Railfans' Research Center. September 5, 2019

Copyright © 2019                               John F. Oyler 

September 5, 2019

Railfans’ Research Center

Five and a half years ago Jim Fry donated his collection of railroad memorabilia to the Bridgeville Area Historical Society to become the nucleus of their railroad exhibit in the caboose annex at the History Center. His contribution included 140 books and pamphlets, plus thirty-four VHS tapes related to railroading.

My column, dated February 13, 2014, reported on the wide variety of material in the collection – detailed descriptions of specific railroads, technical books dealing with rolling stock, scenic railroads all across the country, model railroading, etc. – and predicted it would become the basis for a major asset for railfans.

Recently I had the occasion to spend some time at the History Center looking for information on the Pittsburgh, Chartiers, and Youghiogheny Railroad, and to be updated on the status of the Society’s collection of railroad related information. I have been aware of individual additions in the ensuing years, but really had no idea how extensive they have been.

At this point the accumulation of documents and memorabilia has created a valuable research center for anyone interested in railroading, and particularly as it concerns our local railroads.

Both of Gene Schaeffer’s fine books dealing with the Montour Railroad are included – the original 1997 volume as a paperback and the subsequent, 2008, hard backed cocktail table size book which is full of wonderful photographs.

David Aitken’s “The Little Saw Mill Run Railroad: Its Life and Legacy” is another treasure. Mr. Aitken donated a copy to the Society after making a presentation on that subject at one of their program meetings.

The Chartiers Valley Railroad (later the Chartiers Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad) is expertly documented in three copies of “Keystone”, the official magazine of the Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society. Doug Mahrer’s fine description of that topic is included in these issues; the Society is grateful to Mr. Mahrer for this donation.

The history of the current Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad is well covered by Howard V. Worley, Jr.’s “Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railroad” and by “The Pittsburgh and West Virginia Railway: The Story of the High and Dry”, by Mr. Worley and William Poellot, Jr. 

The latter book contains five photographs that are specifically relevant to Bridgeville – a coal train on the viaduct at the foot of Vanadium Road, a locomotive on the interchange with the Pennsylvania Railroad on the B & M Branch, a 1937 wreck on the bridge over Chartiers Creek south of Bridgeville, and two shots of the well documented 1907 wreck north of Bridgeville.

When the Wabash Railroad went into operation in 1905 there were four passenger trains each way between Bridgeville and Pittsburgh. Inbound trains left at 6:23 and 8:26 am and at 12:38 and 7:28 pm. Trains from the city arrived at 6:23 and 10:22 am and 4:42 and 5:23 pm. Scheduled time for the 9.2 miles was between twenty two and twenty seven minutes. A one-way ticket to Pittsburgh cost thirty two cents.

“Three Feet on the Panhandle” by Larry L. Koehler and Morgan J. Gayvert is a comprehensive review of the Waynesburg and Washington Railroad, the wonderful narrow gage line that extended the Chartiers Branch twenty eight miles into Greene County.

The same railroad is discussed in a massive document produced by Mike Carrozza and presented to the Society in a large three ring binder. Entitled “Sixty Miles to Waynesburg”, it is a remarkable collection of photographs, maps, time tables, and other documents focused on railroading in the Chartiers Valley. In addition to being a dedicated RailFan, Mike was a retired railroader with a distinguished career in that industry.

The title of this collection celebrates the fact that it was possible to travel by train the sixty miles from Pittsburgh to Waynesbug, a trip that took about three hours, if all connections were properly made. His title page includes the comment “Including Branch Lines and Intersecting Railroad Lines”; the detail by which this comment is implemented is unprecedented.

Three other loose leaf binders contain valuable railroad related information. One is a collection of articles by Peter Roehm dealing with the Wabash Railroad. Bob Kurchena has put together a binder full of memorabilia from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Dana Spriggs printed out a large number of newspaper articles dealing with the murder of Pennsylvania Railroad station agent James Franks and compiled them in a binder.

Two belated donations from Jim Fry were a pair of handsome books dealing with railroad art – “In the Traces: Railroad Paintings”, by Ted Rose; and “The Railroad Artistry of Howard Fogg”, by Roland C. Hill and Al Chione. Jim had sent them to me, assuming they might provide source material for me to sketch. After I copied a dozen or so of Fogg’s paintings, I, belatedly, delivered the books to the Society. Both books contain very impressive railroad art.

The extent and variety of railroading information that the Society currently possesses, especially as related to our local area, is unique. Our challenge is to find ways to communicate it to a niche group, railfans.