During the same month (and on the return trip) as the #75's trips to Whitewater Valley and the Great Smoky Mountain, John and Barney Gramling's 0-4-0, former Flagg Coal Company #75, will be making a triumphant return visit to the "Dunn Paper lead" in front of our Edison Depot Museum September 22-24th.



This is part of our 2nd Annual "Hobo Fest" this weekend. She will be preforming demonstration runs from 10 AM - 5 PM, and will also be open for cab tours during this period. If you weren't here for her last visit in 2004, you missed all the fun; nothing quite like doing master salutes to 700 - 1000-foot Great Lakes Frieghters!



In turn, like last year, we will be having handcar rides again as well, allowing you to experience being a gandy-dancer/ section man.

A first, however, is Canadian National's "Little Obie", which is a small motorized version of one of their locomtives and a cboose for the kids. We thank CN for their sponsorship of this portion of the event:



All this, as well as SPAM cookoff, hobo camp, and music by the Wood's Edge Warblers. All in all, a rail weekend to behold.

For further information, check out the following link:

http://www.phmuseum.org/edison.html

TJ Gaffney
Curator of Collections/ Assistant Lighthouse Keeper/ Hostler/ Exhibitions Coordinator/ Dinosaur Tamer/ Tour Guide for USCG Bramble, Edison Depot Museum, Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, Huron Lightship, Carnegie Center/ Fundraiser/ Museum store clerk/ Volunteer/ Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none
Port Huron Museum

How do you get all those titles on your business card? Do you use both sides?

Yup. And sometimes, if I right REALLY thin, the edge of the card....


TJ

TJ, You forgot one other title. Don't forget "Senior Executive Acting Assistant Head-Flunkey-in-Charge" :)

Assistant Manager of Harrassing Beck. Oh wait, I think that position has already been spoken for...

I have an assistant? Wait, you are confusing TJ with TW - he's the assistant manager of harassing Beck (both still live with mom & dad**)


** apologies to other members of the board - this is an inside joke

:- ) Yeah, as well as "underwater basket weaver (hey, got to used that high-falutin' college education somewhere), auto mechanic, deckhand, wiper, log cabin-chinker, and hired gun.

Actually, I understand "have gun, will travel" reads the card of a man......

TJG

I thought this thread deserved a bump before it gets buried. I wasn't in attendance last year but I attended the Thomas Edison celebration two years ago and I can attest to the fact that TJ and the Port Huron Museum group did a tremendous job. The city and local officials really seemed to get behind and support this museum. The local talent that played music and entertained during the event were really enjoyable. If you can do it I highly suggest coming over to Port Huron for this festival.

Greg:

If the "city and local officials really seemed to get behind and support this museum" as you have said, then maybe they'll come up with the funds to save one of the Great Lakes car ferries so that TJ can have some place to preserve a few other examples of railroad equipment that are "native" to the area (in addition to saving an important maritime artifact!) Oh wait, maybe it's already too late for that.

Les

Les-

Got a spare $250,000? The Pere Marquette #10 is sitting in the frog pond in Toledo.... ;- )

We have had our successes and failures like any museum/ community, and its true, we tend to get a bit more support for maritime heritage here than rail. It often seems like an uphill battle in a community whose rail heritage was just as important to its growth/ history as its marine, but suffice it to say that marine is where the dollars are right now. You do have to admit; how many communities on the Great Lakes have a Tall Ship, ex-180 USCG cutter as a museum (Bramble), the last lightship as a museum (Huron), the oldest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, 2 international bridges, an active Coast guard Station and an Aspen class USCGCutter (Hollyhock)? That, and having active steam at the Huck, SRI, and Greenfield Village within an hours drive makes many locals think we don't NEED rail preservation here, or it isn't 'our niche."

However, saving one of only two surviving pieces of passenger equipment built/ repaired at the local Fort Gratiot Car Shops of the GT/ C&GT (1882-1913), the 1858-built depot that Edison worked out of as a boy, the third oldest (1878) Porter-built loco in existence named after the guy who named Port Huron ---- its a start. Add into that the first steam since 1972, and we are doing a bit better than treading water in the rail department. We could be doing a WHOLE lot better, but you take what you can get.

TJ

TJ-

You guys at Pt. Huron have done a fantastic preservation/restoration job. But the loss of Pere Marquette #10 is a real disappointment. Here was a boat that was important from both a maritime and railroad standpoint. PLUS, Pere Marquette 10 was in regular service out of Pt. Huron for many, many years. I can understand the museum Board hiccuping at the cost of the boat but not even attempting to save it seems like a real shame.

Continued success with your museum. Hope the September 22-24 visit of 0-4-0T #75 helps make the 2nd Annual Hobo Fest another winner.

Les [/u]