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Click for detailed Lehigh Valley RR
Map
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The Lehigh Valley Railroad was the chief line serving Ithaca, home of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society |
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Join the Cornell Railroad Historical
Society |
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Check out our links
to available books in the list at left!
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Cornell Railroad Historical Society |
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We
welcome your comments and suggestions.
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Cornell
Railroad Historical Society
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March Meeting at The
History Center, March 13, 2018
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Our March 2018 meeting will feature some as yet unselected
videos from the History or Activities of interesting railroads. Since
our meetings are open to the public, anyone is welcome to come and see
what we will be showing. It's also a chance to hang out with other like-minded
railfans, and even to participate in our monthly auction of railroad books,
magazines and items donated to the Cornell Railroad Historical Society.
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February Meeting Showed
Video of the Last Years of the Lehigh Valley
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Our February
2018 meeting showed Guy Wicksall's complete collection of movies of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad, shot between Sayre , Pennsylvania and Manchester,
New York. These movies showed the LV from 1964 to the Conrail takeover on
April 1st, 1976, and some of the transition, with the last seenes shot in
1978. He had no means to record sound, so there was no sound except a little commentary, based on memories going back over 40 years. The video may still be available from: Guy J. Wicksall 21 Maple Street Geneva, NY 14456 gwicksall@rochester.rr.com |
Frank Barry to Show His Historic Steam Photos at January Meeting |
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The January, 2018 meeting of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society will have Frank Barry, noted photographer and honoree of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art in Illinois, showing his historic and recent prints of his quest for steam locomotives in the US, Canada and Mexico during the 1950s and 1960s. The meeting will be held at the History Center, foot of State Street in downtown Ithaca. The date is January 9, 2018 and the doors of the Center will be open at 7 PM with the meeting beginning promptly at 7:15 PM. We will also hold the election of officers and Board members during the meeting. Voting is only for members of the National Railway Historical Society, but all are welcome for the meeting. |
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December Auction Featured
Many Books, Other Items
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The December 2017 meeting of our Cornell Railroad Historical Society had a large number of rare books from the collection of William (Bill) Caloroso, who has been ill. In addition, a number of interesting models wer placed on the block, though few sold, since times have been tight and fewer members are working in the fields of HO railroading. It was a successful evening for the chapter, with several hundred dollars raised. |
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November Meeting:
A Hair-Raising, Bear-Raising Trip on Alaskan River
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The November 2017 meeting of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society had our president, Steve Peck, returned from one of his adventures in Alaska to show a non-rail but terrifying video of a unique trip up the Newhalen River from Lake Illimani. This stream, flowing out of rugged mountains near the Alaskan Coast, has a whole series of "Class 5" rapids and has never been paddled or kayaked successfully (read: fatalities). Steve remarked that he was grateful to be alive. The vessel used in this stream is a powerful motorboat run by a man whom Steve has gotten to know while working on building structures in far northern Alaska. While Steve felt imperiled during the first trip, he actually agreed to do it again, but still felt that death lurked around every corner of the stream.. The video made it clear that what are called "rapids, are more like waterfalls, and the fact that the boat could make it either up or down this thundering cascade was something like a miracle of daring and skill. |
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Bruce Tracy Showed
New Photos and Research along the Route of the Auburn Short Line at September
Meeting
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Armed with new photos discovered during his research and from aerial drone shots along the long-abandoned right-of-way, Bruce Tracy gave a talk on September, 2017, on the remnants of the Auburn Short Line (otherwise known as the Central New York Southern) at the CRHS September meeting. The line was known for operating one of the first McKeen motor cars in this part of the world, but their deficiencies helped the line to its demise in the 1920s. |
No August Meeting for
August, 2017
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For most years, there has no meeting by meeting meetings
during August.This was true for August, 2017, with most members taking
the summer meeting to have other activities during the late summer meeting.
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July Picnic at Clyde, New York July 15, 2017 |
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Our annual picnic, held again this year at Clyde, New York, on the CSX main line, featured more trains than ever, and possibly longer ones. Amtrak provided two passenger trains, and there were mixed freights, long double stacks, a couple of eastbound tank trains (one with UP and another headed by rival NS power) and even a couple of mixed trains with lots of stinky garbage. |
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The May 9 meeting of the Cornell Railroad Historical Society featured the video, from National Geographic, "Inside Grand Central". It showed some of the hidden places the public never visits in the gem of our national rail stations. | ![]() |
May
2017 Meeting Explored "Inside Grand Central" Video
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March/April 2017 Meeting:
Moving the Station at Aurora
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Our March meeting at The History Center (March 14, 2017) had to be canceled on account of winter weather. The April meeting then showed the program originally scheduled for March: Moving the Aurora Station, about moving and rotating the Aurora railroad station on the Cayuga Lake line and turning it into a private residence. |
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February 2017 Meeting
of CRHS Showed Buster Keaton "Railrodder"
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At The History
Center on February 14 we viewed the humorous and informative adventure
of Keaton as he journeys across Canada by handcar in "The Railrodder".
In addition, we watched a National Film Board of Canada docmentary on
how the Keaton movie was made, which also included many aspects of Keaton's
life as a silent film star.
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January 2017 Meeting
Was Canceled Because of Dire Weather Forecast.
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Actual storm predicted for the evening of January
13 turned out to be less severe, but with the possibility of snow, icing
and other effects threatening to make driving hazardous, it seemed the
best idea to cancel the meeting.
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Page revised by Gene Endres, March 10, 2018