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Quick News
(TRKneller)-Complications on this site prevented the August issue from displaying. The technical glitch resulted in two months of the July issue.
The August issue's Editorial dealt with Discovery. Discoveries of knowledge, history, and atrifacts. Oh, and see my genuine NKP pencil - never used.
The August Feature deals with our inability to capture truely unique photographs and how we might improve the situation.
To view the August, 2003, issue click here.
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Editorial
Messages From Afar
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It was a message from the blue. In fact, I nearly deleted the email without reading it. But something had repeatedly drawn me back to it and I gave in to temptation and read it. Boy, I'm glad I did.
Some 25 years ago or so someone I knew had moved away. This person happened to move thousands of miles away. He resides, I believe, in Seward, Alaska, which is on the Kenai Peninsula and most notably due south of the city of Anchorage. Never-the-less, I hadn't seen this person since.
Names and faces often fade over time and distance but his name remained fresh. For his name was forever tied to my imagination. In my grandmother's house, on her book shelf, sits a wonderful O-scale, wooden caboose of the Nickel Plate 1000 series. James Krasnansky built this model for my grandfather more than a quarter century ago and it is still proudly displayed to this day.
And, so, I begin to read this short email that contained a few pictures of 765 in 1980. Then it dawns on me just who the sender is. As you can imagine, I was taken completely by surprise but was extremely happy I hadn't deleted this one. A message from the blue had arrived and was entirely welcome. The story in this months Feature relates Mr. Krasnansky's day with 765 and how his interest in railroading came to be and continues to be -- from here to the North Pole.
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Feature
A Lifetime of Interest
765 probably at Argos, IN, on July 12, 1980.
James A. Krasnansky photo.
765 rounding the bend in Ft. Wayne, IN, on July 12, 1980.
James A. Krasnansky photo.
A silhouette of 765 on the St. Mary's River bridge in downtown Ft. Wayne, IN, on July 13, 1980.
James A. Krasnansky photo.
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I've always loved trains. When I was a little guy, I lived in Gary, not far from the PRR yard. I used to watch the maintenance crews lift the boilers from the drivers on the steam locomotives. To a little kid, they were like gods! I have gotten to ride several trains - always liked the surreal effect of watching through the window as we were passing through the country and cities. Almost dreamlike.
When I was about 10, mom and I rode the PRR from Warsaw to Hammond to see my grandparents who lived there. One weekend when I was a senior in HS, I got to ride 5 trains! What a thrill! One was the Santa Fe El Capitan from Chicago to Joliet and the Super Chief back. Then I rode the South Shore from Chicago to South Bend. The 4th & 5th was a subway and the elevated in Chicago.
In 1980, over the Three Rivers Festival, I had a chance to ride the 765 for about $20.00 (which was a lot of money then) - Friends encouraged me, and I didn't look back - Had a blast! Left the elevated NYC & StL station in Fort Wayne there on Harrison (or Calhoun) and rode to Argos. Spent the day with the good people of Argos, (a lot of food!) and taking pictures of the Berkshire as she ran by several times. That's the first one in the series. There was a hobby shop on South Harrison, "Sycamore Hollow Hobbies" - and the propriator was into the railroad historical society - he was the fireman on the locomotive - told me later that the auger from the tender to the locomotive failed, and he had to hand - shovel the coal! Said he got a real work out that day!
The second picture is coming back to Ft. Wayne in the evening about where the West Wayne yards are (or were). As I lived near there, the next day I actually planned (!) to get a picture of her crossing the St. Mary's River bridge. That is the 3rd pic. Floyd and Mary Kneller lived on the mainline of the old Nickle Plate Road, and I made a special effort to sit on the south side of the train as we passed. I especially remember looking for you all, and was delighteed to see you and Bum with the biggest smiles on your faces!
We have taken a couple of trips on the ARR. We went to Denali Park once when my kids were little, and we try to ride the train over the Labor Day special - there is a day trip from Seward to Portage and back - just entertainment... Does Mary still have the model caboose? I built that for Bum for Christmas one year. I've rambled on a bit for one email - more later!
- James A. Krasnansky
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