Category: General Post

Camelback locomotives (also known as a Mother Hubbard or a center-cab locomotive) is a type of steam locomotive with the driving cab placed in the middle, astride the boiler.  Camelbacks were fitted with wide fireboxes which would have severely restricted the engineer’s visibility from the normal location at the rear.

You can see in the picture (above) the size of the firebox, extra wide in order to burn cheap and readily available anthracite coal.  Placement of the cab above the driving wheels also provided added traction.   Camelbacks were widely used on the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Reading Railroad.  The fireman worked from a large platform on the tender, and in some cases had a chute to allow him to deliver coal to the front of the grate.

The Camelback’s cab astride the boiler design raised concerns for its crew. The engineer was perched above the side-rods of the locomotive, vulnerable to swinging and flying metal if anything rotating below should break. In addition, the fireman was exposed to the elements at the rear. The Interstate Commerce Commission banned Camelbacks but gave exceptions to allow those under construction to be completed.

A broken side rod swiped clean the engineer’s side of the cab on this Delaware & Hudson engine.  This ever-present danger to the engineer explains the eventual outlawing of center-cab locomotives.

Credits:   Two pics at top by the late Phil Hastings as seen in Kalmbach’s Steams Lost Empire.  Damaged camelback photographer unknown, in Train Wrecks a Robert C. Reed book.        -Gary O. Ostlund

These photos of NC&StL 576 are taken from Nashville Steam’s Facebook page.  See Nashville Steam on Facebook for credits. Above, CSX pulls 576 into Union Station in downtown Nashville. 

Greetings fellow National Railway Historical Society, Western Kentucky Chapter members. It is March, 2019 and the word for the day is “wet”! We certainly have had our share of rain. Alas, I’m willing to bet, it will dry out. And possibly, more than we would like!

     I am writing this on March 9. Earlier I had text Matt Gentry that I needed a non-CSX rail-fan fix. As luck would have it, CSX sent a BNSF train southbound and I was able to see it twice no less. Good things come to those who wait. One would think an individual who builds a house beside a busy rail line on purpose no less, would not want to travel to see trains. Quite the opposite. I think serval of us to enjoy traveling and rail fanning. With spring and summer on the way, I’m sure several of us will be out and about. Which led me to a subject matter!

     Secretary-Treasurer Bill Farrell has mentioned having a Chapter outing this year. He has a few ideas. I would like to encourage others to come up with an idea as well. I plan to have my annual Train Day in the Gap sometime in May. The exact date and time are forthcoming. Bill Farrell should also have some information regarding Nashville Steam and Kentucky Railway Museum. I believe he will be presenting a donation idea to these two institutions. Hopefully our committee regarding the sall layouts and operating sessions will have some info for us this month as well.

     All in all 2019 has gotten off to a very good start. Our round robin train group has had a good time. Our activities have been spot on and we have more coming down the pike. Please take time to attend a meeting and bring a friend. See you soon.

Matt Gentry and friend Max are at Holy Train Night at Keith Kittinger’s HO layout, Madisonville, Ky.

A gallery of images from train nights around our area by members.

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Work continues on NC&StL 576 at the Nashville & Western facility in Nashville, Tennessee. Following the 576 in the January PennyRail, I wanted to include some photos of the beginning stages of restoration as seen below.  You can see printed details of the work on the Steam Nashville Facebook page.  Simply search “Steam Nashville” in your Facebook search window. – Bill Thomas

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By Ricky Bivins, Chapter President

Greetings fellow NRHS Western Kentucky Chapter members. And welcome to January, 2019. My oh my what are year 2018 was. Looking back we had the Christmas show at the mall, breakfast with Santa, an excellent Christmas dinner at the Miller residence, a picnic and rail fan day at Crofton, a railfan day in Hopkinsville, a meeting in Hopkinsville, a track side day in Morton’s Gap not to mention numerous meetings, impromptu get-togethers and programs a plenty. I feel 2019 will be even better.
     As you are aware, we did not have a business meeting in December however, we did have the aforementioned dinner at the Miller residence, a very successful breakfast with Santa and a successful Christmas show at the mall. Bill Farrell will have a report on the earnings from those events. Not to mention the raffle which netted us additional monies as the winner  did not take the train set.
     We did however have a meeting in November. Which also brought about elections of officers for 2019. There were no changes in officers as all were voted in by a single vote of acclamation. To which I say thank you. Hopefully I can serve as President as need be. 
         2018 also brought on a few new members. It is nice to think that we can continue to grow in this age of electronics and instant gratification. As for growing in 2019, I have always said, if a member has an idea bring it forward. We will entertain all thoughts of growth and events as well. If there is something you would like for the Chapter to do, sponsor it. And it will be done!
     As is customary in January, the president which is I, will have the program and refreshments. My program will be a 1984 VHS video of Chesapeake and Ohio 4-8-4 number is 614 pulling coal trains in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Along with the video we will have a guest speaker. If you recall a few years ago my oldest stepson Brian Davis who works for CSX as a conductor gave us a talk. Brian is on call meeting night and if he is not on the railroad he will be at the meeting to give us a follow-up to that program. That is tentative provided he is available at the time. 
    They extended forecast for meeting night is clear and cold. Keep in mind should we have inclement weather I will cancel the meeting. No need for anyone to get out slip and fall or worse. Otherwise I hope to see you Monday, January 21, 2019. Bring a friend as all are welcome.

October 13, 2018 – From Today’s railfan event at Hopkinsville. We had I’d say between 10-15 people show up. Only saw 2 trains as the flooding down south has things backed up.  Jim Pearson

Keith Kittenger and his grandson Tanner wait for a train trackside at Hopkinsville, Ky during the chapters railfan outing.

 

Ok, at least ferry terminal is rail related, being the headquarters for the Southern Pacific railroad empire.  I’ll admit I’m a sucker for old landscape pictures.   What I find so interesting about this picture, is what’s not in the picture.   In 1925 the SF/Oakland Bay Bridge was only a dream.   In 14 years the area adjacent to Yerba Buena island’s north side, and behind the clock tower, will become the nearly square mile site of the 1939/40 Golden Gate International Exposition.   Thus, Treasure Island is formed.

The shoals immediately north of Yerba Buena Island were a danger to shipping.  Creating an artificial island by placing a jillion tons of rock and massive dredging of the harbor quelled that hazard.  By the time the expo was over, war was brewing and the Navy seized the newly created island.  It became a training base including an airfield.  In 2007 the government sold the island to the City of San Francisco.   On-going now is a multi-billion Treasure Island Development project for up to 8,000 new residences, 140,000 square feet of new commercial and retail space.  The picture (above) is pretty cool too, taken in about 1936.  The north tower of the Golden Gate bridge is near completion.   The caisson for the south tower at the end of the temporary pier is not yet complete.  The massive concrete structure at water’s edge is not part of the tower, rather a support for what will become the bridge approach.  The adjacent land is part of the Presidio of San Francisco.   The bridge opened in 1937 and a few years later a hurricane swept through the “Golden Gate” and to this day there are claims bridge is out of alignment, inward, by about 18 inches.

 

In years past, when railroad crews were out on the road the caboose was their mobile hotel.   Before “hours of service” legislation, crews could be road-bound for days.

aboose cookery is just one more lost art. A picture is worth a thousand words, these pix are no exception. These were days before the FDA, OSHA and hand sanitizer.   Yes, a few farmers along the way occasionally “lost” a chicken or two. 

Eat well boys, it is a long road home.  Photos from New York Central System, as seen in Railroad Magazine, June 1955

The 2018 NRHS convention will be held Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 7-12, with headquarters in Cumberland, Md. The tentative schedule includes scenic rail trips through the countryside of West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, plus the annual meetings of the Society. The registration room for the convention will open in mid-afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 7. The board meeting for the NRHS Fund Inc., will be held that evening.

The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday with an all-day outing to Cass, W.Va. to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad up to Spruce, W.Va. At that point, there will be a “cross platform transfer” from the Cass steam train to the Salamander diesel train to Elkins, W.Va. Lunch will be served on the Salamander. Once in Elkins, NRHS members will re-board the buses for the return trip to the hotel in Cumberland.

The tentative schedule for Thursday includes a charter train ride on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from the depot on Cumberland (three blocks from the hotel) to Frostburg, Md., behind the newly rebuilt steam engine No. 1309. Photo run-bys are scheduled for this trip. Cab rides will be offered in both directions with proceeds benefitting the NRHS.

To read more from the NRHS News, go to https://admin.nrhs.com/NRHSNews/NRHS_News_October_2017.pdf.

Greetings NRHS Western Kentucky Chapter members and welcome to September! My how this year is flying by. But I personally love September so all is well. Our normal routine for September is a fish fry provided by Jim and Thomas Bryan. This years meeting date is in conflict with their family travel plans. So in place of fish we will be grilling hot dogs at the home of Bill and Angela Thomas. Bill will have trains running out doors on his garden layout. We will keep the meeting to a minimum all while gorging on back yard cousin!!!

We have a function coming up this month. On September 30th we should find ourselves in Crofton KY. for our annual Chapter Picnic. We will meet at the Veterans Park located behind the Crofton Volunteer Fire Department, adjacent to the CSX mainline. Bring a picnic lunch, a significant other and/or a friend. If you like, patronize one of the local eateries or the Amish Store for a fresh deli sandwich. This is our signature event and is always enjoyed.

Also this month we will hear from Jim Pearson regarding the most recent photo contest winners.

Bill Farrell will have a “plan of attack” regarding the Christmas Show. We will need to move on this topic as we will have only two meetings between this meeting and “show time”!!!

Looking ahead to next month, nominations for officers will receive a first call in October! Yup, it will soon be election time.

And there will be a few changes this year!

On the list for discussion is/are Chapter Trips. I asked for a committee to address this but no action has been taken. We need to take this up in discussion, perhaps next month for plans to approach in 2018.

Again this month we will gather at Bill Thomas’ house for food, fun and a little business. Please make an attempt to attend…the word “HOT DOG” is the key word here. More to follow!

 

Ricky Bivins, President