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The New York Museum of Transportation

Volume 31, Number 3 May-June, 2017

NANCY UFFINDELL TAKES THE HELM

Nancy Uffindell in the gift shop.

Photo by Jim Dierks.

When the chairmanship of the Events Committee became open in April, Nancy Uffindell stepped up to fill the breach. The committee had already laid out a plan for this season’s events, and ongoing work will center on carrying out this schedule. However, work will soon begin in establishing a schedule for next year. To both carry out the 2017 and to establish the 2018 schedule, Nancy will need your help. Please contact Nancy with your ideas or your pledge of time to bolster NYMT’s series of special events.

TROLLEY AND TRACK CAR CREWMEN RECERTIFIED FOR 2017

Trainmaster Charlie Lowe and Chief Track Car Operator Rich Fischpera led the annual spring recertification program. At present, trolley crewmen include, in addition to Lowe and Fischpera, Doug Anderson, Bob Achilles, Steve Huse, Carlos Mercado, Dave Mitchell, Jack Tripp, Bob Sass, Jay Consadine and Carter Brown. Trevor Adams is in training to be a Trainman. The track car crew consists of Rick Fischpera, Rick Holahan, Taylor Reed, Carter Brown, Gary Lamphron, Jack Tripp, Bob Achilles and Charlie Lowe. New additions to these crews are always welcomed; contact either Charlie or Rich if you are interested in becoming part of the operating team at NYMT.

CARLOS MERCADO AND JACK TRIPP

JOIN BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Carlos Mercado strikes a classic

pose with NYMT's Strafford cars.

Photo by Jim Dierks.

The Board of Trustees recently voted to add Carlos Mercado and Jack Tripp to its roster.

Carlos Mercado, motorman 14, has been volunteering at NYMT for over a decade. He rode to school on Philadelphia streetcars in the 1950s and gained a strong interest in electric traction as a result. Carlos’ enthusiasm for NYMT and his many associations in the community will surely aid the Board and the museum in the years to come.

Jack at the controls of car 168.

Photo by Jim Dierks.

Jack Tripp, motorman 16, has, like Carlos, been volunteering his services for more than a decade. He has been a track car operator all those years, and he became one of our motormen soon after regular trolley operations began in 2006. Your editor, who trained Jack as a motor-man, well recalls Jack’s smooth touch with the trolley controls right from the beginning. So deft was Jack’s handling of the car that your editor seriously asked “Jack, what trolley company did you work for?” Your editor was shocked when Jack replied he had never operated a trolley car before! Jack, though, held many positions during his working career and has a lifetime of successful adaptation to new challenges. Serving on the Board will doubtlessly be as clean a transition for Jack as was his becoming a motorman.

SHOP REPORT

Philadelphia and Western 161 — Serious air system problems arose on car 161 this spring. The car’s safety valve kept popping at a low pressure, and it was moved to track 2 in the trolley barn for further examination. It soon developed that the car’s air dryer was clogged, letting some air get through but holding back so much of the compressor’s output that the safety valve was popping. The safety valve was removed, inspected for damage, thoroughly cleaned and replaced. The air dryer was removed and replaced with a through pipe. The automatic drain valve was removed and replaced with a petcock that had come, doubtlessly, from Magee Transportation Museum. A temporary means of supporting the piping, with the dryer removed from the car, was devised and installed along with the new piping. Working under the car was demanding but firing up the car and having it work well was satisfying. Bob Sass led the repair effort, with technical assistance from Charlie Lowe and additional help coming from Bob Achilles, Carter Brown, Bob Miner and Gary Lamphron.

Philadelphia and Western 168 — With the sidelining of car 161, car 168 was placed back in service as the museum’s operating car. So that crew testing could be undertaken, Jay Consadine led a crew in oiling the car. Air system tests followed, and the car performed well during training runs. It was placed on track 1 so that it could easily be parked after use, track 2 being a tight fit with G&W caboose 8 also on track 2. In early May, Bob Achilles and Jack Tripp finished the bulkhead window glass replacement project by installing the many tiny brass screws holding the quarter-round in place.

NJT 7 — Project manager Bob Sass traveled to Rockhill Trolley Museum in April to be trained on cleaning the many contactors on car 7.

R&E Shelter House — As the first part of the repainting project, Carter Brown successfully opened the door to the shelter. This door had been jammed shut, and Carter was the first person inside the shelter in perhaps a decade. Scraping and sanding old paint was underway in May and June.

Track — The track crew has been replacing track bolt lock washers on the section of the railroad between a point just south of Reid’s Crossing and BOCES Crossing. When built, this section of the railroad was built using “hardware store” lock washers which are much smaller than railroad lock washers. A great many of these had become jammed in the holes of the angle bars, were fully compressed or, in some cases, cracked through. About 150 lock washers required immediate replacement. New ⁷/₈-inch-diameter railroad lock washers were obtained. Each replacement required the nut to be removed from the bolt, the old washer removed, a new washer installed and the nut tightened down with the proper torque. The track crew, led by Rich Fischpera and including Carter Brown, Rick Holahan, Gary Lamphron and Taylor Reed, worked through April and into May completing this arduous task. Nearly two hundred lock washers were installed as part of this Herculean effort.

Work also continues on the design of a new culvert for the loop track. The present pipe is crushed at its ends and is set so low that it acts as a dive siphon culvert rather than a free-flowing culvert with an air space. This pipe is so short that the embankment is far too narrow for electric cars to routinely use this track.

The track crew began work at the loop track culvert on May 31, with Carter Brown, Rick Holahan and Rand Warner shown here removing a reluctant spike from one of the ties to be removed for the excavation. Rich Fischpera photo.

Facility — The Ford tractor’s mower has recently seen work; the three-point hitch had to be disconnected as it was no longer working correctly. The two lawn tractors need work. The snowplow truck has its fuel tank lying on the ground so repairs here are needed, too. Dave Coon would like to hear from you if you can tackle any of these jobs. On the plus side, new “Trolley Ride” signs have been installed on the way out to the brick loading area.

Overhead — The construction of subassemblies for the electrification of the loop track has been completed. Attention is now turning to wiring the overhead to a point just south of Forest Lane.

Pavilion — The plan for the pavilion has been accepted by the Town of Rush. Scout Ryan Russell is shown at right with the building permit in hand.

Board — The Board of Trustees added Carlos Mercado and Jack Tripp to its number in March. In April, the Board reaffirmed longstanding practice with policies that formally state that only Board members may attend Board meetings, and that only Board members may become an officer of the corporation. The Board also approved the purchase of a track alignment tool for the track crew which will greatly ease the task of re-gauging track when it is found to be either too wide or too narrow. In May, the Board elected its officers for the following year and approved the 2016 Annual Report.

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

NYMT’s special events are a vital part of the museum’s income and require many volunteers to be successful. Please consider offering Nancy Uffindell your time and energy to make these events truly special.

June 18 ( Sunday) – FATHERS DAY SPECIAL

Dads and Grandfathers receive free admission today when accompanied by a youth(s) age 3 – 12. Trolley rides operate every Sunday through October 29 and are included with a museum visit. The only trolley operation in New York State brings back the interurban era of a century ago. The clickety-clack on the rails and the toots of the air whistle are a unique thrill as the 20-minute trip wends its way through beautiful rural countryside.

July 22 (Saturday) – TROLLEYS AT TWILIGHT

Many trolley companies across the country created popular amusement parks and picnic grounds. The New York Museum of Transportation recreates an evening at an old-time "trolley park" with the happy sound of the calliope providing the background for authentic trolley rides through the rolling hills. SPECIAL HOURS 4:00 p.m. - dusk

August 6 (Sunday) – RAILROAD DAY

Thrill to the romance of the rails with velocipede rides, “Gandy Dancer” track work demonstrations, model railroads, and much more. Trolley rides on the museum's own railroad bring back the clickety-clack on the rails as the 90-year-old trolley travels the scenic run.

September 17 (Sunday) – ANTIQUE FIRE TRUCKS

Pumpers, hook-and-ladders, fire engines--they'll all be there to kick off the museum's annual Fall Foliage ride season. These beautifully restored fire trucks are proudly displayed by the Genesee Valley Antique Fire Apparatus Association. Find out why firemen wear red suspenders! Trolley rides throughout the day.

September 17 – October 29 (Sundays only) – FALL FOLIAGE BY TROLLEY

STEAM TRAIN EVENT APPROVED

In April and May, a team of negotiators from NYMT and Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum met to discuss operation of a steam-powered train north from RGV to BOCES Crossing. The final agreement calls for test runs of the train to occur on Friday, August 18, and regular runs to occur on August 19, 20, 26 and 27. Steam trains will not disembark passengers at BOCES but the NYMT trolley will operate to a point near BOCES Crossing, permitting NYMT visitors on August 20 and 27 to view and photograph the steam train when it reaches BOCES.

Bob and Laura Pearce spent some time cleaning up the front entrance to the museum recently. Extra effort like this is what makes NYMT happen. Photo by Jim Dierks.

ROCHESTER STREETCARS......................... No. 83 in a series

© Charles R. Lowe

Rochester and Eastern’s 1904 freight motors 925 and 926 were rebuilt into combination passenger and express cars during 1913. In our company photo of car 926 on Commercial Street in Rochester, four windows flank each side of the central baggage door while only one had been present originally. At the rear of the car (the left side of the photo), the last two windows lack the bars found at the other six windows; the bars prevented window breakage in case freight shifted. This suggests that as many as eight seats were located in the passenger compartment, separated from the freight section by a bulkhead.

Perhaps this added capacity was of benefit to the R&E passenger department but with long layovers at Canandaigua and their second class nature, R&E freight trains offered only the slowest of service. Both R&E freight cars were rebuilt again in 1927 but the seats may well have remained in place. R&E freight (and passenger) trains ceased operation on July 31, 1930, and the freight cars were scrapped shortly after official March 1932 abandonment of the once-great interurban.

HEADEND

Headend

Editor Charles R. Lowe

Associate Editor James E. Dierks

Printer Bob Miner

On-Line Publication Bob Sass

Officers and Trustees

President and Trustee Charles R. Lowe

First Vice President and Trustee Carlos Mercado

Second Vice President and Board Member Bob Sass

Third Vice President and Trustee Jack Tripp

Secretary and Trustee Jim Dierks

Treasurer and Trustee Bob Achilles

Trustee Doug Anderson

Trustee Ted Strang

Department Leaders

Archivist Jim Dierks

Chief Engineer Charlie Lowe

Chief Lineman Charlie Lowe

Chief Track Car Operator Rich Fischpera

Exhibits Manager Jim Dierks

Event Manager Nancy Uffindell

Facilities Manager Dave Coon

Gift Shop Crew Manager Beth Adams

Gift Shop Manager Doug Anderson

Group Tour Manager Jim Dierks

Historic Car and Building Manager Charlie Lowe

Marketing Manager Jim Dierks

Master Mechanic Strafford Cars Charlie Lowe

Master Mechanic Track Cars Rich Fischpera

Model Railroad Coordinator Bob Nesbit

Membership Manager Bob Sass

New Volunteer Coordinator Carlos Mercado

Officer of the Day Manager Jim Dierks

Substation Chief Operator Bob Sass

Trainmaster Charlie Lowe

EDITORIAL COMMENT

By the time you read this, our season of special events will be underway. Special events are an important means by which museums reach out to new visitors. For volunteers, special events are a chance to perform new and different tasks. NYMT's upcoming special events are listed in this issue of HEADEND with the thought that readers will take a special interest in attending or, better yet, volunteering for duty.

Charles R. Lowe, Editor