The Messenger - March 97

The 1997 summer exhibit at the Phoenicia station will feature the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir. The title of the show is, "Building the Ashokan Reservoir". Building the reservoir brought many changes to the Ulster & Delaware RR, the only railroad through the heart of the Catskills. Eleven miles of track were relocated to the north side of the reservoir. The stations of Olver Branch, Brown's Station, Brodhead's Bridge, Shokan and Boiceville were eliminated. The old West Hurley station was torn down and a new station, originally named Woodstock, was built near the eastern tip of the reservoir. The U&D prospered with movement of construction materials and supplies for the dam, but additional narrow gauge railroads were built to transport stone for the dam from nearby quarries. All of these aspects of the construction project will be featured in the summer exhibit. In addition, photos showing the lifestyle of the workers and their quarters will be presented. Voulnteers are needed to help interpret the exhibit for visitors. If you would like to serve as a docent for the exhibit on summer weekends during normal museum hours, please write to: Voulnteer Coordinator, Empire State Railway Museum, P.O. Box 455, Phoenicia, NY 124164.
As part of the summer exhibit, Bob Stueding, Professor of History at Ulster County Community College and author of a book on the reservoir, "The Last of the Handmade Dams", will present a talk and slide show at the museum in late July on hte building of the reservoir. While the exhibit will be open for viewing from May 24 onward, a reception to celebrate the official opening of the show will be held on June 29, 1997, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A free souvenir brochure featuring the main themes of the exhibit will be available to attendees and show visitors. Costs of the brochure are being underwritten by contributions. A contribution of $25.00 or more entitles the contributor to a listing in the brochure as an official sponsor to the exhibit. For those of you who wish to support this exhibit, please send a check made payable to, "Empire State Railway Museum" to: Robert Angyal, Treasure - ESRM, 852 Buck Road, Stone Ridege, NY 12484. Please note on the check, "Reservoir Exhibit".

Our next member program, originally set for April 2, 1997, has been rescheduled to May 7, 1997, at the VFW hall on the East Chester Bypass (Rte 9W). Noted historian and author John Ham wil present a talk and slide show covering the Catskill mountain railroads in their heyday of 1870 through 1915. Narrow and standard gauge operations will be covered.

Effors to obtain the land needed for museum expansion were stymied by the desire of the seller to complete all aspects of his land desposition including those unrelated to ESRM's needs. However, the seller assured us that he wanted the museum to acquire the property we seek and indicated that when some of the other problems with marketing his unrelated parcels were solved, he would be ready to consider our needs. His objective is to sell his parcels at a single closing ceremony, rather then selling them piecemeal. We will keep you informed on this very important activity.

J. David Conrad, noted steam engine expert and consultant, spent time working with Earl Pardini, ESRM Director of Restoration of Engine 23, and other volunteers on December 30 crawling over, under, and into Engine 23 to prepare an estimate of repair costs for #23. The good news is that Engine 23 is worth restoring. The other news is that it will take approximately $165,000 dollars worth of materials and almost 1,100 man days of labor to do it, if done in a standard shop such as Steamtown.

The proposed library room to be installed in the attic of the museum has been shelved because the initial evaluation indicated substantial changes to the museum would be required. Pierre Levesque, architect, donated his services for an appraisal of the feasibility and costs for a libray above the existing station agent's office and lavatories. Because of the structural features of the museum and the narrow attic access at present, it appeared that a stairway with landing would be required, necessitating substantial alterations to the present structure. In addition, the library would have only a single exit, compromising the fire safety aspects of the library. The estimate for a complete facility within the station was $50,000.00 or more. The Board of Directors deemed the necessary building changes inappropriate in view of the historic register status of the museum and felt that the estimated price could provide a stand alone library from modular construction. Member contributions for the proposed library will be kept in a reserve pending alternate proposals for a library facility.

The Board of Directors welcomes Alfred R. Howes as our newest LIFE member and thanks him for his contribution and commitment to the museum. The Board of Directors thanks Raplh Goneau and Richard Wilhelm for their generous contribution of $6,000.00 each to the Land Acquisition fund. The Board of Directors thanks Harry B. Leeds for his generous contribution to the museum of $1,000.00 for our general fund. Members who have committed to our Land Acquisition pledge drive will be recognized in a future newsletter.

The Board of Directors approved in principle installation of a station public address system to announce train arrivals. The system will be used with a prerecorded tape requesting station platfor visitors to secure their children and remain or move back to the painted yellow line at the edge of the platform.
Museum hours of opening during holidays and weekends were set by the board as 11:00am through weekends were set by the board as 11:00am through 4:00pm. Hours may be extended at the discretion of the volunteer(s) on duty.
The board approved the sale of the Central Vermont flat care frame and trucks to the Catskill Mountain Railroad for $300.00 or the current scrap value, whichever is greater. The flat car has no deck, no historic significance for the museum, and offers no enclosed display facility if restored.
Designation of a Board of Advisors is under consideration. Objectives of the board would be to provide long term strategic direction, fund raising suggestions, prioritization for projects, and access to loca lcommunity and governmental leaders for cooperative and integrated efforts to expand the role of the museum in the community. Members who would like to serve on such a board are invited to send a letter to teh museum, addressed to the president, describing their intended contribution to the board.
The board adopted a formal usage policy for the museum. The policy sets forth contributions requested for museum usage, security deposits, and responsibilities. Insurance coverage is required. A museum officer is required to be present during all usage by outside organizations or private parties. No smoking or alcahol consumption is permitted within the station. Alcahol consumption is prohibited anywhere on museum premises. All usages must be approved by the board.
All debt has been paid for the former G. Gilbert property which formerly had tenants in the trailer. The trailer has been vacant for a year now and the board has approved application for the tax exempt status on the property. R. Angyal, treasurer, filed such an application prior to the March 1, 1997, deadline for such applications. The only remaining museum debt is $5,100.00 outstanding on the station intself. This sum is owed to the SHARP Committee of Phoenicia and is being paid at the rate of $1,700.00 per year.

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