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POTOMAC RAIL NEWSPOTOMAC CHAPTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETYP.O. BOX 235, KENSINGTON, MARYLAND 20895-0235APRIL 2022TRAVELING LINCOLN’S ROUTE. On March 5, 2022, this Photo Special isfollowing the Northern Central Railway route Abraham Lincoln took onNovember 18, 1863, to the battlefield to make his Gettysburg Addresson November 19th . Photo by: Henry Stiles See page 2 for more.PROGRAM: “Trackside in the Potomac Valley.” Noted photographer andwriter Jeremy Plant will present a slide program covering the Potomacregion from east to west from 1967 to 2014. Included are the linesbetween Alexandria and Cumberland and beyond, with the major focus onthe former B&O and Western Maryland lines, including the transitionsto Chessie System and CSX. Most are action shots showing the varietyof operations and scenery in this beautiful area. Many thanks to JimKleeman for help in arranging this program.MEETING: April 19, 2022. 8PM. Lobby Level Auditorium of the MontgomeryCounty Executive Office Building, 101 Monroe Street, Rockville, MD.NEXT MEETING DATE: MAY 17, 2022DEADLINE FOR MAY ISSUE: April 29, 2022. Send news items to ClayMoritz, Editor, Potomac Rail News, at c.moritz@comcast.netINFO ON CHAPTER ACTIVITIES: http://potomacnrhs.org/ADDRESS MEMBERSHIP INQUIRIES TO: Rick Davidson, Membership Agent, 2908Breezy Terrace, Alexandria, VA 22303-2401 rdavidsonjr2908@gmail.com
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 2 OF 8THE CHAPTER FAMILYIf you know of a Chapter Member who is sick, has lost a loved one, or has anew birth in the family, please contact the editor at: c.moritz@comcast.netLAST CALL!! POTOMAC CHAPTER DUES ARE PAST DUE!! Since last month’s dues reminderincluded an incorrect email for Rick Davidson, THIS IS THE LAST CALL FOR DUESRENEWAL. If you have not paid your Chapter dues for 2022, this IS your last PRN.To renew, contact Rick Davidson 2908 Breezy Terrace, Alexandria, VA 22303-2401rdavidsonjr2908@gmail.com (703) 768-2831. Dues are 15 for postal delivery ofPRN; 7.50 for email delivery. Checks payable to: Potomac Chapter, NRHS.THIS MONTH’S COVER PHOTO, The March 5th Photo Special Event on the NorthernCentral Railway was organized by Carl Franz. The event hosted 57 photographers.Pre-trip preparations included the efforts of 21 volunteers for an all-day brushcutting session that manicured the right-of-way for optimal photographicopportunities. Despite some cloudy skies, everyone had a great time with 32 runbys and 8 still shots. A highlight of the trip was the fact this was Carl’sfirst Photo Special on the 9 miles of track north of Hanover Junction, includingHoward Tunnel. In 1863, Lincoln boarded his train at the B&O Railroad Station atNew Jersey Avenue and C Street in Washington. The train, consisting of fourcars, was decorated with flags and streamers and packed with VIPs and militarygroups. The terminus of the Washington Line was at Camden Station in Baltimore.With no direct connection to the Northern Central line, the locomotives had to bedetached and the cars were dragged by tandem teams of horses to the CalvertStreet Station, which no longer exists. Once here, the cars were switched to theNorthern Central. At Hanover Junction in Pennsylvania, the engines were switchedand the Hanover Branch Engine #3 pulled the cars the remaining 29 miles toGettysburg.IN MEMORIAM. With Deep Sadness, we note the passing of long-time PotomacChapter Member Paul Bergdolt’s father, George James Bergdolt Jr., ofGaithersburg , MD, on February 17, 2022. The funeral service was held onFebruary 24, 2022, at DeVol Funeral Home in Gaithersburg with interment takingplace at Northumberland Memorial Park Cemetery in Stonington PA. In lieu offlowers, memorial contributions may be made to any local food bank.George was born on October 19, 1922, and was on his way to 100 when hepassed away on February 17, 2022. In years past Paul brought his father to suchevents as the annual meeting of the Walkersville Southern Railroad where otherswere able to meet him. For many years Paul has been a good son, dutifully caringfor both parents at home, and he took care of his father to the end. The PotomacChapter extends its Deepest Sympathy to Paul and his mother, Elvera. Please keepthe Bergdolt Family in your Thoughts and Prayers. (Notice originally appeared inHigh Green, Chesapeake Railway Association)With Deep Sadness, we also note the passing of Jim Wrinn, who aspired sincehis youth to be the Editor of Trains magazine and served in the role for morethan 17 years, died at home on March 30, 2022, after a valiant 14-month battlewith pancreatic cancer. He was 61. Wrinn’s longevity in the editor’s role wassecond only to that of the legendary David P. Morgan, who led the magazine formore than 33 years and died in 1990 at age 62. Morgan’s editorship and writingsdeeply influenced Wrinn, who began reading Trains in 1967 at age 6. Wrinn issurvived by his wife, Catherine Kratville-Wrinn, their “raildog” Millie, numerouscousins, and many close friends whom he often said he considered to be the
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 3 OF 8brothers or sisters or children he never had. Funeral services will be private.The Potomac Chapter extends its Deepest Sympathy to Jim’s wife, Catherine, andfamily, as well as his many friends. Please keep them in your Thoughts andPrayers.UP REMEMBERS JIM WRINN. UNION PACIFIC STEAM CLUB UPDATE NO. 20 - MARCH 31, 2022.On March 30, the rail community lost a truly great journalist, and, mostimportant, a friend. Jim Wrinn, Editor-In-Chief of Trains magazine, passed awayat age 61, following a 14-month battle against pancreatic cancer.Jim covered Union Pacific his entire career. His integrity and love for allthings rail were evident in every word.The Steam Crew came to know Jim beginning back in 2012 during our returnhome with the Big Boy, No. 4014. Jim was an avid supporter, particularly of thegreat steam locomotive. We fondly look back and remember seeing Jim patientlywaiting alongside the track out west on the Wyoming plain or patiently waitingperched atop museum equipment. He visited the Steam Shop several times todocument renovation and he was there as the Big Boy made its first steps in over50 years, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the transcontinental railroad'scompletion in 2019. That was Jim, patient, a true professional in every sense.Steam on our friend.Union Pacific and your Steam Crew friends‘Dreams in Steam’HELP SAVE THE ABERDEEN (MD) BALTIMORE & OHIO STATION. Friends of the Aberdeen B&O TrainStation, Inc. is dedicated to the history and preservation of the B&O Railroad’sonly existing station on the Philadelphia Subdivision. The Potomac Chapter willmatch all member donations to this effort, up to 5,000. The deadline is July 1,2022. Send your check to Potomac Chapter NRHS, P.O. Box 235, Kensington, MD20895-0235 or you can visit the Potomac Chapter website at www.potomacnrhs.organd use the link to make a donation.“Wolsztyn Experience Ukraine Support Fund” - AN UPDATE. The U.S. effort to raisefunds in support of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded 25,000.00. The British sideof the fund raising effort has raised about 40,000.00. They started earlierbecause we needed to apply for Internal Revenue Service approval of ourapplication to recognize our donations as tax deductible, which we now have.Next Saturday, we are organizing, and the Polish railway is donating, asteam trip for about 170 Ukraine children and 100 young mothers. It will includea barbecue picnic, and other festivities on Saturday’s train.If you would like to support this worthy cause, please see the emailedattachment that we e-mail with this month’s PRN. For a copy of the attachment orother questions, please contact Carl Franz at cmfrr@aol.com or 240-720-8686.RAIL NEWSREADING & NORTHERN RETURNING HISTORIC STEAM LOCOMOTIVE TO EXCURSION SERVICE. Avintage steam locomotive with roots in the anthracite region will be haulingpassenger excursions for the first time in over 30 years beginning this springand summer following a restoration effort that cost over 2.4 million.The Reading & Northern Railroad announced that T-1 Class steam locomotive2102 will lead four “Iron Horse Rambles” starting in May.The trips, which taketheir name from legendary excursions offered decades ago by the former ReadingCompany, will be offered on May 28, July 2, August 13, and September 3, with fiveclasses of seating being offered.
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 4 OF 8The all-day excursions will travel from Reading to Jim Thorpe and return,with a 3.5-hour layover at Jim Thorpe and a photo run-by for railfans on thereturn to Reading. It is very similar to the famed Reading Company Iron HorseRambles of the late 1950s and early 1960s.”HISTORY. Built in 1945 by the Reading Company at their shops in Reading,2102 is one of four surviving T-1 Class locomotives, company officials said. Ithauled coal trains for the Reading until being set aside for use in its IronHorse Rambles program at the end of the steam era in the late 1950s.Popularly dubbed the Reading Railroad, the Reading Company connectedPhiladelphia and Reading with the anthracite region and beyond, carrying coal,freight, and passengers. Its assets were sold to Conrail in 1976 and survivinglines have passed on to successors.Reading & Northern, meanwhile, was founded in 1983 and has developed asubstantial freight and passenger excursion business through acquisition ofrailroad lines throughout the region, including some former Reading Companytracks.Locomotive 2102 spent several years with Steam Tours in Ohio until Reading &Northern owner and CEO Andy Muller, Jr. purchased it in 1986 and operated theengine between Temple and South Hamburg in Berks County.Locomotive 2102 was placed in storage in 1991. In 2016, work began onrebuilding the locomotive and bringing it back to service on the Reading &Northern.EXCURSION TICKETS. Tickets are available for sale on the railroad’swebsite, www.rbmnrr-passenger.com, or by phone at 610-562-2102. Ticket pricingwill be per person, regardless of age: Standard coach seating — 99, Crownclass coach seating — 110, Pullman Car private rooms — 299 per room for up totwo people, First class dome car seating — 199, First class lounge carseating — 199, and First class lounge observation car seating — 210.A GROWING RAILROAD EMPIRE. Based in Port Clinton, Berks County, Reading &Northern (formally known as Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern) is a privatelyheld railroad company serving over 70 customers in nine eastern Pennsylvaniacounties: Berks, Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland,Schuylkill, and Wyoming. The company employs nearly 300 people.In addition to a thriving freight business, Reading & Northern operatessteam- and diesel-powered passenger excursion services, including trips betweenReading and Jim Thorpe and its popular Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway rides. Over225,000 people rode the railroad’s excursion trains in 2021, breaking previousrecords. (Times Leader via High Green – Chesapeake Railway Association.)UNION PACIFIC STEAM CLUB UPDATE NO. 21 - APRIL 11, 2022. Union Pacific's famedBig Boy No. 4014 is set to return to the tracks this summer for its "West CoastSteam Tour." Kicking off June 26 from Cheyenne, Wyoming, this year's tour willcelebrate Union Pacific's 160th Anniversary, railroad heritage, and thecommunities the railroad serves, visiting the Pacific Northwest for the firsttime since its return to service.The Big Boy will be on display in four cities: July 6, 2022: Sparks, Nevada July 8-9, 2022: Roseville, California July 15-16, 2022: Portland, Oregon July 21-22, 2022: Boise, IdahoDisplay days include locomotive viewing, access to the"Experience the Union Pacific Rail Car," a multi-media walk-through exhibition that providesa glimpse at the past while telling the story of modern-day railroading, and liveQ&A with the Steam Crew.
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 5 OF 8Big Boy No. 4014 will leave the Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, June 26,making brief whistle-stops in dozens of communities in Wyoming, Nevada,California, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah. Further details for these stops will bereleased to the Steam Club in May.Last month, the Steam Crew turned the BigBoy on the turntable in Cheyenne.Watch the video!That's all for now! Be safe, and we'll see you trackside, at least 25 feet awaythis summer! Union Pacific Steam ClubHISTORIC BRUNSWICK RAIL TOWER HAS BEEN RELOCATED. The iconic West BrunswickTower, which has been in theBrunswick rail yard since 1910,has been moved about 100 feetto a property owned by theCity, located on East PotomacStreet. Pennsylvania-basedWolfe House & Building Movers,which worked at the sitethroughout the week inpreparation, moved the tower onSaturday, April 2nd . The WestBrunswick Tower is the lastremaining historic structure onthe 93.5-acre railroad, whichis owned by CSX Transportation.Built in 1910 by the Baltimore& Ohio Railroad, the buildingwas taken out of service in2011 by CSX, prompting the Cityto begin a decade-long projectto move the building onto City(Photo by: Stephen Sery)property for preservation.The City secured 15,000 in State grant funding in June 2020. If the Cityhad not taken steps to move and preserve the building, it would have beendemolished by CSX Transportation.The project has required the involvement of four administrations, withformer Mayors Carroll Jones, Karin Tome, and Jeff Snoots, along with currentMayor Nathan Brown, each contributing to the project, according to the City’spress release.“Coordination of engineering services, structural analysis of the tower,consideration of appropriate locations, transfer of ownership, and the logisticsof moving the structure have delayed the project several times through theyears”; however, the project was finally ready to commence,” and completed.East Potomac Street was closed between First and Second avenues for thelength of the time the building was moved.The April 2nd move was witnessed by John and Stephen Sery. “The move of WBtower across the CSX main to its new preservation location on the other side ofthe tracks (8:25 am Saturday April 2). Ties were placed between the rails andsteel plates laid over the top. After the tracks were cleared, the EastboundCapitol Limited was the first train to pass the tower in its new location.” (Cityof Brunswick press release and observations of John Sery)WHITE PASS RAILROAD WILL NOT RETURN TO CANADA IN 2022. Tourists and locals stillwill not be able to take in the alpine meadows of Fraser, British Columbia or theshores of Bennett Lake in Carcross from a car on one of the White Pass Yukon
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 6 OF 8Route’s (WPYR) trains this year. Although full service on the rail tours fromSkagway, Alaska, will not be returning in 2022, WPYR staff say that the work donealready this year will help with a smooth return in 2023. (Yukon News)HITACHI RAIL PLANT COULD RECEIVE INCENTIVES WORTH 11 MILLION FROM MD. Hitachi,which will bring a rail car factory and hundreds of jobs to Western Maryland,could receive more than 11 million worth of State incentives over several years,according to State officials. Hitachi Rail announced in late March that it chosea site near Hagerstown for a 307,000-square-foot assembly plant, where it willproduce 256 rail cars for Metro starting in 2024. The factory, viewed byWashington County and State officials as an economic boon, is expected to creatework for 460 new employees and support 1,300 other jobs during a contract worth 2.2 billion.Metro’s contract stipulated that its 8000-series cars must be built in theMid-Atlantic region, which created a coveted opportunity for jurisdictionsseeking skilled and increasingly rare manufacturing jobs. The company said thatit worked with multiple counties in Maryland and Virginia, but in the end, theMaryland site was the only space available to fit the needs of the plant.The location for Metro’s next rail cars to be built at the new 70 millionMaryland plant is expected to become a Northeastern hub for the company, whichplans to assemble trains, trams, rail cars and other rail vehicles as it expandsin a U.S. market that has no major subway car manufacturers. Metro’s contractwith Hitachi also includes an option for up to 800 rail cars.Maryland learned of Hitachi Rail’s search in January 2021 after a broker forthe company contacted the State’s Department of Commerce, said Departmentspokeswoman Karen Glenn Hood. The broker didn’t initially disclose the companyuntil discussions progressed, at which point a Hitachi Rail consultant and theState began to discuss possible incentives, Glenn Hood said.In May, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan made his pitch in a call to HitachiRail representatives, said Michael Ricci, Hogan’s spokesman. Glenn Hood andMetro officials say the transit agency was not involved in the discussions. Theincentives would have applied to any Maryland site Hitachi Rail selected, GlennHood said. Ricci said the State had no preference in a site, adding thatcounties dealt directly with Hitachi during the search, with assistance fromCommerce Department officials.“Our goal was to get this factory in Maryland, and we were thrilled toachieve that objective,” Ricci said. Hitachi officials said the search includedsites in Maryland and Virginia.The company told Virginia that it was out of the running early this yearbecause it did not have a “shovel-ready” site, according to a former Stateofficial close to the company’s efforts who spoke on the condition of anonymityto discuss private negotiations. Macaulay Porter, a spokeswoman for VirginiaGovernor Glenn Youngkin , declined to discuss any such proposals.But in Maryland, the rail car maker, which has U.S. offices based inPittsburgh, was offered a slate of incentives. Lourdes Germán, ExecutiveDirector of the nonprofit Public Finance Initiative and a lecturer at the HarvardUniversity Graduate School of Design, said such incentives are a tool forgovernments to entice companies to keep future jobs within their borders. “Itseems like there is a commitment to growth in the region, really making this abusiness that’s not a kind of one-and-done under one contract, but actually theywant to have a larger service mandate,” Germán said.The incentive package, which is awaiting formal approval by the CommerceDepartment, Hitachi Rail and Washington County, includes a 1.6 millionconditional loan based on job creation and capital expenditure. Hitachi Rail isalso eligible for several tax credits, Glenn Hood said, including the More Jobs
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 7 OF 8for Marylanders and the Job Creation tax credits.The 1.6 million loan is based on Hitachi Rail spending 65 million to buildthe plant by the end of 2024, Glenn Hood said. The loan requires the creation ofat least 400 jobs by the end of that year and maintaining that employee count for10 years, which is the term of the loan. The More Jobs for Marylanders taxcredit requires businesses to offer job training or educational opportunities anda wage at least 120% of minimum wage. In return, manufacturing companies receivea credit against the State’s income tax of 5.75%, a credit against the State’sportion of the property tax, a refund of sales and use taxes, and a waiver ofcertain fees, according to the Commerce Department. The credits are availablefor 10 years.The Job Creation tax credit offers up to 6,000 for every new job, as wellas a tax credit that depends on the experience of people hired, the size of thebusiness and employees staying at least one year, according to the State. Jobsmust pay at least 150% of minimum wage. The tax credit expires in 2027.By selecting Washington County, part of the State’s One Maryland tax creditprogram that prioritizes job growth in certain jurisdictions, Hitachi Rail alsocan earn up to 5 million in income tax credits for hiring at least 50 people tojobs that pay at least 120% of minimum wage.Prince George’s County also had expressed interest in the factory. StateSenator Malcolm L. Augustine (D-Prince George’s) said he spoke with then-CommerceSecretary Kelly M. Schulz last year, and she “made clear to me that the State didnot express site preference,” Augustine said in an email. He said PrinceGeorge’s was unable to make its pitch because the company did not return theCounty’s messages — a point he raised at a March Metro Board meeting.Hitachi officials did not say whether the incentives helped steer theirdecision. They said the 41-acre site near the Hopewell Valley Industrial Parkwas well-located, had good connections to rail markets across the Northeast andwas about 90 minutes from Metro’s Greenbelt Rail Yard, where the rail cars willbe delivered. The company also said land availability was a factor. The plantwill occupy the equivalent of five football fields, providing room to produce upto 20 rail cars each month and space for an 800-yard test track. (WashingtonPost)EVERETT RAILROAD STEAMER CONVERTED TO OIL. The Everett Railroad Company hasconverted its 2-6-0 locomotive from burning coal to burning oil. The railroadsaid it made the transition because it was getting harder and harder to findcoal. The locomotive was originally built by Cooke Works of the AmericanLocomotive Company to burn oil on railroads in Cuba, but it never ended up on theisland and instead worked for a number of American roads.It was converted tocoal early on and ran until the 1980s. It was purchased by Everett in 2006 andrestored to service in 2015 (www.csrail.org/everett). More recently, it was usedas a test-bed to burn torrefied biomass. The conversion from coal to oil wasspearheaded by FMW Solutions and aided by Stockton Locomotive Works.“With our increased ridership and popularity, the 11 has been operating onour tourist trains now more than ever. It’s become a challenge to get the rightcoal at a reasonable price, and the quality of coal can greatly affect how alocomotive operates. Combined with our desire to be a good neighbor throughreducing smoke, we’ll also be able to simplify our fueling logistics and free upmore space for parking,” said Alan Maples, President of the Everett RailroadCompany.The Everett runs steam throughout the year. Visit the railroad’s websitefor more information (www.everettrailroad.com). (Railfan & Railroad)
POTOMAC RAIL NEWSAPRIL 2022PAGE 8 OF 8POTOMAC RAIL NEWS is published monthly by the Potomac Chapter, National Railway HistoricalSociety, Inc., P.O. Box 235, Kensington, Maryland 20895-0235 Website: www.potomacnrhs.org*****Potomac Chapter Officers & Directors:President.Gordy Bjoraker (301) 577-5061Vice-President.John Sery(301) 431-0088Secretary.Bill Holdsworth (301) 762-9376Treasurer.Jay Creswell(703) 255-3258Directors.Carl Franz, Robert Dixon-Gumm, Stephen Sery, Penny Dixon-GummNational Representative.Rick Davidson(703) 768-2831Membership.Rick Davidson(703) 768-2831Historian.Bob Cohen(301) 424-3228Editor, PRN.Clay Moritz(301) 933-3618Program Committee: Alex Mayes, John SeryContributors: Alex Mayes, Glenn Orletsky, Ray Saunders, John SeryPOTOMAC CHAPTER, NRHSP.O. BOX 235KENSINGTON, MD. 20895-0235FIRST CLASS
2022. Send your check to Potomac Chapter NRHS, P.O. Box 235, Kensington, MD 20895-0235 or you can visit the Potomac Chapter website at www.potomacnrhs.org and use the link to make a donation. "Wolsztyn Experience Ukraine Support Fund" - AN UPDATE. The U.S. effort to raise because we needed to apply for Internal Revenue Service approval of our
