Byways Great American Railroads 2019

Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations

Great American Railroads UP Commemorates 150th Anniversary of Golden Spike Arizona’s Verde Canyon Railroad Grand Canyon RR Celebrates NPS 100 Years at Canyon The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad New York’s Medina Railroad Museum Colebrookdale Railroad, Secret Valley Expedition The Wilmington & Western Railroad

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Daniel Boone National Forest - 600 miles of hiking/biking trails Canoeing/Kayaking/Watersports on Rivers & Lakes • Wildcat ATV & Offroad Park Daniel Boone Moto-cross Park • Wildcat Harley Davidson & Eleven Motorcycle Ride Routes 1300+ Hotel Rooms & 300+ Campsites • The original KY Fried Chicken Cafe & Museum

Byways Magazine ©Copyright 2019 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

For more than 36 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada.

Byways is published in three versions. They is the Turn-Key edition on the web for viewing on Computers, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad). There is an Apple App Store edition. There is also a Byways Magazine Channel in Apple News.

For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine 502-785-4875 http://bywaysmagazine.com Byways • 3

PREVIEW

By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher

elcome to Great American one of the largest freight depot museums in New York Railroads, Byways annual State. Located in Medina near the shores of Lake issues featuring the rails of Ontario, the museum houses over 7,000 artifacts covering the history of railroads. Exhibits feature vintage toy North America.

We begin the journey in Utah, where trains from the legendary manufacturers like Lionel, Union Pacific Railroad is leading the Marx and American Flyer.

The Museum’s vintage trains offer excursions to celebration of the 150th anniversary of Lockport and back several times per year for special the laying of the Golden Spike. events.

Train season is March through October, with Of all the events that helped shape the United States in magical Polar Express rides after Thanksgiving through the 19th century, few surpassed the importance of what took place on May 10, 1869. On that day, the dream of a mid-December.

The Secret Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania is one transcontinental railroad became a reality when the railof the most scenic and historic regions in the northeast. heads of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads And the Colebrookdale finally met at Promontory Railroad is your ticket to this Summit, Utah. verdant land lost in time.

The event — marked by In Delaware, the the driving of a golden Wilmington & Western spike to complete the line Railroad was chartered in — brought to a finish a gru1867 to move goods from the eling 7-year journey. mills along the Red Clay In Arizona, we visit two Creek to the Port of railroads that feature some Wilmington. Now in its third of the most beautiful century, the railroad has faced scenery in the country. numerous challenges from The Colorado Plateau is a poor management, debt and wonderland of geological even hurricanes. But it has riches including San survived, and today the railFrancisco Peaks, the red road operates regular steam rocks of Sedona and the and diesel-powered tourist largest stand of Ponderosa Pullman Class on the Grand Canyon Railroad. trains on its full 10 miles of Pine forest in the world. track between Greenbank and The Verde Canyon Railroad travels the diverse Arizona Hockessin. landscape, including Sedona and the Verde Valley.

In his travels along the Highways & Byways, Bill Since 1901 the Grand Canyon Railway has enchanted millions of people from all over the world. This year, the Graves takes us to Wisconsin to explore its lighthouses. railroad is helping to celebrate the National Park Wait, lighthouses in Wisconsin? Yes, and of the original 50, 33 are still operating.

Service’s 100th anniversary at the Grand Canyon.

In What’s Happening, we discover the ghost towns of The Grand Canyon Railway recreates the historic trip America.

And how were we to know there were so by rail to the Grand Canyon 364 days a year, providing many?

Taking data from 3,000 abandoned towns across passengers with the opportunity to relive an important the country, Geotab has created an interactive map showpart of American history. casing the number of ghost towns in each U.S. state and Next, we’re off to the Oregon coast, where Mary Charlebois takes us down the tracks passing lumber highlighting10 striking examples of these historic comyards, marinas, fishing vessels, small towns, Tillamook munities. We provide a direct link to the map for your Bay, estuaries, and spectacular scenery. Vintage cars are viewing.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Byways! pulled by a restored 1900s steam engine passing through places like Watseco and Twin Rocks, micro-towns with ocean views.

Cross county, we visit the Medina Railroad Museum,

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Daniel Boone National Forest - 600 miles of hiking/biking trails Canoeing/Kayaking/Watersports on Rivers & Lakes • Wildcat ATV & Offroad Park Daniel Boone Moto-cross Park • Wildcat Harley Davidson & Eleven Motorcycle Ride Routes 1300+ Hotel Rooms & 300+ Campsites • The original KY Fried Chicken Cafe & Museum

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Volume 36, Issue No. 1 2019 On the cover. Crossing a tressel on the Verde Canyon Railroad, located in Arizona’s Colorado Plateau. From Oregon to Delaware, Byways has the rails covered in this Great American Railroads issue. Cover photo courtesy Verde Canyon Railroad.

Features Great American Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Union Pacific Railroad Commemorates 150th Anniversary of Golden Spike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Arizona’s Verde Canyon Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Grand Canyon Railroad Celebrates National Park Service’s 100 Years at Canyon . . . . . . . . . 16 The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 New York’s Medina Railroad Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Colebrookdale Railroad, Secret Valley Expedition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The Wilmington & Western Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Departments Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

What’s Happening Ghost Towns of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Coming in future issues of Byways ...Mountains & Valleys, Oceans, Rivers & Lakes, Great American Roads and much more!

Next Up: Mountains & Valleys. Hiking Mount Beacon in New York’s Hudson Valley overlooking the Hudson River. Photo courtesy Dutchess Tourism.

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The ceremony for the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869, completed the First Transcontinental Railroad. At center left, Samuel S. Montague, Central Pacific Railroad, shakes hands with Grenville M. Dodge, Union Pacific Railroad (center right).

Union Pacific Railroad Commemorates 150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike

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t started with the signing of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. The Central Pacific Railroad of California, chartered in 1861, was authorized to build a line east from Sacramento.

At the same time, the Act chartered the Union Pacific Railroad Company to build west from the Missouri River. The original legislation granted each railroad 6,400 acres and up to $48,000 in government bonds for each mile completed. And so, The Great Race began.

Of all the events that helped shape our nation in the 19th century, few surpassed the importance of what took place on May 10, 1869. On that day, the dream of a transcontinental railroad became a reality when the railheads of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah.

The event — marked by the driving of a golden spike to complete the line — brought to a finish a grueling 7year journey that began when President Abraham 8 • Byways

Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862.

Path to the Summit The path to the Summit was hard-fought, perilous and competitive. In late April 1869, the Central Pacific, with teams of Irish and Chinese workers, set a record for laying 10 miles and 56 feet of track in 12 hours at Rozel, Utah.

This accomplishment began as a bet with the Union Pacific, whose men had once laid seven miles of track in one stretch (although they had reportedly worked from 4 a.m. to midnight to complete the task, well beyond a regular day's work).

At the time, the San Francisco Bulletin called the feat “the greatest work in track laying ever accomplished or conceived by railroad men.” A top-ranking Army commander, who was watching the workers' progress with

his soldiers, commented that he had never seen such organization, and that “it was just like an army marching over the ground and leaving the track built behind them.”

Meeting Place Despite plenty of time to determine a meeting place, it was just a mere month before completion that Congress had finally passed a joint resolution naming Promontory Summit the place “at which rails shall meet and form one continuous line.” The name was taken from the large promontory projecting south into the Great Salt Lake. By early May, Union Pacific crews had laid the final track from Corinne, Utah, to the Summit.

Railroad officials, workers and citizens were ready for a celebration.

The Ceremony

ural obstacles of the most forbidding character, the shores of the Atlantic and the Pacific are at last practically united by an iron highway spanning the continent...From henceforth we are in the Union and of it, and the great event of the age has brought us all home at last.”

Golden Spike Monument Today, Promontory Summit is the home of the Golden Spike National Historic Monument. In 1870, this original junction point for Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads was moved to nearby Ogden. Promontory became primarily a helper station, housing mostly railroad workers and their families.

Union Pacific Activities Union Pacific is hosting activities and celebrations in the communities whose past is closely rooted with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. As each community’s celebration is planned, the list is updated with details of activities. https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/greatrace/index.htm

The ceremony, however, was postponed for a few extra days due to wet weather, a washed-out bridge and a revolt by unpaid Union Pacific railroad workers who threatened to kidnap the company’s vice president, Thomas Durant (a scheme possibly orchestrated by Durant himself.)

But on May 10, the rails did meet and a country was Follow the Great Race Follow the Great Race to Promontory, which illusunited coast to coast. Scores of dignitaries, railroad executives, and journalists witnessed the momentous event. trates the journey to Promontory with rare photographs The Daily Alta California, a 19th-century San Francisco and animated maps. https://www.up.com/goldenspike/index.html newspaper, wrote the following day: “In the face of natGolden Spike National Historic Site at Promontory Summit, Utah. Photo courtesy Bill Graves.

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Arizona’s Verde Canyon Railroad

A train passes through the Verde Valley along the Verde River. Photo courtesy Verde Canyon Railroad.

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Traveling through the Verde Canyon.

Photo courtesy Verde Canyon Railroad.

scent during spring and early summer. The Verde Valley also is home to its own specific variety of Yucca, Elata Verdiensis, standing as graceful sentinels with their creamy white buds floating overhead. It’s a rare vantage point for wildflower viewing from the open-air car of a train, especially with a Prickly Pear Margarita in hand.

Sedona and the Verde Valley bloom long into summer in a colorful crescendo from March through June with a wide and wild variety of flowers. During this time Verde Canyon Railroad welcomes favorite annual highlights such as newborn baby eaglets, the ever-popular Easter Arizona Landscape The train travels a diverse swath of Arizona landscape Bunny Express and the celebration of National Train along a rare ribbon accessible only by these heritage Day. rails. Operating since 1912, the railroad is right at home within its wild corridor, sharing the Canyon with javeli- Black-tailed Jackrabbit The Black-tailed Jackrabbit, a Verde Canyon resident, na, mule deer, elk, Great Blue Heron, bald eagles and a may be one of the largest hares in North America but he’s wealth of resident and migrating raptors. Within this got nothing on Verde Canyon Railroad’s resident rabbit, region one finds some of Arizona’s most treasured iconthe Easter Bunny.

On Sunday, March 27, depot guests ic scenery. The chasms carved by the mighty river and creeks of the lower valley rise to meet the Mogollon Rim enjoy hugs, candy and photo-ops with the mischievous and mountains of the Colorado Plateau. The dramatic hare. The fun continues onboard as the winner of the shift in geology and elevation offers an incredible vari- jellybean counting contest is awarded a giant jar of candies to take along on the ride. ety of very special species visible from the train.

National Train Day, commemorating the historical A rare and endangered bloom seen along the rails is the importance of the American Railroad, is celebrated Arizona Cliffrose. Protected since 1984, this shrub now nationwide this year on Friday, May 10, and Verde thrives; its delicate flowers filling the air with sweet

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rizona’s Colorado Plateau is a wonderland of geological riches including the Grand Canyon, the volcanic San Francisco Peaks, the red rocks of Sedona and the largest stand of ponderosa pine forest in the world.

Situated in the heart of this wonderland is Verde Canyon Railroad, sandwiched between the Coconino and Prescott National Forests and adjoining the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness area.

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Verde Canyon in Autum along the Verde River.

Photo courtesy Verde Canyon Railroad.

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Dramatic view of a train leaving a tunnel along the Verde River. Photos courtesy Verde Canyon Railroad.

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the charming Clarkdale depot to the ghost ranch at Perkinsville and back.

Awe-inspiring rock formations, historic trestles, ancient cliff dwellings and soaring raptors are just a few of the trip’s many highlights.

First Class

Food service on the Verde Canyon Railroad.

First-class cars boast plush seating, complimentary appetizers and a fullservice bar. Coach offers vintage Pullman-style seating, panoramic windows and snack bars. Everyone has access to open-air viewing cars offering 360-degree views and spectacular photographic opportunities.

A stone’s throw from the hillside

Canyon Railroad joins the party locally with an entertaining and educational celebration at the Clarkdale depot. This free event, taking place from 10:00am to 1:00pm, is open to all, with guided tours of the historic train and John Bell Museum. An All-American barbecue luncheon will be available for purchase on the patio.

Heart of the West A treasured bit of history traversing a rare and scenic Arizona wilderness, Verde Canyon Railroad is a fresh view into the unspoiled heart of the West. Postcard-perfect scenery is only part of the magic.

The train provides a comfortable and exciting journey as it travels a leisurely four hours from

Spectacular seating in open air car over the canyon. mining town of Jerome, Verde Canyon Railroad’s Clarkdale depot is located in the heart of the Verde Valley, a diverse crossroads featuring amazing adventures in every direction. Only two hours from Phoenix and 25 minutes from Sedona, Verde Canyon Railroad is the perfect Arizona day trip.

Reservations are accepted at 800.293.7245 or online at verdecanyonrr.com

Coach Class service.

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Grand Canyon Railroad Celebra National Park Service 100th Ye at the Grand Canyon

On the way to the Grand Canyon by rail.

Photo courtesy Grand Canyon Railroad.

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Spectacular view of the Grand Canyon. Photos courtesy Grand Canyon Railroad.

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his year the Grand Canyon National Park is celebrating 100 years at the Grand Canyon. Each year, the Grand Canyon welcomes approximately six million domestic and international visitors and after 100 years, whether you're hiking a corridor trail, riding a mule named Tatter Tot down the Canyon, staying at one of Grand Canyon National Park’s Lodges, or enjoying the landscape from an overlook, the Grand Canyon continues to connect people with the great outdoors.

Grand Canyon Railroad Since 1901 the Grand Canyon Railway has enchanted millions of people from all over the world. From its yesteryears of transporting ore to its present-day journeys to the canyon with the help of authentic characters who bring the Old West to life, the story of the railway is almost as dramatic as the spectacular surroundings.

Grand Canyon Railway recreates the historic trip by rail to the Grand Canyon 364 days a year, providing passengers with the opportunity to relive an important part of American history.

The train—whose fate seemed sealed when it was shut down back in 1968 due to the popularity of automobiles—is now responsible for keeping approximately 50,000 cars outside of this national treasure.

By traveling aboard Grand Canyon Railway you are not only part of history in the making, you are also doing 18 • Byways

your part to help preserve the pristine, incredible beauty of Grand Canyon National Park.

Williams Depot Passengers depart from the historic Williams Depot and arrive at the Grand Canyon Depot, the last operating log depot in the United States.

Facilities at Williams Depot include the Depot Gift Shop, a Java Crossing coffee stand, rest room facilities, ticket counter and the Grand Depot Cafe restaurant. An outdoor display of a Grand Canyon Railway steam locomotive and a caboose also can be viewed at the depot most of the year.

The trip to the canyon covers 65 miles of classic Old West territory, including high desert plains with endless vistas, small arroyos and portions of the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest.

Six Classes of Service •Coach Class: comprised of Budd Coach Class, 90seat streamliner-era coaches named after the famous Budd Manufacturing Company.

•First Class: a 42-seat area in the spacious Coconino, Kokopelli, Anasazi or Grand View cars, a 50-seat area in the Colorado River and Buckey O’Neill cars and a 68seat area in the Arizona and Bright Angel cars.

•Observation Dome: 24-passenger capacity in a

unique second-story dome viewing area of the Coconino, Kokopelli or Grand View cars.

•Luxury Dome Class: The Fred Harvey is a full length dome car available to passengers age 16+. It features 66 passenger seats in the upstairs dome, and an open seating bar & lounge downstairs.

•Luxury Parlor Class: The Chief and Santa Fe are deluxe parlor cars with 41 and 33 seats, respectively.

The Chief also features an open-air observation platform in the rear.

•The Pullman Car: Available during the Spring & Summer months only, this 1920s era classic passenger car features windows that open and seats that flip so groups of 4 can sit facing each other.

Wild West Trip highlights include a daily Wild West shootout at the 1908 Williams Depot prior to the morning departure; and entertainment and live action aboard the train, featuring roaming western singers, as well as the infamous Cataract Creek Gang and the justice of a Grand Canyon Railway Marshal.

There’s a new sheriff in town!

The Railway’s very own Territorial Times newspaper is complimentary during the 2-1/4 hour journey.

Cocktails can be purchased in First Class, Deluxe Observation Class and in the Luxury Classes.

These classes of service also enjoy complimentary pastries, fruit, coffee, tea and fresh juice during the northbound journey, and a variety of cheeses, vegetables and soda on the southbound journey. Observation Dome

The Williams Depot.

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View from the Observation Dome.

Photos courtesy Grand Canyon Railroad. and Luxury classes are also provided with a champagne toast on the southbound trip.

Vintage 1950s and 1970s-era diesel locomotives are utilized throughout the year. On select dates, historic steam locomotives are used on the front of the train for the round trip journey.

Grand Canyon Railway is an authorized concessionaire of the National Park Service and Kaibab National Forest and was honored in 2004 with the prestigious Governor’s Tourism Special Events Award for its Polar Express special engagement train.

Grand Canyon Depot Constructed in 1909-1910, Grand Canyon Depot is part of the Grand Canyon National Park Historic District and is a National Historic Landmark.

Located near the world-famous El Tovar Hotel, Grand Canyon Depot is just 200 yards from the edge of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Designed by architect Francis W. Wilson of Santa Barbara, CA, the log and wood-frame structure is two stories high. Originally, the downstairs was designated for station facilities and the upstairs was inhabited by the station agent’s family.

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Today, the first floor is used for railway passenger services. The building is one of approximately 14 log depots known to have been constructed in the United States, and one of only three remaining. Of the three, the Grand Canyon Depot is the only one in which logs were used as the primary structural material and which still serves an operating railroad. The Depot’s logs are squared on three sides creating bearing surfaces, flat interior surfaces and a rustic exterior appearance.

Hours of Operation Grand Canyon Railway operates daily service (except December 25) from Williams, AZ into Grand Canyon National Park. The Williams Depot ticket counter is open seven days a week, 7:30am — 7:30pm Arizona time.

A toast in the Parlor Car.

canyon and return to Williams on the regularly scheduled train at a later date.

Call 1-800-THE-TRAIN (800.843.8724) or visit www.thetrain.com Passengers have the option to stay overnight at the Group Sales Department: 800.843.8723

Round-Trip Arrival and Departure Times

Grand Canyon Railroad steam engine and diesel at work at the Grand Canyon.

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The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad A ride through history on Oregon’s Tillamook Coast

By Mary Charlebois

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View from the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Tillamook Bay, Oregon. Photos courtesy Mary Charlebois.

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Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Garibaldi, OR. Photos courtesy Mary Charlebois.

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he fog and marine layer suddenly rolled out to sea just before our 10:00am departure from the tiny yellow Garibaldi station. A ride behind a historic steam engine along Oregon’s Tillamook coast would have perfect weather.

We rambled down the tracks passing lumber yards, marinas, fishing vessels, small towns, Tillamook Bay, estuaries, and spectacular scenery. Vintage cars are pulled by a restored 1900s steam engine passing through places like Watseco and Twin Rocks, micro-towns with ocean views.

The engineers, conductors, and other crew are helpful and know their train history. During the trip to Rockaway, the conductor is available to answer questions about the train and the scenery.

The train stops in Rockaway Beach.

De-train here and wander around the colorful shops or take a stroll on the wide, sand beach. Visit Renee’s Tasting Room & Cafe, just ½-block from the train stop. Be sure to grab a jar of locally caught and house-canned tuna.

You’ll never want the stuff from the supermarket again.

Head back to the train when you hear the steam whistle. Settle into your seat 24 • Byways

for the ride back to Garibaldi. You may choose from enclosed cars with vista-view windows, open cars with a roof, or completely open-air seats.

A little history Towns like Tillamook, Garibaldi, Bay City, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach, and Nehalem found it challenging to get their fish and produce to the inland markets of Portland and other growing communities.

In November 1911, the first train reached the coast. It Rockaway Beach, OR.

wasn’t long before the railway grew north and south, opening the region to development and timber sales. The railroad also provided commuter service for coastal residents and those looking for a fishing excursion. All they had to do was stand beside the tracks and hitch a ride.

Logging and lumber businesses thrived.

Trees were cut in the forest, floated down to the bay and made into lumber at the abundant lumber mills. From the 1920s until the Depression, the coast boomed. The Depression was devastating to all businesses in Oregon and left the coast to stagnate.

Economic recovery didn’t arrive until the 50s. Lumber was needed to build homes for a growing nation. The railway became an essential part of moving lumber to market.

In 1996 the Port of Tillamook Bay began operating the railroad as a service to industrial and lumber businesses.

The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad was founded in 2003

by Scott and Kim Wickert. They shared the tracks with freight trains until December 2007 when a winter s torm damaged the tracks so severely, they could not be restored to accommodate freight.

Today the scenic railroad is the only train running on the 46-miles of track. Daily excursions run from May to late September, with three trains departing from Garibaldi and returning from Rockaway Beach.

Throughout the year special holiday, dinner, and lunch trains are offered.

Tickets may be purchased online, by phone, or aboard the train in the caboose. For more information visit

Tracks over the wetlands.

Oyster stew at Fish Peddler, Bay City, OR. www.oregoncoastscenic.org

While you are in Garibaldi The seafood is so fresh, some call it ‘hook-to-mouth’.

Oregon’s Pacific coast produces extraordinary food.

Fish, meat, dairy, fruit, and veg are plentiful. The Oregon Coast food world is delicious to explore.

Tillamook Bay is celebrated for seafood. The region harvests oysters, crab, shrimp, salmon, albacore, halibut, steelhead, lingcod and more. They can be caught in the wild, purchased in markets, and found on local tables and restaurant menus.

Beef, sheep, and goats are farmed for meat and dairy.

Small vegetable, fruit and herb farms round out the local selection of organic food. Keep an eye out for pop-up farm stands selling seasonal choices from land and

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The Spot on Garibaldi docks. Garibaldi, OR. Photos courtesy Mary Charlebois. water. All local markets will have food, wine and beer selections from the area.

Explore the fishing docks in Garibaldi. Commercial and sport fishing boats call this marina home.

Commercial catches are processed here for distribution.

Boat building exhibit at Garibaldi Maritime Museum, Garibaldi, OR.

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Find picnic fare at the docks. Markets sell raw, smoked, and prepared fish, shrimp, crab, and oysters.

Shrimp or crab cocktails are great sidewalk snacks. At The Spot, watch as fish are filleted, and crabs are steamed. You can also get seafood, fishing tackle, bait,

Scenery from Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Garibaldi, OR.

Beautifully curated, many exhibits include films.

Docents are available and often lead tours of this outstanding small museum.

Explore the coast by train, then let yourself get lost.

There are rivers, wetlands, lakes, beaches, woodlands, lighthouses, and micro-towns just begging to be discovered.

This quiet, unspoiled area holds the history and culture of trains, logging, and maritime life on the Oregon coast.

Food, history, and nature are waiting for you to visit.

Garibaldi Cannery at Garibaldi docks and marina. and advice.

Say hello to a fisherman, ask about his catch. The folks in the fishing industry here work hard at sustainability and like to share their story.

Garibaldi Maritime Museum presents the long and engaging maritime history of the area in detail.

About the Author: Mary Charlebois is a freelance journalist and photographer.

Her home base is the north coast of California. Her travels include domestic and international destinations. See more of her work at MaryGo. Byways • 27

Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves

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iddle America is not normally a place to look for lighthouses.

But with coastlines on both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, Wisconsin has over 50 of them. At least 33 are still operating.

The first lighthouses were built on the Great Lakes in the 1820s. By 1900 there were 344 of them.

New technology has greatly lessened their importance for ship captains now navigating the Lakes. But on that black and stormy night, when onboard electronics fail, those shore-based lights may be the only aids left for a skipper to find his way.

In Northern Wisconsin, the 300-mile shoreline of the Door Peninsula once had 13 lighthouses.

For many early mariners, they did not come soon enough, as this 80-mile-long peninsula is skirted by rocky shoals draped with the remains of many a wooden-hulled ship.

Ten lighthouses are still operating. One, open to the public, is on Cana Island, joined to the mainland by a causeway. Built in 1869, it has a circular staircase that every light-keeper here –or maybe his wife — surely cursed at one time or another. Twice a day somebody had to climb its 102 steps. The light was originally fueled by lard or whale oil, then kerosene, then acetylene.

It was finally lit by electricity in 1945.

Dwight Zeller, the assistant site manager, explained that most coastal lights are now beacons like they use at airports. But here they still use the original Fresnel lens that was made in France. It has circular prisms that gather and bend the light causing it to converge into a powerful beam. At 85-feet above water level, it can be seen as far as 18 miles.

“How do you clean it,” I asked.

“We use a one to one mix of distilled water and alcohol with a few drops of Woolite.” He looked at me curiously. “That’s a rare question.”

“What’s a common one?”

“Let’s see . . . probably about ghosts in the lighthouse. I tell them no ghosts yet, but we have some on back order.”

Dwight showed me the light source — a 200watt bulb that’s mounted on a rack of four bulbs.

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Wisconsin Lighthouses “If one goes out, the rack automatically rolls and a new bulb slips in to replace the bad one.”

Driving across the peninsula to the bay side, I passed a drive-in theater that dates to 1950. It’s still showing movies every night, at least in the summer. And there’s an undisturbed Osprey’s nest spreading over the top of a cell-phone tower, and a restaurant with a sod roof.

Cana Island Lighthouse.

Photos courtesy Bill Graves.

Ephraim, Wisconsin’s only dry town.

You’ve got to admire people who march to the drummer they hear. One more thing: no fast-food restaurants here.

The place survives on tourists and summer residents.

Before roads were built in the 1930s, steamships made overnight trips here in the summer carrying vacationers from Chicago.

I stopped in Ephraim, the only “dry” town in Wisconsin. Some residents have twice tried to change

that. The last time was in 1991. They voted to keep the no-alcohol ordnance by a 75% plurality – again, that drummer.

Not only can you not buy booze here, I discovered that you can’t buy milk or eggs either. No law against it, just geography. There’s no grocery store in town.

But you can get world-class, rootbeer floats at Wilson’s Ice Cream Parlor. Roy and Diane Elquist run it, helped by their kids and other kids.

Roy makes fresh root beer every other day. “The secret is in the serving of it,” Roy said. “Our root beer comes out of the tap at 32 degrees.”

Try that on a hot day in August – best at sunset.

About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.

Byways • 29

New York’s Medina Railroad Museum Video r o f k c i Cl

Excursion train ready to depart from the museum.

Photos courtesy Mike Dorofy & Medina Railroad Museum.

L

ocated in the old New York Central freight depot in Medina, NY, the Medina Railroad Museum is one of the largest freight depot museums in New York State.

The building itself was built in 1905-06, and is one of the largest, last surviving wooden freight depots in the United States.

The museum is located in Medina in Orleans County near the shores of Lake Ontario.

Founded in 1997, the museum houses over 7,000 arti30 • Byways

facts covering the history of railroads. Exhibits feature vintage toy trains from the legendary manufacturers like Lionel, Marx and American Flyer. There is also an extensive firefighting exhibit on display with over 460 old fire helmets.

Children and Model railroad co adults alike are awed by the immense 204ft. long by 14ft. wide HO scale layout, one of the largest in the nation.

The interactive exhibit features twelve sets of one-hundred-car trains, featuring engines from various railroad lines including New York Central, Erie, Lackawanna, Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley, Nickel Plate, Santa Fe, Erie Lackawanna, and others.

The museum’s vintage trains offer excursions to Lockport and back sev-

Part of the model railroad collection at the Medina Railroad Museum.

eral times per year for special events. Train season is March through October, with magical Polar Express rides after Thanksgiving through midDecember.

For more information on the Medina Railroad Museum, go to: https://www.medinarailroad.com

ollection.

Byways • 31

Colebrookdale Railroad, Secret Valley Expedition nce the province of pioneers and patriots, the The majority of these works belonged to or were conColebrookdale is your ticket to a verdant land trolled by the Potts family of Pottstown.

In Pottstown, the journey begins near Pottsgrove lost in time, the Secret Valley, one of the most Forge.

Later converted to a merchant grist mill, scenic and historic regions in the northeast.

Pottsgrove Forge, located on the millrace from Board one of the meticulously restored century-old rail Manatawny Creek, was built by John Potts in 1752 and cars for a two-hour expedition in southeastern refined iron from Colebrook Dale and Warwick furPennsylvania.

The Colebrookdale is a core corridor within the only naces. It was located west of the Hanover Street Bridge.

Heading west out of Pottstown, the railroad leaves the region in the United States where visitors can explore iron industry vestiges from its 18th century infancy, observe 19th century technological innovations and indus- Restored dining car. trial expansion, and learn about 20th Photos courtesy Colebrookdale Railroad. century international steel markets — all within a radius of 35 miles from the Pottstown and Boyertown stations.

O

The Secret Valley Unspoiled by time, the Colebrookdale’s Secret Valley looks much the same today as it would to the iron-willed pioneers who first ventured along its cold, rushing creeks three centuries ago.

The Colebrookdale Railroad corridor cuts through the heart of the Schuylkill Valley’s earliest iron industries and the sites of the first iron works in Pennsylvania, the first blast furnace and the first refinery forge.

32 • Byways

forge’s trip hammer.

Next the line passes Poole Forge, founded in 1716 by James Lewis & Co. It was built to refine Colebrook Dale Furnace’s pig iron.

Also built on the Manatawny, it was located just over the line in Berks County.

Continuing northwest, the line passes Pine Forge. Originally the site of Thomas Rutter’s Bloomery, the first ironworks in Pennsylvania, it was converted to a refinery forge in 1720 and renamed Rutter’s Forge.

At Pine Forge, the line follows the Ironstone Creek north and passes near the old Colebrook Dale Furnace site at Mother’s Day Tea. Boyertown. Colebrook Dale was named after Abraham Darby’s Coalbrook Dale Furnace in Shropshire, England, and was mainline of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and built by Thomas Rutter in 1720. It is Pennsylvania’s first travels north along the millrace of the old Potts family’s cold blast furnace.

It closed in 1765, but with Rutter’s upper gristmill. The gristmill, then owned by the Gable Forge, it is credited with starting the Pennsylvania iron Brothers, burned down on 3 December 1877, apparently industry. from a spark from the Colebrookdale Railroad’s locoThe Colebrookdale Iron Company, located just south motive.

A short distance from the old mill, the railroad passes of Boyertown on Farmington Avenue, was founded in John Potts’s 1753 mansion, Pottsgrove Manor. 1835 and reorganized in 1888. Joseph Bailey, founder of Pottsgrove Manor is near the site of the construction of the Colebrookdale Iron Company, was the primary prothe world’s first iron railroad bridge. It was from ponent of the Colebrookdale Railroad.

Finally the line was extended to Barto, the site of Pottsgrove Manor that Potts ran his iron empire which Thomas Potts’s 1738 Mt. Pleasant Furnace. The furnace included large tracts of land totaling 995 acres, forges, was run by the Potts family and sent its iron to Spring furnaces, brew houses, sawmills and gristmills.

Forge in Earl Township and to Pine Forge.

Pottsgrove Manor was restored more accurately to its For additional information, visit: original appearance in the late 1980s and reopened in https://www.colebrookdalerailroad.com 1991.

Continuing north-west on the Manatawny Creek, the Editor's Note: This story courtesy Colebrookdale train passes Glasgow Forge, also called McCall’s Forge, Railroad Preservation Trust and Dan Graham. founded in 1752 by Samuel McCall. McCall dammed the Manatawny Creek and used water power to lift the

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Byways • 33

The Wilmington & Western Railroad 34 • Byways

Engine 98 arrives in downtown Hockessin, Delaware.

Photo courtesy Andy Gwiazda.

Byways • 35

Engine 98 rolls along at the Sharpless Dam. Photo courtesy Oren B. Helbok.

N

ow in its third century of operation, The Wilmington & Western Railroad was chartered in 1867 to move goods from the mills along the Red Clay Creek to the Port of Wilmington, and officially opened for freight and passenger service on October 19, 1872.

Three passenger trains and a mixed freight train operated six days a week on nearly 20 miles of track between downtown Wilmington, DE, and Landenberg, PA. Much of the line ran through the Red Clay Valley, bustling in the late 19th century with farms, small villages and water-powered mills.

Debt and Poor Management Excessive construction debts and poor management caused the line to fall into foreclosure in 1877, just a few years after opening. New owners reorganized the line as the Delaware Western Railroad, which became highly profitable moving kaolin clay, vulcanized fiber materials, snuff, iron and coal to and from the many mills that lined the route.

In the 1880s, the line was purchased by the Baltimore & Philadelphia Railroad (B&P), a subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O). Purchase of the line by the B&P provided the Baltimore & Ohio with an access route to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad for passengers and freight traveling between Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City. The line 36 • Byways

became known as the “Landenberg Branch” by the B&O and was, for a time, its most profitable branch line.

Resort Opens When a resort opened along the railroad in the late 1880s at Brandywine Springs, the passenger business flourished as people from around the region came to the park to escape the summer heat. They came to enjoy the fun house, pony rides, carousel and live entertainment.

The park closed in 1923, and the passenger business ended on September 28, 1930, a victim of the Great Depression.

Shortly thereafter, the Pennsylvania Railroad discontinued its connecting service to Landenberg. With trucks and automobiles gaining in popularity, the Landenberg Branch saw a sharp decrease in freight traffic, and the line was first shortened to Southwood, DE, in the early 1940s, and shortened again to Hockessin, DE, in the late 1950s.

Historic Red Clay Valley Inc. In the mid-1960s, Historic Red Clay Valley Inc. (HRCV) was formed and began leasing the tracks from the B&O on weekends beginning in 1966, operating steam-powered tourist trains between Greenbank Station and Mt. Cuba, located mid-way between Greenbank and Hockessin.

In the mid-1970s, the line’s new owner, The Chessie System, determined that the line had become a financial burden and filed for abandonment of the line — fundraising

by HRCV began immediately.

In August of 1982, the remaining 10.2 miles of the Landenberg Branch were purchased by HRCV.

Remains of Bridge 10A (Mt. Cuba East). Photo courtesy David Ludlow.

Hurricane Floyd Strikes For three days in September of 1999, Hurricane Floyd pounded the East Coast, destroying two of the wooden bridges spanning the Red Clay Creek, damaging 11 others and causing numerous washouts along the line. A year later, volunteers and contractors had repaired most of the line The Wilmington & Western had overcome a major between Greenbank and Hockessin, and on November natural disaster in just 18 months, but the railroad would 25, 2000, the first revenue train made its way west to Mt. soon discover that Mother Nature had more in store.

Cuba.

Engine 98 passes Greenbank Mill.

Photo courtesy Nick McLean.

Byways • 37

Parlor Car Buffet.

Photo courtesy Mike Ciosek.

On September 15, 2003 (one day short of the fourth County in Pennsylvania and produced record amounts of anniversary of Hurricane Floyd), the remnants of water in the Red Clay Creek. The rushing waters tore Tropical Storm Henri stalled over southern Chester through the Red Clay Valley, destroyed six of the rail-

Engine 98 steaming down the track.

Photo courtesy Evan Schilling.

roads historic bridges, and reduced the railroad from 10 miles to two. The railroad continued to operate on the remaining section of track while rebuilding the bridges to withstand future flooding. As each bridge was rebuilt, revenue trains went further and further up the line, and also used the seldomseen portion of the line between Greenbank and the CSX Interchange at Centreville Road.

An early fall excursion.

Photo courtesy Evan Schilling.

Royal Blue Coaches On June 30, 2007, the railroad’s Royal Blue coaches, behind a gleaming locomotive 98, triumphantly entered Hockessin, DE, for the first time in almost four years — the Wilmington & Western was reborn!

Today, the railroad continues to operate regular steam- and diesel-powered tourist trains on its full 10 miles of track between Greenbank and Hockessin. Operating season kicks off in the Spring, and runs through December 30, with trains departing nearly every weekend.

In recent years, the railroad has become a popular site for weddings, birthdays, family reunions and a variety of other events, and chartered trains are available yearround. The Board of Directors, staff and volunteers contribute countless hours of work each year into making

the railroad the successful enterprise it is today, and they do it so that future generations will have a living awareness of the history, industry and beauty of the Red Clay Valley. http://www.wwrr.com

r Video Click fo

Greenbank Station. Photo courtesy Wilmington & Western Railroad.

Byways • 39

Ghost Towns of America

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g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a h W

The ghost town of Bannack, located in Beaverhead County, Montana.

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Ghost town of Bodie in Mono County, California. eotab, a global leader in IoT and connected trans- ghost towns by diving deeper into their story and showportation, has revealed an interactive map show- casing a selection of high-res photos that allows users to casing historic ghost towns across the United explore what these towns look like today.

“These ghost towns are places that Hollywood has States. Gathering data from over 3,000 abandoned towns seeded in our heads, where outlaws ride into town while across the country, the map showcases the number of miners gamble away newly acquired fortunes,” added ghost towns in each U.S. state and highlights 10 striking Ling.

“A trip out west is rarely complete without a visit examples of these historic communities. to a ghost town, giving those places a second chance to “In many parts of the world, people may wander around ancient ruins, but they rarely encounter a true ghost town,” stated Peter Ling, Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham. “In contrast, Americans know them as vivid reminders of the country’s compressed, dynamic and turbulent past: places that once thrived because of rich natural resources, viable transportation links, and booming populations, but then faded away.”

Geotab’s “Ghost Towns of America” map series allows users to explore the cities with the most neighboring ghost towns within a 25 to a 50-mile radius or by location and distribution across America’s states and counties. Focusing on history and the structural remains left, they spotlight 10 compelling examples of American Kennecott, Alaska 42 • Byways

G

thrive; heritage tourism can be a mother lode they continue to mine indefinitely.”

Ghost towns featured include:

were at their peak. However, increasingly poor quality ore sent the town into decline by the end of the decade.

A new mine temporarily revived prospects in the 1910s, but the industry abandoned the town for good in 1936. A Berlin, Nye County, Nevada few inhabitants remain and its picturesque setting is a Named by German prospectors who came looking for favorite summer tourist destination. gold, Berlin was a company mining town. Established in the 1880s, the town was largely abandoned by the 1910s Bannack, Beaverhead County, after the mine closed in response to strike action. The Montana Founded in 1862, Bannack was briefly the capital of well-preserved structures are now part of BerlinIchthyosaur State Park, known for fossil discoveries of a Montana. Up to 10,000 people lived in the surrounding area, hoping to make their fortune in gold, but by 1870 prehistoric marine mammal. all the easy-to-reach ore was gone and the population Kennecott, Valdez-Cordova County, rapidly declined to the hundreds. Newly developed elecAlaska tric dredging methods led to a brief revival after 1895, Kennecott was established as a mining town in 1903 to but by the 1940s the town was deserted. Today, about 60 take advantage of the area’s copper deposits (the emer- intact structures remain. gence of electric power having increased copper’s value

considerably). The mines were depleted by 1938 and the The states with the highest number of ghost towns are town largely abandoned. Since the 1970s, the town has Texas (511), California (346) and Kansas (308). On the become an increasingly popular tourist destination. other hand, Rhode Island and Connecticut are home to the fewest, with just one and four respectively.

Bodie, Mono County, California Additionally, the counties with the most ghost towns are Established as a mining camp in 1859, Bodie boomed Kern County in California (113), Lawrence County in after sizable gold discoveries during the 1870s. The town South Dakota (93) and Indiana County in Pennsylvania was in decline by the 1910s; the newspaper ceased pub- (36). lication in 1912, and the railway was abandoned in 1918.

“The story of America is one of change. Many towns The last mine closed in 1942 as dynamite and other were built thanks to the growth of infrastructure, trade, resources were redirected towards the war effort. Today, and transport in the U.S., but those that have been abanthe town is open to visitors with around 110 structures doned leave behind a rich history. America’s ghost towns still standing. continue to serve as a useful reminder that the past can teach us a lot about the present,” said Maria Sotra, VP of St. Elmo, Chaffee County, Colorado Marketing at Geotab.

This well-preserved ghost town attracted over 2,000 To view the interactive map click here: https://www.geotab.com/ghost-towns residents by the 1880s, when gold and silver mining

St. Elmo, Colorado

Byways • 43

Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America.

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Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2019 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

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