New Book Now Available!


New South Shore Line Wire Moves East


Now available —– railroading in 2011 as seen through the lens of Steve Barry. Hardcover 240 pages, full color. www.railroadphotographer.com/ bookstore


The Blue Ridge Chapter, National Railway Historical Society presents:


LYNCHBURG RAIL DAY


2012


August 11, 2012 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.


Saturday,


BOONSBORO RURITAN CLUB, LYNCHBURG, VA


Children 12/under free w/paying adult


TRAIN EXHIBITS, SLIDE SHOW, AND OPERATING MODEL LA


YOUTS ON DISPLA


Model train items & Railroad Memorabilia with Vendors from around the Region. Sales tables available to the general public,


BARGAIN MART


advance registration/payment required. 8 foot tables: $33.00 each, 6 foot tables: $25.00 each, Table Size Subject To Availability


“WHITE ELEPHANT” TABLE Available to train show attendees: The Blue Ridge Chapter N.R.H.S. will sellyour model trains and Railroad Memorabilia for a 20% commission, MAKE MONEY WHILE YOU BROWSE THE SHOW.


RAILROAD MODEL/PHOTOGRAPHY


EXPOSITION/CONTEST Contests open to public, Information: contact Fred Mayer (434-384-2773) barbalin@comcast.net


For more train show information and to rent Vendor Tables contact:


Barry Moorefield (434-821-2174 before 9 p.m.), bmopar@verizon.net


John Tanner (434-525-1318), flytrains@verizon.net


Norris Deyerle, (434-237-4912), railcow@msn.com


Blue Ridge Chapter, N.R.H.S.,


P.O. Box 11731, Lynchburg, Va. 24506-1731 Website: www.blueridgenrhs.org


48 JULY 2012 • RAILFAN.COM Y


DOOR PRIZES AND FRESHLY PREPARED FOOD/BEVERAGES AVAILABLE


Admission: $6/person, Family admission: $10.


STILL WORKING STEADILY to com- pletely rebuild the South Shore Line, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transporta- tion District is now busy installing new con- stant-tension catenary. The original cate- nary was largely replaced by Samuel Insull’s management in the 1920s, and that wire is old, brittle, and subject to expansion, contraction, and breakage in the highly var- ied and often brutal winter weather in northwest Indiana. Hoping to get the new wire installed be-


fore 2012 by giving crews unimpeded access to the catenary, the South Shore trains for a large number of weekends in 2011 operated from an eastern terminal at Dune Park. The location of NICTD headquarters, Dune Park is easy to reach on U.S. 12, has a large parking lot and a station with a decent-sized waiting room, restrooms and vending machines. If you haven’t ridden the South Shore


Line recently, now would be a good time to do it. Remember that the terminal at Ran- dolph Street in Chicago is now under Mil- lennium Park. Please make the trip during the off peak hours and be assured of comfort. Thank goodness the old Randolph Street station’s interior has been totally remodeled and improved. As we were going to press, a NATO sum-


mit is planned for McCormick Place in Chicago, under which passes tracks of the South Shore, Canadian National, Amtrak and Metra Electric. While trains will be al- lowed to operate during the summit, some security-related delays are anticipated.


Metrolink Receives a Grant to Track Trains Metrolink, the Los Angeles commuter rail service, received a $42 million grant from state and federal government sources to help pay for the installation of Positive Train Control. The system is a direct result of legislation enacted shortly after the dead- ly Chatsworth wreck on Metrolink that took 25 lives. Positive Train Control is an automated


system that employs digital technology, global positioning satellites, and very ad- vanced radio communication. Its purpose is to stop trains before they collide. Metrolink hopes to have it installed systemwide by 2012, three years before the federally man- dated requirement. Thanks to Frank Bauer for the news.


Mischief in Washington For three decades the money from the feder- al fuel tax has had a 20 per cent portion ded- icated to mass transit; this is the Mass Tran- sit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. Early in 2012 several committees in the Congress dealt with the issue, and what they came up with was not popular. The change would have meant that transit would have had to deal with the annual ap- propriation process. That means that any long-term capital project would be a problem because no one would know if the money would be available when it was needed. The


Highway Trust Fund was established many years ago to assure the regularity of high- way funding for long term projects. The federal fuel tax is a modest 18.2 cents


a gallon and has been that amount for about 20 years. It no longer produces enough rev- enue for highway projects and money has been appropriated for those projects from the general fund for several years. Neither the Congress or the Administration want to go on record as proposing an increase in the fuel tax even though it is obvious that a boost in the rate is needed. The reason: Whichever side promotes the increase will be attacked as un-American. The money in- volved is not immense on an individual transaction as is: under the present law, 2.86 cents of the 18.2 cent-per-gallon tax goes to transit. The nation needs to spend between $250 billion and $300 billion each year to repair roads, bridges, highways, wa- ter supply and sewage systems, rail transit systems, schools, and more. No one seems anxious to tackle the challenge. There is no telling where this will end up, but it has been a worrisome time. There is strong op- position to the proposal. Apparently all some members of congress are sure of is that Columbus crossed the Delaware in the Mayflower in 1776 in order to get a cam- paign contribution. Thanks to old friend and office partner John Spychalski for the news and inspiration.


The Roadside Trolley If you are fortunate enough to have a copy of the 2012 calendar of the East Penn Traction Club, please take a good look at the very last photograph in the calendar. It shows the West Chester Division of Red Arrow Lines service between 69th Street Terminal in Up- per Darby, and West Chester, 20 miles to the west. The site is Llanerch Office, the Red Arrow operational headquarters. At this point the Newtown Square branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad crossed the Red Ar- row trolley line and West Chester Pike. The view shows car number 80 pausing before crossing the railroad tracks. This is a classic side-of-the-road trolley line. Hanging over the highway is a neon sign that proclaims it the location of a CAR STOP. It was at this place for the six years of ju-


nior high school and senior high school that I waited for a car to take me home. I used an Ardmore Division car from the high school stop to one stop short of West Chester Pike


PLEASE SEND light rail, tran- sit and commuter rail news items and correspondence di- rectly to Prof. George M. Smerk, Emeritus Suite, Kelley School of Business, 1309 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1701.


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