DEAR SRM FRIENDS
Randy Pirkle, SRM Administrator
Welcome to the revised/reinvented SRM Crossings. With this issue we're pleased to introduce our new editor, Aleatha Williams. A SCAD, GSU, and SAGE graduate, Aleatha comes to us with a broad background of non-profit management experience and a fresh outlook on newsletters. We hope you find her joining us as exciting as we do.
Summer at the museum is full of activities. We've held our 2nd FastTrack 5k,our annual Locomotive Celebration and one session of summer camp. We're looking forward to our second summer camp session in July followed by our tenth Trains, Trucks & Tractors in August. Our education department has stayed busy as well hosting field trips on a daily basis and our 2nd Thursday Pre-school programs.
You'll notice that a number of links from this newsletter go to a new website, www.train-museum.org which we've been working on this spring as well. Shortly we'll decommission the current www.srmduluth.org website and move it's URLs to point to the new website.
We've a number of projects in full motion as well. Park train equipment has moved to the shop for work described it "Top of the Hill", timber is on order for track work (the full scale train, the park scale train and the HO scale layout in the exhibit hall), landscaping goes on, and the mechanical guys are preparing to sand blast & paint the hoods for locomotive Hartwell #2 and A&WP290's cab. The giftshop staff continues to carry a variety of souveniers and refreshments.
As always our volunteers are the life of the museum. In the first half of the year, we've had over a dozen new volunteers join us in a variety of roles and we're happy to have new hands with new ideas helping to move the museum forward. If you would like to join us in preserving and sharing history, please let us know by filling out a volunteer application at https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=813113654.
We extend our condolences to the families & friendS on the passing earlier this year of Virginia Slack & J.R. Shipp, two of our longest serving volunteers. They will be missed.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Crossings and we look forward to seeing you at the museum soon.
Randy
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FAST TRACK 5K 2016
Bill Bickley
The Southeastern Railway Museum’s second annual Fast Track 5k was held on Saturday, May 28, amidst a backdrop of patriotism and high energy, at the Town Green in downtown Duluth. This year’s event opened the Memorial Day ceremonies conducted by the City of Duluth who, with the Southeastern Railway Museum, co sponsored the race.
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The 2016 Fast Track 5k featured new start and finish lines, a DJ, Tim Harper, soloist, who performed God Bless America and a runner warm up session lead by Fit Body Boot Camp. About 120 runners assembled at the starting line on Main Street in front of the Red Clay Music Foundry for the 7:30 am start. The 3.1 mile course, certified by the USTAF and which is also a Peachtree Road Race qualifier, wound through nearby neighborhoods and finished inside the Town Green near Duluth’s City Hall. Around 140 participants registered in 2016 which was 2.5 times greater than last year’s inaugural event. The family friendly race welcomed runners and walkers of all skill levels, parents with children in strollers and pets on leashes. Award categories included Overall, Masters (age 40 and above) and first, second and third place in 14 age groups for male and female winners. Age group winners received a red, white or blue rail spike for first, second and third place finishes respectively. Overall and Masters winners received a plaque with a picture of Southern Railway’s famous #6901 locomotive.
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Over twenty sponsors supported the 2016 race and included Granite, Wells Fargo Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Eddie Owens Presents, Allegra Printing, Formetco, Specialty Engraving, Fit Body Boot Camp, National Railway Historical Society, Duluth Business Association, Duluth Fine Wine, Duluth Chiropractic Clinic, Tiger Tails Animal Hospital, Boudreaux’s Café Acadiana, Fleet Feet Sports of John’s Creek, Marlow’s Tavern, Publix, Chic Fil A, Duluth Rexall Drug, Piedmont Tractor and Equipment and Gwinnett Place Ford and Nissan dealerships. Each level of support was greatly appreciated!
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A large contingent of volunteers from Southeastern Railway Museum, the City of Duluth, the American Legion and friends of the museum helped to make this year’s race a successful, safe and fun event. To each of them we say a big Thank You!
Mark your calendars for next year’s Fast Track 5k which will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2017. We will again co sponsor with the City of Duluth’s Memorial Day Celebration. As in the prior two events, runners and walkers of all skill levels, pets on leashes and parents with children in strollers will be welcome. Hope to see you there!
VIEW MORE PHOTOS (ALBUM 1)
VIEW MORE PHOTOS (ALBUM 2)
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SRM 2016 Summer Camp:
RAILROADS ACROSS THE WORLD
This year children discovered the excitement of railroading at the 2016 Southeastern Railway Museum summer Camp! This year's theme was “Railroads Around the World”. Children learned how exciting railroading can be while participating in various reenacted railroad adventures and exploring over 50 historic trains. Each day they learned about railroading on a different continent, make a railroad craft, and did related railroad activities. They even rode in a real caboose!
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If your child attended our 2015 camp (Railroads Across America), this year’s theme was the perfect continuation to build on last year’s experience. If you were new to our camp, this was a great introduction to learning about different railroads and trains around the globe. Participants learned map skills, geography and team work. They also had the opportunity to learn model railroading skills and participated in building a model railroad.
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TOP OF THE HILL, ITS COMING BACK
Robert Aulicky
The Living Tunnel is still under construction. A temporary water line was placed in the center of the rails for the summer. This is the most important time to water all the trees. Trees will use 10 gallons every other day as a minimum to survive the first summer. Most of the hard to get to work is completed so the track reconstruction can go through the tunnel area without an issue. There are still more trees that need to be planted and two that died. We had an idea these would not make it due to root ball damage caused on another job site. We took our chances knowing the nursery would make good hoping for the best.
In back of Howell Station are new roses, two azaleas and two trees. (See photo) The roses are climbers that will encompass the rear wall in a few years. We hope the area will allow a picture area as well as a nice place to sit and have a bite. And a bite is what is planned for the area towards the Duluth Depot. Right now there is a frame sitting on the ground. This is one of two pavilions found on Craig List that should fit in the new Picnic Area (name to follow). The access to the picnic area will be is just behind Howell Station with a new pedestrian crossing over the track. Material is already acquired coming with the new tie material. It will have gates that block the train tracks as well as guests from the tracks as the need requires and controlled by the station Conductor. More plants and climbing vines will soften the look of the trellis over the crossing.
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LOCOMOTIVE CELEBRATION 2016
Randy Pirkle
Thank you to all our fans, followers and volunteers who came out and braved the heat for our Locomotive Celebration. Even with the heat, we had a lot of fun. A special thanks to Sam Rehonic for coordinating the event and seeming to be everywhere frequently making sure things stayed on time and everyone was enjoying themselves.
VIEW FULL ALBUM
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MEMORIES OF J.R. SHIPP
John Marbury
It was my pleasure to meet JR through the Southeastern Railway Museum. Though we were both employees of the Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern for years, our paths never crossed until the museum gave us the opportunity. JR, shown here with his lovely wife Sarah, circa 1943 per J.R., was very proud of his World War II service with the US Navy. I understand he was a sailor aboard an ammunition ship, certainly a very dangerous duty.
J.R. started working for the Southern Passenger Department during the 40’s, if memory serves. He and Sarah worked the Atlanta area excursions for the Atlanta Chapter and I’m guessing the New Georgia Railroad, the State owned excursion operation. My feeling is that this was the best time of his life. Good health and doing what he loved with the one he loved.
READ MORE HERE
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WORKING ON THE RAILWAY
A Conversation with J.R. Shipp
Lloyd Neal
J.R. Shipp was born on a farm close to the railroad tracks in Hiram, Georgia on January 2, 1926. He decided that farm work was not for him. He wanted a job. When old enough he left home to work at the old Sears on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta.
While working at Sears he visited the Southern Railway North Avenue Yard constantly. The railroad workers got tired of seeing him and offered him a job at 37 and ½ cents per hour.
He started working for the Southern Railway on February 1, 1943 at the age of 17. His first duties were to supply cabooses in the yard. Coal or heating oil for the stove, Kerosene for lamps, ice for the cooler, various paperwork forms and so on. Fresh water came from an old well bucket poured into a water cooler located in the caboose.
READ MORE HERE
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