What Do These Images Represent? Find Out on Page 3 . . .
The images on the cover of this quarter’s issue of the Newsletter represent, in short, the vibrancy of our Society. In the Winter 2006 issue, I appealed to the leadership and membership of our organization to share their research and other activities in an effort to strengthen communication among our membership, and break down the silos that exist around much of the study and research done by individual members. The response I received was significant, and I received more material than I had room for in this issue. Bravo! Please continue to share your work and interests with the Newsletter and with each other for the betterment of our Society. This will help not only to strengthen our Society, but also make it attractive to new members.In this issue, the work of John Teichmoeller and the Rail-Marine Information Group is featured, along with the work of Geoff Lester (no relation to the editor) on the Atlas of Alberta Railways . I believe you will find the work of both of these individuals and their organizations impressive and interesting.We’re introducing two new columnists this quarter. Award-winning author and photographer J. Parker Lamb , a Society director and chairman of the Society’s Friends program will prepare a column under the title of The Mechanical Department . Also, an author writing under the pseudonym of Steamdome has joined us as well. Both authors discuss the nature of their columns in their introductions to them in this issue, and we are pleased and honored to have their work in the Newsletter.John Gruber has prepared a report on the very busy schedule of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art, and I direct your attention to pages 14-15 so that you might participate in the Society’s Railroad History Awards program. David C. Lester Kindig was the inaugural winner of the R&LHS Photography Award in 1984, which is now known as the Fred R. and Jane R. Stindt Photography Award. The photography award recognizes outstanding contributions to the photographic interpretation of North America’s railroad history. The citation for Kindig’s 1984 award reads as follows: Richard H. Kindig is surely one of the outstanding living practitioners of railroad photography. Since his first photograph in August 1933, he has made some 12,000 pictures, first with a 116 Kodak and soon thereafter with a Graflex using postcard-size negatives. He has used about six Graflex cameras since 1935. Dick’s historical documentation of the Colorado & Southern’s South Park narrow gauge is especially notable. His composition, enhanced by the postcard-size horizontal format, has always been stunning. He brought to high art the action shot of the fast approaching , steam-hauled train with western scenery as a backdrop. Through such work, we know the grandeur of railroading in the Rockies, from the 1930’s to the present. Dick is still shooting, and we will see many more years of work from this master craftsman and visual historian [ Railroad History , Autumn 1984, Vol. 151, p.8.]Kindig was also featured in the November 1990 issue of Trains (the magazine’s 50th anniversary issue), in a section devoted to noted photographers who had made significant contributions to the magazine over the years, on page 116.Merci Boxcar Arrives at Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History On January 7, 2006, the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History (profiled in the Fall 2005 issue of the Newsletter) in Kennesaw, Georgia, became the custodian of the Georgia Merci Boxcar, which arrived in Atlanta on February 11, 1949. The Georgia Merci Boxcar ( Merci is French for "thank you") is one of 49 boxcars sent to the United States by the people of France in 1949 to express appreciation for the American efforts in sending food and other urgently needed supplies when the French were in dire economic straits after the end of World War II.Built in the 1800’s, the boxcars are referred to as "40 & 8"cars, because they were designed by the French to transport either forty men or eight horses. The cars were used in World War I, and an honor society for American Legion members who went above and beyond in their services to the legion, La Societe Des 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux (the Society of 40 Men and 8 Horses) was named after the 40 & 8’s because many veterans had been transported around Europe in them. Since the arrival of the Georgia Merci Boxcar in Atlanta in 1949, it has been carefully preserved and protected by the Fulton County branch, or voiture, of the 40 & 8 group. The boxcar will be housed in the Museum’s education center, on which construction is scheduled to begin soon, according to Kennesaw Director of Recreation and Culture Jeff Drobney. Tom Walsh, a member of the Fulton Country branch of the 40 & 8 group, says that "it’s an ideal location because the boxcar will be safely stored and the public will have access to it." The Georgia Merci Boxcar was moved to the Southern Museum by the 277th Maintenance Company, 78th Troop Command, Georgia National Guard, whose efforts were praised by Drobney - "we are so thankful for all the help of the National Guard provided in moving the car. It wouldn’t be here without their assistance." For further information, check these websites: for the Southern Museum - www.southernmuseum.org; for the Merci Boxcars - www.rypn.org; for the 40 & 8 group - www.fortyandeight.org .
Members of the Fulton County Branch of the La Societe Des 40 Hommes and 8 Chevaux, along with members of the 277th Maintenance Company, 78th Troop Command, Georgia National Guard, celebrate the completion of the move of the Georgia Merci Boxcar to the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History on Saturday, January 7, 2006. VISUAL INTERPRETATIONBy John GruberWhile initiating eight exhibits focusing on work and art, including a display at New York’s Grand Central Terminal, the Center for Railroad Photography & Art is venturing into uncharted research grounds as it starts to explore railroads and visual culture—media such as films, fine arts, and illustrations. Visual images not only document, they "portray" their subject, usually conveying a point of view. A common theme runs through seven of the exhibits—their emphasis on work begins to show the human aspect of railroading and tell the workers’ stories. These are a part of the Center’s three-year program, Representations of Railroad Work, Past and Present , funded by the North American Railway Foundation, which also features Internet galleries and a bibliography (www.railphoto-art.org/galleries/bibliography.asp).An eighth exhibit, Railroads and the American Industrial Landscape: Ted Rose Paintings and Photographs , is at the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, through May 29. The exhibit catalog essays include visual culture perspectives, and soon these will be a prominent part of its magazine, Railroad Heritage , as well.The center (www.railphoto-art.org), a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1997, does not maintain its own museum. Instead it collaborates with other institutions to present these exhibits and conferences. It maintains an office in Madison, Wisconsin and an archive at Lake Forest College in Illinois. Railroads are some of the earliest examples of modern corporations; the workers who built these organizations, rail by rail, often are overlooked. Songs about working on the railroad and fleeting glimpses of brave engineers don’t even begin to tell the story of what it is like to be a railroad worker.
The best of that work, taken over more than a century and scattered among various collections, has rarely been brought together in exhibitions. The exhibits provide a glimpse of how railroad work has changed over time, as well as how much of it has stayed the same. Unexpected sources such as Lewis Hine (1874-1940, Marjory Collins (1912-1985), and Gordon Parks (1912-2006) appear in several exhibits, which also include contemporary photographers. In addition, the center provided 52 photos for Trains: Tracks of the Iron Horse through July 4 at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas. Of the work exhibits, six are open now or opening this summer. The most prominent, Many Hands: Representations of Railroad Workers , continues through Sunday, October 29, at a venue where work photos are seldom seen—Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The location is the transit museum’s gallery annex in the Shuttle Passage next to the Station Master’s Office. The exhibition, focusing on the New York Metropolitan region, was developed by the New York Transit Museum and curators John Gruber and Michael Zega of the Center. " Many Hands has resounded with Metro North railroaders, who are interested to learn about their forebears and their organization’s heritage," Zega said. "Women in particular are drawn to the images of World War II female workers. The artifacts, particularly the train-order hoop and remote writing machine, also get interest and generate questions. Visitors overall are appreciative of our focus on the people, their jobs, and the railroad’s role in regional development and history rather than the more traditional nostalgia and speeding, steaming locomotives." It takes many hands to run a railroad, the exhibit text explains. Organized chronologically, the 60-plus photographs and numerous artifacts, many from the collection of the museum, reveal much about the various jobs involved in building, maintaining, and running railroads, and the people behind these jobs. The Transit Museum (www.mta.info), is the largest museum of public transportation history in the United States. Exhibit support comes from the North American Railway Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Contemporary photographers represented include Pat Cashin, Gene Collora, John Fasulo, Joe Greenstein, George Hiotis, William D. Middleton, and Jim Shaughnessy. Frank English, Metro-North photographer, talks as his photos are presented on a video screen. Faces of Railroading: Railroading and the Making of Madison and Dane County , June 8-22 at the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, looks at the historic role railroaders have played in this Midwestern town, as they did in so many other communities, and in neighborhoods and near the railroad yards. It is a part of the celebration of Madison’s 150th anniversary as a city.
Photographers, representing a wide variety of styles, contributed images: Ted Benson, Shirley Burman, Steve Crise, Dick Dorn, Chris Goepel, Spencer Grant, John Gruber, Joel Jensen, Hank Koshollek, Elrond Lawrence, and Richard Steinheimer. A second exhibit at CSRM features prize-winning photographs from the Center’s 2006 awards program. Railroad Work Today Worldwide presents a worldwide outlook, with views by 16 photographers made in the U.S., Japan, and Slovenia after December 31, 2002. For the contest, the center asked photographers to "focus on the photography of railroaders working on freight or passenger trains, on the tracks or in stations, shops, or offices, on big or small railroads, from main lines to transit and tourist lines."With a fine arts exhibition, Ted Rose Paintings and Photographs , the Center looks at visual culture from another perspective and further shows its success at collaborating with other institutions. The exhibition, presented by the Center and the Haggerty Museum of Art, includes 49 watercolor paintings and photographs of American industrial settings in the twentieth century by Ted Rose (1940-2002), AWS, NWS. The 68-page, full color catalog with scholarly essays and a complete record of the exhibition is on sale. A lead gift from John A. Mellowes, chairman and CEO of Charter Manufacturing, Mequon, Wisconsin, made the exhibition possible. Kalmbach Publishing Company, publisher of Trains and Classic Trains , has joined as a major donor. In addition, more than 13 patrons provided gifts, a true display of community support. The exhibit is part of a larger program. Working with Polly Rose and Ted Rose Studio (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Lake Forest College Special Collections Department (Lake Forest, Illinois), and the Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin), the Center has organized the program to exhibit, conserve, and publish these photographs. The Center and the Special Collections Department are cataloging and preserving them, in accord with Rose’s wishes. The visual culture ideas resonate through the exhibits, and soon will be a part of the Center’s magazine, Railroad Heritage . Visual culture includes media such as photographs, films, the fine arts, and advertising illustrations. These images, in different forms and through different technologies, offer insight and understanding about our common railroad heritage. An unexpected example is patent drawings, which appeared in Railroad Heritage No. 15, 2005. Patent drawings of diesel locomotives from the early 1900s were shown in a conference the center co-sponsored in April with the Bush Library, and will be included in a future issue of the magazine.
On the Horizon from IU Press -- The Encyclopedia of North American RailroadsReaders of this Newsletter are likely familiar with the series of excellent railroad history works published by Indiana University Press during the last several years, under the series title Railroads Past and Present , edited by George M. Smerk, professor emeritus of transportation at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. While it will not be part of the Railroads Past and Present Series, a monumental work in railroad history has been announced by IU Press - the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads , which is scheduled for a Spring 2007 release. Work on the book has been under way for eight years, and because this will be a very significant publication event, the Newsletter will present four articles about the preparation and content of this major work. The articles have been prepared by the three editors of the encyclopedia, William D. Middleton, Roberta Diehl and George Smerk. DCL Article I: The Idea of a Railroad Encyclopedia The idea of creating the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads was born in the office of John Gallman, director of the Indiana University Press, in 1998. Gallman, Bill Middleton, Roberta Diehl, and George Smerk were discussing several railroad books then in production. Regarding book sales in general, Gallman observed that reference books always do well; they have strong library sales and a long shelf life. George Smerk had just looked over his copy of the Oxford Companion to British Railway History and saw that, while valuable, the work was innocent of much information about railways of the U.S. or Canada. The notion of a comprehensive encyclopedia of North American railroads was hatched on the spot.Soon an editorial board composed of twenty railroad officials, scholars, and rail historians helped form the basic plan for the encyclopedia. It was determined that the work would be truly comprehensive, much more than dramatic locomotive pictures and thumbnail sketches of a selection of railroad companies. Middleton and Smerk were to be co-editors; later, after she retired from the press, Bobbi Diehl became a third co-editor. In dividing up the chore of finding authors for the many entries, Bill Middleton worked with J. Parker Lamb to handle mainly the technical and operations topics. George Smerk, with much assistance from Richard Barsness of Lehigh University, worked on the business, historical and public policy issues. George Drury edited some 140 railroad profiles, while Kevin P. Keefe edited a similar number of railroad biographies. Robert G. Lewis and Bill Middleton developed entries about railroad suppliers. The plan for the encyclopedia, encouraged by the editorial board, was for several opening essays that would present a broad overview of North American railroads. Historian Keith Bryant contributed an overview of the history and development of North American railroads; emeritus curator of the Smithsonian Institution John White wrote of 19th century railroad technology; transportation writer Bill Middleton picked up the technology story and brought it up to date; historian H. Roger Grant wrote about the social impact of the railroads; transportation journalist Don Phillips composed a piece focusing on World War II to the present time. The remainder of the encyclopedia covers myriad topics in alphabetic sequence. It is a formidable work: the finished product has over 800,000 words written by more than 100 contributors, supported and illuminated by over 700 illustrations. The intention of the Encyclopedia of North American Railroads is to be definitive and complete within reasonable bounds. Within its covers are included most of the key knowledge concerning railroads from their beginnings to the publication date. Accordingly, in early 1994, the first issue of the group’s publication, Transfer , was published. This was actually designated issue No. 9, as the first eight issues consisted of columns on rail-marine that had run in Tugbitts , the quarterly newsletter (now a magazine) of the Tugboat Enthusiasts Society of America. The editor of Tugbitts did not feel he wanted to run as much rail-marine material as was being submitted. Since then, Transfer has been published between two and four times a year, with the frequency really being determined by the available time of the editor, not, as is the case with a lot of historical society publications, dependent on the flow of contributions. RMIG will publish issue No. 43 in the spring of 2006 and No. 44 in late 2006 or early 2007. Each issue of Transfer typically includes at least two feature articles on a rail-marine vessel, service, terminal, operation or structure as well as regular columns on news, letters from readers (often containing interesting oral history), queries, reviews of relevant books, videos, websites and model products and addenda/errata.Articles in Transfer seek to include as many illustrations as possible, including archival photos, maps and engineering drawings. Illustration policy differs from that of some publications. In some cases where it has simply not been cost-effective to reproduce original drawings in a size where all the detail is legible, rather than just not run the illustration, reduced size versions have been run that are sufficient to make the author’s point, and arrangements have been made for members to obtain larger sized versions of the drawings. Not only has this eliminated the time and cost of potentially having to redraw tattered old drawings, a practice that some enthusiast publications follow, but by reproducing the original, the antique flavor is conveyed. Every attempt is made to accompany each article with references and sources for additional information.The next issue of Transfer , No. 43, will have an extensive article on the New York Naval Shipyard (aka Brooklyn Navy Yard), an article illustrating and explaining the docking devices and procedures alluded to briefly in an earlier article on the Carquinez Straits sidewheelers Solano and Contra Costa, an article on the predecessor of the Lehigh Valley’s rail-marine operation in New York Harbor as well as the normal news, letters and review columns.In addition to the material published on the pages of Transfer , over the years a series of annotated bibliographies has been published as inserts. The series started with the Great Lakes and followed with the East Coast (2 parts), Rivers and Gulf, Golden State (California, yes it warranted its own bibliography!) and Pacific Northwest. These bibliographies attempt to cover the enthusiast as well as the trade literature. The Overseas installment will be published concurrently with Transfer No. 43, but because of its length (over 13 pages), it will be posted to the group’s website instead of being printed in hard copy. It has been our policy, however, to offer hard copies to members who request them. The final installment, "Miscellaneous," will be published with Transfer No.44. It is contemplated that the series will continue with updates from the beginning, incorporating the additional material in the literature that has come to light since the initial versions were published. These updates will also likely be on the website. A comprehensive index of Transfer , through issue No. 42, has been compiled by member Thomas Flagg (our version of Thomas Taber III). This index is on the website.Most of the important and interesting rail-marine subjects and operations have been covered in the pages of Transfer or cited in the Bibliographies. Moreover, in recent years, the appearance of rail-marine material seems to have blossomed in the enthusiast press. However, there are still some subjects for which there is a need to unite and better illustrate the hodge-podge of information published over the years in multiple places and forms. The good news here is that many of the railroad historical society publications seem to be not only willing but interested in publishing this material, so there are a number of articles already in the works that will be running in these other publications.For example, the editor of the B&O Railroad Historical Society’s The Sentinel figures his readership can take at least one rail-marine article a year! There has even been a proliferation of rail-marine products for the model railroad consumer. RMIG members have been key participants in a number of historical society conferences as well as authors and contributors to a variety of books on the subject in the last 10 years and resources for model manufacturers.Accordingly, publication of Transfer in its present printed form will cease with issue 44. RMIG , however, will continue in various forms including as publisher of occasional special publications (one is already in the works) as well as, likely, of an "e-magazine." Most of the back issues of Transfer are still available, some in their original printed form and others in xerographic copy versions. As soon as all back issues of the first four issues (9-12) are sold out, plans are to make these available in digital form on a CD. In the meantime, those interested may find the Index as well as the list of available back issues on the RMIG website, www.trainweb.org/rmig. (The website also has additional material including an index and addenda/errata for Thomas Flagg’s two Morning Sun books on New York Harbor Railroads.) Anyone interested without Internet access may contact the group’s coordinator, John Teichmoeller, 12107 Mt. Albert Rd., Ellicott City, MD 21042. Since with any atlas, space is always a factor, it was hoped that others interested in railway history would delve more deeply into various aspects of the railway scene that could not be covered more fully by the maps and text of the atlas. When Geoff retired in 1995, all the maps had been completed and most of the text; the remaining essays were completed by the end of 1996. All the production material was handed over to The University of Alberta Press, with the research files being deposited in the University archives. When Linda Cameron became Director of the Press in 2001, the atlas ( retitled Atlas of Alberta Railways ) was still languishing in its files. Despite the efforts of the Press, a financial sponsor could not be found to underwrite the costs of publication. Therefore, it was clear an alternative to printing had to be found. This occurred when Linda approached, and was able to get the support of, the University’s Ernie Ingles, Chief Librarian and Vice-Provost, and Carl Amrheim, Vice-President Academic and Provost, as directed through the unit portfolio of Learning Services.The idea to produce a digital version of the Atlas gained momentum with the inception of the Humanities Computing program. Mary Mahoney- Robson, Editor/Project Manager, and Alethea Adair, Research Assistant, of the Press, met with enthusiastic support for the project from the program directors, Sean Gouglas, Academic Advisor, U. of A., and Stefan Sinclair, Academic Advisor, McMaster University. The pair offered technical suggestions, assisted in the preparation of grant applications, and enlisted David Laurie and other graduate students to work on the project. The arrival on campus of TAPoR - Text Analysis Portal for Research - a Canada-wide project to develop text analysis infrastructure, was another step in the Atlas’ fruition. With the assistance of Executive Manager Terry Butler, the TAPoR lab quickly became the focal point for the Atlas’ development with its sophisticated computing tools providing the perfect environment for digital publication. Over time the Atlas evolved from the linear layout of a book into a dynamic electronic network of maps, articles, photographs, letters, and other unique materials that give insight into the development of the railways. The Atlas’ many resources were encoded into an XML framework and prepared for the web using Apache’s Cocoon development environment. TAPoR’s powerful servers now house the finished version of the Atlas. As a unique resource, the Atlas of Alberta Railways website currently receives an average of over 200 visitors a day.THE MECHANICAL DEPARTMENTBy J. Parker LambI have accepted the editor’s request to offer a regular column that treats a subject of interest to many society members, namely motive power. While locomotives represent only a small part of the fabric and history of railroading, their iconic presence has always captivated rail enthusiasts of all ages. Our aim with this entry is to provide a societywide forum for discussion of locomotive developments up to around 1975. Although any cutoff date is arbitrary, our society’s emphasis on the historical perspective (including the nineteenth-century) would suggest at least a three-decade buffer. As implied above, I want to encourage submissions from our membership. These can be in the form of requests for information as well as short articles (up to 1200 words) on a specific subject. In this regard, I have been impressed with the depth of research and scholarship displayed by those who post regularly on the R&LHS internet discussion list managed by Adrian Ettlinger. I hope to tap this rich vein of information, which is not available to many of our members. For example, a few months back there was a lengthy thread concerned with developing a comprehensive list of names for steam loco wheel-arrangements. It began with a proposed list that was debated extensively and eventually honed into one representing a consensus. An interesting aspect of this list was how to reconcile the standard names with parochial alternatives preferred by various roads for a myriad of reasons. I think that this Newsletter space would be a good place to provide that list for the entire membership. Thus, I invite the originator to submit it for future use. I can assure contributors that their material will be only "lightly edited" and they can review final drafts. Moreover, in the spirit of a forum, I will be delighted to include commentary about material from earlier columns. Furthermore, I have no objection if anonymity is preferred. Here is my contact information: J.P. Lamb, 2605 Pinewood Terrace, Austin, Texas 78757-2136, email at jplamb@mail.utexas.edu . Our first tidbits of steam power history comes from the files of a friend who prefers the pseudonym "Steam- dome." The first note concerns a common issue that arose as locomotives became ever larger, and manual labor requirements grew to the limits of human endurance. The other reports an endurance test of a steam locomotive. Locomotive Stokers by Brian Reed The compulsory fitting of mechanical stokers to large locos was raised first by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in 1930. After various sittings [hearings] with the ICC, the matter was shelved until 1936, when they were resumed and continued through 1937. Not until 1939 was the matter brought into law. Under ICC order no. 24049 of March 18, 1939, establishing Rule 118 (C) by which (1) all coal- urning locos of 160,000 lbs. or more on drivers [used] in fast and heavy passenger service, and (2) all locomotives of 175,000 lbs. or more on drivers engaged in fast and heavy freight service, and (3) [all foregoing locos ] built on or after April 15, 1939, were to be equipped with mechanical stokers. All coal-fired hand-stoked locos built prior to April 15, 1939, in the above categories were to be fitted with stokers at the rate of not less than 20 percent of the total on each railroad converted every 12 months, and all on the list to be stoker-equipped by April 14, 1944. The number of existing locos to be converted as of April 15, 1939 was 2171. Mother Hubbards [Camelbacks] were excluded from this ruling. Bryan Reed was a British engineer and author of Modern Railway Motive Power (1950) and at least one other book. He died circa 1980.From the Railway Mechanical Engineer , Vol. 103, No. 9, 1929Mikado-type locomotive No. 4113 of the St. Louis-San Francisco on August 13 completed a 25-day endurance and fuel test, and thereby established a record run of 7,350 miles with only the necessary stops for water, fuel, and switching and with a continuous fire. The locomotive was fired up at 3 PM on July 19 in the Kansas City, Missouri yards and started for its goal, which was three round-trips with a full load of freight between Kansas City and Birmingham, Alabama. On August 3, the third trip was completed, and the goal advanced to five trips. The fire was finally extinguished at 3 AM on August 13. The endurance test was terminated due to a federal government requirement that all locomotives must undergo inspection and be placed in the shops at least once every 30 days. During the test runs, the 560,000 lb. locomotive was under steam 587 hours, used 1,500,000 gal. of water, and 975 tons of coal. It averaged 55 cars per train, covered 320 miles per day, and produced 13,780,749 gross ton-miles. Coal used was 80 percent from Alabama and 20 percent from Kansas. Inspections showed that the locomotive was in good condition at the end of the test. The previous record was 3,500 miles by a Great Northern locomotive in 1927.
Frisco Mikado No. 4137 was constructed in 1925, a year after No. 4113, which set the endurance record in 1929. Both engines have virtually identical specs, including 27 x 32 cylinders, 64-inch drivers, 210-psi boiler pressure, and 73,780 lbs. tractive effort. The newer loco weighed in at 341,300 pounds (38,000 more than No. 4113). Frisco, like many other roads, took the basic USRA design of 1918 and added a number of improvements including trailing truck booster, long-distance tender, air tanks on top, and a stack light (even though the engine burns coal). Photographed at St. Louis in 1949. J. P. Lamb collection. EXPLORING THE PAST WITH STEAMDOME This column will be a regular feature of the Newsletter for the indefinite future. Our plan is to reproduce short articles from the railroad trade press, newspapers and magazines from the Victorian era. We hope to cover railroading from bridges to rail and track. Locomotives and cars will not be overlooked. We will include a few biographical sketches of famous and the not so famous railroad men. Our first article on the Davenport / Rock Island bridge surely covers a milestone in American railroad history. Members seeking reference to other
items in the railroad trade press are referred to T.T.
Taber’s Railroad Periodical Index 1831-1999, [Ed. Note - the two articles below have been transcribed exactly as they appeared in the sources noted. Wording and spelling characteristic of the time have been left intact.] DCL
From the American Railroad Journal , May 3, 1856.Rock Island Railroad Bridge This magnificent enterprise has just been completed and opened for public use. A brief description of the work will doubtless prove interesting to our readers. The bridge is owned by an independent corporation called the Rock Island Railroad Bridge Company, to whom the Chicago and Rock Island and the Mississippi and Missouri Railroads companies guarantee a certain rate of dividend. The President of the Bridge Co. is Henry Farnum, Esq - Messrs. Stone, Bloomer & Co., of Chicago were the contractors. The work consists of two separate structures, the one connecting Illinois with Rock Island, and the other that island with Iowa. The former is 465 feet long, having three spans, each 150 feet. The main bridge is 1,581 feet, having five spans, each 250 feet in the clear, and a draw of 286 feet - the latter being the longest in the United States. The piers of the main bridge are 7 feet wide at the top by 35 feet long; and those on the "Slough" bridge 5 x 35. Their respective heights from the river bed are 38 and 25 feet, the foundations resting on solid rock. The abutment on the east side of the main bridge is 35 feet high, and on the west side 30 feet, - both being T abutments, - and having, as the piers, a batter of three-fourths of an inch per foot. The centre pier is 32 feet diameter at top, and is protected by a crib 350 x 40 feet running up and down the river. The northern end is faced with boiler iron so as to cut the ice. All the other piers have also cut-waters. The description of the other parts of these structures that we have seen show the whole to be one of the grandest pieces of work that this age has witnessed. Unbroken railroad communication is now open to Iowa City, and will doubtless reach the Missouri at an early day. We learn that the total cost of this structure will be in the neighborhood of $250,000. S teamdome Notes : Construction began in July 1853 and was finished on April 27, 1856. A replacement timber bridge was built in 1866. An iron bridge, on a new alignment, opened six years later. Lucius B. Boomer’s name is misspelled as "Bloomer" in this article.From the New York Times , April 28, 1856The Mississippi River Crossed by the Iron Horse - Iowa and Illinois connected by Railroad - Great RejoicingA correspondent of the Chicago Press, writing from Davenport, Iowa, says that on the 2nd, the first locomotive and train crossed the Mississippi River at Rock Island. He says: That such an event should have occurred without an assembinge of spectators from all corners of the globe to witness it, is only another instance of the mighty progress which has been made within the last fifty years in the science of bridge building. As we approached the Rock Island there were rumors afloat that we would cross to Iowa on the bridge. "Cross the Mississippi on a bridge!" cried an intelligent looking gentleman. "On a bridge?" simpered a feminine voice from a young lady to her parents, bound for Council Bluffs; "why, Pa, I thought the Mississippi was a great river, larger than the Hudson." So silently has this work progressed that, while half the world has been asleep, genius has been spanning the mightiest river on the globe, and connecting two as magnificent sections of territory as the sun ever shone upon. Swiftly we sped along the iron track - Rock Island appeared in sight - the whistle sounded, and the Conductor cried out: "Passengers for Iowa keep their seats." There was a pause - a hush, as it were, preparatory to the fierceness of a tornado. The cars moved on - the bridge was reached - "We’re on the bridge - see the mighty Mississippi rolling on beneath" - and all eyes were fastened on the mighty parapets of the magnificent bridge, over which we glided in solemn silence. A few minutes and the suspended breath let loose - "We’re over!" was the cry; "we have crossed the Mississippi in a railroad car." "This is glory enough for one day" said a passenger, as he hustled his carpet-bag and himself out of the cars. We followed, to view the mighty structure. The bridge was built for the Railroad Bridge Company, of which Henry Farnam, Esq., is President and Chief Engineer, and N.B. Judd, Esq., Secretary. The bridge connected the Chicago and Rock Island and the Mississippi and Missouri Railroads, of which Mr. Farnam and Gen. John A. Dix are the respective Presidents, and John F. Tracy, Esq., and John E. Heney, Esq., are the respective secretaries. There are two bridges, the "Slough Bridge", which crosses from Illinois to the island, over a channel which the Mississippi has made on the east side of the island, and the "Main Bridge", which extends from the island to the Iowa shore. The following is a description of The Main Bridge - The main bridge extends from the island to the Iowa shore of the Mississippi, and consists of five spans besides the draw. Three of the spans are on the west side of the draw, and two on the east side. The entire length of the bridge, from the island to the Iowa shore, is 1,581 feet. The pieces are seven feet wide at the top, and thirty-five feet long. They are thirty-eight feet high from the bed of the river and they rest on solid rock. There are four arch beams to each span of the bridge. The length of the draw is 286 feet -- the largest in the United States. The Slough Bridge, as it is called, i.e., the bridge from Illinois across the channel of the Mississippi that runs between the island and the main land - consists of three spans 150 feet each in the clear. The appearance of the bridge from the river, is most magnificent, while the immenseness of the structure strikes the beholder with wonder, and to witness the "iron horse rushing" over this mighty river where but a few years ago Black Hawk and his savage tribes were the sole possessors. Truly it is a great, a magnificent work. It is indeed "glory enough for one day." From the St. Louis Intelligencer, reprinted in the New York Times , May 14, 1856 --Loss of the Effie Afton, and Burning of the Rock Island Bridge A dispatch received last evening, gives an account of the burning of the steamer Effie Afton, at Rock Island yesterday, and also of the destruction by fire of one span of the Rock Island Bridge. The dispatch states that at 6 o’clock yesterday morning, the Effie Afton, in going through the bridge, and when about half way through, was swept by the current against one of the piers, smashing the cabin and setting fire to the boat, which caught the bridge and burned up one span. The probability is, that the boat struck the pier with such force as to knock down the boilers, and of course, scatter the fire out of the furnaces in all directions, thus setting the boat on fire. There were no lives lost, the dispatch tells us. The Effie Afton was a new boat, not yet three months old; she was built at Cincinnati, during last Winter and this Spring, at a cost of about $40,000, and was on her way from the Ohio River to Saint Paul, with a large number of passengers and a fair cargo of freight, for points above Rock Island. She was by far the finest boat that ever crossed the Rapids. She was commanded by Captain J.S. Hurd, and was owned by the Captain and other parties residing at Cincinnati. We know nothing about the insurance on either the boat or cargo, as neither were insured here. The value of both is set down at $75,000 in the dispatch, all of which is a total loss. To what amount the bridge is damaged, we have not as yet learned, but as a matter of course, the loss will be no small item. Steamdome Notes : The center span of the bridge was lost, and the accident occurred on May 6. A legal battle followed that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The railroad wisely hired an up and coming back woods lawyer named Lincoln. The high court ruled in favor of the railroad. [Ed. Note: For additional reading on the Rock Island Bridge case, see Railroads and American Law by James W. Ely, Jr. (2001, Lawrence, Kansas: The University Press of Kansas), pp. 108-109.] DCLCHAPTER REPORTSNew York Chicago Golden Spike Lackawanna Pacific Coas t Southern California Southwest SoutheastSouthern California Chapter Enjoys Bennett Levin Presentation At the March meeting, Bennett Levin, a member of the Southern California Chapter, and owner of two beautiful Pennsylvania E8 diesel locomotives, presented a digital slide program on the restoration of these locomotives, which had previously served as power for Conrail executive/business trains. The program also featured the development of the Liberty Limited, a special train conceived by the Levin family, which ran from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia to take wounded veterans from Walter Reed and Bethesda Medical Centers to the Army-Navy football game on December 3, 2005. The program also featured images of the locomotives on other excursions, including some made in locations that made the photographs look as though they were from the 1950’s.The February meeting focused on a program presented by Russ Davies, which featured slides from the Vic Uzoff collection of the Pacific Railroad Society. Vic Uzoff was a Captain in the Army assigned to the "Voice of America" radio program. He traveled around the world in that capacity, photographing trains and traction. The program presented by Russ Davies featured New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad in the 1940’s and 50’s, along with some foreign steam and traction shots. Southeast Chapter Gathers For Annual Banquet - Bill Howes Hits the Airwaves The Southeast Chapter’s traditional January banquet was held in Jacksonville in concert with a similar function of the North Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The keynote speaker was Seth Bramson, Florida East Coast Railway historian and an authority on transportation and tourism in Florida, who enlightened his audience on the remarkable life and accomplishments of Henry M. Flagler, builder of the FEC. Mr. Bramson is an active member of the R&LHS. Throughout February, the Chapter focused on its participation in the annual Jacksonville Rail Fair where copies of its reprint of Bulletin 86: The Story of the Florida Railroads were sold, along with surplus materials, to raise funds for future projects. The Society also gained three new members during the event.Several members of the Chapter have been assisting the Jacksonville Beaches Museum and History Center with the interpretation of their railroad artifacts and archives. Bill Howes, chairman of the Southeast Chapter and past president of the Society, has recently been heard on the radio and seen on television discussing various aspects of the railroad industry’s rich heritage. Late last year and again in March, he was featured on the Bob Penrod Show at WWJB radio from Brooksville, Florida. Bill and his host shared their admiration for the insights and prose of the late David P. Morgan, longtime editor of Trains magazine. The invitation to appear on the show was prompted by the late Thomas Jacklin’s two-part article on Morgan that ran in Railroad History Nos. 188 and 189.Bill also appeared in a documentary titled "Rising from the Rails" that aired February 11 on WGN television out of Chicago. The film is based on Larry Tye’s 2004 book of the same name that relates the history of the Pullman porter and his role in advancing the economic freedom and civil rights of African-Americans. Having worked in the railroad passenger business for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, as well as being on the board of directors of The Pullman Company at the time of its liquidation, Bill was also asked to serve as a "peerreview" editor for both the book and the film. Help Pick A Winner! - The Railroad History Book Award and Article AwardAll members in good standing may enter candidate authors into consideration for nomination for the 2006 Railroad History Awards. The R&LHS Awards Panel solicits advice from members in two award categories: the David P. Morgan Article Award and the George and Constance Hilton Book Award. Articles must have been published in magazines or journals with cover dates of 2004 and 2005. Enter the complete name of the author, the name of the article, the pages on which it may be found, the exact name of the magazine, and its exact cover date (month and year). Some journals are hard to find, so please send a photocopy of the article.Books must have been published in 2003, 2004 or 2005.. (See publication or copyright date for the book under consideration.) Enter the complete name of the author, the complete book title, complete name of publisher, and copyright or publication date. The Awards Panel will make the final selection of Nominees and of Winners in each category. The Panel will take members’ entries very seriously. In this way, the Society’s members can play a key role in the Railroad History Awards program. Fill out and send in the coupon below, or a photocopy, by June 26, 2006. Only those entries postmarked on or before that date will be tallied for the 2006 awards. Mail your entries to Ed Graham, 316 Innisfree Circle, Daly City, CA 94015-4358 . Coupons sent to the wrong address or sent after June 26, 2006 will not be tallied.
TRADING POST
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Gordon
Parks, early in his career, made this view of
New York Central track worker next to the Harlem River
in 1946. The photo appears in two of the Center’s exhibits.
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Oil of New Jersey Collection, Ekstrom Library, University
of Louisville
