Festival event that July. There was another brief break to stuff my
pockets with old timetables, and then we got into the next show, presented by Fr. Dale Pe- terka. “My Marias Pass” took us through the storied BNSF main line through Montana, including tunnels, snowsheds, the famous Izaak Walton Inn, and more. Colorful locales matched the trains in this entertaining show. Following was Scott Lothes (president and executive director of the Center for Rail- road Photography & Art) with his standout presentation
fellow photographer Bob Drake who passed away in the 1970s.
Bringing up the markers was “My Fa-
vorite Things” by Eric Powell, which con- nected some of his favorite images with some of his favorite music. Many subjects fo- cused around the Indiana Rail Road and its neighbors, with a particular interest in rail- road signals. It was a nice way to close out Summerail.
“Lessons from Hokkaido.”
Much like his previous presentation on chasing trains across China by bicycle, Scott demonstrated his talent for making foreign subjects relatable and engaging. While re- siding on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, Scott came to know and love the small net- work of trains that served this region with industrial roots, drawing parallels to his na- tive West Virginia. “Lessons from Hokkaido” focused on the role trains play in Japanese life as much as the trains themselves. Since there were no more timetables left
to buy, we decided to head out for dinner. As per tradition, we took over the Skyline Chili in nearby Covington, Ky., for our annual RAILFAN& RAILROAD Mutual Admiration So- ciety Appreciation and Thank You Dinner for about 20 of our closest friends. Then it was back to CUT to finish out the evening programs. Steve Barry announced the winner of our unofficial/official Sum- merail Hawaiian Shirt Contest, where Fab- ulous Prizes were awarded for the best shirts. It was a bit of fun. and we plan on do- ing it again next year.
Dale Sanders (former editor of CTC
Board) presented a tribute to his long career chasing trains with friends called “Dale and Kenny’s Excellent Adventures.” In this fun and well-paced show, we follow Dale and his friend (and Western Pacific historian) Ken Meeker as they chase trains through British Columbia, the Intermountain West, and the Pacific
Cincinnati Union Terminal continues to be a great venue for the annual Summerail event, and David Oroszi and his crew are great hosts. New this year was a theatre- quality digital projector loaned by Brian Matsumoto from Canon, which opened up a few more rows of seating in the auditorium. This year’s show was a complete sell-out, so if you’re thinking of going next year, order your tickets early. Put August 9, 2014 on your calendars, grab your best Hawaiian shirt, and I’ll see you there! —O.M.V.
Know Your Midwestern Railfans In an embarrassing, high-profile flub by yours truly, author Michael Harting’s byline in the August issue (“Second Chance in Indi- ana, page 28) got transformed from “Mike” to “Mark.” To further add to the confusion, I was witness as a number of railfans came up to Mike Harting during the course of Sum- merail weekend confusing him with Ohio railfan Michael Harding. However, this year’s Summerail event provided us with the opportunity to photo- graph both Mikes together so that we could educate the railfan public about their unique identifying qualities that make them stand out from one another. Mike Harting grew up in Sinking Springs,
Northwest before taking a swing through their home state of California. It was great to see not only the trains, but the people and the vehicles who made it happen. It was a wonderful tribute not only to the railfan experience, but also to Ken Meeker, who passed away after a years-long illness in 2010. John Dziobko and Ray Peacock presented “Why My Friends Just Call Me the Godfa- ther,” an entertaining look back at the high- lights of John’s railfanning career. Original- ly from New Jersey, John was enamored with the new, colorful diesels then being de- livered to the railroads to replace steam, and quickly adopted color photography as the medium to record them. This well produced show took us across the country from east to west at mid-century, accompanied by period music and John’s pre-recorded narration. I had seen this show debut at Winterail a few years ago and I enjoyed seeing it again here. After a brief intermission, we filtered into the auditorium for the last two shows of the evening. Tom Sink brought out a wonderful collection of action photography with his “Memories of Ramblin’ Through Dixie.” For- tunately, Tom’s job allowed him to travel throughout the South capturing main lines and short lines, and this show featured great work from the 1960s right up to the 1980s. He closed out the show with a sample of stunning vintage railroad action around Roanoke in the 1950s from his friend and
Penn., in the heart of Reading country. After spending many years trackside, he was later volunteering with the group restoring Read- ing T-1 2102 for Andy Muller’s Blue Moun- tain & Reading. Not long after he was hired on to the BM&R while also working at a lo- cal print shop. Hearing the call of the main line, he later hired on with Conrail in 1988, but was laid off two years later during a gen- eral downturn in business. By that time, Andy Muller had acquired 124 miles of for- mer Reading branch lines to be operated as the Reading & Northern. Harting joined up working in train service, as a dispatcher, and eventually promoted to operations manager. During this time, he met his future wife Kathy, who shares his interest in travel, trains, planes, and boats. In 1994, Harting was looking to return to main line railroading and hired on with the Delaware & Hudson (by then under control of Canadian Pacific). The Conrail split of 1999 meant a decrease in traffic for the D&H and a move was once again in order. With crews needed for CP’s operations in Elkhart, Ind., Michael found a new home. What’s more, this new location puts the Harting family closer to their favorite vaca- tion destination, the Great Lakes! Michael Harding is an Ohio native born
in Akron in 1973 (and most recently au- thored “Ann Arbor Today” in the May 2012 issue of RAILFAN & RAILROAD). He completed his bachelors degree at Case Western Re- serve University in Cleveland. He became a CPA and has been living in the Toledo area since 1996. Currently he works as an ac- counting manager at a chemical manufac- turing company. Harding’s early interests in trains were
Official Company E-Store
Timetables – Maps – Calendars To view items and place orders
Caps – Shirts
Visit us at:
www.wlerwy.com and click on “WLE STORE”
railroadbooks.biz International Service.
has 1,700+ new titles, all at discount ORDERS: U.S. 800 554-7463 BUSINESS & INTERNATIONAL: 812 391-2664 SEND: $2.00 for paper books list E-MAIL FOR FREE PDF LIST.
Domestic Shipping FREE over $50.00
www.railroadbooks.biz chuck@railroadbooks.biz
PO Box 4, Bloomington, IN 47402-0004 U.S.A.
www.trainsshipsplanes.com
Please be sure to advise us at least two issues ahead of any mailing address change. Send us a copy of your mailing address label plus your new address information to assure correct address change. Please allow between 6 and 8 weeks for processing to take effect.
108 Phil Hardin Road, Newton NJ 07860
www.railfan.com
Rails Beyond the Rutland
This 1988 Carstens Classic documents the first 25 years of railroading after the demise of Vermont’s famed Rutland Railway! From the marble quarry pits to piggyback trailers, from steam excursions to heavy freight, it’s all here!
• Vermont Railway • • Clarendon & Pittsford • • Green Mountain Railroad •
A CARSTENS CLASSIC!
SOFTCOVER ONLY $19.95 PLUS S&H - ITEM #C00054 Carstens PUBLICATIONS, INC.
CARSTENSBOOKSTORE.COM (888) 526-5365
55
RAILFAN SUBSCRIBERS RAILFAN & RAILROAD
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64