First, Tony Hall will present updates on the PSCT 2651 project. Afterwards, we have a DVD, donated by Bill McKelvey, featuring Public Service in Hudson and Essex counties, along with some Atlantic City cars.
Mitch Dakelman will be presenting a program covering Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Being the home of numerous steel companies, this resulted in a number of railroads servicing the area.
Coverage will include Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio, Pittsburgh & West Virginia, Union, Bessemer & Lake Erie and a number of short lines. As many know, Pittsburgh was the home to an extensive streetcar system. While Mitch's original presentation to the Pittsburgh Division of the NMRA did not include any streetcars, he will be adding a few to the program.
Long time member and supporter, Jack May, will present "A Visit to the Pacific Northwest." A photographic streetcar journey from the summer of 2025, through Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland. Included: the Vancouver Automated Light Metro; Seattle light rail (Link) and streetcar lines, Tacoma streetcar; Portland light rail (MAX) and its streetcars, and a visit to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum.
This month we will be viewing newly acquired additions to our archive: a collection of images labelled "John Brinckmann." They are sepia contact prints of several fan trips in Essex and Hudson County circa 1936-37. A kind soul at the recent Mother Seton show traded these for a book. The images are precisely identified with date and location.
This month, we will return to viewing recently scanned additions to our archive: ”John Stern, S.D. Phraner collection”. Long time member and supporter, Dave Phraner, enjoyed the good fortune of befriending traction enthusiast and photographer, John Stern, and offered to print his negatives, and keep one print of each. Many of the scenes are familiar, but the images will be new to most of us.
Image from a previous show. PSCT trolley ascending the Hoboken elevated, circa 1949. Photographer: John Stern, from the S.D. Phraner collection.
This month we will continue viewing new additions to our archive in the form of a collection of well labelled 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 negatives of Public Service traction and some local railroads in the late 1930's and 40's. We'll finish up the work cars and follow up with 5200 series cars on the Hudson line.