Telegraphed
Dispatch July
2000
News and Information from the Empire State Railway Museum
Our
Humble Beginnings
A
capsule history of the Empire State Railway Museum from 1960.
· THE TELLTALES: News Briefs
and Noteworthy Information
· Curator's Corner / Now and Then
· Grand Central Terminal -
Conclusion
· Restoration Project:
Locomotive No.23
Editorial
The
Railroad Station: An American Institution
There was a
time, about two generations ago; when virtually every adult
American could identify with a railroad station that has played a
significant part in their life. In fact, for well over a century
and a half beginning in the 1830s, the nation's appetite for
mobility, information, and the fruits of commerce has drawn
people to the town depot¾the community's gateway to the
world¾ one's entree to new experiences.
It was here
that one stood on the platform and could talk with the engineer
of the "Flyer," ship a trunk via Railway Express, or
depart for camp, college, or war. You could receive mail-order
packages, wire money to a son or daughter, and step aboard a
Pullman sleeper for business or vacation. For recent generations
contact with railroad depots has perhaps meant brief encounters
while commuting between home and work, or encouraging
preservation efforts of the endangered hometown station. More
likely however, it has involved nothing more than just simply
passing a site where a depot once stood and speculating on how
things used to be.
Due to the
rapid expansion of railroads in the second half of the nineteenth
century and their extraordinary impact on the growth and economic
well being of the community, the town station became the focal
point for many aspects of daily life. Here the station agent
worked and sometimes resided, for he was the railroad's
representative in the community and often a key player in the
monitoring and controlling of train movements between stations
along the line. With the railroad's arrival in a town, new
opportunities opened up for contact with other communities and
the nation's expanding frontier encouraged personal travel,
facilitated commerce, and provided the means for more rapid and
reliable communication.
The railroad
depot was the center of activity. Here you could purchase a
ticket and board a train to conduct business in a distant city or
visit places you only dreamed about. Your personal belongings
would be accommodated in the baggage car, by having the freight
agent issue you a paper check identifying the items as your
personal property for redemption at a final destination.
Arrangements could be made for shipping or receiving goods aboard
the line's freight train and the U.S. Mail arrived and departed
from the depot. In the mid 1800s telegraph lines were strung all
along the railroad network¾later replaced by telephone
wires¾and the station became
the town's communication center. Agents honed their skills as
telegraphers, receiving and sending messages that governed the
movement of trains. Utilizing the lines of private companies such
as Western Union, these agents also handled communications for
the public. A telegraphed dispatch or telephone message brought
news from afar and was quickly disseminated to all that gathered
at the depot.
In time as
towns grew activities in and around the railroad station were
expanded and became more diverse. Restaurant and hotel facilities
were prevalent at big passenger terminals and some major cities
boasted of having barber shops, showers, changing rooms, and
retail stores to service the traveler. Railroad agents could help plan a complex itinerary, rent
you a hotel room, provide for secondary transportation, and even
offer traveler’s insurance.
By the turn of
the twentieth century, the remaining and operable railroad
stations and depots had become part of the social fabric of most
communities, as well as the center of commercial activity. Here
was the place where much of the town's business was transacted as
residents and visitors passed and the social commentators
gathered. For more than a hundred years and for thousands of
small towns and villages, train time was an event that commanded
attention, even if it was for no better reason than to see who
was arriving today on the "Limited," "Flyer,"
or "Special."
Our Phoenicia
Station is certainly no different than any other railroad depot
of its time. If the walls could speak or senior residents would
spin their tales of the good-old days when rails ran throughout
numerous Catskill communities, contemplate for a moment the
images their recollections and stories would paint. Let us hope
that what we have now we can share with all those who seek and
continue to preserve the heritage of our station and be able to
pass along forgotten history to the next generation
Our
Humble Beginnings:
Milestones
in Preservation
A
retrospective of the Empire State Railway Museum's
organizational
efforts during the early 1960s.
Part
One
On March 25, 1960
the Empire State Railway Museum received its initial charter from
the State of New York. While entering the fifth year of
existence, Edgar T. Mead wrote the following story about the ESRM
for the trustees and members of the museum in September 1964.
Preface
We of the
Empire State Railway Museum are proud of our humble efforts
during the past several years. For the benefits of our friends
and our many new members, the Trustees thought it would be timely
to present a capsule history of the organization, beginning with
its time-consuming start at a Westchester County site to our
present area of operations at Middletown, New York. Middletown,
located in Orange County only 65- miles northwest of New York
City, is still a "railroad town" despite the demise of
the renowned New York, Ontario and Western. The old mainline of
the Erie (now Erie-Lackawanna) and the shortline Middletown and
New Jersey Railway continue to serve the community. Every member
is a testimony and a contribution towards the preservation of
old-fashioned steam railroad trains. We are a non-profit
educational organization, and our only sources of support are
derived from our members and friends. We are a
"bootstrap" group, unrelieved by any magic sources of
personal, industrial, or community wealth. It is our
single-handed task to maintain a working demonstration train
using a coal-burning engine.
It was the
resolve of the founders that the new Museum should focus on the
actual operation of steam locomotive and coach equipment, rather
than confine itself to discussions, photographic and literary
efforts-fields truly excelled in by older railroad hobby
associations. The objective thus established, it remained for the
infant organization to discover and develop an operating site
somewhere within easy reach of the world's busiest metropolis. It
was a search complicated by high real estate prices, local zoning
laws, and claims to poverty on the part of neighboring railroad
lines- the latter undoubtedly would-be supporters of an operating
railroad museum, but not at the time able to justify donations of
materials and equipment.
During the
spring of 1960, the prospect of purchasing a recently abandoned
New York Central branchline presented itself. It was a portion of
the seven-mile Mahopac Branch, which later days supported a
commuter service between Lake Mahopac, Golden's Bridge, and New
York. It was in fact, the first rail connection into Lake Mahopac
when built in the early 1870s at a time when the Lake was
evolving into a summer resort for well-to-do New Yorkers. For an
amateur steam railroad, the abandoned branch seemed ideal. It
followed the banks of a reservoir, passing through oak and beech
forests and crossed an arm of the lake over a 110-foot
iron-girder bridge. Although the rails had been removed, the
roadbed was solid enough to invite the relaying of track with
replacement ties. The first piece of equipment designated by the
trustees was a Pullman Sleeping Car¾ but such was not yet destined
to occur.
There was an
encouraging degree of support from local residents but not enough
to bypass the barriers of zoning restrictions without
interminable delay. Suffice it that the trustees reluctantly
withdrew plans for a Golden's Bridge-Mahopac site and turned
elsewhere.
The Site
Committee toured the environs of New York every possible weekend,
and indeed numerous potential locations were uncovered. The most
promising contact, however, was with the Middletown and New
Jersey Railway, which had come under new ownership and was
looking for ways to augment its freight revenue. The railway was
associated primarily with feed, fertilizer, lumber and other bulk
commodities terminated along the fourteen-mile line.
An
ESRM donation stock certificate. Ingenious share system
devised by a trustee to purchase and repair railway equipment.
Chartered in
1863 as the broad gauge Middletown, Unionville and Water Gap, it
was typical of thousands of country branch lines constructed in
the wake of the Civil War. Absorbed around 1866 into the standard
gauge New Jersey Midland (later known as the Susquehanna), direct
passenger train service was provided between Middletown and
Jersey City via Sussex and Beaver Lake. In those days, Middletown
was a regular transportation hub, since trains of the broad-gauge
Erie Railroad passed close to the branch terminus, and tracks of
the New York and Oswego Midland were only yards away. Later on,
an electric trolley line, the Wallkill Transit, afterward called
the Middletown and Goshen Street Railway, passed nearby, choosing
for its route an underpass beneath the six or seven mile mainline
tracks rather than take its chances across the busy steel
thoroughfare. Hotels and various retail establishments designed
in "General Grant" gothic style sprouted on all sides.
By 1913, the
parent Susquehanna Railroad was ready to call it quits. Heavily
overcapitalized and serving towns provided with stronger
railroads, the line became insolvent. During the subsequent
reorganization a consortium of local feed-and-building supply
dealers purchased the section of the line in New York State from
a point known as M & U Junction (or Hanford) 14.92 miles
north to Middletown. Hanford, a mere dot on the map just a
half-mile south of Unionville, became the northern terminal for
the reorganized Susquehanna. A yard and turntable were installed
for the branch freight, which during its final days was powered
by a 2-10-0 Decapod that rattled up from Beaver Lake every
evening.
Through
passenger service was discontinued in favor of local passenger
trains which ran between Middletown and Unionville, a quaint
village not far from High Point, New Jersey. Engines were turned
on a "wye". During the thirties, a Brill railcar was
obtained, and service was aligned to fit schedules of the
Middletown High School. Handling local farm supplies by freight
trains kept the rails shiny until the mid-fifties. In fact the
two daily roundtrips to Hanford, one of them chiefly a milk run,
wore out seven steam locomotives.
In 1946 the
first brand-new piece of motive power, a 44-ton GE
diesel-electric, arrived on the property as no. 1. This diesel
rumbled up and down the weed-filled track until early 1964, when
it was taken to the Vermont Railway and replaced by no. 2, a
second hand machine (from American Cyanamid) of the same type but
several years newer.
A cruel stroke
of luck came when the Susquehanna felt obliged to cut its Hanford
Branch back to Beaver Lake, thus ending the "overhead
bridge" route between the south and north at this point. It
was invaluable to the railway since most of its loaded grain came
up to the Middletown area from a mixing plant in New Jersey. It
was clearly a time for a new look in traffic.
Ex-LI RR freight and transfer caboose no. 28. First
piece of rolling stock acquired by the ESRM.
The first
formal operation of the Empire State Railway Museum in Orange
County took place on May 13, 1961, using Middletown and New
Jersey diesel no. 1 and two Stilwell cars rented from the Erie.
It was believed to be the first public passenger train ever
operated under M&NJ control for over ten years. It was a
reasonably well attended trip¾but nothing in comparison with
what was to come.
The trustees
found that before long that obtaining suitable old railroad
equipment was not so simple. Wartime scrap drives and passenger
train service reductions had eliminated all but a very few
antiques, and there was competition from other museums for what
did remain. The first actual piece of rolling stock acquired by
the Museum was an ancient caboose from the Long Island Railroad.
The no. 28 caboose was not as unusual a car to be sure but it
became highly practical during those early days of the struggling
society. Before long, a nucleus of members arrived on the scene
to clean out the old car and repaint it for a bunkhouse and
locker-room for visiting volunteer workers. It was also used once
in a while by the Middletown and New Jersey, a feature which most
gratifying to the membership, and a latter-day role found it
covered by a plywood advertising sign (in the shape of a
locomotive) on a sidetrack where passing motorists could learn
about the train schedules.
Arrival
of Ex-Sumter & Choctaw RR no. 103 in March 1962. Weighing
in at nearly 4-1/2 tons with a traction force of 16,500 lbs.,
this 2-6-2 Prairie was built by Baldwin in 1925.
The attempt to
find a suitable steam locomotive required months of patient
investigation. Engines in good condition carried exorbitant price
tags, and rusty bargain-basement veterans needed thousands of
dollars and hours or repair. Short lines and industrial companies
were combed at length from the Atlantic to the Pacific until the
ideal opportunity arose. It seemed that the 23-mile Sumter and
Choctaw Railway, a lumbering railroad in Alabama owned by an
American Can subsidiary, was about to convert to diesel power,
thus obsoleting a 2-8-2 and an elegant little 2-6-2. To supply
the funds necessary for the purchase and repairs, an ingenious
share system was devised by one of the trustees, and thanks to
the generous understanding of the several railroads between
Alabama and New York, it was made possible to deliver the
locomotive at a reduced rate.
The Baldwin
2-6-2 arrived in March of 1962, a tiny smudge of a locomotive
atop a giant-by-comparison Southern Railway flatcar. Its
smokestack had been removed for clearance purposes, and although
its appearance was nothing short of bedraggled, the Railway and
Museum made enthusiastic preparations to unload the engine and
inspect it. Meanwhile, a local contractor built a sheet-metal
barn, and volunteer crews pushed a sidetrack into the building.
It was erected near the former turntable and water tank in
Middletown.
The TELLTALES
News
Briefs and Noteworthy Reflections
ESRM
Annual Meeting
The
ESRM Annual Membership Meeting was held at Phoenicia Station on
Sunday, May 21st. The minutes, as recorded from that meeting, are
highlighted here for those who could not attend.
Minutes
of Annual Meeting
Present: Bob Angyal, Paul
Brasky, Bob Bucenec, Nancy Burfeind, John Dearstyne, John Doyle,
Lonnie Gale, John Ham, Al Howes, Bill Kaba, Jim and Kitty
Kaljian, Bryan Van Kirk, Ernie Klopping, Carol Love, Dave Mason,
Earl Pardini, John Prestopino, Charles Selteneck, and Beth
Waterman.
The meeting
was called to order by Lonnie Gale at 12:00 Noon.
Minutes: On a motion by Carol
Love and Earl Pardini, the minutes were accepted as read.
President’s
Report:
In
the absence of the President, Beth read the "President's
Message" from the latest newsletter.
Treasurer’s
Report:
The
report was accepted as presented by Bob Angyal on a motion by
John Ham and Al Howes.
Membership: Beth reported 305
members with about 95 expired memberships were within this total.
Curator: Lonnie reported that the show
is up. Member volunteers will assist with distribution of
information. Bob Bucenec reported on the progress of the model
railroad from Phoenicia to Hunter is under construction.
Old Business: 1. Election
of Officers. Beth explained the board's policy that potential
board members attend a regular meeting before being elected or
appointed to serve on the Board of Directors. Nancy Burfeind was
nominated from the floor by Earl Pardini and seconded by Carol
Love. Lonnie Gale and Ed Bolsetzian were nominated by John Ham,
seconded by Earl Pardini. John Ham moved the nominations be
closed and the secretary cast one ballot for the election. Earl
Pardini seconded the motion. It passed unanimously.
New Business:
1. Beth announced receipt of a
$2000 grant from Catskill Watershed Corporation to distribute
videos about our shows that featured building the NYC water
system. 2. Bob Bucenec
was made an honorary life member for his services to the museum. 3.
Engine #23 - Earl reported that over 2000 volunteer hours have
been spent toward restoration. He described progress to date and
future plans of the CMRR to restore track. Lonnie asked about the
cost to move #23 to Phoenicia. Further fundraising efforts are
necessary to get the locomotive restoration completed. 4.
Volunteers on the restoration for engine #23 have agreed to take
turns helping out at the museum on Sundays, but considerable
additional volunteer help is necessary to operate this summer.
On a motion
by Lonnie Gale and Bob Angyal, the meeting was adjourned at 12:45
PM.
Shortly after the Annual Meeting adjournment, Beth Waterman and
Lonnie Gale lead members in a mortgage burning ceremony. With
final payments made, and the bank note destroyed, our Phoenicia
Station is free and clear of debt.
New
Members and Gift Shop Employee
The Board and
museum fellowship would like to take this opportunity to welcome
first time members to the ranks of the ESRM, and thank all past
individuals and families for their renewals and generous
donations for the restoration of engine no. 23.
We hope all
members will continue to enjoy the special presentations, photo
exhibitions, and author book signings conducted in our very
special Phoenicia Station. Remember that the museum's success is
its membership.
Doris
Morehouse is welcomed by Beth Waterman.
A
very special welcome to Doris Morehouse and her husband, Dakin.
Doris is a well-needed addition to the museum, working in the
gift shop to relieve volunteers that are spread thin. Within the
first few weeks behind the counter, Doris has familiarized
herself with museum merchandise and has read most of the
historical literature we offer about railroading and the
Catskills. She will be a well-versed addition to our day-to-day
operation.
Ralph
Goneau has submitted his resignation. On behalf of the Board of
Directors and all members of the ESRM we extend him a vote of
thanks for his dedication to the museum during his tenure as
president and stationmaster. His extraordinary contributions will
be sorely missed and we wish him all the best and good health.
ESRM Summer
Showcase: A History of Catskill Mountain Fire Towers
During this
years summer exhibition the ESRM is hosting a special tribute to
a rather unique topic that most people living in surrounding
villages know very little about. They may understand the
significance or the need for fire towers, but they may not be
aware of the proud heritage of the observers and the sacrifices
they made in order to protect their communities?
With nearly 60
photographs culled from our curator's collection and some on
private loan, the history of forest watching on the near peaks,
past and present, is neatly presented. On Sunday, June 18th, in
conjunction with the Department of Environmental Conservation and
the Catskill Center for Forest Preserve, two authors were
gracious enough¾through their
publisher, Purple Mountain Press¾to hold book signing at the
museum and answer questions posed from the curious and the
knowledge seeker.
Marty Podskoch
author of the Fire Towers of the Catskills:
Their History and Lore, gave a slide
presentation during mid-afternoon, that covered a number of
interesting topics from early wooden platform construction,
destructive area fires, and what the future might hold for the
lofty steel giants that often go unnoticed today.
While Marty
was presenting his research and slide collection to an SRO crowd
in the waiting room, the father and son team of Norman and
Russell Van Valkenburgh were busy signing copies of Norman's
newest book, Cub Scouts Climb the Tower:
Hunter Mountain, 1963. This
well received children's book has been neatly illustrated by
Russell and both Van
Valkenburghs were glad to entertain questions from visitors and
members alike.
If you have
not made your seasonal trip to visit the newest of our
exhibitions, time is running out, but you still have until
Columbus Day weekend. What better way to become educated on the
subject of how important fire observation platforms were to
Catskill communities and what the future may hold than through
the inspiring words of two dedicated authors and the museums
illustrated showcase.
Marty Podskoch autographs copies of his book for attendees.
The
Van Valkenburgh's, Russell and Norman, sit in the station agents
office and personalize copies of their children's book Cub
Scouts Climb The Tower: Hunter Mountain, 1963.
John
Conway wandering around Devil's Tombstone in search of lost
treasure.
In Search
of... Comes to the Mountains
From the
evidence presented in the above photograph, the ESRM was very
fortunate to get historian and journalist John Conway out of the
forest and into our station for a special event on June 25th.
As an expert
on gangsters that frequented the area, John just recently
published his insights, speculations and findings about Dutch
Schultz and His Lost Catskills' Treasure. Supposedly
buried by the Dutchman himself and right-hand man Lulu Rosenkranz
in April 1933, stories indicate Phoenicia as a center point for
the estimated five to nine million-dollar treasure.
After meeting
with museum visitors and signing copies of his new book, John
spoke to a rather focused crowd. We can not be absolutely certain
however, than Mr. Conway was as open and honest about sharing all
the information when he addressed the interested followers¾I mean, he too, is still busy
hunting for that elusive buried prize.
The colorful
mobsters and hidden treasure subject is very intriguing and
rather unique in comparison to the historic interests that our
museum usually highlights each season.
Watch your
local Fox listings and stay tuned for a special program about Million
Dollar Treasures filmed in and around
Phoenicia a number of weeks ago. If you wish to get a head start
on everyone else, read the book and maybe you could ask Lonnie
Gale for the telephone number of his personal psychic.
Concerns For
Trestle Rehab Over Esopus
A
picturesque crossing in desperate need of extensive restoration.
In the last
issue of the Telegraphed DISPATCH,
we reported on the appropriated $750,000 to help with the
much-needed upgrades for the Catskill Mountain Railroad tourist
line.
In addition to
these funds, the state DOT has agreed to rehabilitate the
crossing of Route 28 at Mt. Pleasant and a couple of miles of
track eastward from that point. If all funding components fall
into place, eight miles of track will be restored west of the
Chimney Hole Bridge and five miles east of it. To make a truly
functional railroad for the 13-mile stretch from Phoenicia to
Shokan, extensive restoration would be required on the bridge.
Pictured above
is a portion of the dilapidated 320-foot trestle in Boiceville
that stands some 70 feet above the Esopus Creek. This crossing
might be construed as a major stumbling block for the connection
of the two proposed rail routes¾one that could cost upwards from
one to two million dollars to repair.
Although the
CMRR has other immediate rehabilitation problems, the bridge will
have to be dealt with somewhere down the road if the county
tourism board and the tourist line ever wish to restore service
along the entire stretch of tracks in Ulster County from Kingston
to Highmount.
CMRR
Happenings
The Catskill
Mountain Railroad ran a special train on Saturday evenings this
summer under cool star-studded skies.
The "Twilight Limited"
brought passengers from Mt. Pleasant station to the ESRM, where
excursion riders were met on the Phoenicia platform by crew and
special musical performers. While being treated to various tunes
and refreshments, visitors had the opportunity to view the
station and photographic displays inside the station while
learning about the museum and its mission.
Al
Howes performs some pain-staking and tedious work on one of the
MU coaches.
During
day-light hours work continues on the ex-Erie Lackawanna coaches
with at least one car beginning to get a face-lift by having the
deteriorating exterior and interior sand-blasted, getting rid of
peeling paint and rust. A coat of primer will be used to prep the
car for a fresh paint scheme.
Our
own Beth Waterman joins other members of the Earl
Pardini and the Slide Mountain String Band on
Phoenicia Station platform.
Purchase
Option for Adjoining Property
The ESRM has
begun the process of acquiring an additional piece of property
that directly adjoins our existing boundaries.
During a board
meeting on July 10, Lonnie Gale addressed specific issues and
relayed information he had gathered after speaking with family
spokesperson David Coby. The Board of Directors unanimously
approved the idea of buying the property, which is part of the
estate of the late Karen Coby.
The ESRM will
launch a fund raising campaign that includes secretary Beth
Waterman applying for a CWC acquisition grant, a state grant
under OPRHP, but additional sources and opportunities are
strongly needed from the membership.
Purchase price
has been negotiated at $60,000 for the level lot and the
dwellings that sit on a .83/100 acre parcel that directly abutes
High Street. With a new 250-foot frontage on High St. and direct
attachment to our existing property it will provide the museum
with increased exposure after some choice landscaping is
accomplished.
The primary
reasons we need to acquire this property is for the protection of
our primary asset¾the station, listed on
the National Register of Historic Places¾and to facilitate expansion
plans and future CMRR operations.
An appeal for
separate membership donations will appear in future
correspondence or through the Telegraphed
DISPATCH. Should anyone have any ideas for
major fund-raisers, please contact the museum.
Historic
Restoration
The
U&DRR Historical Society should be commended on their
preservation efforts todate of former O&W bobber caboose
#8206 (shown above). Although not complete as yet, anyone wishing
to see the historic restoration project first hand can view the
railcar on a siding in the Arkville yards of the Delaware &
Ulster Railride.
Empire State
Railway Museum
Restoration
Project:
Locomotive
No. 23
The
"steam team" restoration efforts continue down on
Cornell Street in Kingston come rain or shine on Sunday mornings.
Between
mandatory safety meetings and odd jobs around the small narrow
yard, various pieces of equipment are being attended to while
members of this elite crew are trying to finalize setting-up a
machine shop and multi-functional repair facility.
Lately
these weekend warriors have been busy gearing up for important
work coming down the pike by creating an accessible machine shop
in an old box car sitting on a siding nearest the concrete dock.
The volunteers have been supplying heavy equipment such as a
crane, welding machines, a backhoe, compressors, and various
hand-power tools. The New York Power Authority has been generous
in loaning such tools as heavy air grinders, ultrasonic thickness
testers, magnetic based drill presses, rigging, air hammers,
cutting tools, precision measuring instrumentation and almost
anything else the troops seem to need.
The
original tender frame for no. 23 is separated from the wheel sets
and moved to higher ground to make work easier.
A 16-inch
heavy geared head engine lathe along with two milling machines
were purchased in order to meet the demand for critical work that
will be performed on-site. The equipment acquisition provides a
more feasible and economical solution than farming out the work
elsewhere, saving time and money¾money that the restoration
project doesn't have and that is sorely needed for future work.
The makeshift machine shop inside the boxcar needed to be rigged
with 3-phase power supply and should be nearing completion as of
this time. In the interim, a loaned electrical generator has been
used to light the box car and RS1 no. 401 (ex-Green Mountain) was
tapped to provide compressed air to run needle scalers, air
hammers, and drills.
The
new longer and reinforced frame blocked-up on the loading
platform in the Kingston yard facility.
Although some
work continues on engine no. 23, operations have shifted and are
now focused towards the reconstruction of her coal tender. Earl
Pardini made a special trip to Middletown in order to take
measurements on a replacement body that turned out to be slightly
bigger and longer. The original was found to be unsalvageable,
completely rusted out, due in part to maintenance neglect and
exposure to the elements. In order to ready the underframe to
accept the replacement, the crew needed to cut and replace worn
steel members and extend the overall frame with fabricated
channel iron for proper support. The draw bar pocket was needle
scaled cast, holed to accept rivets, and extended another 13
inches.
During the
nearly 2,800 volunteer hours already logged on restoration of our
equipment, the steam team always find the time to greet visitors
with a smile and provide an informative tour of the facility and
equipment. But, the answer is always the same when questioned
about their needs¾money to complete the
job.
Close
work in tight spaces. Ernie Klopping, one of the "steam
team", welding on an extension to 23s tender frame.
The
restoration project of Engine No. 23 will be featured on a
regular basis. Due to the historical importance of such an
undertaking, every attempt will be made to keep the membership
well informed. Joe Michaels and Charlie Selteneck will provide
current information, photographs and pertinent data on all
aspects of this monumental task. Your continued support of this
major project is needed and appreciated.
The
Grandest Terminal of Them All
Part
Three
On August 2,
1967, New York City's recently established Landmarks Preservation
Commission¾formed in response to
the demolition of Pennsylvania Station¾ designated Grand Central
Terminal as a landmark, subject to the protection of law. But a
serious threat arose the following year.
Penn Central,
formed by the merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania
Railroads, proposed building a 55-story tower designed by Marcel
Breuer above Grand Central. The Terminal's facade would have been
preserved, but rendered virtually invisible; the entire Main
Waiting Room and part of the Main Concourse would have been
demolished. When the Landmarks Preservation Commission refused to
approve the scheme, Breuer presented a second proposal, which
would have saved the Main Concourse but demolished the facade. In
August 1969, the Landmarks Preservation Commission again blocked
the project.
Penn Central
filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, essentially
challenging the validity of the City's landmark law. Litigation
lasted for nearly a decade. City leaders, including Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis, former first lady, rallied against changes to
Grand Central Terminal. In December 1976, the National Register
of Historic Places named Grand Central Terminal as a National
Historic Landmark. More importantly, the Penn Central lawsuit
went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which on
June 26, 1978, upheld New York's landmark law in a decision
written by Justice William J. Brennan for a six-to-three
majority.
Grand Central
had been spared the wrecking ball, but was far from saved. After
decades of deferred maintenance, the building was crumbling. The
roof leaked; stonework was chipping away; structural steel was
rusted. Pollution and dirt had stained surfaces; commercial
intrusions, such as lighted signs and a giant clock, blocked out
natural sunlight.
In 1983,
Metro-North Railroad took over operation of Grand Central
Terminal, and soon after, the railroad began a systematic program
of repairs and capital improvements, including a $4.5 million
project to replace the leaking roof and skylights. This urgently
needed work helped stabilize the building and enabled Metro-North
to develop a long-term strategy for Grand Central.
In 1988,
Metro-North commissioned a master revitalization plan from Beyer
Blinder Belle architects. Metro-North then asked retail
specialists Williams Jackson Ewing to prepare a master retail
plan to address amenities and services in Grand Central. In April
1990, a $425 million Master Plan for Grand Central Terminal was
presented at a public hearing and subsequently was rejected by
the Metropoliton Transportation Authority (MTA). This significant
decision was followed by an investment of $160 million in utility
upgrades, Main Concourse improvements, and structural repairs.
Statue of the "old Commodore" above the main entrance
to Grand Central Terminal.
The
original Grand Central Depot was opened in 1871 for Commodore
Vanderbilt’s New York Central &
Hudson River, New York & Harlem and New
York & New Haven Railroads. This building was
razed long ago; so was the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity
(far left) and the 42nd Street spur of the Third Avenue elevated
line (far right).
The former
Main Waiting Room was restored in accordance with the new
Master Plan, and was inaugurated as a public exhibition and
special events space in 1992.
In 1994, the
MTA gained long-term control of Grand Central Terminal in the
form of a 110-year lease from American Premier Underwriters,
Inc., successor to the Penn Central Corporation. This enabled the
MTA and Metro-North to enter into an agreement with GCT Venture,
Inc., a partnership of developers LaSalle Partners Incorporated
and Williams Jackson Ewing, to implement a comprehensive
revitalization plan based on the Master Plan for Grand Central
Terminal. Construction began in 1996 with the cleaning of the
Main Concourse and the Sky Ceiling. As restoration and renovation
continued, the project generated more than 2,000 construction and
construction-related jobs throughout New York State.
With the final
scaffolds dismantled and the last construction crew departed,
this venerable New York City landmark will now embark on a new
chapter of history. Completely restored with pedestrian
circulation overhauled, climate controls added, more than 100
shops and restaurants, and a fresh food and produce marketplace,
Grand Central Terminal will once again be New York City's premier
meeting, shopping, dining, and transportation hub¾the Grandest Terminal of them
all.
Extraordinary
GCT Facts
· The total land area of Grand
Central Terminal is 48 acres. It extends from 42nd to 50th
Streets, between Lexington and Madison Avenues.
· The building is 380 feet wide by
340 feet deep, and rises eight stories.
· The floor of the Main Concourse
measures 200 feet by 120 feet, and sits ten feet below 42nd
Street. The vaulted Sky Ceiling mural is 120 feet above the Main
Concourse.
· The sculpture group above the
42nd Street main entrance is entitled "Transportation,"
stands 50 feet tall, is 60 feet wide and weighs 1500 tons. It
depicts Minerva, Mercury, and Hercules and was created by Jules
Couton. The sculpture sits
atop a monumental clock with a diameter of 13 feet. The
completion of the sculpture's installation in July 1914 was
considered the placement of the final stone in Grand Central
Terminal.
· To make way for the Terminal,
some 180 buildings,
principally
dwellings, hospitals, churches, and the Old Grand Central
Depot was razed.
· Almost 3 million cubic yards of
earth and rock were excavated
in the process of building Grand Central. · Nearly 500,000
people pass through Grand Central Terminal each day.
· Over 18,600 tons of steel were
used to create the structural framework of the Terminal. 51,870
tons of steel were used as supports for the upper track level.
14,700 tons were used as supports for the elevated via-duct
roadways. The heaviest beams weigh one ton per linear foot.
· Grand Central Terminal contains
over 10,000 panes of glass. The terminal's dramatic arched
windows each measure 30 feet
by 60 feet and 30,000 light bulbs are used in the building each
year. Grand Central Terminal will once again be New
York
City's premier transportation hub.
NOW
and THEN
A
shot taken in the spring of 1996 of the Fleischmanns U & D
station site looking east towards Summit Mt. Only the tracks and
a shell of a freight house remain today.
A
famous William Henry Jackson photograph taken during the peak of
summer traffic circa 1900. Fleischmanns was previously known as
Griffin's Corners.
Curator's
Corner
The Curators Corner presents a picture for the "younger members"
of the ESRM - Catskill Mountain Branch of the New York Central.
Engine #1920 was built in Schenectady in 1900. This photo was taken
at Arkville, in May 1947. To the right of the engine you can see
a Mobilgas sign. This was a Socony oil yard and storage facility.
In back of the tender is the freight house which the Delaware &
Ulster Railride presently use as their station. Lonnie asks if anyone
has a better shot of the turntable, he would like to see it.
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