The Crusader “Preserving the Past for the Future”
October 2011
The Crusader RCT&HS 1
The 2060 Has Arrived
In Hamburg!
Our passenger car #2060 carbody, the former
grill-coach “Schuylkill” on the Pottsville-
Philadelphia train of the same name, arrived at our
Museum on Friday November 4. Previously in use
as Felty’s Diner in Fountain, Pa., it was donated to
the RCT&HS by Ben Bernhart in 2003. For the last
8 years it has been stored at Good Spring, Pa.
awaiting movement to our Museum. More details to
come later, but we wish to thank Frank Yanosky
and Kreitz Construction Services of Reading,
Anthracite Protective Services, the Cressona Fire
Co. No. 1, the Hamburg borough Police, and others
for their hard work and assistance in getting the
2060 moved safely over the road. Also thanks to
RCT&HS members Rick Bates, Randy Mengel, Paul
Payne, and Carl Rettstadt for their assistance with
the move. Now our next project is to get the #1189
parlor-diner moved from Strasburg.
Above photo: The #2060 southbound on Route 61 at Greenview Road, near Orwigsburg
Hamburg Museum Track Fund
Receipts Current Month: October, 2011 = $120.00
Total: May 2007 thru October, 2011 = $29,136.70
Payments Current Month: October, 2011 = $0.00
Total: May 2007 thru October, 2011 = $21,906.15
Current Fund Balance = $7,230.55
Pay Down the Loan Program
Receipts Current Month: October, 2011 = $806.00
Total: Nov, 2010 thru October, 2011 = $12,509.72
Payments Current Month: October, 2011 = $800.00
Total: Nov, 2010 thru October, 2011 = $12,500.00
Outstanding Balance = $84,500.00
Polar Express Party at the
Reading Railroad
Heritage Museum
Education Director Stephanie Smith is once
again bringing Polar Express parties to the RRMH.
At a Polar Express party, children are handed a train
style ticket which serves as their guide to the event.
Children hear the popular story, The Polar Express,
participate in games and crafts, and receive a goodie
bag complete with a coupon for the gift shop.
Children are then invited to visit with Santa and
Mrs. Claus in the museum and take in the sights and
sounds of the museum’s seasonal train displays.
Dates and times for the Polar Express parties
are December 10 and 18 at 10:15am and 1:15pm.
Each session lasts about an hour. Cost is $5 per child
accompanied by a paying adult. Space is limited!
Call the museum during regular hours to reserve
your spot at (610) 562-5513.
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OCTOBER 25th GENERAL MEETING 1st Vice President John Brown called the meeting to
order at 7:34 p.m. there were 5 officers, 43 members, and
visitor Curt Bell in attendance. John welcomed new member
Tom Schucker to the meeting. There is one change to the
September Crusader. The Lansdale parade for which the A5a
engine will participate in is on November 19th not the 9th. A
motion to accept the September 2011 minutes as printed was
made by Larry Mundell and seconded by Pete Urbaitis. The
motion passed.
EXECUTIVE BOARD Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected] The October meeting of the BOD was held at 7PM on
October 4th at the RRHM in Hamburg, PA. Topics of
discussion and motions carried are as follows:
Financial – We received an invoice for $4,500 for
additional work Barwis Construction completed to
improve drainage at the museum site. This is work that
would have been needed to complete our site plan but had
to be done sooner than expected. The RCT&HS has been
moved to the next level of non-profit status due to our
increase in assets. This will require certain policies to be
developed and put into place. We also discussed train
meet profits, banquet profits, and budget planning for
2012.
Museum – The board approved submitting grant
application to the borough of Hamburg for Elm Street
money. Also approved were applications for an archival
storage grant and a collection storage grant through the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Rich Tobin
submitted an update to the electrical project to power the
buildings on the south side of our Hamburg property. The
board passed a motion to spend up to $6,900 on this
project. Other topics discussed were legal issues with
Northeast Salvage, theft of 100 feet of copper wire and
security upgrades.
1189 – The RCT&HS has received the title to car 1189 in
September. Plans to raise $15,000 to move the car were
discussed.
Other - FP7 repairs, the 2060 moving project, wood car
personal loan repayment, and the Schuylkill Haven
property.
The next general meeting of the Executive Board will be
held at 7PM at the RRHM in Hamburg, PA on November 1st. BUDGET & FINANCE
John Brown 717-426-2238 [email protected]
The financial records for the 3rd quarter have been
audited. The records are accurate and complete.
The last Crusader contained a flyer to make a donation to move
car 1189 from Strasburg to Hamburg. Please make a donation
so we can move the car before December 31.
TREASURER’S REPORT Jim Adams 610-777-3764 [email protected]
A motion to refer the Treasurer’s Report to the
Finance Committee for audit and vote was made by Don
Davis, seconded by Bill Hodson. The motion Passed.
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SALES Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected] (for mail order questions contact Dave Heffner at 717-290-1493 [email protected]) We have lots of new models available in the gift
shop and on the sales table. We will be restocking many of the
items we have been carrying in preparation for the Christmas
season.
We were at our train meet in Leesport and did well
but we could have used more help. I want to thank everyone
who has helped with sales in the gift shop at the Museum and
our shows this month.
Next show is the Allentown Train Meet November
12 and 13. Following show is the PA Christmas Show at
Harrisburg November 30 thru December 4 with set up being
all day on November 28.
FUND RAISING COMMITTEE Jonathan Barket 570-366-1533 [email protected] No report.
MEMBERSHIP
Melanie Zimmerman 717-445-6301 [email protected] As of October 25 we have 55 new members and 921
renewals for a total of 976 members for 2011. Currently the
membership breakdown is as follows: 684 Individual,
Lifetime or Honorary, 97 Family, 114 Contributing, 54
Sustaining, 17 Corporate, and 10 Student memberships. We
had a total of 1002 members at this time last year. We also
have nine members for 2012.
We are accepting renewals for 2012. The dues are:
Individual - $35 ($45 outside USA), Family - $43 ($53
outside USA), Contributing - $55, Sustaining - $100,
Corporate - $150, and Student - $15.
Society memberships make great Christmas or
Birthday gifts for your family and friends. Please mark your
envelope accordingly and allow plenty of time for us to get
the gift membership processed. Indicate where you would
like the gift membership sent, either to you, so you can
present it, or directly to the recipient.
LONG RANGE PLANNING TASK FORCE Carol Adams 610-777-3764 [email protected] No report. MUSEUM OPERATIONS
Dale Woodland 215-723-5848 [email protected] Dale led a field trip to former Reading facilities in
Reading for an Albright College class on October 4th. The
college donated $50 to the museum. Special tours in October
included a Cyber School group (10/8) and an NMRA group
(10/22) and Scout Merit Badge classes (10/23). We have been
contacted to put on a display at the Berks County IU January
26, 2012 between 4:40 and 6PM. We also received two
inquiries from Hamburg HS students to do community service
at the museum. Hamburg’s Our Town Foundation would like
to have an evening meeting at the museum November 15th or
16th. We also have been contacted by a professional
photographer who would like to use the museum site for at
least two workshops in 2012. Kutztown University is filming
a segment at the museum for a community program they do.
Travis Lenhart and his bride-to-be had their engagement
photos taken at the museum. A special thanks to John Funk
for being flexible as our museum host when the rains forced a
change in the date. We thank the Lenhart’s for their donation.
Our Polar Express Parties will be December 10 and 17.
CURATORS REPORT
Paul Troutman 610-926-4919 [email protected] Tip of the Month: A handy mixture to keep on hand is 95%
TURPENTINE and 5% BOILED LINSEED OIL. It can be
used to clean furniture, painted metal, and unpainted metal. It
has a cleaning action that does not become gummy. On fin-
ished furniture it imparts a bit of a shine. This mixture is
often better than using a commercial lemon oil polish that
may contain harmful silicates. (To make your own mix just
buy a quart can of PURE TURPENTINE. Remove 3 liquid
ounces of the turpentine from the can and add 1 1/2 liquid
ounces of BOILED LINSEED OIL to the can. Let it sit for a
few minutes to mix). Apply with a cloth and wipe off. It can
be applied with fine steel wool to clean lightly rusted metal.
NOTE: NEVER KEEP OILY RAGS OR STEEL WOOL IN
THE HOUSE. ANY OILY RAG CAN RAPIDLY IGNITE
BY SPONTANIOUS COMBUSTION. MUSEUM BUILDING COMMITTEE
John Corbit 610-781-1939
Scrapping has slowed in that the large items have
been removed. We earned about $8,500 for the material that
was recently scrapped. The tool shed in Lenhartsville that
was in a recent Crusader is ours if we move it. The committee
recommends that the building be disassembled to move it to
Hamburg. Once a location has been determined, the building
can then be reassembled for display and use. TRACK & GROUNDS Duane Engle 610-929-5661 [email protected]
We continue with the regular mowing and grounds
work. The grading contractor was back and completed some
of the work that needed to be done but got chased by the rain
again. They still need to spread the ballast layer over the areas
where we will be building track. We were able to put the
track that was built to hold the wooden cars back in place and
move the wooden cars back to where they had been. We also
move some of our stored items out of the way for the move of
the 2060 to the Museum. We will be moving the other track
panels into place for unloading the 2060 and the possible
move of the 1189. I want to thank everyone that helped this
month. Anyone that can help with any of this work, please
contact me.
MOTIVE POWER AND ROLLING EQUIPMENT
John Stoudt R.E. 610-775-1197 /Tim Weidner M.P. 610-780-0497 Work continues on the tender, tool car, MU cars and
others. Also the RS3 received attention.
PASSENGER OPERATIONS Dale Woodland 215-723-5848 [email protected] The FP7’s are still not in service at Steamtown. Lack
of shop space is holding up repairs. Dale, Jim and Carol
Adams and Rich Tobin attended a meeting in Pottstown on
October 12th which was held to begin planning tourist train
service on the former Reading Colebrookdale Branch between
Pottstown and Boyertown. Nathaniel Guest is spearheading
the effort and has ambitious plans which include the use of a
steam locomotive. The meeting was attended by local
politicians and community leaders. We may be involved with
some of our equipment.
ACQUISITIONS Steve Schwartz 610-434-1289 [email protected]
No report. SAFETY Duane Briscoe 610-777-4196 This month we worked on inspecting and installing
fire extinguishers and emergency lighting at the museum. ARCHIVES / PUBLICATIONS / CALENDAR Rick Bates 610-647-9359 [email protected]
Archives
Thanks to the following for recent donations to the
Archives: a collection of 1800s-era P&R documents from
Sue & Larry Bunce; some railroad books from Paul Kutta, a
nice collection of railroad magazines from our late member
Carl Kershner, donated by Joel C. Kershner; and some books
and other items from Glenn Speicher.
Publications
Work is underway on the remaining Bee Line issues
for calendar year 2009.
Calendar
The Year 2012 calendar is completed. The theme is
“Steam and Diesel on the Reading Railroad.” Please contact
the Sales Committee to purchase a calendar.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Andew Dietz 914-886-3459 [email protected]
No report. MAILING
Ken Riegel 610-777-4555 [email protected]
No report.
MODULAR Jonathan Barket 570-366-1533 [email protected]
We have been very busy working on many different
modules over the past few weekends. Our main focus has
been Schuylkill Haven where we have had it in the layout at
Pottsville to test the trackwork and wiring. We continue
working on this and have been adding houses and trees to get
the real feel of the area. There are several other buildings that
are in need of being built and several details to be added to
this scene. Schuylkill Haven is planned to be used for our
upcoming Harrisburg Show.
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We have also been working on Saucon to sure up
some of the track work to eliminate derailments and upgrade
some wiring. This scene will also be included in our
upcoming Harrisburg show.
One of our newest scenes that is taking shape is our Hess
Refinery section. This scene has been ballasted and some
other scenery work is starting to be applied.
And an update to our computer dispatching system,
we continue to work on signaling completely around the
layout. We have updated the screen to include 2 monitors
and more sensors around the layout. There is only about 20
feet to detect and you will be able to watch a train progress
completely around the layout from the computer. We also
have added several more powered switches that are computer
controlled. More signals are being custom built to be
installed on the layout.
If anyone would like to take part in our work
sessions please feel free to contact me.
As far as our next show, we will be setting up in
Harrisburg at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex for the
Christmas and craft show. We will be in our normal location
and set up time will start around 9AM on November
28th. There will be several of us there on Tuesday
November 29th to work on several of the modules. The
show officially starts Wednesday November 30th and carries
through Sunday December 4th when we tear down. You will
need to contact me for parking passes and admission passes
if you are unable to make it for setup otherwise you may
need to pay for parking and admission. I hope to see you
there! MODELING -John Greene 215-721-3006 [email protected]
The HO scale 16th street tower will be available for
the holidays. 52’ 6” steel gondola cars, of which Reading
had 2001 cars, are available through Tangent Scale Models.
Currently models for the B&O, LV, and WM are available.
You can purchase undecorated models and get decal them
for Reading or if you wait, Reading cars will be coming
soon. Bethlehem Car Works has a new model available, a
PBr Reading modernized coach.
TRAIN MEET Chuck Race 610-777-2053 Dale Miller has resigned as chair of the train meet
committee. Chuck Race has agreed to take on this responsi-
bility for now.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE
John Greene 215-721-3006 [email protected]
April 21st is the tentative date for next year’s con-
vention.
WEBSITE AND CORRESPONDENCE
Norman O. Mueller 610-446-6651 [email protected] Mike Sakal 610-777-3268 [email protected] No report.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
Lee Schultz 610-845-2414 and Rick Bates Nominations are open for President, 2nd VP,
Secretary and two directors. Please call Lee at 610-845-2414
if you would like to make a nomination.
Currently, Duane Engle (Pres), John Greene (2nd
VP), Jeff Smith (Sec), Jim Blake (Dir), and Tim Weidner
(Dir) currently hold these positions.
ENTERTAINMENT
Dale Woodland (215) 723-5848 [email protected] Tonight Kurt Bell has a program on the Reading’s
New Hope Branch. There has been a change in the remaining
program schedule in 2011. Rich Frey will do his Balkan
Railroads program in November and Dale will do his Minor-
ity Builders Advertisements program in December.
OLD BUSINESS
Mike Stehman reported that all the purchased security cameras have been installed. For $100 we can add more cameras if necessary.
NEW BUSINESS
Dale Woodland reported that we have been invited
to have a sales table at the December 10th
Southampton, Pa station event. If you are interested
in working this event on behalf of eh RCT&HS
please contact Duane Engle.
Pete Urbaitis reported a 5.6-mile section of the
Schuylkill River Trail recently opened in Chester
County between Cromby and Parkerford.
Gary Saggio reported that the Titus power station
will may be shut down due to new EPA regulations.
Work on the O gauge layout will begin shortly.
Please contact Tom Brown at (717) 279 - 6783 or
by e-mail at [email protected] if you are
interested in helping this year.
Bill Krug reported that Reading Company 1949-
1952 Vol. 2 is out featuring video shot by George
Gerhart has been released. The RCT&HS will have
these available for purchase is the near future.
Duane Engle reported that we had $249.25 in sales
at a recent event in Tamaqua.
Kent Herzer reported that the Lititz Caboose
Museum has closed for the season on Monday, Oc-
tober 24th. Member Dave Heffner, Kent Herzer,
and local volunteers welcomed 6,810 visitors
throughout a 112 day schedule. RCT&HS calendar
sales totaled 19. Donations accepted for the society
in the amount of $532.49 will go to the museum
fund for building repairs.
Tonight’s coal Bucket contained $144 and 11 envelopes.
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RCT&HS Corporate Members
Russell & Julia Angstadt; Bethlehem Car
Works, John Greene, CEO, Telford, PA (215)
721-3006; Centralia Coal Sales Co. ,Wilkes-
Barre, PA (570) 822-4135; Municipal &
Financial Services Group, Annapolis, MD (410)
226-910; G&K Hobbies, Bill Krug CEO, Reading,
PA (610) 374-8598; Health Insurance Solutions,
Inc., Tom and Nanette Poserina, Health
Brokers (215) 721-2220; “It’s All the Rage”
Hair Designs, In memory of Charles W. Moyer,
Jr., 1213 Penn Ave., Wyomissing, PA (610)
375-0816; Jonathan L. Shalter III,
Conservationist-Naturalist-Historian, Temple, PA;
Lancaster Chapter, NRHS, Christiana, PA (610)
593-4968; Outer Station Project, Benjamin
Bernhart, historian, author, publisher; PENNVIA
Private Railcars, Inc., Passenger Dome car
charters in the US and Canada, West Lawn, PA
(610) 678-3604; R. Harris Russo, MD,
Neurological Surgery, Kalamazoo, MI (269)
343-3939; Rabenold, Koestel, and Scheidt,
Attorneys at Law, Wyomissing, PA (610)
374-2103; Reading and Northern Railroad, Co., Andy Muller Jr., CEO, Port Clinton, PA (610)
562-2100; Security First Inc., Security, access
control, surveillance systems, 107 W. Lancaster
Ave., Shillington PA (610) 777-8890; Stackhouse
Bensinger Inc.: Civil Engineering, Landscape
Architecture, Land Planning Services, Traffic and
Planning Engineering, Storm Water Infiltration,
Municipal Engineering, Surveying/GPS, and Recreation
Planning & Design. Sinking Spring, PA (610) 777-8000
Town & Country Newspaper, Pennsburg PA,
(215) 679-5060
CLOSING
A motion to adjourn was made by Larry Mundell and
seconded by Dale Woodland. President Duane Engle
adjourned the meeting at 8:35PM.
Members Exchange: Larry Mundell 610-777-
5490 has the following G Scale items for sale.
Bachmann Golden Classics PRR 4-6-0 w/2 passen-
ger cars. Also, Bachmann B&O flat car, PRR wood
box car, PRR bobber caboose, 1 LH switch, 5 RH
switches, 8 sections of curved track, and 8 straight
tracks. Larry is asking $500 OBO total for all
listed.
www.readingrailroad.org
Mark Your Calendars
November 15: General Meeting of the RCT&HS at Trinity Bible Fellowship
Church, Rt. 73, Blandon, PA
November 30 - December 4: Modular and Sales at the PA Christmas and Gift
Show in Harrisburg, PA
December 10 and 17: RRHM Polar Express Party in Hamburg, PA
Save your Redner’s Tapes