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Railroad News and Events NYS&W Railway Terminal Improvement Project The New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad has received contract approval for more than $900,000 in funding for design and construction of a multi-modal rail terminal in Cortland, N.Y. Click for the complete story. Norfolk Southern Locomotive Honoring Our Veterans On November 8, 2012 Norfolk Southern released a locomotive honoring our veterans. Photo by Norfolk Southern Video showing how the locomotive was painted Postal Service unveils new Steamtown roundhouse stamp Read about it in Luzerne County's citizensvoice.com. The stamp is part of the USPS Earthscapes (Forever®) series. William S. Young obituary William Simrell Young died peacefully at Barnes Kasson in Susquehanna early Wednesday August 8, 2012. He spent his youth and working life in railroad history, journalism, and photography. His wonderful power of recall and extensive archive provided information for other railroad researchers and fans. His family won't forget his earnest 1945 ride on a single speed bike from Starrucca, PA to New Berlin, NY in pursuit of his dream and love of the Unadilla Valley Railroad. Born in Brooklyn, NY he moved with his family to Cranford, NJ with its Rahway Valley Railroad, then to Starrucca, PA where he became infatuated with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad and the Erie's Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro, PA. He later moved to Aiken, SC where he stayed until returning permanently to Starrucca in 2001, writing and revising several railroad histories: Bridge of Stone (Starrucca Viaduct), Tunkhannock Viaduct (and the DL&W Hallstead Cut Off), and the Unadilla Valley Railroad. His photo book about EMD F units, Covered Wagons, is considered a classic by many and his ShortLines is still a guide for many. He was active as well in many genealogy and historical organizations. He was noted for his publishing of the magazine Railroading and was a contributor to Trains, Railfan and other publications with membership in many historical railroad societies including being a charter member of the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the NRHS. He served in the Army during the Korean conflict in the US and Germany. His brother Richard Young and sister Althea Stice predeceased him. He enjoyed the love of cousins, nieces, and nephews. An open house at Simrell Farm, 8353 Starrucca Creek Road, Susquehanna, PA is planned for the afternoon of Saturday, September 15th. Bill gave many presentations to our chapter, the last two in 2007 and 2008. He was unable to attend our 50th Anniversary Celebration on April 14th due to failing health. See our Photos page for two photos of Bill Young. Tom Trencansky obituary Thomas T. Trencansky, 61, of Dryden, NY, died unexpectedly June 19, 2012, at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. Thomas was born on January 14, 1951 in Johnson City, NY. Starting in childhood, he was an avid railroader and photographer, now well known throughout the world. He worked at Cornell University as Administrative Manager of Geological/ Earth and Atmospheric Sciences for 29 years; owned and edited Dryden Tidbits; and recently retired as Executive Director of the Cayuga Nature Center. Over the years he spent most of his free time publishing articles and photographs in railroad magazines; collecting and driving classic cars; and traveling. His generous heart, pranks and smiles will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughters, Lisa (Scott) and Maria (Jess); brothers, Stephen (Mary Jane) and Eugene (Susan); sister Sandra Pasdon (Norbert); and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by parents Stephen and Margaret; brother Ron; and sisters-in-law Debra and Ann. Tom gave many presentations to our chapter. Most recently, he presented the program Take the Picture at our 50th Anniversary Celebration on April 14th. Read Tom's profile, published in Railfan & Railroad Magazine's June 1997 issue. Shelden King obituary Well-known trolley and railroad historian Sheldon S. King, 80, of Alloway, passed away on Saturday, June 16, 2012, at Rochester General Hospital. Sheldon was born on December 6, 1931, in Syracuse, a son to the late Calvin and Grace Peebles King. He was a graduate of Marathon Central Schools and Cortland Business Institute. Sheldon received his Bachelors in 1959 from SUNY Geneseo. Sheldon retired as a librarian for Westinghouse in Horseheads, NY. He was an author of books and articles concerning Upstate New York railroads and electric railways. He was also a speaker on the same topics. Sheldon was a parishioner of the Lyons United Methodist Church, a member of the Lyons Civic Club, Western New York Postcard Club, and several railroad historical societies. He is survived by two brothers, Stephen (Barbara) of Seneca Falls and Calvin (Jeanne) of Charlestown, SC; several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grand nephew; and several friends from Alloway and Lyons Methodist Church. Shelden gave presentations to our chapter, and also authored The Trolleys of the Triple Cities. Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotives honoring our local railroads Erie DL&W LV PRR NYC Conrail Photos by Norfolk Southern. See photos and read about all 20 Heritage locomotives on the NS site. Norfolk Southern Single Track Project In the summer of 2010 Norfolk Southern single tracked the Southern Tier line (former Erie) from Binghamton to Waverly. Click for photos and a description of the project. New NYS trespassing law on railroad property "Railroad property is supposed to be used for one thing: railroad operations. It is not a place of recreation for people to ride vehicles, animals, or play around. Strengthening the state's railroad trespassing laws will help save lives and prevent injuries by keeping individuals who don't belong on railroad property off of it," said Senator Fuschillo, Chairman of the Senate's Transportation Committee. The law prohibits individuals from trespassing on foot on all railroad property throughout the state. Violators of the law will face class B misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. In addition, the law prohibits individuals from trespassing on railroad property while riding on any motor vehicles, recreational and all-terrain vehicles, or animals. Violators face a fine of up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses. Prior to the new law, railroad trespassing laws were extremely limited. Only snowmobilers and horseback riders faced fines for trespassing on railroad property ($100 fine and $10 fine, respectively). Trespassing on railroad property on foot was only prohibited on Long Island, New York City, and Monroe County. Railroads of New York (RONY), a not-for-profit statewide association which represents the freight railroad industry in New York State, noted in a letter that the new law is needed because "when it comes to enforcing railroad trespass offenses in New York, law enforcement officials are forced to do so with an outdated law that has only seen a few updates since the mid nineteenth century." RONY also noted that "trespassing is the most significant cause of death attributable to railroad operations in New York State." "This legislation will greatly assist police officers in protecting the public while they are using mass transportation. Trespassing in these particular areas can be extremely dangerous to both the individual and the public and this law will be a useful tool in dealing with this issue," said Peter Paterson, Legislative Chairman of the New York State Association of PBAs. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, railroad trespassing accounted for 576 fatalities and 633 injuries in the U.S. last year. The new law took effect on January 16, 2012.

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