October 2013 Main Line vol5 No8

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THE
MAIN LINE
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The Monthly Bulletin
No 8
of the New England Electric Railway Historical Society Libraries
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Vol 5
October 2013
Again with my weather report for those who are “away.” October has been reasonably nice to
this point with quite a bit of wind but reasonable temperatures. The public season at the
museum is winding down with weekend openings through the end of October. Of course the
Museum’s internal activities such as the administration, Town House Restoration Shop and
various committees continue their work year-round.
Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the American League Championship
and the World Series Championship!!!
Additionally there is a special night photo shoot coming up on Saturday November 3. The
following information if taken from the Museum’s web page:
NIGHT PHOTO SHOOT
Photography buffs, this event is for you. Enjoy an evening at the Seashore Trolley Museum taking
night shots of various scenes we'll be setting up around the museum campus and the railway.
Please be aware, our shoot is performed with mobile-handheld flash units with long duration
exposures. This may be a different way of doing night photography than that which you are
accustomed to.
What you'll need if you attend:
•
Camera
•
Cable release or remote shutter control
•
Tripod
Before starting the event, we will offer a basic introductory class on taking night photographs for those
that are participating in a night photo shoot for the first time.
Professional flash lighting and shoot coordination provided by Joey Kelley Photography .
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 2
STARTS AT 4:30 P.M.
Admission $22.00
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Of course coming in December are the very popular Christmas Prelude operations. Again from
the Museum’s webpage:
KENNEBUNKPORT'S CHRISTMAS PRELUDE
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
December 6, 7 & 8 and December 13, 14 & 15
Holiday Streetcar Rides and Shopping
Ride on a restored electric streetcar over the Museum's railway through the scenic Maine woods.
Mother Nature determines if there's snow or not on the ground, but we'll be in the holiday spirit. Take a
break from hustle and bustle of the the holiday shopping and bring the family to enjoy wonderful ride.
Don't worry if it's cold outside, our streetcars will be toasty warm and waiting for you. So come on by
and unwind.
The Museum Store is open at during the Prelude event. The store features a huge selection of railrelated gifts, including books for kids and adults, toys, collectibles, videos and memorabilia. Shopping
is always available throughout the season by contacting the store directly or checking our online
selection.
Friday
Museum Store
Streetcar Rides
Noon - 4:00 pm
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Saturday & Sunday
Museum Store
Streetcar Rides
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Complimentary snacks, hot chocolate, hot cider, tea and coffee will be available for all visitors.
Admission to the Museum Store and Visitor Center is free. Tickets for the holiday trolley ride are $6.00
per person. Tickets are complimentary for members of the Museum, however guests of members must
pay regular admission.
For more information about Kennebunkport's Christmas Prelude, visit www.christmasprelude.com.
Seashore Goings OnThe Library Committee and friends were
into heavy physical work this month with
the installation and filling of additional
shelving in storage container #2. As
mentioned in earlier editions of The
Main Line an influx of material had
somewhat swamped the scheduled
shelving plans and the committee is
playing a bit of catchup. Unfortunately the
influx of material was caused in part by the
loss of some dear friends and members of
the committee. Amber Tatnall, Randy
Leclair, Len Bachelder, Lee Duncan, Russ
Monroe and Mike Frost were hard at work
on 19 October 2013. Jerry O'Regan and
Charlie Publicover were onsite and also
came by to support the effort. Amber
Tatnall supplied the following photographs.
Photo by Amber Tatnall
Randy Leclair moving some material out of the
way in preparation for the shelving
Lee Duncan into
shelving assembly
Photo by Amber Tatnall
Mike Frost installing and filling shelving
Photo by Amber Tatnall
Photo by Amber Tatnall
Photo by Amber Tatnall
Russ Monroe and Mike Frost working on shelving
Charlie Publicover
A great many thanks to this hard working crew. Assembling and installing shelving along with
horsing boxes full of books is a lot of work and not excessively glamorous but absolutely
essential to the short term protection of the collection. You may be able to see codes written on
the storage boxes. These codes as part of endless inventory work, primarily by Mike Frost,
relate to the Library holdings database and permit retrieval of particular material. This is also
significantly enhanced by the shelving plus the stacking of heavy boxes on top of each other is
simply not desirable. Note: Herb Pence has announced the next working Group is at Seashore
at 10AM on 9 November 2013.
------I was not able to attend the always enjoyable
Transit Weekend this year but fortunately NEERHS
trustee Charlie Sullivan and his camera were there
and has kindly allowed The Main Line to use
his pictures.
Portland - Yarmouth Bus Lines No. 401
Motor Coach - GM TGH-3102
GMC Truck & Bus (1958)
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority No. 8400
General Motors Corp. (1985)
Third generation 'RTS' model T8W-604
Seats: 40
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
ABC Unified School District No.724
Crown Coach Corporation (1972 )
Crown Supercoach
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
DC Transit No. 1304
PCC Pre-war air-electric
ST. Louis Car Company (1941)
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Omaha Transit Co. No. 1312
Twin Coach (1948)
58D “Super Twin”
Seats 58
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
VIP Charter Coaches No. 297
Orion (1987)
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Connecticut Company No. 1160
(from New Haven, Connecticut)
John Stephenson Car Co. (1906)
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority No. 0622 and 0623
Dallas Railway & Terminal Co. No. 434
City and Suburban Streetcar
American Car Company (1914)
#4 East Boston
Hawker-Siddeley Canada (1978)
MTA: NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT No. 7371
R-22 MAIN LINE IRT SUBWAY CAR
American Car & Foundry Co. (1957)
MTA: NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT No. 9327
R-33 World's Fair subway car
St. Louis Car Co. (1964)
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
The following week Charlie also snapped a really nice “in the foliage at Seashore” shot:
Connecticut Company No. 303
15 Bench Open Car
J.G. Brill Co. (1901)
at the Talbott Park Loop
Photo by Charlie Sullivan
The cars are really pretty but you know what? - the scenery isn’t bad!
Thank you Charlie.
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I was down at the Museum on 25 October researching some material and in stopping by the
Visitor’s Center noticed that even as things are closing for the season improvements are
ongoing. The conference room has had an impressive do over. Repainting and rearranging
things along with some removal of some stored material and a bit of design sense has made an
amazing difference. Here are a couple of shots for those who may not have seen it recently.
Also, in the lobby, the list
of Business Members
continues to grow. There
are actually some further
signs in production as the
number of these most
appreciated supporting
firms approaches fifty!
As a side note the 25th was St. Crispin’s Day. A belated Happy St. Crispin’s Day to all probably most meaningful if either you are a fan of Shakespeare’s Henry V or else if you are a
cobbler.
The Collection The several levels of inventorying of the overall New England Electric Railway Historical
Society (NEERHS) collection also continue. Specific materials such as albums and individual
photos continue to be transported to York County Community College (YCCC) for individual
identification, inventory, scanning and packing in protective sleeves, etc. as needed. Additional
movement of materials to the storage containers from both the old library and boxcar and new
materials had slowed inventorying. The work noted above is a step in alleviating the log jam.
Funding The NEERHS has incorporated results of the Feasibility Study into the Strategic Plan. The
Trustees are currently evaluating the new information and as part of revisions to the Strategic
Plan the overall site plan and development goals are being reviewed. The Feasibility Study
identified and recommended a preference for coordinated planning and development for the
museum campus. To that end the Executive Director has established a Site Planning Team as
discussed previously. Please remember when sending donations for the library to note that it is
for Library Development – Fund 951.
Do You Recognize?
Last Month’s (September) Do You Recognize The Youngstown and Southern Railway Company was incorporated in 1902 with capitalization
of $1,800,000. In the spring of 1903 construction of a steam railroad was begun southward
from Youngstown, Ohio for a distance of
some 36 miles to Columbiana. In 1905
the line changed hands and in 1907 it
was extended another 3.5 miles to
Leetonia in preparation for electrification.
During 1907 operation of the electrified
interurban was begun over a route
between Youngstown and Leetonia that
YS No.50 Work Car in April 1947. Built by Niles Car Co.
as combine in 1907 and rebuilt in 1926.
was to to last until 1948 and be the last interurban
in the Ohio. In mid-1914 after a series of accidents
and other financial problems the railway, although
essentially financially sound, entered receivership.
By 1916 the firm was reorganized as the
Youngstown and Suburban railway Company a
name well chosen as the cars, adorned with a
YS No.100 Baldwin-Westinghouse Type B - in April
1947
Built 1917
logo including the initials of the railway,
did not require relettering to
accommodate the new name. In 1928
the railway fell under the control of the
Montour RR seeking access to
Youngstown. In 1944 the railway’s name
YS No. 201 curved-side - originally built as #24 by Kuhlman (1924)
reverted to the Youngstown and Southern Railway
Company. The
electric
interurban
YS No. 302 built by Osgood-Bradley (1926)
service operated
at Leetonia on August 15, 1941
until 1948 when
passenger service
ended, the line was dieselized and the 1907 extension
abandoned. Shortly thereafter the railways was folded
into the parent railroad.
YS Scrap Line
Youngstown flourished from
the 1920s through the
1960s but unfortunately,
unlike some other industrial
cities, it never saw
diversification from its basic
industry and when
economics closed the core
industry the city had few, if
any, alternatives readily at
hand.
YS No. 302 at Columbiana
This Month’s Do You RecognizeThis electric railway was built to connect the
various parts of a barrier island. As early as
1892 there was horsecar service on part of
the island and The Street Railway Journal of
Double truck open car #20 (JG Brill 1913)
October 1895 noted that a party of gentlemen
will shortly secure franchise from various
Councils of to build an electric railway over the
route that would ultimately be served by this
road. However it was 7 January 1902 before
Double truck open car #21 (JG Brill 1913)
Six cars (JG Brill 1898 - 1903) nos. 22 - 27 were purchased used in 1915 (4) and 1920 (2) from their original owner on yet
another island. Here are nos. 22 & 27.
the company was incorporated with authorized capital
stock of $200,000 - this was increased to $300,000 in
1908. During 1902 first 4 miles were built connecting the
north end of the island with the middle. By 1904 the line
was listed as having the 4 miles of track and 8 cars.
Power was purchased from a local generating company.
By 1907 track mileage had expanded to its maximum of
5.75 miles and cars were listed as 16 in number with 2
closed and 14 open.
A two-bay carhouse was built in 1902 with four
additional bays added later.
Nine-bench open no. 32 (Jackson & Sharp 1899)
purchased used in 1929
Nine-bench open no. 36 (J.G.Brill 1901) purchased used in 1929
In 1907 Street and Electric Railway also noted that
the line owned 1 three hundred horsepower steam
locomotive. There are destinations painted on each
end of each car rather than changeable signs as the
system boasted no loops so the ends always pointed
to the same destinations. Over the years the
company made numerous purchases of secondhand
equipment to meet its needs. During the war years
many opens were semi-enclosed with benches
removed and aisles down the middle to permit oneman operation. electric railway service lasted until
1945 with the gradual introduction of motor buses
including all bus operation in the Winter during later
years. The final owner during streetcar operations
was a bus company. By 1951 Hitchcock’s Mass
Transportation’s Directory listed the firm as operating
20 buses. In 2005 the company’s DOT submission
indicated 14 motor coaches and 2 school buses and
their 2013 Safer report indicates 38 “power units” but
only 15 drivers. I suspect this has to do with how
part-time employees are reported.
Should you wonder - the Larry Clinton who those
with sharp eyes may notice promoted on some of the
dasher signs was a trumpeter, band leader and arranger for big bands. His first stint as a band
leader was from 1937 to 1941 so this is useful in dating some of the images.
Another view of car no. 36 with O.R. Cummings
making the highest and best use of his leave time.
Just InterestingSeashore has some little amount of material on the Osgood Bradley - Pullman Standard
operation at Worcester and I thought it might be interesting to delve into these items a bit. Of
course the Osgood Bradley Company was started in Worcester, MA by Osgood Bradley in
1822 to build stagecoaches, sleighs, wagons and such. In the early 1830s the manufacture of
road wagons led to the production of railroad cars in 1835. Within a couple of years the
company was specializing in railroad cars. New shops were built at Worcester in 1910.
Pullman Standard reached an agreement to acquire Osgood Bradley in 1930. The Worcester
facility remained in operation until 1960. The following is an order list assembled many year
ago by Charles Duncan. We also have images from a “sample book” and these help provide
dates along the way foir the order list.
From the first page -
CO 5051 - Worcester Consolidated (1911)
CO 5290 - Worcester Consolidated (1914) in closed and open configuration
CO 5400 - Connecticut Company (1915)
From the second page:
CO 5636 - Union Street Railway (1917)
CO 6845 & 6980 - United Electric Railways (1923)
From page 3:
CO 7800 - Staten Island Edison Corp. (1924)
CO 10380 - Scranton Railway (1929)
CO 11231 - Brooklyn (1931) - not on the list
Certainly by no means complete but a little glimpse into some of the materials in the collection.
Library Committee and Working Groups Please come and join the Library Committee meetings, the committee all look forward to
seeing you and hearing your thoughts and needs. Can’t make the meeting – please drop an
email to the library SeashoreLibrary@ramsdell.com or use the contact link on the Museum’s
Internet site. Committee and Working Group dates have been established through November
2013 (see below).
Committee Meetings (10AM - Noon)
Date
Location
Further 2013 meeting dates and locations
will be announced at a later date.
Working GroupsDate
Location
November 9 (Saturday) 10AM For Work
on Containers
Further 2013 dates and locations will be
announced at a later date.
Seashore
There is also still plenty to do over at YCCC and any member who would like to put in some
time should contact Amber Tatnall at atatnall@yccc.edu.
Let me know your thoughts, suggestions,
criticisms, etc. The Main Line exists to share
and exchange information and ideas about your
NEERHS Library.
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Ed Ramsdell, Editor
The Main Line
TheMainLine@ramsdell.com
http://www.trolleymuseum.org