Chessie Hokie
Train Attendant
I just found this forum and have already gleaned some great information from it. I also hope to be able to make some useful contributions. I have already uploaded a trip report of a trip last month on the Acela Express, the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, the French TGV and German ICE.
Okay, now for the introduction part...
I am a railfan first and foremost. An interest in model railroading is an extension of that. I am very interested in railroad history, particularly from the 1940's to the mid-1970's. While I have an interest in just about any railroad, to include narrow gauge lines, I am mostly into heavy duty, big time, mainline railroading.
I am a big believer in and supporter of passenger rail service and feel that so many of today's issues point to not just the viability of passenger trains, but the absolute necessity of passenger trains as an important component in a balanced national transportation system. I have been a member of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) for several years and also am a member of a local (Charlottesville, Virginia) rail advocacy group.
My "hometown" railroad is the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P), as I lived within a short bike ride from Acca Yard in Richmond as a kid…spent many an hour watching trains from the Westwood Avenue overpass at the southern yard throat. I also spent a lot of train watching time on the Boulevard Bridge overlooking Seaboard Coast Line's Hermitage Yard, still with many locomotives in original Seaboard and Atlantic Coast Line paint (my interest in trains really kicked in around 1967, the year of the SCL merger, at the age of 11). I remember riding the RF&P's Christmas time "Santa Claus Trains" to Ashland as a kid in the early 1960's, also riding from Richmond to Alexandria and return with my grandparents as well as a trip to visit cousins in South Carolina on the Atlantic Coast Line. I also liked Southern Railway's muscular looking high-hood diesels, which I often saw at the paper plant at West Point, Virginia, while traveling to my grandparents' house on the Northern Neck. My early affections, however, were more for the Chesapeake and Ohio. I rode the NRHS Old Dominion Chapter's "Autumn Leaf Special" excursion several times from Richmond to Clifton Forge on the C&O in the late 60's and 70's, which greatly impressed me. I loved riding in the open-air observation cars (converted gondolas) or standing at half-open vestibule doors in the coaches ( I specifically remember being opposite the George Washington during an early evening layover in Charlottesville)...in fact I still do whenever I get a chance!
Despite my Virginia railroading origins, my interest in railroads ranges far and wide. I have long been fascinated with western railroading, beginning with the Denver and Rio Grande Western and Union Pacific. In recent years I have become very interested in the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Milwaukee Road crossings of the Rockies in Montana and have visited and walked the mountain passes of those lines, both active and abandoned…I even brought home a Milwaukee Road tie plate I found half buried at the entrance to the long abandoned Pipestone Pass Tunnel (there is a real story there about getting that through airport security!).
In 2003, following a visit to Horseshoe Curve and Altoona's Railroader's Memorial Museum, I caught the Pennsylvania Railroad bug and have developed into a serious "SPF" (ask a Pennsy fan), with a keen interest in PRR steam and the amazing array of early diesel power the Pennsy amassed. With a trip to the Poconos two weeks ago while my wife and kids were on Spring Break, I focused on learning more about the anthracite carriers that dominated that region for so many years: particularly the Erie, Reading, Lehigh Valley and Lackawanna, among others. Naturally a visit to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton was part of the trip.
I collect models and books on most of these railroads I have mentioned.
I am in the process of building a model railroad in my basement, which will occupy a space of about 9' x 24'. Though nominally titled the Virginia & Western, to reflect my interests in both local and western railroading (though I am considering a change to Virginia & North Western to better reflect my additional burgeoning interest in the railroads of Pennsylvania and western New York), it will in fact be a very generic layout, allowing me to follow my particular "flavor of the month" interests: one day I may have Milwaukee and Northern Pacific trains running in Montana, the next day PRR tonnage on the Middle Division, and the day after long C&O coal drags winding their way toward Tdewater. The track plan is intended to allow one person (me) to conduct switching or local operations while two trains orbit the mainline for atmosphere. There will probably be enough space and variety of operations to occupy three people for an operating session from time to time, but I've never really caught the operating bug, so the layout isn't intensely designed for such…rather it is just a stage for the display of my collection of various locomotives and rolling stock.
I am a member and past president of the local National Railway Historical Society - Rivanna Chapter (http://avenue.org/nrhs) and now serve as that group's webmaster and historian. I am also a member of the James River Division, Mid East Region, of the National Model Railroad Association and serve as that group's webmaster (http://www.trainweb.org/jrd/).
I am also a member of several other railroad groups…it makes me feel as though I am helping to keep the memory of these once great railroads alive:
Anthracite Railroads Historical Society
Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society
Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
Erie Lackawanna Historical Society
Great Northern Railway Historical Society
Milwaukee Road Historical Association
Nickel Plate Road Historical and Technical Society
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association
Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society
Railway and Locomotive Historical Society
Reading Company Historical Society
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Historical Society
Rio Grande Modeling and Historical Society
Southern Railway Historical Association
Union Pacific Historical Society
Other interests: Western history (cowboys, Indians, frontier Army. Etc.); hiking; National Parks; travel; cooking; fly fishing; Virginia Tech Hokies football (season tickets, baby!).
Go Hokies!
Okay, now for the introduction part...
I am a railfan first and foremost. An interest in model railroading is an extension of that. I am very interested in railroad history, particularly from the 1940's to the mid-1970's. While I have an interest in just about any railroad, to include narrow gauge lines, I am mostly into heavy duty, big time, mainline railroading.
I am a big believer in and supporter of passenger rail service and feel that so many of today's issues point to not just the viability of passenger trains, but the absolute necessity of passenger trains as an important component in a balanced national transportation system. I have been a member of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) for several years and also am a member of a local (Charlottesville, Virginia) rail advocacy group.
My "hometown" railroad is the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac (RF&P), as I lived within a short bike ride from Acca Yard in Richmond as a kid…spent many an hour watching trains from the Westwood Avenue overpass at the southern yard throat. I also spent a lot of train watching time on the Boulevard Bridge overlooking Seaboard Coast Line's Hermitage Yard, still with many locomotives in original Seaboard and Atlantic Coast Line paint (my interest in trains really kicked in around 1967, the year of the SCL merger, at the age of 11). I remember riding the RF&P's Christmas time "Santa Claus Trains" to Ashland as a kid in the early 1960's, also riding from Richmond to Alexandria and return with my grandparents as well as a trip to visit cousins in South Carolina on the Atlantic Coast Line. I also liked Southern Railway's muscular looking high-hood diesels, which I often saw at the paper plant at West Point, Virginia, while traveling to my grandparents' house on the Northern Neck. My early affections, however, were more for the Chesapeake and Ohio. I rode the NRHS Old Dominion Chapter's "Autumn Leaf Special" excursion several times from Richmond to Clifton Forge on the C&O in the late 60's and 70's, which greatly impressed me. I loved riding in the open-air observation cars (converted gondolas) or standing at half-open vestibule doors in the coaches ( I specifically remember being opposite the George Washington during an early evening layover in Charlottesville)...in fact I still do whenever I get a chance!
Despite my Virginia railroading origins, my interest in railroads ranges far and wide. I have long been fascinated with western railroading, beginning with the Denver and Rio Grande Western and Union Pacific. In recent years I have become very interested in the Northern Pacific, Great Northern and Milwaukee Road crossings of the Rockies in Montana and have visited and walked the mountain passes of those lines, both active and abandoned…I even brought home a Milwaukee Road tie plate I found half buried at the entrance to the long abandoned Pipestone Pass Tunnel (there is a real story there about getting that through airport security!).
In 2003, following a visit to Horseshoe Curve and Altoona's Railroader's Memorial Museum, I caught the Pennsylvania Railroad bug and have developed into a serious "SPF" (ask a Pennsy fan), with a keen interest in PRR steam and the amazing array of early diesel power the Pennsy amassed. With a trip to the Poconos two weeks ago while my wife and kids were on Spring Break, I focused on learning more about the anthracite carriers that dominated that region for so many years: particularly the Erie, Reading, Lehigh Valley and Lackawanna, among others. Naturally a visit to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton was part of the trip.
I collect models and books on most of these railroads I have mentioned.
I am in the process of building a model railroad in my basement, which will occupy a space of about 9' x 24'. Though nominally titled the Virginia & Western, to reflect my interests in both local and western railroading (though I am considering a change to Virginia & North Western to better reflect my additional burgeoning interest in the railroads of Pennsylvania and western New York), it will in fact be a very generic layout, allowing me to follow my particular "flavor of the month" interests: one day I may have Milwaukee and Northern Pacific trains running in Montana, the next day PRR tonnage on the Middle Division, and the day after long C&O coal drags winding their way toward Tdewater. The track plan is intended to allow one person (me) to conduct switching or local operations while two trains orbit the mainline for atmosphere. There will probably be enough space and variety of operations to occupy three people for an operating session from time to time, but I've never really caught the operating bug, so the layout isn't intensely designed for such…rather it is just a stage for the display of my collection of various locomotives and rolling stock.
I am a member and past president of the local National Railway Historical Society - Rivanna Chapter (http://avenue.org/nrhs) and now serve as that group's webmaster and historian. I am also a member of the James River Division, Mid East Region, of the National Model Railroad Association and serve as that group's webmaster (http://www.trainweb.org/jrd/).
I am also a member of several other railroad groups…it makes me feel as though I am helping to keep the memory of these once great railroads alive:
Anthracite Railroads Historical Society
Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads Historical Society
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society
Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society
Erie Lackawanna Historical Society
Great Northern Railway Historical Society
Milwaukee Road Historical Association
Nickel Plate Road Historical and Technical Society
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association
Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society
Railway and Locomotive Historical Society
Reading Company Historical Society
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Historical Society
Rio Grande Modeling and Historical Society
Southern Railway Historical Association
Union Pacific Historical Society
Other interests: Western history (cowboys, Indians, frontier Army. Etc.); hiking; National Parks; travel; cooking; fly fishing; Virginia Tech Hokies football (season tickets, baby!).
Go Hokies!
