Middletown Railroad Day 2009

Harry Zannie (an old O&W railfanning pal of Hal Carstens) snapped this photo at Dumont, NJ

July 26th 2009

10-5 at the Middletown Senior Center 62-70 West Main Street, Middletown NY.

Admission is Free but Donations to the Senior center are greatly appreciated.


Our theme for this year will be the West Shore Railroad and its relationship to the O&W.

Presentations already in place are:

  • "The West Shore and the O&W" by Bob Karig.
     

  • "The West Shore Railroad and the Ontario Connection" by Allan Seebach.
     

  • "The Middletown Branch" by Doug Barberio
     

  • "The Chenango Branch of the West Shore and New York Central Railroads" by John Taibi
     

  •   Several Book Signings, including "The NYO&W Postcard History Series" by Joe Bux, "Northern Division Trip Guide Part I" by Bill Scott and Charlie Breiner, "Ridin' The Rails" by Mal Houck, and Coal Cars the first 300 years by MR Karig.

    This signing includes books either sold at the show or brought by members or readers who've already acquired  a copy.
     

  •  Sales and display tables with various railroad related books, videos, photos, and more including the Ontario & Western Railway Historical Society, Middletown Historical Society, New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society, Erie Lackawanna Historical Society, Ulster and Delaware Railway Historical Society, Rich Cobb, Will Davis, Aron Blum, Don Rushmore and Wil Sipple from the Roscoe O&W Railway Museum.

  Mal Houck will have a display of HO Scale NYO&W models, including; A number of the passenger cars used by the O&W and featured in  "Ridin' the Rails." O&W Steam Locomotives employed in passenger service, some of which have been featured in  OWRHS Web Articles on "Modeling the O&W." Some O&W structures, and other modeling projects. Other displays will include Charlie Breiner 's O' Scale O&W Model Collection.  Jerry Clearwater will display stocks, broad side advertisements, public and employee timetables, photographs and a few small hardware items. George Shammas will also have a display.  

    Also joining us for the first time is the The Olde Newburgh Model R.R. Club. They will have their 20' X 20' HO layout and their Lionel layout which is 8' X 8'.  Founded in 1942, the Olde Newburgh Model Railroad Club has been a fixture in the Orange and Dutchess Counties area for more than half a century. The club endeavors to share and promote "The Greatest Hobby in the World" with experienced, novice modelers and railfans alike. http://www.newburghmodelrrclub.org/

    If you are interested in having a sales table or display table please contact us asap. More information on attending vendors, displays, models etc. will be posted as this event evolves, please visit http://www.owrhs.org for updates.

    Presentations will be held upstairs in the old Church which is a wonderful space and will be perfect for the presentations as is has extensive seating, minimal ambient lighting, great acoustics and is separated from the rest of the event. There is handicap access from the street side of the building as well as stair access from the main floor.

Weehawken Trestle on Approach To Pier #2,  05-03-09

    Two of the NYO&W's 25-ton, hopper-bottom gondolas rest atop the wooden approach to the Weehawken terminal in 1909.  These were the first cars that the O&W purchased to handle the tonnage of its newly opened Scranton Extension.  Fifteen hundred of these cars were built by the Michigan Car Company and Lafayette Car Works in 1890 and 1891.  They came equipped with MCBA standard couplers and were upgraded with air brakes in the late 1890s.  Following the purchase of these cars, the O&W bought another 2,512 slightly larger hopper-bottom gondolas rated at 30 tons capacity.  An excellent resin model of these cars is available from the Old & Weary Car Shop.  Caption Courtesy of Bob Karig - Photo scanned by Ron Vassallo from the O&WRHS Glass Plate Negative Collection.

These Cornwall photos was sent to us by O&WRHS Member Mike Ciarimboli.