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Fostoria RailPark in the News
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FOSTORIA RAILPARK UPDATE June 9, 2014 Hello to everyone.
Top on our list is we are on a membership campaign. Many of you are FRPS members but some are not. We need your support to help us reach our goals. Some FRPS members are matching $ for new members or those of you who have let your membership lapse. Please help us if you can.
The Ohio Rail Development Commission sends out the Track Record and we had been forwarding this to our 500+ email list. Unfortunately, we are discontinuing this practice. You will be able to read it on our website. Too many times, almost weekly, someone would unsubscribe directly to ORDC.
Saturday, September 27 isn't too far away. That is the date for the 13th Fostoria Rail Festival. Fred Fogelsinger, Michigan resident sent in his check for vendor tables at our rail festival. Thanks Fred !!! We have moved the rail festival to the high school, which is right beside the old location, we needed more room for vendors. We added remote-controlled airplanes to our outside displays as well as the Fostoria Chamber car show. Hope to see you too.
FRPS is a member of Destination Seneca County and they have a billboard on US 23 near Upper Sandusky. Look for the billboard near the SR 53 exit. Eddie Durnwald's railpark photo with a NS Triple Crown beside the platform is the billboard photo. Thanks Eddie and Destination Seneca County !!!
FRPS is planning for the Owosso Michigan Steam Railroading Institute event on June 20-22. 30,000 are expected to attend and we are planning to talk to everyone and tell them about Fostoria Ohio !!! Are you going to be there? Stop in and see us in the big tent.
FRPS elected new board members. Teresa Lee is the new President. Renee Smith is 1st vice president with Herm VandeKerkhoff continuing being the VP of acquisitions. Board members are retiring President Jim Roberts, Joe Droll, Pamela Smith, Tom Miller, and John Potteiger. Secy-treas. is Ellen Gatrell.
The LE&W Depot will be painted this summer. Colors selected are a medium gray with white trim. This is close to the original colors. We have an estimate of less than $7,000. including paint and labor. Would you like to help with the depot painting project? Your monetary donation would be greatly appreciated.
The NKP
765 will have their open house on August 16. Here is an opportunity to
see the NKP 765 up close and personal. The 765 will be traveling
through Fostoria sometime in September as they are going to Cuyahoga
Valley. May 28, 2014 Canadian Railway Observations is one of the premier online railway newsletters concentrating on Canadian Railways and is packed full of information and great photos. They will be publishing an article on the Fostoria RailPark in the June issue. You must be a member to access the current month but I have uploaded the article I wrote to our web page. It can be accessed here. May 24, 2014 Hello to all this beautiful Spring Day !!!!
Just a short note advising the May FRPS meeting is tonight !!! The meeting time is 6:00 p.m. Please plan to attend and get involved in our organization.
The rail park is open for all. 24/7 with trains constantly passing by the rail park. The restrooms are in perfect order. Fostoria's Mayor Eric Keckler was asked if grills can be used at the park and he says OK !!! We have had many new visitors and of course those who have come to Fostoria for years are excited to see the new park !!! Enjoy the facilities.
Ellen May 15, 2014 Those that are wondering about the wash rooms, they are open and working properly. Few instances of people stealing the toilet paper so please have an eye. Also please stay off the grass as it has been reseeded and this wet weather will make it a sea of mud. Parking is no longer permitted at the station lot as CSX has had some damage to vehicles and has installed a camera and voice announcement that you are trespassing. The RailPark has lots of great spots so no need to park there, Hydro is available at the observation area and WiFi will be coming soon. Happy railfanning and be safe out there.
January 30, 2014
Regarding the extreme cold weather, the Rail Park has
taken on a frozen issue--broken water pipes in the womens restroom.
Seems the doors do not always close tightly enough with the extreme
wind and cold we have had this January. Both restrooms will be locked
until the broken water pipes can be repaired. Sorry for the problem,
but we hope this is a small problem as with the colder than usual
temperatures there certainly are less people viewing trains at the rail
park. We are staying home where it is warmer until the weather breaks.
Please mark Thursday, April 17 (3rd Thursday in April) for the Fostoria Railroad Employees Reunion. This year the event will be held at the Good Shepherd Nursing Home's lower level, 725 Columbus Avenue (SR 18 going toward Bascom/Tiffin). Doors will open at 5, dinner at 6 and program at 7. We are pleased to announce Kelly Lynch, Ft. Wayne RR HS (NKP 765) Communications Director will be our speaker. Expect to hear a special announcement at this program too. There is an elevator to the lower level for those not wanting to use steps. More info on the program later.
July 20-22 is another "Train weekend" Owosso
Michigan, Steam Railroading Institute will host Train Expo 2014. Look
on their website for more info. www.michigansteamtrain.com
FRPS is on the board for the 7th Toledo National
Train Day, and meetings will begin this week. More info later.
Stay warm !!!!!
Ellen
FRPS Receives $1000 Grant from ORU
January 2, 2014 Happy New 2014 to everyone this snowy and cold winter day.
We had been warned this was to be a colder and snowier winter and the predictions are coming true. There is no reason for me to leave my warm home today and it's a good time to sit in front of the computer and get more "stuff" completed here. Looking back on the FRPS 2013 year, well, we can certainly say we had al ot going on and here is the list.
FEBRUARY ...Henry H. Geary Foundation/Key Bank donates $1,000.00 to FRPS. ...City of Fostoria receives 3 bids for the Fostoria rail park $1.8 million construction project. MARCH ...Whitta Construction, Fostoria, was selected to build the Fostoria Iron Triangle Visitors Center and Viewing Park. ...Posey Excavating completed the Codding building demolition project. Rail fans will have a better view of the area with this building gone. This property, owned by the city of Fostoria, is directly west of the rail park. APRIL ...Ohio Rail Tourism Assn.(ORTA) held their annual meeting at Jerry Joe Jacobson's Sugar Creek Roundhouse. FRPS is a member of ORTA. Amazing to walk around and see such a display of rail road history so well preserved, loved and admired. ...Whitta Construction, began the work on the new rail park. Work should be completed by October if the weather cooperates. ...Operation Lifesaver Train (OL). FRPS has an Operation Lifesaver presenter on our board. FRPS invited the Fostoria Fire Dept. & Fostoria Police Dept. employees to ride the OL train with FRPS members as guests. The trip was from Rocky River to Bellevue. ...FRPS held their 4th annual Railroad Employees Reunion at St. Wendelin Parish Life Center. Guest Speaker was Matt VanHattem, Senior Editor, Trains Magazine. ...Charles Glover, Fostoria donated a LE&W whistle post. FRPS will move the post to the rail park in 2014. MAY ...National Train Day (NTD), Toledo was a successful event with over 8,000 people attending. FRPS is on the NTD committee and had tables at the event. ...Canadian Walter Pfefferle began updating the FRPS website and opened up a FRPS Facebook page. Walter has accomplished a great deal in a short time. Look at our website and connect with us on Facebook. We will keep you informed on what is happening in Fostoria and FRPS. ...C&O/NKP double diamond and B&O/C&O double diamonds are being replaced by N/S and CSX crews. ...Ft. Wayne's NKP 765 rumbled EB through Fostoria. ...B&O RR Historical Society held a mini-convention in Fostoria. Previous mini-con was in 2009. ...Ft. Wayne's NKP 765 rumbled WB back to Ft. Wayne through Fostoria. ...Michael Harvey, St. Mary's OH, donates a scanner for railfans use. Scanner is setup at Davis & Newcomer Bldg. (D&N) and to be placed in rail park when platform is completed. (This scanner will be moved in the spring when the weather is warmer.) ...Rolf Babb, Jim Hohman and Dr. Gregory Hensley donate a picnic table for rail fans use. Picnic table is located in the D&N lawn area. ...FRPS receives $1,000.00 grant from Fostoria Eagles. Funds will be used to upgrade the LE&W depot electric box. JUNE ...Operation Lifesaver holds their quarterly meeting at the LE&W depot. JULY ...City of Fostoria employees cut down the scrub trees on the Codding property line allowing more visibility for rail fans in the Iron Triangle. AUGUST ...Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative donates $1,000.00 to FRPS for expenses to paint the LE&W depot exterior. ...Tom E. Dailey Foundation donates $2,000.00 to FRPS for the LE&W/ NKP caboose restoration project. ...Mohegan-Pequot RR Club travels to Fostoria to railfan in the Iron Triangle. ...FRPS volunteers clean up the T&OC/NYC depot and NYC Tower grounds. They removed vegetation with the city of Fostoria employees furthering the process at the NYC Tower by removing trees in and around the tower and abandoned rail line. SEPTEMBER ...Ft. Wayne NKP 765 travels EB through Fostoria to Cuyahoga Valley in early September and traveled WB back to Ft. Wayne later in September. ...FRPS President Jim Roberts announces new FRPS executive board members--Tom Miller, Renee Smith, Joe Droll, Pamela Smith and John Potteiger. These appointments were made to fill vacant seats. Earlier this year Aaron Gonya, John Kimble and Roger Radcliff resigned. ...Fostoria Area Visitors Bureau (FAVB) & Capture 1 Studios released "The History of Fostoria, Vol 1" with an event at St. Wendelin Parish Life Center. ...12th annual Fostoria Rail Festival held at Fost. Intermediate School (FIES). Chamber Car Show was added. Train show has grown and will be moved to the adjacent larger school building, Fostoria High School for the September 27, 2014 event.
...WBGU-TV (public TV) visits Fostoria Rail Festival
and interviews Mayor Eric Keckler, FRPS Pres. Jim Roberts, Chamber of
Commerce Director Pamela Smith, Fostoria Area Historical Society Pres.
Leonard Skonecki (Gov. Charles Foster) and Ellen Gatrell for WBGU Scenic
Stops program. Our segment will be part of the NW Ohio railroads
program. ...B&O RR Historical Society held their national convention in Findlay with two buses of attendees visiting the Iron Triangle. ...Rail park not quite complete. Too much rain over the summer has caused delays. NOVEMBER ...Fostoria native John Switzer published an article in the Columbus Dispatch on growing up in Fostoria during the steam train era. ...City of Fostoria held the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Fostoria Iron Triangle Visitors Center & Viewing Area. Approximately 200 people were in attendance. A reception was held at the BANKquet Hall following the ribbon-cutting. DECEMBER ...Mayor Eric Keckler is allowing the rail park to be open 24/7. Fostoria City Council will have an ordinance requesting the 24/7 at December council meetings. ...Fostoria Chamber held 2nd annual WhoVille on Dec. 7 along with the Fostoria Rotary Club Holiday Parade in downtown Fostoria. Santa arrived at the LE&W depot for our 6th annual Santa at the Depot. Chamber had events downtown and at the Fostoria Plaza. In attendance, the Grinch! ...FRPS sponsored the 4th annual Light Up Fostoria for the Holidays contest. Bus tours are held to view the entrants beautifully lighted lawn displays.
GENERAL INFORMATION ...Donations were received during the 2013 year from Charley Sheets, the Clyde Lindsay family, Gerald Lee, retired B&O engineer Marie Walton, Jim Nusser, Robert Woods widow and Herm VandeKerkhoff. ...FRPS traveled through Ohio and Michigan attending many train shows. Of course we informed railfans of what is going on in Fostoria. ...FRPS memberships are up with 160 members for 2013. We expect those numbers to increase with the rail park opening to the public in Nov. Are you a member? Our membership form is on our website.
Ellen
CLICK BANNER RAILPARK NEWS
FRPS Photo Contest - WINNERS ANNOUNCED Click to see winners.
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