Greenville Chapter NRHS Aug 2009 Newsletter

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J oin us for an double feature evening broughtto us by chapter member Gordon Fewster.Gordon went to the Cass West Virginia RailfanWeekend in 2007. He will present a slide pro-gram of the Cass activities. For those unaware,Cass, West Virginia, was a West Virginia Pulpand Paper Company mill town. The town was

preserved as a state park, along with the stan-dard gauge logging railroad. Be ready to seeplenty of steam action in Gordons first pro-gram. Gordons second program highlights thechapters first unofficial tour of the loops be-tween Ridgecrest and Old Fort, North Carolinalast fall. It was a cold but sunny day withplenty of Norfolk Southern freight action. JoinGordon for a memorable evening.Additionally, join us for our August chapter

field trip. Everybody loves a groupactivity on a hot summer Saturday,right? On Saturday, 22 August 2009,we will tour the new trestle overWoodruff Road in Greenville. But toavoid the heat, we will go early Satur-day morning and be done before theheat sets in. We wil l announce theexact time and meeting place at ourAugust meeting.So join us before the summer slipscompletely away.

With History

A u g u s t M e e t i

n g P almetto Rails is the offi-cial monthly publication of theGreenville Chapter of the Na-tional Railway Historical Soci-ety. Opinions and views ex-pressed in this publication arethose of the editor and con-tributors and do not necessarilyreflect those of the members,officers or directors of thechapter. Items of interestshould be sent to the editor atthe address on the mailing label

o r e m a i l a [email protected] .

EditorDennis Lockwood 864-288-8313

PresidentCraig Myers 864-616-6585

Vice PresidentFrank Ezell 864-814-2989

SecretaryMalcolm Mather 864-876-1616

TreasurerDr. Marv Havens 864-292-3852

National DirectorLester Collins 864-592-2881

DirectorsRuth Turner 864-281-0149Dennis Lockwood 864-288-8313Geoff Duncan 864-895-4788Steven Hawkins 864-236-7051

Mission : The mission of thechapter is to preserve and inter-pret the history of railroads of the United States, South Caro-lina and the upstate of SouthCarolina and their role in his-tory by (1) the study of railroadoperations, (2) the acquisition,restoration, operation and dis-play of rolling stock, artifacts,photographs, paper records andother railroad related items, and(3) the education of the publicabout railroad operations.

Chapter Logo and BannerCopyright 2009

August MeetingGreenville ChapterNational RailwayHistorical Society

Sears Shelter100 East Park AvenueGreenville, SC

Friday, 21August 20097:00 PM

W h a t

W h e r e

W h e n

Couple UpP S

www.palmettorails.org

COUPLE UPWITH HISTORY

August 2009 Greenville SC

Cass WV and the Southern Loops

almetto rail

Double Feature Night!

Steven Hawkins photoCongratulations to Steven andCheryl Hawkins on the birth of their new son, Spencer Haywood.Spencer came into the world at8:11 AM on 24 June 2009weighting 8 lbs, 4 oz. He meas-ured 21 in long. Both mom andSpencer are doing fine, the onlyquestion is: How is Steve?


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PAGE 2 PAL MET TO RAILS AUGUST 2009

A quick look at our upcoming cal-endar.

Coming Events Chapter Calendar


Note: If you know of a rail event of in-terest, please submit all items to the edi-tor at [email protected]. Include thename and date of the event, cost, locationand contact information. Submit allitems at least 60 days in advance of theevent, so we will have time to publish it.

SPENCER, N.C. The N.C. Transpor-tation Museum Foundation and theWatauga Valley Chapter of the Na-tional Railway Historical Society offera chance to see the beautiful fall foliage,

experience a great destination and enjoythe romance of riding the rails this fall.The museum is again hosting fall trainexcursions. In addition to our traditionalCharlottesville, Va. day trip, the museumwill also offer a day trip to AshevilleNC.After hosting day trips through the1990s, the museum revived rail excur-sions in 2007. The past two years havebeen sell-out crowds and satisfied pas-sengers made those excursions a greatsuccess. . The Virginia Autumn Spe-cial will travel to Charlottesville, Va.,Oct. 31, while the Blue Ridge Specialwill travel to Asheville, Nov. 1. Eachdays trip will include spectacular viewsof fall foliage.

Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., SaturdaysVirginia Autumn Special will again

offer a second passenger pick-up at theGreensboro Amtrak Station at 8 a.m.,allowing those living in the Triad amore convenient boarding opportunity.Passing through the North Carolinacities of Thomasville, High Point andReidsville, and the Virginia cities of Danville, Lynchburg and Oak Ridge,passengers will experience beautifulviews of the Piedmont and rolling hillsof the Carolinas and the western part of

Central Virginia. Spectacular views of the Dan, Roanoke and James Riverswill be seen as the train crosses above.The train will even pass by Schuyler,the mountain town fictionalized in thetelevision show The Waltons.At noon, the Virginia Autumn Spe-cial will arrive in Charlottesville,home of the University of Virginia.

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walks that parallel tree lined streets.All of this will be enjoyed alongsidespectacular views of the North Caro-lina mountains. Departing Asheville

at 3 p.m., the Blue Ridge Specialwill return to Spencer at 8 p.m.Several different levels of excursiontickets are available. Ticket prices arethe same each day. Premium FirstClass tickets feature comfort seatingon private rail cars restored to theheight of luxury. Premium First Classpassengers will also enjoy an earlycontinental breakfast, newspaper anddinner in the diner on the return trip.Premium First Class tickets are $240per person.

A new offering this year, DeluxeCoach Class tickets feature spaciousseating with large windows, lunch onthe dining car and light snacks duringthe trip. Deluxe Coach tickets are$170 per person.Coach tickets feature comfortableseating, air conditioning and heat andrestrooms. Coach tickets are $140 perperson.Another new feature, an optional boxlunch will allow travelers to save time

PAGE 3PALMETTO RAILSAUGUST 2009


Here travelers will have nearly threehours to explore the historic downtownarea. A short walk takes you to the

downtown outdoor mall, consideredone of the finest urban parks in thecountry. Unique shopping and diningopportunities can be found in bou-tiques, specialty wine, coffee and teashops, and outdoor dining spots. Trav-elers may also enjoy relaxing walksunder a lush, leafy tree canopy. De-parting Charlottesville at 3 p.m., thetrain will arrive back in Greensboro at6:45 p.m. and Spencer at 8 p.m.During Sundays trip, the Blue RidgeSpecial will travel through the west-

ern Piedmont into the foothills and onto the Blue Ridge Mountains. Depart-ing Spencer at 7 a.m., the train will rollthrough the cities of Statesville, Hick-ory, Morganton, Marion, Black Moun-tain and Swannanoa. The train willclimb the famed "loops" of the BlueRidge Mountains passing the famousAndrews Geyser and through severaltunnels before arriving in Asheville atnoon. Passengers will have nearlythree hours for an outing at BiltmoreVillage.Established in the late 1890s as aplanned community near the entranceof the Biltmore estate, Biltmore Vil-lage stands near the entrance to Bilt-more Estate. Shopping will be avail-able in unique, locally-owned bou-tiques. Passengers can dine in restau-rants and take walks along brick side-

(Continued from page 2)

Greenville Chapter archivesUnidentified Maintenancecrew with push car at Fonda,New York ca. 1917. Althoughwe dont know the name of thegentleman on the right, chancesare he was a US Navy veteran.Why? Because he is wearing astandard issue US Navy peacoat.

for shopping in Charlottesville orAsheville. The $14 box lunch, servedin a souvenir lunch tote, includes in-clude a half turkey wrap, pasta, chips

& salsa, a cookie and drink.Passengers may also take advantage of a shuttle bus at each destination for anadditional $2.Tickets are available online atwww.nctrans.org or by calling 704-636-2889 ext. 232.

P&N Program at the Upstate His-tory Museum, Greenville, SouthCarolina 3 October 2009, timeTBD. Our very own president, CraigMyers, will present a program about

the history of the Upstates own elec-tric interurban, the Piedmont & North-ern. If you are soft on your P&N his-tory, this is the program to see.

Narrow Trak 09 9&10 October2009, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina.This annual mini-convention will fea-ture seminars, operating modules,popular-vote model contest and Satur-day night music. The first seminarwill start at 2:30pm, Friday. For moreinformation: [email protected].

Coming Events


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PAGE 4PALMETTO RAILS


Saluting the Men Who Labored for the Railroads

AUGUST 2009

Both photos from Greenville Chapter archives

Above Three wheel handcar meanders through theNorth Carolina woods in this 1917 photo. Left railroadoffice and shop crew examine a motorcar in this un-dated photo.

In Memoriam Palmetto Rails sadly notes the passing of Frank Ezell Sr.,

father of our Vice President Frank Ezell Jr. The senior Mr.Ezell passed away 6 August 2009 at the age of 90. Mr. Ezellhad a BS degree from Wofford College and landed on OmahaBeach on 6 June 1944 (D-Day). In civilian life, he retired asCorporate Vice President of Geer Drug Company in 1984. Hewas a life member of Kiwanis International and served asPresident and Lt. Governor. He was a lifelong member of theFirst Baptist Church of Spartanburg, where he served as dea-con. The Greenville Chapter extends sympathies to the Ezellfamily.


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Railroad Laborers

Both photos from GreenvilleChapter archives

Above handcar in front of Sims, North Dakota depot ca.1911. Left motorcar enters adiamond in an unknown loca-tion ca. 1925.


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PO Box 5481Greenville SC 29606

G R E E N V I L L E C H A P T E RG R E E N V I L L E C H A P T E RG R E E N V I L L E C H A P T E RG R E E N V I L L E C H A P T E RN AT I O N A L R A I LWAY H I SN AT I O N A L R A I LWAY H I SN AT I O N A L R A I LWAY H I SN AT I O N A L R A I LWAY H I S T O R I C A L S O C I ET YTO R I C A L S O C I E T YTO R I C A L S O C I E T YTO R I C A L S O C I E T Y

Email: [email protected]

25 Years of NRHS Leadership!

D o u b l e F e a t u r e

N i g h t! G o rd o n

F e ws t e r

R e v i e ws C ass, W

V a nd t h e L o o ps


COUPLE UP WITH HISTORY

Guess where? Chapter President Craig Myers sends this photo quiz. Craig recently visitedthis location. Could this be a mine entrance? Palmetto Rails requested $100 million in stimu-lus money from the Obama administration to use as prizes. Alas, we were rejected. So thosecorrectly identifying this location will win the distinction of having their name listed in the nextPalmetto Rails . Email your guess to [email protected] or be at the August 2009 chaptermeeting to learn the answer.


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PAGE 7 PAL MET TO RAILS AUGUST 2009


Pictures From the Past

Greenville Chapter archivesLandrum, South Carolina depot ca 1909. The Landrum depot stands to-day as a civic building facing the Norfolk Southerns Spartanburg toAsheville mothballed Saluda Grade track.

The Southern Railroad (sic) tracks crossing Main Street near the site of the present Carolina Cash wereremoved in 1925. This crossing had caused traffic flow problems after the increase of automobiles in down-town Spartanburg. Note the A.L.Mayrand and Aug.W. Smith companies in the background. Aug. W. Smithmoved up East Main Street in 1925 to the site of the third First Presbyterian Church building between Libertyand Converse streets.Photograph courtesy of the Herald-Journal Willis Collection Spartanburg County (SC) Public Libraries.


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Gaffney, South Carolina Southern Railway depot, ca. 1905.Photograph courtesy of the Herald-Journal Willis Collection Spartanburg County (SC) Public Libraries.

Pictures From the Past

Spartanburg, South Carolina SouthernRailway depot ca. 1971.Photograph courtesy of the Herald-JournalWillis Collection Spartanburg County(SC) Public Libraries

Documents

Greenville Chapter NRHS Aug 2009 Newsletter