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RAILROAD IANAE X P R E S S

THEOfficial Publication of theRailroadiana Collectors Association, Inc.

Volume XLIII, No. 4Winter 2014

$8.75

The Holiday Season on the RailroadTo Use or Not TO Use? • Railroad Hotel China

T H E R A I L R O A D I A N A E X P R E S S

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On the Cover: This menu from 1979 was used by the Chesapeake & Ohio/Baltimore & Ohio Railroads. The cover describes the custom of C&O/B&O employees wearing a sprig of holly. The cus-tom started in 1948 and has been a tradition ever since. Some of the sprigs come from the B&O’s now Nationally famous Holly Tree growing beside the right-of-way at Jackson, Maryland. Employees voluntarily trim and light the tree.

This Page: This is a breakfast menu for Christmas Day 1942 from the Santa Fe Din-ing Car Service-Fred Harvey

Inside-Rear: This menu is for a breakfast on the MS Gripsholm of the Swedish-American Line on a Christmas Excur-sion from New York City to Gothenburg and Copenhagen in 1937. The excursion was sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

Rear Cover: A Christ-mas Season menu from the Frisco. The colorful menu is dated 1946.

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ManifestFrom the Head End by Tony Rizzuto 4RCAI News & Events 4Editor’s Notes by Wesley Ross 5What’s The Story? 6Photo Runby: New LVRR Patterns 6Train Board 7The Holiday Season on the Railroad By Wesley Ross 8China Corner by Rich Luckin 20To Use or Not To Use By Tony Rizzuto 30Photo Runby: Heavy Hardware 32Local Freight 36

The Railroadiana Express Staff:

Editor Wesley Ross1749 Bahama Rd., Lexington, KY [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator (interim)Tony Rizzuto6839 Western Place, Colorado Springs, CO [email protected]

Back-issue Coordinator Mary Ann James17675 W. 113th St., Olathe, KS [email protected]

Layout Artist Jonathan SignorPO Box 922, Weed, CA [email protected]

The Railroadiana Express is a full-color quarterly publication produced by

Railroadiana Collectors Association, Incorporated

17675 W. 113th St.Olathe, KS 66061

The deadline for time-sensitive material for publication is one month prior to the publication date: February 1st for March publication; May 1st for June publication; August 1st for September publication; November 1st for December publication. Contributions may be edited for length and/or clarity.

©2014 by RCAI. No reproduction of all or any part without permission.

RAILROAD IANAE X P R E S S

THEVolume XLIII, No. 4

Winter 2014

Official Publication of the Railroadiana Collectors Association, Incorporated

www.railroadcollectors.org

Founded in 1971, the RCAI promotes fellowship and scholarship among

collectors of artifacts of railroad history. Many specialize in a particular type of artifact, such as locks and keys, dining car china, timetables, or hardware. Oth-ers concentrate on particular railroads or the roads that served a particular region. All enjoy the rich and colorful history of railroading and strive to preserve this great legacy through conservation of the artifacts that represent it. If you are not an RCAI member and are interested in railroadiana, we cordially invite you to learn more about us and to join. Mem-bership starts at $35 per year for Stan-dard “Coach” membership, and $45 per year for Contributing “Berth” member-ship. Renewals should be mailed to the Secretary.

President Tony Rizzuto6839 Western PlaceColorado Springs, CO [email protected]

National Vice President Melvin Pempsell3932 Creekside Ct.Winston Salem, NC [email protected]

Secretary Mary Ann James17675 W. 113th St.Olathe, KS [email protected]

Treasurer Diane Hoffmann203 A Ave.Mt. Vernon, IA [email protected]

www.railroadcollectors.org

RAILROADIANA

Incorporated

COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION


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I would like to begin this column with the great news that I have received an

offer of a volunteer to take over as our next Treasurer. At this writing I need the Board to approve the appointment and the transition to take place so I will keep you all in suspense for a little while until we have all of our turnouts aligned.

What I will say now is that I want to sincerely thank Diane Hoffmann for her years of effort as our outgoing Treasure. All of us here at RCAI volunteer our time and efforts with little expectation of any compensation. That said I would ask if you know Diane, or meet her at a show or auction sometime in the future please take a moment to personally thank her for her service to RCAI.

It is that time of the year for all exist-ing members to renew their dues, and in addition to existing members we need new members. Membership has fallen off I suspect due to competition with the information that is found on the internet without having to pay dues, maybe due to age attrition as some have stated, or per-haps due to issues that happened in the past. I acknowledge that RCAI has made some mistakes, some before and some since my term at the front end. We, your RCAI volunteers, like you, have other events going on in our lives and some-times our efforts for RCAI fall short. I would personally like to ask you to renew now to keep RCAI financially sound, and go farther to ask you to convince any of

your friends that were former members to give “us” the opportunity to earn their trust back and join again.

Please log onto our web site www.railroadcollectors.org and click on the Join link, then the “on-line Membership Form” dropdown to pay your dues with a credit card or PayPal account right now today (sorry I don’t have anything to give you free if you join within the next twenty minutes or are the first one hun-dred new members) but we really need your renewal, or new membership. Con-tact me at [email protected] if I can be of any assistance! ◈ —Tony Rizzuto

From the Head End President Tony Rizzuto

RCAI News & EventsThe 34th Annual Crossroads of

Americana Show was held on Saturday October 25, 2014, at the Ramada Inn East in Indianapolis, IN. The Show was directed by Larry Woodard. RCAI had a display at the show. Photo 1 shows Shirley Ross at the RCAI table. Photo 2 shows Shirley discussing RCAI with potential member Ed Breen of Marion, IN. The show was well attended by both dealers and buyers.

Shirley Ross staffs the RCAI table and answers questions at the Show. –Wesley Ross

Shirley Ross discusses the Express magazine with potential member Ed Breen. –Wesley Ross

Trade floor at the Phoenix Railroadiana Collectibles Show. –Vic Ryerson

24th Annual Crossroads of America Railroadiana Show

Phoenix Railroadiania Collectibles ShowThe first railroadiania collectors show

in Phoenix, AZ, was held on September 20, 2014. The show was held in conjunc-tion with the National Association of Timetable Collector’s Annual Meeting,

Kim and Jim Prokes report that local collectors were delighted with the many vendors who brought a variety of memo-rabilia to the show. They also report out-standing sale items included some rare Santa Fe posters, Colorado Midland timetables, and an Atlantic & Pacific lantern.

Jim reports that plans for next year’s show will be forthcoming.

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V O L U M E X L I I I , N O . 4 — W I N T E R 2 0 1 4

Editor’s Notes Wesley Ross

The Holiday Season is here and no doubt will be as busy and bustling

as usual. This issue of the Express deals with the Holiday Season on the rail-road. There are special Holiday menus, ticket packets, greeting cards, post cards, pins and even railroad-issued DVDs. It is also the time of year when we reflect upon the past year and look forward to the new year.

Personally, I am looking forward to the coming year much more than reflecting on the past. In August, I was hospitalized and suffered a heart attack while tests were being conducted in the

Hospital. After barely surviving several “Code Blues,” I was transferred to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where more treatments were available while awaiting surgery. I found out that my heart had been damaged from Type 2 Diabetes. I had by-pass surgery and five by-passes were made I was finally dis-charged from the hospital after 5 weeks. I am happy to report that all is going as well as it can and I am looking forward to continuing as your Editor and being actively involved in the buying and sell-ing of railroadiania.

The main subject for the Spring

issue will be dining cars on the railroad. Please provide me with photos and any information about dining cars and their operation on the railroad. Remember, dining cars are only one subject, I am in need of other information for this issue. Please send me any and all articles that you may have because this is your maga-zine and we can only continue publish-ing it as long as we continue to receive articles and pictures.

Please keep those letters and e-mails coming. Happy Holidays! ◈ —Wesley Ross

The 37th Annual Gaithersburg Railroad-Transportation Artifacts Show & Sale was held on Sunday November 2, 2014, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg, Mary-land. Set-up and early admission was on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1. The show was well attended by both dealers and buyers. The show utilizes 50,000 square feet of enclosed dealer space. The next show is planned for Sunday, November 1, 2015.

In addition to the railroadiania show, the 9th Annual Gaithersburg Model Train Show was held on Sunday, Novem-ber 2, 2014, in the old auditorium Building at the Montgom-ery County Fairgrounds. The show featured Jim Mercier’s large G-Scale Layout.

The annual RCAI meeting and auction was held Saturday evening at the Gaithersburg Hilton Hotel. Over 50 members and guests attended the function. Rudy Morgenfruth conducted the auction, which netted $549.00 for the organization.

37th Annual Gaithersburg Railroad-Transportation Artifacts Show & Sale

Dealer Leonard Robbins discusses some of the items that he has for sale with interested customers. –Vic Ryerson photo

Above photo: Rudy Morgenfruth (center) conducts the RCAI auction, while Wes Ross (Left) and Scott Czaja (Right) are spotters/runners for the auction.

Left photo: Wes Ross, Editor, Railroadiana Express, conducts the RCAI meeting at the Hilton Hotel on Saturday evening. –Both photos, Rogher Hoffmann


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Photo Runby: Newly Discovered Pattern

It's always a BIG event when a NEW pattern is discovered. This Lehigh Valley Railroad butter pat is most likely the very first pattern the railroad ordered. The railroad was chartered in 1846. In May of 1896 the first run of the Black Diamond passenger train made. The pattern will be known as “LV-4.2 Sayre.” Greenwood Pottery is thought to be the maker of this rare & unique piece. Thanks Jim Raffa for sharing.

–Rich Luckin

Further Information on the Santa Fe Hot Mineral Baths

The question was posed in the Sum-mer 2014 issue of the Express concerning the location of this sign on the Santa Fe. A response was received and published in the Fall 2014 issue. Brian Moseley has done further research and presents this answer:

I am writing with a “contrary” opin-ion to that published in the Autumn issue of the Express regarding the Santa Fe Mineral Baths sign.

After doing some research and con-sulting with the three leading experts on NM railroad history, the following can be reasonably concluded:

1. While not 100%, it is most likely this sign came from the Las Vegas, NM area. In the early 1900’s there was an approximately 10-mile electrified trol-ley line which ran northeast from Las Vegas to the Montezuma Hotel and Hot Springs, hence the trolley sign. The Hot Springs were featured in SF advertising of that period and was a destination of many.

What’s The Story?2. It is 100% certain the sign has

nothing to do with the Radium Springs/Las Cruces, NM area, as there was never a trolley line in that area. Radium Springs is never mentioned in the “bible” of NM railroad history, New Mexico’s Railroads by David F. Myrick. However, there is a lot of info in there about the Las Vegas-Montezuma/Hot Springs trol-ley line.

3. There was never a Har-vey House in the Las Cruces/Radium Springs area – that was just hype. There was a local man who’s last name happened to be Harvey and he did open and operate a hotel in the area, but it had nothing to do with Fred Harvey! The only Fred Harvey facility in that area was a newsstand in Las Cruces.

Bottom line is, this sign is likely from the Las Vegas, NM area and not Las Cruces/Radium Springs!

My special thanks to

Vernon J. Glover for his help on all of this. I also want to thank John B. Moore, Jr. and Joseph Herfeord for their input and acknowledge New Mexico’s Railroads by David F. Myrick.◈

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The RailRoadiana expRess TRain BoaRddaTe loCaTion ReMaRKs

DEC. 13, 2014 Columbus, OH(Lausche Building, Ohio Expo Center)

56th Buckeye Show, Model Train and Railroad Artifact Show & Sale. 9:00am to 4:00pm For more information: Gordon Hartranft, 58 Creed Circle, Campbell, OH 44405; 330-755-1914 or [email protected]

DEC. 20-21, 2014 Tampa, FL(State Fairgrounds)

12th Tampa Show. Railroad Artifact Show & Sale. For more information: Charles W. Miller, 3106 N. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213; 703-536-2954 or [email protected]

JAN. 10-11, 2015 Deland, FL(Volusia County Fairgrounds)

50th Florida Rail Fair, Model Train & Railroad Artifact Show & Sale. Friday setup with early admission Tommy Lawrence Show Arena, 3150 New York Ave., Deland, FL. Over 300 tables of model trains, 10 operating layouts and some railroadiana. For more information: Charles W. Miller, 3106 No. Roches-ter St., Arlington, VA 22213: 707-536-2954 or [email protected]

JAN. 17, 2015 Norcross, GA(North Atlanta Trade Center)

48th Atlanta Model Trains & Railroadiana Show. Atlanta’s oldest and largest model train and rail-roadiana show. For more information: Charles W. Miller, 3106 No. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213: 707-536-2954 or [email protected]

FEB. 14, 2015 Jacksonville, FL(Prime Osborn Center)

36th Jacksonville Model Train & Railroadiana Show, Prime Osborn Center, 1000 Water, St., Jackson-ville, FL. Over 350 Tables of railroadiana and model trains. Friday setup with early admission. For more information: Charles W. Miller, 3106 No. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213: 707-536-2954 or [email protected]

MARCH 14, 2015 Stockton, CA(Scottish Rite Ma-sonic Center)

Winterail 2015 Railroadiana Show & Sale 9:00am-5:00pm For more information: Cheryl Meeker 209-943-0913 or [email protected]

APRIL 11, 2015 Deland, Fl (Volusia County Fairgrounds)

51st Floria Ril Fair, Model Train and Railroad Artifact Show & Sale. For more information: Charles W. Miller, 3106 No. Rochester St., Arlington, VA 22213; 707-536-2954 or [email protected]

APRIL 17-18, 2015 Indianapolis, IN (LaQuinta Inns & Suites)

34th Annual Crossroads of America Antique Locks, Keys & Restraints Show. La Quinta Inns & Suites, 5120 Victory Dr., Indianapolis, IN 45203. For more information: Jeff Irvin, 2524 Big Bear Lane, India-napolis, IN 46217; 317-882-2336 or [email protected]

APRIL 18, 2015 Columbus, OH (Lausche Building, Ohio Expo Center)

57th Buckeye Show, Model Train and Railroad ArtifactShow & Sale. For more information: Gordon Hartranft, 58 Creed Circle, Campbell, OH 44405; 330-755-1914 or [email protected]

APRIL 26, 2015 Chicago, IL (College of Du Page, Athletic Bldg.)

33rd Annual Chicgoland Railroad Collectibles Show. For more information: Joe Mazanek, 847-536-0891 or [email protected]

MAY 23, 2015 Albuquerque, NM (Convention Center)

20th Annual Albuquerque Railroad Collectibles & Model Train Show & Sale: For more information: Bryan Moseley, P.O. Box6583, Albuquerque, NM 87197; 505-345-0657 or [email protected]

Brief listings for upcoming events, including contact information, may be sent to Wesley Ross at [email protected]. Acceptable submissions are limited to announcements for shows, exhibits and auctions principally featuring the display or sale of railroadiana (railroad memorabilia). The Express will not be responsible for omissions or errors in TRAIN BOARD listings, which are published free of charge.


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The Holiday Season means many things to individuals, groups, and

companies across the world. But for one group in particular, the Holiday Season means an increased workload and an increased pressure upon employees in order for the railroads to be successful. The passenger railroads operate more trains, and some longer ones, to accom-modate the rush of passengers travel-ing home for the Holidays, and some railroads offer special shopping trains. In addition to this, the railroads have in the past, and still do, celebrate the season in style with special menus for the din-ing car, Christmas cards for friends and shippers, as well as Holiday messages on items like ticket envelopes. Other rail-roads have had special post cards printed to depict how the railroad celebrates the Holidays.

Today, some of the freight railroads operate special Santa Claus trains and a large number of the tourist lines oper-ate special trains to celebrate the holiday season. The granddaddy of Santa Trains is the CSX Santa Train which began as the Clinchfield Santa Train 72 years ago. The train is operated by the CSX rail-road in conjunction with the Kingsport, TN, Chamber of Commerce. It operates from Shelby Yard, near Shelby, KY, and Kingsport, TN, and travels through along the route of the old Clinchfield Railroad from Elkhorn City, KY, to Kingsport.

This year’s train ran on November 22, 2014, and the featured guest, in addition to Santa Clause, was 6-time GRAMMY Award winner, Amy Grant (see adver-tisement in photo 1). The train stopped at various small communities in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee and Santa tosses

off gifts to the waiting children. In the early days, the gifts would be tossed off while the train was still moving. Today the train makes station stops and the gifts are distributed. Also today, there are several North Pole Expresses or similar types of train rides offered by various tourist lines to celebrate the season.

The Canadian National Railroad has operated a Santa Train between Kanka-kee and Gibson City, IL, since 1970. A CN Santa Train Button is shown in photo 2.

The Canadian Pacific Railroad has operated a Holiday Train since 1999. The train is billed as North America’s longest rolling fundraiser. CP uses two trains that are brightly lit with thousands of festive lights to cover more than 6,200 miles of track throughout portions of the United States and Canada. Musicians offer con-

The Holiday Season on the RailroadBy Wesley Ross

Photos from the collection of Wesley and Shirley Ross, unless otherwise noted

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certs from a box car at many locations along the route. Over the years, the train has raised 9.5 million dollars and received 3.3 million pounds of food for food banks and pantries. In 2008, Canadian Pacific produced a 2-DVD set titled “Sights and Sounds from the 2008 Holiday Train” shown in photo 3.

A 1939 employee Christmas Card from the Clinchfield Railroad Company was submitted by David H. Kistner of Kingsport, TN, shown in photo 4. Retired Soo Line and Canadian Pacific employee Donald J. Barse from Slinger, WI, sub-mitted two Soo Line Cards, photos 5 and 6. The first is a copy of an original oil painting by Larry Fisher entitled, “The

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33Last Ride.” The card was issued in 1976. The second card was sent to employees in 1986.

The Delaware and Hudson Railway card, shown in photos 7 and 8, was issued for 1973 and honors the company’s 150th anniversary. The card was taken from a painting by Manville B. Wakefield and illustrates D&H’s beginning as a canal operation in 1823, when two brothers named Wurts founded the com-

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pany to build a canal from the anthracite coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania to tidewater at Kingston, NY, on the Hudson River. In the painting the canal is shown as it appeared at Wurtsburg in Sullivan County, NY. D&H entered the railroad market with the Stourbridge Lion in 1829, the first locomotive to operate on any line in North America. The company’s 150 years of operation led to its service in 1973 being known as “The Bridge Road Linking New England and Eastern Canada with the South and West.” The illustration shows D&H’s 700-class diesel-electric locomo-tives which are General Electric Model U-33c’s leading a manifest symbol freight across upstate New York.

In the 1970s Louisville railroad artist Frank Smith did a series of paint-ings for Safetran, a railroad signal com-pany. Among the prints in the series is one that depicts a Burlington Northern freight exiting a tunnel, shown in photo 9. This card depicts three of the roads that formed the Burling Northern at that time. The second unit is the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy paint, while the third unit is a Great Northern.The sec-ond example, photo 10, shows Westside Lumber Company’s Shay Number 12 in action.

The card from the Alaska Rail-road, shown in photo 11, was created by “Maiden Alaska.” Jeff Brown submitted the card in photos 12 and 13 from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad commemorating the merger of the two

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roads in 1995. Photo 14, “Spirit of 1776” is from artwork by R.J. Hurley and shows the the ALCO PA that pulled the Amer-ican Freedom Train across the country between 1947 and 1949.

The next two examples of railroad Christmas Cards include the Verde Can-

yon Railroad (photo 15) and a White Pass & Yukon Route card (photo 16) from 2002.

A Pennsylvania Railroad ticket folder, shown in photos 17 and 18, dem-onstrates the interest the railroad had in the holiday season.

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A number of holiday-themed post cards were submitted by Tom Taylor. These railroad-issued post cards were taken from Howard Fogg paintings which had been commissioned while John Barringer was President of the particular railroad. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad card shown in photo 19 was issued as the 100th anniversary in 1965. Barringer commissioned Fogg to do a series of images of the Monon Rail-road. The Christmas paintings include “Mononland December 24, 1952” in photo 20, and “Hoosier Holiday Home-coming at Orleans” in photo 21.

The relationship between Howard Fogg and John Barringer began back in 1956, not long after the latter became President of the Pittsburg & Lake Erie Railroad. Barrings suggested to Fogg a series of paintings that would depict the industrial empire of the P&LE, particu-larly the key industries that feed it traffic. The series of paintings were completed seven years later in 1956. Barringer first published copies of the paintings as a book of postcards and later as a booklet entitled: “Along the right-of-way.” Tom

Professional Personal Property Appraiser

ISA Accredited

Extensive collections appraisal experience

Specializes in transportation artifacts/ephemera

Also making acquisitions

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•

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RailRoad ameRicana BRad S. lomazzi

[email protected] • (916) 782-6587

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Taylor presents us with the first three postcards and the next two are from the collection of Wes and Shirley Ross. Photo 22 is “Beaver Station and the Ohio River Bridge-1949.” The next post card is “Locomotive Shop, McKees Rocks, PA.” (photo 23). This painting depicts Christmas Eve of 1961. The depiction of

the P&LE’s Terminal and Office Build-ing during the Holiday Season is shown in photo 24. The next postcard (25)shows that Christmas Season is arriv-ing at Gateway Yard, and the final post card (26) shows the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Express passing a group of children showing a Merry Christmas Banner.◈


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China Corner:Railroad Hotel China, Part 2

by Rich Luckin

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There’s something special about walk-ing into a grand hotel, whether it be

in America or Europe. A person wonders who might have strolled through these plush lobbies in years past, followed by carts of luggage being pushed by smartly uniformed bellboys.

While some of our grand hotels have become only memories of the past, a few continue to welcome guests with the warmth of their sumptuous lobbies. One of these is The Commodore Hotel, now known as the Grand Hyatt New York.

This Grand Hyatt is currently owned by the Trump organization which rebuilt and modernized it in 1980. In fact, the sum of 100 million dollars was spent to remove the brick facade and replace it with a reflective glass skin. Now, let’s go back and trace the hotel’s history.

Named after “Commodore” Cor-nelius Vanderbilt, founder of the New York Central Railroad, The Commodore Hotel opened its doors on January 28th, 1919. The 26-story 2,000 room hotel was designed by architects Warren & Wet-more, co-designers of the adjacent Grand Central Terminal, displayed in the adver-tisements numbered 1 and 2, which had opened only six years earlier in 1913.

The Commodore Hotel was leased by the New York State Realty Terminal Company, a division of the New York Central Railroad, to the Bowman-Bilt-more Hotels Corporation.

At the time, the hotel’s promotional material (see photo number 3) claimed its lobby to be the “Most Beautiful Lobby in The World.” The lobby design vaguely resembled an Italian courtyard.

The Commodore was successful for decades. In June of 1967 The New York Central Railroad, which by then was run-ning the hotel through its Realty Hotels division, upgraded The Commodore with a 3.4 million dollar refurbishment.

By the 1970s, and now under Penn Central Transportation Company own-ership, the hotel became less successful. In 1976 the Trump organization pur-chased The Commodore. After its origi-

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nal reopening in 1980, the hotel has gone through two renovations, one in 1996 and another in 2011.

Let’s take a look at some of the china patterns that were used over the years at the hotel. The first one is “NYC-3 Commodore.” This copyrighted pattern, shown in photos 4 and 5, features a sail-ing ship in brown, rust and blue. The border is a band of multi-colored scrolls and abstract flowers, against an orange background. Buffalo China Company made all the pieces in this pattern, as the backstamp in photo 6 shows.

The match stand with ashtray in photo number 7, produced by Lenox China Company between 1930 and 1950, shows “NYC-1.1 Ash Tray Ivory.” It is not backstamped with the hotel’s name, only the manufacturer is indicated.

To continue with the subject of smoking items, these next two ashtrays, shown in photos 8 and 9, were also used in the hotel. The ashtray in photo 9 (Fiesta-Ware) is green with a silver pin-stripe. Fiesta-Ware was, and still is, a very popular type of china made by the Homer Laughlin China Company of

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Newell, West Virginia.The attractive plate in photo number

10 is called “NYC-3.1 Commodore Ser-vice.” It was produced by the Shenango China Company prior to 1948. The ser-vice plate measures 10¾" in diameter. A turquoise band version was also made for the hotel. That pattern identification is NYC-3.1a.

Mohawk China produced the piece shown in photo 11. No futher informa-tion about this manufacturer could be found but I would assume the company was located in upstate New York. The plate looks like a sample to me.

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Let’s move to a couple of other rail-road owned/operated hotels. The Dela-ware & Hudson Railway operated two hotels: Hotel Champlain and. Fort Wil-liam Henry Hotel. Just south of Platts-burgh, the Hotel Champlain, shown in

photo 12, was situated at Bluff Point, high above the picturesque shore of Lake Champlain. The new structure was built in 1911 after the original building burned on May 25th, 1910.

A six-color crest, displayed in photo

13, appears on a china pattern for this hotel. This pattern, “D&H-3a Cham-plain,” was ordered through china dis-tributor Kniffin & Demarest Company of New York City on February 7th, 1911. It would have been replacement chinaware for the newly constructed hotel, built to replace the one that burned. Syracuse China produced this pattern and their records indicate the pattern was ordered 24 times between 1911 and 1930.

A total of thirty-three shapes were made during this 19 year period. The butter pat displayed in photo 14 dates back to April 1912. Syracuse China often saved a butter pat as an example of the order, rather than storing a larger piece. I photographed this butter pat when I visited the factory several years ago.

On February 7th, 1911 a separate order was placed for “Empire” shaped service plates, shown in photo 15. The

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1616order record card states: “Lge crest only, Underglaze decalcomine as approved.” Additional service plates were ordered in 1913, 1914 and 1917. Later on, a more elegant service plate was produced for the hotel. It was decorated with a gold and green trim. No photo is available.

The last Delaware & Hudson hotel china I’ll feature is “D&H-3.1 Fort Wil-liam Henry,” shown in photo 16. It was ordered June 7th, 1911 through the china distributor Jones, McDuffee & Stratton Corporation of Boston, Mass. Seventy-seven shapes were manufactured over a 19 year period. The last order was placed on March 17th, 1930, another Syracuse China product. Photo 17 shows the service plate which was also ordered on February 7th, 1911 but as a separate order. The ser-vice plates were ordered seven times, with the last ordered placed on January 26th, 1929. The decal sheet for the center crest of the service plate is shown in photo 18.

The Fort William Henry Hotel opened in June of 1855 and was located at the head of Lake George in the Adiron-dack Mountains of New York State. On June 24th 1909 the hotel was totally destroyed by fire. A year after the fire, the


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1818hotel’s owners, the Delaware & Hudson Railway, committed to rebuilding but as a much smaller hotel that would accom-modate 150 guests.

The Great Depression saw a sig-nificant drop in business and the D&H would later sell the hotel. Though there has been new construction, some of the original parts of the hotel continue to serve guests. Today the hotel is known as Fort William Henry Hotel and Confer-ence Center and it is operated by the Fort William Henry Corporation.

Let’s move south to another rail-road owned/operated hotel. Norfolk & Western’s Hotel Roanoke is located in

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Roanoke, Virginia. The N&W entered the hotel business on September 7th, 1882, when the 38 room Hotel Roanoke opened. Following a fire in 1899, the hotel was restored with a few additions. In 1938 a major renovation and remodeling gave the hotel a more Tudor look, shown in photos 19 and 20. Additional new wings were added in 1947 and 1955.

In 1989, Norfolk Southern deeded the Hotel Roanoke to the Virginia Poly-technic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) for $65,000. The hotel closed on November 30th, 1989. After a variety of fundraisers over a three year period, the hotel reopened in 1995. Today the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Cen-ter is operated by the DoubleTree Hotels,

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part of Hilton Worldwide Hotels.Syracuse China manufactured din-

nerware for the hotel when it was owned by Norfolk & Western. The state flower of Virginia is featured in “N&W-5 Dog-wood.” There are two versions of this pattern. The one pictured in photos 21 and 22 has the floral border with a large backstamp. The other version features the

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backstamp in the front well of the plate. Most likely this version would have been used as a service plate.

The next pattern, “N&W-7 Rich-mond,” is shown in photo 23. There isa bit of mystery regarding its usage. Could it have been used in the hotel? The man-ufacturer is unknown. This pitcher is an ironstone china with black lettering.

The next four pieces are service plates. The pattern in photo 24 is called “N&W-8 Roanoke.” The design contains a thin green band flanked by gold pinstripes. The plate was made by Syracuse China.

The design in photo 25 (another Syracuse China piece) is called “N&W-8a Roanoke,” features the Tudor-style entrance. Pattern “N&W-9 Roanoke Leaves,” shown in photo 26, displays an earlier Hotel Roanoke prior to the 1938 remodeling. English maker John Mad-dock produced this piece.

The last piece, photo 27, is pattern “N&W-10 Service.” The china features a rich dark green rim with gold trim. The logo has a sand-colored shield with the HR script styled lettering in green. There is no manufacturer’s mark on the back of the plate. A hotel brochure (photo 28) shows both the “Dogwood” and the “Roanoke” service plates in use (photos 29 and 30, respectively).

This two-part feature on some railroad owned/operated hotels shows another avenue of railroad china col-lecting. The patterns were not used on a dining car but they are railroad related. I welcome any additional information on any of the pattens featured in this two-part series.

Thanks for your continued support through the last 30+ years.◈

2323

2424

2626

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2525

2727 2828

2929

3030


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To Use or Not To UseBy Tony Rizzuto

Our collection has a purpose, I remember a day many years ago I

saw Doug McIntyre sitting at his table at Gaithersburg (I think that was the show) eating with a couple of slices of pizza placed directly on the expensive china he had sitting on his table for sale. He was enjoying his meal and I think even more he was enjoying the gasped looks on the faces of the people walk-ing by. That event started Connie and me on a fifteen year (so far) quest to put together a complete service of Pennsyl-vania Railroad dining car china. Not just to own, but to enjoy using. We chose a railroad marked pattern, Purple Laurel that we thought gave us the best chance of completing based on its availability and price. We chose Raised Keystone flatware because we liked the look of it, and again its availability, and we collect the silver serving pieces that we think we would actually use for a meal with company.

We began with the hope of get-ting a service for four, and since have moved up to a service for eight. In

Place setting ready to go. It’s difficult to see in the photo, but the napkin and table cloth are also Pennsylvania Railroad issue.

Full service is laid out for seven diners this evening. It is beyond comprehension how the PRR managed to fit everything for just four people onto their dining car tables!

the fifteen years of collecting this set, we have discovered some interesting facts along the way. Purple Laurel cof-fee cups are actually harder to come by

than the far more expensive demi cups. Most days on the internet you can find the demi C&S listed for sale, but far less often the regular coffee C&S. The

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argument can be made that the demi is more desirable since there may be more collectors working on a complete col-lection of Demi’s from all of the rail-roads, but no matter what the reason we found it harder to add the full size cups to our collection.

To this day we have found it harder to add the raised keystone salad/cake fork to our service than any other style piece of flatware (we still need six if you’re sitting on a hoard!), and that includes two styles of pickle forks, or even the marmalade spoon, in raised keystone.

Without a doubt the most enjoyable thing we have learned in this adventure we call our collection is the pride and pleasure of being able to present the col-lection to our friends, and to watch the expression on our railroad friends when they walk into the dining room for the first time and see the collection they are about to eat off of. ◈

The diners, (left to right) Connie and Walt Ready, Connie Rizzuto, and John Albright, are starting off the second course.

After dinner, the Pensylvania Railroad china is proud of another job well done.


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Photo Runby: Heavy HardwareJim Semon sends in these photos of his

operating Mars Light:“This is a Mars Light from Nickel Plate

Railroad Berkshire locomotive No. 761, with a pair of engine marker lights. The Mars light has been re-wired to operate on household current, and works very well! The smaller photo shows the Mars Light with a Safety Valve from Nickel Plate Railroad Mikado No. 655, Centlivre Nickel Plate Beer wood cases, and a NKP Fire-man’s Hat No. 4.”

Thanks for the photos, Jim!

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Steve Martindell sends in an interesting puzzle:“I found this die set a few years back. The two cylinders would be inserted into a stamp-type machine, then pressure applied to

mark an important document. Notice the stars on either side of the “Union Pacific System” lettering, and the “Perfect Co-opeation Union” text. Could this date from around the civil war?”

If any reader can shed some light on these dies, send the editor a note at [email protected].


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The California Express

Railroadiana & Transportation Show

Sunday, February 8, 2015 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Southern California’s Premier Railroad ShowUFCW Hall 8550 Stanton Ave. Buena Park, CA(corner of Stanton & Crescent, one block southeast of Knott’s Berry Farm)

Admission $8.00, Kids under 12 free, $2.00 off with this adEarly Birds 6:30 AM $25.00

Featuring Sellers from Across the Country with a Wealth of Railroad, Steamship, Airline Antiques and Collectibles

China, Silver, Paper, Lanterns, Signals, Locks, Keys, Photos, Slides, DVDs, Artwork & MoreFor Show Information Contact:

Renee Orton and Paul Orton (626) 281-7500 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.californiaexpress.net

: California Express Railroadiana and Transportation Show

39th Annual Kane County Railroadiana &

Model Train Show & SaleSUNDAY, June 14, 2015

10:00 AM to 3:00 PMKane County Fairgrounds

525 S. Randall Rd, St. Charles, IL 60174 Russ Fierce, 847-358-1185 [email protected]

www.KaneCountyRRShow.com

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Offering an assortment of railroad antiques for DIRECT SALE. We offer dining car china,

silver, glassware, railroad lanterns, locks, public timetables, hardware, uniforms, globes

and many other things. All items offered are 100% authentic and described as best as

possible along with color photographs.

Go to our website www.rrartifacts.com for our frequently updated catalog.

RAILROAD ARTIFACTS


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DISPLAY ADS must be camera-ready and fit the ad size format. File formats accepted: .PDF, .TIF, .JPG, .AI, .EPS, or InDesign documents (be sure to include placed images and fonts). Digital files preferred, printed and mailed ads are also acceptable. Both your ad copy and payment must be received by the Advertising Coordinator by the deadline date. Any ads which require layout and typesetting will be charged an additional fee. Make checks payable to RCAI and send to Tony Rizzuto, RCAI President.

CLASSIFIED ADS: One of the benefits of RCAI membership is that Classified Ads may be placed by RCAI members. They are free, but in the event of a space shortage, ads with a donation are printed first. Your donation is tax deductible, and RCAI is using donated funds to further our educational goals and improve the Express. All donations are greatly appreciated. We will be glad to send you a confirmation for your tax records – please include your request for a receipt/confirmation with your donation!

PLEASE NOTE: The RCAI cannot be responsible for the authenticity of advertised items.

WANTED: Fancy back railroad switch locks. Will buy or trade. I also have many great cast locks for sale or trade. Please contact me for a list. Warren L. Nyerges, Jr., Phone (239) 440-4254 or email [email protected]

WANTED: Diesel builders plates, from the Erie, Erie Lacka-wanna, and DL&W along with pre-Conrail railroads. Send price, description to Bob Bombel, [email protected] or call (201) 566-6810.

WANTED: Railroadiana from the Valley Railway (1872-1895), running between Cleveland and Canton, Ohio, through the Cuyahoga Valley; later known as the Cleveland Terminal & Valley (CT&V). Timetables, passes, ledgers, uniforms, equip-ment, original photographs, documents, etc. No stock certifi-cates. Will be used for public exhibition at an original depot oper-ated by a non-profit 501(c)(3) scenic railroad. Please contact Ken Summers, [email protected] or (330) 467-1308.

WANTED: Facilities Brochures: Any railroad, yards, shops, etc. (Company printed); Yard Maps: Any RR, large or small; Rail/Marine Operations: New York Harbor Terminals 1952 color map of all major rail lines and terminals in New York Metro area, 17”x22”. Arthur Chaundy, Jr., 818 N. 5th St., Sunbury, PA 17801

MCM Rail Collectibles - Many new items added in the past month just in time for Christmas! From steam locomotive bells, to silverware, to railroad brochures, timetables, hardware, and post-ers from a bygone era. Unique items include Canadian Pacific ‘like new’ conductor’s uniform to full Sleeping Car curtains. Web-site: mcmrailvideos.com Call Craig McDowall: (604) 926-4851 or email: [email protected].

TRADE: UPRR Portland Rose bouillon lid for UPRR Col-umbine bouillon lid. Trade UPRR Columbine coffee pot for UPRR Portland Rose coffee pot. Peter Mazzeo, (863) 324-6221.

Local Freight

Display Advertising RatesBusiness Card (2" H x 3½" W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.001/4 page, VERTICAL (4¾" H x 3½" W) . . . . . . $45.001/4 page, HORIZONTAL (3½" H x 4¾" W). . . $45.00Half page (4¾" H x 7⅓" W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $80.00Full page (9⅔" H x 7⅓" W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150.00Inserts supplied by advertiser (contact us!) . . . . . $300.00

Above prices are for color ads. There is a 3% discount for black and white ads (please specify). Deadlines are listed on Page 3. Thank you for your cooperation! Advertising rates subject to change. To place an advertisement, contact:

Tony Rizzuto, RCAI President6839 Western Place,

Colorado Springs, CO [email protected]

The Railroadiana Express — Back Issues $3 EachYear Spring Summer Fall Winter1999 Out Out Out2000 Out Out Out2001 Out Out20022003 Out2004 Out2005 Out2006 Out Out

Send orders to:

Mary Ann JamesRCAI Express

17675 W. 113th St.Olathe, KS 66061

Questions? Phone (913) 541-8568or e-mail: [email protected]

Year Spring Summer Fall Winter20072008200920102011 Out201220132014

Advertise in The Railroadiana Express Magazine

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WINTERAIL 2015 Celebrating Our 37th Year Railroadiana Show & Sale Saturday, March 14, 2015 9 AM to 5 PM $10.00 Admission SCOTTISH RITE MASONIC CENTER 33 W. Alpine Avenue Stockton, California Central Stockton between Pacific & El Dorado Items for sale: For information contact: Books, China, Lanterns, Cheryl Meeker Locks, Passes, Photos, (209) 943-0913 Timetables, Videos and E-Mail: [email protected] RR Apparel & much more

Railroadiana Collectors Association, Inc.2015 Membership Form

All memberships run from January 1 through December 31 of that calendar year.

Please check: ⎕ New Member ⎕ Renewal ⎕ Gift Membership FROM: ________________________________________Membership Type: ⎕ Regular “Coach” $35 ⎕ Contributing “Berth” $45 ⎕ Family (add $3) (Coach uses Standard USPS delivery, Berth uses faster First Class USPS delivery)Make check or money order payable to: RCAI

◈ Renewing members: If your address label has a “2014”, then you must renew for 2015◈ New members and renewing members, please supply the following information for our directory:

Name: RCAI #:

Address: Former Member: ⎕ YES ⎕NO

City, State: Phone: ⎕ Listed ⎕ Unlisted

Zip Code (+4): e-mail:

Please supply your phone number for our records. If you check “Unlisted”, it will not be published.

My areas of collecting:

①

②

③

④

Send form to: RCAI Renewal, 1903 South Niagara St., Denver, CO 80224

RAILROADIANA

Incorporated

COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION

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