Grassroots Railroad Sports?

In reply to NickD :

I guess this explains why the current Chairman is functioning as Interim President and stated to your's truly that he will remain until the Board is satisfied with necessary changes to the operation. 

Lou

In reply to TheMagicRatchet :

Yeah, they've chewed through a bunch of management since 2018. Moedinger retired, Lefever unexpectedly passed away, Gebbia was a disaster, then Jim Hager took over and he seemed like a great choice and did a bunch of good for the railroad, but he didn't hang around too long (19 months). Jim Hoerner is the current interim president but he is a "turnaround specialist, banking and private investment expert", which are all dangerous sounding words to me.

In better news involving Strasburg, they've now gotten involved with the PRR #1361 project. The six 80-inch drivers made the 170-mile trip from Altoona to Strasburg in December, for inspection and possible reprofiling. Strasburg’s crew found that previous work on them was within both general mechanical specs and compliant with Federal Railroad Administration tolerances. They are expected to return to Altoona in February or March, at which time they’ll be cocooned until the frame, boiler, firebox, and cab are ready for reassembly. Hiring Strasburg to do the work now was crucial because within a few months the shop will be occupied with a combination of the short line’s own work and the restoration of Chesapeake & Ohio #614.

As for the rest of the #1361 restoration, it has reportedly moved past the symbolic 50% mark according to the Railroader's Memorial Museum. The tender is done, from trucks to body work, stoker, and even paint. The cab is currently at Curry Rail Services in nearby Hollidaysburg for reconditioning. Flues and superheater tubes are already on hand, in storage at the museum. Other work includes frame, shoe, and wedge machining, spring rigging repair, trailing-truck equalization, converting to modern 26L brakes, and steam chest repairs. The current major project is assembling the firebox, which took considerable re-engineering and is what stalled out the last attempt at restoration. Welding and riveting is done on #1361’s outer firebox sheets, with fitting and drilling of the inner sheets scheduled next, followed by installation of about 2,000 staybolts. Once the firebox is completed and reattached to the boiler, the superstructure can be mated with the frame and running gear.

So far the project has amassed $1.5 million, with about $900,000 still needed to put the engine under steam. For 2025, the museum hopes to raise $500,000.

I will be excited to see the #1361 finally run. It ran briefly, and never at 100%, for about a year and a half in '86 and '87 before a cracked axle took it out of service. It's since spent the past 37 years undergoing an on-again, off-again restoration that had lots of setbacks and poor decisions. The last attempt stalled out around 2010, and the parts were then scattered to the winds, and a lot of people were of the mind of "I don't care if it runs, it would just be nice to see it complete again." Around 2018, a new group took over, with some pretty big backing that includes E. Bennett Levin and Wick Moorman, and they've been pushing ahead and actually making good progress.

People have asked where it will run and if it will be PTC-equipped, and the answer is "Let's get closer to when it's running before we start talking about that." Not necessarily a bad mindset because management and mindsets can change at the drop of a hat. Look at poor N&W #611, restored to operation with plans for lots of NS mainline excursions in 2017, just in time for Wick Moorman to retire, his successor to bin the steam program, and the #611 to be left all dressed up with nowhere to go. Of course, you have to have some sort of plan as well, because then you end up in ATSF #2926's situation of "We'll figure it out later" and now they've chewed up 9 of the 15 years on the boiler ticket, ran zero excursions, and are now trying to fundraise to install PTC.

I would imagine Strasburg is always an option. It's not too far away, in the heart of PRR country, and friendly to visiting engines. I'd love to do an In-Cab Experience with the #1361, provided that Strasburg brings those back. The Everett Railroad is right down the hill, already runs excursions, and Everett Railroad owner Alan Maples has been involved with the museum, but I've heard that a PRR K4 might be too big or heavy for the Everett. I know that during it's brief operational stint in the '80s, the #1361 ran most of her excursions on the Nittany & Bald Eagle, also right near Altoona. It's the old PRR Bald Eagle Valley Branch, but NS also uses that line, which could cause complications, and the N&BE no longer has passenger equipment, instead using Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society's RDC.

For Christmas, I received a copy of When the Railroads Went to the Beach, by John Taibi, which covers the New York & Oswego Midland/New York, Ontario & Western and the Elmira, Cortland & Northern's Camden Extension/Lehigh Valley Elmira and Cortland Branch and their heyday in Sylvan Beach, NY.

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the Acknowledgements and found my name down there.

Keep in mind, that this book was from 26 years ago, so the "Little Nick" moniker, as John Taibi referred to me as, made a bit more sense back then. I'm about 6'3" and 250lbs now, and taller than my father, so not so little anymore. As a 7 year old kid, my father, who is a big NYO&W buff, took me to several of John Taibi's presentations, and I went to several of them by myself (driven there by my mother) when my father wasn't available. I even remember being the one to operate the slide projector at a couple of his presentations, particularly the one in the very cool open-air Sylvan Beach Union Chapel (the walls all unlatch and swing out and up). And that would have been for this book.

I didn't see John for decades, and then four years ago I was there when Adirondack RSC-2 #25 was moved up to Remsen. I was standing there watching the move and struck up a conversation with a nearby man, with a heavy Long Island accent. It was cold as hell, and we were all wearing heavy winter gear, but I mentioned having family that had worked for the NYO&W and the NYC Adirondack Division and he goes, "Well, what's your last name?" I said, "Dixon." And he looked at me and went, "Nick?! Little Nick?! My god, it's John Taibi." 

Why are we listed in the Acknowledgements? Well, this photo, which shows the joint NYO&W/LV bridge (Bridge 367) over the New York State Barge Canal, replete with SX (Sylvan Junction) interlocking tower used to control all traffic through the beach. This bridge was built in 1907, with the rail line raised by fourteen feet over what had been Wood Creek, and the decision was made to control the whole North Loop/South Loop, and NYO&W/LV connections with a modern interlocking tower. It was removed in later years, as traffic decreased and then the LV gave up the Camden Extension. 

I have no clue where my father got this photo. I'll have to ask him. His father lived in the North Bay area, and he took 8mm film, but I don't know that he took still photos and I think this was before he even got his 8mm camera. It could be that he acquired it through some of the Dixons that worked for the NYO&W (there were five, and I know four were Dan, Matt, "Hub", and "Utica Joe", not sure of the exact relation). I know that my grandfather got the platform step from the NYO&W North Bay depot when he was there with Niagara Mohawk (power company), turning the power off for it to be razed in '53.