Minutes from the May 13, 2019 Meeting President Bernie Hanmore called the May 13, 2019 membership meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room of the U.S. Bronze Foundry & Machine, Inc., located at 18649 Brake Shoe Road, Meadville, PA. Attending the meeting were Bernie Hanmore, Dennis Mead, Carl and Vanessa Timko, Jack Sheets, John Snyder, Stan Niwa, Ron Stafford, Nick Ozorak, Al Reibel, Scott Ladner, Terry and Maryann Martin, Richard Roberts, Dan and Casey Pfeiffer, Charles Webber, Pete and Jenn Gifford, Wayne Brown, and Sid Walker and his son. A motion to approve the April 2019 minutes was made by John Snyder and seconded by Al Reibel. The motion carried and the minutes were approved. Treasurer's Report Secretary Carl Timko gave the Treasurer's Report that was prepared by Treasurer Ed Cronin. Reported were the current balances, including Unrestricted Funds and Restricted Funds, which consisted of the Meadville Railroad Depot and the Meadville Model Railroad Club. Committee Reports Budget / Finance / Insurance / Compliance Bernie Hanmore informed the members that the grants are starting to come in. It wasn't revealed who sent in the grants. Donations are also being received. Historical / Archives Several artifacts have been donated, since the Launch Event for the Meadville Railroad Depot on May 2, 2019. The organization has received a batch of railroad keys and a bell. Mrs. Walp of Meadville will be donating a photo of her husband along with several of his co-workers. She is also donating his personal record of life on the railroad. An appointment to visit her has been made. An article appeared recently in the Meadville Tribune on the Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876. Heather Reichel detailed the incident of December 29, 1876, when a Howe truss railroad bridge over the Ashtabula River collapsed under the train, killing 95 passengers and crew. The timing is interesting as Carl and Vanessa Timko have roles as extras in a documentary being filmed by Len and Patti Brown of Canal Fulton, OH. The film will be titled "Engineering Tragedy: The Ashtabula Train Disaster". Carl and Vanessa have participated in filming at Kinsman and Massillon, Ohio so far. More filming has yet to be done into the winter season. The documentary is to be released in the summer of 2020 over some PBS television stations. Membership The membership is growing. The FCVRRHS welcomes new members Sid and Talleha Walker and Greg Kedzierski. Unfortunately, we lost one of our members. Bill Yochum of Meadville passed away on April 19, 2019. Condolences go out to his family and friends. It's time for the annual picnic and business meeting. Next month, the event will be held again at Terry and Maryann Martin's residence located at 9899 Franklin Pike, Meadville, PA. Those attending are asked to bring a tureen to share. The picnic will precede the meeting which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m., but usually is a bit later after everyone has eaten. With the picnic and business meeting comes the annual election of officers and board of directors. This year the posts of vice president, treasurer and three directors are to be voted on. Current Vice President Dennis Mead and Treasurer Ed Cronin have both declined another term. Nominated to succeed Denny is Scott Ladner and nominated to succeed Ed is Al Reibel. Both have been in the organization for many years. All three directors, Bill McComas, Jack Sheets, and Stan Niwa, have accepted another two year term. June 30th is the deadline to send in your dues, with the exception of the new members who joined after January 1, 2019. Their membership is extended to June 2020. Model Railroading Two members of the Meadville Model Railroad Club, Adam and Jake Novosel, were recognized at the Launch Event. Adam and Jake will be encouraged to join the FCVRRHS under the student membership class. Museum Work at the Meadville Railroad Depot is progressing with the removal of some subflooring and ceiling tiles. Original wall panels were uncovered and a couple of trees were removed from the west side of the building. The former plant stand across the street also was disassembled. Donations and grants have been coming in, but more is still needed to cover costs of materials and some labor. A building permit has been obtained, so the first project is installing flooring. Plans are to advertise the name of the roofer on social media and local media outlets. A sign will be made to fit the sign frame along Mead Avenue for the depot. The surveying of the depot property has been completed. Work sessions to replace the glass on the snowplow will be scheduled soon after all bids have been received and when the weather cooperates. The caboose interior was touched up by Jack Sheets, who states the caboose is ready for visitors. Ron Stafford revealed an ALCO switcher was recently scrapped with another one scheduled to be scrapped. He said now would be a good time to get parts for the 518 to replace some of those that did not come with the locomotive from Jefferson, Ohio. Public Relations/ Education Close to 200 guests attended the Launch Event for the Meadville Railroad Depot at the Italian Civic Club on May 2, 2019. Speakers included Bernie Hanmore, Dennis Mead, Dan Higham, Maryann Martin, Ed Cronin and John Nagurney. A video and slideshow was presented to the guests showing the importance of the depot to the FCVRRHS and the community. A question and answer session followed the presentation. Many of those who had questions mentioned they had artifacts to donate. The members that attended were recognized when Bernie Hanmore asked the members to stand. He thanked all those that are helping with the restoration of the depot and the railroad display in Pomona Park. He also thanked the Italian Civic Club staff for hosting the event at their expense. Bob Grasso and John Motillo were presented with an enlarged photo of the depot in appreciation of their generosity. The railroad display site will be open to the public starting Sunday May 26. The caboose will be open to tours on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. along with a tour of the outside of the locomotive, boxcar and snowplow. Admission is free, though donations are more than welcome. Merchandise will be available for purchase in the caboose. Volunteers are needed each Sunday unless the weather is inclement. Special Events / Programs As the reader is receiving this edition, only one train show is scheduled. There will be more after the first of August. On August 3 and 4, the N Scale Weekend will be held at the Jaffa Shrine Center, located at the intersection of 22nd St. and Broad Avenue in Altoona, PA. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $5 each day. A pig roast will be held between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. The cost is $13. The Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad's special events have been sold out. The OC&T's regularly scheduled excursions start in June. 2, 2019 On the Side Track: It was recently announced in Trains Magazine that the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad's Montreal Locomotive Works six-axle locomotives will be operating their last summer on the railroad. Plans are to acquire eight GE AC4600CW locomotives from CSX in June 2019. Six will be in service, while the other two will be used for parts. These are AC6000's that have been downgraded to 4600 horsepower. Now is the time to get your photos. It is not known how long they will be on the roster. Next Meeting: The June 10, 2019 meeting will be after the picnic at Terry and Maryann Martin's residence, located at 9899 Franklin Pike, Meadville, PA. Remember to bring a tureen to share with everyone. See you there!