Text reports on meetings from previous years

July 2007 Picnic in Stewart Park, Ithaca

Our annual informal picnic meeting was held at Stewart Park in Ithaca, New York on Tuesday, July 10. We met at the northeast end of the park, near the Norfolk-Southern tracks. The day was warm and somewhat hazy, but right for a summer picnic. Shortly after 6 PM, the N-S train was spotted coming down the lake shore with a set of salt cars from the Cargill mine. It was operating push-pull, one supposes for ease in switching. A number of members fled the picnic table to grab pictures, and no TSA or local cops sprang from the bushes to stop this public photography.

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Our June 2007 Meeting Showed Slides of Rail Action from the Mid-1940s

Chris Wolff's grandfather had a long history, from exploring in the Goldrush towns of the Sierra Nevada in California in the 1930s, to working with early aircraft pioneers in that industry, to supervising the construction of Liberty ships during World War II and then working in labor and work efficiency with for the government and private industry such as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad after the war. By the way, he also took slides. Some of these have been scanned and restored, and Chris and his father were on hand to narrate and explain the rail scenes shown.

Chesapeake and Ohio articulated. Photo: Jack Wolff

Railfair 2007 Completes Successful Run!

Doug Flanagan Took Us Forward into the Past During May 2007 Meeting

The May meeting of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society had a slide show presented by Doug Flanagan. Doug has held most positions at the Cornell Railroad Historical Society. He currently is crucial in getting out newsletter sealed and mailed on time. But for the May meeting, he brought along an assortment of slides taken by both himself and his parents, starting with trips they took when Doug was but a child, even before he knew he liked trains. Among the places shown were the Pikes Peak Cog Railway and the Royal Gorge of the Colorado River, once home to the Tennessee Pass line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western.

The meeting also was a post-Railfair wrapup of what had happened at our Railfair, with some planning for next year. We discussed, in addition, the CRHS Auction, scheduled for May 15 in Dryden, New York. Late news says the auction was a vibrant success, with many bidders and buyers, a good time had by all and generally a fine time, thanks to Tom Trencansky's organizing, Peggy Haine's excellent auctioneering and participation by many members.

Fireman to the Rescue of April 2007 Meeting

The April 2007 meeting of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society was scheduled to have Jim Torgeson, our president, showing his pictures and giving his descriptions of the NMRA special interest group convention last summer in Duluth, Minnesota. Unfortunately, Jim was called out of town at the last minute, but long-time member Ken Reeves saved us from a complete conflagration and meltdown with a fine slide show of rail photos he's taken over the years. It was much appreciated.

How to Move a Large Layout Fascinates Our March 2007 Meeting

Steve Peck, known as "The Wood Doctor" of Trumansburg, New York, brought a video to our March meeting, showing how he managed to cut up, move and reassemble the large HO layout built by the late Carl Schmidt of Rock River Hobbies in Interlaken, New York. Thanks to careful planning and measurement, Steve managed to cut the roughly 25 by 25-foot layout into pieces that could be fit through an 80-inch high door. He essentially turned this large life-project into a modular layout. When re-assembled in its new location, the cuts were virtually undetectable, and everything worked perfectly: trains ran, signals lit, control panels indicated and worked! Steve's video shows in some detail how he did it, and, if you're interested, contact the CRHS and we can put you in touch. The meeting took place on Tuesday, March 13 at the NYSEG Public Meeting Room of the Ithaca Sciencenter, and had an appreciative full house audience.

Dickinson and Trencansky Brought Photo Guns To Bear on February 2007 CRHS Meeting

Greg Dickinson, our Program Director and Tom Trencansky, our President Emeritus provided plenty of photography power for the February meeting. They combined for a dazzling show, that ranged from Tehachapi to Essex, Montana to freight car detail in the yards of Buffalo, and all the way to Jilin, China. Despite the threat of a heavy snowstorm, the meeting went off well, and the snow was held at bay until late in the evening.

January 2007 Meeting Featured Don Jilson's Photos of Heber Valley and Nevada Northern Winter Photo Freights

On January 9, 2007, Don Jilson, long time railfan and real railroader (currently with Norfolk Southern), presented a program of slides he took at the Heber Valley Railroad and on the Nevada Northern in Ely, Nevada. These were captured during their Winter Steam Spectacular last year. Jilson's photos were spectacular! These two railroads still operate steam, and the Nevada Northern is the location for the western version of the NRHS Summer Rail Camp.