Winter 2006 Vol. XXXIV, No. 4

Messages from President Joe Petric... The Society wishes to extend its thanks to member Patrick Hayes for acting as the Show Chairman of the 34th Annual Meeting in Montgomery this past October.  Though a small show by past standards, everyone commented on the very enjoyable weekend they had in “The Heart of Dixie”.  We also wish to thank member Mark Vandercook for his help in securing our impromptu fan trip on former Birmingham & Southeastern motor car no. 500.

A special thank you goes out to Royce Kershaw for allowing us to ride his motor car over several miles of former Seaboard Air Line mainline which is now owned by his company.  Twenty-seven lucky people were Mr. Kershaw's guests on a never to be forgotten fan trip.  Our thanks is also extended to David Harris of Tulsa, OK who graciously shared his slides taken in the Montgomery area from the late 1960's through the mid 1970's.  We were treated not only to views of double and triple headed GM&O RS1's and brand new quartets of'GP38's but also a host of other railroad action in and around Montgomery.

Last but not least, thanks to everyone that attended the hospitality suite on Friday night, the Saturday morning swap meet and of course the Annual Meeting Banquet.  Whether you traveled from the North or reside in the South, it was a fun-filled experience for everyone.

It is now time to make a note on your calendar for next year's Annual Meeting.  The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society will be held on the weekend of September 28-30, 2007 in Burr Ridge, Illinois.  This is suburban Chicago and for those long time members who can recall, we are holding the event at the same venue as the 1981 and 1983 Annual Meetings.  The big news is that this will be a joint meet with the Rock Island Technical Society in conjunction with their 32nd Annual Meeting.

We have a rather extensive schedule planned including a fan trip on METRA, riding on the former Rock Island line from Joliet to LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago and out on the former GM&O from Chicago Union Station back to Joliet.  This, along with our traditional Friday Night Hospitality Suite, Saturday Railroadiana Show and Annual Meeting Banquet will make it a great weekend.

The Society has made arrangements on Saturday afternoon to visit the Lake Shore Model Railroad Association on the southeast side of Chicago.  Lake Shore has agreed to allow our members not only to tour but also to operate on their layout during this visit.  We are also attempting to have former GM&O Business Car No. 50 in Chicago for a Sunday morning tour.  More information will be made available on these extra and exciting aspects of the Annual Meeting Weekend in the Spring 2007 issue of the Switchlist.

Secretary's Report by Marc Liberta... With the mailing of double issue 112/113, our publication obligation is complete for 2006.  It is now time to turn our attention to 2007, and members may do their part by submitting membership renewals promptly.  For the seventh straight year Regular Memberships will remain at $30.00, and this has not happened by accident.  Holding down our expenses, while costs for printing and mailing the NEWS rise, is a continuous focus of your elected officers and board members.  We ask that you assist us in this endeavor by not delaying your renewal submission.  By renewing on time we avoid a number of needless expenses, so I will just say 'thanks in advance' for helping us with this.  Take care of it now, while it is on your mind, and look for your new membership card with the next mailing.

We are anticipating being able to produce a members directory this coming year.  At the bottom of the renewal form you will see a check off box if you wish to have your contact information included in the proposed Membership Directory.  Only those persons indicating their desire to be included will be, and only those members included will be eligible to purchase the directory when it becomes available.  Any Life or Honorary Members that wish to be included in the directory must also contact the Secretary.  This may be done by using the enclosed renewal form or by Email with corresponding information provided (simply saying ‘include me’ without any accompanying information will not be sufficient).  For members renewing online using PayPal, during checkout you may indicate your desire by saying so and providing the additional information not already present for a standard PayPal transaction.  More details about the directory, along with ordering information should appear in the Spring 2007 Switchlist.

Election Results for the 2007 Board of Directors... Of 703 ballots mailed to members, we had a return of 111 votes, or 16 percent.  Though less than what we would like to see, it was a fair number of votes overall. The Offices of Secretary and Treasurer were uncontested and Marc Liberta of Marion, IL and David Johnston of Memphis, TN retained their seats respectively.

Eight members were running for the five seats on the Board of Directors.  Art Richardson of Clinton, MS and Louis Saillard of Baton Rouge, LA retained their positions.  Ken Donnelly of Joliet, IL, Darren

Doss of Union City, TN and Dave Wagner of Chicago, IL were elected to the three remaining seats.  The Society wishes to thank retiring Directors David Bridges, Brian Johnston and Kevin Kiper for their years of service.

The Offices of President and Vice President are two year terms voted on in odd numbered years.  Joe Petric of Morris, IL and Gene Glendinning of Barrington, IL hold these positions respectively.

In Memoriam... The Society wishes to express our condolences to the family and friends of Robert T. Phelan of Waverly, TN.  Bob was a long time member of the Society and avid N scaler. So much in fact, he was buried with his favorite N gauge GM&O locomotive in his hand.  D.L. Jones of Plant City, FL also passed.  Mr. Jones had been a member and supporter of the Society for many years and his wife has chosen to maintain his membership in her name.  L.L. Moore, the former GM&O and Amtrak passenger agent at College Avenue in Alton passed away earlier this year.  Mr. Moore had been a member of the Society since the late '70's.  Bruce Meyer of Western Springs, IL passed over the summer.  Bruce worked for EMD at La Grange and was instrumental in arranging our tour of the diesel builder during the 1981 Annual Meeting.  He also provided information and photos for many of the diesel articles that the Society has published through the years.  Hazel Carter-Gardner of Booneville, MS died July 26th of this year.  Mrs. Carter-Gardner had one of the longest tenures as a GM&O hostess working from 1945 through 1948 on the Rebel.

Publications Committee Report by Ken Donnelly... Enclosed with this mailing is double issue 112/113 which completes our publishing obligation for 2006, ON TIME!!!  We are very proud of this accomplishment since this is the first time that we have been on schedule since 2000.  A lot of work has gone into this effort and there are many people to thank, but the two most important groups are the members for their patience and the many authors who stepped forward providing articles for the NEWS.

I would also like to thank Mike Schafer of White River Publications for the extra effort he puts into the design of our magazine.  Mike is responsible for the layout and artistic direction of several historical societies' magazines but I feel he saves his best efforts for the GM&OHS NEWS.

We have several exciting features planned for 2007.  These include the RS3 portion of the GM&O's 1500 series story which will appear in Issue 114, a visually appealing look at the original Rebel and our continuing features on the GM&O's freight car fleet.  We also have an outstanding article on GM&N predecessor New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago's fleet of Pacifics, as well as an in depth look at the wreck at Grain Valley, MO in 1969.  We also anticipate producing a 2008 all-color calendar. Details on this special offering will be in the Summer 2007 Switchlist.

As you know, I am stepping down as Chairman of the Publications Committee effective the last day of 2006.  Fortunately, Dave Wagner will be taking over the reins of the committee.  Dave, as you recall, has been Chairman twice before (1981-82 and 1993-99), and has worked with me during the past four years to get the NEWS to where it is today.  I can assure you the high quality that you have come to expect in the NEWS will continue under Dave's guidance.

Modeling Committee Report by the staff... At the time this issue of the Switchlist was being prepared, November 24th, our GM&O and GM&O MOW composite side gondolas (GM&OHS#31) were being printed at Double "R" Graphics on Long Island.  We expect to have them in hand for inspection sometime the week of December 5th and shipped shortly thereafter.  By the time some of you receive this mailing, you may have already received your cars.  We thank you for your support.

In past years the Modeling Committee has created multiple projects during a calendar year for our HO scale line of custom GM&O freight cars, and this is the goal for 2007.  There are a number of projects being considered, each being prototypical to the GM&O.  Furthermore, these proposed projects each represent GM&O equipment never before offered by the Society to its members.

The initial project for 2007 will be a three-car set of Merchants Despatch Transportation Corp. 40' steel reefers in the white scheme with red and blue striping and the MDT “football” logo.  This set will nicely compliment your existing fleet of orange NRC/MDT ice reefers.  Complete pricing and ordering information will be included with the Spring 2007 Switchlist.  A photo of this car may be seen in Issue 107 of the NEWS.

The potential offering of our recent USRA composite side gondola project in Chicago & Alton and Alton paint schemes (two numbers each) is not yet solidified.  Response has been good but we have yet to receive the minimum number of orders needed to green-light this project.  Now is the time, if you wish to have these cars, to contact Kevin Kiper by one of the following methods, via Email; thealtonroute@comcast.net or by letter to; 326 Euclid Avenue, Monterey, CA 93940 and express your intentions.  This Switchlist announcement is in lieu of a flyer for these cars.  The cut-off date for receiving letters of intent is set for January 31, 2007.  A final decision on this project will be made at that time.

Athearn has announced the release of their Genesis line F3A/F3B in GM&O red and maroon with sound.  Broadway Limited has also announced for Spring 2007 release, its version of a Phase I F3A-B-A set in GM&O two tone DCC equipped with and without sound.  An Alton (not GM&O) E7A set is also expected as well as a GM&O USRA light Pacific in basic black.  Contact your local hobby dealers for pricing and availability.

The Switchlist is a quarterly publication of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Historical Society, Inc. and is provided as a benefit of membership.  The Switchlist is produced for the purpose of increasing communication between members and is edited, except where noted, by Dave Wagner.  Members with information suitable for publication in the Switchlist should forward it to; GM&OHS Switchlist, P.O. Box 1753, Marion, IL. 62959.