Singing Wire December 2013 - Colorado Springs Interurban Railway
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Volume 22 No. 4 31 Dec 2013 The Newsletter of the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation dba Colorado Springs & Interurban Railway HELP WANTED Inside This Issue Obituary Help Wanted Miscellaneous Donations Special Mention Obituary From Our President An Open Letter to Staff John’s History Corner Restoration News Membership Form Howard Noble 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 7 As always good volunteers are greatly appreciated. Currently we could especially use individuals with the following skills: Office Assistant Two days per week Should know how to use a PC with MS Word Hours flexible, but regular Museum Assistant Two days per week Arranging and labeling displays Archiving historical records MISCELLANEOUS The Editor The annual Christmas Diner at the Myron Stratton Home on December 1, went well with thirty-three attending. It included a visit by Teddy Roosevelt. Actually Don Moon who does an excellent, rousing impersonation of one of our most famous Presidents laced with numerous historical facts. T.R. was never boring and neither is Don. He’s with Red Herring Productions and is retired from Colorado Springs Utilities. Volunteers at the barn will notice the soda machine departed the area due to insufficient sales. We received no income from those sales. Since the soda cans supplied the funding for coffee and cookies can donations are encouraged less a catastrophic shortage of coffee and cookies occur. DONATIONS Jim McGuire recently drove up to our place and calmly asked if we wanted a bell. Answering yes the next thing we knew it required a forklift to get several hundred pounds of bell out his pickup. Cast into the bell are the letters “DM&IR”. It looks identical to the units mounted on Diluth, Missabe, & Iron Range Yellowstones. Mike confirmed the bell came from Minnesota. Jim also donated several miscellaneous pieces of rail equipment. SPECIAL MENTION Eryn Taylor took over our web pages this past year and has done a yeoman’s job. A server crash recently required his having to rework the site all over. Computers have their quirks. Eryn lives in the Castle Rock area so we don’t see him down here very often, but we sure appreciate his efforts. Volume 22, Number 4 Page 2 Published by the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation Inc. of Colorado Springs, a non-profit corporation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. PPHSRF Board of Directors President David H. Lippincott Vice President/Chief Operations H. Howard Noble Secretary/Restoration Shop Mgr Greg Roberts Treasurer Don Gage Historian John Haney General Board Members Mitch Downs, CPA George Rothwell PPHSRF Museum & Offices 2333 Steel Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80907 Phone: (719) 475-9508 Fax: (719) 475-2814 streetcar@PPHSRF.com Web Address www.coloradospringstrolleys.org Mailing Address P.O. Box 544 Colorado Springs, CO 80901-0544 Member of the Association of Tourist Railroads and Railway Museums Please submit suggestions and articles to the editor. Singing Wire Editor G. Roberts streetcar@PPHSRF.com OBITUARY Mike McKown became a regular at our place several years back. Always cheerful, helpful, and just nice to have around on 25 October at our place Mike suffered a massive stroke. Despite getting him to the hospital in about twenty minutes the damage was too great. In a coma several days later in the early morning hours he left us permanently. Everybody who knew him, including his family of course, will miss him greatly. Mike belonged to one of the least known military units, the Air Commandos. In Vietnam he rescued downed pilots, Seal Teams, and other special ops teams. Often working alone he went deep into enemy territory to set up the rescues. He held a record for lives saved. He did it because at heart Mike was actually a gentle person who cared for others. He loved history and managed our library at the barn. You’ll be missed until we meet again friend FROM OUR PRESIDENT David Lippincott New Year's resolutions are appropriate for everyone, including foundations such as ours. My 2014 goals are (1) secure property in the downtown area to commence operations on in preparation for putting tracks on the streets, (2) secure new sources of funding our restoration efforts, and (3) increase our membership rolls - with friends, financial backers and volunteers in all areas of our operations. The state grant to the city of $120 million over a period of years would build a sports and events center and Olympic museum in the downtown's southwest quadrant. We have every indication its proponents desire it to be served by a streetcar system, for bringing additional visitors to the site, for remote parking, and to encourage additional housing and retail development in the area. We can be a major contributor to those efforts. We can construct our downtown system, using both our non-profit and Enterprise Zone status to raise from private sources and foundations, and eschewing local, state and federal tax dollars. Based on our preliminary plans and Volume 22, Number 4 Page 3 estimated costs, which we will refine, we expect a system will cost a fraction of the amount indicated in the 2010 streetcar feasibility study as we will not be burdened by onerous federal regulations required of all grant receipients (e.g. Davis-Bacon wages). We own 16 vintage streetcars (1901-1949) that use rail and overhead lines and two electric trolley buses (1940), which use overhead lines but no rail. All need work to put them into operating condition. We can construct a horse-drawn streetcar, using rail but no overhead lines, like the ones used in the city from 1887 to 1890. No city in the country now operates such a vehicle and we believe having one here would be a huge tourist draw. Our plans include a specific plot of land downtown as a base, but we have not been able to get an agreement with the owner as to its acqusition. As of now, we do not have a strong and committed advocate in the City's administration who can assist us in the political and governmental arenas. We do not have sponsors for car restoration who would commit to funding over a period of years, possibly for car naming rights. The downtown streetcar task force ceased meeting when it learned Federal funding of a system would be virtually impossible to obtain, drive costs higher, and require at least a 50% local match. We have a relatively small base of members and volunteers. The major reason I believe is a "show me results and I will jump on the bandwagon" attitude. Well, the chicken can't come before the egg and the egg cannot come unless folks believe there will be a chicken. If you help us with the egg, we can virtually guarantee you there will be a chicken! Visit us and discuss our plans and you will get a very good idea of what that chicken will look like and will do for the City. Happy New Year. David Lippincott csstreetcarfdn@aol.com AN OPEN LETTER TO STAFF Howard Noble Once again we’ve managed to come through another year with many twists and turns, many of which were unexpected. All have been managed due to in no small way to our very excellent staff of volunteers. As always there are not sufficient words to say thank to the way everybody has pulled together to meet the various challenges. Not counting the loss of some very dear friends, this has been a very successful year. Next year for 2014, we can already see a number of very interesting challenges. But I feel we are up to every one of them and will meet them head on. To list a few we know that we have the six vehicles from Denver to bring down. They will require placement, assessment, and perhaps even start work on them. Plans are underway for redoing the shop space in the car house itself Of course the ongoing restoration of CSIR 135 and CSIR 59 are now joined by work needed on Allegheny Port Authority 4002 and Los Angeles Railway 3101. We also continue to work towards developing an operation on the streets of this fair city. As always there will be things presenting themselves totally unknown at this time and we all know how that happens. I know that whatever the challenges are we will deal with them as always. Once again thank you to each and every one of you for your continuing positive attitude and flexibility to succeed in our mission.. JOHN’S HISTORY CORNER By John A. Haney For many years I’ve looked for information about a railroad wreck that happened around 1945. What appeared in the Gazette on December 16, 2013, blew me away! Here was far more than I hoped for – no less than a photograph plus caption. How exciting when my mother got me out of bed in my pajamas to go see it! Probably also in tow were my two sisters, but not my father who was still in the South Pacific with the Navy. I remember seeing a locomotive painted in Army livery, its tender, and a string of cars flopped over on their Volume 22, Number 4 Page 4 sides on the west embankment next to the elevated track just south of Uintah Street near Monument Valley Park. No work to clean up the mess had begun. This was really neat to see! I don’t recall learning of any injuries, only that the fireman had gone home to wash his face. The train derailed because of a bread truck too tall to pass beneath the railroad underpass on Uintah. The impact caused by the truck smashing the roof of the underpass moved the track causing the derailment. Uintah was only a two lane road in those days. Since nobody had been hurt what a great thrill for a youngster like me to witness - yet another rail-related incident to cement my fascination with railroads! A look back COURTESY OF PIKES PEAK LIBRARY DISTRICT MARGARETTA M. BOAS PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, COURTESY OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, 001-5587 A crane helps lift a toppled railroad engine back onto tracks while workers watch. A row of tails lays on the ground in foreground. Note on back reads "Uintah and Pine St. Overpass 2/25/45 C&S Burlington. 18 cars off the tracks." RESTORATION NEWS Los Angeles Railways No. 3101 Now “Under Wraps” Contrary to some accusations Los Angles Railways No. 3101 has not been wrapped for the holiday season. The roof finally started leaking to the point caulk no longer held back the onslaught of rain or melted snow. Built in 1943, this car and its sisters, often called “war babies” helped transport people to the war production plants in Los Angeles. Built during a time of material restrictions these cars used substitute materials. The original passenger handrails inside were of made from plain black iron gas pipe rather than anything chrome plated or even stainless steel as some of the pre-war LA PCC cars used. Rather than the friendly bright yellow of the car you will now see a large blue cocoon. St. Louis Car Company built the roof using standard wood car roof construction, wood ribs, slats, and canvas soaked with paint. Later the LA shops merely covered over the roof with metal. It leaked at the seams and now the canvas and wood roof underneath needs replacement. Until winter passes and funds can be raised for another roof No. 3101 will stay under wraps. Volume 22, Number 4 Page 5 Los Angeles Railways No. 3101 Before Being Wrapped Denver Tramway Equipment As previously stated this collection includes two original Denver street car bodies (No. 117 and 329), two Electric Trolley Busses, and two 1959 Mack built busses. Despite any hard feeling against busses having replaced our beloved street cars, these are historic vehicles in their own right. It means we will now have a Motor Coach Division for those Individuals who get great joy working on equipment with Diesel power and don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Extra hand cleaner will be stocked. Woeber Built Center Entrance Car Volume 22, Number 4 Page 6 Woeber Built Center Entrance Denver Car Woeber Carriage Works at West Colorado Avenue and Bannock in Denver built DTC No. 329 in 1910 and. DTC No. 117 in 1911. The passengers entered through the center doors as opposed to entering the front or rear of the car. Although Peter Witt often receives credit for this innovation Denver originated it even earlier when they combined pairs of smaller cars together to create center entrance cars. Although No. 329 and No. 117 will require a lot of work to return them to full operational capability these historic rarities are well worth the effort. Items recovered from No. 329 include a number of the original Hale & Kilburn seats, complete with original heaters, and transit weave rattan cushions. The original bell and Rocky Mountain fender have also been retrieved. The latter device protruding form the right end of the illustration above scooped up any hapless pedestrian unlucky enough to fall in front of the oncoming car. At least everybody hoped it did! The ETBs Denver Tramways No. 519 at left awaits transport from RTD’s facility along the Plate River to Colorado Springs. The greatest defects in this car are the underside of the roof and seats due to some rambunctious raccoons. No. 519 is one of only two surviving Electric Trolley Busses (ETB) to operate in the Rocky Mountain Region. During World War II these vehicles shared operation on Broadway with the streetcars. After arrival in the Springs the interior will be cleaned, the roof covered as necessary, and plans developed to make any other needed repairs. After through cleaning of the interior from the aforementioned fur covered, four legged, despoilers the car will be available for inspection close up by members and the public. Since ETBs are new to our collection any member interested in working on this car please contact the Shop Manager. Denver Tramways No. 519 Allegheny Port Authority No. 4002 A big thanks to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. They sent us a several hundred page bound volume of data on the PCC series cars. Converted into interurban duty from earlier Pittsburgh 1700 series PCC cars in the late 1980s our 4002 still has the same equipment under the skin. In discussions with the Pennsylvania Museum no two of the conversions “were wired the same” though. When it comes time to put this car back into service that will just make it more interesting. Stephen Kuznetsov who donated the car emailed us he will be crating for shipment windows for the front end. Volume 22, Number 4 Page 7 PIKES PEAK HISTORICAL STREET RAILWAY FOUNDATION Renewal/donation form: Name: Phone: Home Cell: Business: Address: (please include itry, state & zip code) Email address: Please consider making a step up in your membership level Membership Categories (please check one) Individual Family Corporate  Friend $35.00  Up to 5 members $50.00  Friend $100.00  Sponsor $50.00  Up to 7 members $75.00  Supporter $250.00  Patron $75.00  Unlimited number $100.00  Sponsor $500.00 and up  Benefactor $100.00 and up Additional Donation: $ to be applied to (check one of the choices below)  Car #59 matching fund  Car #135 (former ft. Collins # 22)  General Operating Fund (Car #59 donations are leveraged when applied to Colorado State Historical Fund Grants) Payment Methods: 1. Credit card # Exp. Date:  Mastercard  Visa  Discover 2. Check: Please make payable to PPHSRF Sec Code #: PPHSRF, P.O. Box 544, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-0544 If would like to become a volunteer please contact Dave Lippincott at 719-330-4746 or email him at csstreetcarfdn@aol.com for information about your area of interest, or have us contact you: Best day/time to call: Phone: ( ) Email address: Volunteer Areas Especially Needed: Office, Publicity, Membership Development, Computer expertise, and Restoration expertise Special Projects Needed for Museum Grounds: East yard electrification $2000 Added track in east yard $2500 Please consider a donation to make these enhancements possible. The Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt Colorado Corporation also qualifying as an Enterprise Zone Business. Contributions of $500 or more, made through the Enterprise Zone, may qualify for significantly larger Colorado State tax credit if your contribution meets their criteria. Please call Don Gage at the Foundation office (719-475-9508) for more information. Volume 22, Number 4 Page 8 Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation PO Box 544 Colorado Springs, CO 80901-0544 Preserving elegance of another era for transportation today.
