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The Office of Proceedings (OP) is the office with primary responsibility for developing the public record in formal cases (or proceedings) filed with the STB, making recommendations regarding the resolution of issues presented in those cases, and preparing the decisions issued by the Board. |
The Office of Proceedings is a legal office, consisting almost entirely of attorneys and paralegal specialists, responsible for the majority of the cases at the STB. The office applies the Interstate Commerce Act, as amended by the ICC Termination Act of 1995, as well as the Board's own regulations. In carrying out its responsibilities, the Office of Proceedings obtains and applies any necessary input from economic, financial, operational, environmental, and other legal staff experts throughout the agency. |
The Office of Proceedings includes a clearance unit responsible for tabulating votes on STB cases and recording the official outcome of those votes, and a recordations unit that enters data about a filing's primary and secondary documents into the STB Recordations database, which is accessible to the public on the STB web site. |
In performing defensibility assessments, OGC attorneys meet with other STB staff to discuss cases before draft decisions are prepared. Defensibility assessments are key to issuing sound decisions that are less likely to be challenged and, if challenged, are more likely to be upheld. |
Steamtown, U.S.A., was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount. The non-profit Steamtown Foundation took over operations following his death in 1967. Because of Vermont's air quality regulations restricting steam excursions, declining visitor attendance, and disputes over the use of track, some pieces of the collection were relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the mid-1980s and the rest were auctioned off. After the move, Steamtown continued to operate in Scranton but failed to attract the expected 200,000–400,000 visitors. Within two years the tourist attraction was facing bankruptcy, and more pieces of the collection were sold to pay off debt. |
In 1986, the United States House of Representatives, under the urging of Pennsylvania Representative Joseph M. McDade, voted to approve $8 million to study the collection and to begin the process of making it a National Historic Site. As a result, the National Park Service (NPS) conducted historical research on the equipment that remained in the Foundation's possession. This research was used as a "Scope of Collections Statement" for the Steamtown National Historic Site. The scope was published in 1991 under the title "Steamtown Special History Study". The report provided concise histories of each piece of equipment and made recommendations as to whether or not each piece belonged in the soon-to-be government-funded collection. |
By 1995, Steamtown had been acquired and developed by the NPS with a $66 million allocation. Several more pieces have been removed from the collection as a result of the government acquisition. Part of the Blount collection is still on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton. |
F. Nelson Blount, the heir to the largest seafood processor in the United States, was an avid railroad enthusiast. When he was just seventeen years old he wrote a book on steam power. Acquiring the narrow-gauge Edaville Railroad in Carver, Massachusetts in 1955, he began amassing one of the largest collections of antique steam locomotives in the United States. In addition to the Edaville Railroad, Blount also ran excursions at Pleasure Island in Wakefield, Massachusetts and Freedomland U.S.A. in New York City. By 1964, another part of his collection housed at an engine facility purchased from the Boston & Maine at North Walpole, New Hampshire consisted of 25 steam locomotives from the United States and Canada, 10 other locomotives, and 25 pieces of rolling stock. |
The next year in 1964 Blount founded the Green Mountain Railroad to assume freight duties on the former Rutland line between Bellows Falls and Rutland. The MS&N began operating excursions over that trackage in 1964, and Green Mountain freight service began on April 3, 1965. Meanwhile, pieces of the Steamtown collection began to make their way from North Walpole to Riverside. |
F. Nelson Blount was killed when his private airplane collided with a tree during an emergency landing, in Marlboro, New Hampshire, on August 31, 1967. By that time a good deal of Blount's collection was controlled by the Steamtown Foundation and had been relocated to Riverside. The Green Mountain Railroad controlled the tracks that lay between Walpole, Bellows Falls and Chester, Vermont, which Steamtown was to use for its excursions. When Blount died most of the controlling stock of the GMRC was transferred to the president of the railroad, Robert W. Adams. The Green Mountain temporarily assumed passenger excursion operations from the MS&N. Now redundant, the Monadnock, Steamtown & Amusement Corporation ceased operations in December 1967 and was later dissolved in August 1971. |
In 1971, the Board of Health of Vermont issued a waiver to the GMRC for Vermont's air pollution regulations. The waiver permitted the operation of steam locomotive excursions between Steamtown's Riverside station at Bellows Falls, and Chester depot. In 1974, as the state of Vermont prepared for its celebration of the country's bicentenary, in which the Steamtown excursion featured prominently, the subject of the air pollution regulations came up again. The tourist attraction was operating on temporary permits that allowed it to operate excursions in Vermont. By 1976, the relationship between Steamtown and GMRC deteriorated as the two organizations fought over maintenance of the tracks, which were owned by the state of Vermont. |
When asked by McManus to describe the value of the Steamtown collection, Jim Boyd, editor of "Railfan" magazine said, "Everything there is no longer obtainable anywhere, whether it is the "Big Boy" Union Pacific No. 4012 or the Rahway Valley No. 15, a nice-sized locomotive any museum would give a right arm for. Most of the other large collections do not have any serviceable equipment." McManus closed his argument for the relocation of Steamtown by pointing out, "What is at stake is more than tourism and jobs. It is a significant part of America's past before the welder's torch is turned on the likes of the 1877 'Prince of Liege', the rare Union Pacific diamond stack, etc. The steel alone is worth $3 million." |
In June 1983, McManus wrote about Steamtown again, this time announcing that Scranton had taken his suggestion. He said that other cities in contention for the relocation were Springfield, Massachusetts, and Willimantic, Connecticut. "But on May 24, Scranton signed a contract to get it, pledging to raise $2 million to cover the cost of moving 40 ancient steam engines and 60 cars, few of which are operable, and to create a museum." Steamtown sponsored its last Vermont excursion on October 23, 1983, using Canadian Pacific 1246 to pull a "dozen or so cars" on a round trip from Riverside station to Ludlow, Vermont. |
Before its move to Scranton, Steamtown, U.S.A. sold several pieces of the collection. After the facility was nationalized, several other pieces were sold or traded for pieces that were significant to the Scranton area. Some examples of the original collection are profiled below. In some cases, the pieces of equipment discussed here are still in the collection in Scranton, but several others are not. When possible the most recent information on the location of the equipment is provided. |
Rahway Valley No. 15 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works, June 1916. It is a 2-8-0 Consolidation type locomotive. It was built for the Oneida & Western Railroad and wore the number 20 for that company. The railroad's initial purpose was to develop Tennessee's coal and lumber industry, but it became a short line that connected the Cincinnati, New Orleans and the Texas Pacific Railways between Oneida and Jamestown, Tennessee. |
In the mid-1930s the engine was purchased by Rahway Valley Railroad in New Jersey. Renumbered 15, the locomotive served primarily while the company's other locomotives were being serviced. The locomotive was the favorite of master mechanic Charles Nees. "Perhaps not the most efficient engine, Rahway Valley No. 15 qualified as the line's most attractive." When it was retired in 1953, having been replaced with diesel power, No. 15 was put into well-protected storage until it was purchased by F. Nelson Blount in 1959. |
In 1979, the locomotive was renumbered "1881", painted black with silver stripes, and leased to a Hollywood company for use in the filming of the horror movie "Terror Train" (1979), starring Jamie Lee Curtis. In 1980, the locomotive was repainted with a color scheme used by Canadian Pacific in the 1930s. The black, gold, and Tuscan red paint job was popular with railroad enthusiasts and photographers. The number 1293 was also restored to the engine. In February 1982, the headlights, handrails, and cab roof of 1293 were damaged when the roof of a Steamtown storage building gave way to heavy snow. |
Although the "Steamtown Special History Study" reasoned that, since this type of locomotive had historically operated in New England, perhaps as far south as Boston, it qualified to be part of the federal government's collection, the Canadian native sat unused for 12 years following the move to Scranton. Ohio Central Railroad System purchased it in 1996, and it underwent a 13-month restoration. As of July 2010, Ohio Central Railroad has lost control of most of its holdings, but former owner, Jerry Joe Jacobson, maintained a collection of vintage equipment including CPR 1293 and her sister, CRP 1278, which is also a veteran of Steamtown, U.S.A. operational locomotives. No. 1293 is still operational as of October 2011. |
"Big Boy", a 4-8-8-4 type locomotive built by American Locomotive Company in November 1941, is among the world's largest steam locomotives and weighs . The Steamtown Special History Study recommended that it remain at Steamtown as it is the only articulated type in the collection. It also recommended that it remain on static display, as it was doubtful that the "track, switches, culverts, trestles, bridges, wyes, turntables, and other facilities that would have to carry her [could] bear her great weight". In fact, since the Steamtown turntable and roundhouse were inadequate for its size, Big Boy has remained out-of-doors since its arrival at Scranton, where it was still on display as of May 2015. As of 2019, the locomotive is undergoing cosmetic restoration. |
While at Steamtown, the Shay locomotive endured extensive damage when the building it was stored in collapsed under heavy snow in February 1982. The Shay's wooden cab was destroyed, but "its sand dome, its headlight, its front number plate, its bell and bell hanger, whistle, and other components" were missing before this incident. It was determined that it would remain at the National Historic Site as it was the only Shay and the only geared locomotive in the collection. |
Bevier & Southern Railroad No. 109 was built by Brooks in 1900. This 2-6-0 type locomotive served the Illinois Central Railroad under several numbers: 560, 3706 and 3719. As of July 2010 it is located at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union and referred to as Illinois Central 3719. |
This locomotive was built in 1903 by American Locomotive Company as a 2-8-0 Consolidation type. It was originally owned by Chicago Union Transfer Railway and numbered 100. It was sold to Illinois Central Railroad Company in 1904 and renumbered 641. The railroad, which dated back to 1851, operated miles of track between Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. This locomotive pulled heavy freight in Tennessee and "must have seen hard service, for reportedly the Illinois Central rebuilt it in 1918, modernizing it with a superheater, and possibly replacing the boiler and firebox". |
The only surviving locomotive of the Chicago Union Transfer Railway, No. 790 is the only Illinois Central 2-8-0 Consolidation type of its class to survive. "About 146 standard gauge 2-8-0s survive in the United States, including Illinois Central No. 790". The Steamtown National Historic Site retained this locomotive on the suggestion of the Steamtown Special History Study. |
No. 1 was once part of the Steamtown, U.S.A. collection. This type of locomotive was originally developed for use on the flat terrain of the prairie, such as the Great Plains of Kansas and surrounding states, and thus it was referred to as a Prairie-type locomotive. The Prairie locomotives were later used by lumber companies which operated on flat forest terrain. This locomotive was built specifically for the lumber industry and served several lumber firms in Florida. |
The Carpenter-O'Brien Lumber Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1913. The company, which operated in Florida, ordered this locomotive from Baldwin Locomotive Works, which completed it in 1914. Locomotive No. 1 was put into service at the company's Eastport sawmill in Florida. The locomotive, which could burn either coal or wood, was likely originally outfitted with a Rushton, or cabbage cinder catching stack. "If so, a later owner apparently replaced the Rushton stack with the 'shotgun' stack now on the locomotive." |
After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the Carpenter-O'Brien Lumber Company was sold to Brooks-Scanlon Corporation. By 1928, Brooks-Scanlon was operating in four Florida counties and producing of lumber. This locomotive was probably used to haul logs into the mill from the woods or to switch the yard around the Eastport plant, or both. In the following years the locomotive changed hands four of five times between several interconnected Florida lumber firms. |
In 1959, locomotive No.1 was taken out of service by its then owner, Lee Tidewater Cypress, in Perry, Florida. It was sold to F. Nelson Blount in 1962 by the Lee Tidewater Cypress parent company, J.C. Turner Company. It was moved to Walpole, New Hampshire and then, across the Connecticut River, to Bellows Falls, Vermont where it stayed until the Blount collection was relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania. |
Simons Wrecking Company No. 2 is an H.K. Porter, 0-6-0T steam engine built in 1941. The tank engine, which is oil fired, worked for the US Navy during World War II in Virginia as #14. Later the engine was put into service with Simons Wrecking Co. as No. 2. |
No. 1551 is a 4-6-0 type locomotive, was built by Montreal Locomotive Works, March 1912, and originally was numbered 1354 for the Canadian Northern Railway. Used primarily on Canadian commuter lines, the locomotive was renumbered 1551 in October 1956 and retired in 1958. Blount bought the engine and restoration was begun, but never completed. In 1986, Jerry Joe Jacobson traded a 1929 Baldwin Locomotive Works built shop switcher, Iron and Steel Company No. 3, 0-6-0, for No. 1551. It was restored and ran excursions for the Ohio Central Railroad until Jacobson lost control of the railroad. Jacobson still owns the locomotive. It is stored at Jacobson's "Age of Steam Roundhouse" in Ohio and remains operational. |
Canadian National Railways No. 96, 2-6-0 Mogul type, is also owned by Jerry Joe Jacobson. It was built in 1910 by the Canadian Locomotive Company and originally numbered 1024 for the Grand Trunk Railway, then 926 when Canadian National obtained it in a merger in 1923, CN renumbered it 96 in 1951. While owned by Blount, the locomotive was used for its parts. It was sold in the 1980s and went to Ontario. It was purchased by Jacobson in 1994 and as of 2009 is stored out of service. |
Canadian Pacific Railway No. 2816 was acquired by Blount in January 1964. It was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930. The 4-6-4 Hudson, H1b class locomotive had logged over in 30 years of service pulling passenger trains between Winnipeg and Calgary, and Winnipeg and Fort William, Ontario. Later, 2816 served on the Windsor-to-Quebec City corridor. The locomotive's final run was on May 26, 1960, pulling a Montreal–Rigaud commuter train. The "Steamtown Special History Study" recommended that the locomotive be kept in the collection, as it was the only 4-6-4 in the group, but the National Park Service sold it back to Canadian Pacific Railway, who restored it and put it back into service. |
In 1998, the Steamtown National Historic Site, which is funded by the federal government, began divesting itself of foreign equipment, including CPR 2816. Canadian Pacific Railway acquired it and undertook a 3-year, $1 million restoration which included converting it from coal-burning to oil. In 2001, renamed the "Empress", 2816 was used for pricy excursions between Calgary and Vancouver, British Columbia. After taking a year off in 2009, the Empress went on tour in 2010 offering rides to the general public across Canada. CPR donated the ticket proceeds to the Children's Wish Foundation. It subsequently remained in service until 2012, when then-CEO E. Hunter Harrison discontinued the steam program. |
The engine was removed from the Steamtown collection in 1995 and was moved to the Nevada Southern Railroad Museum at Boulder City, Nevada. The NSRM then loaned (and later transferred ownership to) the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, California. |
In 2004, the Western Pacific Railroad Museum traded the 737 to the Double T Ranch in Stevinson, California. The Double T has cosmetically restored the engine to its 1914 (SP #216) appearance, and placed it on display along with some antique passenger cars. This exhibit was dubbed as the "History Train", and offers "excursion rides". During these excursions, the train does not actually move, but sounds and motions that simulate a train ride are produced to create an illusion that the train is in motion. |
The National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and organized into 16 regions and 170 local chapters located in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The NRHS sponsors the popular RailCamp summer orientation program in partnership with Amtrak and the National Park Service, offering high school youth hands-on experience in the railroad industry. |
The NRHS was formed in Baltimore, Maryland on August 18, 1935, when railfans from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Trenton, New Jersey, and New York City gathered there for a farewell excursion on the then soon-to-be-abandoned Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. Officers from railfan clubs in those cities decided to merge and form a national organization, which they dubbed the "National Railway Historical Society". |
Leon Franks of the Lancaster club was elected the first chairman of the NRHS and William P. Hamilton III of Trenton was the first NRHS president. |
The NRHS has around 10,000 members as of October 2015 and is one of the largest rail historical societies in the U.S. The NRHS is a non-profit section 501(c)(3) organization. Al Weber of St Louis, Missouri, is currently national president . Its mailing address is: c/o John K Fiorilla, Esq., Capehart & Scatchard PA, P.O Box 5016, Mt.Laurel, NJ 08054. The NRHS is "a historical preservation charity", with its future focus on education and preservation. |
The Society holds an annual national convention, featuring exhibits and excursions using historic railroad locomotives and rolling stock. It publishes the "National Railway Bulletin", a bimonthly membership newsletter containing articles, photos, and news about railroads, both past and present, as well as coverage of local chapter activities. |
The organization began a "Railway Heritage Grants Program" in 1991, to provide financial grants to "organizations that educate, publish, and preserve railroad history to benefit future generations", according to an NRHS news release. As described by the NRHS, projects assisted by the Railway Heritage Grants Program "range from refurbishing historic railroad stations and restoring vintage steam locomotives for operating and museum display, to the cataloging and storage of historic railroad archives". |
The NRHS conducts two week-long "Railcamps" each summer for high school-age youth. The program offers firsthand experience of rail history and operations, offered in partnership with the National Park Service and Amtrak and other organizations and companies in the rail industry. In 2008, participants toured Steamtown's roundhouse and shops, operating some of the shop machinery. The youth also visited Amtrak's massive Wilmington, Delaware, maintenance facility, where they went inside locomotives and met with Amtrak employees to learn about railroad careers. One participant wrote afterwards in "Trains" magazine that, "The experience truly increased my respect for the men and women who ... care for these huge machines." |
Typically, local NRHS chapters concentrate on railroad history in their specific geographic area. For example, Mid-Atlantic Region chapters are particularly interested in such lines as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Western Maryland Railway, and the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad, all of which once operated in the region. |
In addition to the study and preservation of railroad artifacts, NRHS chapter activities may include periodic excursions using historic railroad equipment, such as steam locomotives. Some chapters are involved in restoration of rail equipment and structures . Others operate rail museums or own locomotives, such as the Central New York Chapter's two former Pennsylvania Railroad EMD E8 diesel locomotives. A few chapters even own and operate entire short-line railroads, such as the New Hope Valley Railway. |
The HeritageRail Alliance is an organization for promoting the interests of and sharing information among railway preservation groups and tourist railroads. |
This is a placeholder. Please describe the group's programs and services here. |
ARM was dedicated to the interests of railway preservation across North America in museums and other non-profit organizations. |
ARM published a quarterly newsletter, "Railway Museum Quarterly". ARM held periodic conventions in various locations around the United States and Canada to share information among the member organizations. Issues addressed included insurance, regulations, fund raising, marketing, operations, volunteers, restoration, maintenance, safety and recommended museum practices. |
TRAIN was formed to benefit tourist railways in the United States. It also had its own newsletter ("Trainline") and held regular conferences. |
Since there was overlap in the interests of railway preservation and tourist railroads, the ARM and TRAIN began a program of holding joint conferences. First begun as a pilot program with the 2006 ARM-TRAIN conference hosted by the California State Railroad Museum, beginning in 2010 all Spring and Fall meetings scheduled for the future will be held jointly. |
In 2011, it was decided to merge the two organizations into a single organization, the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums (ATR&RM). In November 2012, a formal vote on the proposal was held, with the majority of the members voting in favor of the merger. In 2013, the Association of Railway Museums formally merged with the Tourist Railway Association, Inc. to become the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums. The first Fall meeting of the new organization was hosted by the Orange Empire Railway Museum at Riverside, California in October 2013. |
It was quickly acknowledged that the name Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums while descriptive, was also ungainly. In 2017 it was decided to change the organization's name to the HeritageRail Alliance and update the branding and website accordingly. |
The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation (ORHF) is a registered non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Composed of several all-volunteer groups dedicated to maintaining vintage railroad equipment, the ORHF is committed "to secure a permanent home for the City of Portland’s steam locomotives, preserve the Brooklyn Roundhouse, and establish a Rail and Industrial Heritage Museum.” |
At present, the ORHF is constructing a new restoration shop for the city's steam locomotives, the first of a multi-phase project aimed at housing them permanently. When the new Oregon Rail Heritage Center is completed, this will permit the ORHF to continue operating steam-powered excursions while openly displaying the locomotives to the public. Access to the locomotives is currently limited as the equipment is stored on the private property of the Union Pacific Railroad, out of visitors' reach. The ORHF is tasked with completing the construction of the engine house and moving the locomotives before UP razes its current roundhouse in mid-2012. |
The ORHF oversees the preservation of three city-owned steam locomotives: Southern Pacific 4449 (SP 4449), Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 (SP&S 700), and Oregon Railroad & Navigation 197 (OR&N 197). All three engines were donated to the city in 1958 and displayed in Oaks Park in Southeast Portland until restored to operation (the 197's restoration is a work in progress). Each engine has its own cadre of volunteers dedicated to its upkeep. They also give Portland the distinction of being the only city in the United States to own operating mainline steam locomotives. |
In addition to these engines, several vintage passenger cars, formerly owned and operated by the Great Northern Railway and the Southern Pacific Railroad, are owned and maintained by Northwest Rail Museum and the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. |
The steam locomotives are stored in the Brooklyn Roundhouse (located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Southeast Portland), in the middle of a former Southern Pacific yard now owned by Union Pacific. The roundhouse is in the midst of a needed expansion by UP on its intermodal facilities, necessitating the movement of the locomotives to a permanent location and the eventual demolition of the roundhouse. UP has stipulated that the roundhouse must be vacated by the end of June 2012, underscoring the ORHF's determination to build a new facility. |
The ORHF and its member groups are constantly working to organize an excursion train or special appearance by one of the steam locomotives, usually originating in Portland and running distances of up to 2,000 or more miles over the course of several days, weeks, or even months. Excursions are often planned months or years in advance in accordance with the destination, and dependent upon the approval of the host railroad(s). An excursion may be as brief as never leaving the Portland city limits, or as long as the SP 4449's journey to Owosso, Michigan for TrainFestival 2009, hosted by the Steam Railroading Institute. |
The holiday season is perhaps the most popular time for both viewing and riding, as the ORHF operates "Holiday Express" excursion trains pulled by the 4449 and/or 700 on weekends in December. The Holiday Express has enjoyed enormous success to date with as many as 10,000 passengers each year; it has, in fact, recently become something of a tradition for many Portland-area families. Holiday Express trains run along the Oregon Pacific main line near the bank of the Willamette River, while children on board are greeted by Santa Claus and company. |
Over its seven years of operation, the Holiday Express has been instrumental in raising the needed capital for construction of the rail heritage museum. In 2011, the Holiday Express operated on the first two weekends of December, raising almost $75,000. |
The ORHF consists of the following groups: |
Retired SP/UP locomotive engineer Doyle McCormack serves as the ORHF's president; he has been the engineer and chief mechanical officer of the SP 4449 since its restoration in 1975. Former State of Oregon rail planner Ed Immel, who founded the Northwest Rail Museum in 1986, serves as vice-president. The volunteer members of the restoration groups spend several hundred hours each week doing mechanical or cosmetic work on the locomotives and rolling stock. The estimated value and quantity of volunteer labor comes to $2.5 million over 115,000 hours since 1975, and it has been often stated that every hour of operation is the result of 100 volunteer hours of work. |
About 150 people volunteer for the ORHF itself every year, mainly with the Holiday Express, National Train Day celebrations, and mainline excursion trains. While the ORHF on its own has no active part in equipment maintenance, it serves as a single point of contact with the City of Portland regarding the steam locomotives. |
Other partners supportive of ORHF's mission are Union Pacific and its Foundation, the Oregon Pacific Railroad, the Portland & Western Railroad, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the City of Portland, TriMet, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Collins Foundation, BNSF Foundation, Candelaria Fund, Fred Meyer Corporation, Swindells Charitable Trust, Lamb Baldwin Foundation, and individual donors who have contributed over $1.23 million to date. |
The ORHF was formed in 1998 as the "Roundhouse Task Force" following UP's desire to expand its recently acquired Portland intermodal facilities, putting the future of the Brooklyn Roundhouse and its tenants at stake. Faced with the grim possibility of the locomotives being returned to non-operational outdoor display exposed to weather and vandalism, the foundation set about searching for a new piece of property upon which to construct a new engine house and visitors' center. The ORHF was granted 501(c)3 status in 2002 and began actively raising awareness of its mission at various public events, in addition to operating a number of excursions with the SP 4449 and SP&S 700. |
2003 saw many meetings and dialogues with parties concerned, including Portland city planners, community leaders, UP, and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). Also in 2003, the ORHF partnered with Portland development firm Shiels-Obletz-Johnsen to examine the desired properties and develop a master plan for construction. The ORHF began work on its business plan, including an inventory of all equipment at the Brooklyn Roundhouse, in 2004. 2005 was the first year for the annual Holiday Express trains, operated over the OPR main line between Oaks Park and OMSI on December weekends; it was an immediate success with 5,200 passengers. |
At first it was hoped that the roundhouse could be dismantled and reassembled on the new site, but it has since been learned that a full preservation of the roundhouse will not be possible. However, the turntable – vital to the locomotives' operation – was slated to be moved to the new engine house. When the Portland City Council approved a loan of nearly $1 million for the purchase of the site on October 28, 2009, the ORHF hired the architectural services of Hennebery Eddy to design the new facilities. Portland Parks & Recreation then joined hands with the ORHF, with Lorentz Bruun Construction being hired as the engine house contractor. |
On October 22, 2010, ORHF President McCormack broke ground on Site 1 across the street from OMSI, for a new track to be laid for temporary storage of the Holiday Express train consist of vintage rail passenger cars. One year later, on October 21, 2011, Parks Commissioner Nick Fish, alongside McCormack and other Portland dignitaries, held a groundbreaking ceremony on Site 2 for the engine house itself with about 200 people in attendance. |
Since UP's decree to vacate the roundhouse, the ORHF has been actively seeking the support of the City of Portland, the general population, and rail enthusiasts worldwide to raise over $5 million for the new heritage center. A donation of the land from UP could not be agreed upon, prompting the ORHF to commence its "All Aboard" fundraising campaign in June 2009. Response has been greatly positive thus far, with the City of Portland providing a substantial loan and an anonymous donor giving $1 million to the campaign. Other foundations, grants, corporations and individuals have contributed thousands more. |
On July 27, 2011, the Portland City Council voted unanimously to extend the repayment of its loan through 2016 and approve new leases for property and parking. |
As of June 2012, the construction of the engine house has progressed steadily with foundation work, the pouring of the concrete floor, and in most recent weeks, the erection of the frame. The member groups are in the process of moving lighter equipment out of the Brooklyn Roundhouse and preparing to move the locomotives themselves by the end of the month. UP initially intended to close the roundhouse in January, but extended the deadline to June 30 to allow more time for the new house to be completed. When construction and move-in have been completed over the summer, the grand opening of the Oregon Rail Heritage Center is anticipated for early fall 2012. |
The center opened to the public on September 22, 2012. |
The Golden State Model Railroad Museum is an operating model railroad exhibit located in Point Richmond, California, within the boundary of the Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline park. It is located in the Brickyard Cove area and features dozens of realistic city and country scenes, with trains from different eras running on several layouts in different scales. It is on the US National Register of Historic Places. |
As of September 28 2020, the museum remains closed indefinitely, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No projected date of re-opening has been released. |
Previously based in Oakland, the East Bay Model Engineers Society, which builds and operates the layouts in the Museum, was founded in 1933 and is one of the oldest continually operating model railroad clubs in the country. Construction of the museum began in 1986. |
The Museum operates models ranging from the steam engines and classic passenger trains to today's modern diesel behemoths and Amtrak passenger trains. |
The 10,000 square foot exhibit includes O scale, HO scale and N scale models, replicating many California railroading locations. |
Track layouts include historic scenes such as the Oakland Mole, Oakland 16th Street stations ca. 1955, Martinez' John Muir trestle, Tehachapi Loop, Niles Canyon, and Donner Pass. |
The San Francisco Railway Museum is a local railway museum located in the South of Market area of San Francisco. |
This small museum features exhibits on the antique streetcars of the F Market & Wharves and national landmark cable cars that continue to run along the city's major arteries. The museum is located at the Don Chee Way and Steuart Station, across the street from the Ferry Building. Admission to the museum is free. |
In addition to the permanent collection of San Francisco railway artifacts from Market Street Railway Company and San Francisco Municipal Railway, the museum features exhibits such as a retrospective on the 1906 earthquake and a replicated end of the now extinct MSR '100-Class streetcar'. |
The museum is a project of the nonprofit Market Street Railway, Muni's historic transportation advocacy group and was opened on October 7, 2006. |
The Galveston Railroad Museum is a railroad museum owned and operated by the Center for Transportation and Commerce, a non-profit organization. The museum was established with funds from Galveston businesswoman and philanthropist Mary Moody Northen and the Moody Foundation. |
The museum is located at 25th and Strand in Galveston, Texas. It is housed in the former Santa Fe Railroad station, at the head of The Strand. |
The museum was damaged during Hurricane Ike, but has since reopened. |
North Texas Historic Transportation (NTHT) is an American non-profit volunteer organization focusing on the history of trolleys in the Fort Worth, Texas, area. |
The business address of NTHT is Post Office Box 861, Fort Worth, Texas 76101. NTHT does not have a public museum or operation yet, but seeks volunteers to help preserve its collection of authentic Fort Worth trolleys. |
When the Vought Airtrans automated people mover system that operated at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport between 1974 and 2005 was retired, Cars #30 and #82 were donated to NTHT. The group also has cars and other equipment from the Tandy Center Subway which operated in downtown Fort Worth from 1963 to 2002. |
The George R. Henderson Medal was an award established by the Franklin Institute in honor of George R. Henderson in 1924, coinciding with a $2,500 fund for the award contributed by his wife. George R. Henderson served on the Franklin Institute's Committee on Science and the Arts from 1912 until 1921. The award was designated to go to individuals who made significant contributions to railroad engineering. |
In 1964, SRI International's William K. MacCurdy and Southern Pacific's William E. Thomford received the medal for achievements "in the field of railway impact control and associated car design, with resulting benefits in reducing lading and rolling stock damage". |
Santa Susana Depot is a train station building located near the Santa Susana Pass in Simi Valley, California. Originally located on Los Angeles Avenue at Tapo Street, the depot opened in 1903. The Santa Susana Tunnel opened the next year, reducing the distance and transit time between Montalvo and Burbank on the Coast Route linking Los Angeles and San Francisco. Plans and construction for the building were based on Southern Pacific Railroad standard design Two Story Combination Depot No. 22. The depot served the community of Rancho Simi as a passenger station, telegraph office, and freight depot where farmers could deliver crops for shipping and pick up farming equipment delivered by the railroad. |
Due to lessening passenger traffic and changes in the shipment of freight, Southern Pacific closed the station in the early 1970s, leaving Santa Susana Depot empty and destined for demolition. The County of Ventura purchased the depot from the railroad for $1.06. In May 1975 the building was divided into three parts and moved by truck to county property two miles east of the site it was built on. The County of Ventura designated the building Landmark #29 in January, 1976. |
The current location is next to the same railroad right of way it once served. The building sat abandoned for several years suffering vandalism, and arson caused fire damage. A nonprofit organization was formed to restore the building and ready it for public use in conjunction with the Rancho Simi Parks and Recreation Department. |
The museum was opened to the public in 2000. The depot building now houses a railroad museum, an HO scale model railroad layout, and a public meeting room. The museum focuses on railroad history in the region and has many artifacts and historic photos on display. Along with the railroad related features, the museum also has a collection of materials related to the nearby Corriganville Movie Ranch. The railroad layout models the coast route between Los Angeles, California, and Portland, Oregon, with scenery that targets the early 1950s. The Santa Susana Railroad Historical Society designs, maintains, and operates the layout. Both the museum and the model layout are open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with the exception of holidays. |
United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey |
The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey, Inc. (or URHS of NJ) is a non profit educational organization directed at supporting the preservation of New Jersey's historical railroad equipment and artifacts for the proposed New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center or in its absence, another railroad museum in New Jersey. |
In order to coordinate resources, representatives from most of New Jersey's major railroad-interest organizations formed the URHS of NJ in 1987. URHS of NJ has been working toward rescuing potential items from scrapping and has been assisting in searching for the location of The New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center. The URHS of NJ expects to play a major role in its design, content and operation. |
The United Railroad Historical Society of NJ Inc. is located at 104 Morris Avenue in Boonton, NJ. The zip code is 07005–1314. |
The URHS board of directors is composed of representatives of 15 member groups. The purpose of this is to assure all participate equally in the decision making and activities and will be representative of all of the local railroad history community. Individuals may join any member organization or The Friends of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center to participate in URHS efforts. The URHS comprises the following 15 member groups: |
A large part of the URHS collection was moved from the Lebanon and Ridgefield Park NJ storage locations to Boonton in 2010. With that accomplished the ability to do cosmetic restoration was greatly enhanced. |
The South Bay Historical Railroad Society is located in Santa Clara, California and operates the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History in the Santa Clara Depot, as well as the Santa Clara Tower and two other buildings. |
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