Another professional railroader whose efforts crossed over into the preservation front.
There ain't that many of 'em-



It is with great sadness that we announce that Charles

Morse Smith, 76, a resident of Strafford Wayne, PA,

passed away on October 4, 2008, at Bryn Mawr

Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA, after an extended illness.

“Charlie” as we all knew him, was a long-time friend

and colleague to many in the railroad industry. Charlie

impressed everyone as a rather private person who

volunteered very little about his past career, although he

was not secretive and would readily answer questions.

Charlie was born on October 1, 1932, and grew up in

Wareham, MA, near Cape Cod. He graduated from

Wareham High School in 1950, entered MIT in 1950

and graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor’s degree in

Mechanical Engineering. While at MIT he became

president of the Model Railroad Club in his senior year,

and was Secretary/Treasurer of a student chapter of the

Electric Railroaders Association in his junior and senior

years. Shortly after graduating he entered service with

the New York Central Railroad in the Engineering

Department. His career at the New York Central was

interrupted by two years in the Army, during which he

was stationed in Japan. By 1960, he had become the

New York Central’s Mechanical Engineer-

Locomotives, with system-wide responsibilities. After

the merger forming Penn Central, he was transferred to

the Philadelphia area and became Penn Central’s Senior

Mechanical Engineer-Locomotives. As has often been

related, the Penn Central in reorganizing the merged

railroads adopted a policy of intermixing ex-New York

Central and ex-Pennsylvania RR people in the same

departments, and there ensued a cultural split referred to

as the “Red Team (ex-PRR) versus the “Green Team”

(ex-NYC), with many ex-PRR people adopting a

condescending attitude toward ex-NYC people. Charlie

once said this did not concern him, and he took pride

that an ex-PRR official once said to him “You think like

a PRR man.”

Following the demise of Penn Central, he continued to

work for Conrail, leaving in 1980 to join LTK

Engineering Services, where he became a Senior

Engineer. He was involved with locomotives, cars,

subway equipment, light rail vehicles and various

activities associated therewith. Charlie was still active at

LTK Consulting Services, Inc. as Senior Consultant.

He joined Railway & Locomotive Historical Society

(R&LHS) in1952 and became active in the New York

Chapter, becoming its Secretary and then Chairman. As

chair of the New York Chapter, Charlie published a

monthly newsletter, which included very thorough

summaries of the New York area and national rail

industry news, and no doubt was a major factor in

maintaining a high membership level in the Chapter

across the country.

Charlie was one of three people who in 1970 formed the

New York Central System Historical Society. He

became president of the organization in 1974 and

served until 2002. He also edited the organization’s

quarterly publication the “Headlight” from 1982 until

his death.

He joined the American Society of Mechanical

Engineers in 1962 and became a Life Member. He

chaired ASME’s Design Progress Committee in 1990-

1991, and served the Rail Transportation Division as

Chair of the History and Heritage Committee from 2001

until his death.

. Charlie was a wealth of railroad lore and

regularly contributed interesting history articles to the

ASME Rail Transportation Division newsletter.

We express our sincere condolences

FROM: ASME RTD Newsletter

I am very sad to hear of the passing of Charlie Smith. I had some correspondence with him in years past, concerning some of the equipment at our museum (and elsewhere). He was always very helpful, writing out his replies in longhand. I also believe that he was instumental in saving New York Central 0-6-0 #6894, which is now down at Whitewater Valley. Hopefully the WV will one day get the 0-6-0 operational again, and those of us who like New York Central steam will hopefully remember Mr. Smith for his part in the effort.

Les Beckman (Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum/North Judson, Indiana)

Greetings:
Charlie was willing to share his knowledge and resources.
In 1993, when I was restoring the No.999 for Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry, one of my challenges was the cab and cowcatcher. Both were exceptionally crude reproductions made from cheap lumber yard materials which was rotten and in many areas non-existant. I had virtually no original wood to work with to determin the species, types of joinery used, etc. I contacted NYC Historical Society, hoping to get some advice. Charlie was pleased that the No.999 was to be restored (and placed inside the museum) AND he had the original drawings for the cab and cowcatcher that the locomotive had by the 1930s (goal of the restoration was to have the locomotive and tender appear as they had at the Worlds Fair in Chicago in 1932). Charlie told me that when the NYC was disposing of stuff during the merger, he saved everything he could find for the 999, and these drawing were among the items that he got for the NYC Historical Society. The drawings showed not only the dimensions and joinery but there was a note as to species of wood to be used: white ash.Charlie saved me an enormous amount of time and insured that the restoration would be as accurate as possible.
J.David