These are from Jack Fannon, a co-worker at TRW who lives near Rogersville, Tennessee. Submitted by Chris Dees.
Year: 2010
EJ&E pumpkin, left-over war bonnets, and BNSF units move into Fulton, just acquired by CN. Photos by James Futrell.
Last Image: Metra FP40 , at Fulton, KY, released by Progress Rail, Mayfield, KY. Jim Futrell, photo.
Canadian National moved the world’s largest railcar, CEBX800. Hooper Welding, Oakville, ON, made this vessel to produce sulfur gasoline. This is departing the place where it was loaded on the rail car August 21, 2010 Notice the swing in has started on the tightest curve of the trip. According to Andrew Futrell (Son of Jim Futrell), it was handed off to BNSF at Chicago for movement to El Dorado, KS. There are 18 axles on either end of the car. The load itself is about 254 feet long and required tree removal and relocation of two power poles.
Beginning January, 2011, we will discontinue the paper printing of our monthly newsletter, The PennyRail. The publication will be available in Portable Document Format (pdf, Adobe Reader) via email and on the chapter’s website (as presently available there). Adobe Reader is available as a free download to any computer. The chapter is striving to be a good steward of our resources thus the decision made in the July meeting.
As editor of this work, I do not wish this to be a hardship on any of our members who do not have internet/email access. If you do not have access to the internet or email, we will make arrangements for you to receive a paper copy in black and white print. Just let us know. All we ask is that members not take advantage of this offer and use the electronic medium if possible. If you do not have a computer, many free public libraries offer computers with internet access as part of their services.
I will need all chapter members to update your email addresses with me so that you receive your email with the newsletter pdf file attached. You may also want to check with your internet service provider (ISP) to make sure attachments are not filtered and you are set up to receive emails sent out in distribution lists.
I am glad to offer any suggestions, help, etc. if you need it, but remember, most internet/email issues are best handled directly with your ISP.
You can email me at bill@fbcmadisonville.com, call 270-825-4623 (home), call or text me at 270-339-9482 (cell), or look me up on Facebook.
For those of you who do not have a computer at home, let me encourage you to secure one if possible. You may have a relative or friend with a gently used machine that could be used for internet browsing, email, and light word processing. There are many rail-related sites with information, videos, discussion groups, and sale items right at your finger tips.
Remember the basic requirements for receiving the PennyRail via email: 1) Internet/email account access; 2) An internet service provider (ISP) which allows for attachments to emails; 3) Adobe Reader for opening the pdf file when it arrives. Adobe Reader is available for free download at http://www.adobe.com.
September is promising to be a busy month. We went to the Kentucky Railway Museum last week and had a great time riding behind L&N #152 the 105 year old Pacific type steam engine. She ran and looked fine and the track work going north from New Haven is open and as pretty as ever. There was an ex-US Air Force Alco diesel switcher running around, too. The model layouts are closed for a time due to the severe floods in May but the museum itself is open and the trains will be running every weekend. Try to plan a visit and have a good time and don’t forget to make a donation to a fine museum and bunch of volunteers that are keeping railroading alive.
Rex Easterly and myself will be trying to help Kay Stubblefield dispose of some of Ron’s trains. Let me know if you are interested in being put on an informal mailing list to buy some of these trains and other memorabilia that we might find. There are trains of many gauges that we have found including Z, N, HO, S gauge American Flyer, O gauge, G gauge, Marx, Kusan, and probably others beside a few lanterns, posters, pictures, signs, etc. Items range in quality from good to poor.
I hope to see many of your smiling faces at the annual Crofton, KY picnic that many of us have enjoyed in the past on Saturday, Sept. 25. Also, don’t forget the Sept. meeting on Monday, Sept. 27th and help us celebrate our 25th birthday. Call Wally to reserve a catered meal as soon as possible. The meeting will be at the Center in beautiful downtown Madisonville at 7pm.
Ricky Bivins is our program host for the August 23, meeting at the Center, Madisonville. This “Bring Your Own Slides” program is designed for anyone in the chapter who would like to display their photography. For those who have physical slides or prints, you have some options: 1) present your prints on a story board or portable bulletin board. 2) use a slide projector, either your own or arrange for one through a fellow chapter member or friend. 3) scan your slides and/or prints into a digital format which can be inserted into a Microsoft Power Point show. We will have at least one laptop computer with Power Point installed on it. You can transport your image files on a memory stick, CD, or email them to me. If you are unsure about the digital route, email me and I’ll try to do what I can to help you.
If you scan or have digital images ready to go, you can email them to me and I’ll set them up in a Power Point show on my laptop. JPEG is the preferred digital format for this application. My email address is: bill@fbcmadisonville.com.
Ron Stubblefield – I first met Ron Stubblefield in Paducah, Kentucky, during my senior year at Murray State University. Ron had recently joined the Paducah Model Railroad Club and his HO-scale module had a lot of circus-related models: a carousel, a Ferris wheel, and even a Z-scale park train. In the coming months, Ron and I became good friends, culminating in Ron assisting me in getting my first job at Siemens in Ron’s hometown of Marion (KY). 1993 began with Ron and I traveling every Thursday night to Don Clayton’s house in Madisonville and the monthly NRHS meetings. Without Ron, I would not have had a chance to start my career the way I did, and I would not have met many other dear friends – the fellow members of the Western Kentucky Chapter of NRHS. I am forever indebted to Ron and his wife Kay.
Those weekly trips were more (than) just a ride to see trains. They were a small journey on the Ron-sized path of life. Sure, we saw the P&L Railway take over the Tradewater Railway through Marion, had CSX serenade us during dinner at Burger King in Madisonville, and chased multiple trains in that little Jeep across southern Illinois and Southeast Missouri – including the 1996 Olympic Torch train on Union Pacific. But Ron demonstrated what it was to be a real man – a kind of big brother (and I say that respectfully in terms of his physical size and the size of his heart). I would also not have been able to railfan many local hotspots had I not met Ron – those memories of racing down gravel roads and doing power slides in rural southeast Missouri in pursuit of UP and SP are and will continue to be cherished in the coming years. Ron also taught me a lot about railfan photography and was an incredible teacher of geology. Many of his photos graced multiple issues of our newsletters. And Ron’s knowledge of minerals and his involvement with the Clements Mineral Museum gave me a different view of “those rocks”.
In closing, I will miss my brother Ron. He was a good friend, a great mentor, and the best Christian brother a man could have. But I know, as my pastor Steve Viars would say: “this man knew that he knew that he knew he was on his way to Heaven.” I am sure Ron is enjoying railfanning in Heaven.
Run Eight Ron!!!
Chris (Dees)
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF RAILFANS ONLY
- West Kentucky NRHS Chapter Meeting – August 23, Madisonville, L&N Depot.
- L&N Historical Society Convention – September 16-18, Frankfort, KY
- West Kentucky NRHS Chapter Picnic, Saturday, September 25, Crofton, KY.
Can you tell which child is more accustomed to loud train noises? Liam and Joe Thomas witness one of several visits by CSX during July’s Chapter meeting.
Beginning January, 2011, we will discontinue the paper printing of our monthly newsletter, The PennyRail. The publication will be available in Portable Document Format (pdf, Adobe Reader) via email and on the chapter’s website (as presently available there). Adobe Reader is available as a free download to any computer. The chapter is striving to be a good steward of our resources thus the decision made in the July meeting.
As editor of this work, I do not wish this to be a hardship on any of our members who do not have internet/email access. If you do not have access to the internet or email, we will make arrangements for you to receive a paper copy in black and white print. Just let us know. All we ask is that members not take advantage of this offer and use the electronic medium if possible. If you do not have a computer, many free public libraries offer computers with internet access as part of their services.
I will need all chapter members to update your email addresses with me so that you receive your email with the newsletter pdf file attached. You may also want to check with your internet service provider (ISP) to make sure attachments are not filtered and you are set up to receive emails sent out in distribution lists.
I am glad to offer any suggestions, help, etc. if you need it, but remember, most internet/email issues are best handled directly with your ISP.
You can email me at bill@fbcmadisonville.com, call 270-825-4623 (home), call or text me at 270-339-9482 (cell), or look me up on Facebook.
For those of you who do not have a computer at home, let me encourage you to secure one if possible. You may have a relative or friend with a gently used machine that could be used for internet browsing, email, and light word processing. There are many rail-related sites with information, videos, discussion groups, and sale items right at your finger tips.
Remember the basic requirements for receiving the PennyRail via email: 1) Internet/email account access; 2) An internet service provider (ISP) which allows for attachments to emails; 3) Adobe Reader for opening the pdf file when it arrives. Adobe Reader is available for free download at www.adobe.com.
The writing of this article brings me great sadness as the news of the passing of one of our old friends and longtime Chapter member Ron Stubblefield came to me. Ron passed away late on Sunday afternoon, August 8th after suffering through several illnesses for the last couple of years. He will be missed by all of us for his great wit and humor, knowledge, kindness, and real humanity. Ron was 66 years old. Our condolences go out to his family and friends and his wonderful wife, Kay.
At the last meeting we discussed and voted on an issue that will change some things that we have done for awhile. The January, 2011 issue of the PennyRail will be published primarily in an email version in an attempt to rein in some of our ongoing costs. For any member that does not have access to a computer we will still publish a printed copy and make it available to them. There is no problem for us doing this and we don’t want to make a burden for any member. All we ask is that you contact Bill Thomas and request a printed copy. For those of you that have a computer or can see the PennyRail on one at home, library, or through a friend or relative, you will be amazed at how different the publication looks when it is in full color and at a higher quality. It can be easily stored or printed out, also. For those of you who would like this service please provide Bill with your current email address so that he can update your file. Again, we wish to make everyone satisfied so please let us know how you like this idea.
Along with this change, I have asked Wally Watts and Bill Thomas to develop some idea of our annual costs so that we may be able to reduce our Chapter dues with the coming new year. We will discuss their ideas at the nest meeting. Also, as the Chapter decided, please keep in mind that we have changed the date of the fall Crofton Picnic to Saturday, Sept. 25 to coincide with the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Chapter to be held on Monday, Sept. 27th. Dr. Ross will be attending this meeting which should be a fun time and there will be a meal provided for us that night. So, I will be anxiously looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces at our next meeting on Monday, August 23 at the Center in beautiful downtown Madisonville, Ky at 7pm.
Chapter members Bill Grady, Keith Kittinger, Bob Moffet, Steve Miller, and Dennis Carnal enjoy some fellowship time before the July meeting – filled with spirited conversation I might add.
Our July 26, 2010 program will be by Bill Thomas on “The Little River Railroad at Townsend, Tennessee” and Refreshments will be provided by David Millen
Next month, look for information covering shirt orders with the Western Kentucky Chapter NRHS logo. Shirt types range from T-shirts, sweat shirts, and golf or polo style. Colors options and other details will be forthcoming in next month’s issue of “The PennyRail”.
Pictures and/or historical information on the Chattanooga Traction Company, predecessor line of Southern Railway’s Redbank or Signal Mountain branch in north Chattanooga, TN. (have checked web) – Bill Thomas, bill@fbcmadisonville.com
- WKNRHS – July 26, Chapter Meeting in Madisonville, L&N Depot.
- SummeRail at Cincinnati Union Terminal – Click Here for Details
- Chapter Fall Picnic at Crofton – Saturday, October 9, 2010, noon until ?