I started this thread by saying that I needed help in identifying the concrete milepost bearing the number 30 shown in the two photographs. After much searching, I finally was able to find the name of the gentleman who donated it to the museum (he was from South Holland, Illinois; a south suburb of Chicago) and the railroad he states it came from; the Grand Trunk Western. So one other little bit of info cleared up!

Les

Thanks! I figured that it would stand out more than the standard cross buck would-now I know it does! TVRM has all sorts of stuff tucked away that has been forgotten over the years. Somewhere on the property is a complete armstrong interlocking machine that was donated years ago. Sadly, I suspect that enough time has passed that it probably cannot be restored to working condition as I do not remember any drawings having been supplied with it and the person that would have had the most working knowledge of it (the late Mr. Robert M. Soule) passed away a while back. The interlocking machine that protected the Tennessee River bridge at Chattanooga is also supposed to be stored somewhere on the property, but I never managed to locate it.

TVRM's founding members had a lot of foresight, but did not always agree with each other. The fact that the museum was planned as an operating railroad from the start made a big difference. There are a lot of stories about how certain things made their way to the museum, many of which will fade away with the passage of our older members. The waiting room benches came from the Decatur, Alabama passenger station and the ticket window grille in the East Chattanooga Depot came from the Seaboard Air Line depot in Athens, Georgia. The curved roof braces came from the Athens, Tennessee passenger station (if I remember correctly).

When accepting a donation of an item, we ought to try our best to ask the donor for as much information as they can provide regarding the item's background and record it. The information is what gives the artifact it's significance and can give added dimension to the stories that go with it. As for us, all I will say is that some of the procurement methods we used back then probably would not be looked on kindly by said donors today.

I must give recognition to the attention to detail that TVRM maintains. We take pride in our operation and the quality that we provide to our patrons. There are places on the line that are still devoid of signs of modern life and one can imagine that you are in 1953 or 1930.

Alan -

You are oh so right! When looking for the information on the mile 30 concrete milepost, I ran across some info on some other things that had been given to HVRM. I knew that these were donated, but didn't know by whom or what was the railroad story behind them. Now I know, and hopefully will be able to do something about keeping this information permanently!

Les

This reminds me of the grip that I carried as a passenger train conductor at TVRM. Bought it off eBay and it was a bear to lug around. Of course, it carried pretty much whatever I needed to stuff in it. It was large and made of tin-similar to the clothes boxes that crews carried. It had been carried by a conductor on the CNO&TP who was crewed out of Ludlow, Kentucky. The seller was the old man's granddaughter and thought it great that it was going to be used again for it's original purpose. The conductor's name, road and division were stamped on a copper tag that was screwed to the top. I had one of the members of our local forge cut and stamp my information on a copper tag of the same dimensions, then removed the screws and put the old tag on the inside and mine on the outside.

Often, I would set it on the running board and leave it there rather than put it in the cab if we were making a short hop-it was heavy enough that it would not budge. Weighed it on the shop scale one time when fully provisioned-it weighed about 25 pounds. That was with two rule books, three timetables, two punches, a couple of safety manuals, safety glasses, ear plugs, gloves, rain cover (for hat), folding umbrella, spare air brake glad hand gaskets, matches, lighter, wheel report forms, train book and tickets for sale on board. The matches and lighter were necessary as we used kerosene marker lamps and my kit included two kerosene lanterns (one red and one white).

May I hint that you should get the older members together, get them talking and film it (with their consent, of course)? Someday that would be priceless. Remember, the people are part of the story too.

Actually, people are the majority of the story. The equipment is nothing than meaningless, inanimate objects without them.

One thing that having living history collections does is allow the organization to demonstrate the connection between the railroads and the people they serve. Far too many people today do not understand the critical role the railroads fill in our nation's transportation infrastructure. Our economy is dependent on the railroads to transport goods at economical prices and to provide jobs. The job aspect is not as visible as the railroads have scaled back direct employment. Think of everything that goes into producing a locomotive, rail car or the right of way. Most people would not notice the financial impact. To them, all a train is is a nuisance with all the noise or interrupting their drive at the railroad crossing.

Les,

You did a fine job of painting those markers! I recall seeing the property marker laying on the ground the last time I visited HVRM and hoped it would be brought back to its glory someday. Glad you found the history on the milepost as well. I've been starting to catalog my collection with an information sheet and pictures of each sign/marker so when I'm gone, people have as much information as I did.

Alan,

Nice work as well down at TVRM. I'll have to stop by sometime and check it out. I'm always interested in seeing sign restorations.

Bill