NORTHAMPTON, Pa. — The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society/Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley are hosting an “Alco Seminar” on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Northampton Event Center. The event will feature speakers who had a hand in the design and operation of Alcos, officials from railroads with Alco power, and researchers and photographers with a passion for Alco power.
Speakers scheduled to appear, although not necessariy in this order, include:
— Carl Belke, past president of the Delaware & Hudson and Western New York & Pennsylvania railroads, who will focus on both companies and their motive power.
— Tom McInerney, involved in advanced locomotive design at Alco and manager of mechanical design at Montreal Locomtoive Works. At MLW, he was involved in the design of 12 locomotives and the ZWT truck patent. His presentation will focus on his career with Alco locomotives.
— Jim Rowland, writer/researcher and the current president and magazine editor for the Lehigh Valley Chapter, NRHS/Railroad Historians of the Lehigh Valley. His presentation will focus on the GE Hornell Alco rebuild program.
— Olev Taremae, a writer and photographer whose presentation will focus on a book project on the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad. Copies of that book may be available for purchase if the book has arrived from the publisher.
The event begins at 9 a.m. with a light breakfast prior to the start of the seminar; cost is $40. It will include a family-style lunch which will feature an image show titled “Survivors from Schenectady;” and is tentatively scheduled to conclude with “photographic opportunities” of an unspecified nature. There will also be sales tables and vendors on site.
Reservations can be made online at the organization website; for additional information, email kgjr1554@earthlink.net or call 610-428-7629.
