My long awaited article on the Valley Forge Scenic RR (1962-1970) has now been published in the The Bee Line, the publication of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. The article runs 52 pages as a double issue and contains over 50 black and white photos taken by Dennis McCoy, Bruce Saylor, John Krause, Ronnie Shupard and George Forero Jr., as well as maps, drawings, fold-out track maps, volunteer roster, and equipment roster. If you enjoy reading tourist line histories, you'll enjoy this article on a short-lived "daisy picker" steam short line. Copies were mailed to RCT&HS members within the last few days.

Copies may be obtained for $14 postpaid from RCT&HS, P.O. Box 15143, Reading, PA 19612-5143.

K.R. Bell

Hey Kurt! Any chance I can get a SIGNED copy?! Seth

Absolutely! Next time you're in Strasburg, be sure to stop by.

K.R. Bell

Kurt,

Great Article. My copy arrived yesterday, intresting information, intresting photos, amazing the connections, albeit brief to the WK&S, the W&C and ultimately the NH&I.


Glad you were finally able to complete it.

Finally got a copy of this issue of THE BEE LINE when I recently made a visit to the Reading Tech's new museum site in Hamburg, Pa.

I have always been impressed with Kurt's work on documenting various tourist railroads and museums, both past and present, in a host of magazine articles over the years. His article on the defunct Wawa & Concordville RR in an issue of PRR Tech's KEYSTONE magazine a few years ago set a new standard for this kind of work.

However, I must say this latest work on the Valley Forge Scenic Railroad. is far beyond a simple magazine article. The entire 56-page issue of THE BEE LINE is devoted to the short-lived VSFR, cover-to-cover. In reality this is a 56-page soft cover book on this operation complete with maps, aerial photos, station drawings, detailed equipment rosters, and many quality B&W photographes (that I'm sure have never been published before). The text is a good read and details the trials and pitfalls of trying to establish a steam tourist railroad during the 1960's when it seemed to be "the in thing to do".

Unlike the W&C, whose rolling stock was largely scrapped and whose steam locomotives are today not operable, the VFSR's equipment lives on today. You can ride its former coaches at New Hope and Conway Scenic. You can ride behind its former steam locomotives at the Wilmington & Western and on the Reading & Northern. I think this year will be the first time ever that both ex-VFSR steam locomotives will be running at the same time (this didn't even happen during their VFSR days since 0-6-0 58 [300] never ran there).

Should also note some of the people that made the VFSR go such as Bruce Saylor, Ron Shupard, Bob Dorn, etc. still run steam, albeit on a smaller scale, at the Pennsylvania Live Steamers club at Rahns, Pa not all that far from where the VFSR trains once steamed.

Finally, although you could send to the RCT&HS for a copy of the VFSR issue, a much better choice would be to stop by their new museum site in Hamburg, Pa. You can pick up a copy from their excellent gift shop that has just about every book, magazine, video, t-shirt, whatever that was ever offered related to the Reading Company. The museum (which is located in a former foundry complex off of RT 61 and adjacent to the former BM&R RR South Hamburg shops and yard) has some interesting and well layed-out exhibits. Some of the group's collection of (mostly) ex-RDG equipment can seen outside on some new storage tracks. Although the museum is still very much a work in progess it's definitely well worth a look.

Regards,
Jim Robinson