Headend in PDF

New York Museum of Transportation

Volume 35, Number 3 August-September 2021

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES

By Jim Dierks

Taylor Reed and our Ford mower are getting the field grass under control again. (Rick Holahan photo)

An important part of museum operation fits the centuries-old expression "hidden in plain sight". We're talking about the busy summer mowing effort that would only be recognized if it didn't take place. Then, the lawns would be knee deep, the fields would start to grow shrubbery and trees, and our outdoor exhibits would slowly disappear in a forest of green.

With over five acres of fields and lawn area to be kept under control, our Facility Manager, Dave Coon, joins with his team of Rick Holahan, Taylor Reed and Rand Warner in the weekly battle. The field mowing usually falls to Taylor or Dave operating our venerable 1946 Ford 2N tractor with its five-foot finish mower attachment. Meanwhile, more time is spent by the rest of the crew aboard one of our two riding mowers attacking the many lawn areas scattered around the buildings. This work is handled by a 20-year-old John Deere 256 with a 48-inch deck, and our recent addition to the fleet, a 42-inch Snapper riding mower.

The new Snapper mower brought smiles to Dave Coon's face. (Rick Holahan photo)

Trimming around the edges of the buildings, outdoor exhibits, downguy anchors and all the other things that turn simple mowing into an obstacle course is Taylor's forte with his trusty weed whacker. This effort is aided by Rick with some judicious weed spraying. The result is easier mowing as well as a neat appearance for our visitors.

Dave has raised the mowing height on all the equipment to minimize hitting rocks and scraping uneven terrain. This reduces the load on the machines and, importantly, saves the blades. Taylor is the "master mechanic" according to Dave, and blade sharpening is one of his several shop skills. The Ford mower deck had new blades installed this season, with the old ones saved for sharpening so they can serve another day. The John Deeres blades also went through the Taylor treatment at the start of the season.

Maintenance of the equipment goes beyond the blades, and both the John Deere and the Ford got new fuel filters this year. The Ford had its fuel tank cleaned and the fuel lines blown out, and recently it received a new battery. Points and condenser for the Ford are on hand for end of season maintenance. We owe a debt to Bob Miner who has retired after years devoted to maintaining the mowers. He did a great job of keeping files and records as well as stockpiling the belts, blades and other consumables to keep the fleet ready for action.

Additional mowing takes place at selected places along the railroad line, and this work is the domain of Charlie Lowe and his sidekick 1940 Farmall A tractor with its 48-inch Mott mower. This tractor, which is suited to rough ground, is used between BOCES Crossing and Midway, and several other spots. While it spent much of the past year in the shop, the Farmall now runs well and is ready for Charlie to use in fall cutting along the railroad.

Keeping up appearances is an important part of providing an enjoyable and memorable visitor experience. Mowing is just a part of it, too, as Rick and Taylor have lent their painting skills to both restrooms and the model railroad room, while Rick has continued to work his way around the exterior of the milking parlor brightening the concrete block walls with a coat of white paint. Next time you're at the museum, notice how nice things look. Now you know why!

Andrew vonRaythonyi is a talented photographer who has joined the ranks of NYMT as an active volunteer. He was at NYMT on August 8 during trolley operations when he made this photo of car 168 loading passengers at NYMTs brick loading area. Bob Achilles is at his customary position as the motorman, and the crew (Jay Consadine and Cody Catlin, not shown) has reset the poles to make the car ready for another southbound run. In moments, the crew will board along with the last passengers and car 168 will be off on yet another interurban run through the lush Genesee Valley scenery along the NYMT Railway. (Photo by Andrew vonRaythonyi)

The 2021 Annual Volunteer’s Picnic was held at the museum on Saturday, August 28, 2021. Gary Lamphron, John Ross, Dave Coon, Beth Adams, Trevor Adams, Beth Harkin and Doug Anderson all helped Jim Dierks in organizing this event. Nearly all NYMT volunteers came out to enjoy a picnic lunch at the museum’s picnic grove. Later, car 168 made two special runs. Cody Catlin and Bob Sass are seen above in the car and ready to act as crew, and motorman Jack Tripp treated riders to a smooth and professional ride. (Photo by C. Lowe)

OCTOBER EVENTS AT NYMT

As we go to press in mid-October, two more Sunday events remain on the calendar, all with trolley operations. Since heat is not available (yet) in car 161, and COVID remains a concern, these may be the final operating dates for 2021.

Sunday, October 24, 2021: Halloween Event with trolley

Sunday, October 31: Fall Foliage No. 4 with trolley

Come out and visit while there still is time in 2021. For more details, visit NYMTmuseum.org.

ROC City Scale Modelers Come to NYMT

On Sunday, August 15, the ROC City Scale Modelers came to NYMT to display their work. Even though the trolley was not running that day, strong attendance rewarded the modelers. In our photo, modeler Ken Brent, left, displays air-plane models to visitor Doug Richards, right.

SHOP REPORT

Philadelphia and Western 161 — The new heater frames have been delivered and are now located inside the trolley barn. All the old heater bars and their insulators have been removed from the old heater frames, and all have been cleaned and cataloged. All have been tested electrically and four were found to be defective. This requires placement of an order for replacements. Fortunately, the company that supplied these parts in the past is still in business.

Philadelphia and Western 168 — Jay Consadine oiled all journal boxes before operations began on Saturday, August 14. Since that time, he has been maintaining oil levels and reading up on how to replace the waste wool in the journal boxes. NYMT’s supply of waste wool was recently located in the milking parlor.

Events — The “Trolleys and Trains at Twilight” series concluded for 2021 with a sellout crowd of 300 on August 14. Nancy Uffindell and Doug Anderson led NYMT’s effort for these joint events with Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad Museum.

Ford 2N Tractor — The question arose, during the editing of the mowing article in this issue of Headend, just what kind of Ford tractor is NYMT using. Jim Dierks read the serial number, 230233, on the engine block. He also found, on the transmission cover, that the tractor has only three speeds. These two facts indicate that the Ford tractor is a 2N from 1946. The 2N model first came out in 1942; by making it a new model, certain wartime price restrictions could be avoided. Wartime versions lacked a starter, so starting your early 2N was all by hand cranking. Once the war ended in 1945, though, 2Ns were equipped, as is NYMT’s version, with a starter motor.

Railroad — Jay Consadine has been busy over the last month clearing weeds from the railroad.

Substation — As part of the safety upgrades being made to the substation, a glass window has been installed in the substation door. The window will permit emergency re-sponse personnel to be able to look inside the substation without having to open the door. Lightning ar-resters were also added to the substation to make its apparatus at least a little more able to resist a nearby lightning strike. Bob Sass and Dick Holbert performed this vital work on August 5.

Board — At its meeting on August 17, the Board approved funding for additional insurance and for moving the Thruway toll booth from Syracuse to the museum.

ROCHESTER STREETCARS ......................... No. 106 in a series

NYS Rys., Roch. Lines 1234

Photographer unknown; King Coll.

Trolley photographers of the 1930s were limited by film and shutter speeds. Simple box cameras had fixed shutter speeds of about ¹/₃₀-th of a second. Folding cameras were faster, maybe up to ¹/₂₀₀-th of a second, but the film speed (normally ASA 25) of the era could not match this faster shutter speed. Even on a sunny day, trolley photographers were forced to find spots where the trolley stopped so they could make shots sharp enough that they could “count the rivets.” These spots included at-grade railroad crossings, stops with patrons and, as in our case here, traffic signals.

Car 1234 is eastbound on Main Street East at University Avenue. The school building behind the front of the car is one giveaway since it still exists. The photographer is standing on the south side of Main, west of University, and is looking northwesterly. It is March 7, 1936, and the low sun angle of the late winter morning gives us a good look at the trucks. These are the original 1916 Cincinnati arch bar trucks provided with the 1200–1249 cars; within a year they were replaced by newer Brill 39E trucks from withdrawn wood streetcars which, in turn, had received the Brill trucks as replacements in 1925. The distinctive arched edge of the roof line, with its side sign reading MAIN E.–THURSTON, is satisfyingly shown as well.

The photographer has artfully captured the car unobscured by shadow and parked cars. Notice how the front fender, often ignored by photographers, is carefully shown in its entirety. The front door is open for a rider to either board or disembark. What is most enjoyable, though, is that the photographer has made an angled shot that includes a healthy view of the car’s side. Many trolley photos show more front than side, but not here! It is altogether fitting that such a fine and modern-looking photo would show off one of the fifty cars (1200–1249) that comprised the newest streetcars used in Rochester.

Rochester Streetcars has long admired this classic Rochester trolley photo and regards it as the peak of perfection. As an admiring tribute, Rochester Streetcars once loaded up a 116-size Kodak folding camera and tried to recreate this shot, albeit with a bus standing in for car 1234. Alas, the creation of the Rochester Inner Loop in the early 1960s obliterated the original sidewalk, forcing an ungainly perch in the middle of traffic on relocated University Avenue that rushed the shot disastrously. March 7 and its low sun angle, however, is again approaching and, who knows, another try at a tribute photo may be in the offing. This time, rochester streetcars may lunge forward in technology, use some Ektachrome slide film in a 35mm cameras, and—as a nod to safety—make the photo from the sidewalk.

HEADEND

Headend

Editor Charles R. Lowe

Associate Editor James E. Dierks

On-Line Publication Bob Sass

Board of Trustees

President and Trustee Charles Lowe

Vice President and Trustee Jack Tripp

Secretary and Trustee Jim Dierks

Treasurer and Board Member Bob Achilles

Trustee Doug Anderson

Trustee Jim Wiesner

Trustee Cody Catlin

Board Member Bob Sass

Department Leaders

Archivist Jim Dierks

Chief Engineer Charlie Lowe

Chief Lineman Charlie Lowe

Exhibits Manager Jim Dierks

Event Manager Doug Anderson

Facebook Manager Doug Anderson

Facilities Manager Dave Coon

Gift Shop Manager Doug Anderson

Group Tour Manager Jim Dierks

Historic Car and Building Manager Charlie Lowe

Information Technology Manager Bob Sass

Marketing Manager Jim Dierks

Master Mechanic Strafford Cars Charlie Lowe

Model Railroad Manager Kevin Griffith

Membership Manager Bob Sass

New Volunteer Manager Vacant

Officer of the Day Manager Jim Dierks

Substation Manager Bob Sass

Trainmaster Charlie Lowe

Water Quality Manager Jim Wiesner