SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAILED CALLBOARD NEWSLETTER & OTHER NEWS BELOW
CALLBOARD DECEMBER 8, 2023
by Bill Carlisle
Once again, I wish you all warm holiday greetings as we near the end of 2023. As always, our goal is to keep you, the membership, informed with our the up-to-date progress we are achieving at our new boxcar museum location.
In the original Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant request, we had listed among the proposals the need for signage in and about the heritage center. One idea was to place "Legacy Markers" by each of the rolling stock that had a high importance. We felt that educating the visitors to the origins of that equipment was needed. With that thought , we have created the first of the legacy signs. It shows a photo of our Big Red as it was when in service at the top and follows with the historic time line covering from its origin through the present day. Made on a 16 X 20 inch photographic aluminum plate, It should survive the outdoors. The mounting still needs to be completed; it will be a solar lighted stand-alone, not mounted on the boxcar. We're hoping to have it done and installed this coming January.
The Port Jervis Transportation History Center Organization that formed the focal point at the Erie Yard has disbanded. These individual groups remain - Outdoor Club of Port Jervis , Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, Operation Toy Train, and the Dining Car Society. Alll are awaiting the next step for the Erie Yard story to be finalized.
We have honored fellow member Bill Schill's donation of the artistic signage on our Big Red boxcar with a small metallic photographic aluminum plate that is attached to the boxcar just below the signage. Again, thank you, Bill.
As you know, late into the season real electricity arrived. Thanks to the City of Port Jervis for giving us a temporary hook-up as we await that final stage. Again, a large amount of applause is well deserved for our member Mike Ward for making this happen. Our hopes are completing the internal outlet wiring and overhead spot lighting throughout Big Red well before our projected May, 2024 opening.
Throughout this season, many visitors have donated artifacts, photos and other items. To accommodate the storage, we have purchased medium containers with flip top lids. Hopefully, this will enhance our storage and access abilities.
During this past summer, we worked behind the scenes on our DRI submission that the City of Port Jervis received from the State of NY. Our submitted project was made up of nine proposals that would change and enhance the Erie yard area along with helping Tri-States' future. This project was reduced in size, along with the reduction in funds requested. That reduced proposal has made it through the local process, and that committee has disbanded. The remaining proposal will now move on to the State level. Fellow Members,. fingers crossed , for if approved, it will enhance the Erie yard experience and advance Tri-States' presentation.
A new journey through the world of grants has started. Hopefully, we will be successful along this path allowing us to continue our future vision. To be continued!
As we approach the new year we are also approaching the membership renewal which many of you may have already completed. We have combined the older list with the current lists and updated where we can. I have already emailed a personnel greeting to all of you, along with our new membership form. Please note the electronic process to submit is available on our online page (tsrps.org) and , if you wish, you can still summit using the paper form and the U.S Postal system. We are attempting to update the postal address for each of you. If you can, could you confirm through my email your current home address. It would be very helpful. If you know someone who might be interested in joining and supporting Tri-States, please do so. We need our membership and support to grow.
We have projected the 2024 season opening for May 11th. I invite you to visit the museum this coming spring, we start that 3rd season. We are looking for active members to help keep it open for visitors. As a greeter, you will enjoy the interaction and relish the stories. It's a different kind of experience, and quite rewarding.
Again, it was another awesome year and a intense adventure to get us to where we now are - one boxcar full and one to go!. With the possible DRI grant award, and other possible grants, we can achieve our goals. The City of Port Jervis continues to support these goals as well.
It's with a warm heart that we celebrate the coming times of our lives, Happy Holidays to all.
December 7th... Remembering Pearl Harbor
Bill Carlisle (3catfish3@gmail.com)
4rd Edition "Season 2023" 12-7-23
Links: https://tsrps.org and https://www.facebook.com/tristatesrps
CALLBOARD FALL 2023
by Bill Carlisle
Let me extend a warm welcome to our members through this "Callboard" newsletter for the Tri-State Railway Preservation Society as we approach the colder days of the year. As before, our goal is to keep you , the membership, informed with the up-to-date progress we are achieving at our new boxcar museum location.
As some of you may already know, our new home is a boxcar and we are about to start on our second one. Yes, we have two! Their nicknames are "Big Red" and "Big Yellow" and they are identical twins. These 70 foot refrigerated boxcars were donated by CSX Corporation and then leased by the Tri-States Railway Preservation Society for a ten year period (2022-2031). But things changed midway through our 2023 season and through the generous donation by Operation Toy Train, both boxcars are now owned by us. This is a huge move forward for our society and gives us a firm foundation for the future.
The Port Jervis Transportation History Center Organization that formed the focal point at the Erie Yard has disbanded. The individual groups - Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, Toy Train Society, Dining Car Society, Outdoor Club of Port Jervis, Conrail Historical Society, and the Friends of Port Jervis Art & History still remain and are awaiting the next step for the Erie Yard story.
Let's take a look at this past season's progress. As before, we opened in late May for our 2nd season with building three planters at by the entrance ramp. The Port Jervis Rotary Club arrived ready to do some spring cleaning around the boxcar and the turntable, as well as filling those planters with all the new plants that we purchased through their $500 donation. A huge thank you for all they did!
Thanks to another generous donation from member Bill Schill, our Big Red boxcar now announces its presence as our museum in very large letters painted on its side. Bravo to Bill as he fulfills one of his visions that shouts out who we are.
Late into the season electricity arrived. Thanks to the City of Port Jervis for giving us a temporary hook-up as we await that final stage. A large amount of applause is well deserved for our member Mike Ward for supplying the museum with electric power, the generator, and the fuel for almost two seasons. He is truly a dedicated member.
Throughout this season many visitors brought in artifacts, photos and other items to donate. I find that the best items come with the stories they leave with us. This may be the best part of our museum experience for it is the interaction between our greeters and the visitors that continue that warm link between the present and the past. Several names were added to the Honor Role boards along with some intense conversations about their relatives and the Erie Railroad.
We participated in co-sponsoring the July 4th fireworks festival. The park was filled with visitors, great music, and tasty items from all those food trucks. We held a successful raffle for a beautiful railroad photo taken and donated by Sean Bowden, a photographer from Wappingers Falls NY. It was fully framed , double matted with museum quality glass. Fireworks filled the night sky along with some rain drops that the visitors strongly ignored. A wonderful day for the City of Port Jervis.!
During the entire season, behind the scenes, we worked hard on our DRI submission ( Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant) that the City of Port Jervis received from the State of NY. Our submitted project was made up of nine proposals that would change and enhance the Erie yard area along with helping Tri-States future. This is a very long process that continues on as I write this letter. I'm happy to say some of the items are still in the process, but sadly our direct proposals for enhancing our boxcars are not. So a new journey through the world of grants has started. Hopefully we will be successful along this path allowing us to continue our future vision.
Looking ahead the list of items to be accomplished are: Full main line electrical installations , HVAC installation in the boxcars, complete the electrical installation of outlets and lighting in both cars, improving the track area under and adjacent to current the boxcar position, and completing the last few exhibit areas inside Big Red. This is a long and challenging start to preparing our 2nd boxcar for exhibition; we have mostly filled up Big Red and need to step into Big Yellow!
As we approach the new year we also are approaching the membership renewal in which many of you may have already completed. The dues are currently the largest means to fund our needs such as paying insurance. We were again fortunate to receive small donations at the boxcar during this seasons operations. We hope you will consider renewing your membership and invite others you may know who also have an interest in our goals. This small amount goes far for us. These funds really do help, even if you choose to be inactive. This year's dues will be $25 a member, as we start our membership drive this November. The expenses are on the rise everywhere and boxcar ownership has increased our insurance cost.
We would like to invite you to visit the museum this coming spring as we start our 3rd season. As always, we are looking for active members to help keep it open for visitors. As a greeter you will enjoy the interaction and relish the stories. You can visit it now through our online access. The links are on the bottom of this letter.
Again, it was another awesome year and a intense adventure to get us to where we now are - one boxcar full and one to go!. Many special individuals dedicated their time, ideas and shared their passion along the way, working together for a common achievable goal. The City of Port Jervis has supported these goals as well. It's with a warm heart that we thank them all.
Looking forward to our next Callboard as our journey continues!
Bill Carlisle
3rd Edition "Season 2023"
CALLBOARD APRIL 2023
by Bill Carlisle
Again, I wish you all a warm welcome as we start the second season of our Boxcar Museum and the second issue of our "Callboard" newsletter for the Tri-State Railway Preservation Society. As always, our goal for this is to keep you, the membership, informed with the up-to-date progress we are achieving at our new box car museum location.
Our next opening day is scheduled for May 13th at 12 noon sharp with a special pre-opening for all our members at 10:00 am with coffee, cake, and a few other sweet treats! Spend some time in the Boxcar Museum and share some memories or ask those questions. We will show you what we hope the future will bring to this area. The museum will remain open until 4 pm and open again on Sunday noon until 4 pm. The Port Jervis Transportation History Center Organization forms the focus and supports Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, Toy Train Society, Dining Car Society, Conrail Historical Society, Minisink Historical Society, and the Friends of Port Jervis Art & History. Our thanks to them for all their help while preparing for our second season. Please come join us!
Let's look at this season's preparation for progress. We started by re-establishing our meetings both in person and virtual. Members may now join and participate in our live meetings virtually. The executive committee has approved and accepted our new by-laws. A digital copy will be sent to all the member's listed email address. Please reply with any question you may have on it.
Let me introduce our newly elected officers:
William H. Carlisle... President; Carolyn Hoffman.. Vice President; William Schill... Treasurer;
Alex Ginella ... Recording Secretary; Lyn Feasly ... Corresponding Secretary,
Christopher Mentone ... Director; Mike Ward ... Director.
These newly elected officers above (7) are now our Executive Officers according to the new by-laws..
Approving the 2nd Box Car lease was one of the important items on the agenda. The first boxcar is almost complete, and we are now planning for the future, and this one comes in yellow! Our first boxcar is still awaiting the electrical installation along with the HVAC system and accessory outlets. We hope to also add ceiling spotlights to enhance the exhibits at a future date. O&R utilities has extended the pole wires and added the transformer to the pole, but it's still a bit short of the final destination. Future electrical work now can be done in-house. We added another classic display cabinet and filled it quickly with many Erie items; some even have a shine! Both portions of the Donald W. Furler photo exhibit has been completed and include photos of both the Erie and the NYO&W. How he captured the exciting motion of those monster machines with such resolution is amazing.
New pamphlets with photos await distribution throughout the community, new logo signs were made in two sizes, and three of the four are installed on the boxcar. A large diamond plate threshold has been installed in the double door entrance threshold. It is hinged and can be folded upwards to allow the boxcar plug door to be closed.
I'm adding a new segment to the Callboard starting with this issue, a casual interview of a local guest who has ties to the "Erie Family". What better way to start, an interview with our own William Schill. There is no way I can capture the warmth of his stories in writing, so I have a video that will be available on our website and Facebook page. It's a short story and I hope you find the time to view it. I asked him seven questions and he filled in the rest! It's a small peek into his life along with the supporting cast - The Erie Family. Bill's dad was an Erie Conductor assigned to the New York Division out of Port Jervis.
As we approach the new season in our museum adventure, we also are approaching the membership concerns. As you know, the membership dues are quite low, a real deal in a way. The dues are currently the only means to fund our needs such as paying insurance. We were fortunate to receive small donations at the Box Car Museum during operation last season that will help our cause; people are still kind even when the chips are down. We hope you will consider inviting others who may also have an interest in our goals to join. This small amount goes far and long for us all. Membership involvement may not always be active to enhance the results, but we do need volunteers to cover the open museum hours. We would like to encourage you to visit the Box Car in the near future and we are eagerly awaiting you to take the challenge. Don't feel uncomfortable, we are here to help. You can visit it now through our online access. The links appear below.
Again, it was an awesome season last year and an intense adventure to get us to where we now are. Many special individuals dedicated their time and ideas working together for a common achievable goal. The City of Port Jervis has supported these goals as well.
A special thank you to Mike Ward for the countless number of hours guiding us as President this past year. He stayed involved every step along the way always helping where he could. Again, it is with a warm heart that we thank him.
So much to do, so little time. Check out the updated pages on-line! Looking forward to our next Callboard! I'm hoping that there will be a few new and interesting announcements that may directly involve our museum!
Links: Tri-State Railway Preservation Society... https://tsrps.org
https://www.facebook.com/tristatesrps
Port Jervis Transportation History Center.... https://pjthc.org
Scenic Wild Delaware River sites...
https://scenicwilddelawareriver.com/entries/tri-states-railway-preservation-society-port-jervis-ny/6c8d25b2-cf3b-4fcf-85c5-ac5eee66224b
https://scenicwilddelawareriver.com/entries/erie-turntable-port-jervis-ny/651b9098-8fbe-422a-ba65-548606974d61
CALLBOARD FALL 2022
by Bill Carlisle
A warm welcome back to our "Call Board" newsletter for the Tri-States Railway Preservation Society. Our goal through this is to keep you, the membership, informed with the up-to-date progress we are achieving at our new boxcar museum location.
As you may already know, our new home is a boxcar and it's a beauty. A complete refrigerated 70-foot boxcar was donated by CSX Corporation and then leased by the Tri-State Railway Preservation Society for a ten year period (2022-2031).
With the help of several groups and many individuals, we now have a permanent home in the community, right off the end of one of the many approach tracks of the active Erie Turntable. The Port Jervis Transportation History Center organization forms the focus and supports Tri-States Railway Preservation Society, Operation Toy Train, The Dining Car Society, The Outdoor Club of Port Jervis, Conrail Historical Society, and the Friends of Port Jervis Art & History. Our thanks to them for all their help in our first year, settling into the location.
Let's take a look at this past year's progress. We started by re-establishing our meetings and electing new officers. Approving the boxcar lease was one of the important items on the agenda. Our boxcar arrived, and by April, it was in place on newly positioned rails, which were set in place by many volunteers. The car itself was cleaned and painted on the outside, the ceiling and ends were painted and the wall-covering was installed and painted. Next came the installation of the double entry doors. Electrical lighting was installed, followed by the crew building the handicap access ramp and walkway. During this time the city workers had relocated all our items from the Recreation Center to our new boxcar location. Work inside the car was focused on repositioning all the cabinets, rearranging the railroad items, and adding additional new items and decorations to the walls. New exhibits were installed and more were planned. We added The Men Of Erie exhibit and a photographer’s area where the Erie Railroad photos of Donald W. Furley are displayed.
We made our goal of a soft opening for the Memorial Day weekend event at the turntable. All the groups participated, and judging by the turnout, were successful in reaching their goals.
We stayed open until the middle of October and then closed for the season. Looking ahead, the list of items to be accomplished are: Main line electrical installations, HVAC installation in the boxcar, complete the electrical installation of outlets and lighting, improving the track area under the boxcar, and completing the last few exhibit areas inside. A long and challenging list to be accomplished.
As we approach the new year, we also are approaching the membership renewal in which many of you have already completed. As you know, the membership dues are quite low, a real deal in a way. The dues are currently the only means to fund our needs, such as paying insurance. We were fortunate to receive donations at the boxcar during the operations that will help our cause; people are kind even when the chips are down. We hope you will consider renewing your membership and invite others you may know who also have an interest in our goals. This small amount goes far and long for us all. Membership involvement may not always be active to enhance the results. We would like to invite you to visit the boxcar museum in the near future and we are looking for active members to help keep it open for visitors. You can visit it now through our online access, through the links below.
Again, it was an awesome year and an intense adventure to get us to where we are now. Many special individuals dedicated their time and ideas along the way working together for a common achievable goal. The City of Port Jervis has supported these goals as well. It's with a warm heart we thank them all.
Looking forward to our next Call Board!
Links: Tri-State Railway Preservation Society... https://tristatesrailway.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tristatesrps
Port Jervis Transportation History Center.... https://pjthc.org
Scenic Wild Delaware River... https://scenicwilddelawareriver.com/entries/tri-states-railway-preservation-society-port-jervis-ny/6c8d25b2-cf3b-4fcf-85c5-ac5eee66224b