October 2001

(Volume 25, No. 10)

It's Show Time!

The 2001 Fall meet is scheduled for October 13 and 14.  A copy of the flyer for the meet is displayed on page 2 of the newsletter.  Please tell your friends about the meet so that the attendance will be high.  Remember this is our main fundraiser for the year, and with the expense of building a permanent layout, we can use the help.  We need to buy more track, among other things.

RAILSHOW 2001

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO

Idaho Falls Recreation Center, 520 Memorial Drive

Saturday, Oct. 13th - 9 AM to 5 PM
Sunday, Oct. 14th - 10 AM to 3 PM

Multiple Scale Model Railroads

Swap & Commercial Dealer Tables

Videos shown throughout the day

Modeling Contests - Several Categories, Bring What You Are Proud Of

Door prizes awarded each hour of the show!

HO Modular Railroads, N-Scale, Lionel, S scale, and LGB

Dealer & Swap Tables - $13.00 Each

Reserve Now and put us on your schedule for next year!

Make checks payable to: Eagle Rock Railroad Historical Society

(or just write ERRHSI)

Payments may be sent to the address shown below.

Admission/Donation $3.00 per person, $5.00 per Family, 12 and under free

Dinner & Speaker, 7 PM Saturday evening, Oct 13th

(not included in admission price)

Speaker: Dorwin Pierson

A retired Conductor who worked the Montana Subdivision of the Union Pacific. Mr. Pierson worked on the Yellowstone & Victor Branches and the Mainline to Silver Bow in both freight and passenger service. He will be with us to share stories of his many adventures in service to the railroad.

For more information contact us at PO Box 2685, Idaho Falls, ID 83404

Phone (208) 522-3125 ~~ E-Mail errhsi@ida.net ~~ Homepage www.ida.net/org/errhsi

Presidents Soapbox

Those of you who were present at our Thursday night session two weeks ago heard me state that I would be resigning from the office of President and that plans should be made for the election of a replacement slate of officers.  This decision has not come easily because I have always felt that I could contribute to the effectiveness of the group by being in a leadership capacity.  This decision became easier to make when I was no longer held at home because of business commitments and I was able to travel at my pleasure.   During this past summer, I did travel to both Washington and Canada twice and to other closer destinations which kept me away from the weekly activities more weeks than I was present.  It may be that I will also be away for at least part of the winter as well, in fairness I feel that I should step away and take a less active role.

One of the greatest challenges this group will continue to face, as it has since my first affiliation, is that of adequate  membership.   One of the reasons we hold an annual Rail show is to present ourselves to the general public and attempt to interest others in joining  our group.   I have long felt that we should expect that  these new members will bring refreshing ideas and enthusiasm and it is incumbent that these new members be accepted and made to feel that their suggestions and contributions have merit.  How many times in recent years have we had a new member become active only to drop away because there doesn't seem to be any progress within the organization?  How many of the ideas which have been presented have come to fruition?

In the matter of unfinished business, I could cite my own inability to generate enthusiasm for an organized operating system, while we did develop one that has some merit, it is cumbersome to set up since it requires as much manual preparation as it takes to  execute and I don't feel that many of the members really understood it.  All the discussion about purchasing a commercial plan hasn't resulted in one's purchase either.  Take the matter of the layout master plan, that is  the concept of a point to point arrangement with a Silver Bow Terminal.  Very little progress has been made in even completing the minor extensions on the layout that such an arrangement requires.  This should not  be construed as a criticism of the work done or undone, but a reality check to suggest that we might consider  the notion that full development might be impractical and the club would be  better served by shelving the concept in favor of the suggestion and excellent plans drawn up by David Young for the Davis return loop and engine facility.  I, for one, am in favor of further improving and developing our existing layout and getting better organized rather than having something in limbo for an undetermined time.

I will continue to have an interest in Model Railroading and pursue the historical aspect of our Western Railroads.  Railroad photography will also continue to be of interest even with the limitations now imposed by increased security.  There are many places Railroad related which I would like to visit and hope to share some of that enthusiasm with those interested. 

It is my hope, that I vacate this position with each of you as a friend.  I have certainly learned much from my association with this group and made many other valued acquaintances beyond this group.  I also recognize that there could have been much more done through greater diligence and more hours spent.  We should all appreciate the many hours that the members of this group have given in order to accomplish the development of this facility and to create this Model Railroad.  My best wishes to whomever is selected to lead this group.

Leo Harker

Timetable

Harve "Pete" Peterson

Many of you knew "Pete" Peterson, a former member of this club.  Pete was a long time model railroader and contributed several modular ideas to the club, particularly in the area of scenery.   With Dave Glenn he finished a couple of the club modules and we displayed them for many years.  He also had a home layout and had the club over for a viewing and operating session at least once.

Pete died this past week of complications from a stroke at the age of 58.  His obituary was in the Monday Post-Register.  Pete had not been active in the club in recent years, but many of us who have been members for a while remember him.  He will be missed in this community.

Doug Herrmann

Union Pacific RR History

(Continued from July)

The St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway was the 107 mile line across northeastern Kansas, from St. Joseph, Mo., to Upland, Kan., near Marysville. After the January 1936 system consolidation, the line was operated by UP as the St. Joseph Branch, after UP gained control in 1897. [See Ehernberger and Gschwind's "Union Pacific Steam, Eastern District", p. 143]  Sold by UP to Northeast Kansas & Missouri Railroad (NEKM), a subsidiary of Railtex.  NEKM operations began on February 26, 1990.  Sold back to UP in late 1998 to help relieve congestion on the Marysville Subdivision.

Union Pacific was granted control of Southern Pacific on 11 September 1996.  At the time, Southern Pacific also controlled Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) and St. Louis Southwestern (SSW, Cotton Belt).  D&RGW was merged into UP on June 30, 1997.  SPCSL (Southern Pacific Chicago St. Louis) Corp., was merged into UP on June 30, 1997.  SSW was merged into UP on September 30, 1997.  On February 28, 1998, Union Pacific Railroad, a Utah corporation, merged with Southern Pacific Transportation Company, a Delaware corporation.  Southern Pacific was the surviving corporation.  The name of merged company was changed back to Union Pacific Railroad on the same day.

SP and D&RGW before 1996

As a provision of UP's control of Missouri Pacific in 1982, D&RGW was given access to Kansas City via trackage rights over MP between Pueblo, Colo., and Kansas City.  The first train was operated on January 28, 1983.  D&RGW'S parent company, Rio Grande Industries, announced on September 25, 1987 its intention to purchase the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., from Santa Fe Southern Pacific Corporation, the merged former parent companies of Santa Fe and SP.  The sale was made final on December 28, 1987.  On August 9, 1988, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved Rio Grande Industries purchase of the Southern Pacific Transportation Co., and the sale took effect on October 13, 1988.  The operating departments of SP and D&RGW were combined on May 1, 1989 under the Southern Pacific System name.  The original Southern Pacific Transportation Company was a Kentucky corporation.

The new SPT was a Delaware corporation, as were the previous Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, and Rio Grande Industries, its parent corporation organized in 1968 as a holding company for the railroad and its non-railroad assets.  To acquire access between Kansas City and Chicago, Rio Grande Industries announced on June 28, 1989 that they would purchase the Kansas City to Chicago mainline of Soo Line.  That purchase fell through within 30 days, but on August 3, RGI announced that they would purchase the St. Louis to Chicago portion of bankrupt Chicago, Missouri & Western.  SP already had access to St. Louis through its Cotton Belt (St. Louis-Southwestern, SSW) subsidiary.  SPCSL Corporation was organized by SP to operate its new St. Louis to Chicago line.  The sale to the newly organized SPCSL (SP Chicago St. Louis) Corp. was finalized on November 8, 1989, when it purchased the former Chicago to St. Louis lines of Illinois Central Gulf from the bankrupt Chicago, Missouri & Western (the remaining St. Louis to Kansas City portion of the bankrupt CM&W was sold to Gateway Western Railway).

Contributed by Leo Harker

Material Needed

If you have material for a future Eagle Tracks, please send it to the Editor.  We need to have more of a selection for future issues.  It would be really nice to have an excess of material to choose from.  Keep those articles coming!