Short-lived but Important!

Wikipedia tells us that in 1975, the Boston & Maine Railroad Corporation filed to abandon its 73-mile (117 km) "White Mountain Branch" stretching between Concord and Lincoln, New Hampshire. Recognizing the need of the on-line customers and the potential of the line for a sewer right-of-way, the State of New Hampshire purchased the branch and sought a shortline railroad to carry out operations. The first to assume this responsibility was the Wolfeboro Railroad, which operated the line as their "Central Division" in 1976, but soon thereafter ended operations.

The Goodwin Railroad, an extension of Weaver Bros. Construction, was created in 1977 to operate the trackage, and did so until it too ended operations in 1980. The picture on the front of this post card is of one of the locomotives that were used by the Weaver Bros. Construction Company while it operated on the right of way. It is seen here at Lakeport, New Hampshire on February 10, 1978. Following the demise of the Goodwin contract, the North Stratford Railroad stepped in as an interim operator until the state could find a dependable and permanent long-term operator. This website (of the Weaver Bros. Construction Company today) gives us a great big hint about why the railroad would have been named the “Goodwin Railroad”. https://wbcc.biz/about-us/our-story/ Weaver Brothers was Incorporated in 1946 by Carlton and Halsey Weaver. The Weaver Brothers were extremely important in the construction of the highways system in the State of New Hampshire. With their John Deere bulldozer, their 1.5-yard P&H shovel, and rented equipment, they built two pieces of I-89 in Warner, parts of I-93 in Campton and Franconia, stretches of the Kancamangus Highway, and portions of Route 106 in Belmont. In 1951, Herb Goodwin joined Weaver Brothers and eventually took ownership control of the company in 1973 along with partners Richard Smith and Roger Bates. Weaver Brothers Construction was very involved in construction and reconstruction of railroads under Herb’s leadership. In 1994, the Bates brothers, Mark, Peter and Jeff, completed the buyout of the company, Mark acting as President until his passing in 2011. Jeff and Peter Bates are the current owners of the firm and have guided the work required by the State of New Hampshire for the very ambitious I-93 widening project which has represented a large part of the company's efforts in the last decade.

The photo on the post card is courtesy of Ronald N. Johnson. It was published by Mary Jayne’s Railroad Specialities, Inc. December 15, 1985 Mrs. Mary Jayne Rowe, age 82, of Covington, died Thursday, October 8, 2015, at Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Roanoke after a long illness. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, John Zern Rowe. Mrs. Rowe was born July 15, 1933 in Ackermanville, PA, the daughter of the late Stanley and Helen S. Wasser. A member of this community since 1979, Mary Jayne was a homemaker and assisted with office work for the land surveying company she and her husband owned. She taught Sunday school and was church treasurer at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hollywood, FL.

Delaware & Hudson on the Ulster and Delaware or on the Delaware and Ulster!??? I am confused.

The locomotive shown on the front of this post card is an Alco RS-36 that was owned by the Delaware & Hudson Railway. In this picture, it has been restored to run on the Delaware and Ulster Railroad in Arkville, New York.

The motto of the Delaware and Ulster is “Catskill Scenic Trail”. You can see it on the back of the post card that I have scanned below. Wikipedia tells us that by the end of the Civil War, railroads were pre-empting waterways as the preferred method of transportation. Thomas Cornell, founder of the Cornell Steamboat Company and a resident of Rondout, New York, was among those who noticed. Although Cornell made plenty of money from shipping, he planned a railroad that would bring supplies from towns in central or western New York to his port in Rondout. So, Cornell chartered the Rondout and Oswego on April 3, 1866, with himself as the first president. After a couple of bankruptcies, reorganizations, and renaming of the railroad, the Ulster & Delaware Railroad (U&D) emerged in 1875. The U&D's peak year came in 1913, with 676,000 passengers carried up into the Catskills plus substantial amounts of freight. By the time of the Great Depression of 1929 and thereafter, most of the passenger traffic had been lost to private cars on improved highways, buses and shared limousines; trucks had taken most of the non-commodity freight business; and the railroad was in serious financial trouble and a shadow of its former self. The New York Central acquired the failing U&D on February 1, 1932 Today, the Delaware and Ulster Railroad (DURR) is a heritage railroad based in Arkville, New York. This is their website: https://durr.org/about/crc-background/ The last commercial train ran through the Catskills in 1976. However, in the years following the rail line’s closure, several individuals with the support of the A. Lindsay & Olive B. O’Connor Foundation Inc. endeavored to give the Catskill Mountain Branch of the once great railroad a new life as a tourist attraction. The Catskill Rail Committee was formed to purchase and take over the right-of-way and to connect the leaders and stakeholders of towns that the tracks ran through for 45 miles in both Delaware and Schoharie Counties. A workable vision to preserve the railroad was forged and resulted in the launching of the “Delaware & Ulster Rail Ride” which in 1983 started offering scenic rides aboard vintage train cars from Arkville to Fleischmanns and Highmount and back. The D&U quickly became the biggest single tourism draw that Delaware County had to offer. This is the website of the group that promotes hiking along the former rail line: https://www.catskillscenictrail.org/about Today the “Catskill Scenic Trail” is also used by a related group that promotes hiking on 26 miles of a former railroad, now used for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and horseback riding. Get out into the fresh air and explore the trail. The path was initially forged for the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, which operated until 1932.

The post card was published by the Jack Harmon Agency out of Stamford, New York. When I go online to find out about the company, I do not see that it still exists today.

Small can also mean Important!!

Locomotive #45 was built by Alco in 1956 as a 1600 h.p. RS-3, a B-B diesel. It is seen here as it rests in the yard of the Alton and Southern

Railway in East St. Louis, Illinois. This picture was taken on Saturday, June 19, 1965, by K. C. Henkels. Our friends at Wikipedia tell us this about the railroad and its history: The Alton and Southern Railroad was formed in 1910, and in 1913 it absorbed the Denverside Connecting Railway (founded in 1910), and the Alton and Southern Railway (founded in 1911). The company was operated as a subsidiary of the Aluminum Ore Company, which was itself a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), to serve the Bayer process bauxite-to-alumina refinery at Alorton, Illinois. Alcoa sold the line to the Missouri Pacific Railroad and Chicago and North Western Railway (CNW) in 1968, and it was reorganized as the Alton and Southern Railway. In 1972, CNW's share was sold to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway. In 1982, the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) took ownership of the Missouri Pacific share and then became full owner in 1996 with the acquisition of SSW parent Southern Pacific Transportation Company. The Alton and Southern is still a legally separate entity but is wholly owned by UP. This is what the actual company, the Alton and Southern Railway, says about its history. You can find it on their website https://www.altonsouthern.com/about/ Founded in 1910, Alton & Southern Railway has a rich history as a crucial railroad in the St. Louis region. With approximately 30 miles of mainline track, we serve various industries like chemicals, petroleum, metals, and manufacturing. As a subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad, we benefit from a vast transportation network, including easy access to four Interstate highways, various river ports, and six Class-1 railroads, ensuring seamless connections nationwide. We prioritize safety, efficiency, and environmental stewardship, continuously investing in infrastructure and technology, and are committed to providing reliable services through its Union Pacific partnership.

The post card was published by Audio Visual Designs (AVD) in Earlton, New York. AVD was started in 1964 by Carl Sturner for the sole purpose of providing railfans with sound recordings of locos and trains as well as with photochrome postcards of trackside photos. These stunning color images were taken all over the country by some well-known photographers such as David Sweetland. The history and product line of AVD can be found on the company's website at www.audiovisualdesigns.com

Michigan Interstate... What is that?

The ALCO RS2 locomotives on the front of this post card have the Ann Arbor Railroad name on the side. The lead engine has a Michigan Interstate logo on its side. When Conrail began on April 1, 1976, the Ann Arbor Railroad ceased to exist. Michigan arranged for a new company, Michigan Interstate Railway, to run it, which lasted from October 1, 1977, to September 30, 1982. This last bit of information came from this website, which has a great article about the history of the Ann Arbor Railroad: https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/remembering-the-ann-arbor-railroad/ The Ann Arbor Railroad (AA) was as much a steamship line as a railroad. Built from Toledo, Ohio, northwest to Frankfort, Mich., it existed for one reason — to move freight in car ferries across Lake Michigan to bypass Chicago. From 1910 to 1968, “the Annie” operated 320 car ferry route-miles versus 292 miles of railroad. During the 1940s, up to six ferries made the round trip from Boat Landing, as AA called its yard in Elberta on the south side of Frankfort harbor, to two Wisconsin and two Michigan Upper Peninsula ports. The boats ran year-round on a tight schedule, timed to match with three pairs of scheduled Toledo freights, where AA interchanged with five trunk lines. Well-kept 2-8-2s powered those short, fast trains across AA’s rolling profile until 1950, when Alco FA2s took over. The Wabash had eyed the Ann Arbor since the late 1890s, as the car ferry service fit into its expansion plans. On November 2, 1925, it took stock control, and soon, Wabash ordered the last ferry built for the Annie, the Wabash. Launched March 19, 1926, she was the largest Great Lakes car ferry to date. AA began to dieselize in 1941 with a 44-ton Whitcomb, adding two Alco S1s in 1944. By fall 1951, steam was done as AA finished its roster with 14 FA2s, 4 S3s, and 2 RS1s. The Eastern mergers of the 1960s ultimately doomed the old Ann Arbor. As planning for Penn Central went on, the Norfolk & Western (N&W) merged with Wabash, Nickel Plate, and two smaller roads in 1964. N&W wanted no part of the Ann Arbor and its costly ferries, so AA was foisted off on the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad (DT&I), which was profitable by the 1960s. With Interstate Commerce Commission approval, DT&I took over the Ann Arbor on August 31, 1963, Today, the last two AA car ferries and the two RS1s still exist, and a new Ann Arbor Railroad, owned by Watco, operates Toledo to Ann Arbor. Their website has a great video that tells us about the current owners. https://www.watco.com/service/rail/ann-arbor-railroad-aa/ Ann Arbor Railroad (AA) • Primary Commodities Watco moves any commodity, and on this railroad, it’s primarily auto parts and finished vehicles, along with bulk materials like flour, sugar, grain, plastics, sand, cement, recyclables, fertilizer, paper, lumber, and petroleum. • Track Miles • 82.43 • Track Capacity • 286 • Interchange Points • Diann, MI – IORY • Milan, MI – NS • Osmer, MI – GLC • Toledo, OH – CN, CSX, NS, WE • Year Watco Operations Began • 2013

The post card was published by that great mystery publisher www.Railcards.com out of Alameda, California.

Does this Bring a Song to Mind?

The locomotive on the front of this post card is an Alco C415. The website (the best railroad history webiste in my opnion) https://www.american-rails.com/415.html tells us the following about the locomotive's history: "It is a center-cab design, which began production in June 1966 and offered a staggering 1,500 horsepower for a switcher using Alco's 251F prime mover (the builder's latest, and final, engine design). While Alco by this point typically sold its locomotives in a standard model, as EMD had been doing for years, the C415 did come with a few options such as differing cab heights for either clearance or increased visibility and two various truck setups (AAR or Alco's Hi-Ad). Built through the end of Alco's time as a locomotive builder the C415 seemed to epitomize the company's troubles. Just 26 units of the model were sold with the Rock Island and Southern Pacific accounting for 20 of those orders (ten each). Alco removed the C415 from its catalog by December 1968 as the builder was simply having no success in remaining competitive with either GE or EMD. Due to the C415's poor sales it's amazing that any of these switchers survive. However, six can still be found in the United States (at least one is operational on short line Burlington Junction as its #702) as well as one in Australia." This is taken from an article in Trains magazine; a very good read: https://www.trains.com/ctr/railroads/fallen-flags/rock-island-history-remembered/ "In 1847 the Rock Island & La Salle Rail Road was chartered to build between Rock Island, Ill., on the Mississippi River, and La Salle, where connections would be made with the Illinois & Michigan Canal to Chicago. Contractor Henry Farnam persuaded the organizers to extend the railroad all the way to Chicago to connect with other railroads. The charter was so amended, and the railroad was renamed the Chicago & Rock Island. Construction began in 1851. The first train ran from Chicago to Joliet, 40 miles, on Oct. 10, 1852. Its power was a 4-4-0 named Rocket. The line was opened to Rock Island on Feb. 22, 1854, and the contractors turned the line over to the corporation in July of that year. The Rock Island ceased operation March 31, 1980. Chartered in 1847, the Rock Island was the largest U.S. railroad to be liquidated."

Ths post card was published by Audio Visual Designs in Earlton, New York. It was started in 1964 by Carl Sturner for the sole purpose of providing railfans with sound recordings of locos and trains as well as with photochrome postcards of trackside photos. These stunning color images were taken all over the country by some well-known photographers such as David Sweetland. The history and product line of AVD can be found on the company's website at www.audiovisualdesigns.com

Anyone Going to the Moon Soon?

The locomotive on the front of this post card could have helped you get to the moon if you were going there in 1985, the year that this post card was published. It is a picture of an ALCO S-1 switcher.

Our friends at Wikipedia tells us this about the S-1s: "The ALCO S-1 and S-3 were 660 horsepower diesel-electric switcher locomotives produced by ALCO and their Canadian subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works. The two locomotives differed only in trucks, with the S-1 using ALCO's own Blunt trucks, and the S-3 using AAR type A switcher trucks. The S-1 was built between April 1940 and June 1950, with a total of 543 completed. The S-1 and S-3 are distinguishable externally from the very similar S-2 and S-4 1,000 horsepower switchers in that they have a smaller exhaust stack with a round base and a smaller radiator shutter area on the nose sides. The S-1/S-3 radiator shutter area is taller than it is wide, while the S-2/S-4 radiator area is wider. The smaller stack is due to the lack of turbocharging." The specific S-1 shown on the post card is described by this website, https://wearerailfans.com/c/article/alco-s-series :"NASA Alco S-2 No. 2 was originally built for the United States Army and was one of a group of Alco switchers assigned to work at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Recorded in this photograph at the historic space center from which Apollo moon missions and Space Shuttle flights departed, the Alco served decidedly uncommon tasks, including the transport of spacecraft components and fuels. Today, the Alco is preserved at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in the Miami area."

The post card was published by Mary Jayne's Railroad Specialties, Inc. in 1985. I have 243 post cards that were published by her. She ranks second in the number of post cards from the same publisher.

Still Going Strong since 1903

This locomotive on the front of the post card is seen on the stormy evening of July 26, 1988. It is at Whippany, New Jersey for the National Railway Historical Society Convention. The locomotive was originally built for the

New York Central Railroad in December of 1967. It is an ALCO Century 430 owned by the Morristown & Erie Railway. This short-line (very short line, I might add) railroad company still operates today. Because they are still alive today, I took the history of the company from their website: https://www.merail.com/about The story of the Morristown & Erie – now over a century long – has always been that of overcoming obstacles and adapting to changing times. Since its founding, the M&E’s small but dedicated team has been big on personable and professional service to its diverse set of customers, living up to its slogan, “Service is Our Business.” The Morristown & Erie (M&E) is a short-line with a long and proud history of serving the communities along its rails in Morris and Essex Counties, in northern New Jersey. For more than a century, the M&E has hauled freight down its short but vibrant mainline, built originally to serve the paper mills in Whippany, NJ. The progenitor of the M&E, Robert McEwan, was no railroad baron. McEwan was a Scottish immigrant who had come to the United States in early manhood, penniless. Through hard work and determination, he and his seven sons developed a thriving set of paper mills in Whippany, New Jersey. The McEwans realized the continued growth of their enterprise was hindered because the nearest railroad, the Lackawanna Railroad in Morristown, was four-miles distant over poor roads, making transportation costly. To bridge this gap, the McEwans retained a local railroad contractor to construct and operate their railroad named the Whippany River Railroad, for the meandering river it was to follow. The contractor had employed such crude and haphazard methods in the railroad’s construction that, within a year, its route had to be largely realigned and rebuilt. The McEwans took charge and sought to grow their little railroad and tap new markets. They formed another company, the Whippany & Passaic River Railroad, to construct a six-mile eastward extension. The new line tapped the Erie Railroad in Essex Fells, NJ, affording the railroad’s growing clientele access to more competitive freight rates. The two Whippany railroads were merged on August 28, 1903, forming the ten-and-a-half mile long Morristown & Erie Railroad, so named as it connected Morristown with the Erie Railroad. Passenger service was operated, too. The railroad’s genial conductors would entertain their passengers with harrowing tales of the railroad’s earliest days, endearing themselves to the local populace. The M&E even ferried passengers in a self-propelled railbus, for a time. Passenger service was discontinued in 1928, when increased automobile competition prompted its cessation. In 1929, the Great Depression struck the nation with devastating effects. Through their resolute determination, and that of the McEwan management, the railroad overcame the economic calamity. In 1940, the M&E proudly announced that it had paid off the last of its indebtedness. In 1944 and 1946, the M&E purchased the three most powerful steam locomotives in its history. After WWII had concluded, the railroad continued to prosper. In 1952, to reduce costs, the M&E retired its three costly steam locomotives and replaced them with a diesel-electric locomotive, purchased new the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The McEwan family, by then in its third generation, invited businessmen, from outside the rail industry, to join the M&E’s management team. They were moderately successful in attracting new rail customers; however, an attempt to diversify the M&E’s earnings led to the investment in numerous non-rail business ventures, which proved calamitous. The M&E declared bankruptcy in 1978. A group of local businessmen, driven by a desire to revitalize the railroad and their own passion for the industry, acquired the railroad in 1982. Led by Benjamin J. Friedland, these businessmen worked to reinvigorate the railroad and its image. Over the ensuing years, with its big red ALCOs (longtime favorites of local rail buffs), the M&E grew to become a vibrant and visible part of northern New Jersey’s railroad freight operations. Ben Friedland, whose efforts to revitalize the M&E made him a well-respected member of the short-line railroad industry, suddenly passed in 1998. Changes in circumstances led to the last railroad operating contracts to conclude in 2017. Again, in the face of adversity, the M&E’s dedicated employees and management, now led by the Weis family, persevered. In the past several years, the M&E has refocused its efforts on developing and diversifying business along its original stretch of track, between Morristown and Roseland, NJ. The M&E has turned its Morristown, NJ, shop complex into a nationally respected passenger car rebuild and repair facility. The shop complex, coupled with the redevelopment of the Whippany, NJ, yard as a private car storage facility, makes the M&E a premier location for Amtrak-certified private passenger cars. The M&E operates, annually, The POLAR EXPRESS™ train ride for Rail Events Productions, one of their most successful operations nationwide. Also, the M&E had been a proud participant in the preservation of railroad history, frequently working with the Whippany Railway Museum, United Railroad Historical Society of NJ, and Tri-State Railway Historical Society, all 501c3 nonprofits, to support their efforts.

The photograph was taken by Steven Hepler. The post card was published by Audio Visual Designs out of Earlton, New York. They are the source of almost 10% of my post card collection. I have 333 post cards from them. This is understandable because they were founded to share pictures of trains. AVD was started in 1964 by Carl Sturner for the sole purpose of providing railfans with sound recordings of locos and trains as well as with photochrome postcards of trackside photos. These stunning color images were taken all over the country by some well-known photographers such as David Sweetland. The history and product line of AVD can be found on the company's website at www.audiovisualdesigns.com