Steam & Excursion > NRHS 2015 Convention Trip Information

Taken from the NRHS Facebook page with premission

We've announced plans for our “Vermont Rails 2015” convention in Rutland. Scroll down for all the details:

Vermont Rail System, the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad and timeless New England scenery will headline the 2015 NRHS convention in Rutland, Vermont. Plans are being finalized for the June 14-20 convention, where members can choose from seven days of rare excursion trains and historic tours.

Convention trains currently include the following:

- A Vermont Rail System “photo freight” from Rutland to Ludlow and return, powered by a classic Alco RS-1 engine, through the scenery of the Green Mountains (June 14).
- A Saratoga & North Creek passenger trip from Saratoga Springs, NY, to North Creek and return, following the scenic Hudson River and led by rare BL2 diesels (June 15); passengers will have the option of riding Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express between Rutland and Saratoga Springs.
- A VRS passenger trip from Rutland to Bellows Falls and return over the Green Mountain Railroad and the former route of the original Steamtown excursions (June 16).
- A VRS passenger trip from Rutland to Burlington and return, including a two-hour layover at the Burlington waterfront or a three-hour tour of the famous Shelburne Museum (June 18).
- A rare mileage trip from Rutland to the Omya processing plant on the remains of the original Clarendon & Pittsford Railroad near Florence, VT (June 19).
- A VRS passenger excursion between Rutland and North Bennington/Hoosic Junction and return, passing the one-time home of Norman Rockwell and the summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of Abraham Lincoln and the president of Pullman Palace Car Company (June 20).

Tickets are expected to go on sale in mid-September; watch for updates on NRHS.com and our Facebook page. Dome, lounge and business car seating will be available, as well as coach and table seats; premium seating tickets will be limited.

Public tickets will also be sold for an afternoon “Father’s Day” excursion (June 21) on the Green Mountain Railroad between Rutland and Ludlow, passing Summit station, the site of the driving of the final spike on the Bellows Falls-to-Burlington route. These tickets will be sold by both NRHS and VRS. The train’s 4 p.m. return to Rutland will allow passengers to easily transfer to Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express bound for New York City.

Non-rail events will include heritage tours covering the New England Maple Museum, Cabot Cheese, Quechee Gorge State Park, the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, the Vermont Marble Museum and more. Also taking place are the NRHS annual membership meeting and banquet, plus history seminars about regional railroading.

The convention will be based at the Rutland Holiday Inn, which will host all convention meetings, seminars and the annual banquet. The hotel is offering a special room rate of $99 for one person, $119 for two, $139 for three and $159 for four, which includes a free hot buffet breakfast offered in advance of event departures.

Watch for an announcement here when tickets go on sale!

Become an NRHS member now and if there is not a NRHS Chapter you know of become an At Large member like me. Go to the NRHS web site to sign up. Then get you tickets and register when they go on sale so you get first chance at ticket



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/14 15:38 by Mudrock.

so will NRHS exist in 2015? awaiting the roll out of the "magic" financial fix. Arlen

2015 NRHS convention in Rutland, Vermont. Yes will survive!

Chris

Well...there should be a lot of steam at that convention.

Seems like the organizers have made a shift towards rare mileage trips. That's not my thing, but oh well. Certainly lacks the "wow" factor of steam trips like we had in Scranton in 2010 or the 4449 trips of 2011, at least to me. If the NRHS is to survive and evolve, they have to grab the public's attention. I don't see how rare mileage trips are going to do that.

I guess the only thing constant is change. I'll probably skip next year's, like I skipped this year's, and last year's... There's things like the 611, 630, 4501, 765 & 261 that I'll save the time off for.

Dave Crosby

Mudrock Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 2015 NRHS convention in Rutland, Vermont. Yes
> will survive!
>
> Chris

Will be interesting to see what their "New Business Model"
is - to be announced toward the end of September. They've
already advised Chapters to collect their own dues for 2015;
been some friction about Chapters allowing membership, without
NRHS membership. I hope they survive, but think it's going to be
much different - suspect less focus on Chapters.

You can not always have steam at NRHS Convention. You must have a railroad who will host us. Vermont railroad came forth so thus we are in Rutland. I will do the Essex Steam Train after the convention so I will get my steam fix. There is plenty to see Vermont.

Chris

I'm out.

Looks interesting. I've always liked New England RRs, especially the Rutland.

Dear Mudrock....you said, "You can't always have steam at an NRHS Convention". Well, why not. If we were all in a deep sea fishing club, would you have a convention in Vermont? No ocean! Have it in a steam hot spot. I took my first train picture as a kid in 1955. I have photographed steam locomotives in something like 77 countries, in regular service. I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the NRHS. Why? I don't need them. I find out where steam is/was running, and go there, rent a car and shoot to my hearts content. Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South America, Central America, Australia, South East Asia...etc. Where ever steam was running. I used the domino principle...the next country to visit is the next one to fall (diesel). Now here's the clincher...I have NEVER purchased an Amtrak ticket to ride a train...anywhere. Am I a railfan/steamfan...you bet!

PLease list "steam hotspots" in the USA. I'd like to go.

Here is all the steam in Vemont

These two steam engine will be visited on the Burlington Rail Trip

0-2-2 4'-8½" Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT display vertical boiler track inspection car named Gertie Buck locomotive]
220 4-6-0 4'-8½" CV Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT display ALCO (Schenectady) #55018, 1915


Railroad Line Location Status Builder Information Notes


3 22ton Heisler2Tr 4'-8½" Holly Ridge Lumber Dr. Marvin Kendell Estate, Barnet, VT display Heisler #1415, 1920
1 22ton Heisler2Tr 4'-8½" Phenix Marble Passumpsic Railroad, Barnet, VT operational Heisler #1468, 1922 Owned by Marvin Kendell [
6 0-6-2T 4'-8½" Barre Chelsea Rock of Ages Granite Quarry, Graniteville, VT display Baldwin #37527, 1912 Named Hercules, to be moved next to the Rock of Ages Visitors Center]
4-2-4 24" Quechee Gorge Village, Quechee, VT unknown Chance C.P. Huntington replica
0-2-2 4'-8½" Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT display vertical boiler track inspection car named Gertie Buck locomotive]
220 4-6-0 4'-8½" CV Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT display ALCO (Schenectady) #55018, 1915
494 4-4-0 4'-8½" B&M New England Transportation Institute and Museum, White River Junction, VT display ALCO (Manchester) #1546, 1892



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/14 13:24 by Mudrock.

So if you've tagged all of those (except maybe one or two of the tiny ones), what's left? The salad bar at the banquet? Just saying.

In other NRHS news, it was announced today that Al
Weber has been elected as the new president of NRHS.

So, keystone1, you get to travel the world in search of steam. Well, lucky you! As for the rest of us, there is more to railroading than just steam. From what I've seen in Railpace and Railroad Explorer, New England has some very interesting railroads that I'm looking forward to exploring before, during and after the NRHS convnention. Oh, and by the way, some of them are steam... But the best part is that some of them are electric and others have first generation diesels, too. Then there are the museums. In my not so humble opinion, it just don't get any better than that!

Heres Passumpsic's Heislers

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