"The steam locomotive is the nearest thing to a living machine that mankind has ever invented." - Nigel Harris
After too many hurdles to count, it appears that our plans to ship Locomotive #35 to the Steam Operations Corp. in Alabama for its restoration, are finally about to be realized. #35 was built at the Pennsylvania RR's Juniata Works in 1928, and was the last steam engine to operate on the LIRR - being retired in 1955.
Nigel Harris, the Managing Editor of the British magazine RAIL, writes, "I've never met anyone who, once bitten by the steam engine bug, ever gets it out of his system." So my tale begins.
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. The house that my parents bought in 1948 overlooked, in the distance, the Ohio River. Train tracks bordered both banks, and from my bedroom window I could make out the images of freight trains on their journeys. On quiet nights, I could hear the plaintive wail of the steam locomotive's whistle - a sound now heard only in film noir classics of the '40s
My father, who shared my love of trains, would sometimes take me on his day off, to the Gimbel's Department Store warehouse rail yards. On one of these visits, in the mid 1950s, he pointed to a large and impressive steam locomotive and said, "take a good look, because pretty soon they'll all be gone." When he saw my reaction, and the tear that was welling up in my 9 year old eyes, he quickly told me a fatherly fib - assuring me that "maybe they ALL won't be gone."
Well they are gone. Five years ago I learned of the OBRM's effort to restore the historic station, and Locomotive #35, and I saw a chance to rekindle my passion for trains and railroading. I hoped that my 30 plus years a fundraising and communications executive could be put to use to help the Museum achieve its goals and objectives.
It has been my privilege to work alongside President John Specce and the rest of the Museum's volunteer leadership. We've made some significant progress, but much remains to be done. The good news is that the goal of a fully functioning Oyster Bay Railroad Museum is now more than ever,
clearly within sight. However, also now more than ever, we need your generous support and that of others to help hasten the day.
It's been my pleasure to get to know and work with many of you, and I will always cherish the friends and colleagues that came into my life via the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum. I will be moving on to other projects, but as Nigel Harris said, "once bitten by the steam engine bug....."
Have wonderful summer!
Bill Bell
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Monday, August 2, 2010
OBRM Celebrates The Launch of Summer 2010
On a beautiful Gold Coast evening, Thursday June 17th to be precise, friends and supporters of the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum gathered at the Sagamore Yacht Club to usher in our "Fourth Annual Summer Solstice Celebration." It also marked the launch of the Museum's new website.
The annual fund raiser actually took place four days before the major celestial event marking the longest day, and the shortest night of the year. This minor anomaly, however, did nothing to dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of the guests. In attendance were new members of the OBRM Advisory Board, Lisa Ott, President of the North Shore Alliance, and Roger Bahnik and his wife Lori. Town of Oyster Bay Councilman Anthony Macagnone, a staunch supporter of the Museum also joined the festivities.
A beautiful variety of items donated by Oyster Bay merchants, made for a very lucrative silent auction, and the always popular 50/50 raffle saw a lucky party goer take home $1,000.00! The Gathering Time Trio peppered their popular country/rock selections with railroad songs that brought smiles to the faces of train buffs and regular folks alike.
Some in the large crowd took advantage of the beautiful hazy sunset by moving out to the patio and lawn to enjoy cocktails and dinner. The buffet was catered by Harborside Deli. OBRM board member Judy Wasilchuk worked with Harborside's Pete Giola to create a menu of authentic "dining car recipes" from the golden age of rail travel.
In preparation for the 8:27 pm sunset OBRM board member Gary Farkash made sure that the champagne glasses were full, the Yacht Club canon was fired, and all the guests, now gathered outside saluted the official (sort of) beginning of Summer.
The program began inside with President John Specce and Chairman Ben Jankowski thanking all those in attendance, and recognizing the corporate sponsors who helped make the evening a success. They also spoke of the Museum's progress to date, and the work yet to be done. Ben mentioned that "the Museum will play a pivotal part in making the connection between downtown and the waterfront." John said, "a functioning Oyster Bay Railroad Museum will create a family-friendly attraction that will be critical to the goal of making Oyster Bay a destination location."
"Summer" wasn't the only launch of the evening. The new Oyster Bay Railroad Museum's website- www.obrm.org also made its debut. Joe Skopek and his superb Chromatrope team were critical allies in this important project. The new site represents the next step in the branding process that began last year with the deisgn of our new brochure. The colors selected were those that came into use by the Pennsylvania Railroad, former owner of the LIRR, in the 1930's. "Tuscan", a brick red, and gold leaf and buff used for lettering and striping by the PRR give the site a warmth and familiarity, especially to those who have an interst in trains. We chose a font that is clean and readable, but retains a classic quality. The new site represents another important step in the marketing and communications efforts of the Museum. It will introduce prospective supporters to our efforts to build a first class historical, educational and family-friendly resource for Oyster Bay and the region.
My hope is that as more people learn of our efforts they will be energized, become Museum Members, and "get on board" by financially supporting our mission.
- Bill Bell
The annual fund raiser actually took place four days before the major celestial event marking the longest day, and the shortest night of the year. This minor anomaly, however, did nothing to dampen the spirits and enthusiasm of the guests. In attendance were new members of the OBRM Advisory Board, Lisa Ott, President of the North Shore Alliance, and Roger Bahnik and his wife Lori. Town of Oyster Bay Councilman Anthony Macagnone, a staunch supporter of the Museum also joined the festivities.
A beautiful variety of items donated by Oyster Bay merchants, made for a very lucrative silent auction, and the always popular 50/50 raffle saw a lucky party goer take home $1,000.00! The Gathering Time Trio peppered their popular country/rock selections with railroad songs that brought smiles to the faces of train buffs and regular folks alike.
Some in the large crowd took advantage of the beautiful hazy sunset by moving out to the patio and lawn to enjoy cocktails and dinner. The buffet was catered by Harborside Deli. OBRM board member Judy Wasilchuk worked with Harborside's Pete Giola to create a menu of authentic "dining car recipes" from the golden age of rail travel.
In preparation for the 8:27 pm sunset OBRM board member Gary Farkash made sure that the champagne glasses were full, the Yacht Club canon was fired, and all the guests, now gathered outside saluted the official (sort of) beginning of Summer.
The program began inside with President John Specce and Chairman Ben Jankowski thanking all those in attendance, and recognizing the corporate sponsors who helped make the evening a success. They also spoke of the Museum's progress to date, and the work yet to be done. Ben mentioned that "the Museum will play a pivotal part in making the connection between downtown and the waterfront." John said, "a functioning Oyster Bay Railroad Museum will create a family-friendly attraction that will be critical to the goal of making Oyster Bay a destination location."
"Summer" wasn't the only launch of the evening. The new Oyster Bay Railroad Museum's website- www.obrm.org also made its debut. Joe Skopek and his superb Chromatrope team were critical allies in this important project. The new site represents the next step in the branding process that began last year with the deisgn of our new brochure. The colors selected were those that came into use by the Pennsylvania Railroad, former owner of the LIRR, in the 1930's. "Tuscan", a brick red, and gold leaf and buff used for lettering and striping by the PRR give the site a warmth and familiarity, especially to those who have an interst in trains. We chose a font that is clean and readable, but retains a classic quality. The new site represents another important step in the marketing and communications efforts of the Museum. It will introduce prospective supporters to our efforts to build a first class historical, educational and family-friendly resource for Oyster Bay and the region.
My hope is that as more people learn of our efforts they will be energized, become Museum Members, and "get on board" by financially supporting our mission.
- Bill Bell
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