Phillipsburg Railroad Historians, Inc.
PO Box 5104, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865

JANUARY 2003 NEWSLETTER VOL. XIII #1

ANNUAL REPORT TO MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

As I begin to type in the letterhead, I notice that we have reached the number 13. Most of you know that I am not superstitious, although I worry about every little thing. Certainly, this organization has not been beset by bad fortune. As a matter of fact, we have done remarkably well considering all we've experienced. I look back at all the pros and cons. The post-911 state of affairs in our country has created a different mood with regard to tourism, and many of the tourist railroads and museums have felt the impact of reduced patronage and loss of hard income. This condition has not occurred at Phillipsburg; but why would our situation not reflect this condition? For one, PRRH is a grass-roots organization that was created locally for the benefit and education of those people whose interest in local railroad history could reap the benefits of. Our founding fathers worked to create a museum that would provide an insight into the past and colorful history of the railroads of this area for families to visit and enjoy. We are enjoying continued success in achieving this goal and our numbers for the past year support that assertion. Volunteers today continue to work to enhance that goal.

In terms of our finances, we have learned over the last five years to venture slowly into snags and pitfalls that had the potential for hurting our position, and have come out of it in the best financial shape we've ever enjoyed. We exist on dues, and from the kindness of those that sympathize with our cause and purpose. We made over $1,000.00 out of the hard work that went into our yearly field trip. The gift shop sales have improved steadily, and the donations to ride the train help our bottom line.

We have done well in terms of overcoming obstacles synonymous to a small organization. We exist without a political base, yet we have made many friends. We operate on a small and limited budget, yet people have opened their hearts and pockets to get us through. Many of our tools and hardware are obsolete or irreplaceable, yet our volunteers have used their minds and hands along with determination to get the jobs done. We have few friends in the media, but have enjoyed spreading exposure throughout the railfan kingdom. Just ask Meg how many folks came to us at Jersey City in October to inquire about our Centerville & Southwestern. So many individuals have appeared at our events, introduced themselves, and handed us some priceless artifact that was in the basement just wanting for a place to be displayed. So I am pleased to tell you that we are doing well with exposure, growing slowly and gradually grinding our way into the annals of history.

It would be proper to note that we have forged a new and exciting relationship with the Lehigh Valley Chapter NRHS, born out of a need to properly preserve and display their Chestnut Ridge Mack Railbus. The collaboration between the two groups has resulted in some remarkable dialogue making for easier resolutions while working in the field. Certainly, we also enjoy a fine and cooperative relationship with the North Jersey Electric Railroaders, whose helpful and able-bodied members have been at our side during our Open Houses, always willing to lend a hand to our needs. They have been methodically working on the Public Service trolley 2651 and showing it at our events, much to the delight of the visitors. The trolley and railbus, along with member Earle Brotzman's circus display, have given credibility to our newly established 'CENTERVILLE' intermediate station along the C&S mainline.

Henry Becker's railroad legacy had a watermark year in 2002 as it celebrated the 30 year anniversary of its closing at Roseland. PRRH volunteers planned a fitting event to commemorate the date. Heavy work commenced during the summer on completing the passing track with resurfacing and renewing one turnout and the complete rehabilitation of another. Engine C&S 1503 received a new fuel pump, battery, fuel tank and seat. Equipment long in storage was brought out of slumber and either put into service for the anniversary event or setup for display. The heavy ballast car was a particular favorite. A rare original timetable sign board turned up for donation reunited with the ticket office. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the C&S has been in the capable hands of mechanical director Glenn Terminelli who has spent countless time doctoring the equipment that carries passengers faithfully. The crowning surprise of the September event was the unexpected appearance of Henry and Pauline Becker, founders of the Centerville & Southwestern. This fact resulted in the icing on the cake to speak of, causing many, including myself to gasp in utter shock, all the while grabbing for our cameras. Many hours of preparation became insignificant for a time, and I watched the faces of my men and women painted with the most amazing look of satisfaction I've ever experienced. We capped the season with the re-roofing of the ticket office and the placing of a new removable sign for its roof. We will plan a full repainting of the structure next year into its original red. The C&S was featured in an article in 7+ Railroader magazine this past year.

During the past year, we completed the north track through the engine house out the west end door, enabling us to bring out the recently arrived railbus into the sun. The membership and guests have had the amenity of a toilet and wash-up sink with towels for the April-November period thanks in large part to a grant made possible through the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Commission. We received the balance of the previous years award of $277.20 and have been given a $500.00 grant for the 2002-2003 fiscal year. Although it represents less than what was requested, PRRH directors will offset the reduced amount by winterizing the firehouse and avoiding the high cost of fuel oil to heat what is essentially an unoccupied storage location. We plan to resume track work in the spring once certain hard to find switch parts are located. Harry Wyant Electric has graciously donated their services to establish electric service to the engine house, and the coordinatinq process with the utility provider is in full swing. We are discussing other essentials such as ballast and concrete flooring work in the engine house. When complete, the building will shelter three full size pieces of equipment along with the Centerville & Southwestern repair facility.

Out front, the visitor is now greeted by a freshly painted sign, thanks to Dave and Lynn Beck. The front porch, railings, and outdoor concrete bench tables are all in fresh paint. The museum interior has large glass cases for excellent display, the memorial/donation case has been installed and the gift shop stocked with an excellent sampling of hard to find material. The tiny tots layout has been established for the little engineer and newer seating added to replace some of the antique chairs. We are methodically clearing out the back of the building from years of storage opening up some serious possibilities for fruitful future displays. We will establish an enlarged theatre, better track lighting, and a new side entrance/exit for safety and convenience. We have renewed the fire protection and are replacing our refrigerator. We now also have a computer video library started up, increasing our use of the media to educate and entertain our increasing flow of visitors. We do need to solve a problem of a loose roof, although we presently do not have the funds to replace it.

Our oral history project is off and running with a stunning first tape created by members Rick Glosser and Pete Blaess of the life of deceased CNJ railroader Michael Brosky. A year in the making, it was approved and introduced in time for our December meeting. A very promising future looms for oral history here, as many retired railroaders reside locally, and their stories must be preserved for posterity.

The restoration committee, under the direction of John Boner, has continued the restoration of CNJ caboose 91197, battling a long hot summer, yet accomplishing the upper hand in returning this veteran to viewing status. Much work is required to make this century-old car worthy of display.

Many items have made the pilgrimage to PRRH - Phillipsburg. We received a CNJ baggage wagon from Easton station, recently repaired and shortly to be restored, a small fork lift vehicle for the engine house, a new chain saw donated by the Winters, a steel PRR oil can like new, a large projection television, a brass bell and whistle, and numerous paper items. A Bachtold Bros. Hi-wheel weed and brush cutter was donated by Jacqueline Mock in memory of Walter W. Mock. Our capital acquisitions included a hand held professional Echo weed cutter and a 19 inch TV/VCR to replace older unreliable equipment.

In our first concentrated year of reaching out to the world, we enjoyed exposure in RAILPACE newsmagazine several times plus our half page color ad advertising our September event. The Centerville & Southwestern was also featured in an article in 7+ Railroader. Our official three page folding brochure was introduced by Steve Winter and serves as our anchor for information. Steve has also done a great job in maintaining our website.

We were visited this season by the Society of Industrial Archaeology and the Anthracite Railroaders Historical Society. In addition to our Open Houses and special groups, we did operations for Olde Towne Festival, Pumpkin Festival, and a Santa Train operated on Sunday December 15.

PRRH members and guests enjoyed the annual banquet in April at Ryan's Restaurant with an excellent meal and excellent entertainment by Pete Terp highlighting the club's progress over the years. This yearly event provides an interesting forum for interaction between our members and our local officials and often introduces the benefactors that have been so kind to our needs in a logistic of financial manner. We also ran a HUDSON FLYER trip to New York state utilizing bus, train, foot, and boat for an extraordinary all day odyssey. Those not fortunate enough to order early found out that the trip was sold out two and a half times over, despite the addition of a second bus, something we've never experienced before. We may need to do this one again to satisfy the waiting list, but we will also plan another good one to an exciting destination. We capped off the summer with our September picnic at Canal Park where our members and families took time off from a busy year to enjoy a meal and chat a bit.

After you have read of our accomplishments this past year, I need to tell you of the consistency and dedication of the people that form the nucleus of this group. They appear despite busy lives and family obligations. They show up in the heat after work and get their hands dirty and scratched. They use their good natures to give a lift to the work, even when difficult and challenging obstacles occur. Their satisfaction comes from the good that comes out of it. I see their happiness at Open Houses and at coffee and donuts with dirty hands. It doesn't get any better.

Paul Carpenito

MEETING DATES FOR 2003
JANUARY 22
FEBRUARY 26	MEETINGS ARE HELD IN THE
MARCH 26	LOWER LEVEL OF THE
APRIL 23	ALPHA UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
MAY 28	859 HIGH STREET
JUNE 25	ALPHA NJ
JULY 23
AUGUST 27	THESE ARE WEDNESDAYS AT 7:30pm
SEPTEMBER 24
OCTOBER 22	IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER,
NOVEMBER 19	CALL 908-859-1277 OR 610-826-2580
DECEMBER 17	FOR STATUS

PHILLIPSBURG RAILROAD HISTORIANS BULLETIN BOARD

The monthly meeting of PRRH will be held on Wednesday night January 22 at 7:30pm at the Alpha United Presbyterian church. The snacks this month are being donated by John Ward. Entertainment will follow the business portion of the meeting.

Our new volunteer for URHS meetings is Budd Sauselein. We wish to thank Ed Meyers and Jack Quinn for their past representations at these meetings.

The wheel for the baggage wagon was recently returned after a trip to the Dutch country. Thanks go out to Earle Brotzman for handling this task. Cleanup of the old refrigerator and discarded roofing material was facilitated by Patrick Graham. Thank you for making two trips to the dump.

PRRH would like to thank Davis Palmer for a donation to the group.

We would like to welcome new member Tom Scharpf, also the president of the Lehigh Valley Chapter NRHS. Also new to our group is the Archibald Alexander Library of RUTGERS UNIVERSITY.

Our December 15 Santa train was patronized by over 100 children and parents. Since we don't give tickets for this event, we don't have an exact head count. Good weather held out till closing and the C&S was in operation along with the museum. Thanks are in order to Meg Carpenito [Santa], Paul Carpenito, Jim Mack, Glenn Terminelli, Bob Marinelli, and Steve Winter.

Our December 15 Santa train was patronized by over 100 children and parents. Since we don't give tickets for this event, we don't have an exact head count. Good weather held out till closing and the C&S was in operation along with the museum. Thanks are in order to Meg Carpenito [Santa], Paul Carpenito, Jim Mack, Glenn Terminelli, Bob Marinelli, and Steve Winter.

PRRH would like to extend their condolences to the family of Steve Winter on the death of Steve's mother.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

~ Paul Carpenito ~

PC/sdw

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