2006 Convention

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Folks, I think those in attendance would all agree that Gary Rolih and crew put on a really special event in Williamson this past weekend. Being deep in the heart of the coal fields made it easy to get in touch with the history of the area and how coal and the railroad came to depend on one another. And Louis Newton gave us a great overview of how the railroad served the coal industry in steam days. We plan to share his remarks in The Arrow in due course.

At the Convention your Board confirmed plans to hold the 2006 N&WHS Convention at Strasburg, PA, most likely right after the July 4th holiday. Selecting an off-line site was discussed a number of times over the last few months. There are pluses and minuses, but the Board believes the time is right to take advantage of the opportunity to see engine #475, the last operating N&W steamer, in action. 

Those who attended the 2004 Convention in Roanoke heard N&WHS member Rick Musser, a Strasburg RR employee, descirbe the rebuilding and restoration of the 475. While the engine is in great shape, especially so for being 99 years old (!!), we have learned painfully not to take anything for granted when it comes to steam power. So let's go see it in action in its 100th year! Rick has agreed to serve as our Convention Chairman and has some great ideas for how we might enjoy 475, but I don't want to spill the beans too soon. 

There are also a number of other attractions, rail and otherwise, that make Strasburg an interesting place to visit. So please try to include the Convention in your plans for next summer. The details will follow in due course.

Bill McClure
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20050628/1acaf542/attachment.html