Winter 2004

Volume 24, Number 1

A Quarterly Publication of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Inc.

Early in 1869 the Union Pacific built a 30 x 80 foot freight depot in Corinne. It also served as an office for Wells Fargo for forty-nine years. It was sold to the Central Pacific in 1870 along with the railroad from Promontory to Ogden. In 1942 when the rails were removed to be used at military bases that were being built to help fight WWII, the depot was cut in two. One half, most of the freight room, is currently a convenience store in Corinne. The other half was moved six miles west of town and used as a dwelling. The Golden Spike Heritage Foundation purchased it and moved it back to Corinne. It is believed to be the only building that has survived from the original construction period of the railroad. This will be a stop on our bus tour on Friday the 11th of June.

R&LHS MEMBER SERVICES

Editorial Advisors
Bruce Heard
John Gruber
 

Printer: Raintree Graphics
Jacksonville, FL

Membership Matters

Membership applications, change of address and other membership status inquiries should be sent to:

R&LHS - Membership
William H. Lugg, Jr.
PO Box 292927
Sacramento CA 95829-2927

Trading Post

Society members may use, without charge, the Trading Post section of the quarterly Newsletter and the R&LHS WebSite to advertise items they wish to sell, trade or acquire or to seek information from other readers. This service is intended for personal, not general commercial, use. All items should be sent to Clifford J. Vander Yacht, see address at left.

Commercial Advertising

Anyone may present, with payment, display advertising to the quarterly Newsletter and the R&LHS WebSite to advertise any railroad oriented items. All advertisements should be sent to Clifford J. Vander Yacht, see address at left.

Locomotive Rosters & Records of Builder’s Construction Numbers

The Society has locomotive rosters for many roads and records of steam locomotive construction numbers for most

builders. Copies are available to members at twenty five cents per page ($5.00 minimum) from R&LHS Archives Services, see address below. A list of available rosters may be obtained for $2.00.

Back Issues of Railroad History

Many issues of Railroad History since No. 132 are available at $7.50 per copy. For information on the availability of specific issues and volume discounts, write R&LHS Archives Services, see address below.

Articles from the Bulletin & Railroad History

Copies of back issues of these publications of the Society are available to members at twenty cents per page ($5.00 minimum) from R&LHS Archives Services, see address below.

Research Inquiries

Source materials printed, manuscript and graphic are included in the Society’s Archives. Inquiries concerning these materials should be addressed to R&LHS Archives Services, see address below. To help expedite our response, please indicate a daytime telephone number where you can normally be reached.

R&LHS Archives Services, PO Box 600544, Jacksonville, Florida 32260-0544

May 18, 1918, William Henry Gleiss, a locomotive engineer, died at the controls of his engine, attempting to save the lives of his crew and passengers. In an incident remarkably similar to the exploit of Casey Jones, Gleiss remained at his station as the locomotive plowed into an oncoming train near Mauston. He was hailed as a hero for slowing the train enough to allow his crew to jump and to prevent any injuries to the passengers.

Railroading is a dangerous occupation. Perhaps that is why the Gleiss family settled on the law as a vocation.

In 1897, young A. F. (Frank) Gleis (they spelled it with one “s” then) was an out of work railroader in Tomah, Wisconsin. He decided to go to La Crosse to see if he could find work there, at the yards.

He rode a train to La Crosse, and while in the yards jumped on the rear of a locomotive tender, and slipped as he started to climb. He fell beneath the wheels as the locomotive was backing up. His legs were severed, at the thigh, and the efforts of the railroad surgeon were unsuccessful. He died shortly thereafter. He was 19 years old.

Some 23 years later, Engineer William Henry Gleiss, (the family had added the second “s” by this time), an older brother of Frank, also met his fate on the railroad.

William H. Gleiss was born in 1867 and started work on the railroad at the age of 15 as a trainman. He worked his way up to engineer, an exalted position at the time. In 1918, at age 55, he was one of the oldest, and most respected, engineers on the road.

As one of the most senior on the engineer’s list of the Valley Line Division of the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, he had his choice of runs, and he chose No. 3, a regularly scheduled passenger train. He was the engineer on No. 3’s ill-fated May 18 trip.

Over eight decades have passed since that trip. We no longer have access to any eyewitnesses, or anyone with firsthand knowledge of the accident. Time has yellowed those few records remaining, and it seems that some of the critical information has been turned to dust by time. A critical source of information, the train dispatcher’s sheet for that day, has not been located, if it still exists. We are left to conjecture and speculation, and to

extrapolate from the sparse information available.

Engineer Gleiss was well respected and had a reputation for being careful. No serious accident marred his entire career. He was not characterized as a runner, one who would push the limits. He was a steadfast, dependable engineer.

So, what happened that fateful May morning?

Here we mix fact with speculation. The caller called engineer Gleiss earlier that evening, as usual, to take No. 3 from New Lisbon to Tomahawk. He was timetabled out of New Lisbon at 3:25 AM. He left his home on Nott Street in Tomah with the dinner pail his wife always packed and headed for the terminal to inspect his engine.

We are not sure as to what engine he was to run. The Valley Line at this time still had American (4-4-0) locomotives, and the roster available, shows that Atlantics (4-4-2) were used, and we know that 10 wheelers (4-6-0) were used to haul many passenger trains at the time. The only locomotive scrapped in June 1918 was an Atlantic (No. 131), but as to the cause, there is no record.

Gleiss would have signed the register and checked his watch and then seeing that the fireman had watered and coaled the engine, would have backed down and coupled onto the train, which had been waiting. He would have conferred with the conductor, and again checked watches.

The record indicates that he had received no train orders, and being a scheduled run would have received the proper clearances and upon signal from the conductor would have pulled out of New Lisbon for his unknown destiny.

He left New Lisbon on time, heading west. He actually

William Henry Gleiss as a young man and below with his family a year before the train wreck. Standing behind Gleiss is his son, also William, who shipped out to France shortly after the picture was taken. He was fighting in France when he learned of his father's death. Courtesy of the author and the Monroe County Democrat.

headed north, but in those days the timetable showed only east and west, so north would have been west, and south would have been east, confusing only to non-railroaders.

He might have been reported to the dispatcher at Necedah, some 12.3 miles from New Lisbon, as the Valley Line crossed the Chicago Northwestern and Omaha line at that point. He was up into marshy country, it was dark and fog had started to become a factor. There were no speed recorders at that time, and we have no way of knowing whether he reduced speed from the 26 mph allowed by timetable. One could speculate he might have, in light of what followed.

No. 72, a southbound (east) scheduled freight, was due out of Babcock at 1:01 AM. and was due at Sprague at 2:10 AM. For whatever reason, he was running late. The timetable in effect at the time required him to clear the main line at least five minutes before the scheduled arrival time, by timetable, of No. 3, which was due at Sprague at 4:11 AM.

Sprague had no one on duty at that time in the morning.

No. 3 received no indication or signal passing through Necedah of anything ahead. He properly could assume the track ahead was clear. Traveling west (remember, north) toward Sprague, there is a gentle curve of some one degree, which begins about a quarter mile south of the siding, and bends to the left, or fireman’s side. The depot stood on the west side and was just north of City Highway E, which crossed the main and the middle of the siding.

A northbound engineer would not have a clear view ahead upon entering this curve. The fireman might have had seen, if he were looking into the dark and the fog, would be pure conjecture.

We know that No. 72 had arrived and was taking the siding for No. 3. The passenger train, being of superior class, had the rights to the main.

No. 3 came around the curve and could first see the headlight of No. 72. Trains taking a siding for another train keep their headlight burning until in the clear, and then dim the headlight. Gleiss probably saw the bright headlight and understood the situation.

He immediately threw the train into emergency and tried to stop. He called to his fireman to jump, which he did. Gleiss had closed the throttle and must have been blowing warnings with his whistle, when the engine plowed into the 16th car of No. 72 and destroyed it, and three other cars.

The engine of No. 3 was derailed and the tender jammed into the cab, crushing Gleiss between the tender and the backhead, killing him instantly.

The combination baggage and mail car of No. 3 was also derailed, but thanks to the whistle warning, the postal employee and baggage man and his assistant were able to jump clear and were only slightly injured. The passengers were shaken up but uninjured,

The freight locomotive ran around the passenger train, coupled on to the rear and returned it to New Lisbon. With the New Lisbon Main fouled, No. 3 was routed through Tomah to Babcock and on to Tomahawk, albeit substantially later than expected.

The only fatality was the engineer on No. 3, Gleiss, who stayed at the throttle, trying to save his train and the passengers. For some reason, there is no ICC accident report, on this incident. The only descriptions found have been in newspapers in the area.

Gleiss had the biggest funeral ever seen in Tomah to that time.

Gleiss has two living grandchildren—Ann Mulvaney of Sparta, Wisconsin, and Helen Boldon of Rochester, Minnesota. Others were William J. Gleiss Mary Phalen and Margaret Handeyside.

Taken in 1904” That’s all that it says on the back of this print. No engine number, no railroad or industry name, no air brakes, no headlight, no automatic coupler, no builder’s plate (but look at the smoke box). Maybe from a gravel pit, says Charley Stats. It is not 3 foot narrow gauge, but maybe 3'6" or something odd, but it is a small engine according to the man’s height. The sand dome appears to be a later add-on. Your guess?? Cernak collection.

More Mystery photos. Do you recognize this yard? Write or e-mail (CliffVDY@Juno.com) the Editor if you do.

Delaware Water Gap
 

It takes a certain vision to look at a virtual hovel and see a beautifully restored train station. It takes perseverance to see such a vision through to reality. Delaware Water Gap borough officials and rail restoration advocates are demonstrating that special diligence by making small but substantive strides toward restoring the historic Delaware Water Gap train station.
   — Pocono Record July 16, 2003

Dozens of visitors stopped by the station July 12, 2003, many of them viewing for the first time the shabby shell of what was, nearly a century ago, the busiest train station in the Poconos. A dramatic change has occurred at the once-grand structure. It has been rescued from the very brink of collapse, a temporary roof placed over the decaying timbers to stave off further weather damage, the discarded junk that filled it since it closed three decades ago now cleared away. Whether its champions will achieve their goal of a full restoration remains to be seen, but they have gained Monroe County,

destination. The station was the first location many visitors saw once they entered Pennsylvania, and in its glory, it stood surrounded by flowers and fringed surreys, charming conveyances that transported rail passengers to the dozens of resorts, hotels and boarding houses in the Gap and beyond. The Gap itself grew into the focal point of the tourist industry. Spur lines carried tourists to eastern Monroe and Mountain destinations. Resorts grew and prospered elsewhere as a result.

Americans’ growing dependence on the automobile resulted in a long, slow decline of rail traffic. Passenger service ended in 1970 and years of neglect brought it to its present precarious state.

But a few people have recognized that the old station’s history and the heritage it represents have earned it a special respect and value. As an added benefit, a restored station would be another destination on the greenway recreational trail system now under development that eventually will link Smithfield, Delaware Water Gap, Stroud

Borough officials and members of the Lackawanna Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society deserve applause for their hard work and perseverance. Interested supporters may make out contributions to: Treasurer, Lackawanna Chapter R & LHS and send them to G.W. Herkner Jr., 73 Deer Ridge Rd., Basking Ridge, N.J. 07920.

A Steamtown Fall Excursion to Slateford was derailed just beyond the Delaware Water Gap station, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2003. No one was injured but three days later they were still trying to fix the track. Photo by John Manbeck.

Commissioners’ approval of a $40,000 Community Development Block Grant for an engineering study to determine how the building should be restored. The study will pave the way toward applying for actual renovation funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Delaware Water Gap train station is more than just a beautiful old building in want of restoration. It played a major role in Monroe County’s history as a resort

TRADING POST

Submissions should be made to the Newsletter editor to arrive by March 15,2004, for inclusion in the next issue. All items subject to available space and editorial decisions as to content. Logos and photographs are limited to 7/8 inches high if space permits. New Trading Post items are posted on our WebSite. <http://www.RLHS.ORG>

WANTED - Information on the architects and construction details of the Frisco passenger depots in Missouri. Ken Rimmel, 855 Windemere Ave., Des Peres MO 63131.
<kc0esl@juno.com> [kc(zero)esl]

WANTED - Color photos or slides of the Train of Tomorrow. Mike Burdett, 5640 Wasatch Dr. Ste. D, Ogden UT 84403-4993.

WANTED - A scissor arm telephone. The museum is looking for one for its 2004 exhibit of a 1900s depot telegraph

INFORMATION - Copies of Baldwin erecting cards of three-foot gauge engines from 1875 to 1905. If interested, contact Wayne Lincoln, 1871 Park Drive, Los Angels CA 90026-1837. (323) 663-6970 <line3191@earthlink.net>

FOR SALE - Vanishing Varnish: Business and Private Railroad Cars. Vol. 1. Undated, POM Publishing. Hardbound. Pictures and some drawings of early cars and Amtrak’s Beech Grove. Asking $80. Jeffrey Mora, 20 9th St. SE, Washington DC 20003. (202) 547-5812.

WANTED - Original Howard Fogg train paintings, both oil and watercolor. John Atherton, 16 Coachlight Drive, Poughkeepsie NY 12603-4241. (845) 471-8152. <JJAAMAPOU@aol.com>

FOR SALE - Vermont Central-Central Vermont, a reprint of R&LHS Bulletin Special Issue 58A, 1942, with “Amherst & Belchertown Railroad” from

Issue 47, “Northern New York Railroad” from Issue 47, “The Rouses Point Bridge” from Issue 53 and “Moria & Bombay Railroad” from Issue 46. 165 pages, 25 illustrations, original 6x9 format, soft cover. $20.00 + 4.00 s&h. The Central Vermont Railway Historical Society, % Jim Murphy, 395 South Main Street, Saint Albans VT 05478.

> WANTED - Steam, Diesel, and Electric builder's and number plates. Currently looking for a PRR T-l and E-6 keystones, any numberplate with the railroad name cast around the rim, a round Lima plate from a Shay, and almost any other plate would be of interest. I also have a few plates available for trade. Ron Muldowney, 52 Dunkard Church Road, Stockton NJ 08559-1405, 609-397-0293. <steamfan@crusoe.net>

WANTED - Books for my collection: Kamm - The Civil War Career of Thomas Scott, Diebert - Rails Up The Raritan, Moore - Cab Coach Caboose, Ray - The Railroad Spotter, Swan - Along The Line, Earp - Boomer Jones, Taltaval - Telegraphers of Today, and Humors of the Railroad Kings. Will pay a good price for books in decent condition. Thanks. Dan Allen, PO Box 917, Marlton NJ 08053-0917.

office. Dr. James R. Brown, The Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum, 9208 County Highway II, Sparta WI 54656-6485 <raildoll@centurytel.net>

FOR SALE - Dietz lantern, No. 39 Vulcan model. Metal top embossed P&R Ry (Undoubtedly Philadelphia & Reading). Clear glass globe embossed C.R.R. of N.J. Also CNX Made in the U.S.A. Excellent, unpolished original condition. Best offer. Jack McDougal, PO Box 5188, Clinton NJ 08809. (908) 638-8010.

WANTED - A copy (or photo copy) “Shay - The Supplement” - (Shay list) by Tom Lawson published by Cabbage Stack Pub. E. Zehnder, 237 Wisteria DR., Southampton PA 18966. (215) 322-8637.

WANTED - Tickets & passes from railroad, trolley, ferry, bridge, turnpike, etc. US only. Mostly pre-1930. Dan Benice, PO Box 5708, Cary NC 27512. (919) 468-5510.

New RR Books

Press releases for new railroad oriented books appear here. They are not paid advertisements and carry no endorsement by the R&LHS. All items subject to available space and editorial decisions as to content. Photographs are limited to 7/8 inches high.

Bruce MacGregor in The Birth of California Narrow Gauge - A Regional Study of the Technology of Thomas and Martin Carter, has recreated from many unpublished photographs and documents an account of the building of six railroads. The long awaited study, the magnum opus of a leading railroad historian, describes the conception, construction, and early operation of the first narrow gauge railroads in northern California. 673 pages, 600 photographs, endnotes, index, 9 x 12, hardbound.

Main Lines Rebirth of the North American Railroads, 1970-2002 by Richard Sauders, Jr, a gripping sequel to the award-winning Merging Lines, tells how politically risky public aid and talented management restored American railroads. 458 pp., 48 maps, $49.95, cloth. Northern Illinois University Press, 310 N. Fifth Street, DeKalb IL 60115. (815) 753-1075. www.niu.edu/univ_press

On The Right Track: Some Historic Cincinnati Railroads by John H. White, Jr. covers the early years of railroads in the Queen City. Many photos, maps, period engravings and illustrated events. Timeline, bibliography and index. 160 pages, 8½ x 11, hardbound, $36.95 + $6 s/h. Cincinnati Railroad Club, % Ross Carr, 4416 Homer Ave., Cincinnati OH 45227-2945.

American railroads opened up the country with a profound impact on technology, business, politics, and culture. This Reference guide includes seven essays, 15 biographies, 23 participants’ own words, timeline, bibliography. American Railroads in the Nineteenth Century by Augustus J. Veenendaal is for those interested in this period of US history. 226 pages, 10 photos, 6½ x 9½, hardbound. Greenwood Publishing Group, 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881.

In One More Train to Ride: The Underground World of Modern American Hoboes, author Cliff Williams (“Oats” to hoboes) has compiled life stories, songs, poems and drawings of contemporary American hoboes. 168 pages, 61/8 x 9¼, paper, $17.95. Indiana University Press, 601 N Morton Street, Bloomington IN 47404-3797. (812) 855-8817. 

$79.95. Stanford University Press, 1450 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto CA 94304.

The Moffat Tunnel: A Railfan’s Perspective (62 pages - $29.95 ppd) and Crawford Hill: A Railfan’s Perspective (62 pages - $29.95 ppd) are Allan G. Clarke’s most recent books on the best train watching and photo spots for the handicapped and able bodied. With many detailed maps and photos. Other sites available. 8½x11, spiral bound. Flagstop Railbooks, PO Box 4697, Parker CO 80134-1460.

An early fallen flag, the Cincinnati Northern, from its namesake city to Jackson, Michigan, hardly exists today. Dr. James Brown in A History of the Cincinnati Northern describes its history, engines, depots and timetables. 339 pages, 103 photos, 105 illustrations, 68 maps, 8½ x 11, soft cover. $45.00 +$5.00 s&h. Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum LTD., 9208 County Highway II, Sparta WI 54656-6485. (608) 272-3266.

Those of you attending the R&LHS Wasatch and Junction City Express convention in Ogden will have the opportunity to see a historic prototype domeliner car from the Train of Tomorrow.

The Train of Tomorrow was built by General Motors in the mid 1940s. It consisted of an E power unit and 4 domeliner cars. The rear lounge car was named the Moonglow and is the only car of the original train that still exists. The Ogden Union Station presently owns the remains of the car and is trying to raise funds for its restoration

In 1980 a group from the Promontory Chapter of the NRHS made a trip to Pocatello. Among them was Dan Kuhn, a scheduled speaker at the R&LHS convention, who was shown a dome car in a Pocatello scrap metal yard. He instantly recognized it for what it was and decided right there that this car must be preserved. It wasn’t until 5 years later after ongoing negotiations with

 the scrap yard owner that the Promontory Chapter was finally able to obtain the car. The ownership of the car was transferred to the Ogden Union Station who agreed to take on the responsibility for its restoration.

For a while, the car resided at Hill Air Force Base where some preliminary preservation measures were taken including a primer coat and the removal of interior furniture and broken windows. However funds raised so far have been exhausted and the car sat idle for several months. Ogden City donated an engine house at their new business complex, a former Army Supply Depot. The Moonglow was moved there and is now at least protected from the elements. On Friday, June 11, members on the Golden Spike Historic Site tour will be given a tour of the Moonglow. Then on Saturday night our guest speaker at the banquet will be the author of a major manuscript about the Train of Tomorrow, Dr. Ric Morgan.

Registration Fee (required for every attendee) Select one type of registration for each person attending. Refunds, less a $10.00 service charge, will be made if cancellation is received in writing or e-mail, no later than 5 May 2004. After 5 May 2004, refunds on meals and tours will only be made if they can be resold.

Early bird package for all events & registration.
        Must be received by 5 May 2004)
Regular registration received by 5 May 2004
Regular registration received after 5 May 2004
 

Bus tour to the Golden Spike National Historical Site
Dutch oven dinner
 

Heber Valley train ride and TRAX system tour
R&LHS Annual Banquet