mail lines through Shakopee by two trains a day. Motorized highway routes replaced them. In its early days, the building had two waiting rooms - the larger general waiting area in the center of the building and the smaller waiting area for women and children on the east end of the building. The waiting rooms were considered "comfortably furnished" with rocking chairs and settees. Its interior lights were ornamental oxidized chandeliers. The west end of the building housed the offices from which tickets were sold and freight records were managed. The building's only basement area is beneath that office area. There are two alcoves, one on the north side of the building, the other on the south. Narrow windows on either side of the building allow people to watch for oncoming trains on the sections of track that used to be on both side of the building. Today, only the track on the south side of the depot remains. The remnants of a signal system is on a wall of the depot, which allowed office staff to alert the engineer of an oncoming train if a stop were needed for passengers or freight. Marge Radermacher, whose house on First Avenue backs up to the old Union Depot, has seen the comings and goings of passengers and freight handlers since she and her husband bought the home in 1945. She recalls members of the crews coming over to her yard for a coffee break and a few minutes' conversation. She said the depot was kept in a tidy state when the trains were coming and going on a regular basis. Once the depot was abandoned, its upkeep waned. "The building was kept up pretty nice. It looked pretty good until then. Then it became quite an eyesore," she said. "Now it looks very nice. They've dressed it up." ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #147 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <004b01c1377d$7dd36450$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 05:14:26 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Bridgeport, AL -From the Scottsville, AL Daily Sentinel... Rescued from fire and ashes By BETTINA GOINS Sentinel staff BRIDGEPORT - Ten years and a catastrophe have delayed the opening of the Bridgeport Depot Museum. But in only a few weeks, the Bridgeport Area Historical Association plans to open the doors of the remodeled building just in time for the Bridgeport Jubilee on Saturday, Sept. 22. Bridgeport Area Historical Association President C. David Loyd has supervised the renovation efforts to the Bridgeport Depot since a fire nearly destroyed the 1917 building two years ago. Loyd stated that prior to the fire, the building was under reconstruction with the installation of a new roof and carpet. "This is a good building and it is appropriate that it be used as a depot museum," said Loyd. According to Loyd, the building served as the third depot in Bridgeport. The first depot, constructed prior to the Civil War, was located by the river community. At that time, Bridgeport was called Jonesville. The second depot is located near the museum in the downtown area. A Spanish influence in architectural style is present in the depot museum. Loyd stated that he does not know of the reason for the Spanish influence in the design of the building, but he said that people often ask why the depot exhibits a Spanish flare. Although damage to the arched doorways and other Spanish architectural elements resulted in the fire, the original, unique Spanish motif has been preserved. Adjacent to the museum, the foundation of the freight railroad remains. Although the fire destroyed the building, its foundation serves well as a stage for the Bridgeport Jubilee. Loyd said that in the distant future he hopes that the freight railroad structure may be replaced. At the depot museum's opening at the festival, visitors will tour the building which will house several items donated by area residents including many treasures collected by Loyd's brother, F. M. Loyd. While admiring an old trunk filled with memorabilia significant to the heritage of Bridgeport and all of Jackson County, Loyd stated, "It's things like this that I feel people will want to contribute." Visitors to the depot may purchase prints of the depot and the USS Bridgeport and admire a base relief sculpture of two civil war soldiers. The sculpture was damaged in the fire, but has been refurbished and amazingly, once was located in the original depot by the Tennessee River. Renovations to the building include the installation of stairs in addition to the original stairs which remain at the site. Windows at the top floor have been added to allow a complete view of the area and an elevator has also been installed. Stone from an old sidewalk in Bridgeport has been transferred to the depot for the front entrance grounds. Loyd stated that two federal grants and local contributions have provided the funding for the renovations. The elevator was funded by the family of Katherine Hackwork Riggs, one of the original members of the association. As a Bridgeport resident for all of his life, Loyd remembers many buildings which have since been destroyed and therefore he has a particular interest in the preservation of the city's history. "When you are born and raised up seeing those buildings, then you feel like a part of you goes when they go. That's why I'm so interested in preserving the depot," said Loyd. As President of the Bridgeport Area Historical Association, Loyd's struggles to preserve the depot stem from a familial interest. His brother, L. W. Loyd was once President of the Association. The Loyds established a third generation business in Bridgeport and his family has collected items of historical significance for many years. "I have a vested interest in this because I have two older brothers that really started it," said Loyd. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <005101c1377d$d8bb5580$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 05:16:58 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) On Track to Recognition After 125 Years -From the LA Times... On Track to Recognition After 125 Years Ceremony: More than 100 people turn out to commemorate historic completion of north- south rail line at hands of Chinese laborers. By PATRICIA WARD BIEDERMAN, TIMES STAFF WRITER Metrolink's Frank Mendoza drove a gold-colored spike into the track Wednesday at a desolate spot in the Santa Clarita Valley. The ceremony, commemorating the completion 125 years ago of the first north-south railway line in California, drew more than 100 politicians, schoolchildren, Chinese Americans and railroad buffs. Also present were the ghosts of the thousands of Chinese immigrants who built the railroad. As a historical marker erected at the site in 1976 explained: "We honor over 3,000 Chinese who helped build the Southern Pacific Railroad and the San Fernando Tunnel. Their labor gave California the first North-South railway, changing the state's history." Nobody knows for certain how many Chinese died building the railway and the mile-long San Fernando Tunnel, then the longest tunnel west of the Appalachians, said speaker Irvin Lai, president of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. "In those days, they didn't report that stuff," Lai said. The work was completed under terrible conditions, especially the tunnel, which was built through rock weakened by water and oil and subject to cave-ins, other speakers said. The railroad was "representative of a host of achievements by Chinese Americans at a time when the Chinese were one of the dominant labor forces in the West, involved in most public works projects," said Eugene Moy, vice president of the Chinese historical group. Joe Bonino, vice chairman of the Southern California chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, said Los Angeles was a "sleepy little mission town" until the railroad plugged it into the transcontinental railway system and the national economy. Metrolink carried dozens of VIPs from downtown Los Angeles for the ceremony, held at the site of Lang Station, the depot where thousands celebrated the completion of the line on Sept. 5, 1876. At the original ceremony, the crowd cheered as railway baron Charles Crocker drove a genuine gold spike into the track, using a silver hammer. The depot was torn down in the 1960s, despite the efforts of local conservationists to save it. Metrolink's Mike McGinley said the original celebration was marked by a contest to see who would be first to finish the last 500 feet of track--the men working north from Los Angeles or those working south from the Tehachapi Mountains. The Los Angeles group won, McGinley said, "and the celebration they had here then was a lot noisier than this one." Speaker March Fong Eu, former California secretary of state, said the spot was consecrated by the blood, sweat and tears of Chinese workers who realized the vision of railroad magnates but received little or no credit for their labor. "This afternoon we pause to commemorate those who really linked Southern California with steel 125 years ago," said Eu, who has announced she will again seek the office of secretary of state. Loren Martens, chairman of the railway historical society, said he was glad to see children in the audience. "You've got kids here who have never seen a steam engine," he said. Cody Mortensen, 9, was one of 28 students from Santa Clarita's Pinecrest School at the ceremony. Several of his classmates got to try their hand at driving the spike into the track. Asked what he learned at the event, the fourth-grader said the railroad had been there a long time, "and a lot of people put a lot of hard work into it." One of Cody's teachers, Cynthia Neal Harris, had proposed the field trip. Harris is a past president of the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. "I couldn't let this pass without having young people participate," she said. "I knew how important it was, especially to our community. They'll never forget this as long as they live." 'We pause to commemorate those who really linked Southern California with steel 125 years ago.' ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <006301c1377e$baa70700$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 05:23:17 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Titusville, FL Picture at http://www.floridatoday.com/news/business/stories/2001/sep/bus090601d.htm Titusville couple taps train-buff market By Lyn Dowling For FLORIDA TODAY TITUSVILLE - The National Railway Historical Society has 22,000 dues-paying members, and thousands of people in Central Florida belong to historical societies and clubs dedicated to trains and railways. That's the market targeted by Garden Street Depot, say owners Clayton and Jacquelyn Maynard. Their new enterprise, at Garden Street and the Florida East Coast railroad tracks, already has gained national attention by retailing railroad-related goods, antiques and snacks in an atmosphere that combines the look of an old railroad station with modern attention to detail and marketing strategy. "It is going pretty well, considering that we didn't know what to expect," Jacquelyn Maynard said. The Maynards said they will be patient about a full return on their investment, which amounts to about $30,000. While the Depot looks much like the stations that used to dot the tracks along Florida's east coast, the building is new. It was constructed by Clayton Maynard, a longtime area builder and member of the Titusville Model Railroad Club. The property had been owned by Jacquelyn Maynard's family since 1945. The couple take pride in including details that were true to the heyday era of Florida's railroads. They know such authenticity is essential to people who can spot a counterfeit railway advertisement across a room or who use magnifying glasses to be sure they have painted "New York Central" just right. It's also of great interest to those who have spent their lives in communities like Titusville, which owes much of its development to the railroads. And many residents remember the passenger trains that passed through town until the late 1960s. "Jacquelyn is a native Floridian," her husband said. "She said we had to include four things in the building: a wood floor, a tin ceiling, a coquina rock fireplace and a potbelly stove. It had to look like a real Florida railroad depot." Thus, the shop has become something of an attraction for railroaders of all stripes, with rare souvenirs from lines with names like "Susquehanna" or "Grand Trunk Western" and scale models of everything from locomotives to fanciful movie cabooses. Expanding the market niche But, with an eye to widening customer interest, the store also seeks to satisfy antique shoppers with an area called Nannie Mae's Notions, and serves snacks in Mary's Kitchen, a snack bar that serves specialty coffees and Wm. J. Sweet Ice Cream. "I collect antiques and my husband always has been interested in railroads, and we thought they would go well together," said Jacquelyn Maynard, who otherwise is a math teacher at Titusville High School. "We also wanted to be sure the shop would appeal to women as well as men, which is why I call the antiques area of the shop Nannie Mae's Notions, after my mother, and Mary's Kitchen, after Clayton's mother." Stew Marshall believes it also is a sound business proposition. A founding member of the National Retail Hobby Stores Association who is active in the Sunshine Region of the National Model Railroad Association, Marshall used to own the Train Depot, a hobby shop in Winter Park. "Model railroading alone is big business," Marshall said. "There are 30 national magazines for railroad hobbyists with a combined circulation of about 500,000 people, and the biggest national magazine, Model Railroader, has a circulation of about 200,000 people. "We believe there are three-quarters of a million serious hobbyists in this country and they spend about $2 billion per year (on models and accessories) a year. I would estimate that Florida has about 50,000 model railroaders. The Maynards have about 3,000 names on the shop's mailing list and figure at least 4,000 to 5,000 people in the area would be potential customers. Marshall also pointed out that although Brevard has about 1,000 "serious model railroaders and an unknown number who are just interested in railroad nostalgia," train-lovers often travel great distances to find the collectibles in which they are interested. "If you love the railroads, or if you're a model railroader, you'll go almost anywhere to get what you need," he said. "People from as far away as Sweden have stopped into the Garden Street Depot. Interest in railroads is international." "There's no question we'd visit a place like that," said Mary Lou Frankel of New Jersey, who with husband Charlie and son Jeff, is a railroad enthusiast. "We love trains and would make a point of going there the next time we go to Florida." The Maynards have marketed the shop with mailings on an ongoing basis, and since a photograph of the store appeared in the September edition of Model Railroader magazine, it also has become nationally known. Its operators also would love to see their depot become the real thing, should Amtrak bring its passenger trains down the east coast of Florida. The rail line has discussed the possibility but the Florida Department of Transportation has offered only $15.2 million of the $22 million needed for improvements to the 280 miles of tracks owned by Florida East Coast Railway. That's short of the $22 million now required from the state by Amtrak and Florida East Coast to complete the first phase of the plan to get passenger trains running between Jacksonville and Miami again. But "if Amtrak decides to come in here, we're going to talk to the city of Titusville about making this the station," said Marshall, who was a guest on Amtrak's east Florida test run in June. "Still, the shop's future will depend on all of its elements," Jacquelyn Maynard said. "I think its success is based on the antiques and ice cream together with the trains." "The antiques have brought the women in, and the families love the coffee and ice cream. We would not be making it if we didn't have all three of those factors." And, she added, "We're having fun on our retirement." ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <011d01c13722$4d1322c0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 18:21:39 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Bridgeport, AL Rescued from fire and ashes By BETTINA GOINS The Daily Sentinel staff BRIDGEPORT - Ten years and a catastrophe have delayed the opening of the Bridgeport Depot Museum. But in only a few weeks, the Bridgeport Area Historical Association plans to open the doors of the remodeled building just in time for the Bridgeport Jubilee on Saturday, Sept. 22. Bridgeport Area Historical Association President C. David Loyd has supervised the renovation efforts to the Bridgeport Depot since a fire nearly destroyed the 1917 building two years ago. Loyd stated that prior to the fire, the building was under reconstruction with the installation of a new roof and carpet. "This is a good building and it is appropriate that it be used as a depot museum," said Loyd. According to Loyd, the building served as the third depot in Bridgeport. The first depot, constructed prior to the Civil War, was located by the river community. At that time, Bridgeport was called Jonesville. The second depot is located near the museum in the downtown area. A Spanish influence in architectural style is present in the depot museum. Loyd stated that he does not know of the reason for the Spanish influence in the design of the building, but he said that people often ask why the depot exhibits a Spanish flare. Although damage to the arched doorways and other Spanish architectural elements resulted in the fire, the original, unique Spanish motif has been preserved. Adjacent to the museum, the foundation of the freight railroad remains. Although the fire destroyed the building, its foundation serves well as a stage for the Bridgeport Jubilee. Loyd said that in the distant future he hopes that the freight railroad structure may be replaced. At the depot museum's opening at the festival, visitors will tour the building which will house several items donated by area residents including many treasures collected by Loyd's brother, F. M. Loyd. While admiring an old trunk filled with memorabilia significant to the heritage of Bridgeport and all of Jackson County, Loyd stated, "It's things like this that I feel people will want to contribute." Visitors to the depot may purchase prints of the depot and the USS Bridgeport and admire a base relief sculpture of two civil war soldiers. The sculpture was damaged in the fire, but has been refurbished and amazingly, once was located in the original depot by the Tennessee River. Renovations to the building include the installation of stairs in addition to the original stairs which remain at the site. Windows at the top floor have been added to allow a complete view of the area and an elevator has also been installed. Stone from an old sidewalk in Bridgeport has been transferred to the depot for the front entrance grounds. Loyd stated that two federal grants and local contributions have provided the funding for the renovations. The elevator was funded by the family of Katherine Hackwork Riggs, one of the original members of the association. As a Bridgeport resident for all of his life, Loyd remembers many buildings which have since been destroyed and therefore he has a particular interest in the preservation of the city's history. "When you are born and raised up seeing those buildings, then you feel like a part of you goes when they go. That's why I'm so interested in preserving the depot," said Loyd. As President of the Bridgeport Area Historical Association, Loyd's struggles to preserve the depot stem from a familial interest. His brother, L. W. Loyd was once President of the Association. The Loyds established a third generation business in Bridgeport and his family has collected items of historical significance for many years. "I have a vested interest in this because I have two older brothers that really started it," said Loyd. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <013601c13724$4e4ffda0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 18:36:00 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Stations Aim To Foster Stylish Growth Stations aim to foster stylish growth Aaron Corvin; The News Tribune The past rumbles through downtown Auburn in the form of a hulking, horn-blasting Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train. The present - a modern train station with a beaming clock tower - straddles the tracks that allow shiny commuter trains to funnel workers into Seattle. The future? It already has a name, although it hasn't taken hold yet. It's called "transit-oriented" development, or TOD, planner jargon for clustering shops and apartments around train stations. The idea is to accommodate growth without making traffic worse. This is not a new idea; many early American cities concentrated development around train stations. But in the Puget Sound region, the train station is winning new life in older cities renewing their downtowns - Auburn and Tacoma - and in suburbs seeking to reduce reliance on the car. Auburn hopes its train station will inspire nearby property owners to build upward, stacking condos and apartments atop storefronts to encourage walking and commuting by train. The city is adjusting its zoning to encourage this, a move crucial to such projects. A TOD is the opposite of traditional suburban development, which requires a car to get from houses to stores, and where train tracks and bus stations are kept separate from both. TOD is not for everybody. "We wouldn't live here ourselves," said Annie Andersen, whose family lives in DuPont. "But if I were a commuter working in Seattle, then yeah, that would be an excellent way to go." Andersen runs Annabelle's Espresso from the Sunbreak Cafe, a business anchor for Auburn's train station. Every morning, she wheels a coffee cart to the station with the dual goal of serving commuters and promoting the station. "We want to create a positive image for everybody who hasn't tried it yet," she said. The TOD philosophy is simple: If you can't get people out of their cars with a train alone, offer enough amenities near the train station that they don't need a car. Cities also can rezone properties so that buildings can harbor both apartments and retail. Meanwhile, as rail attracts more commuters, and therefore potential customers, property owners see the benefits of building housing and shops around the station. At least in theory. Practically, it means people accepting city condos and apartments for the promise of unimpeded travel and leisurely strolls to stores and restaurants. But this kind of land development is a gamble requiring both private and public investment. The question remains: Are transit villages worthwhile investments in a landscape dominated by big-box stores, vast parking lots and sprawling subdivisions? "A lot of developers don't know much about it and kind of look at it more critically," said John Scandola, transit-oriented development coordinator for the Puget Sound Regional Council. "Not too many projects have had much history." Growth management at work If TOD is a tool of redevelopment, the GMA is the toolbox. Washington's 1990 Growth Management Act aims to preserve rural land from development and funnel new growth into cities. That means many cities must accept higher residential and commercial densities. The challenge is in sculpting density into attractive, high-amenity living spaces instead of crowded, concrete holes. Enter TOD. "A lot of these jurisdictions are required to do a comprehensive plan," Scandola said, "and these areas that have transit stations figure it's a prime time for increasing density." The region has fewer than 20 major train, bus and ferry stations, according to the Puget Sound Regional Council, which monitors Pierce, King, Kitsap and Snohomish counties. As many as 100 new stations could come on line over the next 25 to 30 years, with many of them potential TOD projects. Besides growth management, other forces are opening the doors to this kind of development. Transit ridership is up in Puget Sound. In 1999, ridership for Pierce Transit's bus, van pool and shuttle services was 14.5 million. Last year, it reached 14.6 million, even though the transit agency reduced some services. Meanwhile, King County Metro buses, trolleys and streetcars served 102 million last year, up from 100 million in 1999. Sound Transit's Sounder commuter rail line, launched in 2000, has doubled weekly ridership from 5,926 last fall to more than 12,000 as of August. The line runs between Tacoma and Seattle, with stations in Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila. All of those cities are considering TOD projects. Some, such as Auburn, are further ahead. Others are grappling with parking crunches as their train stations draw out-of-town commuters. In Sumner, officials are developing a long-term plan to encourage TOD. "We have a couple studies that are under way to address parking and to identify the market out there," said Leonard Bauer, community development director for Sumner. "The question is how do we put the incentives in place." Sound Transit, launched in 1996, is charged with providing light rail, commuter trains and express buses to Pierce, King and Snohomish counties. The agency sought to build a regional transit system, in part, to encourage TOD. But some say planners ignore reality. Even though people have to contend with traffic congestion, they know they can get to anywhere they want in a car, said Dick Nelson, president of Integrated Transport Research Inc., a Seattle-based nonprofit. "Even if (people) live in a TOD, they will bring their car along," he said. Nelson said TOD projects may amount to "civic ego" on the part of elected officials scrambling to find answers to complaints about traffic. In many cases, the money could be better spent on fixing roads or building libraries, Nelson said. "I'm not opposed to it in terms of offering opportunities for living differently," he said. "But it should not be seen as the central way of supporting a major, billion-dollar transit investment." What it takes Auburn offers one of the best peeks at the future of TOD in Puget Sound. The budget for the five-story parking garage, a centerpiece of the TOD, is $8.5 million. The garage is expected to open in early December and will bring the total number of parking stalls to 600, more than in other local stations. The city hopes businesses will fill the 14,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor of the parking garage. Harold Gambini of Northwest Corporate Real Estate in Kent is the leasing agent on that part of the project. Gambini said he's searching for coffee shops, dry cleaners, a florist and a variety of fast-food restaurants to fill the space. "It's going well," he said. "We have some letters of intent we're working on." Plans also call for a new plaza, restaurant and surrounding apartments, offices and shops. "Several property owners are interested in doing residential above retail and office," said Jack Locke, special projects manager for Auburn. The city also is banking on trains running frequently enough to draw commuters to live nearby. The Sounder train runs two daily round trips between Seattle and Tacoma. An increase to nine daily round trips is planned, but not scheduled. Even though the Auburn project is moving forward, transit-oriented development is relatively new in Puget Sound. "We often look to Portland because of their light-rail line," Scandola said. "When they constructed the line, they constructed it with (TOD) in mind." And Portland's TOD projects - spurred by the city's 15-year-old light-rail system - offer mixed results. Orenco Station, a 190-acre urban village, has sold 200 of its planned 398 homes. But The Round in Beaverton landed in bankruptcy court in 1999 after Portland developers failed to find $100 million in financing needed for the project. Auburn officials understand the challenges ahead, as well as the criticism. But they believe their TOD will bolster the downtown by offering businesses, transportation and housing all in one hub. "It's kind of a critical mass," Locke said. - - - - * Staff writer Aaron Corvin covers growth and traffic. Reach him in Federal Way at 253-946-3498 or aaron.corvin_@_mail.tribnet.com. - - - - SIDEBAR: South Sound TOD plans The following South Sound communities are building "transit-oriented" developments or are listed as having the most potential for such developments, according to the Puget Sound Regional Council. 1. Renton: Building 90 units of mixed-income housing above two levels of parking downtown; 150 of the 240 parking stalls are set aside for Park & Ride use during the day. 2. Tukwila: Discussing building a mixed-use project at the commuter rail station near the Boeing plant at the former Longacres racetrack site. 3. SeaTac: Looking at development opportunities at light-rail stations planned under Sound Transit initiatives. 4. Kent: Bought the 15-acre Borden Chemical Plant next to new commuter rail station. Looking to cluster townhouses, condos, retail shops and office space to jump-start downtown. 5. Auburn: City crafted new zones encouraging residential and commercial development around commuter rail station to spur investment in historic downtown. 6. Tacoma: Downtown plan encourages development around planned Sound Transit light-rail stations. Tacoma Dome area targeted for entertainment, retail, housing. 7. Sumner: Looking at developing property near commuter rail station in downtown. Working on a plan to waive parking requirements for new downtown buildings. 8. Puyallup: Exploring development around its new Sounder commuter rail station in the central business district. Planners want to mix retail, office space and housing to invigorate downtown. 9. Lakewood: Plans call for opening a commuter rail station, expanded Park & Ride and bus hub in 2002, would cluster high-density residential around the station. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 22:38:44 -0400 From: michaelmarlin_@_mindspring.com Subject: Re: Re: (rshsdepot) Erie in Scranton, PA Please take me off this list. Thanks, Michael Marlin rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net wrote: > The answer to your question is yes and no, NYS&W did fall under Eriecontrol, but the Wyoming Division was never a part of the NYS&W. Unfortunately, all my books are in storage or I could dig up some more info (and check my "facts"). As an aside, on the NYS&W just south of Scranton, is a spot called "Suscon" (see the map), perhaps a contraction of Susquehanna Connection. I noticed this morning on riding my NJT train into Hoboken that NJT has named the NJT (former Erie mainline) connection at Hawthorne, NJ (my former hometown) with the NYS&W "Suscon." How original. - ----- Original Message ----- > Thanks, Jim! > Well, yes and no. The question is, wasn't that the Susquehanna in Erie > ownership? Let us know, won't you? > > Jim Dent wrote: > > > Actually the Erie's Wyoming Div. did pass just to the south of Scranton on > > its way to Wilkes Barre from Lackawaxen, PA. > > For a map (From an Erie 1914 annual report) showing that detail go to: > > http://gelwood.railfan.net/map/erie-east-1914.gif > > ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #148 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 13:45:05 -0400 From: "Kenyon F. Karl" Subject: (rshsdepot) =?iso-8859-1?Q?The_Rutland_Herald_Online_-_A_spotlight_on_rail's_glory_da?= =?iso-8859-1?Q?ys?= A spotlight on rail’s glory days Transportation institute takes first step with new museum Sep. 8, 2001 http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/SouthernVermont/Story/33208.html Dartmouth Professor Joe Massey told the gathering Friday that the museum was a first step. “The idea is to create a campus-style institution for the study of transportation policy.” ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <001401c13975$2ae21120$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2001 17:19:52 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Youngstown, OH Youngstown looks at B&O renovation By WILLIAM H. OWEN Tribune Chronicle YOUNGSTOWN -- City Council Wednesday gave second reading to enter into an agreement with William Marsteller, owner of American Steel City Industrial Leasing, for a lease/purchase agreement to redevelop the old B&O Railroad station and sublease it to Ohio Brewing Company as a restaurant/entertainment facility. The Ohio Brewing Company is operated by Chris and Michael Verich, who, along with Newton Falls businessman David Hanson, formerly operated The Ohio Brewing Company microbrewery and restaurant on the Strip in Niles now occupied by Max and Erma's. The restaurant staggered financially and finally closed in 1999. ACSL has proposed a $250,000 renovation of the B&O property at 520 Mahoning Ave. and would sub-lease to The Ohio Brewing Company. Democrat Michael Verich had been the state representative from the 66th District, representing Warren and southwest Trumbull County. Facing term limits, he was appointed by the governor to the State Employee Relations Board and had his brother Chris named to his General Assembly seat over the objections of the county Democratic party. The younger Verich was defeated in his first election for the House seat by former Warren mayor Daniel Sferra. The brewery has been kept alive because of a contract to brew and provide Scrappers Ale for Mahoning Valley Scrappers baseball games. The B&O renovation project is awaiting a final re-appraisal, which should be completed this week, according to Economic Development Director Jeffrey Chagnot. He said the last appraisal was done in 1997, before a disastrous accident damaged the building in 1999. Chagnot said that during the coldest period of the winter of 1999 the gas meter and lines at the restaurant became clogged with oil, shutting down the furnace and freezing the fire suppression water lines in the upstairs crawl space. When the lines were cleared and heat restored, the sudden surge of pressure as the water lines thawed set off the sprinkler system, causing major wallpaper, paint and plaster damage to the interior of the structure. Marsteller owns the former G.F. Furniture Systems and bought and renovated the old Commercial Intertech hydraulic cylinder division and has found a company to lease and reopen the facility. Council also passed an emergency measure to open negotiations with the Small Business Administration to provide refinancing for Anthony's-by-the-River. The restaurant is now financed by a consortium of three banks, and working with the SBA will lower the rate and extend the financing period to match the cash flow of the business. Anthony's has been struggling financially and officials are hoping that a proposed convocation center downtown will improve business at the restaurant. Council also approved legislation to pay for some emergency sewer and waterline repairs. Marucci and Gaffney Excavating will be paid $103,485, the cost of emergency sewer and waterline repairs on Goleta Avenue between Tod and Bradley lanes. The measure will go before the city's Board of Control this morning for final approval of the measure. Because it was passed as an emergency measure, it does not need to go through a process of competitive bidding. Council also approved, as an emergency, a measure to arrange an interim float loan of $625,000 to allow Allegra Print and Imaging, a division of Customer Printing Inc., located on Mahoning Avenue at Steel Street, to buy Postal Mail Sort Inc., also on Mahoning Avenue. Allegra now has 16 employees, and Postal Mail Sort has 13. This purchase will save the 13 jobs and allow Allegra to expand with another 20 jobs, Chagnot said. The loan will run from 12 to 18 months. ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #149 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 12:58:23 -0400 From: "Kenyon F. Karl" Subject: (rshsdepot) Let's build a high-speed railroad for the country Let's build a high-speed railroad for the country By 2021 at the latest, the United States may join its industrial counterparts in Europe and Asia with a major system of high-speed trains criss-crossing our country in the rail equivalent of the interstate highway program. As D:F has reported over the last two years, there is a serious effort to upgrade freight and passenger service in this country. Finally, that story has burst into the mainstream media with a Washington Post report last Friday under the headline, "GOP Plans $71 Billion Rail Bill." Sources close to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee confirmed to D:F at Friday's deadline (5:00 p.m.) that the bill was in the process of being drafted. "This bond program that we're talking about for upgrading the nation's rail system ideally needs to be done in the next ten years; more than likely we'll get it done in the next twenty years," Amtrak Reform Council Chairman Gil Carmichael told D:F on Friday. As we have reported in the past, Carmichael envisions what he calls an Interstate II program, the follow-up to Interstate I. The latter he defines as "a slow-speed (highway) program." The former he sees as "a high speed (rail) system." http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df09102001.shtml Destination:Freedom The Newsletter of the National Corridors Initiative, Inc. Vol. 2 No. 36, September 10, 2001 Copyright © 2001, NCI, Inc. James P. RePass, President Leo King, Editor ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <003301c13ab8$12e92fb0$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 07:51:20 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Longview, TX =46rom the Longview News-Journal... Local: Railroad depot might receive makeover BY GLENN EVANS Children probably tightened their grips on parents' hands, their eyes widening, as they stepped into the cool, dark tunnel beneath the tracks a= t the old Longview train depot. They might again. That's if a letter expected from Union Pacific Railroad indicates a deal = can be negotiated to entice the carrier to donate the Depression-era depot to Longview. The junction closed in the late =9250s, and its main section no= w holds about 11 Union Pacific offices with the Amtrak depot at its west en= d. "This is a wonderful opportunity for everybody," Natalie Rabicoff said, describing the depot as a potential hub for Amtrak passenger rail, buses = and taxicabs. If separate plans come to pass, a restored depot off Mobberly Avenue also would be a base for cross-city bus service and a stop on a high-speed rail route. Rabicoff earned the national Amtrak President's Award in 1997 after leadi= ng efforts to save the Texas Eagle from extinction. Now she is the city's go-between to Union Pacific in seeking donation of the depot, which was built within a year of the 1939 Mobberly Avenue railroad underpass. She envisions new life in the old station, which could be the centerpiece= of a nest of gift shops, art boutiques and eateries. The grassy lawn there could host small festivals, Rabicoff said. She's corresponded with Union Pacific executives in charge of real estate= =2E She said Union Pacific might propose a swap, in which local entities buil= d offices replacing the Union Pacific offices inside the depot in exchange = for the donation. Those offices inside the old building could be built in the freight yard, she and County Judge Mickey Smith said. The judge has placed $30,000 in his proposed 2002 budget to be spent only= if a deal is brokered. Commissioners are set to vote on Smith's plan on Sept= =2E 17. The Longview City Council plans to approve its 2002 budget on Thursday. Assistant City Manager Karen Daly, who with City Manager Rickey Childers = has blessed Rabicoff's solo mission, said no city funds are earmarked in the proposed budget. Smith said the county is ready if the city ponies up for the project. "I can envision a lot of little restaurants down there, and pretty antiqu= e lights," he said. "And if we get the high-speed rail, we'll be ready for that as well. I just hope they can negotiate it with Union Pacific. "I think we could restore it to its natural beauty. It's got the old tin roof =97 back from when I was a kid I remember that. I think it's got a w= hole lot of potential in there. This can be a great asset to Longview and Greg= g County." With the county money in Smith's proposal and the city's budget approval = at hand, Rabicoff wrote Union Pacific executive Ron Mayer late last week. "I told him to let me know by (Sept. 13)," Rabicoff said. "Because we've = got the county (on board), and the city manager is researching what he can pu= t in his budget." Daly said Friday the city will look at ways to contribute funds if Union Pacific shows interest. "We've looked at a couple of (funding) options, depending on what the use= is and who will own the depot," Daly said. "The city is very supportive of recapturing the depot, so we'll try to make it work. It would be a great place." She added that scenario of a multi-transportational hub with arts and entertainment is compatible with the downtown master plan's recommendatio= n for areas east of downtown proper. Nancy McWhorter, director of the Gregg County Historical Museum, remember= s the tunnel beneath the tracks. The thought of a renewed depot, "just sort= of makes you smile," she said. "I grew up here, and have watched a number of things from our past be tor= n up through the years," she said. "The main thing I remember is, as a chil= d, the tunnel where you go under the tracks to get to the other side." Historical Commission Chairman Dr. Norman Black also can't bury his memor= ies of the tunnel. "It was wide enough you could have driven a car through it," he said. "Oh= , it's still there. There's no doubt about it." ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <5411662.1000165883705.JavaMail.imail_@_tracker.excite.com> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 16:51:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Randy Staller Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) Let's build a high-speed railroad for the country It would be nice to think that we were in possession of a goverment that was actually concerned with the American public's best interest, but we can't. This initive will die along with the rest of the plans, bills, etc. to build a competitive and viable national rail system. The railroads pay more in taxes on fuel, than trucks, but get almost nothing in return. Look at the subject, from the oil companies' point. The better the rail system (freight and passenger), the less trucks running the road. Lower truck fuel sales and profit. The more choices of alternate mass transportation the public has available to them lower gasoline sales, and thus lower the ridiculous and obscene profits that can be stolen from the pockets of the public. Make no mistake about it, Big Oil has the best government that they could buy. From the ballless President through the halls of Congress, Senate, and The House, big oil owns the majority. If the Pres, Cong, Sen, and the House had the best interest of the public in mind, oil company executives would now be in prisons, where they belong, instead of picking your pockets. Randy Staller _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <121.422a5fd.28cead51_@_aol.com> Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 19:57:05 EDT From: Dherbert53_@_aol.com Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) Let's build a high-speed railroad for the country Necessity may win the day, however. There's a limit to how many planes can fly in an area and a limit on how many lanes can be added to highways. Dean Carroll ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #150 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <002001c13aab$acaca9e0$aca40318_@_union1.nj.home.com> Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 06:22:34 -0400 From: "Bernie Wagenblast" Subject: (rshsdepot) Harmon Cove, NJ -From the Secaucus Reporter. Harmon Cove station may close Changes for Allied Junction will move tracks Despite past promises and agreements to keep the Harmon Cove train station open, New Jersey Transit officials say the station will be closed once the Allied Junction transfer station becomes active next year, leaving residents of the condo development to take shuttle buses or find other ways to get to Manhattan. "What we're being told is that people in Harmon Cove will have to take shuttle buses to Allied Junction in order to make their connection to New York," Town Administrator Anthony Iacono said last week. An inside source at New Jersey Transit said the decision was made earlier this year when plans to alter the direction of the Bergen Line were finalized. New Jersey Transit will make use of its right-of-way through town-owned property to redirect trains coming into Harmon Cove. Tracks will turn south along the Hackensack River and connect with the Main Line, which goes through the south end of Secaucus. The Main Line will stop at the Secaucus Transfer Station, common known as Allied Junction. "We're just finding out the details," said Town Administrator Anthony Iacono last week. "We have not yet received official word." Mayor Dennis Elwell has issued a letter to New Jersey Transit strongly objecting to the move, believing that it violates agreements made between NJT and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (formerly the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Corporation). The Meadowlands Commission would have had to approve the development plans. "Somewhere in the application process, New Jersey Transit said the Harmon Cove train station would not be affected," Iacono said. "We're trying to get that application [to the NJMC for Allied Junction] now." Harmon Cove has 2,000 residents, many of whom will be affected by the change. In public hearings held during early 1990s on Allied Junction, the issue of the station's closing was among the most frequently asked questions. But according to Mayor Dennis Elwell, it is unclear who made the promise to keep it open. While the rail aspect of the Allied Junction project is New Jersey Transit, the commercial project slated for the top of the transfer station is a private corporation. "We're not sure who said what," said Mayor Dennis Elwell, "though we know someone told residents the Harmon Cove station would stay open." It is true that in 1993, William McCann, President of Allied Junction, told residents of Harmon Cove that the station would stay open. As originally presented by New Jersey Transit in the 1980s, rail plans for Secaucus showed the Harmon Cove station closing once Allied Junction came on line. Although Transit officials were believed to have changed their mind on that afterward, Secaucus officials recently heard new rumors that they had decided again to close the station. In a sharply written letter sent a week ago, Mayor Elwell and the two 3rd Ward council members, John Reilly and Fred Constantino, said they were "shocked, angered and outraged." "At no time have we received any form of notification from New Jersey Transit about these plans," the letter said. "We have been given no opportunity for input to discuss alternatives or to explain why this station is so vital to many residents of our community." Town officials have requested a meeting with New Jersey Transit and with various federal and state legislators in order to explain the negative impact residents will suffer as a result of the change. The town has also issued a letter to Harmon Cove residents. "You can be assured that we will diligently do everything we can to make New Jersey Transit reconsider its decision," this letter said. "We're looking to set up a meeting in Harmon Cove so that the residents can hear what New Jersey Transit has to say," Elwell said during a telephone interview last week. "But this would affect more than just people in Harmon Cove. There are other residents who use that train station." Many residents moved to Harmon Cove, Elwell admitted, because the train station was there. And though New Jersey Transit has not yet said it would definitely close the station, Elwell said hints in that direction have emerged over the last couple of years. "Two years ago, we asked to look at plans for the new station," he said. "We were shown rough sketches, not general plans, and the station was going to be located down further along the tracks, not by Harmon Cove where it is now. We were told they couldn't put the train station on the bend." Since then, Elwell said he has heard "a trickling and rumors" concerning the closing, and that a meeting with New Jersey Transit at Harmon Cove will finally put the rumors to rest. "We're working on a few options to present New Jersey Transit," Elwell said. A change of plans In its original proposal to close the station, New Jersey Transit claimed the Harmon Cove stop was just too close to Allied Junction in order to justify keeping it open. Allied Junction is scheduled to open next year and will connect many of the existing train lines throughout Northern New Jersey with an Amtrak line going to and from midtown Manhattan. Part of these plans call for moving trains from the Bergen Line to tracks currently accommodating the Main Line, which goes directly into the Allied Junction site. Plans to alter the direction of the Bergen Line - on which Harmon Cove is one stop - make it virtually impossible to keep the station where it is currently located. New Jersey Transit is currently in negotiations with the Town of Secaucus for the purchase of a 16-acre tract along the Hackensack River, through which the Bergen Line will pass to get to the Main Line. While New Jersey Transit already has right-of-way to run its tracks, the purchase would allow for the construction of a staging area for trains (see sidebar). Several sources say New Jersey Transit may also be considering a vast parking lot for the property and a shuttle service allowing commuters to park there and shuttle to Allied Junction for daily trips to Manhattan. Impact on commuters will be mixed Mark DeLuca, one of the principal real estate agents for Harmon Cove, said the shuttle service may actually help some commuters, since the train service to the station was extremely limited. Trains tended to run frequently only in rush hour and only toward New York in the morning and away from New York at night. "This change may actually benefit Harmon Cove in the long run," DeLuca said, "especially if New Jersey Transit increases the frequency of shuttles to Allied Junction." DeLuca, however, said the change would not likely negatively effect the attractiveness of Harmon Cove as a residential community, since it is still within a short ride to Manhattan. Rhoda Traum, who also sells housing in Harmon Cove, echoed DeLuca's statements. Catherine Murray, a real estate agent who recently moved her offices to the center of town, but who lives in Harmon Cove and sells units there, called this "terrible news for Harmon Cove." Although residents may get to midtown Manhattan by making the same number of connections, people working downtown in the Wall Street area will find their commute made much more difficult. "This is a disaster. Many people in Harmon Cove work or go to school downtown," Murray said. "This is terrible news for them." Murray added, "The train is dependable even in bad weather. What happens when it snows or floods? What happens if there are 50 people waiting and the shuttle bus only has room for 20 people?" Comments from the commuters Commuters waiting for the morning train to New York said the news was disheartening, but not completely negative. "Since I'm going to midtown it has less of an impact on me than other people going downtown," said a woman in her mid 20s who has lived in Harmon Cove since 1999. She said she moved to Secaucus because of the train. "I like it here because I can take a cab from Manhattan if I have to and be here in 15 minutes." Another man, who declined to give his name, said he has lived in Harmon Cove for nine years and has grown used to the convenience of walking across a bridge to the train station. Although he works in midtown Manhattan and would be less affected than other people, he had his doubts about the change. One commuter, who drove to the Harmon Cove station from Bergen County, said the change would be very inconvenient. caption: A THING OF THE PAST? Harmon Cove train station may soon take its place among the vanishing historic sites of Secaucus, according to a New Jersey Transit plan. We can work it out? After weeks of wrangling over the sale of 16 acres of land south of Harmon Cove to New Jersey Transit, the Town Council voted on Aug. 28 to allow Mayor Dennis Elwell to negotiate with the agency - but they may include the Board of Education in their negotiations as well. The 16-acre tract in question sits just south of Harmon Cove Towers on the eastern side of Meadowlands Parkway. The land - which was set aside in the 1980s by Hartz Mountain Industries for possible use as a school - is required to be used for educational or recreational uses, according to a 1987 agreement. The Board of Education deeded the property to the town in 1987 order to accommodate the construction of several ballfields - for recreation programs run by the town as well as provide space for local industrial leagues. The proposed land sale to NJT became the source of contention at the Aug. 28 meeting of the Town Council when Board of Education Member Tom Troyer and Councilman John Bueckner grilled the council as to why the Board of Education had not been consulted. School officials said deed restrictions state that the board has the final say on how the land is allocated, claiming the town moved ahead without asking the board's permission. According to the 1987 agreement between the town and the board, the board could take back the land any time it needed it for educational purposes. "Considering the history of that property, I would have expected there would have been consultation with the Board of Education prior to the introduction of an ordinance to sell," Troyer said. Troyer said the deed to the property contained specific language that clearly gave the Board of Education a say into the sale of the land. Bueckner, who said he had been involved in the early negotiations, also said the board should have been notified, since the property was supposed to revert to the board if an education use was found for it. "We gave it to the town because the town wanted to put ballfields on it," Bueckner said. "The board was supposed to get it back." Town Attorney Frank Leanza said a review of the matter showed that both the town and the board have an interest in the property, and that he intended to meet with the board's attorney to discuss negotiations with NJ Transit. Troyer and Bueckner cautioned against having the board and town negotiate separately. Mayor Elwell, however, doesn't think the board should be involved at all. "We can't have 16 people negotiating this thing," he said. Troyer noted that the ordinance passed by the town leaves all the negotiations in the hands of the mayor. "That's unacceptable," Troyer said. Elwell claimed that NJ Transit did not have to pay the town anything because of an existing easement through the property. Elwell said the agreement would be a show of good faith by NJ Transit, and he feared that a conflict over the proceeds would discourage NJ Transit for giving the town anything. Although New Jersey Transit is seeking to use the land as a staging area as well as part of a redirecting of the Bergen train line, which currently runs -From Hoboken through Secaucus to points in Bergen County, more than one person has asked the obvious question: Why is NJ Transit willing to part with as much as $1.8 million it doesn't have to? Elwell said that once the rail line is redirected, the land on the riverside of the tracks became virtually useless for a school or a recreational site. One source, who wished to remain unnamed, said NJ Transit could be considering a parking lot. Current designs for Allied Junction prohibit massive parking facilities as part of the agreement with New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. "You can fit a lot of cars on 16 acres," this town official said. The move would likely make use of a shuttle service to bring people from the parking lots to the train station. ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #151 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2001 08:59:04 -0400 From: "Kenyon F. Karl" Subject: (rshsdepot) [csx_selkirkbranch] Operational Security (OPSEC) I KNOW NOTHING about terrorism, but even railfans must realize that the terrorists can easily convert a common ordinary transcontinental airliner into an instrument of mass destruction. Accordingly, we must add unusual shipments of highly flamable haz-mat materials, shipments of nuclear fuel rods, and the like to the list of prohibitions. Any UNEXPECTED passenger train or OFFICE CAR SPECIAL might be carrying VIP folks, and the passengers of this train could be 'at risk' at any speed over 30 mph. Indeed, bridges, tunnels, deep cuts, high embankments, and the like might be considered as 'hazardous' at more than 10 mph. Finally, anything else that draws any unusual presence of railroad cops & similiar security agents to the tracks must likewise be treated with great silence! :-( I presume that we must use our cell phones to report 'suspicious activities' along SOME railroad tracks, even at the risk of reporting the presence of fellow railfans. Conversely, making our presence well known to railroad employees and also on record at 911 dispatch offices as the reporter of 'suspicious activities' on a regular basis might suggest to police that we are NOT suspects for trackside crimes ranging from 'trespassing' to 'terrorism' as the result of routine surveilance or another unthinkable 'horror show'. Conversely, most people outside of the railroad industry are shockingly ignorant about railroad operations. Thus, railfans must be aware that ordinary police are likely to disregard our reports of suspicious activities - unless we can persuade them to contact a railroad policeman or railfan-policeman to obtain concurance of our well considered suspicions. BECAUSE OF MY SHEER IGNORANCE ON THE SUBJECT, I will leave it to the policemen and firemen of this list to carefully refine my quick list of 'security sensitive' railroad operations. I suppose however (for security reasons) that even these folks must confine themselves to publicly pointing out those hazards that are listed in widely distributed reports and the like! Last but not least the terrorists rely upon the fact that this nation will soon return to 'business as usual' and thus downgrade or abandon the expensive security measures imposed in reaction to the events of this week. Thus, if we value our 'peculiar playthings', it is particularly important for the unpaid railfans to maintain our vigilance long after the well known horrors of this week have been forgotten. :-( Kenyon F. Karl Kenyon_Karl_@_mail.com http://www.new-england-rail-trails.org http://www.new-england-public-transit.org http://www.northernrailtrail.org http://www.trainweb.org/nhrra Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 10:45:46 -0400 From: Ken Buckman Subject: [csx_selkirkbranch] Operational Security (OPSEC) This message is about how you can play a part in helping the eventual retribution to be imposed on the responsible parties. 1. If you live near a military installation, PLEASE DO NOT discuss unusual activity occurring there. That discussion may reveal [to the enemy] when the attack is coming and give them time to escape or prepare. After all, access to all YahooGroups is open world-wide, even to people living in Kabul. 2. Freight and passenger trains are a daily occurrence. Any one could be a target. However, to my personal chagrin, often discussed in the SERails list is the location of the "rocket train." PLEASE DO NOT discuss the location of the rocket train or any other high priority (i.e. military) rail movements you observe. I am less concerned about these discussions taking place over the telephone, however, the enemy clearly has a lot of resources, perhaps including domestic operatives which can tap into phone lines. I don't suggest getting overly paranoid (a little is OK), although clearly we must think about what information we broadcast to the whole world using these discussion groups. Don't assume that just because the information is available elsewhere that YahooGroups are not being monitored and sifted for information. Rob (3RI) of Fort Walton Beach (where there aren't any trains) Flomaton Railfan Meet 27-Oct www.3ri.com/flomaton ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <002401c13ce6$b9514420$df8d6ca5_@_itochu.com> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 02:30:19 -0400 From: "Jim Dent" Subject: (rshsdepot) Inverness, FL Part of a larger story entitled,..."The high price of preservation," in the St. Petersburg, FL Times Making renovations into good business Don't tell John Godowski that dilapidated historical buildings are too costly to move. In 1984, the retired Air Force colonel moved the 100-ton Inverness train depot across the train tracks to turn the 1892 white clapboard building into a cafe on N Apopka Avenue. Like the Grace Street house, the depot was slated for demolition as part of a volunteer firefighter training exercise. And like the Grace Street house, part of the depot's historic significance traced back to its use by County Judge E.C. May. With the lowest professional mover's estimate at $80,000, Godowski decided he would be better off moving the depot himself. So he bought four modular home frames, 110 mobile home wheels and learned how to weld. After Godowski loaded the building on the frame he built, other men used a dump truck, a bulldozer and a front-end loader to nudge the depot across the tracks. "They had $10,000 bets in town that it couldn't be saved," Godowski said, chuckling. "The depot got moved, not only by me, but with the help of some selfish guys on a bet." The Inverness Depot Cafe closed its doors in the mid 1990s, and the building has sat vacant ever since. ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <00a601de62d9$f43da700$d60b2e3f_@_paul> Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2027 01:18:28 -0400 From: "Paul S. Luchter" Subject: (rshsdepot) PATH and violence . . . . Last week I was going to write and ask where the tunnel that turns north = out of Grove Street heading east, where that now unused turn went on the = H&M.... Now well that is less why I write from the center of a world of madness, = man they put down the building I can see from the overpass on a clear = day...and well this is station related actually..tonite they hope there = is a PATH train still down there because one is unaccounted for....so = maybe there is people in it, they will approach from Jersey side once = they turn off the right main..hopefully the President doesn't get in the = way tomorrow and they find people...oh we hope...good news is slim = pickins in this area of sorrow and shock... The IRT is crushed below that horror, so I was wondering about that old = long closed loop at South Ferry....but they don't want to run beneath = there anyway, the vibrations.... Greenwich Village is a village again... I was going to Jersey City this weekend but will not be.... I am incoherent, is everybody else from NY ok I wonder... Paul ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #152 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <007901c13d08$4b417be0$bd4643d8_@_ast> References: <00a601de62d9$f43da700$d60b2e3f_@_paul> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 06:14:28 -0400 From: "ERIE LACKAWANNA SD45-2" Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) PATH and violence . . . . Tunnel at Grove Street was the Shop and Yard lead to the Grove-Henderson Yard and Street Shops before new facility was built in Harrison near the old Manhattan Transfer location. Jerome - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul S. Luchter" To: "RSHSDepot" Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2027 1:18 AM Subject: (rshsdepot) PATH and violence . . . . Last week I was going to write and ask where the tunnel that turns north out of Grove Street heading east, where that now unused turn went on the H&M.... Now well that is less why I write from the center of a world of madness, man they put down the building I can see from the overpass on a clear day...and well this is station related actually..tonite they hope there is a PATH train still down there because one is unaccounted for....so maybe there is people in it, they will approach from Jersey side once they turn off the right main..hopefully the President doesn't get in the way tomorrow and they find people...oh we hope...good news is slim pickins in this area of sorrow and shock... The IRT is crushed below that horror, so I was wondering about that old long closed loop at South Ferry....but they don't want to run beneath there anyway, the vibrations.... Greenwich Village is a village again... I was going to Jersey City this weekend but will not be.... I am incoherent, is everybody else from NY ok I wonder... Paul ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <00a601de62d9$f43da700$d60b2e3f_@_paul> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:22:45 -0400 (EDT) From: Blue Moon Network Administrator Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) PATH and violence . . . . On Tue, 14 Sep 2027, Paul S. Luchter wrote: 8<-- > Now well that is less why I write from the center of a world of madness, man they put down the building I can see from the overpass on a clear day...and well this is station related actually..tonite they hope there is a PATH train still down there because one is unaccounted for....so maybe there is people in it, they will approach from Jersey side once they turn off the right main..hopefully the President doesn't get in the way tomorrow and they find people...oh we hope...good news is slim pickins in this area of sorrow and shock... Apparently they have tried to walk in from the tracks, but there is still too much water, presumably from the fire figting operations. Henry J. Henry Priebe Jr. Blue Moon President & Network Administrator root_@_bluemoon.net www.bluemoon.net - Blue Moon Internet Corp V.90, X2 & K56flex www.railfan.net - The Railfan Network ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <413CACCE0349D3118C300004AC38683402E07ECD_@_msg1.utoledo.edu> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 10:25:10 -0400 From: MCamp_@_utnet.utoledo.edu Subject: (rshsdepot) FW: railroad depot > ---------- > From: Bruce & Jo Doran > Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 9:01 AM > To: mcamp_@_geology.utoledo.edu > Subject: railroad depot > > My name is Jody Doran and I'm the president and founder of the > Millersburg Area Historical Society. Millersburg is in northern > Michigan about 50 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge. A small town of > 250 people. > We are in the process of acquiring a railroad depot for use as a > museum and I am completely lost as to where to go from here. Our > society is incorporated with the state but we do not have our 501C3 as > of yet. > The depot was built in 1917 and is made of concrete blocks. It is in > fairly good condition. The slate roof has one leak that is getting > serious. Several of the windows are gone and the original paneling > from the office has been torn out. The station was closed over 50 > years ago and used only for storage. > We have set up a planning group but if you have any insight as to what > we should do first I would appreciate any help. We want to preserve > this building and restore it before it is lost like so many others in > this area. > Thank you, > Jody Doran > P.O.Box 178 > Millersburg, Michigan 49759 > bjdoran_@_voyager.net > 989-733-8175 - home > 989-733-6543 - work > ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <011a01c13d3f$18fdba40$ac42fd3f_@_0019873538> References: <413CACCE0349D3118C300004AC38683402E07ECD_@_msg1.utoledo.edu> Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 13:02:49 -0400 From: "UDRRHS-President" Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) FW: railroad depot Good for you, Jody! We can't save too many of these wonderful old treasures. -From deep in the middle of the process, here are some thoughts on some of the 87 things, all of which you must do first. As you seem to suspect, get after that roof first -- get a patch over that leak, before it does something really bad; after brainless renewal schemes, roof leaks are the biggest threat to any old building. Be careful not to do anything to compromise the original slate, but put whatever kind of patch you can over it right away. If you don't own the building yet and it won't happen right away, beg and plead with the present owner in any way you can to get the patch put on, even if you have to pay for it and might lose the money. Next, also first, go after your IRS recognition of tax exemption -- this can commonly take many months, and without it, foundations and public agencies will rarely if ever give you money; private individuals will be much more reluctant if they can't get the charitable tax deduction than if they can. (For people willing to take a small risk, they can take deductions retroactively once your status is granted, if you make the initial application within 15 months from the time your organization is formed.) If time gets critical, a friendly not-for-profit will sometimes "adopt" your undertaking as one of their special projects, and accept earmarked funds for you, but this is a very distant second choice compared to your own tax exemption. Next, also first, get started on the history of the place, because getting onto the national (or state, as Michigan probably has) register of historic places is another key to much funding, and requires pretty good historic documentation. For procedures, there must be a Michigan State Historical Society, and/or a State department of historic preservation or something similar; they will often be very helpful. For historic material, look in the library or local newspaper (or on ebay) for pictures; find the historical society for the railroad that (used to?) serve Millersburg (many are listed at the National Model Railroad Assoc. website, http://www.ribbonrail.com/nmra/nmralink.html ); we have had wonderful good luck cooperating with the website/mailing list of our local genealogical society, which is by its nature full of people interested in and knowledgeable about local history; go to the county clerk or county courthouse for land, title, construction, and similar records, surveys and plans, in more or less detail, depending on local practices where you are and depending on luck. Next, also first, start building local support -- if there's a local newspaper, try to get them to run a story with photos; if there's a library, community center with bulletin boards, etc, try to post some things; talk to local officials and tell them how wonderful you will be for local pride and economic growth. In your news stories, posters, etc, ask people for photos, stories, memories of the building -- it's just heartwarming how much people enjoy coming out with this information when they know it's appreciated. You may even find people who have old souvenirs from the building, who would be willing to lend or give them back to the building if they know they'll be preserved. Holding events can also help -- tours of the depot, if you have good pictures, etc, of what you're trying to do, or a dance or a party; our experience so far is that for us, such activities just about break even from a financial standpoint, but pay huge dividends in local support, membership, etc, over the slightly longer term. Next, also first, start learning up on funding sources. Not familiar with Michigan, but many states have historic project grants or loans available; there are of course many private foundations interested in such projects -- again, I'm not familiar with anything specific to Michigan, but one place to start is via The Foundation Center (http://fdncenter.org/index.html ), which is outstanding both for giving information on what foundations are out there and what projects they like, and also for giving instruction in how to go about making applications. You'll need to think about whether to seek out professional grant-writers, or whether you have someone with the patience, ability, skill and time to master a process that is by no means impossible, but certainly involves a lot of knowledge and skill that the professionals already have. There's also "TEA-21", successor to the federal "ISTEA" program for transportation projects, usually (always?) administered through state transportation departments, and not available if you are purely museum, but applicable if you have any kind of active transportation function (hostel on a rail-trail, passenger ticket office or destination for a tourist rail ride, etc - these are also activities that might help provide future continuing income, if available to you.) Hope all this long-winded gas is of some help. I'm doing anything but think of the Trade Center. Good luck Steve Delibert - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 10:25 AM Subject: (rshsdepot) FW: railroad depot > > > > ---------- > > From: Bruce & Jo Doran > > Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 9:01 AM > > To: mcamp_@_geology.utoledo.edu > > Subject: railroad depot > > > > My name is Jody Doran and I'm the president and founder of the > > Millersburg Area Historical Society. Millersburg is in northern > > Michigan about 50 miles south of the Mackinac Bridge. A small town of > > 250 people. > > We are in the process of acquiring a railroad depot for use as a > > museum and I am completely lost as to where to go from here. Our > > society is incorporated with the state but we do not have our 501C3 as > > of yet. > > The depot was built in 1917 and is made of concrete blocks. It is in > > fairly good condition. The slate roof has one leak that is getting > > serious. Several of the windows are gone and the original paneling > > from the office has been torn out. The station was closed over 50 > > years ago and used only for storage. > > We have set up a planning group but if you have any insight as to what > > we should do first I would appreciate any help. We want to preserve > > this building and restore it before it is lost like so many others in > > this area. > > Thank you, > > Jody Doran > > P.O.Box 178 > > Millersburg, Michigan 49759 > > bjdoran_@_voyager.net > > 989-733-8175 - home > > 989-733-6543 - work > > ------------------------------ -From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <010601de63ac$78ab23a0$cd37bfa8_@_paul> Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2027 02:25:24 -0400 From: "Paul S. Luchter" Subject: [none] ------------------------------ End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #153 ******************************* From Archives_@_Railfan.net Message-ID: <004901c13de3$35e42820$2cbb4781_@_computer> References: <413CACCE0349D3118C300004AC38683402E07ECD_@_msg1.utoledo.edu> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 08:37:40 -0400 From: "Don Mills, Jr." Subject: Re: (rshsdepot) FW: railroad depot Suggestions: Please do a complete history of your depot, including when it was built, which railroad utilized it and the history of railroads that owned it. Also include what other business' may have used it after the railroad sold it. Get as many pictures of it as you can and put them in a scrap book-photo album and have it ready to show when you start fundraising. Never forget that the basics of fund raising are just like in teaching. See-(pictures) hear (use the media to let them know what you would like to do) and Do- (Once you have done the first two, make sure you keep the media apprised of any progress you make.) Check with the railroad historical society of the builder railroad of your depot and see if they have a blueprint of the depot or know where one can be obtained. Put together a grant application with both your state historical commission as well as the American Station Foundation-they help through grants to keep depots up and as centerpieces of history. Go to your local National Railway Historical Society (let me know exactly in Michigan where you are in relation to larger cities and I will point you in the proper direction as to the NRHS chapter) and ask if they will help you apply for a grant through them. I know this isn't much but it is what several folks in WV are doing to restore one in their town. I hope this at least puts you on a trail or sorts to move ahead. Don Mills - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 10:25 AM Subject: (rshsdepot) FW: railroad depot > > > > ---------- > > From: Bruce & Jo Doran > > Sent: Friday, September 14, 2001 9:01 AM > > To: mcamp_@_geology.utoledo.edu > > Subjec