In early November 1970, Steve Bogen organized a semi-informal conference of steam locomotive and tourist railway operators, held at Strasburg, Pa. This was the first gathering of its type; the Association of Railway Museums (ARM) was, at that time, almost exclusively focused on electric railway preservation.

Speakers at the Tourist Railway Conference included Ross Rowland, John Kneiling (Trains Magazine gadfly columnist) and others. This was the formative meeting for what soon became TRAIN, the Tourist Railway Association, Inc. It was held in a hotel near the Strasburg Railroad (on US Rt 30, I recall).

Site visits were made to Strasburg Railroad and to Wilmington & Western.

I attended this gathering, as I knew Steve B. and I was getting interested in this preservation of old trains thing. During the Strasburg site visit, I asked all present to form up for a group photo.

Are any of you RyPN people in this image? Can anyone put a name to some of the faces? I see Steve Bogen, Bob Carlson, Huber Leath, John Killoran, John Kneiling, Richard Stone, Marv Cohen, Bill Zaiser, Carl Sturner. Many of the pioneers and founding fathers of this rail preservation movement are in this picture.

I apologize for the large (awkward) size of the photo, but I hope it helps to ID the faces.

Howard P.

Ninth from right (in dark suit and overcoat) is Henry Dickinson, Jr. from the Wilmington & Western.

I was trying to recall that name. We chatted a few times at subsequent TRAIN conventions. Good guy.

Howard P.

The man to the left of John Kneiling in the photo is Bob Underwood, a rail historian from the NYC metro region (and one time Greyhound ticket agent in New Haven).

Howard, thanks for posting the photo!
From the left:
6th-Fred Steck (had a lovely private RR museum on his farm in Reese, MI). His CNR No.91, a 2-6-0 is now at the Middletown & Hummelstown RR.
14th- Bob Walker, Illinois Railway Museum
16th- Frank Jur, Illinois Railway Museum
J.David