April 2003 Newsletter

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

MARCH 2003 NEWSLETTER VOL. XIII #3

Entertainment this month features: To Be Announced

Think Spring. The March PRRH membership meeting will be held on Wednesday night March 26, 2003 at 7:30pm at the Alpha United Presbyterian Church. Refreshments are coming due to the kindness of Earle Brotzman and Jim Anderson. The business portion of the meeting will be followed by entertainment.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting real sick with this weather. I just got a tank of heating oil delivered at $1.96 per gallon and Betsy the furnace just sucks the stuff down in her efforts to keep this author and his family toasty warm. The snow stays so hard I feel like I'm walking on water like Moses did in the bible.

We are all very eager to get these much needed PRRH projects under way. Now that the days are getting longer, we hope to get some warmer temperatures to assess the projects that were established in our goal for the year.

We had a good turnout for the Mother Seton show at Clark, making some money, some new friends, and creating a real hit with our video on the Centerville & Southwestern, which was well received by quite a few people walking by. They shared their fond memories of the Becker farm, and were surprised to find that the railroad continues to thrive here at Phillipsburg. We wish to thank Pete Terp and Tom Scharpf for devoting their day to our cause.

We have received various thank you letters from some of the assembly members that we sent signed petitions to. PRRH continues to support efforts directed at establishing the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center. We will continue to work with FRIENDS in making Phillipsburg a tourist destination.

Our treasurer Meg Carpenito is working on details of our two field trips that I had briefly outlined last month. On Sunday May 18, we will repeat the HUDSON FLYER, which will be offered first to members. We have a massive waiting list for this trip from last year, which took us by bus to the Mid-Hudson Valley, followed by a train ride upriver on Metro-North to Cold Spring and lunch in the DEPOT RESTAURANT, a restored train station. The afternoon was highlighted by a cruise on the mighty and beautiful Hudson River, capped by a train ride from Poughkeepsie to Peekskill. A buffet dinner completed the day on the return trip. This year's trip is essentially the same. If you have an interest in participating in this exciting ride, we strongly suggest your reserving space because this adventure will sell out quickly. Cost for the Hudson trip is $79.00 per person. The second trip will be a superb ride to central Pennsylvania from Phillipsburg aboard a deluxe Trans-Bridge coach with a destination of Rockhill Furnace. You will be treated to a memorable ride on the narrow gauge STEAM powered EAST BROAD TOP RAILROAD. We will have our own chartered passenger car for a round trip ride, followed by a guided tour of East Broad Top's ancient machine shop. A catered picnic tent lunch will be served followed by an afternoon at the ROCKHILL TROLLEY MUSEUM where you can ride and photograph all the trolleys you want. En route home, we will do our usual buffet dinner at a quality restaurant. This field trip will take place on Fathers Day Sunday June 15 and ticket prices are $69.00 per person. We will operate only one bus for this day, so don't hesitate to place your order early to avoid disappointment. Flyers will appear in subsequent newsletters.

Please also plan to attend PRRH's Spring Open House set for Sunday May 4. We will have a tremendous offering for the public this day, as many side events in addition to our regular program will participate to start our season off with a big bang.

Friends will hold their thirteenth annual symposium on Saturday April 5 at Drew University at the Hall of Science. The show theme will feature 17 presentations, Getting Rooted in Phillipsburg. Call 908-464-9335.

PHILLIPSBURG RAILROAD HISTORIANS CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March 26 monthly membership meeting
April 5 The Thirteenth Annual FRIENDS Symposium at Drew University, Madison NJ
April 5 PRRH annual banquet at Ryan's Restaurant 6:30pm
April 12 EastRAIL at Warren Hills Regional High School
April 12 Community Day at the Phillipsburg Mall
May 4 PRRH Spring Open House
May 18 PRRH HUDSON FLYER excursion to the Mid-Hudson Valley
June 15 PRRH field trip to the East Broad Top Railroad and Rockhill Trolley Museum.

We wish to encourage you to attend the annual members banquet set for Saturday night April 5 starting at 6:30pm at Ryan's Parkside Restaurant on South Main Street. This affair provides you with the opportunity to relax and enjoy a fine family style meal and chat with fellow members. After dessert, a human-interest presentation will tune you in to what accomplishments we have realized as a group. Everyone that has attended in the past will tell you that it is well worth your money to experience it. Flyers were included in last month's newsletter to order. Deadline is the March meeting. It is also possible to call Meg Carpenito as late as April 1 if you need to decide late. Call her at 610-826-2580.

We certainly hope the weather will break soon and normal warmer conditions can prevail. I invite you to spend a night with us for refreshments, entertainment and chat.

Please get your dues paid up at this time or the newsletter will not occupy your mailbox. Stay informed. Things are heating up in Phillipsburg.

See you soon.

~ Paul Carpenito ~

PC/sdw