What exactly happened at 1988 NRHS Convention?

psa188 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:49 pm

EJ Berry wrote:

Now both Class I's have been swallowed by the same megaroad and the meetings are in a passenger station in the suburbs. Meetings are disrupted every 20 minutes or so when a train makes a passenger stop. I guess there are worse ways to disrupt an NHRS meeting.Phil Mulligan

Now that you mention it, I forgot to point out that Central Coast also meets in a historic train station, Caltrain's Santa Clara stop. Our meetings often get interrupted by noisy F40s.

mcgrath618 · **Joined:** Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:54 pm **Posts:** 210

EJ Berry wrote:

Back in the day, our NHRS Chapter had the luxury of 2 Class I's headquartered within blocks of the meeting site. We had members from both Class I's. We got addressses from people of both roads.

Although when they did a survey of their favorite Class I a plucky smaller road about 85 miles to the East won.

Now both Class I's have been swallowed by the same megaroad and the meetings are in a passenger station in the suburbs. Meetings are disrupted every 20 minutes or so when a train makes a passenger stop. I guess there are worse ways to disrupt an NHRS meeting.

Phil Mulligan

I assume you’re a member of the Philadelphia chapter. As a young person, what do you guys do? What is discussed? Are charters ever… well, chartered?

psa188 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:19 pm

mcgrath618 wrote:

EJ Berry wrote:

Although when they did a survey of their favorite Class I a plucky smaller road about 85 miles to the East won.

Phil Mulligan

I assume you’re a member of the Philadelphia chapter.

If this is about the Philly chapter, I'd like to know what plucky Class 1 exists 85 miles to the east.

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2021 6:12 pm

First, we discuss the latest rail news. We have people from local roads that are knowledgeable. Sometimes prior NHRS Conventions come up.

Currently in-person meetings are suspended. Restaurants, stores etc are operating at 100% capacity but the RR Station is publicly owned and capped at 15 people. They are not doing Zoom Meetings. The newsletter is printed and sent via US Mail.

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles.

Phil Mulligan

psa188 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2021 6:33 pm

EJ Berry wrote:

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles. Phil Mulligan

I am going to nit-pick here are and point out that "northeast" and not "east" is more appropriate in this case.

mcgrath618 · **Joined:** Mon Feb 15, 2021 6:54 pm **Posts:** 210

EJ Berry wrote:

First, we discuss the latest rail news. We have people from local roads that are knowledgeable. Sometimes prior NHRS Conventions come up.

Currently in-person meetings are suspended. Restaurants, stores etc are operating at 100% capacity but the RR Station is publicly owned and capped at 15 people. They are not doing Zoom Meetings. The newsletter is printed and sent via US Mail.

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles.

Phil Mulligan

See, I would love to join, even if all that happens is what you describe in the first paragraph. However, I definitely couldn’t justify paying dues, especially if in-person meetings aren’t occurring.

psa188 wrote:

EJ Berry wrote:

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles. Phil Mulligan

I am going to nit-pick here are and point out that "northeast" and not "east" is more appropriate in this case.

However, I’m fairly certain that on the railroad CNJ’s Jersey City Terminal was eastbound ;)

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:29 pm

psa188 wrote:

EJ Berry wrote:

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles. Phil Mulligan

I am going to nit-pick here are and point out that "northeast" and not "east" is more appropriate in this case.

"Timetable direction" versus "compass direction."

There's a line from Phoenix northwest and then north for 300 miles where the TT direction is "eastbound" (to Kansas City and Chicago).

EJ Berry · **Posted:** Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:23 pm

Years ago, Rege Cordic noted a 250+ mile circle trip on the B&O around Pittsburgh where you went continuously RR East and wound up back at Glenwood Jct. in Pittsburgh which you had passed at the start. Then you could back Westward into the B&O Station.

It would be a good route for a fantrip but I don't think they ever did it. Cordic was a Pittsburgh radio personality and his father worked for B&O. Cordic himself did a series on Pittsburgh's 77/54 "Flyin' Fraction" trolley.

Phil Mulligan

robertmacdowell · **Posted:** Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:37 am

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

There were chapters that used to do 2-4 mainline excursions A YEAR. Over lines that no longer exist, in many cases. With equipment that, in some cases either literally wore out or was incapable of being maintained for decades. There were Chapters in the South that literally revolved almost entirely around offering a Southern steam special once or twice a year.

There are chapters that used to do 2-4 mainline excursions A MONTH.

The Bluewater Michigan Chapter was *defined* by having a considerable coach fleet either through chapter or member ownership. They resided in the former SEMTA yards and shops in Pontiac. They could field 20 coaches for a mainline excursion; it's what they did.

They "wheel and deal"ed for excursions all over Michigan. Mackinaw, Petoskey, Leelenaw, Frankfurt, all over the thumb on TSBY...

... but just as much, they leased their coach fleet to just about everybody who was running a mainline excursion in the midwest, and of course they co-sold tickets. As a Bluewater member, you got a lot of mail with flyers like this.

Attachment:

foo_0001a.jpg [ 187.18 KiB | Viewed 4602 times ]

Of course, usually they were blue.

psa188 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:16 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

"Timetable direction" versus "compass direction."

Oh. Living in California, I have difficulty using "timetable direction" since I figured out that a train on the Palmdale cutoff going to Colton is "eastbound" but a train on the adjacent Santa Fe going in the same general direction to San Bernardino is "westbound."

choodude · **Joined:** Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:58 am **Posts:** 312

psa188 wrote:

EJ Berry wrote:

As to the Big Little Railroad 85 miles East - it's the CNJ. Reading Terminal to Jersey City Terminal is about 85 miles. Phil Mulligan

I am going to nit-pick here are and point out that "northeast" and not "east" is more appropriate in this case.

On the Pennsylvania Railroad, from Zoo Interlocking in Philadelphia to New York City is Eastbound.

It's the Highway system that is wrong. Lol.

Brian

Rick Rowlands · **Posted:** Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:44 am

Here in Youngstown the Y&S Railroad is northbound, the adjacent NS Youngstown Line going the same direction is southbound, and on the other side of the river the CSX main going the same direction is eastbound. By the compass all are going southeast.

When I worked for CSX it took me a while to grasp why the clearly north south Columbus subdivision was considered an east/west railroad until I realized that Toledo is west of Newport News!

psa188 · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:15 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

The ONLY benefit most members get from the National is the now-twice-annual Bulletin magazine--and as one former railroad executive openly bellowed at a meeting where he asked National execs what would be done to improve it, "IT'S CRAP!!!!!!"

I beg to differ and point you toward this thread [http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45840] and add that, although the publication schedule is irregular, there are 4 issuers per year, not two. Last year, they did combine two editions into one larger one, which I hope is an exception.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:33 pm

psa188 wrote:

I beg to differ and point you toward this thread [http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45840] and add that, although the publication schedule is irregular, there are 4 issuers per year, not two. Last year, they did combine two editions into one larger one, which I hope is an exception.

The Bulletin of old would have 2-3 articles per issue of that caliber. True, they were on smaller pages and in smaller type, for what's that's worth.

And "combined issues" is perfectly acceptable when you have something like a commemorative "special issue" for the likes of the 50th anniversary of the formation of Amtrak or Conrail or whatever. Have we had that lately?

Don't be fooled by the cereal companies' practice of increasingly less product in a bigger box.

Heavenrich · **Joined:** Mon Aug 23, 2004 11:07 am **Posts:** 630

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

psa188 wrote:

I beg to differ and point you toward this thread [http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45840] and add that, although the publication schedule is irregular, there are 4 issuers per year, not two. Last year, they did combine two editions into one larger one, which I hope is an exception.

The Bulletin of old would have 2-3 articles per issue of that caliber. True, they were on smaller pages and in smaller type, for what's that's worth.

And "combined issues" is perfectly acceptable when you have something like a commemorative "special issue" for the likes of the 50th anniversary of the formation of Amtrak or Conrail or whatever. Have we had that lately?

Don't be fooled by the cereal companies' practice of increasingly less product in a bigger box.

Years ago, NRHS changed to a better printer, went to a larger format and went to 4 issues per year, the dual issue was intended to get the volume numbers and year back on track (and saved some money).

The amount of content per year is about the same as it was under the old format.

What people have to remember is NRHS is a volunteer organization and many of these volunteers have day jobs and families.

Bob H

What exactly happened at 1988 NRHS Convention?

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