Former Cadiz Railroad Alco S-2 sitting in the former Illinois Central Railroad, Princeton KY. yard around 1986. – Photos by Rick Bivins
Category: Rick Bivins
My oh my how time flies. Here it is time for the June NRHS Western Kentucky Chapter meeting and it seems only a few days ago we were in Hopkinsville KY for the May meeting! And speaking of the May meeting, it was a grand time. With the venue being the former L&N RR Passenger Station in historic downtown Hopkinsville, Bill Farrell grilling burgers and dogs, CSX (and BNSF) providing trains and Wallace Henderson giving a detailed talk with photos and newspapers clippings covering train derailments in and around Hopkinsville…. WHEW…we did all of that in one evening. THANK YOU HOPKINSVILLE MEMBERS.
If you have taken time to go track side in our area, I am sure you have noticed a lot of trains are running. CSX and P&L both provide ample opportunities for viewing. On CSX, I have seen locomotives from many class 1 railroads and short lines too. There have been several Chicago Metra F40 rebuilds making their way up and down the line. The new paint scheme is bright and colorful. I spotted one locomotive from the Kiamichi Railway on April 15 of this year! CSX is home to EMD’s only MP-15-T locomotives which make their way by on occasion. And train patterns seem to be changing with the change of power in Jacksonville as well. The modern railroad is interesting to say the least. I still enjoy seeing rail cars from “fallen flag” railroads. It is surprising how many fallen flag railroads are represented in a train! So go out and watch trains. Have a good time and stay off the right-of-way.
The NRHS National Convention is being held in Nashville TN this month. I plan to go Friday the 23rd and represent the Chapter at the business meeting pending my work schedule does not intervene. Having talked with several members I feel the Chapter as a whole has little or no interest in the event. This is fine, not everyone is “on board” with the business aspect of our organization. If I do indeed make it to the meeting, I will have a full report in July.
We need to revisit our display at Parkway Plaza Mall, we have discussed this and taken no action.
We need to (my opinion) have a few more Chapter related functions. Track side days are always well attended and enjoyed. All one needs to do is pony up and sponsor one. Pick a day and location that suits you and we will get the word out. That being said, it is not too early to talk about the Annual Chapter Pic-Nic in Crofton KY. We need to discuss a date.
The Christmas Show Committee will be start planning for this years event. Be thinking of joining in the effort. Last year was a fun time with the kids and adults alike enjoying the show. Bring new ideas to the table for 2017. This should be our signature event with the public.
The meeting will be held Monday evening, June 19th at the Hopkins County Government Centre on North Main Street, Madisonville KY. We will meet at 7:00 PM with Rich Hane providing refreshments and Bill Farrell providing the program. Join in and bring a guest.
Ricky Bivins, President
Greetings.
Just a heads up, our meeting this month as usual is in Hopkinsville Kentucky. Our friends and members from Hop-town always put on a fine show and the venue is excellent. And I believe we will have some tasty vittles as well.
By the time you read this, our second photo contest for the year will have come and gone. I certainly hope you were able to get out and take a few shots and turn them into Jim Pearson. Remember, these photos will be in our next Chapter calendar. The winners and possibly some honorable mentions, depending on how many total entry’s we received over the year. So, get out there and take some shots when the time comes for number three.
In old business from April, we will decide on our level of involvement with the convention in Nashville. We will be checking with Bowling Green and New Haven to see if we can assist in anyway. The consensus from the members I have talk to is a low-key approach. We have trouble committing to in-house events, committing to something outside of our area might be a bit of a stretch. I would not want to commit to something and then not follow through with it and give us a bad reputation!
We also decided in April, to update and purged the Chapter email list. Steve should have a report on this in May.
During the May meeting I will confirm the mailing address for the Chapter, for some reason I have two mailing addresses on file. Once this is done I will give Matt the go-ahead on printing new biz cards for the Chapter.
Jim Pearson, by the way, lost a brother since our April meeting. David worked for the city in Madisonville and was a very interesting individual. Our condolences to Jim and family. That having been said, Jim may have a report on the Chapter Facebook page, YouTube page and a possible Vimeo page. But if not we certainly understand.
Greetings.
This will be short. As I forgot to send Bill my article! In the midst of spring we are all busy. Please forgive me.
The April business meeting should be short, all we should be doing is recapping current business as it stands. Keep in mind the National convention is just a few months away and in Nashville Tennessee. That’s very close and we should be able to have a few members present. I received an update from National membership status I’m pleased to say server members have rejoined on the national level.
Our next photo session is coming up the first full week of May. May 6 will be an outing in my hometown of Mortons Gap Kentucky. We will be trackside at the city park with the convenience stores and restrooms within 2 to 3 miles. Our Hopkinsville members will host a meeting next month in Hopkinsville at the former L&N depot which is trackside in downtown Hopkinsville. I am sure there is a lot I have it covered, if you have a business side of this mountain be sure and bring it up under new business Monday night. We will see you there!
Ricky Bivins, President
Greetings.
The February meeting was somewhat fast and furious, a lot of information was presented to the membership. We discussed the NRHS National’s position on membership renewals, the Amelia software in use by National, “policing” National dues on the local level, our local dues and what stance we will take on Chapter members being or not being members of National. The latter being, Chapter Officers will not question Chapter dues paying members as to their affiliation with National. The Chapter will simply assume local members are dues paying National members.
Also discussed in February was the upcoming NRHS National Convention in Nashville TN. Will Kling, is heading a committee to see if our Chapter can “pitch in” and help. At this meeting I would like to get a feel for the Members desire to “help” or simply “attend”. Be thinking along those lines between now and meeting night.
One way to grow our Chapter is with member functions. In years past we have had track side events in Crofton, Sebree, Mortons Gap, Henderson and other places. These are so enjoyable. Please give thought to a day “Track side” and host same.
I would like for our Modular Layout Committee to think up some way to use the Modular Layout other than just for the Christmas show.
I hope to have a report from Steve and Jim regarding the Photo Archive project. If you have skills these two could use speak up, I am sure they will entertain ideas. As well as ideas, articles and photo’s for the newsletter.
Remember to bring something for Show-N-Tell as well as a raffle item. If a mystery photo is provided, the first correct answer drawn gets first pick from the Raffle.
I hope to see you Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7:00 PM. We will once again meet in the Hopkins County Government Center on north Main Street right across from City Hall, Madisonville KY. Bring a friend. Bill Thomas will provide a program featuring Logging Railroads and Blair Terry will provide refreshments.
Ricky Bivins, President
Congratulations to the winners of our chapter’s first photo contest of the year! Contest was held during the month of February 2017 and the winning photos and captions are posted below! Click on any photo to see a larger view.
Greetings.
I hope everyone was able to enjoy the unusually warm January days made available to us. I was able to get over to one of my favorite train watching spots, Gorham IL. Matt Gentry joined me and we had a fun day watching and seeking out trains on the former MoPac and Cotton Belt lines.
The January meeting was a bit long but very informative. Our meeting place last month was the former Hopkins County Court House located in Madisonville. Bob and Bob from the Historical Society of Hopkins County were excellent hosts and the facility was good. We were treated to a tour of the building and provided information regarding the forth coming Coal Museum. We were not given a lot of information as to the needs and/or expectations of the Chapter if we decide to participate but most everyone agreed this is a good opportunity for our group to get the word out about our local railroad history.
To recap, the entire south wing, which is roughly half of the museum display area could be allotted to the Chapter. We will provide our own display cases, shelving, hangers etc. as well as the display items. Security will be excellent. The museum will be staffed by volunteers. We will have access to the area in off hours. We will have to build, equip and maintain the area we commit to. Filling display cases with railroad and coal related artifacts will not be a problem, we all have something. (I can fill one room myself)! Meeting a work schedule during construction I feel will be easy. Everyone will be eager to participate early on. Down the road (rail), maintaining and manning the museum for special events I see a potential issue. If we commit to this endeavor, we commit fully!
As mentioned in the minutes and at the previous meeting, I would like to grow our Photo Archive, see the Archive on-line in some form and make the information available to other not-for-profit organizations as well. Steve Miller, Jim Pearson and I are the committee members for this project. Submit your ideas to us.
The National Convention will be held in Nashville TN, this is close to home. Will King, Bill Farrell and Jim Kemp are committee members for “Project Nashville”. Let us see what we can do to aid in the Convention.
And as always, National dues are due, March 31 is the cut-off date. Dues received after March 31 will be treated as a new member thus losing member seniority.
I hope to see you February 20, 2017 at the Hopkins County Government Center, 58 N. Main St. Madisonville KY. Meeting time is 7:00 PM. Bill Farrell has refreshment while I will have a combination talk and video program on Port Perry PA and its importance to the steel industry.
.Ricky Bivins, President
Greetings Everyone.
First and foremost, Thank You for a vote of confidence. With guidance from the Chapter officers, National and Chapter Members I hope to make 2017 a very good year. 2016 was exceptional. Looking back, we can see many events went into our history book. Track side visits, a picnic, meetings, work sessions and of course an excellent Christmas Dinner at the Miller residence. We finished the year with the Christmas Show showcasing the Chapters Modular Layout, Movies, Standard Gauge trains and of course Wally Watts and his steam engines.
I was surprised in several respects with the Christmas Show. The layout while there were some issues, ran very well “right out of the box” and for the first time! Parkway Plaza Mall was an excellent host. Bill’s Standard gauge trains were a hit with the children as were Wally’s steam engines. One thing I was very much pleased with was the level of participation from the membership. Many members helped in various ways. That being said, Bill Farrell gets the prize. Bill put many, many hours into the event as did Rich Hane and Jim Kemp. A special thanks goes out to these guys.
As for 2017, we have a lot of work to do if we are to top 2016! By now you have learned we have a possible meeting place change. Our January meeting will be held in the old court house building, third floor. Enter via the basement entrance located on the buildings east side. Take the stairs or elevator to the third floor. The meeting space is on the north side of the building. Our program will be a guest speaker, Randy Teague. Randy will give us a tour of the proposed Coal and Railroad Museum space within the building. We will learn from Randy, what is in store for the building and of possible involvement with our Chapter. This will be a very interesting night. The Historical Society of Hopkins County has a media center in the building. I will provide refreshments and there will be a train video playing in the background. However, I expect our attention to be directed at the museum and Mr. Teague.
On January 2, 2017 I held an officers meeting at my house. The officers in attendance discussed the newsletter, the web site, dues, membership, programs, the photo archive and a host of other “thoughts’. Most will be brought before the Chapter meeting night.
With that being said, Monday January 16, 2017 will be a good night, an even better night if YOU attend…and bring a guest.
Ricky Bivins, President
Third Place Rick Bivins – West end of P&L’s West Yard complex, in Madisonville, Ky looking east into the rising sun.
As promised, here is a synopsis of “Flying Sparks”, a book published in 1914 authored by M. E. Munsell. Mr. Munsell was a Pullman Conductor on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. His favorite niece requested that he tell her about his travels and about the area he traveled through.
In 1914 the Missouri Pacific or MoPac as it was known, ran from St. Louis Missouri to several points west via Kansas City, Kansas, Arkansas and into Texas. Mr. Munsell wrote a series of letters to niece from which the book was authored.
The book is not arranged in chapters but in a series of paragraphs much as his niece would have read. Mr. Munsell was a fan of poetry which readily shows in the book.
The synopsis begins: ” Hefflebower’s Six Buxom Daughters at Bucyrus” and tells of a prominent farmer and of his daughters and hired hands!
“Osawatomie, John Brown Fought First Battle of Civil War Here” tells of the man and his fight. A monument is here to honor the man. Look it up. Interesting. Osawatomie is located 62 miles from Kansas City and in 1914 was home to 4000 residents. The 2010 census shows 4447! The name is a merger of two river names, Osage and Potawatomi! Near here is the town of Paoli Kansas, and is the boyhood home of Charlie Pullman, Georges brother!
More next Month!
In 1984 is was working for Andalex Resources as a supply truck driver. My friend from school, Tim Kingery was managing the Salvation Army Thrift Store and would alert me to any “train stuff” the store received. That summer he called my work place (no cell phones in 1984) and left a message for me to come by the store. He had taken in a book titled “Flying Sparks”. Of course I purchased the book and read it immediately.
The book is a series of letters penned by a Missouri Pacific passenger train conductor to his then eight year old niece. His niece had requested of her uncle a description of his work and the places he visited. This all takes place in or before 1914! The style of writing is as interesting as the stories themselves.
I have enjoyed this book for thirty plus years now and will continue to do so. Hopefully you will as well as I intend to recount portions of the book as a regular Newsletter feature.
We look forward to hearing more from Ricky next month about this book. Editor.
Rick Bivins’ model mountain and bridge in process and after his friend Josh added some color. Click on photos to view larger. – Photos by Rick Bivins
From Rick Bivins
Western Kentucky Chapter,
NRHS Chapter Representative.
Greetings Chapter Members,
As members of NRHS we have chosen to uphold the Charter requirements and by-laws of membership, both National by-laws and our own Chapter by-laws. The National by-laws can be found on the National web-site….not easily but they can be found. Wally Watts should have a copy or can produce a copy of the Chapter by-laws if requested. Our Charter was let in early 1985 and is still in effect even though the National organization has struggled. I was a member of NRHS before the Western Kentucky Chapter was formed….I chose to remain a member through thick and thin. I want my 50 year pin!
I begin with the above as much talk has been made of dropping our National Affiliation. Some members have voiced lack of return for their money….not true! For the money, via the National web-site, Facebook, Twitter, other forms of media and good old fashioned pen and paper, much can be obtained from National. The NRHS Bulletin has been on line for many years. Recently, the Bulletin has been published (again) in magazine form. The NRHS video library is extensive as well as the photo archive. One must put forth some effort to make use of these resources but they are worthy of time and postage. Or just browsing on-line!
So please, if you as a member are discouraged or dissatisfied with the NRHS and feel there isn’t enough “bang for the buck”….take time to see if you are missing something. You may be surprised to learn that, indeed, you are.
The easiest way to access NRHS via the internet is to open a web based browser and type NRHS. Ignore the North Rochelle High School page!!!!! And choose the second offering!
Explore and enjoy.
Rick Bivins