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The Rail Philatelist July Newsletter |
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The Rail Philatelist July Newsletter |
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The
Rail Philatelist
Volume 5 …………… PRICE $1.00 (10 ISSUES FOR $8.00)……………. Number 6 July 1, 2000
Dear Fellow Rail Philatelist:
ARRIVAL TRACK: KATHRYN ELIZABETH PETERSON, our first
grandchild, arrived 4:13 PM Atlantic Time June 29, 2000 in Berwick, Nova Scotia,
Canada to proud parents Karyn and William. Mother and baby are doing well but
father and grandfather are still in awe.
ATA
HANDBOOK #138 WORLD RAILWAYS
PHILATELIC by Norman E.
Wright, Sr. was released at the National Topical Stamp Show in Buffalo, NY. It
is an essential reference work and well worth the $35.00 price tag. 700 pages of
useful information covering all known train stamps through 1999 including
several pages of pictures, published in 8 1/2 x 11 loose leaf format, so annual
supplements can be added conveniently. Norm did an outstanding job putting this
together and is already hard at work on the first supplement. There are only
three minor problems: (1) The ATA decided not to have the pages pre-punched
because overseas collectors don’t use the same 3-hole punch system we do. You’ll
have to punch your own pages. (2) At 700 pages, the book is HEAVY - you might
want to put it in two or three binders. (3) It won’t fit into the USPS Flat Rate
Priority Mail Envelopes so I’ll have to mail them book rate. Postage is included
in my $35.00 price to US addresses. Overseas orders please add $8.00 for
shipping.
JUNE
TRAVEL:The only June trip was to Buffalo for the NTSS. I’m going to break this
travelogue into topical paragraphs to alleviate those long drawn-out paragraphs
I usually come up with.
TRAIN REPORT: There usually
isn’t much train activity on my eastern trips and this was no exception. I took
the route along the old Kansas Pacific going to check on the construction
previously reported. All the construction equipment was parked on the sidings at
Firstview, CO but there was no activity anywhere along the line. All the work
seemed to be complete except for some ballast spreading on a siding extension on
the West side of Cheyenne Wells, CO. There wasn’t any train activity either,
just the usual EB coal train waiting at Sharon Springs, KS. I did catch up with
an EB manifest near Ogallah, KS but that was it for train activity Tuesday.
Wednesday morning the Armourdale Yard in Kansas City was full as usual as I
drove by on I-70 but I managed to distinguish at least five different trains
among all the congestion. That was the only train activity for the day except
for the usual string of coal cars sitting on the bridge in downtown
Indianapolis. Thursday morning a previously unseen EB Norfolk Southern manifest
scared the ---- out of me as it blasted its horn on an overpass just above me on
I-70 east of Springfield, OH - I’ll be on the alert there the next time. Crossed
over a couple small yards near Columbus and Cleveland but didn’t see much of
note. I had the scanner on for the ride from Cleveland to Buffalo since I-90
parallels the old New York Central/Penn Central/ Conrail now CSX and Norfolk
Southern mainline but didn’t hear or see anything except a WB Norfolk Southern
manifest on the old Nickel Plate line near Northeast, PA. Crossed over a NS
stackpack yard on the way into Buffalo also but was too busy with the traffic to
see much. After dinner Saturday evening in Buffalo, Sue and I and the
McFarlane’s rode the Metro Light rail system from the theater district stop to
the Auditorium lines end, then walked back to our hotel. The train ride is FREE
in that section, evidently trying to promote ridership and shopping in an almost
vacant downtown area. The train cars were clean and well kept. One thing a
little unusual was that, unlike most subway and interurban cars I’ve ridden,
instead of boarding or leaving on one level, these cars had a couple steps you
had to climb in or out that automatically deployed as the doors opened. Chuck
and I speculated that the steps may be necessary for the snow drifts Buffalo is
famous for but it is probably more likely that they are necessary to accommodate
both the street level stops on Main Street (where we got on and off) and
traditional platforms at stations further up the line. Saw a NB Rochester &
Southern (former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh, part of the Genesse &
Wyoming family) in the Salamanca, NY yard as we drove to my sister’s Sunday
evening and another switching cars at the former Kendall Refinery in Bradford
Monday evening when we drove to dinner. Passed over a TOFC entering the small
CSX yard in Terra Haute, IN and another full Armourdale yard in Kansas City on
the way home but that wasn’t much for 750 miles of driving. Wednesday morning, I
took Sadie out at 6 AM and was pleasantly surprised to find a trailer in the
motel parking lot with two railroad speeder cars on it - one was a small two man
car and the other was a large six man work crew car. I couldn’t tell from the
markings what railroad they were from. Some one had evidently saved them from a
scrap yard and hopefully is going to restore them. They were gone when I came
back out at seven so I didn’t get to talk with the owners. Didn’t hear anything
on the scanner from Salina west and saw just three UP “Geeps” running light WB
just east of Oakley, KS and a couple more switching a string of grain hoppers at
Oakley. I stayed on I-70 hoping to see a Kyle RR train between Limon, CO and
Colby, KS but no such luck.
NATIONAL TOPICAL STAMP SHOW (NTSS) REPORT: In spite of my frustrations
with the lack of communication from the bourse chairman (I never received a show
floor plan or confirmation of even having a booth except for being in the
TOPICAL TIME dealers list), the show arrangements were good. They even included
some extra amenities like parking passes for all four days, coupons for coffee
or juice in the morning and free donuts. Unfortunately, they didn’t include
customers! The show was poorly attended with most of the customers who stopped
by my booth being from Canada rather than the local area - even my only local
new issue customer was a no-show! My prime reason for doing the show was to meet
a Canadian client who brought me his extensive train stamp collection (I worked
up A,B, K and L and part of C while at my Mother-in-law’s on the way home but it
will take me awhile to get it all worked up). I did have several of my mail
order customers show up from Rochester, Cleveland, OH, Bowie, MD and California
so the show turned out okay for me
but most of the other dealers were disappointed. Having Sue there gave me the
opportunity to check out all the other dealers (even if she did spend the entire
trip cross-stitching a comforter for our first grandchild). So I spent quite a
bit of time (and money) spreading cheer to the other dealers buying my way out
of the show (Buying more than I sold once again!). Nothing fantastic but lots of
stamps and covers that don’t show up very often. Dorothy Smith, the outgoing ATA
President, came by to give me a coupon worth $25.00 off next year’s booth. It
was a nice jesture that they may do every year or it may be a realization that
very few dealers (or collectors) will want to do a stamp show in Mesa, AZ
in the June heat! I certainly don’t plan
to.
CASEY JONES RAILROAD UNIT: Thanks to Norm Wright’s getting us on the
agenda, a meeting of the Casey Jones Railroad Unit was held at the Buffalo
NTSS Friday afternoon with
President Bill Chappell presiding. Attendees were few but enthusiastic (I think
there were only six of us). The first order of business was to give Norm Wright
a big round of applause for his outstanding efforts in producing the new
handbook. Several other topics were discussed, mostly having to do with the
future of stamp collecting and the CJRRU.
FOOD REPORT: With Sadie (our two year-old Sheltie) along, we picnicked on
the road rather than stopping at restaurants. But we left her at my
Mother-in-law’s where our 14 year old niece dog sat while we went on to Buffalo
and Bradford. Had an early dinner at Crackerbarrel in Erie, PA on the way to
Buffalo Thursday. Instead of my usual roast beef dinner, I tried their new Three
Meat Macaroni Casserole - and liked it! Friday evening Florence and Norm Wright
joined us for dinner at an Italian place across from the convention center -
Campagna Euro Grill. It didn’t look like much from the outside but the food was
excellent and the company even better. Saturday evening, Sue and I rushed from
the show to St. Michaels for Mass a few blocks away. On the way out of church,
we met Jan and Chuck McFarlane, dba Ausdenmoore-McFarlane, so the four of us
went to dinner. We had passed a T.G.I.Friday’s on our way to church and planned
to stop there but Jan noticed the menu in the Empire Brewing Co. window next
door and we decided to try it instead. It was a good choice. I had a tasty but
spicy Cajun sampler. And the waitress didn’t even seem surprised that none of us
ordered beer! (Just a lot of water!) Sunday morning Sue bought me Father’s Day
breakfast in the hotel. Sunday dinner was excellent home-made lasagna at my
sister’s. Monday, we all had great roast beef at the Beef and Barrel in Olean,
NY, a 13 mile drive from Bradford, PA. I won’t tempt you with all the meals at
my Mother-in-law’s. She’s a great cook - even the leftovers there are better
than firsts most places. Witness the outstanding lamb stew Monday after an
excellent leg of lamb for Sunday dinner. That following excellent prime rib
& salmon dinners at J. Alexander’s Saturday night where Sue and I celebrated
our 35th Anniversary and her Mother’s 82nd birthday. Needless to say, I’m back
over 200 pounds! Of coarse, stopping at the Burlington, CO Pizza Hut for their
outstanding lunch buffet didn’t help either. They have several innovative pizzas
not found at other locations so I always try to stop there if the timing is
right - we were actually a few minutes early.
GASOLINE REPORT: Gas prices were higher at each stop on the way East
($1.579, $1.699, $1.799, $1.819). I hope they have reached their peak but I
won’t bet on it. At the Grain Valley, MO Pilot station, the sales clerk asked
politely if there would be anything else. When I flippantly replied “At these
prices I can’t afford anything else.”, she pulled out a stack of hand printed
cue cards and read off the reasons why the high prices weren’t her fault. The
most interesting went something like this: “Alaska is part of the United States.
Why is the US government paying Alaskans each $32,000 a year to drill and
transport oil on US soil and then selling it to Japan @ $5.00 per barrel?” I
don’t know if her numbers are right but it seems like a good question. Gas was
actually higher at some of my usual stops than at places I don’t normally stop
so I planned to revise my stops on the trip back. Since prices are usually lower
in Ohio than in PA or NY, I was happy to fill up @ $1.789 just before I left
Ohio only to see gas @ $1.619 in Erie, PA and $1.579 on the New York Thruway! I
was so thrilled to only pay $1.399 at Alegany Junction on the Seneca Indian
Reservation on I-86 after leaving Bradford that I forgot my plan to top off in
Erie. I ended up paying $1.999 each for five gallons in Columbus, OH so I could
make it to my Mother-in-law’s south of Dayton. (Have to sell a few more stamps
in Anaheim to make up for that blunder). I paid $1.879 to fill up when I got
there only to see the prices come down a few cents a few days later. Since the
governor of Indiana had suspended the gas tax, I was able to fill up @ $1.499
east of Terra Haute, IN ( the tax accounted for 12 of the 30 cent decrease),
$1.519 in St. Louis (down 28 cents), $1.649 in Concordia, MO and Salina, KS
(down only 4 cents) and $1.759 in Burlington, CO (up 6 cents). I shudder to
think what prices will be like on the trip to California for the World Stamp
Expo 2000 next week!
ROAD REPORT: It seemed like half the 1200 miles of I-70 from Limon, CO to
Columbus, OH was reduced to one lane travel because of construction and I-71
from Columbus to Cleveland was the same way - our gas taxes at work. I guess I
should be thankful.
FARM REPORT: In the absence of trains, I watch the crops and animals
along the way. The wheat harvest was in full swing with combines in every field
on the way East but completed by our return. Corn in eastern Colorado and
western Kansas was only about ankle high from lack of moisture while the corn in
New York and Pennsylvania was about the same height from too much moisture while
the corn in Missouri thru Ohio was greater than knee high before the 4th of
July. The pastures were filled with calves and foals. Our niece from
Farmersville,OH has three hogs almost ready for the county
fair.
HUNTING/FISHING REPORT: Saw lots of antelope and a few pheasants in
eastern Colorado. The only live deer we saw were near Salina, KS on the way back
but the highways in Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania were littered with
carcasses. Shortly after we got to my sister’s in Foster Brook (Bradford, PA), a
couple yearling black bear were at the bird feeders trying to get the bird seed.
When my sister opened the window to shoo them away, one caught wind of the
lasagna she had prepared for dinner and seemed ready to come inside before
thinking better of it and ambling off up the hill back into the forest. My
niece’s four year old daughter caught a 25 inch Walleye on Chautauqua Lake
during their vacation the previous week, bigger than anything her father
caught!
WEATHER REPORT: Sue and I spent most of the trip in and out of
thunderstorms. When we checked into the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo, the bell hop
said that several guests who had checked out in the morning had returned to
reclaim their rooms since most of the flights had been canceled because of
thunderstorms throughout the East. Bill Chappell, President of the Casey Jones
Railroad Unit, had three flights canceled on him so it took him 40 hours to fly
in from California. A lady from Long island indicated it took her 22 hours to
fly from there because of cancellations and delays. But there was a full
crescent double rainbow in Junction City, KS when we stopped on the way home to
signify all’s well that ends well.
THE
STAMP HOBBY...: Thanks again to Michael Laurence, Editor/publisher of LINNS STAMP NEWS for this sixth insight from his
APS Tiffany Dinner speech:
“6.
The stamp hobby nourishes old age. Unlike active sports and other outdoor hobby
activities, which must be curtailed or abandoned as you get older, stamp
collecting can be enjoyed as long as sight remains, even beyond. It's a
sedentary yet mentally stimulating pastime, ideally suited to an aging
population.”
STAMP
OF THE MONTH: Lesotho #543 shows Donald Duck with a mailbag on the station’s
catcher arm as a steam train approaches. Not technically accurate because safety
concerns would preclude anyone - even a cartoon character - being there during a
pickup, but the intent was good. Again I’ve selected a Disney stamp to remind
you that I’ll be in Anaheim for the World Stamp Expo 2000 (& a family visit
to Disneyland) July 7-16 so I won’t be picking up your mail for at least two
weeks. Send the orders anyway since I fill them in postmark order, but expect
some delay in hearing back from me. Thanks for your patience (and your
orders)!
RAIL
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: “A railwayman always knows when there’s trains a-coming.”
in comic FOR BETTER OR WORSE by Lynn Johnston. Said by one of the crowd
who gathered to watch John build a garden railway layout in his front
yard.
RAIL
FACTS AND FEATS: The most powerful steam locomotive, measured by tractive
effort, was Virginian Railway #700, a triple-articulated (triplex) 2-8-8-8-4
Baldwin Locomotive Works 6-cylinder built in 1916. It had a tractive force of
166,300 lb working compound and 199,560 lb working simple.
WORLD
STAMP EXPO 2000: “The best layed plans ...” WSE 2000 is now upon us and I’m
still not ready. By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way. This show is a
big opportunity but also a big risk. I’ll have to sell twice as much as I’ve
ever sold at any previous show just to break even! Then again, I’m sure I’ll see
a lot and learn a lot. We’ll have a mini family reunion there but obviously
William, Karyn and Kathryn won’t make it. I hope I’ll also have the opportunity
to meet many of you there although I haven’t heard from anyone who plans to be
there. I’ve heard reports that the London Stamp Show 2000 was poorly attended
and that sales were not good there. Hopefully, that won’t be the case at WSE but
several dealers I know opted out because they expect the show to bomb. Kay sera
sera! (The old Doris Day hit - however it is spelled). I’ll give you a full
report next month.
AL
PETERSON
JOIN THE CASEY JONES
RAILROAD UNIT OF THE AMERICAN TOPICAL ASSOCIATION
Dues $8.00. Contact
Oliver Atchison, PO Box 31631, San Francisco, CA 94131
COME SEE MY EXTENSIVE
INVENTORY AT ONE OF THESE FINE SHOWS!
JUL
7-16
WORLD STAMP EXPO 2000
ANAHEIM CONVENTION CENTER
ANAHEIM,CA
AUG
4-6
NAT'L MODEL RAILROAD SHOW
SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER
SAN JOSE,
CA
News & Notes Back Issues
| Oct. 1996 |
Nov. 1996 | Dec. 1996 |
|
Jan. 1997 | Feb. 1997 |
Mar. 1997 | Apr. 1997 |
May 1997 |
June 1997 |
| July 1997 |
Aug. 1997 | Sept. 1997 |
Oct. 1997 | Nov. 1997 |
Dec. 1997 |
|
Jan. 1998 | Feb. 1998 |
Mar. 1998 | Apr. 1998 |
May 1998 | June 1998 |
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July 1998 | Aug. 1998 |
Sept. 1998 | Oct. 1998 |
Nov. 1998 | Dec. 1998 |
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Jan. 1999 | Feb. 1999 |
Mar. 1999 | Apr. 1999 |
May 1999 | June 1999 |
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July 1999 | Aug. 1999 |
Sept. 1999 | Oct. 1999 |
Nov. 1999 | Dec. 1999 |
|
Jan. 2000 | Feb. 2000 |
Mar. 2000 | Apr. 2000 | May 2000 |
June 2000 |
