That "Committee to Scrap the J" was an April Fools' Day newsletter that went out to the Potomac Chapter NRHS as I recall. I also remember the return address "759 Berkshire Avenue, St. Louis, MO."

Kevin,

Was that April Fool's newsletter in the same spirit as the one that once reported that the Tom Thumb was headed across country to one of the Sacramento Railfair events on its own power, pulling the Imlay coaches? Not sure if that was a Potomac Chapter prank or High Green (Chesapeake RRE)? In any case I reall that CSX had to issue a statement denouncing the story.

Wesley

That great April Fool's Edition was the "High Green" of the Chesapeake Division of the Railroad Enthusiasts. As a former editor of the newsletter I was safely in Germany at the time. I remember nearly falling out of my chair as I read the outragous items, one of which was that the "Tom Thumb" was heading to Sacramento under its own power and would be pounding its way over Sand Patch grade by the time the newsletter was out. It also had impossible trips listed in the coming events section and extinct locomotives discovered in barns. The editor at the time published under a pen name that fooled many for years and would probably still want his name not used, but has moved on to a senior position at a major railroad. Humor and railroads can go together and this was just an example that really pushed the envelope.

When we took 1522 to Wisconsin for the Chicago trips in 1988, we did a freight run from Fon du Lac to Stevens Point and overnighted there. We put the engine in the roundhouse for the night.
About midnight some of our crew was washing up in the employee's washroom and a WC crew came in off the road. One guy said, "Jeez, why is it so damned hot in the roundhouse tonight"? One of our crew said it was because there was a steam engine sitting in there fired up. The WC guy wasn't having it until he went out to the house and looked. He came in all wide eyed and said "There really is a steam engine in there".
Popping up unannounced on folks was fun most of the time.
Coming out of Frisco's Lindenwood yard before dawn one morning we were really barking up the hill and passed some apartment houses next to the tracks. Lotta surprised faces in the windows half asleep.

I just saw this, and the stories are so great, I had to "bump" it up for the rest of us who haven't seen it yet!

I'm glad this got revived, I'd forgotten all about it.
How about these for quotes?

"Man, that Ross guy says he's going to run a special steam passenger train from NYC all the way to Utah for the golden spike centennial, and get it on the iron by next year! What a [bleep]ing pipe dream, that'll never come to pass!"
Anonymous foamer, 1968

"Man, that Ross guy says he's going to run steam all around the country, with a red/white/blue train filled with historic artifacts from the national archives and other places! What a [bleep]ing pipe dream, that'll never come to pass!"
Anonymous foamer, 1973

I don't know if he was a railfan or not but I once had a guy insest that a trackmobile could not pull the caboose he was on because it was smaller, I pointed out that a locomotive is smaller than the whole mass of the train but he said that was different. He still diden't seem to belive it when he was standing on the caboose and the trackmobile was pulling us along.

Also

Leonard F Shaner Jr

nuff said

My understanding is the "Committee to Scrap the J" talk was started up to scare away said railfan, who engaged in dangerous and possibly illegal activities during steam excursions - such as crawling into and above the drivers on a live steam engine, so you could only see his feet sticking out from trackside.

My favorite quotes on this site were the annual announcements that the "1361 was going to steam into Altoona this year", or to that effect, from Scott C. I always wondered if he really believed that...

Chris.

My favorite: IN A RAILWAY MUSEUM RESTORATION FACILITY, an unauthorized entrant walks in unannounced, taking down the safety chain to allow access. When confronted by staff, the trespasser remarks: "It's OK--I'm a railfan." *Gulp!* (true story)

Tree-Hugger: "OHmaGaaawd...this thing is terrible! You're killing the earth burning that coal like that!!!.... How can you even sleep at night?"

Me: "Have you ever moved 10 tons of coal with a shovel this size? It's real easy to sleep."

Sounds like a Shaner-ism

My favorite quote was from back when I invited a father and his young son up into the cab. The father was trying to impress his son with his knowledge of steam locomotives. He pointed to the Detroit "Bulls Eye" hydrostatic lubricator and said....."And son, just look at the size of the carburetor on this thing!"

Keith

I tell you, I didn't think any other stories would come or that they would get even better--but this has to be tops! It even beats out the people who think brake wheels are for steering--oh, and I've seen that myself at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, when a mother pointed out the "steering wheel" in cab of Philadelphia Suburban 66.

I tell you, I think the railroad industry needs to sponsor something like my proposed TV series to educate people!

I was down in Libertyville to watch 765 highball through this summer. A little league game was being played about 15-20 yards from the tracks. When 765 starts pounding up the main like a bat out of hell, that Nathan 6 making a beautiful racket, The umpire turned his head to see what was going on and completely missed calling a strike. Benches cleared. It was rather amusing.

I had a know it all tell me once that he was the engineer of the Reading and Northern 425 and that he knew it was capable of 125 miles an hour and that the exhaust was a whopping 25,000 decibels. Strangely enough, when it pulled out of town that day, he wasn't behind the throttle. I swore he was a relative of the R&N's "official videographer." Speaking of which, he and all of his imaginary friends have been quiet lately.