Further down this thread, Rob Davis and Howard Pincus mentioned the Mainline Steam Foundation operated steam excursions and the Emericks from the mid-70's were associated. Can someone tell us more about this group? I've seen references about them in old fan magazines but they are little known. They weren't drop-out's from HICO, were they?

K.R. Bell

http://rrmuseumpa.org

> Further down this thread, Rob Davis and
> Howard Pincus mentioned the Mainline Steam
> Foundation operated steam excursions and the
> Emericks from the mid-70's were associated.
> Can someone tell us more about this group?
> I've seen references about them in old fan
> magazines but they are little known. They
> weren't drop-out's from HICO, were they?

> K.R. Bell

Um, guilty as charged. HICO drop-outs, that is. Time period was 1974-1980.

MLSF was Jack Emerick, Bob Emerick, Nat Glenn, Larry Cohen, and a few others, including yours truly. Charlie Strunk (CNJ engineer and ex-HICO engineer), Jim Hicks (owned RDG and CNJ coaches) were also associated with the group.

MLSF was formed to operate smaller locomotives on shorter trips-- not the two-day HICO extravaganzas of the post-Golden Spike trip era. Arrangements were made with Sam Freeman and George Hart to use FEC 4-6-2 148 and CPR 4-6-0 972. The goal was to eventually obtain its own locomotive.

MLSF operated two trips-- October 1975 over the Lehigh Valley, round-trip Bethlehem, Pa. to South Plainfield, NJ, with 148 and 972 double-heading. In early December 1975, MLSF ran the "Blue Comet", Raritan, NJ to Bay Head Jct., NJ round-trip over CNJ and NY&LB, with 148 and 9 CNJ coaches, including the 1178 obs.

The 1976 formation of Conrail put the kibosh on more such activities. MLSF visted Willis F. Barron's Ashland Motel (in the anthracite country of Pa.) in March 1976, and obtained an agreement to purchase Mr. Barron's CNR 2-8-2 3254. Failure to come up with funds that had been pledged for that purpose resulted in MLSF not buying 3254. Sloan Cornell and his Gettysburg RR bought and moved 3254 the following year.

In 1977, MLSF became involved with The Steam Locomotive 39 Fund Committee (now there's a mouthfull!) which was the brainchild of Ron Ziel. Ultimately, MLSF operated two or three chartered excursions to Greenport, LI, with the LIRR Phoebe Snow obs cars, and in April 1980, working with the Project 39 group, moved LIRR 4-6-0 39 out of the Stony Brook Carrige Museum. 39 was taken 25 miles by highway to Riverhead. MLSF and the 39 group split up shortly after the move, and MLSF ceased to exist, leaving only some really great memories, and some pretty neat photos.


hpincus@mindspring.com