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AAA
Gazette
Gondola
May 2013
Vol: 54 • Issue: 5
Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc.
1967
THE EMERALD WATERS
1975
A Grand Old Lady
By: Bob Withers, Chapter Historian
The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society Inc. – known at
the time as the Collis P. Huntington chapter of the National Railway
Historical Society – experienced several months of hard work and
several years of enjoyment with its first piece of rolling stock, former
Baltimore & Ohio sleeper Emerald Waters. This is the story of those
years – and what unfolded before and since.
Thermopane windows in the open sections, Hyatt roller bearings for
her six-wheel trucks, and stainless steel vestibules.
The car was placed in storage at Baltimore’s Baileys Shop in April
1965, but it was serviced on the following Oct. 20 for a call to military duty. Early in the C.P. Huntington society’s rehabilitation of the
car, I found an unfinished letter dated 10:30 p.m. Nov. 4, 1965, under
the mattress in upper B that tells the story of her last revenue assignment:
Dear Mom, Dad and Jim,
Well I am on my way to Fort Jackson on the P&LE Railroad. Man, has
it been a long day. All we did was just sit around the whole day, except when
we went to eat. I am now a private in the United States Army. Fort Jackson
is not my permanent base. From there, I’ll be sent to heaven . . .”
Actually, the recruit
departed Pittsburgh from
the P&LE Station on B&O
Train 10, the Washington
Express, and made connection to the South Carolina
base via SAL, ACL or SOU.
He probably drifted off to
sleep without finishing the
letter or discarded it and
started over. Either way,
when the car was returned
to mothballs, someone jerked the bedding off the mattress without disturbing the
note, which I found more
than two years later.
EARLY HISTORY
In March 1918, The Pullman Company gave birth to a heavyweight
16-section sleeper and named her Euclid. Pullman rebuilt the car in
October 1930, giving it 10 open sections, four private sections and
a new name – Dalemead. A second rebuild followed in 1932, equipping the car with eight sections, four double bedrooms, and a third
identity – Emerald Waters.
When the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad bought her
from Pullman in December
1948, she kept her name
and also received a number
– 7347.
The Emerald Waters was
one of six Emerald- series
cars that B&O’s Mount
Clare shops “stream-styled”
in 1940. These cars received full diaphragms and
skirts, rounded “turtle”
roofs, tight-lock couplers,
improved trucks and Otto
Kuhler’s legendary blue and
gray paint scheme with gold
striping and lettering.
THE DONATION
While four of the cars
Once
C&O/B&O
– Emerald Bay, Emerald
decided to donate the EmAbove: Milford Fellure, Larry Fellure's dad, checks out something – the battery box? – under the
Brook, Emerald Falls and
erald Waters to us, it was
Emerald Waters shortly after the car arrived on the old Davis Wholesale siding at 2nd Avenue and 22nd
Emerald Waves – were as- Street.
billed from Baileys Yard to
The photo was taken for a Dec. 10, 1967, but did not run with it. Huntington Publishing Co. photo
signed to run between WashMount Clare for an operaington and St. Louis on the National Limited, the other two – Em- tional check on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 1967. Then it was sent to Locust
erald Border and Emerald Waters – are believed to have been given Point for movement westward on LP97. By Wednesday the 8th, it
a Pittsburgh-Chicago run as part of Trains 5 and 8 – the westbound was rolling through Brunswick, Md., and departed Cumberland,
Capitol Limited and eastbound Shenandoah.
Md., on CD97, the Cincinnati Timesaver (referred to by dispatch B&O rebuilt the Emerald Waters again in 1953, giving her wide ers that day as Extra 7418 West),
Continued On Page 5
g
National Train Day
Huntington, WV
May 11th, 2013 • Old C&O Depot
Our coach,
The George C. Davis will be there!
•A
MTRAK will have Chuffington a 48’ X 48’ children play area and will
bring in two cars and a locomotive to display
•T
he Appalachian Model Railroad’s “O” layout will be present and set up
in the Huntington Fire Dept. as of now.
•E
rnie Clay and his folks will also do some whistle tooting with C&O
Whistles.
•C
PH will be providing chairs, safety support, and have a vendor table
there as well as literature about all of our upcoming trips. Ernie and I will
add more info as we find out more details.
Sponsored by The Chamber of Commerce and...
CSX, AMTRAK, Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society,
Operation Lifesaver, and The Huntington Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Contacts • 2013
President
Duane Legg..............................304-545-0802
Building Superintendent
Walt Cavender..........................304-776-3469
Immediate Past President
Walter Cavender......................304-776-3469
Greenbo Show Coordinator &
Outdoor Museum Superintendent
Dale Smith................................740-532-6102
Email: conan56@sbcglobal.net
Vice President
Brian Cavender........................304-727-5133
Secretary
Karol Cavender.......................304-776-3469
Treasurer
Ramona Webb.........................606-324-8005
Directors
Gene Bush................................304-206-5415
Bill Gillespie.............................304-760-8855
Chris Lockwood......................304-634-0918
Skip Reinhard...........................606-325-9453
David Webb.............................606-324-8005
NRHS Representative
Maurie Hartz............................304-638-5960
Executive Director • Trip Director
Don Maxwell...........................606-831-9035
Email: railtwo@aol.com
Office Manager • Group Sales
Chris Lockwood......................304-634-0918
Email: sprail655@gmail.com
Volunteer Advocate &
Membership Chairperson
Linda Bush...............................304-545-6940
Gondola Gazette
Indoor Museum Superintendent
Chris Lockwood......................304-634-0918
South Yard
Superintendent of Equipment
Bill Conley................................740-867-5615
Condolence Flowers
Office........................................304-523-0364
Gondola Gazette Editor •
Webmaster • Graphic Artist
Joe Rosenthal...........................609-513-6780
Gazette: gondolajoe12@gmail.com
Amtrak Narration Program
Larry Kidd................................304-776-7482
CPH Chaplain
Bob Withers.............................304-522-2046
Food Service Director
Duane Legg..............................304-545-0802
Inspector General
Ed Combs................................740-894-7456
2
Events
May 2013
10th......... Greenbrier Day Trip...... All Day
Public Trip
11th...........National Train Day.........11a-4p
Old C&O Depot/CSX Dispatch Bld
14th...............Board Meeting............ 7:30pm
CPH Building
28th.........Membership Meeting..... 7:30pm
CPH Building
June 2013
9-12th...... New York City Trip....... All Day
Public Trip
11th...............Board Meeting............ 7:30pm
CPH Building
21st......... Greenbrier Day Trip...... All Day
Public Trip
25th.........Membership Meeting..... 7:30pm
CPH Building
July 2013
9th.................Board Meeting........... All Day
CPH Building
10-14th... Washington DC Trip....... All Day
Public Trip
23rd........Membership Meeting..... 7:30pm
CPH Building
May 2013
Sick Bay
New Members!
May 2013
Please welcome our new members by
introducing yourself to them at a
meeting or CPH function!
Skip Reinhard - Skip is continuing to have problems in his recovery
from open heart surgery and other matters as the result of that.
When I talked with him today Sunday he was on his way to Louisville
to see his heart specialist and another doctor. This past week
he had to have a liter of fluid removed from an area around his
lungs. He will repeat this process in Huntington next week.
He is making progress although slower than he would like.
Please keep him in your thoughts.
No New Members This Month!
Do You Know Anyone Wanting to Join?
Cleo Midkiff is recovering from knee surgery.
Gondola Gazette
Information Specs!
Betty Weaver - Betty is having a variety of medical issues involving
her legs, blood pressure, and stomach issues. She has good
and bad days and also needs your best wishes for
improved health. She is at home.
All information sent for publishing in the Gazette, must
be submitted on, or before the deadline stated on page
3 of the Gazette each month. ALL ads to be placed in
the Gazette, need to follow the specifications below.
The editor is happy to make any ads for anyone wishing to put something in the Gazette. Any photos sent
in, need to be High Resolution according to the specs
below, and must have a date the photo was taken, photographer name, location of photo, and a small caption.
Everything that is sent in, must be checked for grammar
& spelling. Articles sent in that are misspelled and/or
have grammatical problems, will be checked to the best
of our ability, and after that, will be printed. Mistakes in
articles sent in, are the responsibility of the author.
Our Deepest
Condolences!
Our member Dale Smith’s Mom
passed away in Cincinnati
early today. She has been ill
and was in her mid 90’s.
Ad Specs:
- PDF or TIFF - 300 dpi
- Grayscale
- All Art collected and sent with ad
(eg. logos, photos, etc.)
- 1/2, 1/4, & 1/8 page ads available. Please
email me for exact sizes!
Our member Linda Bush’s sister,
Nettie B. Mattox, passed away
April 24th. She has been ill for
quite some time. When she
passed, she was 88 years old.
Photo Specs:
- Caption
- Min: 2x4 @ 150-300dpi
- Photographer - Location
Please send material to:
gondolajoe12@gmail.com
NRHS Ranking
If you need any help or have a question, please feel free
to contact me anytime. I always am checking email.
As the result of an e-mail I received this
evening the CPH Chapter is still the
fifth largest in the NRHS with 221
members re-newed as of March 31st
Thank You, Joe
June Issue Deadline:
May 26th, 2013
May 2013
3
Gondola Gazette
Whistles by the Depot program a success
Another wonderful evening was presented at Whistles by the Depot in St. Albans. The event drew about 50
people from as far away as Nashville, Cincinnati, Southeast Kentucky, North Carolina,Ohio and Virginia.
The event was hosted by our own members Chase Gunnoe and Matt Crouch. It started about 6pm and
was over about 10:15pm on April 20th. There were several current and former members there including
Bill Sparkman and family, Joe Gonzales, Jesse Smith, Ryan Lewis, Greg Goodall, Bill Bartley, Dave Corbitt,
Charlie Bickford, Nicholas Marakovits, and Don Maxwell.
The first program was a program by Matt Crouch about the history and life of the St Albans Depot which
he prepared which was informative and showed the slow demise of the depot and freight house until it was rescued by a dedicated number of volunteers and the City of St Albans.
Presenters included Steve Fuchs and Rick Acton Jr. from Dayton, OH who made a presentation about the C&O Northern
Line with discussions about how that came about. Rick Johnson from Lynchburg, VA who discussed the great train wreck of
the former Southern Crescent in the early 70's. Jesse Smith showed slides from his days on the B&O mainline in Maryland and
elsewhere. Bryan Pleasant of Pikeville, KY gave a multi media presentation showing a variety of trains both modern and past
steam trips, Russel Milller of St Albans is a current 40 year old locomotive engineer. His presentation summarized a trip to the
Midwest during the summer of 2009 and showed various railroads. Rick Johnson II of Lynchburg, VA gave a show of fast
disappearing C&O and N&W style signals along with other material from a trip out west. He switched from Canon Bodies
and lenses until going digital almost three years ago. Jerry Doyle of Barboursville gave a presentation of interesting pictures
he had taken with a Kodak Instamatic camera for many years until he could afford a much better camera. But the pictures he
showed sure pointed out the difference a good camera makes. Finally, Loyd Lowery of Hilldale, WV concluded the evening
with a show of both Amtrak, NS, and CSX shots he had taken . He once lived 75 feet from the C&O Allegheny Subdivision.
Another program will be presented in October according to Chase.
Many thanks go to the team who made this possible at the St Albans Depot.
Cass Railfan Weekend
X
Titans of the Mountain
Great Runby Locations
Keynote Address by: Jim Wrinn, Editor Trains Magazine!
x
May 16, 17, 18, & 19, 2013
Thursday, May 16: Special Diesel Excursion. . .
Cheat Bridge to High Falls & Return! • Photo runbys
Photo Runbys at Durbin with Climax • Dinner • Night Photo Session!
Tickets Sold Separately: $140.00 each.
Friday, May 17: Spruce . . .
Saturday, May 18: Bald Knob . . .
Locomotive Line-ups between Depot & Water Tank
Trip to Spruce with New Photo Locations • Lunch
Night Photo Session at Water Tank
Freight & Passenger Trains to Bald Knob
Multiple Runby Locations • Whistle Blow
Night Photo Session
Sunday, May 19: Whittaker Camp One . . .
Three Train Race one the old C&O Mainline • Multiple Runbys
World Champion Wood Choppers Demonstration at Whittaker Camp One.
Run by at Whittaker
1-800-225-5982
Ticket Prices:
$250 Full Friday/Saturday/Sunday Package
(There are no Saturday-only or Saturday/Sunday tickets)
Gondola Gazette
4
May 2013
at 3:38 p.m. on Friday the 10th. It passed Grafton, W.Va., about
8 that night and arrived in Parkersburg’s High Yard about 2 a.m.
Saturday. It departed from the Low Yard that night on Train
103 and arrived in Huntington at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday the 12th.
HUNTINGTON HOMES
These were the days long before South Yard, remember, so chapter
members had to find storage space wherever they could.
• B&O’s old Davis Wholesale spur at 22nd Street and 2nd Avenue,
then serving the Georgetown Cabinet Corp., from Nov. 12, 1967, to
Feb. 25, 1969: Our Emerald – and the chapter’s other two cars, exSouthern 12-section/drawing room sleeper John W. Arrington and
ex-Southern lightweight coach 802 Alabama, which arrived in Huntington a few days after the Emerald – found their first local home
on this spur. But they eventually had to find a new neighborhood to
make way for a company remodeling project that included removal
of the spur and a wooden loading dock and the installation of a
paved employee parking lot.
• B&O’s Ward Construction Co. siding at Lesage, Feb. 25, 1969,
to Nov. 9, 1972: Train 104 delivered the cars to that location on
Feb. 25, 1969, which eventually became undesirable because of
vandalism. It seems that five young punks decided to skip school,
break a few windows in the cars and live – at least part time – in
them, burning papers in the aisles to keep warm. The chapter
decided to move the cars back to town – on Nov. 9, 1972 – so we
could keep a closer watch on them.
• C&O’s George Tobacco Co. spur, 1st Street West and 8th Avenue: The Arrington and the 802 were moved there from Lesage
Nov. 9, 1972. The Emerald was taken there later, which will be
explained below.
THE WORK
For several Saturdays during the winter of 1967 and 1968, chapter
members worked on the Emerald to make her roadworthy in time for
The Mountaineer Limited excursion to Cass in May 1968.
Member Hal Dillon had wired parts of the car, which had operated
in company service with a 32-volt D.C. electrical system, with several
110-volt A.C. outlets to provide power for lights
and tools.
On Friday mornings, I stopped by on my way
to Marshall University to turn on floor heaters in
rooms A and B. With the partition between the
rooms rolled back and the heaters running all day,
by evening the suite was toasty warm even on the
coldest winter nights. Four of us would arrive early Friday evening with pizzas or some other delectables, enjoy a good meal, and sleep overnight (I
always had upper B), ready to join others the next
day in a work session.
I have several precious memories of those days:
• One Friday night, we set up sawhorses outside
during a blinding snowstorm to cut a piece of
plywood necessary to cover the wide-window
hole in lower 8 until the glass that had been smashed by vandals
could be replaced. We attracted the attention of Huntington Police Officer Dick Strode, who stayed to talk after he found out we
weren’t bad guys or idiots. He later because a C&O special agent
and worked several New River Trains.
• In the wee hours of one particularly cold Saturday, Roger Copley,
Mitchell Walker and I were awakened by someone banging on
one of the car’s vestibule doors. Then we noticed that John Vickers was not in his bed. He had gone outside to relieve himself,
clad only in a Pullman blanket. The door had shut and locked
behind him and he started beating on the door for admission.
It was difficult for us to hear because we were snoring, the floor
heaters were running, and both bedroom doors were closed. The
stainless steel vestibule floor was freezing his bare feet, and his
knocking became so frantic, the blanket fell off and exposed his
entire titanic body to the elements. After we let him in, the air
inside turned blue – and not from the temperature!
• We wrote letters begging for paint, batteries, air-conditioning
manuals and wiring diagrams, spare parts, and other odds and
ends to several people – including B&O’s Karl Mewshaw in Grafton and G.F. MacWilliams in Baltimore, C&O’s S.M. Ehrman in
Huntington, and Borg-Warner Corporation’s York Division in
York, Pa. All were helpful.
• On Tuesday, Dec. 26, 1967, several of us visited Huntington’s
coach yard and – with permission – stripped C&O lightweight
10-roomette/6-double-bedroom sleeper 2610 Yorktowne of
light fixtures, mattresses, pillows, and several collapsible bedroom
chairs. (I still have mine; in fact, I just had it reupholstered.) The
car was heavily damaged in the derailment of C&O Train 1, the
westbound George Washington, at Fire Creek, W.Va., on March
15, 1967, and was soon destined to be torched and dismembered
at Mansbach Metal Co. in Ashland.
• On Monday, Jan. 22, 1968, Hal Dillon, Mitchell Walker, Lloyd
Lewis and I spent more than four hours cleaning out the following condemned cars at Luria Brothers & Co. Inc.’s scrapyard in Coatsville, Pa.: PRR 12-section/drawing-room sleepers
Gentwood, Buckhorn, Timothy Pickering and Stronach;
Right: The Emerald Waters is positioned between 10-section/
lounge/observation car Mt. Broderick and C&O 10-roomette/6double-bedroom sleeper 2613 City of Staunton during The
Mountaineer Limited's layover at Cass on Saturday and
Sunday, May 25-26, 1968. It was the Emerald's maiden voyage as a privately owned car, and her grandest!
John P. Killoran photo
May 2013
5
Gondola Gazette
10-section/2-compartment/drawing-room
sleeper
Lenape;
10-section/4-duplex-single-room sleeper Wanderer; lightweight
10-roomette/5-double-bedroom sleeper Cascade Bay; coach 4281;
coach/diner 1116; baggage car 6083; and RF&P caboose 818.
• As spring warmed up temperatures, we removed all the carpeting
in the Emerald’s sections and laid it out on the loading dock for
shampooing. I found a 1943 dime that had been lost under the
carpet. I still have it today.
LESS WORKING, MORE CAMPING
By the time our three cars moved up to Lesage, most of the heavy
work on the Emerald Waters had been accomplished. She had run on
three successful public trips, but several of us didn’t want our happy
association to be interrupted. So we changed work sessions to camping trips.
I spent several Friday nights on the car with my brother-in-law
Bob Saunders. When we awoke on Saturday morning, we went down
on the river bank, where he cooked us a fine breakfast of scrambled
eggs and bacon.
On one delightful spring morning, he convinced me to go skinny
dipping with him. Having never learned to swim, I consented only on
the condition that I could pack a huge inner tube we found around
my land-lubbin’ body, and that I would only go out as far as I could
with my feet maintaining contact with the river bed and be equipped
with a long rope tied to a tree so I could pull myself back toward the
shore. All of which went together for a great way to enjoy a warm
morning – until, that is, John Killoran and Hal Dillon showed up to
take care of some forgotten task and hid our clothes!
On another occasion, member Lloyd Lewis lived on the car for 10
days in April 1969 after resigning from what is now the West Virginia
Department of Health and Human Resources in Charleston to begin
a 10-year stint at The Herald-Dispatch and he had a little trouble
finding a place to live in Huntington. One Sunday morning, he went
outside in his skivvies to relieve himself and, like John Vickers, accidentally let the door lock behind him. He waited until he knew I
would be home from church and called me from a farmhouse across
Route 2 to drive up and let him reclaim his modesty.
One summer night the car was so hot, Bob and I grabbed our
water jugs and food supplies, and deserted the Emerald’s boiling interior to spend the rest of the night in a cabin at my father’s farm
– affectionately known as Mount Ida after the fictional hometown of
comedian Cliff Arquette’s character Charlie Weaver.
Above: Room C of the Emerald Waters shows that the beds, the sink and the potty were all together
in the same room, which didn't do much to advance the cause of modesty. This photo appeared in
the Sunday magazine section of The Herald-Advertiser on Dec. 10, 1967, less than a
month after the car arrived in Huntington. Huntington Publishing Co. photo
Louisville).
• Saturday, Sept. 14, 1968: New River Train to Hinton, W.Va. Consist leaving Huntington: C&O E8’s 4024 and 4015; B&O coaches 3692, 3520, 3589 and 3584; C&O blackout diner 903; B&O
coaches 3672, 3591 and 3593; C&O coach 824; Emerald Waters;
N&W passenger gondolas 76943, 76940 and 76942.
Several of us cleaned the interior of the Emerald in Huntington’s coach yard on Friday evening and slept overnight on the
car. When two carloads of us went to Tri-State Airport to pick
up George Greenacre, I rode with John Vickers and we stopped
at the Ceredo crossing to see if we could see any passing trains.
I crossed the tracks to relieve myself behind a bush, and Vickers
tried to see how close he could come to me with a rock without
hitting me. He failed. The rock hit the back of my head with a
loud crack, raising a painful knot. When I awoke the next morning in my lower berth, the pillow case was stained with my blood.
Earlier on Friday evening, a car inspector unlocked C&O business car 21, assigned to C&O/B&O Chief Mechanical OfficerCar Thomas P. Hackney Jr., so we could take an occasional break
and watch a little television. I spied the June 1938 Official Guide
neatly packaged in a hardback binder featuring an image of
Chessie and labeled “Official Railway Guide Car 21.” The car
inspector let me take it home – I presume because it was a little
out of date. I told Hackney about it years later, long after he had
retired.
• S aturday, Sept. 28, 1968: Huntington to Raceland, Ky., for the
Mid-Central Region of the National Model Railroad Association.
Consist leaving Huntington: C&O E8’s 4027 and 4026; B&O
coaches 3547, 3692, 3589, 3584 and 3585; Emerald Waters (car
RU-1). This was the same day all three chapter cars were dedicated on Carolina No. 2 track at the Huntington station by Tom
Hackney, who also served as chairman of Huntington’s Railroad
PUBLIC TRIPS
• Friday through Monday, May 24-27, 1968: The Mountaineer
Limited to Cass, W.Va. (also see Classic Trains magazine summer 2013). Consist leaving Hinton 6 a.m. Saturday, May 25, 1958:
C&O GP7 5896 and GP9 6087, Jim McClinton’s ex-B&O business car 905 Wayside (from Parkersburg), Old Dominion chapter’s ex-N&W 10s/lng/obs Dinwiddie County and 12/1 sleeper
McGirth (from Richmond); C&O 10/6 sleeper 2644 Bay City
(from Washington), C&O 10/6 sleeper 2608 City of Williamsburg (from Cincinnati), SP 13dbr sleeper 9351 (from Ashland
[loaded at Charleston]), C&O coach/diner 1610 (from Ashland),
UP 11-dbr sleeper Sun Slope (from Ashland [loaded at Huntington]), C&O 10/6 sleeper 2613 City of Staunton from Ashland
[loaded at Charleston]), CPH chapter’s ex-B&O 8/4 sleeper Emerald Waters (from Ashland [loaded at Huntington]), Kentucky
Railway Museum’s ex-Pullman 10s/lng/obs Mt. Broderick (from
Gondola Gazette
6
May 2013
Community Service Committee; C.H. Manning, an assistant general manager of C&O/B&O’s Southern Region; and James A.
Bistline, general counsel for the Southern Railway.
• Saturday, Aug. 9, 1969: Huntington to Louisville via C&O Trains
47, 21, 22 and 46. Consist leaving Huntington: C&O E8’s 4027
(Huntington-Louisville) and 4020 (Huntington-Detroit), C&O
food bar coach 1701 (Huntington-Detroit), C&O coaches 1638
(Huntington-Detroit) and 1617 (Newport News-Detroit), C&O
combine 1402 (Huntington-Louisville), C&O sleeper 2612 City
of Waynesboro (Washington-Louisville), C&O diner/dormitory
1923 (Huntington-Louisville), C&O coach 1631 (WashingtonLouisville), Emerald Waters (Huntington-Louisville). Note: The
Cincinnati and Detroit/Louisville sections of Train 1, the westbound George Washington, were split apart in Huntington. The
Detroit/Louisville section was then split apart in Ashland.
• Friday through Sunday, April 3-5, 1970: Huntington to The
Homestead resort at Virginia Hot Springs, Va., aboard one of the
country’s last mixed trains (also see Classic Trains magazine fall
2012).
Preparations began with a message dated Wednesday, March 25,
to “C&E Extra 7034 East” to move the Emerald Waters from the
Ward Construction siding at Lesage to Point Pleasant to be brought
to Huntington the following morning by Train 103.
The chapter offered upper and lower berths to the public for $50
apiece. Chapter personnel staked out the bedrooms.
My note to passengers referred to the train as the 1970 Resort
Special. And I noted that Fitzgerald’s Restaurant in the Clifton Forge
station would offer hot breakfasts and dinners during Saturday’s layovers. Coffee and doughnuts were made available on the car for late
risers.
Howard Lehkamp, C&O/B&O’s regional manager passenger sales
in Cincinnati, told Trip Chairman John Killoran that the trip would
cost the chapter $806 – $666 for 18 first-class fares of $37 apiece,
$100 for handling the car between Lesage and Huntington and $20
each for standby services (electrical connections and honey pots) at
Clifton Forge and Huntington.
C&O/B&O Director of Passenger Services Bill Howes later refunded $185 because we had only 13 people aboard.
Howes first notified John Killoran that the refund
would be coming with a note addressed to him in
care of “private car Emerald Waters, Passenger Station, Clifton Forge, Va.,” and delivered from Baltimore via company mail.
CONSISTS:
• C&O Train 2, the eastbound George Washington, out of Huntington on time Friday
night, April 3, 1970: B&O E8’s 1455 and
1450, B&O 1877 (Cincinnati-Richmond
storage mail), B&O 1868 (St. Louis-Washington storage mail), B&O 1866 (CincinnatiWashington storage mail), C&O 269 (Cincinnati-Washington baggage), C&O coach
1637 (St. Louis-Washington) and B&O
coach 3568 (Cincinnati-Washington), CPH 8&4 sleeper Emerald Waters (Huntington-Clifton Forge), C&O business
car 15 (Huntington-Washington), and SP 6742 (CincinnatiCharleston storage mail). Two units, nine cars. No regular
sleepers or diners were on the train because a slide at Thurmond that morning delayed Train 1, which was terminated at
Huntington. Train 2 out of Cincinnati was made up of extra
equipment and regular cars from B&O 2.
• C&O Train 303, out of Clifton Forge on time Saturday
morning, April 4, 1970: C&O GP9 5887, CPH 8&4 sleeper
Emerald Waters, C&O combine 458, C&O caboose 90053.
Train 310 back to Clifton Forge had the same consist, except
that the position of the passenger cars was reversed and the
train picked up 17 boxcars and 16 pulpwood flat cars at Covington.
• C&O Train 1, the westbound George Washington, out of
Clifton Forge, Saturday night, April 4, 1970: C&O E8a 4020
and B&O E8a 1439, B&O 1808 (Washington-St. Louis
storage mail), SP 6743 (Washington-Detroit storage mail),
B&O 1879 (Washington-Cincinnati storage mail), C&O
311 (Washington-Cincinnati baggage), C&O coach 1637
(Washington-St. Louis), C&O coach 1622 (WashingtonCincinnati), C&O coach/diner 1611 (Newport News-Cincinnati), C&O coach 1632 (Newport News-Detroit), C&O
coach 1636 (Washington-Louisville), C&O diner/dormitory
1923 (Washington-Huntington), C&O 10&6 sleeper 2630
City of Newport (Car 15, Washington-Louisville), C&O
10&6 sleeper 2609 White Sulphur Springs (Car 16, Newport
News-Cincinnati), CPH 8&4 sleeper Emerald Waters (Clifton Forge-Huntington), and SP 6758 (Washington-Charleston mail storage). Two units, 14 cars.
Highlights of the trip included Hal Dillon stealing power for
our car by connecting a cable to a receptacle in the roof of the
observation porch on the improperly pointed Erle Rucker’s business car 15 behind us to an identical receptacle in the Emerald’s
vestibule after leaving Huntington, three photo runbys while
Right: The Mountaineer Limited, en route from Cass back to Hinton
on Sunday afternoon, May 26, 1968, slips into Great Bend Tunnel at
Talcott on a photo runby. Visible are 10 section/lounge/observation car
Mt. Broderick, the Emerald Waters, and C&O 10-roomette/6-doublebedroom sleeper 2613 City of Staunton. Today, this bore is out of
service; only the former eastbound-only Big Bend Tunnel is still in use.
John P. Killoran photo
May 2013
7
Gondola Gazette
Left: The Emerald Waters is positioned between
10-section/lounge/observation car Mt. Broderick
and C&O 10-roomette/6-double-bedroom sleeper
2613 City of Staunton during The Mountaineer Limited's layover at Cass on Saturday and Sunday, May
25-26, 1968. It was the Emerald's maiden voyage
as a privately owned car, and her grandest!
John P. Killoran photo
I asked John Vickers to take me up to
the Celanese plant on Friday night,
whereupon I boarded the car and went
to bed in lower D. A gentle coupling
awakened me on Saturday morning, but
I didn’t raise the shade until I heard the
head brakeman release the hand brake
and felt the car rock a little when he got
off. We pulled out of the siding, backed
up to the train and coupled, and we were
off. I spent some of the time standing in
the vestibule, waving to folks from the
open upper Dutch door, being careful
not to throw my arm outside lest it be
spotted from the locomotive. I locked
up and bailed off at Guyandotte after
the engines went around a curve heading for the C&O.
This was the first – and last – time I ever rode a bonafide sleeper on
my beloved Ohio River Subdivision. And I never found out if there
were any jealous paying passengers riding in the caboose!
aboard Train 310 coming back down the mountain, and two side trips
for several members to N&W’s Blue Ridge station and areas north
and east Clifton Forge during the long Saturday afternoon layover.
• Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 23-24, 1971, [Huntington] Centennial
New River Trains:
Two round trips between Huntington to Hinton, Centennial
New River Trains.
Consist leaving Huntington on Saturday, Oct 23: D&H PA Alcos 16 and 18; sleepers Quickstep and Emerald Waters; RF&P
coaches 524, 513, 706, 705, 704 and 703; C&O baggage car
311; C&O coaches 1626, 1620, 1623, and 1616; C&O baggage
car 331. Two units, 14 cars.
Consist leaving Huntington on Sunday, Oct. 24: D&H PA Alcos 18 and 16; RF&P coaches 524, 513, 706, 705, 704 and 703;
C&O baggage car 311; C&O coaches 1626, 1620, 1623 and
1616; sleepers Emerald Waters and Quickstep. Two units, 13
cars.
THE LEASE
The Emerald Waters slogged through some troubled waters during
her final years with us. The chapter loaned the car to Steam
Tours of Akron, Ohio, for use on several Greenbrier Subdivision
excursions between Ronceverte and Durbin that summer, and in
April she deadheaded from Huntington to Akron via the eastbound
George Washington and westbound Capitol Limited. The chapter
accused C&O/B&O of damaging two vestibule traps so badly that
they could not be opened, but Southern Region General Manager
John Edwards attributed the damage to “age and general deterioration.”
After the car was used on the 1971 Centennial New River Trains
in October, the chapter executed a formal lease on May 1, 1972, for
Steam Tours’ next summer season and the car left Huntington for
Philadelphia on C&O Train 94 in the wee hours of May 2.
What happened next is sketchy and tragic. As far as is known, the
car never turned a wheel in excursion service that summer. She is
known to have been stored on CNJ tracks at Raritan, N.J., between
Memorial Day and August. She was moved to Plainfield, N.J., for
storage on Sept. 1. Steam Tours was broke. And since our lease
lacked a performance bond, we were forced to send coach 802 to
Mansbach Metal Co. in Ashland for scrapping to earn $1,210.71 to
have the Emerald returned to Huntington, repaired and winterized.
The return trip cost us $544.36 and the rest was used for the work.
The Emerald departed Plainfield on Oct. 23 and arrived in Huntington on Oct. 27, via CNJ to Allentown, Pa., RDG to Shippensburg, Pa., WM to Hagerstown, Pa., N&W to Waynesboro, Va., and
C&O to Huntington (Train 93 from Clifton Forge). Paul Lanegger
rode her from Hagerstown to Huntington. She was delivered to the
George Tobacco Co. spur, where she sat until leaving town for the
“STOWAWAY” TRIPS
I enjoyed two trips aboard the Emerald Waters that didn’t cost a
cent – and I had her all to myself!
The first took place on Friday, Sept. 27, 1968, when a C&O yard
engine pulled all three of our cars out of the Davis siding en route to
their dedication the next morning on Carolina Track 2 and the Emerald’s trip to Raceland. It was the first – and last – time I ever rode
a sleeping car on Huntington’s old B&O main line past the station at
2nd Avenue and 11th Street.
The second took place on Saturday, July 19, 1969, when the car was
moved from Lesage to Huntington for an operational check before
the Louisville trip. Since the Ward Construction siding had an eastbound trailing-point switch, the crew of Work Extra 6492, the Point
Pleasant District Run, had to pick up the Emerald at Lesage on the
18th, take her to Gallipolis Ferry, and spot her on the west end of
Celanese No. 1 storage track for westbound “caboose-mixed” Train
103 to pick up the following morning.
Gondola Gazette
8
May 2013
last time.
The chapter was unable to operate excursions between the Centennial New River Trains of 1971 and the first season of the Chessie
Steam Specials in 1977 (which celebrated B&O’s sesquicentennial)
because no cars were available. We agreed to “permanently loan” the
Emerald Waters to the B&O Railroad Museum, which promised to
fix it up for display, complete with mannequins.
She left town for the last time on B&O Train 104, which departed
at 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 1975. I certainly would have
been aboard her except for the fact that our middle daughter, Julie,
was being born at that moment.
Now the Emerald was gone, the Alabama was scrapped, and the
un-restored John W. Arrington was rusting away until our nearly
cashless chapter could get her entombed at Heritage Village – where
she sits today with ex-Elk River Coal & Lumber Co. 2-8-2 No. 10,
inappropriately disguised as the Collis P. Huntington and mercilessly
scarred by a horrible daisypicker attempt to give her an open rear
platform.
We were out of the passenger car business.
And we remained so until June 1983, when we paid $7,500 for Amtrak 48-seat diner 8013 and eventually renamed it New River Gorge.
Budd built the car and 17 other diners in 1947 for Seaboard Air
Line’s Florida trains. Our ex-SAL 6108 became Seaboard Coast Line
5913 when SAL and Atlantic Coast Line merged in 1967. It continued feeding patrons on Amtrak’s Florida and Carolina trains from
May 1971 until new equipment replaced it in November 1982.
The chapter worked quickly to get the car ready for the New River
Trains of Oct. 15, 16, 22 and 23, 1983, during which more than 1,600
meals were served to premium passengers and car hosts.
(I know my mind is wandering, but I have to add that my sweetie
and I ate dinner on a sister car during our Silver Meteor honeymoon
trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – to be exact, we spent $5.85 on SCL
5915 [ex-SAL 6110] aboard southbound Train 57 of Dec. 29, 1969,
and got free dinners the next evening on the same car because the
train was running four hours late.)
CHANGE OF STATUS
The Emerald Waters remained on permanent loan to the B&O
Museum for more than 36 years, without being developed as a display car – until . . .
Chief Curator David Shackelford sent an email to the chapter on
Nov. 2, 2011, wanting to talk to someone about the “permanent
loan” status. A telephone conversation followed, as did a formal letter dated Nov. 14 from Shackelford to Executive Director Don Maxwell, asking that the car be donated outright to the museum. He said
the museum has a long-range plan to restore the car “many years
down the road,” but would consider the project only if the car was
part of the museum’s permanent collection.
His letter included this key condition:
“I have researched the paperwork involved with the loan and
understand that there was some hesitation to donate the car to
the Museum in the past due to a variety of factors, including loss
of control by the chapter to the car’s ultimate disposition. Therefore, the museum would include a clause that should the museum
take any action to deaccession the car after it has been donated,
the chapter would have the right of first refusal to reclaim the car
and remove it from the property. While I do not see this happening given the significance of the car to the history of the B&O, I
believe inclusion of this language would alleviate this concern.”
All this was happening while I was recovering from two surgeries
and enduring a painful sciatic nerve problem, so I didn’t discover
what happened until more recently. But from what I can piece together, the board discussed the idea at its Nov. 8, 2011, meeting and
decided in favor. If a formal vote was taken, Recording Secretary
Karol Cavender says she missed it. A deed of gift was signed by
all parties on Dec. 22, 2011, and chapter members were notified of
the board’s decision during the Jan. 24, 2012, membership meeting.
Sue Ann and I saw the car at the museum in February 1998
and wanted to see inside, but our host could find no key. I
hope the museum unearths it by the time the long-awaited restoration project is scheduled to begin. z
Recognize Anyone?
If you are the first to identify all the
people in this photo correctly, you
will win three (3) raffle tickets for the
September drawing of 2 New River
Train Tickets. Please send ALL responses to Joe Rosenthal at cassrail5@gmail.com. Or you may send
it in the mail to:
Attn: Joe Rosenthal
CPHRRHS
P.O. Box 393
Huntington, WV 25708.
The first post marked letter will be
accepted first.
May 2013
9
Gondola Gazette
Model Railroad Club Train Show
Photos from:
Cyndi Shuman
Gondola Gazette
10
May 2013
Collis P. Huntington Railroad
Historical Society, Inc.
2013 Railroad Trips
866.639.7487
www.NewRiverTrain.com • facebook.com/newrivertrain
New River
Train
®
EXCURSIONS
EXCURSIONS
Since 1966
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October 19, 20, 26, & 27, 2013
From Huntington, WV to Hinton, WV and Return
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Deluxe: $199 • Premium: $249 • Dome: $279
Service Descriptions:
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boxed breakfast & boxed dinner with souvenir. • Premium: Seating in a lounge type car. Hot plated
breakfast & dinner. • Dome: Seating upstairs with a glass all over. Hot plated breakfast & dinner.
*All cars are Heated & Air-conditioned*
Greenbrier Day Trip
New York City Bound
June 21, 2013
June 9-12, 2013 • December 8-11, 2013
One way by Private Railroad Car • Continental Breakfast on Train
• Bunker Tour • Buffet Luncheon • Afternoon Tea • Time at The
Greenbrier • Motorcoach Home • Stop at Tamarack
Round trip by Luxury Private Railcar • 6 meals prepared on
the train • 3 Nights Lodging • 2 Breakfasts at the hotel •
48 Hour Gray Line Sightseeing Pass
Only... $279 Per Person
Only... $719 Per Person
*Price Subject to Change!*
*Price Subject to Change!*
Washington, DC 5 Days
Philadelphia Trip
From Huntington or Charleston, WV
From Huntington or Charleston, WV
From Huntington, WV or Charleston, WV
From Huntington, WV or Charleston, WV
July 10-14, 2013
August 18-21, 2013
Round Trip on Private Luxury Railcar • Five Meals on the Train • Four
Nights Lodging • Four Breakfasts at Hotel Three Dinners in DC •
Arlington National Cemetary • Mt. Vernon • Smithsonian (Mall Area) •
Full Day Tour • Washington National Cathedral
Round Trip on Private Luxury Railcar • Six Meals on the
Train • Three Nights Lodging Downtown • Philadelphia City Pass
(Access to over 60 different main attractions) • Transportation to and
from Train Station • Optional Trip to Atlantic City (Additional Cost)
$1199 pp Double
$719 per person
$749 pp (with optional side trip to Atlantic City)
$1499 pp Single
*Prices Subject to Change!*
*Price Subject to Change!*
More trips on our website at: www.NewRiverTrain.com
May 2013
11
Gondola Gazette
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Collis P. Huntington
Railroad Historical Society, Inc.
Non Profit Organization
PAID
Huntington, WV
Permit 9
Dated Material
Please do not delay
1323 8th Ave.
Mail To: P.O. Box 393
Huntington, WV 25708-0393
Phone: 304-523-0364
Fax: 304-523-0366
Email: cphrrhs@aol.com
www.NewRiverTrain.com
May 2013
Chapter of...
CPH Membership Meeting
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 @ 7:30pm
Member of...
This meeting will be held at the CPH Building
at 1323 8th Ave. in Huntington, WV 25701!
ILROAD
RA
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A
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NARP:
National Association of
Railroad Passengers
Photo by: Joe Rosenthal