Sewveral sources are reporting that the American Assn. of Private Railroad Car Owners is planning their annual convention to Steamtown in Scranton, with a side junket en route to Vermont, in mid-September.:

"The Green Mountain and Pocono Express will depart Chicago at 4am on Saturday, September 16th. Passengers will board at Chicago Union Station between 9 pm" and midnight on Friday, September 15th. There will be no passenger boarding on Saturday morning. The train will operate to Niagara Falls arriving about 5 pm. We are working on an excursion to the falls that evening that will be part of the cost per car for the special train. On Sunday, September 17th, the train will operate via a route still to be determined to Rensselaer, arriving at 9:30 pm. Eastern cars will be added to the train here. Due to insufficient clearances on the route to St. Albans, dome cars will be left in Rensselaer while the special travels to Vermont. Dome car passengers will be accommodated in other cars on the train. On Monday, the 18th, the train will operate to St. Albans, Vermont via Rutland and the Green Mountain Railroad to Bellows Falls, arriving at 5:30 pm. AAPRCO will arrange a block of rooms at a hotel there for dome car passengers. On Tuesday, the 19th, the train will depart at 9 am and operate to Rensselaer via Burlington, Vermont and the Vermont Railway to Rutland, arriving Rensselaer at 4 pm. On Wednesday, the 20th, the train will operate to Steamtown via Binghamton, arriving at 4 pm.

Convention meetings will be held at Steamtown on September 21st, 22nd and 23rd. There will be car parties on the evenings of the 21st and 22nd, and a banquet on the night of the 23rd. There will also be two excursion trains during the convention. One will be over the Pocono Mountains to the Delaware Water Gap and one over the former D & H to Carbondale. These trips will be part of the convention registration fee. Also included in the convention fee will be admission to the Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum, which is located adjacent to Steamtown. A ticket to ride the Laurel Line electric interurban at a time of your choosing is also included in the fee. The convention hotel will be the Radisson Lackawanna, the former railway station, located two and a half blocks from Steamtown National Park.

On Sunday, September 24th, the special will operate to Pittsburgh via Sunbury, Lock Haven and Altoona, arriving around 6:30pm. On Monday, the 25th, the train will head back to Chicago for an estimated arrival at 6 pm. Rensselaer cars will be dropped either in Philadelphia by special train or Pittsburgh in the western train depending on the car limit on that train."

[Personal note--that last movement would require a run-around movement at Sunbury, or possibly freight locos on the tail end heading up a reversed consist with Amtrak locos on the front.]

The extra engines could then haul the special Philadelphia car train from Sunbury.

Rumor has it that 2 certain E units will pull the AAPRCO train.

Hello

I had read about the AAPRCO convention being "potentially" held at Steamtown. The reason I say potentially is that I've contacted Steamtown and inquired about the convention and they said it was still very "tentative" a week or so ago when I called (Mid May). I'm currently deployed with the Navy in the South Pacific and normally have the chance to return home to the states once a year to relax a bit and see family. This year after hearing of the collection of private cars converging on Steamtown for there convention I decided to attempt making a trip there as two for one deal. It's quite expensive and time consuming to plan and coordinate leave from the other side of the planet not to mention from the military, I want to be sure that this event is “on” before I make special arrangements to attend and be on leave and back in the states during that time rather than another. So if any one out there can shed light on whether this convention is indeed on as discussed I would appreciate an update. I'm required to start paperwork for leave some 3 to 4 months out from when I would like to go so that's about now.
Keep in mind there are some of us out here who have a passion for railroading and preservation, but find our selves in the far reaches of the world about as far away from what our passions are than you can imagine. So don't take for granted the fact that most of you are free to enjoy what you enjoy when and where you want while a few of us are unable to pursue these passions, which is one reason I monitor this board to keep up with what is going on back in the states regarding rail-preservation. I look forward and appreciate any information that would help my planed leave back to the states to take in some railroading!