C. L. Dellums

Cottrell Laurence Dellums (January 3, 1900 – December 6, 1989) was an American labor activist and one of the organizers and leaders of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
Dellums worked as a porter for the Pullman Company from 1924 to 1927 and was discharged in part due to his open support of unionization. In 1929, Dellums was elected vice president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and became president in 1966. In the 1930s, Dellums was an officer in the NAACP Branch Office in Berkeley, California.
Born in Corsicana, Texas, he is the uncle of former Congressman and Mayor of Oakland Ron Dellums.
Before and during Sleeping Car Porters.
Dellums “had chosen San Francisco as the most ideal place for a Negro to live in 1923.” Dellums also stated that the Bay Area’s colleges and professional schools were an important attraction: "I wanted to be a lawyer and the University of California had the best law school.” Instead, however, Dellums went to work for the Southern Pacific railroad as a Pullman porter, where he gained the respect of his black coworkers and was ultimately elected International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
Dellums became the standard bearer of a growing African American labor movement in Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco in the aftermath of the war. As Dellums would later explain, “Negroes will have to pay for their own organization, their own fights, by their own funds as well as their own energy.” Dellums’s Brotherhood and other Black railroad workers unions were built with “Negro leadership and Negro money” using the solidarity forged within sites of segregation to wage direct confrontations against racial discrimination.
The union also became known for its social activism beyond the world of train porters. For many years, Dellums tackled such issues as police brutality and the miserable conditions in which black agricultural workers existed. Dellums played a leading role in launching the Oakland Voters League (OVL) in the mid-1940s. This labor-civil rights coalition temporarily wrestled control of the Oakland City Council from the conservative Republican bloc that had dominated city politics for many years. Dellums with the OVL, drew their strength from building an organization and a new notion of political community among the city’s multiracial working class.
Fair Employment Practices Committee.
A. Philip Randolph and Dellums were instrumental in opening war industries to African Americans by threatening a massive “March on Washington” if Roosevelt did not respond to black pleas for nondiscriminatory hiring in war industries. In response, Roosevelt issued an executive order establishing a Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC), which urged that defense plants be opened to African Americans. Not all labor officials who favored fair employment laws supported putting the FEPC question on the ballot. Dellums opposed placing the question before voters. He later said: “We should never set a precedent that we recognize that the people have a right to vote on anything they want to vote on. The rights I have been fighting for all my life, they are now called civil rights, I call human rights, God-given rights. White people have been using their majority and their control of the law enforcing agencies and firearms to prevent us from exercising our God-given rights…. We were never really asking white people to grant or give us any rights. Only to stop using their majority and power in preventing us from exercising our God-given rights.” Dellums would play a leading role in the subsequent fourteen-year effort to win approval of the FEPC measure within the state legislature, and he was eventually appointed by Governor Pat Brown to serve on the state’s first Fair Employment Practices commission in 1960. In 1964, Dellums and the California Fair Employment Practices Commission published “A Report on Oakland Schools” that provided a window into the structural problems within the district as a result of hiring discrimination being one of the biggest obstacles to making the Oakland Unified School District receptive to its growing black student body.


Blue Line (RTA Rapid Transit)

The Blue Line (formerly known as the Moreland Line and the Van Aken Line) is a light rail line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio, running from Tower City Center downtown, then east and southeast to Warrensville Center Blvd near Chagrin Blvd. of track, including two stations (Tri-C–Campus District and East 55th), are shared with the rapid transit Red Line, the stations have low platforms for the Blue Line and high platforms for the Red Line. The Blue Line shares the right-of-way with the Green Line in Cleveland, and splits off after passing through Shaker Square. All RTA light rail lines use overhead lines and pantographs to draw power.
Interurban portion.
From Tower City to just east of East 55th Street, the Blue and Green Lines share track with the Red Line for 2.6 miles (4.2 km) along a private right-of-way originally acquired in 1930 to bring intercity trains into Cleveland Union Terminal (the site of today's Tower City Center). The Tri-C–Campus District station and the East 55th station are shared by the heavy rail rapid transit Red Line and the light rail Blue and Green Lines on the same platform, an arrangement unique in North American rail transit. The shared stations have low platforms for the Blue and Green Lines directly adjacent to high platforms for the Red Line. RTA Central Rail yards and headquarters are located at the East 55th station, where trains of all rail lines are stored and serviced.
East of East 55th, the Blue and Green Lines split from the Red Line and travel east on a separate, dedicated, grade-separated right-of-way. A complex of tunnels existed at this junction to provide means for the Blue and Green Line trains to switch from right to left side running from East 55th to Tower City, but right side running is now used throughout the system, and the tunnels have been closed.
The private right of way extends from this junction to Woodhill Road at the western end of Shaker Boulevard and then below grade through an excavated cut in the median of Shaker Boulevard to Shaker Square. Along this portion of the lines are East 79th station, Woodhill station and East 116th Station. The lines then rise to street level at Shaker Square.
Suburban portion.
From Shaker Square eastward, both lines enter Shaker Heights and operate at street level with grade crossings, reflecting this portion of the lines' history as streetcar lines. The Blue Line separates from the Green Line just east of Shaker Square at . Van Aken Boulevard branches off from Shaker Boulevard at this point and follows the Blue Line. The station-stops east of Shaker Square are adjacent to street intersections and consist mostly of concrete platforms with bus shelters. The Blue Line descends at Lee Road; an excavated cut under a bridge carrying Lee Road over the tracks. The line terminates at Warrensville Road and Van Aken Boulevard.
Designations.
When the Shaker Rapid merged into the RTA, The Blue line took the designation of 67. This was later changed to 67X. This remained with the opening of the Waterfront "line" extension of the Blue and Green lines. In the mid 2010s, the Waterfront line became a separate designation from the 67 and 67A Blue and Green lines. The Waterfront line was briefly designated as 67W. The three routes have united under the 67 designation, which is now internal and no longer shown on official timetables.
History.
The Blue Line is the direct, continuously operating descendant of the privately-owned Cleveland Interurban Railroad and later the municipally owned Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, it connected the streetcar suburb of Shaker Heights to downtown Cleveland. This line and the Green Line were the only ones to survive the bustitution of Cleveland's transit system, partly due to their use of grade-separated trackage to across much of the east side of Cleveland.
Cleveland & Youngstown Railroad.
As construction progressed on what is now known as the Green Line in Shaker Heights, the Van Sweringens realized that the connection to the Cleveland Railway's streetcar system through Cleveland Heights resulted in a slow trip to downtown. They planned for a grade-separated right-of-way all the way to downtown that could significantly reduce travel times for commuters, and thus increase the desirability of their suburb. In 1915 they acquired a majority interest in the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (the Nickel Plate Road), mainly to allow for a line next to a relocated NYC&StL.
Cleveland Interurban Railroad.
The Van Sweringens rapid line officially opened on April 11, 1920, running west from Lynnfield Road, down the median of Moreland (later renamed Van Aken) Boulevard, turning northwest and merging with Shaker Boulevard. It continued down the median of the new Shaker Boulevard to Woodhill Road, then across the Cleveland Short Line Railway (New York Central Railroad) and alongside a CSL branch to East 55th Street. West of East 55th Street, where the CSL branch crossed over the parallel Nickel Plate, the new streetcar line also crossed the Nickel Plate, continuing west between the branch and Nickel Plate, then up a ramp to the intersection of the Kingsbury Viaduct (East 34th Street) and Broadway. From there, the CIRR cars traveled along the tracks of Cleveland Railway's Broadway line, using street-running for the remainder of the trip downtown.
Initially, the Shaker Line and the Vans' Rapid operated independently of each other. A connection was made between Coventry and the junction of Shaker and (Van Aken) on August 16, 1920. This change allowed through service on the main line from East 34th to Courtland, and eventually made the old line through Cleveland Heights redundant. In 1928, the Shaker Boulevard line was extended east from Courtland Boulevard to Warrensville Center Road.
As the Van Sweringens' railroad plans grew, they constructed a new Union Terminal for Cleveland. Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT) opened in 1930, along with a new grade-separated right-of-way with side-by-side lines for steam railroads and interurban streetcars, including the CIRR. Although their plans for another interurban line never materialized (the right-of-way was later used for the Red Line), the CIRR immediately began operations via the new right-of-way into the north part of CUT specially reserved for interurban train service. The CIRR no longer needed to run on city streetcar tracks and the ramp to Broadway and East 34th Street was removed. The first CIRR trains rolled into CUT on July 20. On the same day, the line was extended to its present terminus at Warrensville Road.
Shaker Heights Rapid Transit.
On September 6, 1944, the City of Shaker Heights took over the financially struggling line and began operating it as a part of the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit. The city lacked funds for major line extensions. However, it did modernize the fleet with the purchase of PCC cars beginning in 1947.
In 1955 the Cleveland Transit System (which was formed in 1942 when the City of Cleveland took over the Cleveland Railway Company) opened the first section of the city's new rapid transit line, now known as the Red Line. The first section of the CTS rapid transit east from Cleveland Union Terminal included and two stations shared with the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit line, necessitating split platforms with low-level sections (for Shaker Heights rapid transit cars) and high-level sections (for CTS rapid transit cars).
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.
By the 1970s the City of Shaker Heights was struggling to maintain the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit and in Cleveland, CTS was facing financial problems with its rapid transit and bus system. Significant federal money was available, but only if a regional transit system was formed. In 1974, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) was organized to take over the municipal transit system in Cleveland and others throughout Cuyahoga County. Voters approved a county-wide sales tax increase to help subsidize the transit system and RTA officially took over the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit lines on July 14, 1975. On September 30, 1979, RTA adopted a new designation for the rapid transit lines. The Airport-Windermere Line became the Red Line, while the Shaker Rapid Transit lines (Shaker and Van Aken) became the Green and Blue Lines.
In 1981, RTA undertook a complete renovation of the Blue Line, with new track, ballast, poles and overhead wiring. Existing station shelters were demolished and new shelters were constructed. The project necessitated closing the Blue Line east of Shaker Square for most of the summer of 1981, with substitute bus shuttles and single-tracking along the remainder of the line from East 55th Street to Shaker Square. To run on the renovated line, a fleet of new LRVs were purchased from an Italian firm, Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, to replace the aging PCC cars. The new line was dedicated on October 30, 1981.
Schedule.
Blue and Green Line trains operate from approximately 3:40 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. daily. On weekdays, each line operates every 10 minutes during rush hour and every 30 minutes at other times. Service between Tower City and Shaker Square operates every 5 minutes during rush hour and every 15 minutes at other times. Service on the Waterfront Line is limited to approximately every three westbound trains from 6:35 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. and again from 3:35 p.m. through 7:20 p.m. Between 8:50 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. and again between 7:20 p.m. and 10:20 p.m., all westbound trains travel along the Waterfront Line. No Waterfront Line service is provided between 10:45 p.m. and 6:35 a.m.
On weekends, each line operates every 30 minutes. Service between Tower City and Shaker Square operates every 15 minutes and all westbound trains from 9:20 a.m. through 10:20 p.m. operate on the Waterfront Line.
Rail Replacement Bus.
During rail shutdowns, RTA uses the replacement bus designation "67R". Blue Line shuttle buses run between Tower City and Warrensville.
Rolling stock.
The Blue and Green Lines use a fleet of 48 light rail vehicles (LRVs) manufactured by Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie in 1980 and 1981. Each car is long, high, and wide and is articulated with operator cabs at each end, seating 84 passengers in 42 double transverse seats. The units are numbered 801–848. RTA needs 34 of the cars for regular use, and requires only 17 to operate currently scheduled service.
The cars originally had white exteriors with broad orange and red stripes, and an interior finished in earth tones with faux wood paneling and orange and brown vinyl padded seats. With the opening of the Waterfront Line in 1996, RTA renovated five cars with blue and white exteriors, gray interiors with new gray and blue fabric-covered seats, and portraits of famous Clevelanders.
The fleet is almost 40 years old. Around 2005, RTA renovated up to 34 cars with the hope of making them last for another 15 years. The renovated cars have silver exteriors with blue and red stripes, and gray and silver interiors with blue and red seats.
The Breda LRV cars replaced a fleet of PCC cars, some built for the Shaker Rapid Transit in 1947 and some purchased in 1953 and 1959.


Long Island Rail Road rolling stock

The Long Island Rail Road owns an electric fleet of 836 M7 and 170 M3 electric multiple unit cars, and 134 C3 bilevel rail cars powered by 24 DE30AC diesel-electric locomotives and 19 DM30AC dual-mode locomotives.
Current and future stock.
In 1997 and 1998, the LIRR received 134 double-decker C3 passenger cars from Kawasaki, including 23 cab control cars, and 46 General Motors Electro-Motive Division diesel-electric locomotives (23 diesel DE30ACs and 23 dual-mode DM30ACs) to pull them, allowing trains from non-electric territory to access Penn Station for the first time in many years, due to the prohibition on diesel operation in the East River Tunnels leading to Penn Station. They were also the first trains with computerized voices (complete with LED sign displays) announcing stations along the routes. However, over the years of service the automated announcements and LED displays often fell into disrepair, consequently requiring the conductors to make announcements.
Starting in 1999, the LIRR bought 836 new electric M7 electric multiple units from Bombardier, replacing its M1 cars. These cars have an automatic station announcement and LED sign display system. Delivery started in the early 2000s, with the first ones beginning revenue service in October 2002.
On September 19, 2013, it was announced that the LIRR would procure new M9/M9A cars from Kawasaki. This procurement includes a firm initial order of 92 cars. Given sufficient funding, another 324 cars will be ordered. The cars will replace the M3s and expand the fleet in preparation for service into Grand Central Terminal via the East Side Access. The cars are being assembled at Kawasaki's plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. The first M9s entered revenue service debut on September 11, 2019.
For the summer of 2017, the LIRR leased 8 single-level coaches from MARC in order to free up their C3 coaches for the Montauk Branch.
The automated announcements provided on the C3 and M7 railcars are voiced by WALL radio host Van Ritshie.
History.
When the LIRR began operations in 1836, it leased the newly opened Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad, including its two duplicate steam locomotives, "Ariel" and "Post Boy", both built by Matthias W. Baldwin. ("Ariel" was Baldwin's 19th engine, built in 1835.) The LIRR soon acquired, through the B&J, "Hicksville" in 1836 and "John A. King" (the only engine built by the Poughkeepsie Locomotive Company) in 1838. "Post Boy" was sold off after an 1852 accident.
Both the "Hicksville" and the "John A. King" were likely acquired second hand by the B & J in 1836 and 1838 respectively.
The "Hicksville" was acquired by the B & J in 1836 from a canal building concern "Proprietors Of Locks And Canals", based in Lowell, Massachusetts. This company is still in existence. According to Robert Stephenson and Company records, in the year 1831, the firm of "Locks And Canals" purchased two locomotives new from the Robert Stephenson Company (order # 8 and 17) in England. It is likely the B & J purchased one of those two engines, second hand, from Locks And Canals in 1836, and renamed it the "Hicksville" (after Valentine Hicks, second President of the LIRR, and founder of Hicksville, NY). It is also likely, that at some point prior to its re- sale to the B & J, the engine in question was modified to Stephenson's famous 2-2-2 wheel arrangement.
According to "The History Of Brooklyn", by Hazelton, ca. 1920s, the LIRR acquired a second hand locomotive originally named the "Taglioni" from "the Dutchess County (NY) Railway, of British origin, with a large funnel smokestack". This is likely to be the "John A. King". The "Poughkeepsie Locomotive Works" may have only performed a wheel arrangement modification on a pre existing British built locomotive. Poughkeepsie is also located in Dutchess County New York, hence the possible entity name confusion in the Hazelton book.
Long before modern piggyback services, the LIRR began carrying farm wagons aboard flatcars in 1885.
In the early 20th century, the LIRR was a testing ground for the Pennsylvania Railroad's electrification, including "Phoebe", its first electric (AA1), and was the first company to extensively electrify its primary lines. The DD1 electric locomotives were developed from the prototypes that were tested on LIRR trackage. Later it saw power such as the B3.
The LIRR's steam passenger locomotives were modernized from 1901 to 1906, and by 1927, it was the first Class I railroad to replace all its wood passenger cars with steel.
In 1926, the LIRR was the first U.S. railroad to begin using diesel locomotives. The last steam locomotive was a G5s operated until 1955.
Electric storage battery cars were used on the West Hempstead Branch (Valley Stream to Mineola) from 1913 until it was electrified in 1926, and on the Bushwick Branch prior to the end of its passenger operations in 1924. The Central Branch from Garden City east to Mitchel Field was electrified with third rail in 1915, but used ex-Ocean Electric Railway trolley cars until 1933. Normal electric trains, such as the MP41 were then used until 1950, when they were replaced by MP54's until the line's abandonment in 1953.
One of the most popular decisions by Governor Rockefeller after the 1966 takeover was replacing the entire electric passenger fleet with M1 cars. It acquired 770 M1 cars built by Budd and General Electric from 1968 to 1974, and 174 M3 cars, built in 1985 and 1986, also by the Budd Company.
Diesel-hauled trains through the late 1990s were operated using 1950s-era P72/PT75 series coaches built by Pullman-Standard. About 28 EMD GP38-2 and 23 MP15AC diesel-electric locomotives pulled about 223 passenger cars, mostly former electric multiple units.
From the 1970s until 1999, the LIRR used a number of older locomotives converted to "power packs". The original prime movers were replaced with engines/generators solely for supplying HEP with the engineer's control stand left intact. Locomotives converted included Alco FA-1s and FA-2s, EMD F7s, and one F9. One individual power pack was further converted into a power car for the C1 bilevel cars in the 1990s. The railroad has since switched to classic cab cars with a DE30AC/DM30AC locomotive on some trains. The power packs were later sold to other operators, preserved in museums, or scrapped.


George Hannauer

George A. Hannauer (December 19, 1872 – November 2, 1929) was the president of the Boston and Maine Railroad.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He died in New Haven, Connecticut, of a heart attack while attending the Yale-Dartmouth football game.


Camak Subdivision

The Camak Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of Georgia. The line runs from Camak, Georgia, to Milledgeville, Georgia, for a total of 47.0 miles. At its north end it continues south from the Camak Yard and at its south end the track comes to an end.


Cumbres Pass

Cumbres Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, United States. The pass is traversed by State Highway 17 and the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. The highway has a moderate 5.8% approach on the north side and a gentler, 4% approach on the south side. It is rarely closed in winter and does not normally cause problems for vehicles, since the road is not a major through highway.
Railroad.
The railroad line was built in the early 1880s by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad as part of their San Juan Extension line from Alamosa, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. The railroad has a steep (for a railroad) 4% grade approaching from the west, so additional helper locomotives were usually run (and often still are) on trains from Chama to Cumbres Pass. The facilities at the pass were built by the railroad to support the turning of the helper locomotives for their return to Chama, and provide water to locomotives after the climb. Some of the structures at the pass, including the station building, were demolished when the highway was realigned. Regular passenger service was provided by the "San Juan Express", running from Alamosa to Durango, and was discontinued in 1951, although numerous rail-fan specials operated over the line until the Fall of 1967. Freight service on the line ended in 1968 and since 1970 the railroad from Chama to Antonito has been owned and operated by the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad which operates trains over the pass during the tourist season. The original section house, car inspectors house, and part of the old snowshed remain on Cumbres Pass and are maintained by the Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. At present, no one lives at the summit of Cumbres Pass, though when the railroad operated as a common carrier line, railroad personnel were stationed at the pass full-time.
Hiking.
The Pass is on the Continental Divide Trail and represents a transition between states. Northbound hikers head toward Colorado's San Juan Mountain Wilderness while southbound hikers enter New Mexico's Carson National Forest.


Bostwick Railroad

The Bostwick Railroad was constructed in 1907 between Bostwick, GA and Apalachee, GA. It failed in 1912 and was purchased by the Greene County Railroad.


Waterfront Museum

The Waterfront Museum was formerly Lehigh Valley Barge No. 79, a Lehigh Valley Railroad barge that moved goods across the Hudson River. It dates to 1914 and is believed to be the sole all-wooden vessel built between 1860 and 1960 to remain accessible and afloat.
It is currently docked and operated as a museum at the foot of Conover Street in Brooklyn's Red Hook neighborhood where it provides a range of educational and entertainment programming. It was also the location for the US premiere of Arthur Miller's "The Hook".
The museum was established in 1985 following the restoration project by founder and juggler David Sharps. He subsequently relocated the barge to Red Hook where it has remained since 1994. He continued to serve as President through the museum's first twenty five years of operation.


Dracar

The Dracar was a self-propelled gasoline railcar built by the Drake Railway Automotrice Company in the early 20th century.
Design.
The Dracar was long and could be operated from either end. The engine compartment occupied the front , followed by a baggage compartment, and then two passenger sections. As delivered to the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway, the Dracar was built with a removable partition to segregate black and white passengers. The white or "first class" section could seat 30; the "colored" section 14. Both sections contained a restroom. The design was based on cars built by the French Westinghouse company for the Arad-Csanad Railway in Hungary. The St. Louis Car Company manufactured the car bodies and trucks. The car was designed for operation; its maximum speed was .
Drake also designed a larger type with a maximum capacity of 73 passengers. This car was powered by a engine.
History.
The Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway took delivery of several Dracars and employed them on runs. Examples included Muskogee–Henryetta, Oklahoma, Durant, Oklahoma–Denison, Texas, and Muskogee–Wagoner, Oklahoma. By 1913 the MO&G had acquired five cars. Fuel efficiency was . Each Dracar had a crew of three: motorman, flagman, and conductor.


Coaster (commuter rail)

Coaster (stylized as COASTER) is a commuter rail service that operates in the central and northern coastal regions of San Diego County, California, United States. Bombardier Transportation currently operates the service on contract with the Coaster's owner, the North County Transit District (NCTD). The commuter rail line features eight stops, with a travel time ranging to an hour and five minutes end-to-end. The Coaster first entered service on February 27, 1995, and has since grown in ridership and capacity; the service now operates primarily during weekday peak periods, with additional weekend and holiday service.
History.
The North San Diego County Transit Development Board was created in 1975 to consolidate and improve transit in northern San Diego County. Planning began for a San Diego–Oceanside commuter rail line, then called Coast Express Rail, in 1982. Funding for right-of-way acquisition and construction costs came from TransNet, a 1987 measure that imposed a 0.5% sales tax on San Diego County residents for transportation projects. The Board established the San Diego Northern Railway Corporation (SDNR) - a nonprofit operating subsidiary - in 1994. SDNR purchased the of the Surf Line within San Diego County plus the Escondido Branch (later used for the SPRINTER) from the Santa Fe Railway that year.
Coaster service began on February 27, 1995. NCTD originally contracted Amtrak to provide personnel for Coaster trains. In July 2006, TransitAmerica Services took over the day-to-day operation of the commuter train, based on a five-year, $45 million contract with NCTD. In 2016, Bombardier Transportation replaced TransitAmerica as Coaster's operator. In December 2018, NCTD achieved full implementation of positive train control along the entire Coaster route, making it one of only four railroads in the United States to achieve full implementation of this technology without needing an extension beyond 2018.
Future.
San Diego County voters extended the "TransNet" sales tax through 2038, which includes funding for rail track upgrades. By the early 2010s, numerous improvements such as added double track and bridge replacements were in various stages of construction and design. As part of the broader North Coast Corridor project, approximately $1 billion is planned to be spent on new segments of double track between San Diego and Orange County.
A northward extension to Camp Pendleton was proposed in 2011 Limited-use stations at the San Diego Convention Center and the Del Mar Racetrack for use during major events have also been proposed.
Service.
More than 20 Coaster trains run on weekdays, with additional service on the weekends. As of the April 3, 2017 schedule, Coaster also added Friday Night service with trains running until a quarter after midnight. More weekend services operate during summer months and when there are special events, such as home games for the San Diego Padres. As of March 23, 2020, all weekend trains and some weekday trains are suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic; some trains, however, are planned to be reinstated to the schedule sometime in 2021.
Stations.
Connecting rail and bus services.
The Coaster connects fully with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner at Oceanside, Solana Beach, Old Town Transit Center, and Santa Fe Depot in San Diego.
The Coaster also connects with the Metrolink rail system at Oceanside, providing connecting service to Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It connects to the San Diego Trolley (Green Line) and MTS buses at the Old Town Transit Center; it also connects to the San Diego Trolley ("all" lines) and MTS buses in the vicinity of the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego – including to the MTS Route 992 bus which offers direct service to Lindbergh Field from Downtown San Diego. Finally, the Coaster connects with BREEZE buses at all North San Diego County station stops.
Fares and ticketing.
The cost of Coaster tickets is based upon the number of zones traveled (see map). Fare collection is based on a proof-of-payment system: tickets must be purchased before boarding and are checked by roving fare inspectors. Monthly passes are available. All tickets and passes include transfer agreements with NCTD BREEZE buses and monthly passes include transfer with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) buses and Trolleys. On January 20, 2011, the NCTD implemented a fare reduction, which to increased ridership on the Coaster and so was made permanent in September 2011. , regular one-way fares are as follows:
With proof of eligibility, senior citizens (ages 60 and over), people with disabilities, and Medicare cardholders receive a 50% discount on the above fares.
Riding the Coaster without a valid ticket may result in a penalty fare of up to $250. Riders cannot purchase tickets on board the train.
Compass and PRONTO cards.
In September 2008, SANDAG introduced a new contactless "Compass Card", made possible by Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. The "Compass Card" allows passengers from MTS and NCTD to store regional transit passes and cash value on a rewritable RFID card. Customers can purchase passes and add cash value on the Internet or at any ticket vending machine. Prior to boarding a train, customers tap their Compass Cards on the ticket validator located on the train platform. The LED display on the validator then lights up with lights resembling that of a stoplight, and the LCD display shows text regarding the passenger's fare account.
The Coaster, along with all other NCTD and MTS services, will begin to utilize the new Pronto fare system upon its public release in the summer of 2021 and the concurrent retirement of the "Compass Card." As a replacement for the current "Compass Card," the Pronto fare system will allow for a tap-on, tap-off approach, so riders on the Coaster will need to tap-on when entering the station platform, and tap-off again arriving at the destination stop, in order to deduct the correct fare.
Ridership.
The Coaster carried about 514,450 passengers during its first year of operation, and ridership rose steadily in the years that followed. In 2012, Coaster ridership was approximately 1.6 million people, with an average number of 5,600 weekday boardings.
Approximately 40% of weekday commuters detrain at Sorrento Valley.
Rolling stock.
In June 2018, the North County Transit District (NCTD) Board approved the purchase of five Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotives to replace their existing five F40PHM-2C locomotives that were remanufactured by Morrison-Knudsen, with $10.5 million of the estimated $53.9 million cost earmarked from statewide gas tax and vehicle registration fees. In June 2019, the NCTD Board approved the purchase of two additional SC-44 Chargers that are planned to replace the two F59PHI locomotives; they are due for delivery in late 2022. In September 2020, the NCTD Board approved the purchase of the final two SC-44 Chargers that are planned to be used for expansion purposes; they will be due for delivery in April 2023. Deliveries of the first five SC-44 Charger locomotives took place from August–October 2020; they began revenue service on February 8, 2021. The five F40PHM-2C locomotives were concurrently retired on February 8, 2021, as well; they are planned to be donated to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, California sometime in the near future.
In January 2020, NCTD and Bombardier began to overhaul the legacy Bombardier BiLevel equipment at a minimum rate of four cars per year; all 28 cars are planned to be overhauled and repainted into the new COASTER livery by 2026. The coach overhaul improvements include upgraded door systems, installation of LED light fixtures, seat cushion replacements, installation of electrical charging outlets, and suspension maintenance improvements.
In July 2020, the NCTD Board approved the purchase of eleven new Bombardier BiLevel passenger cars (consisting of eight coaches and three crash-energy management cab-cars) that will be used to add two trainsets to regular service and support SANDAG expansion upon delivery in late 2022. The base order also includes options for 27 additional cars, but such options have not currently been exercised.<ref name="ut 7/20"></ref>
In August 2018, NCTD announced that they were seeking public opinions and input on a re-brand of the agency, and ran online polls for the public to vote on a new livery for Coaster equipment. The new livery was chosen by Siemens in late 2019, and it is currently being applied to the overhauled coaches and Charger locomotives. The new livery will also be applied to the new Bombardier BiLevel passenger cars that are scheduled for delivery in 2022.
Yards.
NCTD maintains and utilizes two rail yards for the Coaster. The main maintenance and storage yard, located at Stuart Mesa on Camp Pendleton, is just north of the Oceanside Transit Center station. This is where locomotives, coaches, and cab-cars are stored for the night, and where trains are serviced and maintained. NCTD also utilizes Tracks 25, 26 and 27 of the San Diego Trolley yard at 12th and Imperial in Centre City San Diego to store trains during the midday and for weekday train staging; as aforementioned previously, this yard is shared with the San Diego Trolley and the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad.


Fenelon Place Elevator

The Fenelon Place Elevator is a narrow gauge funicular railway located in Dubuque, Iowa. Also known as the Fourth Street Elevator, it is claimed to be the shortest and steepest railroad in the world (although several other funiculars also make this claim). It was individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It was included as a contributing property in the Cathedral Historic District in 1985, and in the Fenelon Place Residential Historic District in 2015.
History.
A predecessor to the Fourth Street Elevator was built in 1882 for the private use of local banker and former state senator J.K. Graves. The funicular was opened to the public in 1884, charging 5 cents per ride. After several fires, the current funicular was built in 1893 on the footprint of the 1882 incline; the 1893 funicular inaugurated the use of the cable car technology that continues in use today.
Location.
The upper station of the elevator is located at 512 Fenelon Place, whilst the lower station is located at the western end of Fourth Street. At the top there are two observation decks, which offer a commanding view of the downtown Dubuque area. The states of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin can all be seen from the observation decks.
Function.
The funicular is long, and angles up at 41 degrees with a vertical elevation of . The two cars start at opposite ends, passing each other at the midpoint of the elevator. The two cars counterbalance each other, drawing motive power from an engine in the station house at the top of the hill. The engine only needs to overcome inertia and friction and compensate for the varying weight of the passengers in the cars.
The Fourth Street Elevator is run from April 1 to November 30. The hours are from 8 am to 10 pm.


Delbarton School

Delbarton School is a private all-male Roman Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, educating young men in seventh through twelfth grades. Delbarton is a Catholic independent school directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey. The school is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson, operating on an independent basis.
As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 587 students and 86.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.8:1. The school's student body was 75.3% (442) White, 9.2% (54) Asian, 8.0% (47) two or more races, 5.3% (31) Hispanic and 2.0% (12) Black. Delbarton's student body comprises students from more than eight New Jersey counties and 100 communities.
In 2007, "The Wall Street Journal" ranked Delbarton School ninth among America's high schools. For the 1983–1984 school year, Delbarton School received the National Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence from the United States Department of Education, the highest honor that an American school can achieve. In 2018, Niche.com ranked Delbarton second among Catholic high schools in the United States, and eighth among all private schools.
Delbarton is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools and has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1961.
The school offers financial aid to families who cannot afford the cost of tuition, and financial aid offers are considered independently of admission. Annual tuition is $40,900 for the 2020–2021 school year. Delbarton is a host site for NJ Seeds' young scholars program where every summer academically qualified but economically disadvantaged students attend classes on the Delbarton campus.
History.
In the 1880s, Luther Kountze established an estate in northern New Jersey. He began to buy more land, eventually expanding his estate to cover . This eventually became the home of St. Mary's Abbey/Delbarton, Morristown National Historical Park and Lewis Morris County Park. Kountze eventually named the estate "Delbarton," borrowing one syllable from the names of each of his first three children (DELancey, BARclay and LivingsTON).
In 1918, Kountze died, leaving the entire property to his family. The family decided to put the estate for sale. In 1925, the monks of Saint Mary's Abbey, then in Newark, purchased approximately of Delbarton to use as a separate house for younger members for studying, finally settling on the property in 1927.
After some time, the monks decided to open a secondary school, as the Newark residence had done so with Saint Benedict's Preparatory School. After some deliberation, Abbot Patrick O'Brien opened Delbarton School in 1939, appointing Father Augustine Wirth as the first headmaster. At that time, the school was a boarding school for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students.
In 1942, Father Stephen Findlay succeeded as Headmaster and introduced drastic changes. The grade levels were modified, ultimately resulting in seventh through twelfth grades being offered. The Kountze carriage house was destroyed in a fire in 1947, leading to the construction of the St. Joseph Gymnasium. Because of the fire, the school chose as its motto, "Succisa Virescit" (having been cut down, she grows back stronger), borrowing from the often destroyed Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy. Trinity Hall opened in 1959, allowing the enrollment to increase to over 300. Father Stephen retired in 1967 to the position of Director of Development. In 1971, the Schmeil-O'Brien Hall dormitory was dedicated, although the majority of students were day students.
Delbarton's fourth headmaster, Father Gerard Lair (1975–1980), initiated more changes. The system of discipline from demerits and detention changed to a conversational program designed to bring about positive changes. As the academic prestige of the school grew, the Board of Trustees decided to terminate the residential program in 1978. The last two resident students graduated in 1983.
Since then, more facilities have been built, with the dedication of the Lynch Athletic Center in 1983, Findlay Science Pavilion in 1995, Fine Arts Center in 2006, the 40 Acres soccer and baseball fields in 2009, and the Cocoziello Field and Passerelli Track in 2010.
Molestation allegations against a monk at Delbarton resulted in lawsuits being filed against the school by two former students who claimed to have been inappropriately touched by the Reverend. In 2018, the school acknowledged that 13 priests or monks, and one lay faculty member had abused 30 individuals over a period of decades, resulting in at least 8 legal settlements with seven other cases still unresolved at that point.
In April 2021, Delbarton opened Saint Benedict hall.
International focus.
Delbarton has made many efforts to open up the student body to the international community. Over the past few years many respectable speakers have spoken to the student body including Dith Pran and Lech Wałęsa.
Delbarton students also have several opportunities to travel abroad. The school participates in foreign exchange programs with schools in Ireland, particularly sister school Glenstal Abbey School in County Limerick, and the Bildungszentrum Markdorf School in Markdorf, Germany. Juniors can travel to the Caribbean during the summer between their junior and senior year to learn about the culture and history of select islands through the school's SOL program. Students also have the opportunity to experience eco-tourism first hand in Costa Rica. Students have visited nature reserves, Arenal Volcano, Poás Volcano National Park and Monteverde while studying at the CPI language school in Heredia, Costa Rica. Delbarton students have also traveled to Spain on several organized summer trips and to Germany for World Youth Day with the school's religious educator David Hajduk. The school has also sent several students to help assist in Operation Smile Missions in China, Honduras, Madagascar and Thailand. The most recent established trip overseas was a mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and Hanga, Tanzania, where students donated money and aid to several schools. The school's various musical ensembles also travel to foreign countries to tour and perform.
Students participate in the school's Model United Nations and Challenge 20/20 clubs. The Model United Nations club participates in four to five Model UN Conferences every year and has attained much success, winning the Best Small Delegation Award at Princeton's 2005 conference, the 2007 Seton Hall University conference, and 2009 WAMUNC. The club also participated in The Hague International Model United Nations, held in the Netherlands from 2006 to 2008.
Academics.
 Delbarton operates an 8:10 a.m. to 2:34 p.m. schedule, including six class periods, a conference period, and lunch. The schedule is a seven-day rotating block schedule ("A day" through "G day") with one class dropping out of the schedule each of the seven days. The blocks are named each school year in keeping with the year's academic theme, which honors figures of heroism, social justice, promoters of worldwide peace, or historically important figures. All students have a thirty-minute free period ("M block") from 10:00 to 10:35 AM. Teachers, guidance, and college counseling are available during M block and after school for extra assistance as needed. Although the school day ends at 2:40 PM, the first buses do not leave campus until 4:00 PM, which encourages students to pursue extracurricular activities, work with faculty on homework and special projects, and volunteer on one of the many community service projects the school sponsors. Late bus service is also offered at 6:00 PM.
Delbarton offers 24 Advanced Placement courses. In 2009, 107 Delbarton students qualified as AP scholars, with 16 students qualifying for the National AP Scholar Award, 37 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award, 26 qualifying for the AP Scholar with Honor Award, and 34 students qualifying for the AP Scholar Award. Delbarton does not offer any courses designated explicitly as "honors" because even classes not designated as "AP" are taught well beyond the traditional high school level. For example, students may take mathematics classes up to 3 years ahead of the nation-wide standard (Algebra 1 in freshman year). Advanced math courses such as Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and AP Statistics are offered, as are independent study options. Language and literature courses are also offered in several languages.
With few exceptions, nearly all graduates continue on to four-year colleges or universities. Delbarton students are recognized for their academic achievements. In 2010, there were two National Merit Scholarships, three finalists, and 13 commended students. Eleven students were named Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars.
Athletics.
The Delbarton Green Wave competes in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), which is comprised of public and private high schools from Morris, Sussex and Warren counties, and was created following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Northern Hills Conference an athletic conference that included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. With 790 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group III for public schools). The football team competes in the United White division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Non-Public Group IV for football for 2018–2020.
Fall.
Delbarton offers cross country, football and soccer as sports in the Fall season.
Football.
Delbarton's football program has won state football championships in 1993 and 1998. The 1993 team finished the season 11-0 after winning the Group III Parochial title with a 24-23 victory over Saint Joseph Regional High School. in the championship game after coming back from a 14-0 deficit. The team won the 1998 title with a 21-3 victory over Immaculata High School.
From 1946 to 1987, Delbarton was coached by William Regan Sr., who compiled a 236-83-10 record with 33 winning seasons and 7 undefeated seasons.
From 1987 to 2002, Delbarton was coached by John Kowalik whose tenure included state titles in 1993 and 1998, state tournament playoff losses in 1997, 1999, and 2001 by fewer than six points in each game and five consecutive Northern Hills Conference championships for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, finishing his career with a record of 138-29.
Since 2003, the coach has been Brian Bowers. During this time period, the team transitioned to the North Jersey Athletic Conference in 2009. Delbarton won NJAC championships in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Despite repeated objections based on being grouped with Bergen County football powers, the Green Wave joined the North Jersey Super Football Conference in 2016, playing in the White Division.
Soccer.
The soccer team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1984 (defeating Mater Dei High School), 1985 (vs. Mater Dei), and won the Non-Public A state title in 1989 (as co-champion with Holy Cross Preparatory Academy), 1990 (vs. St. Joseph High School of Metuchen), 1996 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy, 1997 (vs. Notre Dame High School), 2003 (as co-champion with St. Augustine Preparatory School), 2004 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2012 (vs. Pingry School), 2013 (vs. Pingry), 2014 (vs. Notre Dame), 2015 (vs. Christian Brothers) and 2017 (vs. Christian Brothers); The program's 13 state titles are ranked third of all schools in the state and the streak of four titles won from 2012 to 2015 is tied for the state's third longest.
Delbarton has won six Morris County soccer championships and seven NJSIAA championships since 1995 under former All-American David Donovan. In 1997, under interim head coach Erin Sullivan, Delbarton won a triple crown - winning the Northern Hills Conference, Morris County Tournament and NJSIAA Parochial A state tournament. Again in 2003 and 2004, Delbarton won the triple crown, finishing second in "The Star-Ledger" state rankings in 2003 and first in 2004. In 2003, the team beat Saint Benedict's Preparatory School of Newark, New Jersey, which was the number one team in the country and had not lost to a New Jersey team in 12 years. In 2007, Delbarton's soccer team made it to the North Jersey Non-Public A final and had achieved a No. 4 ranking in the nation but lost by a 3-2 score to Seton Hall Preparatory School. Delbarton also earned a #2 ranking in the Non-Public A soccer group for the 2008 soccer season. The 2011 Delbarton soccer team won the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference ("NJAC") regular season title as well as the NJSIAA Non-Public A North sectional championship and was ranked as high as #2 in the state.
The 2012 squad was undefeated/untied in winning the NJAC and also won both the inaugural Delbarton Invitational Tournament and the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship, the latter with a 1-0 victory over the Pingry School on a last-minute goal. With a 23-1 record and the school's ninth state championship, Delbarton finished first in the final "Star-Ledger" state rankings for the second time in Green Wave history and was Top Twenty in all national rankings publications including the NSCAA (#16) and Elite Soccer Report (#6). Matt Clausen (MSG Varsity NJ POY) and Greg Siefert (NSCAA Regional All-American) were both 2012 "Star-Ledger" first team All-State selections.
The 2013 edition of Delbarton soccer followed the success of its predecessor with some historic feats of its own. While the 2012 side bludgeoned opponents with offense (scoring over 90 goals), the 2013 team suffocated its competition with defense, allowing only three goals all year and stamping its 22-1-1 record with 22 shutouts, including 18 in a row to close the season. Along the way, the Wave won the triple crown of conference, county and state championships and earned Delbarton both a second consecutive Star-Ledger #1 state ranking as well as a national ranking by the NSCAA (#24). "The Star-Ledger" named Coach Donovan its NJ Coach of the Year and Mike Moshier (NSCAA Regional All-American) a first-team All-State selection.
In 2014, Delbarton once again took home the Non-Public A state championship, its third in a row, with a 3-0 win in the tournament final against Notre Dame High School.
In 2015, the soccer team won its fourth consecutive Non-Public A title with a 2-0 win against Christian Brothers Academy and finished the season top-ranked in the state by NJ.com.
In 2017, the team entered the season ranked No. 1 in NJ.com Top 20 preseason rankings. The Green Wave went 21-0-1 overall, winning the Morris County Championship and its 5th state title in six years. Delbarton defeated Mendham 2-1 in the Morris County Tournament final on a goal by senior Will Stroud with 24 seconds left in the second half. In the state tournament, the Green Wave defeated Union Catholic (3-0), Pingry (1-0) and Seton Hall Prep (4-0) before defeating Christian Brothers Academy 4-1 to win the school's 13th overall and 11th Non-Public state championship. Delbarton finished the season No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20 and were named Team of the Year.
Cross country.
The cross country team competes in the NJAC in Non-Public A. Patrick Shellberg (2010) and Morgan Pearson (2011) made first team all state, and competed and won separate events at Penn Relays in 2010.
Winter.
In the winter, Delbarton offers three major sports (sports with three separate team levels): Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Wrestling. In addition, five minor sports (sports with two or fewer levels of competition) compete under the Green Wave: Bowling, Indoor Track, Squash, Ski Team, and Swimming.
Basketball.
Delbarton won the Morris County Tournament in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2003 and 2006; The program won its sixth MCT title after defeating Randolph High School by a score of 73-55 in the championship game.
Delbarton won the State Prep basketball championship in 1968 under coach Bernie Brennan.
Ice hockey.
Delbarton won outright state championships in 1992, 2002, 2006, 2008-2013, 2016-2018, and was the state co-champion in 1989. Delbarton won Morris County's Mennen Cup championship 18 times over a 21-year span from 1984 to 2004. The hockey program then left the Morris County league to compete in the state's top league, the Gordon Conference, beginning with the 2004–2005 school year. The team won the Gordon Cup championship in its first season.
Delbarton's chief rival is Seton Hall Prep. At the height of the teams' rivalry, regular-season games between the two regularly drew more than 1,000 fans, and a regular season game in 2000 filled all 2,500 seats at the Mennen Arena. In 2006, Delbarton defeated previously undefeated Seton Hall Prep to win the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) non-public state championship.
Delbarton won the state championship in 2008 by defeating St. Augustine Prep 5-1. It was Delbarton's fourth outright state championship and fifth overall, and the Green Wave set a state record with 27 wins, finishing the season 27-1-1. In 2009, Delbarton repeated with another 27-win season that included victories over Massachusetts state champion Catholic Memorial, Hotchkiss (CT), and Christian Brothers Academy in the state final. Delbarton finished the season ranked No. 1 in the Northeast by Hockey Night in Boston.
Beginning in 2008, Delbarton, led by head coach Bruce Shatel, won six straight NJSIAA Non-Public State Titles: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2013, Delbarton defeated Don Bosco Preparatory High School 4-0 at the Prudential Center in Newark in the Non-Public State Final.
On February 1, 2014, as part of the NHL Stadium Series, Delbarton defeated Catholic Memorial School 3-0 in an outdoor game held at Yankee Stadium.
The Green Wave have won 11 straight Gordon Conference championships, 2007-2017 since moving to Gordon Conference.
In 2016, Delbarton defeated CBA 3-1 at the Prudential Center in Newark in the Non-Public State Final and repeated as NJSIAA Non-Public State Champions in 2017, defeating Don Bosco Preparatory High School 2-1 at Mennen Arena. The Green Wave finished the season with a 27-1-2 record and named NJ.com Team of the Year.
In 2018, Delbarton defeated Don Bosco 4-2 at the Prudential Center in Newark in the Non-Public State Final, taking home their third straight non-public title. The Green Wave also defeated Don Bosco Prep in the Gordon Cup Final 2-1 at Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey.
Delbarton plays its home games at the Aspen Ice Arena in Randolph, New Jersey following years of early morning winter practices at the outdoor Essex Hunt Club (Peapack) and the more local (and enclosed) Mennen Arena in Morristown.
Notable Delbarton players who went on to play in the NHL include George Parros (1998), 2007 Stanley Cup Champion with Anaheim Ducks, and Kenny Agostino (2010), currently playing with the New Jersey Devils.
Wrestling.
In 2002, Antonio Mangione captured the first individual state championship in school history (he later went on to win the state tournament a second time). In 2006, Delbarton's Mike Grey became the first four-time New Jersey state champion in the sport of wrestling. In 2006, and 2007, Delbarton's Frank Perrelli and Trevor Melde respectively won state championships, extending Delbarton's championship run to a total of six years and eight individual state titles. In 2008, Delbarton won its first Northern Hills Conference Championship in wrestling. In 2009, Delbarton wrestling won the Morris County tournament for the second time in school history, the Northern Hills Conference, and the District IX tournament. That year, they also finished 20th in the state with an 18-2 record. In 2011, Delbarton won its first North Non-Public A sectional championship by defeating Bergen Catholic High School and took the state Group Non-Public A championship by defeating Bishop Ahr High School to finish the season with a 13-1 record and was ranked 5th in the state. In 2013, led by Coaches Bryan Stoll and Guy Russo the Delbarton wrestling team captured its fifth consecutive Morris County tournament title, crowning four individual titles.
In 2020, Delbarton wrestling defeated Bergen Catholic High School in the Non-Public A North Semifinal en-route to a Non-Public A North title with a win over Saint Joseph Regional High School of Montvale. Delbarton defeated St. Augustine Preparatory School by 54-7 in the Non-Public A championship, bringing home a state title for the first time since 2011. In March 2020 senior Anthony Clark and Sophomore PJ Casale won individual state championships. This was Clark's third title and fourth appearance in the final. Casale won his first state individual title. Delbarton sent a record 13 wrestlers to Boardwalk Hall and had four wrestlers in the finals, ending with two first place finishes, two second place, three third place, one 4th and one 5th place finisher. The Green Wave were named NJ.com team of the year.
Joe Tavoso '15, Ty Agaisse '16, and Patrick Glory '18 all won individual state championships, all three later wrestling at Princeton.
Swimming.
Under the direction of Kent Manno, Delbarton were crowned champions of the Morris County Tournament for 10 consecutive years, from 1983 to 1993.
In 2009, Delbarton captured its 7th straight Northern Hills Conference title. Also in 2009, Delbarton placed third in Division A of the NJSIAA Prep state championships and fourth at the Morris County Championships.
In 2016, Delbarton entered the NJ.com Top 20 swimming rankings at No. 17 after an upset victory over 12th-ranked St. Peter's Preparatory School. The 2015-16 team sent seven swimmers to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
Indoor track.
In 2009, Delbarton tied for third overall at the NHC Championships, behind West Orange and Passaic Tech. Delbarton also sent relay teams to the Nike Indoor Nationals in 2009 in both distance and sprinting events. On January 29, 2010, Pat Schellberg won the boys' mile at the 103rd Millrose Games with a time of 4:14.84.
Squash.
Delbarton has Junior Varsity and Varsity squash teams, which compete with other schools in the Tri-State area. The Varsity team also competes in certain national events, such as the National High School Championships at Yale University. In 2011, Delbarton won the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships for Division V with a 4-3 win in the tournament final against St. George's School, Newport.
In 2019, Delbarton won the U.S. High School Team Squash Championships for Division VII with a 4-3 win in the tournament final against Canisius High School.
Ski team.
The 2010-11 winter season saw the introduction of a Ski Team. The Ski Team races against eighteen other public and private high schools mostly from northwest NJ. The Ski Team trains, races and competes at Mountain Creek in Vernon Township, New Jersey. In its inaugural year the team finished third of eight in the Freedom League, made the team state finals, and finished ninth in the state. After only one season with competitive racers, though, the team finished the unseasonably warm 2011–2012 season ranked third in the league and fourth overall in the state. In the 2013–2014 season, Delbarton's Ski Team was ranked number one in New Jersey. They won their first state championship and finished first in the Freedom League.
Spring.
During the Spring season, Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis, Golf and Track & Field are the sports offered to the students.
Baseball.
The baseball team won the Non-Public A state championship in 1996 (defeating Camden Catholic High School in the tournament final) and 2002 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy).
The team has won the Morris County Tournament six times, tied for the second-most in tournament history, winning in 1970, 1987, 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2019. The team won its fifth Morris County Tournament title in 2017, defeating Randolph High School by a 6-5 score in extra innings in the final.
Brian Fleury was Director of Athletics, head varsity baseball coach and an English teacher at Delbarton. In his ten years as Delbarton's head baseball coach, his teams compiled a record of 223-63 and won nine Northern Hills Conference championships plus NJSIAA state championships in 2002 and 2006, before his death in October 2007.
The 1996 team finished the season with a 25-4 record after winning the Parochial A title with an 8-3 win against Camden Catholic in the championship game.
Under Coach Bruce Shatel, Delbarton won the Non-Public A state championship in 2017 with a 2-1 victory in the final of the tournament against St. Augustine Preparatory School. NJ.com named Delbarton as its "Team of the Year" based on its victories in conference, county and state competition. In 2019, the baseball team went 26-3, winning the Morris County title defeating West Morris Central High School 2-1, earning the program's sixth MCT title, tied for second most in tournament history. In the Non-Public A State Championship, Delbarton defeated St. Augustine Preparatory School 4-3 to capture their fourth state championship. Anthony Volpe earned 2018-19 NJ Player of the Year honors while NJ.com named Delbarton its "Team of the Year." Shortstop Anthony Volpe was drafted 30th overall by the New York Yankees in the 2019 MLB draft and signed with the team later that month.
Lacrosse.
Under the guidance of 1979 alumnus Chuck Ruebling, Delbarton had one of the best lacrosse team in New Jersey from 1999-2006, having won five straight overall state championships / Tournament of Champions titles in the years 2002-2006 and seven out of eight years. The team won the overall state championship in 1999 (vs. Hunterdon Central Regional High School), 2000 (vs. Ridgewood High School), 2002 (vs. Ridgewood) and 2003 (vs. Mountain Lakes High School), and won the Non-Public Group A title in 2006 (vs. Bergen Catholic High School), 2007 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy), 2008 (vs. Bergen Catholic), 2009 (vs. St. Joseph High School of Metuchen), 2011 (vs. St. Augustine Preparatory School), 2012 (vs. Don Bosco Preparatory High School), 2013 (vs. Seton Hall Preparatory School), 2014 (vs. Bergen Catholic), 2016 (vs. Bergen Catholic), 2017 (vs. Seton Hall), 2018 (vs. Seton Hall) and 2019 (vs. Don Bosco). The team won the Tournament of Champions in 2004 (defeating runner-up Mountain Lakes), 2005 (vs. Summit High School), 2006 (vs. Mountain Lakes), 2014 (vs. Summit), 2016 (vs. Pingry School), 2017 (vs. Moorestown High School) and 2018 (vs. Summit). The seven Tournament of Champion wins (starting in 2004), the 16 group titles and eight consecutive group titles from 2002 to 2009 are all the most of any team in the state.
Down 2-0 early in the 2000 state championship game, the team scored five straight goals to pull ahead and win by a score of 6-4 against Ridgewood and finish the season with a record of 18-4.
In 2007, the Delbarton lacrosse team was ranked fifth in the nation by STX/Inside Lacrosse. Delbarton's lacrosse team was ranked fifth in the nation in 2007 by the LaxPower.com National High School Coaches Poll. The 2007 team won the Non-Public A state championship with a 14-5 win over Christian Brothers Academy.
They lost in the Tournament of Champions in 2009 to Summit by a score of 8-4.
Delbarton returned to the top of New Jersey lacrosse after eight years in 2014, capturing its fourth TOC state title with a win over Summit High School by a final score of 7-5.
Delbarton won its third consecutive TOC title in 2018, defeating Summit 12-6. The team ended the season ranked #1 in the Nation by both Laxpower.com and Maxpreps and #2 in the Nation by both Under Armour and "USA Today".
Tennis.
The tennis team won the Non-Public B&C state title in 1985-1988 (defeating Gloucester Catholic High School each of the four years), and won the Non-Public B championship in 1996 (vs. Christian Brothers Academy), 1998 (vs. Donovan Catholic High School), 2001 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2003 (vs. St. Augustine Preparatory School), 2004 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2005 (vs. St. Augustine), 2006 (vs. At. Augustine), 2008 (vs. St. Augustine), 2009 (vs. St. Augustine), 2010 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2011 (vs. St. Augustine), 2012 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2015 (vs. Notre Dame High School), 2016 (vs. Notre Dame), 2017 (vs. Christian Brothers), 2018 (vs. Christian Brothers) and 2019 (vs. St. Augustine); the program's 21 state titles are fourth most in the state. The team won the 1987 parochial state championship in 1987 (defeating St. Joseph High School of Metuchen). In 2008, the team won the Tournament of Champions against runner-up Westfield High School.
Delbarton's tennis program has won nine of the last ten Morris County Tournaments and six consecutive state group titles, finishing second in the state in 2006. The 2006 tennis team won the 2006 Group A state championship with a 5-0 win over St. Augustine College Preparatory School.
The tennis team won the 2007 Non-Public, North A state sectional championship with a 3-2 win over Pingry School.
In 2008, the tennis team won the Non-Public, North A state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over Pingry School. It went on to defeat Westfield High School, 3-2, to win its first ever Tournament of Champions title.
In 2019, Delbarton Tennis won the Morris County Tournament for the 17th time in 18 years. They went on to defeat St. Augustine 3-2 to win their fifth straight Non-Public A title. In the Tournament of Champions, Delbarton defeated Highland Park High School 5-0 before losing to Newark Academy 4-1 in the semifinals.
Golf.
Delbarton's golf program is consistently one of the top-ranked squads in Morris County. Calling both Morris County Golf Club and Somerset Hills Country Club home, the Green Wave have excelled in recent years under the leadership of Coach Sean Flanagan. In 2000, and 2001, Delbarton won back to back state titles. In 2010, the Green Wave ended the season with a 17-0 record, having won the North Jersey, Non-Public A section, as well as the Non-Public Group A, Morris County Tournament, the Northwest Jersey Conference Tournament and the conference crown. The team ranked second in the state. The current coach of the team is Mr. Sean Flanagan, the Star-Ledger's 2010 Coach of the Year.
Track.
On April 23, 2010, at the 116th Penn Relays, Pat Schellberg won the high school boys' one mile (1.6 km) run championship and broke the track meet's event record. His time of 4:08.13 was also the fastest recorded mile run by any boy in the U.S. that year (2010). The following year, Morgan Pearson won the boys' 3,000 meter run in the Penn Relays with a time of 8:22. Dean Sullivan won the boys' javelin throw at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in 2011 with a throw of .
Rugby club.
Delbarton is also one of the few schools in the area with a Rugby Club.
In 2010, Coach Tom Feury, founder of Morris Youth Rugby, and Coach Bob Karetsky, who coached Harvard Rugby for several years, led Delbarton's Rugby Club to a 13-1 record in the Green Wave club's second season. The team's only loss was to Morris Rugby, a team that was founded in 1977 composed of several players with more than four years experience. In the team's 11-0 dual schedule (one forfeit), the offense scored 402 points, and the defense only let up 60. The Delbarton Rugby Club won New Jersey's inaugural rugby state championship title, defeating St. Peter's Preparatory School by a score of 43-3 in May 2012.
The club went undefeated throughout the 2015 season, outscoring its opponents 246-32, and defeating St. Augustine Preparatory School by a score of 33-21 in the single-school state championship. The team, which had multiple players nominated to the New Jersey All-State team, was also later ranked 42nd in the nation.
In 2019, Rugby was officially added as the sixth varsity spring sport offered at Delbarton. In their first year as an official varsity sport, Delbarton went 4-3, losing to St. Augustine 17-12 in the state final.
Arts programs.
Delbarton's Abbey Players produce three theatrical productions yearly: a fall play, a winter musical and a spring 'One Act' production featuring student written and directed plays. The productions attract participants from neighboring schools.
Delbarton has a range of instrumental ensembles, including a Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Abbey Orchestra, and Percussion Ensemble.
There are several a cappella and vocal ensembles. The group "Schola Cantorum", commonly referred to as 'Schola,' is Delbarton's flagship chorus and features about 40 Delbarton students of all grades. "Schola" was founded by Dr. Roy Horton. The group performs all year in school concerts and at school masses. Schola Cantorum has performed across the United States and Europe. During the Summer of 2007 the Delbarton Schola Cantorum performed throughout Italy and in a Vatican mass service. Schola has also toured England, Ireland, and Scotland. The "Benedictones" is an a cappella group focusing primarily on pop classics and barbershop songs and is led by Mr. David Blazier, who inspired the group's formation in 2005. "Gothicappella" is led by Rev. Carol Horton and focuses primarily on music written before 1500. "Gothicappella" selections include plainsong and Gregorian chant, as well as other lesser-known songs.
On October 19, 2006, Delbarton officially opened its brand new Fine Arts Center. The arts and music departments were formerly housed in the school's historic "Old Main" building. The new building includes a 622-person theater, several art studios, and rehearsal spaces for Delbarton's many musical groups. The school broke ground on the site during the Summer of 2005 and ended construction in the Fall of 2006. It represents a capital investment of more than $20 million USD. After-school music lessons (voice lessons, various instruments) are also offered in the facility.
The Abbey Church also houses a pipe organ which was rebuilt in 2012. The space is known for its acoustic qualities.
Abbey Woods.
After a six-year battle between state officials and the Monks at Delbarton School, as well as $2 million in legal fees, a decision was made on July 26, 2006, that the request for a sewer extension to the proposed $100 million Abbey Woods development, a continuing-care retirement community, would not be allowed. Environmentalists and several Morris Township residents had been working against the project that would develop of zoned land adjacent to the Jockey Hollow Park. Rev. Elias R. Lorenzo commented in "The Star-Ledger" that "If the development is not passed, we will sell the land to other developers". In 2009, Delbarton sold of the Abbey Woods to The Trust for Public Land for $13.75 million. While the acquisition was primarily handled by the Trust, ownership will mostly be held by the Morris County Park Commission, with Morris Township receiving .
Sexual abuse allegations.
In 2012, various media outlets reported news of sexual misconduct by several monks from Saint Mary's Abbey who also worked at Delbarton School. Six former students accused several monks of sexual abuse in the 1970s and 1980s.


Comet V

The Comet V railcar is the fifth generation of the Comet railcar series. Produced by the manufacturer Alstom, the Comet V is a rather different car compared to previous models in the series. The Comet V has been in use by New York metropolitan area commuter rail operators New Jersey Transit and Metro-North since April 2002.
Layout and design.
The main design of the Comet V is similar to its predecessors starting with the Comet III. Each trailer car has six doors for entering and exiting (like the Comet IV, the cab cars have five doors); the doors at the ends of the car are single-leaf with trap doors for low-level boarding while those in the middle are double-leaf but lack steps and trapdoors, only opening at high platform stations. The length of the cars at over the couplers remains unchanged from previous models and their width adheres to the standard loading gauge of .
The one unique feature of Comet V cab cars, compared to earlier Comets and especially the Comet IV, is the lack of steps and a trapdoor at the door in the vestibule opposite the engineer's operating position. Like the Comet IV, the engineer's side of the cab vestibule has no door.
The interiors of the trains have significant differences from previous Comet railcars, featuring redesigned seats and windows that are larger than previous Comet coaches. There are also new LED digital information displays along with slightly more seating. Major external differences include a stainless-steel exterior and visible, roof-mounted air conditioning units.
The Comet V was the inspiration for the Bombardier MultiLevel Coach, which began construction in 2006.
Door problems.
One prominent problem of the Comet V is failures in its door-opening mechanism. On the Comet V, Alstom added a new button to open vestibule doors that lead to the end doors labeled with "push to open." This led to confusion among passengers about how to open the doors; eventually many resorted to opening them manually. The Comet V's software glitches came to light as doors failed to open or malfunctioned.
Accidents.
On the morning of September 29, 2016, an NJ Transit train crashed through a bumper block and into the concourse of Hoboken Terminal, killing one person and injuring over 110. Comet V cab car No. 6036 suffered major damage due to falling debris.


Pioneer Valley Railroad

Pioneer Valley Railroad is a Class III short line freight railroad operating the former Conrail (née-New York, New Haven & Hartford) trackage in the western part of Massachusetts in towns of Westfield, Holyoke, and Southampton. Since being founded in 1982 railroad has been owned by the Pinsly Railroad Company with headquarters in Westfield, Massachusetts.
History.
The tracks that the PVRR operates on was originally a branch line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad . The line changed hands to the Penn Central Railroad and then to Conrail. In 1983, Pinsly Railroad Company took over operations of the line from Conrail and began railroad operations on the line under the Pioneer Valley Railroad name.
On October 5, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarded PVR a $495,000 grant to complete the PVR "Knowledge Corridor Service Interchange" project that is planned to reduce local truck traffic by improving the connection between Pan Am Railways and Pioneer Valley Railroad in Holyoke.
Routes.
The PVRR operates two lines that connects at Westfield Main Yard in Westfield, Massachusetts, where the railroad interchanges with CSX Transportation.


Brunswick Line

The Brunswick Line is a MARC commuter rail line between Washington, D.C., and Martinsburg, West Virginia, with a branch to Frederick, Maryland. It primarily serves the northern and western suburbs of Washington. The line, MARC's second longest at 74 miles, is operated under contract to MARC by Bombardier Transportation and runs on CSX-owned track, including the Metropolitan, Old Main Line, and Cumberland Subdivisions. It is the successor to commuter services provided by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), which date to the mid-19th century.
History.
Prior to MARC, the B&O operated commuter trains between Washington and Martinsburg, which continued even after the start of Amtrak on May 1, 1971. Maryland began subsidizing the trains in 1974 and, in 1975, assumed full responsibility for the subsidy and equipment replacement. West Virginia followed suit soon after, guaranteeing service to its stations.
In 1983, Marylandalong with a number of other Northeastern statestook control of its commuter railroads, organizing them under the "MARC" (Maryland Area Regional Commuter) service name. Trains on the Brunswick Line were operated under contract by CSX Transportation, successor to the B&O. Brunswick Line service was augmented in 1986 when Amtrak transferred its Washington–Martinsburg "Blue Ridge" to MARC after agreeing to subsidize the train for five years.
In May 2010, MARC announced that it planned to find a new operator for the Brunswick and Camden Lines after CSX announced its desire to discontinue operation of commuter trains. MARC selected Bombardier Transportation Services USA Corporation (BTS) (a subsidiary of the Canadian company Bombardier Transportation) to replace CSX, and BTS assumed operations and maintenance of the lines on June 29, 2013. CSX continues to dispatch the lines.
Rolling stock.
Brunswick Line trains typically have 3–6 single or bilevel passenger cars and one or two diesel locomotives. The trains operate in a push-pull configuration, with the cab car typically facing Washington.
Prior to being replaced by new Bombardier Multilevel II cars, MARC's ex-Metra Pullman Gallery cars were used exclusively on the Brunswick Line, which is the only MARC line with all low-level platforms (except the Frederick Branch, which has a high level platform at Monocacy station).
Service.
The Brunswick Line has service only on weekdays, with 9 trains in each direction, and an additional train outbound from Union Station on Fridays. Three of the 9 trains in each direction serve the Frederick branch. Of the remainder, 3 inbound and 3 outbound serve Martinsburg, while the remainder originate or terminate at Brunswick. A bus runs between Frederick and Point of Rocks, meeting trains that do not serve the Frederick Branch.
Union Station is the southern terminus of Amtrak's "Capitol Limited," which shares much of the Brunswick Line's route; , , and are also served by the "Capitol Limited". Connections to the Washington Metro's Red Line are available at Rockville, , and Union stations.
Stations.
The Brunswick Line serves the following stations. Not all trains stop at all stations.


Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers

The Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers (DVARP) is an all-volunteer, mass transit advocacy group in the greater Philadelphia (PA) metropolitan area. DVARP was initially formed in 1972, and has engaged in rail and transit advocacy since that time. The group was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1996.


Lyndale Railway Company

The Lyndale Railway Company later renamed the Minneapolis, Lyndale, & Minnetonka Railway Company operated the Minneapolis, Lyndale and Lake Calhoun railway, also known as the "Motor Line".
History.
The Lyndale Railway Company built a railroad, which began at First Avenue and Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis and led west along present day 31st Street across Hennepin Avenue, turned then southwest and ended at Lake Calhoun. West of Hennepin Avenue the line ran on a curving private right of way. The company also built a pavilion on the banks of the lake near at the terminus of the railroad.
The 4.5 miles (7.25 km) long narrow gauge line was inaugurated in 1879. Two 0-4-2 steam engines enclosed in streetcar-like wooden bodies towed short trains along the track. In 1880, the line was extended to Lake Harriet and in July 1882 to Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka. It provided transportation for the tourists that wanted to relax at the shores of the lakes.
In December 1885, the company experimented with electrification using a system from Charles Van Depoele, but decided that this was not yet mature enough, because the electric motors in the prototype vehicles vibrated heavily and due to other mechanical problems. In 1886, the railroad began running soda motors manufactured by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, reportedly the first (and possibly the only) such engines to be built in the United States, it seems that others may have been imported previously for use along elevated rail lines in New York City.
The company, however, was never profitable, and when the lake tourist traffic declined, it was sold in 1886 to James J. Hill's St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Manitoba, a predecessor of the Great Northern Railway. The track was re-gauged to standard gauge and extended to Hutchinson, but the line from Lake Harriet to Hopkins was taken out of service. The steam locomotives were unpopular in the city, which reduced the profitability further so that it was leased in 1887 to the Minneapolis Street Railway. Service was further trimmed back to Lake Calhoun and the Lake Harriet-Excelsior line was abandoned.
Literature.
Munn, M. D.: Articles of incorporation, by-laws, and ordinances of the Twin city rapid transit co., Minneapolis street railway co., Minneapolis & St. Paul suburban railway co., St. Paul city railway co. 1899 (catalog entry).


Mount Savage Iron Works

The Mount Savage Iron Works operated from 1837 to 1868 in Mount Savage, Maryland. The ironworks were the largest in the United States in the late 1840s, and the first in the nation to produce heavy rails for construction of railroads. The works were established in an area adjacent to mines for coal, iron ore and fire clay. Facilities included blast furnaces, puddling furnaces, a rolling mill, iron refineries, coke production and brick production.
History.
The Maryland and New York Coal and Iron Company was incorporated in 1837, and it acquired land north of Frostburg, Maryland. The company, led by Samuel Swartwout, a New York land speculator, renamed this area as the town of Mount Savage, and made plans to establish an iron works. After raising funds from investors, the company built two blast furnaces in 1840, using coke as fuel. It built a rolling mill in 1843 specifically to manufacture rails. Production of bridge rails, with an inverted "U"-shape and weighing 42 lb/yd, began in 1844. Some of the initial rail production was used to build a railroad line to Cumberland, Maryland to connect with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). ("See" Mount Savage Railroad.) The company also manufactured 50 lb/yd "T"-shaped rails for the Fall River Railroad in Massachusetts; and sold rails to the B&O. Production in 1845 was about 200 tons per week.
In 1846-47 the Mount Savage works faced financial problems, due to the Tariff of 1846, which ruined the iron business, and the flooding of a portion of the Mount Savage Railroad. The company defaulted on several loans. A group of New York City investors, Erastus Corning the most prominent among them, acquired the company later in 1847 and renamed it the Mount Savage Iron Company. The facilities were expanded with additional capital, and in the 1850s the labor force grew to over 900 workers. The Cumberland and Pennsylvania Railroad became another important customer.
The works faced competition from various facilities in Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region, where superior grades of iron ore were discovered and mined beginning in the 1850s. The facilities were acquired by the Consolidation Coal Company in 1864. The rolling mill was shut down in 1868 and dismantled in 1875. The blast furnaces ceased operation c. 1870.


McKeen Motor Car Company

The McKeen Motor Car Company of Omaha, Nebraska, was a builder of internal combustion-engined railroad motor cars (railcars), constructing 152 between 1905–1917.
Founded by William McKeen, the Union Pacific Railroad's Superintendent of Motive Power and Machinery, the company was essentially an offshoot of the Union Pacific and the first cars were constructed by the UP before McKeen leased shop space in the UP's Omaha Shops in Omaha, Nebraska. The UP had asked him to develop a way of running small passenger trains more economically and McKeen produced a design that was ahead of its time. Unfortunately, internal combustion engine technology was not and the McKeen cars never found a truly reliable powerplant.
The vast majority of the cars produced were for E. H. Harriman's empire of lines (Union Pacific, Southern Pacific and others). Harriman's death in 1909 lost the company its major sponsor and investor and Harriman's successors were less enthusiastic about the McKeen cars.
Many McKeen cars ended up being re-engined with a variety of drive mechanisms — gasoline-mechanical, gasoline-electric, diesel-electric or even steam power.
Most, although not all, McKeen cars had the distinctive "wind-splitter" pointed aerodynamic front end and rounded tail. The porthole windows were also a McKeen trademark, adopted allegedly for strength after the 7th production car. A dropped central door, as pictured, was also present on the majority of the cars. Two lengths, 55 and 70 feet, were offered; either could be fitted out with a large mail and express area ahead of the center doors, a smaller mail/express area, or the car could be all seats for a maximum capacity of 64 or 105 respectively.
Anatomy of a McKeen car.
Engine.
Originally, McKeen cars used engines from the Standard Motor Works of Jersey City, New Jersey, but switched to an engine of their own design from the eighth car produced, "M8" on the Union Pacific. All engines were straight-6 in configuration, of power ratings between on the first car ("M1") and a maximum of on the most powerful later cars. The cylinders were vertical and the engine mounted transversely across the car in all McKeen cars and locomotives produced.
All engines were equipped to be run in either direction, as is not uncommon with marine engines; there was no reverse gear. To run in reverse, the engine had to be stopped, the camshaft shifted by the motorman to the reverse cam set and the engine restarted in reverse.
Starting was by compressed air.
Motor truck.
The lead truck of the car was the powered truck; the engine was rigidly mounted atop this truck and moved with it when it turned. Only the front axle was powered (via a chain drive) a design decision which contributed to the car's poor adhesion characteristics. The front wheelset had a 42-inch diameter, while the three other wheelsets were 33-inch diameter.
Interior.
McKeen cars were generally wood-panelled on the interior and fitted with transverse bench seats with a central aisle. The rounded rear was fitted with a semi-circular bench seat. Lighting was originally acetylene.
Problems with McKeen cars.
Most of the problems experienced with McKeen cars involved the powerplant and drivetrain. As with many other attempts to bring marine engine technology to the rails, engines that were reliable on the stable platform of a ship when attended to by experienced technicians and operators proved less so when exposed to the vibration, indifferent maintenance and less careful handling they found on the railroad.
Starting the engine was a problem on the early cars; with no independently powered compressor, the compressed-air starting relied on the limited reserves of the car's reservoirs. There were many reports of cars being started by being pushed or towed by locomotives or even horses, after the compressed air ran out. Later cars, with an independent gasoline-driven compressor which could be hand-started, did not suffer from these problems.
The lack of a reverse gear also caused problems. The engine had to be stopped, the camshaft shifted to a set of reverse cams and then started in the opposite direction. This was acceptable shipboard, perhaps, but deeply disliked by railroad operators. Accounts exist of engineers' elaborate schemes for avoiding the necessity to reverse.
The transmission was a common problem; a clutch did not seem to exist which combined the ability to withstand on a regular basis with the ability to give a smooth start. Clutch failures were commonplace. Competitor GE's cars used an electric transmission and that or a hydraulic torque converter have been used on the vast majority of successful internal combustion-engined rail vehicles since.
Many operators found the McKeen car to be lacking in power and traction, the latter unsurprising since only one of four axles was powered.
Unusual McKeen products.
The vast majority of McKeen products followed the pattern set out above, but some unusual ones were also rolled out.
Victorian Railways cars.
The Victorian Railways, the government-run system of the state of Victoria in Australia, ordered two McKeen cars in 1911, these being delivered in 1912. These were the only broad-gauge cars, built to the VR gauge of . They were fitted with buffers and hook and chain couplers, and were built with the rounded-nose body type, rather than knife-nosed. Since VR stations uniformly had car-level platforms, the usual dropped entranceway was instead raised into the roof.
Queensland Railways cars.
In 1911, the Queensland Railways of the state of Queensland, Australia, ordered five McKeen cars which were delivered in May 1913. These were to the QR gauge of , and were the only narrow gauge McKeen cars. They were issued running numbers 1 through 5.
Like the Victorian Railways cars, the cars were fitted with the more rounded nose and with buffers; however, the typical McKeen dropped center door was retained to permit easy passenger access without a raised platform. The cars, unlike most, had the same size of wheels on both axles of the lead truck and a chain drive linking them, making all 4 wheels driven.
These cars were approximately long and originally seated 75; this was soon reduced to 69 by dividing the car into a non-smoking section (seating 55) and a smoking section (seating 14). The five cars were based at Woolloongabba for most of their lives, and handled services to the Brisbane suburbs of Corinda and Sunnybank as well as between Manly and Cleveland.
The cars proved no more reliable in Queensland than elsewhere; by 1920 car No.1 was out of service and cars Nos. 2 and 5 were modified as Tourist and Day Inspection cars, with luxury accommodations for 32 passengers. They were still expensive to run, at an estimated double the running costs of a steam-hauled train; the Great Depression finished them off, and the five cars were withdrawn between 1929 and 1931 and scrapped at QR's Ipswich shops.
Southern Utah Railroad #100.
The Southern Utah Railroad took possession in 1916 of the most powerful McKeen motor car ever produced, with a six-wheel leading truck.
Two of the three axles in that truck were powered, connected by side rods; the engine developed . Unlike most McKeen cars, it had a rounded front end instead of the knife-edge prow normally favored; it also featured roof-mounted radiators in addition to those in the normal location behind the pilot.
Despite the extra power, this was only a car with a capacity of 48 passengers. The additional power was needed for the severe grades (max. 4.92%) and curvature of the line between Price and Hiawatha for which it was intended.
The car was apparently not a success and did not last long in service,
being withdrawn from service in June 1917 and dismantled, the engine and power truck being sold.
The carbody was used as a shop employee locker room at Martin until it was dismantled in 1990.
In the mid '90s the dismantled #100 was then purchased by a ranch owner in Utah. There, he cut it in half at the vestibule and used the rail car as two separate storage units. In 2015, the two halves were then traded for two sea containers by Bently enterprises LLC. It was then moved to Minden, Nevada and is undergoing restoration.
Locomotives.
The company produced at least one gasoline-engined locomotive. A locomotive was produced in about 1913 and worked around the company shops in Omaha;
A locomotive (probably the same one) was tested in the UP's Aspen Tunnel. A locomotive, numbered 5 but possibly again the same one, was documented in the contemporary trade press, photos of which are below.
It is described as being of 0-4-2 wheel arrangement, with the engine mounted across the car as normal and driving the rearmost driving axle in the normal McKeen fashion. Siderods transferred the drive to the other pair of driven wheels. The arrangement was largely identical to the three-axle lead truck on the unique Southern Utah Railway McKeen car.
Zeitler documents this locomotive as having a tractive effort of . The frame was cast steel, and the superstructure constructed of steel, with sufficient solidity to add structural strength; the horizontal cast steel engine bed was also described as a structural member. The straight-6 engine had an bore and stroke, for a total displacement of ; it developed .
Schopp documents that a locomotive was sold to the Motley County Railroad in 1915, and speculates that this may also have been the same single locomotive. In the same article, he recounts a locomotive reported as being stored at the Omaha shops in 1917 that may have been the same locomotive once more.
Another McKeen locomotive was created by the Charles City Western Railway of Iowa by building a wooden boxcab superstructure atop a McKeen power truck.
Surviving McKeen products.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum has restored a full McKeen car, Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22, a 1910-built 70 foot car.
This was one of the last McKeen cars to be still running with its original motor. It made its last run in September 1945 and its body was sold in 1946 for service as a roadside diner, later to be used for a plumbing supply store in Carson City, Nevada. Donated to the Museum in 1996, its first run was on May 9, 2010, the car's hundredth anniversary of construction.
The original powerplant did not survive and no other McKeen engines could be located. Consequently, a modern diesel engine was fitted to allow the car to operate up to the original maximum speed. The fully restored McKeen motorcar was put back into operation on May 9, 2010, right on schedule for its 100th anniversary of its construction. The motorcar is now being used at the Nevada State Railroad Museum In Carson City Nevada for special occasions such as Independence Day and Nevada Day
The NSRM also owns the remains of a second McKeen car which was converted into a diesel-electric switching locomotive.
Another McKeen body, construction number 83/103, survives in Romona, California. It originally belonged to the San Diego Cuyamaca & Eastern Railroad then was later sold to the Yuma Valley Railroad before arriving in Alaska around 1921, being re-engined and round-nosed in 1924, converted to an unpowered trailer in 1935 and finally retired in the late 1940s after serving in the 714th Railway Battalion during WWII.
The car, originally named the "Cuyamaca", is now undergoing restoration by Madison Kirkman of the McKeen Motor Car Company Historical Society.
Two unpowered McKeen trailers survive; one is a storage shed in St. Helena, California. while the other is at the Illinois Railway Museum.


Frank Thomson

Frank Thomson (1841–1899) was a railroad executive from the United States, and the sixth president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR).
Life.
Frank Thomson was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania on July 5, 1841. At age 17, Thomson became an apprentice in the PRR machine shops in Altoona, and studied mechanical engineering there for four years. Thomson gained experience with restoring shops, repair of rolling stock and machinery, the rebuilding of bridges and the construction of new roads and telegraph lines. Later in his life, the press often commented he could both build a locomotive and act as its engineer.
He enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 during the American Civil War, and served as chief assistant to Colonel Thomas A. Scott, later the PRR's fourth president. As assistant to Scott, Thomson built railroads and bridges as well as directed the transport of troops and supplies. Thomson was relieved of military duty in June 1864, and appointed Superintendent of the Eastern Division of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad. He served in this position until 1873, when he was appointed Superintendent of Motive Power of the PRR at Altoona, and in 1874, General Manager of the PRR system east of Pittsburgh and Erie. Under Thomson's management, the railroad saw equipment of a superior quality become the standard, as well as the building of picturesque stations. In 1874, Thomson was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.
He became a PRR vice-president in 1882, and was promoted to be the sixth president in 1897. Thomson instituted a system of track inspection, and was said to be instrumental in standardizing track and roadbed.
Thomson had a daughter, Anne, and two sons, Frank G. and Clarke. He was also an avid outdoorsman, and struck up a friendship with William F. Cody, otherwise known as Buffalo Bill, who took him buffalo hunting. Thomson hosted scores of distinguished European and American visitors at his hunting cabin at Corkerhill. He also served as director of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
He died on June 5, 1899, in Merion, Pennsylvania after a two-week illness.
Legacy.
Following his death, his children established the Frank Thomson Scholarship as a memorial to their father. Thomson had a lifelong interest in the education of the youth of his fellow employees, and he devoted himself to helping them obtain an education. Today, the Scholarship are offered annually to provide assistance toward tuition and additional necessary expenses for undergraduate study at generally recognized and accepted colleges and universities.