Blog

“The Ghosts of Eckington Yard”

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.  (D.C. is an abbreviation for the District of Columbia.)  Like many cities, it has streets, and many of its avenues are named for the U.S. states.  One of its many entryways is a street known as New York Avenue.  What is special about New York Avenue?  Well, of course, it is named for the U.S. state of New York, but, before air travel, as New York City was the Gateway to North America with many ships passing by the Statue of Liberty, New York Avenue serves as a gateway into Washington D.C. for cars making the road famous for its massive traffic jams.  Before the Interstate Highway System as U.S. Routes were the way to travel across the nation, much of the traffic passing through the city came down New York Avenue as U.S. Routes 1 and 50 came down this road.  (Today, only U.S. Route 50 follows New York Avenue as U.S. Route 1 was rerouted.)  As you sit in traffic on New York Avenue, you notice that it follows an electrified railroad line.  (It was originally owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad but now owned by Amtrak.)  As you get closer to downtown, you see the railyard.  You climb a hill, you see the yard below.  Then you cross a bridge, and you do not see the yard anymore.  You see condos, high price condos.  The condos are part of the Eckington community, but what is special about those condos?

As mentioned, Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.  It is one of the most visited cities in the world.  It is a city with a lot of history.  Although the city is not famous as a railroad city, there is much railroad history here.

So, what is special about those condos in Eckington?  The story begins when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the nation’s first commercial railroad, came to the nation’s capital.

Until the 1970’s, New York Avenue was a roadway were there were many warehouses.  When you heard the traffic reports on New York Avenue, a warehouse was always used as a location.  The most famous warehouse was the Hecht Company warehouse.  Many of these warehouse were served by railroads.  As you travelled down New York Avenue through Eckington, you saw boxcars being loaded and unloaded.  During the Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Inaugural, you saw Pullman Cars at that site as, before airplanes, executives had their own private railcars.

That it just a small part of the story.

As the railroad lines went along New York Avenue before going south to Union Station, there were warehouses on the north side and south side of New York Avenue with many of the warehouses served by either the Pennsylvania Railroad or the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad that passed through the yard and went north.  The yard continued along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line about a mile north of where the Pennsylvania Railroad went south towards Union Station.  (Both the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad served Union Station.)  In the 1970’s, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority took up a small section of the yard to build a yard for its subway trains.  Things changed as many of the warehouses either closed or began using trucks.  In the 1980’s much of the rails were removed, and much of the land was sold.

Today, as you drive along New York Avenue, you see only the Amtrak trains in the yard in what was called the Ivy City Yard.  The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad line, now owned by the Chessie Seaboard System (CSX), only pass through making no stops except to wait for an Amtrak Train going north from Union Station.  What was once Eckington Yard now has a bike path where you can walk along where railroads once ran, and you can see where the railroad spurs once were.  You can walk under New York Avenue and watch the trains going in and out of Union Station to points north to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston and points west to Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Chicago, and see the old Capital City Arena where a band called the ‘Beatles’ performed their first concert in the United States of America.  (It is no longer an arena, but the building still stands.)  Although Eckington is a completely different place than it was, as you walk through, the ‘Ghosts of Eckington Yard’ may come out to greet you.

Train Station, Niles, Michigan

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

As the railroad was built to connect cities and towns across the United States of America, each town and city had their own passenger station.  You have train station in the major cities that are still in use today like the Main Street Station in Richmond, the capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia, Union Stations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Illinois, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, Penn Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and Grand Central Station in New York City, New York.  You have those old train stations like the terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio and the old train stations in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plus the old train terminal in Detroit, Michigan and the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Oh, how it would have been great to see the original Penn Station in New York City, New York.  How about those small towns?  The train stations in Point of Rocks, Maryland, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania were very impressive when they were in service.

Then you have the town of Niles in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Michigan.  The train station in Niles was built by the Michigan Central Railroad in 1892.  For a small town, it is one fancy Richardsonian Romanesque style station built with brownstone and gabled roofs with a sixty foot clock tower and a garden surrounding the station.  The station was featured in the movies Continental Divide, Midnight Run, and Only the Lonely.  If the builders were to see this station today, they would see the same train station that was built in 1892 as the exterior has not been altered.  The interior has been rearranged with the elimination of the smoking rooms.

Some of you are saying, “This is very nice.  Too bad the station is not being used.”

Do not be mistaken.  The station is still in use today except Amtrak, not the Michigan Railroad or the New York Central System who took over the Michigan Central Railroad, brings passenger service today.  As mentioned, if the builders were to see the station today, they would see little change.  The station is also on the National Register of Historical Places and the Michigan State Register.

The Niles Train Station is now owned by Amtrak.  It is located on Dey Street just east of Michigan Route 51 north of the town center.  Parking is on site.  As mentioned, it is still an active train station.

You may not have heard of the town of Niles, Michigan.  When you visit, you will see a very special town with an amazing train station.

Caledonia State Park, Fayetteville, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

U.S. Route 30, a route that has been nicknamed the ‘Lincoln Highway’ named after Abraham Lincoln, former President of the United States of America, begins in the town of Astoria in the U.S. state of Oregon and winds its way east through many U.S. states ending in Atlantic City in the U.S. state of New Jersey.  One of those states is Pennsylvania.  As it passes through Pennsylvania, it passes through the major cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and it passes through the town of Gettysburg, the town famous for a great battle of the American Civil War known as the Battle of Gettysburg.  Halfway between Gettysburg and Chambersburg new the town of Fayetteville is Caledonia State Park.  Caledonia State Park is a park that has hiking trails, fishing, and hunting, and it has a waterfall.  Yes, many parks has this, but it also has the Totem Pole Playhouse, a theater that has produced actors like John Ritter from the old television series ‘Three’s Company’, the centerpiece of the park is the Caledonia Iron Furnace.

The Caledonia Iron Furnace was built in 1837, and it was owned by Thaddeus Stevens.  The name of the furnace comes from the name of the county in Vermont where Thaddeus Stevens was born. It was destroyed by Confederate General Jubal Early and his men in 1863.  The furnace was rebuilt, and it continued to produce iron until it was closed in 1902, and it was then turned into a state park.  When you visit Caledonia State Park, you can see the furnace, and you can see the blacksmith shop where demonstrations take place.  In Caledonia State Park, every step you take in the park is a place where history took place.

Some of you are saying, “Wow.  I love state parks.  I love being around the trees and the streams and the waterfalls.  As for the old furnace, it is nice that it is preserved although it would be great to see it working.  There is one problem.  What is the problem?  There is no railroad here.  Therefore, you will not see my company here.”

Well, as you walk around Caledonia State Park, you will not see a railroad nor do you see any sign of a railroad being here.  If there is no railroad at the park, why visit?

As you visit Caledonia State Park, you will notice a few structures within the park itself.  Of course, you have the restrooms, and, of course, you have the old furnace.  Then you have the blacksmith shop.  Yes, a blacksmith does mend and heat metals here, but it was not always a blacksmith shop.  If it was not always a blacksmith shop, what else could it have been.  The blacksmith shop was once a trolley station.  A trolley station?  Yes, it was a trolley station.  The Chambersburg and Gettysburg Electric Railway.  Trolley service began in 1905.  The Chambersburg and Gettysburg Electric Railway made a stop at Caledonia State Park, and they built a small amusement park there.  The railway got its name from the fact that its purpose was to take passengers from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania to visit the Gettysburg Battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The trolley line was built east from Chambersburg, and it took passengers as far as… Caledonia State Park.  Due to lack of funds and steep grades between Caledonia State Park, the section to Gettysburg was never built.  Service ended in 1926, and the amusement rides were dismantled.  Today, only the blacksmith shop and the Trolley Trail going west from the blacksmith shop are the only reminders of the trolley.

As mentioned, every step you take at Caledonia State Park in Fayetteville, Pennsylvania is a step where history happened.  That includes those on the Appalachian Trail which passes through the park.  If you walk along the Trolley Trail, every step you take will be a step where railroad history took place.

Caledonia State Park is located near the town of Fayetteville, Pennsylvania at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Pennsylvania Route 233.  The park is free to visit, and it is open from sunrise to sunset.  The iron furnace and the Caledonia Waterfall can be seen from the road.  Although the trolley trail is flat, it is not paved making it difficult for wheelchairs.  You can get more information at https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/CaledoniaStatePark/Pages/default.aspx.

U.S. Route 30 has many great sites along the road.  Caledonia State Park is one of them.  It may be famous for the furnace, but it was also a place where a trolley line came to an end.

Marie’s Candies, West Liberty, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Ohio has many major cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, Dayton, and Toledo just to name a few.  It is the home of Bob Evans, the man who founded the company of the same name.  It was where the Wright Brothers, the brothers who made the first successful air flight on the beaches of North Carolina, spent most of their childhood.  The state has small towns like West Liberty in the western region of the state.  What is special about West Liberty?  It is the home of Ohio Caverns, Piatt Castle, and Marie’s Candies.

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute.  Marie’s Candies?  What is so special about Marie’s Candies?”

You are asking what is special about Marie’s Candies.  As you already figured out, it is a place that sells candy.

Some of you are saying, “Well, we already knew that, but there are places across the country and around the world that sell candy.”

That is true, but there is something special about Marie’s Candies.  What is special about Marie’s Candies?  Let us say that many people drive great distances, past other candy shops, to buy candy here.

Some of you are saying, “That is definitely special, but who is Marie?”

That is a good question.  The answer, sadly, has a tragic beginning.

It begins with a man named Winfred King, a farmer, and he worked very hard on a farm in Ohio, but then he got polio, and the disease confined him to a wheelchair, and he was no longer able to work the farm.  Friends and neighbors stepped up to help his family.  Of course, when people help you, you want to show gratitude to those who helped you.  He and his wife, Marie, gave boxes of homemade candy.  The candy was made in their kitchen of their home.  A business began, and people traveled great distances to by their candy.  The business moved from their home to a home in the town of West Liberty, and their business continued to thrive.  Today, a trip to Marie’s Candies in West Liberty, Ohio will be rewarded with a very sweet and delicious ending.

Some of you are saying, “Well that is so sweet.  It is really sad what happened to her husband, but at least the business has been successful.  There is one problem.  As you can see.  This is a candy shop.  This candy shop has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, I find nothing sweet about this place.”

Ladies and gentlemen, this story is not over.  There is more to this story.  What is special about Marie’s Candies?

The answer goes back to the Golden Age of Railroading.  What does the Golden Age of Railroading have to do with Marie’s Candies?  As passenger train service declined, many places were no longer served by passenger trains.  The small town of West Liberty, Ohio was one of those places.  When a town lost train service, the train station was no longer used by the railroad.  While some train stations were demolished or converted into museums or visitor centers, some were just abandoned like the one in West Liberty.

What is special about Marie’s Candies?

When Marie’s Candies needed a new space, they looked at the old train station that was deteriorating.  The train station was relocated from its original location to its current location on the north side of the town, and it was fully restored, and Marie’s Candies moved in, and the business continues out of there today.

Now you see what is special about Marie’s Candies.  Even though the business runs in an old train station, most people really visit for the candy.  Once you taste it, you will develop a sweet tooth and will want more.  Even though they sell candy that they make, they do sell candy from other candy makers as well.  A business that began with gratitude from Wilfred and Marie King still remains in the family today along with thirty other employees.

Marie’s Candies is located at 311 Zanesfield Road (U.S. Route 68) in West Liberty, Ohio.  Parking is on site.  You can get more information on store hours and read more into the family history at https://mariescandies.com/.

Marie’s Candies is a great place to visit, not for candy lovers and railroad lovers alike.  Who ever thought that railroad history could be so sweet?

Please note that the photos of the farm and barn are AI generated photos.

The Red Lion Mile, Red Lion, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What is the Red Lion Mile?

Some of you are saying, “I know.  It is a lion that is red and is a mile long.”

Well, that is not the correct answer.  What is the Red Lion Mile?  It is a rail trail in the town of Red Lion in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Some of you are saying, “Wow.  I did not know that.  I bet the town got the name because a red lion was once here.”

Even though the ‘red lion’ is the symbol of the town, it is not named after an actual lion.  It is named after a pub when it was settled in 1852 called the Red Lion Tavern, and that tavern is still in business today.

Today, the town of Red Lion, Pennsylvania is not served by the railroad, but it was once a major railroad town on the York and Peach Bottom Railroad and later the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad.  (It was commonly referred to as the ‘Ma and Pa Railroad’.”)  The town was a place of industry to include furniture and cigars.  As you walk along the rail trail, you will see some of the old factory structures.  The remaining structures have been converted into housing or businesses.  The old train station also remains, and it is the home of the Red Lion Historical Society.

The Red Lion Mile mainly runs west from the old train station located on Pennsylvania Route 24, and it is mostly paved.  Parking is available along the trail.  You can learn more about the town at https://redlionareahistoricalsociety.org/area-history/red-lion/red-lion-history/.

The Red Lion Mile: you may not see any red lions, but you will see the places that was once seen by those who once ran the trains through the town.

Victoria, Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Have you ever heard of the small town of Victoria in the southern region of the U.S. state of Virginia?  If you have never heard of this town, do not feel sad as very few people even know that this town even exists.  The town, located halfway between the port city of Norfolk at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and the city of Roanoke, has no famous historic sites or landmarks.  It is your typical small town with a main street with stores.  The only routes through the town is Virginia State Routes 40 and 49.

Some of you are saying, “Well, that is not much.  With a name like Victoria, it would be funny if the town is named after some famous queen.”

Ladies and gentlemen, start laughing.  This small one-horse town is named after Queen Victoria.  Yes, it is named after the British Queen Victoria.  The county the town is located in, Lunenburg County, is named for a German Duke.  As you can see, the town of Victoria is a small town that has much European royalty.

Now some of you are saying, “Amazing.  Queen Victoria would be very proud to have a town named in her honor.  Being a small town with no castles or palaces, she would probably never visit here.  What is really bad is that there is no railroad in this town.  Therefore, I will not accept the royalty of visiting this town.”

So, you do not want to visit this town because of the fact that it is not a railroad town.  Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to learn about a small town in southern Virginia.

The U.S. state of Virginia is a state that has much history, and the history begins long before the state was established.  Before it was a state, it was a British colony, one of the original thirteen colonies.  It has the oldest continuous American city in the United States of America which is the site of the first English settlement in the nation, Jamestown.  (Yes, Taos, New Mexico and Saint Augustine, Florida are older establishments, but they were not part of the United States of America until years later.)  The state has many great historical cities like the state capitol, Richmond, a city that served as the Confederate capital during the American Civil War, and Williamsburg, a city that was once the state capital of Virginia, and Yorktown where a great victory over the British and where they surrendered during the American Revolutionary War, and, as mentioned, Jamestown, the oldest continuous American city, and Charlottesville, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and Manassas where the first major battle of the American Civil War took place and it the only place that was the site of two major battles during that war, and Alexandria, a city with deep history, and Bristol, a town that is partly in Virginia and partly in Tennessee where it is said that country music began here.  The state has produce more U.S. presidents than any other state.  The father of the nation, George Washington, and the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, two U.S. presidents, were born here and had their homes here.  Speaking of Thomas Jefferson, his home, Monticello, located in Charlottesville, is the only U.S. presidential home that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The state is one of the most visited states in the nation.

That brings us to the town of Victoria, a town that very few have heard of.

Some of you are saying, “If nobody has ever heard of this town, then the town most likely had no significance.”

What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  When you arrive here, you with see a town just like any other small town, but then you notice something.  You see a park with a caboose.  What caboose?  It is from the Virginian Railway.  What is it doing here in this town?  You notice what appears to be a trail, but it is not an ordinary trail, but what appears to be a rail trail.

What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  It was a planned community.  As mentioned, the town is halfway between Roanoke and Norfolk.  What is so important about that?  Norfolk, as mentioned, is a major port city, and it is the largest natural port in the world.  Both Roanoke and Norfolk were major railroad cities, and they are major railroad cities today.  Why is Norfolk a major port?  The Port of Norfolk is a major coal city, and the port is served by many coal trains bringing coal from the mines in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia to the ships in Norfolk.

Some of you are saying, “That is nice, but what does Victoria have to do with it?”

As mentioned, Victoria, Virginia was a planned community.  What was the plan?  The town was planned around the railroad.  The Tidewater Railway came to town.  The Tidewater Railway was then taken over by the Virginian Railway.  The steam locomotive, after one hundred miles of operation, had to be serviced.  What is special about the town of Victoria, Virginia?  It was the site of a roundhouse and a railroad yard.  The town flourished.  As the steam locomotive was replaced by the diesel locomotive that required less maintenance and could go farther before needing maintenance, the roundhouse became obsolete.  The Virginian Railway was taken over by the Norfolk and Western Railway which became the last railroad to serve the town.  (The Norfolk and Western Railway was later taken over by the Norfolk Southern Railway.)  Like with many takeovers of railroads, certain railroad lines are abandoned.  Sadly, the railroad line through Victoria was one of those lines.  The tracks were taken up, and it was eventually turned into a rail trail.

The railroad in Victoria, Virginia is now gone… but it is not forgotten.

Virginian Railway Caboose Number 342 sits in the place where the railroad yard and main railroad line once was.  Next to the caboose, you will see the foundation of the passenger station.  What about the roundhouse?  Across the street from the caboose is the Victoria Railroad Park.  Like the passenger station, only the foundation of the roundhouse and a Virginian Railway gondola car remain.  You can walk and see where a roundhouse once stood.  What is now a quiet park was once a bustling place.  When the railroad left town, the town became what it is today.

The town of Victoria, Virginia is located in southern Virginia served only by states routes 40 and 49.  The railroad park is located off of Main Street (Virginia Route 40).  The rail trail, part of the Tabacco Heritage Trail, is paved.  The Victoria Railroad Park is open sunrise to sunset, and it is free.  Parking is on site.  The park is flat, but it is not completely paved.  Wheelchairs may have difficulty getting around.

The town of Victoria, Virginia, may not be as famous as other cities in Virginia, but it has a place in state, national, and international history.  It may be a small town, but it has much railroad royalty.

The Cover Photo is an AI generated photo.

The Statue of Liberty, Dauphin, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute.  Something is wrong here.  The Statue of Liberty is in New York, not Pennsylvania.”

Well, the most famous statue was erected in 1886 by New York City locals in New York Harbor and welcomed people who arrived by ship into the harbor.  Yes, it is the most famous Statue of Liberty in spite of the fact that the original Statue of Liberty is located in Paris, France.  What made the New York statue more famous?  Location.  Although the original statue is on an island on the Seine River in the middle of the city, the most famous one on an island in New York Harbor welcomed people entering into the United States of America.  When France wanted to bring the statue to New York, the United States government was opposed to it.  That is when New York City area locals stepped in to fund the bringing of the statue to New York City, and it has been a symbol of American freedom welcoming people into the Land of Freedom one of the world’s top iconic sites ever since.

Other Statue of Liberty’s were erected across the United States of America.  One of these statue was erected in the middle of the Susquehanna River in the town of Dauphin in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, a suburb of Harrisburg, the state capital.  Why the Susquehanna River?  The Susquehanna River is the longest unnavigable river in the United States of America which means that no ships pass by here.  The only traffic is that on U.S. Routes 22 and 322.  A statue was erected here in 1986 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the one in New York Harbor, but it was later destroyed.  Locals saw how significant that statue was and erected a new statue, and that statue stands today.  Now, drivers along U.S. Routes 22 and 322 can see a great icon along their journey through Pennsylvania.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  It is great that the people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to New York City, and it is great that the Statue of Liberty is a great icon not just for New York City and the United States of America, but for the entire world.  As for this one in the Susquehanna River, it is just a replica of the famous one.  Since this is just a replica of the famous one, I will not be using my liberty to see this replica statue.”

What is special about the Statue of Liberty in Dauphin, Pennsylvania?  As you drive along the highway and look out at the statue, you will notice what the statue was erected on.  What is it on?  The statue was erected on a piling of an old railroad bridge.  There was once a railroad bridge where the current statue stands.  Which railroad crossed the bridge is unknown at this point although it is upriver from the world famous Rockville Bridge, the longest stone arch bridge in the world and now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.

Now you can see that the Statue of Liberty in Dauphin, Pennsylvania is not just a replica of the famous statue and a symbol of American freedom, but the statue has a little bit of railroad history attached to it.

As mentioned, the original statue made with plywood and Venetian blinds was erected in 1986, but it was blown off the piling by strong winds and destroyed in 1992.  Locals later erected the current statue you see today, and it was made with steel.  The man who erected the original replica remained silent for many years until 2011.  He happened to be a local lawyer who erected the statue as a prank.  He had no idea that it would be a permanent and famous icon in the Susquehanna River Valley of Pennsylvania.

The Statue of Liberty of the Susquehanna Valley is located in the middle of the Susquehanna River west of the city of Harrisburg, and it can be seen from U.S. Routes 22 and 322.  Be advised that there is no pull-off on the highway to view the statue so you will need to be mindful as you drive on the highway.  (We do not want to see anyone getting stuck in the rear bumper while seeing the statue.)

The Statue of Liberty stands for American freedom.  Near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the Statue of Liberty stands on a piece of railroad history.

Railroad Memorial, West Lafayette, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The eleventh day of the month of September is a day that those who lived through it will never forget.  In 2001, four planes were hijacked from three airports in the United States of America.  Two were rammed into the World Trade Center in New York City in the U.S. state of New York causing the two building to collapse.  A third plane was rammed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. taking down a large section of the structure.  A fourth plane that was hijacked was taken over by the passengers and crashed into a field near the small town of Shanksville in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.  Like the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001, was a day that (using the words of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt) went down in infamy.  As many people who were alive on that day and during the attack on Pearl Harbor remember these very tragic incidents and will remember these days for years to come, another tragic incident happened on the eleventh day of September.  Instead of hijacked planes, this involved two trains.

The day was September 11, 1950.  The place is a small town called West Lafayette in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Ohio.  It was early in the morning.  The Pennsylvania National Guard Troop Train Number 4 was disabled on the railroad tracks east of the town.  The train was carrying troops from the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who were on their way to Germany to be deployed as the Korean War was happening.  The ‘Spirit of Saint Louis’, a passenger train, crashed into the rear of the train.  Thirty-three men of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion died.

Today, a memorial is at the railroad crossing at Ohio Route 93 in the center of West Lafayette, Ohio.  The memorial has the names of those of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who lost their lives in the wreck.  The memorial also commemorates those in the region who were involved in the rescue efforts.  The memorial consists of an obelisk with the names of the soldiers who lost their lives and a commemoration of the locals who helped in the rescue efforts, and small section of railroad track, and an artillery gun.

The railroad memorial remembering the men of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who lost their lives in a train crash in West Lafayette, Ohio is located next to the railroad crossing where Ohio Route 93 crosses the railroad tracks in the center of the town.  Parking is on site.  The town of West Lafayette on Ohio Route 93 just south of U.S. Route east of the town of Coshocton and west of Interstate 77.

The seventh day of December and the eleventh day of September will be days that will be associated with great tragedy.  Let us remember those who tragically died at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Let us remember those who tragically died at the World Trade Center towers in New York City, New York.  Let us remember those who tragically died at the Pentagon in Washington D.C..  Let us remember those who tragically died in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  Let us remember those of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion who tragically died on a train in West Lafayette, Ohio.

The Great Big Train Excursion

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized
The Old Central Railway of New Jersey Train Station in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

Jimmy and his parents were taking a ride down a road that rolled through the forest.

“Are we there yet?” he impatiently pondered.

“Not yet,” the father replied.  “We will be there soon.”

He was getting more and more impatient as he sat in the back seat of the car.

“Are we there yet?” he blurted out again.

“Almost,” the father replied.  “Almost.”

They went around a few bends and up a hill.

“We’re here,” the father said as they saw the steam rising from the locomotive as it was at the station waiting for the time for the passengers to board.

They got out of the car and made their way to the ticket booth.

“How many?” the elderly man in the ticket window asked with a big smile on his face.

“Two adults, one child,” the father replied as he handed him his credit card.

“Three tickets coming right up,” he said as he ran the credit card through the machine.

“Can we get on the train now?” Jimmy blurted out.

“Not yet,” the mother replied.  “It is not time for it to leave yet.”

“Have you ever been on a train before?”  The ticket agent handed them the tickets.

“This is his first ride,” the father took the tickets from the ticket agent.

“Well then,” the ticket agent said.  “I hope he enjoys his ride.”

“He hasn’t stopped talking about it,” the mother said.

“Can I go into the choo choo,” Jimmy blurted with excitement.

“I don’t know if you can get on…”

“Please?  Please?  Can I go into the choo choo?”  He pressed on.

“We will have to see,” the father said.

They walked over to the locomotive.  One of the engineers saw them coming over.

“Hey,” he said to Jimmy.  “How would you like to climb onto the locomotive?”

Jimmy was so excited.  The engineer picked him up and put him onto the train, and he climbed up after him.  Jimmy was jumping for joy as he looked around.  The engineer began to point everything out.

“This is where we sit to operate the train.  We look out the window to see where we’re going.  Over here is the coal car.  You can see all the coal we have here.  As we drive the train, someone with a big shovel scoops up the coal, and they throw it into that hole there that opens to let the coal in and closed to keep the heat inside.  The heat creates the steam that moves the train.

“Wow,” said Jimmy.  “Can I ride up here?”

“I wish I could,” said the engineer, “but it is not safe.  We have to move around so much with shoveling the coal.  You can get in somebody’s way.  You can get the same view from your seat.  Anyway, it is almost time to go.”

The engineer helped Jimmy down from the locomotive.

“That was so much fun,” he said as they were walking to board the train.  “I want to be an engineer when I grow up.”

They boarded the train, and they sat down.  Jimmy put his face up against the window.

“Calm down, pumpkin,” the mother pulled him back.  “We’re not moving yet.”

“ALL ABOARD!” the conductor shouted.

Moments later, the train began to pull away from the station.  For Jimmy, it was a trip he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

This memory was made possible by the engineers, the mechanics, the ticket people, the conductors and all of those who work to make the rail excursions enjoyable, and many of these people do their labor not for pay (as many of them are not paid but volunteer), but for the love of the railroad.  Their reward is the happy passengers who take a ride on the train.

To those who volunteer to keep the rail excursions rolling, consider yourself honored on this Labor Day.  The railroad would not run without you.  To those who volunteer at the railroad museums to keep the history of railroading alive, consider yourself honored on this day, but even if you are paid to work, this Labor Day is in honor of you.  Have a Happy Labor Day.

A Statue of a Conductor at the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, U.S.A.

The Lyceum, Alexandria, Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The city of Alexandria in the U.S. state of Virginia is the most storied town in the United States of America.  It was once an independent city that is now a part of the Washington-Baltimore metropolis.  How many stories does this city have to tell?  Well, you could be here for centuries to hear half of them.  It was once one of the busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere.  It is the home of Christ Church.  What is special about Christ Church?  Let us say that all but a small handful of U.S. Presidents have attended a church service there.  George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, regularly attended here and had his own personal pew.  George Washington was a frequent visitor to Alexandria as his home, Mount Vernon, is south of here.  He also had meals at Gadsby Tavern.  Both sites are open to visitors.  Then you have the Jones Point Lighthouse which is where the southern end of the District of Columbia is located.  Where is the park?  It is under the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, the only bridge to pass through three states.  (That is Maryland with the border of the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River with a small section of the District of Columbia next to the Virginia shore.)  There is much more that can be told, but you can visit the Lyceum in Alexandria to learn more about Alexandria.

What is the Lyceum?  That is a good question.  A lyceum is a temple like structure.  Yes, it looks like an actual temple, and there are others in the northeast region of the United States of America.  The Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia was originally a lecture hall, but it housed other things until it became the home of the Alexandria History Museum.  It you want to learn more about Alexandria, Virginia, the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is the place to start.

Some of you are saying, “Wow!  That is nice.  Alexandria, Virginia is a great place to visit.  There is so much there.  As for the Lyceum, well, it is probably a nice place to see.  There is a very big problem.  As you can see, this Lyceum is the home of the Alexandria History Museum and has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, you will not see a history of me at the Lyceum.”

Well, you have a point.  Why visit the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.  It is not a railroad museum which is a good excuse not to visit.  Why visit?

As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  You walk over to the waterfront along the Potomac River, you see a marina with boats, but you see no ocean bound ships.  This was not the case one hundred years ago.  The peaceful waterfront was once one of the busiest ports in the Western Hemisphere.

What does this have to do with the railroad?

As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  This includes an extensive railroad history.  As a busy port, it was the railroad that brought the goods from the ports to towns west and south that did not have access to ports.  The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad which ran across the northern region of Virginia (now a rail trail) and the Alexandria and Orange Railroad which ran to towns in the central region of Virginia (later owned by the Southern Railway and now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway today) had direct access to the ports.  Trains from the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Southern Railway were stored in a large railroad yard in the northern region of the city.  The railroad yard was at a site that is now a large shopping center on U.S. Route 1.  Only the main railroad line which runs from the bridge crossing of the Potomac River and is now owned by CSX Transportation is all that remains today.  (The railroad line continues south to Richmond today.)

The railroad yard that was owned by the Alexandria and Orange Railroad remains today and stores railcars from CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway today.  (The yard is between Virginia Route 236 and Interstate 495 today.)  The original yard was much larger than it was today as it included a roundhouse at the east end of the railroad yard.  The roundhouse was demolished years ago, but it had a great place in history.  Why?  It was where a special railroad car was built.  What was this railroad car?  It was President Abraham Lincoln’s private railroad car.  You can call it the Air Force One of the railroad.  It was to be introduced to Abraham Lincoln, but he so desired to take his wife, Mary, to a play a Ford’s Theater that evening.  Did he ever ride his private railroad car?  Yes, he did, but not as President Abraham Lincoln.  That night, he was assassinated.  His private railroad car was renamed his funeral car, and it carried his remains back to Springfield, Illinois where his tomb is today.

Now, why visit the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia?  Even though you do not see full size trains, and though there is no caboose outside the museum, you will see models and displays of the railroad in the museum.  You see stories of how that trains passed through Alexandria and how the ports benefitted from the railroad.

Is that all?  The answer is no.

During your visit to the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, you will learn more things about the history of the railroad in Alexandria, Virginia.  Alexandria was the headquarters of the United States Military Railroad.  The railroad cars were stored in the same yard as the Alexandra and Orange Railroad.  Sadly, most of the tracks where the railroad cars were stored were taken up.  The United States Military Railroad also operated a railroad ferry.  This ferry took railroad cars and locomotives up and down the Potomac River.

It that it?  As mentioned, the city of Alexandria, Virginia has an extensive history.  As you look at the streets of Alexandria today, you will not see any evidence of trolleys.  The trolleys are long gone, but the Mount Vernon Electric Railway and the Washington-Virginia Railway Company ran trolleys through the town.

The Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum has many stories to tell including the many stories of the railroad in Alexandria, Virginia.  Even after seeing every in the museum, you will realize that you still have not seen it all.

The Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum is owned and operated by the city of Alexandria.  It is located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria Virginia at 201 S. Washington Street just blocks east of U.S. Route 1.  It is open Thursday and Friday 11:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday from 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.  (It is closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.)  Parking is available from those visiting the Lyceum only.  Admission is free, and it is wheelchair accessible.  You can get more information at https://www.alexandriava.gov/Lyceum.

The city of Alexandria, Virginia is a city of extensive history, and it is a city of extensive railroad history.  Much of the railroads may be gone, but it stays alive at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum.