Have you ever wanted to learn about Roebling bridges located in Bucks County, PA?
Join us to hear from Scott Bomboy, who is involved in preserving a Roebling footbridge in Lake Lenape Park.
Cost: Free and donations are welcome
Tour is not limited to Chapter Members. All are welcome. Just register with contact information below.
DATE: Saturday, August 20, 2022
TIME: 10AM to noon
ITINERARY: We will meet in the Stony Creek Office Center parking lot, 151 W. Marshall St., Norristown. After reviewing the old Adam Scheidt brewery complex we will take the driveway from the parking lot down to Markley St. to the current U-Haul Self Storage Center (former Scheidt bottling house). This is located across Markley St. from the SEPTA Elm St. Station.
https://www.septa.org/stations/rail/elm.html
11AM Drive to Von C Brewing Co., 1210 Stanbridge St., Suite 300, Norristown for tour.
https://voncbrewing.com/home 12 Noon – Tap Room opens. Cash Bar.
Background Information
On this tour we will see remnants of the Adam Scheidt aka Valley Forge Brewery. The complex has been beautifully restored as the Stony Creek Office Center and is a shining example of brewery preservation.. There are two “ghost” sites on the tour. Norristown’s first brewery was established in 1830 at the southwest corner of Main and Markley Sts. and was ultimately the brewery of A.R.Cox. What became the Scheidt brewery got its start in 1866 and was a much smaller business. When Cox died, Scheidt purchased the brewery and ran it as Plant #2.
Norristown industry included the Wildman Mfg. Co. that produced knitting machines. Their Plant #1 was located in the block behind the Elm St. Station. In the 1940’s Wildman built their Plant #2 on Stanbridge St. and remained in business into the 1950’s. These buildings have been repurposed and one of them is occupied by Von C Brewing Co.
The Von Czoernig family was the last of Christian Schmidt’s descendants to own the Schmidt brewery in Philadelphia. Schmidt’s purchased the Scheidt brewery in 1954 and operated it as their Plant #2 for twenty years. The Von Czoernig’s had “beer in their blood” and decided to get back into brewing a short time ago. Fortunately they’ve made it easy on us by shortening the name to Von C Brewing Co.
TOUR ORGANIZER & LEADER:
Rich Wagner has been researching Pennsylvania brewing history since 1980. In 1990 he brewed at Pennsbury Manor using reproductions of seventeenth century equipment. Two years later he worked with a cooper to make his own system and has taken it on the road to demonstrate the brewing process of antiquity at historical sites and festivals.
In 1994 he earned a diploma in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute in Chicago and worked in Philadelphia craft breweries over a seven-year period. Since his retirement as a high school science teacher, he has devoted his time to writing and speaking. He has given tours of breweries in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Lehigh Valley and South-Central Pennsylvania and published guidebooks to go with each tour and is the author of “Philadelphia Beer, the Heady History of Brewing in the Cradle of Liberty” (The History Press, 2012).
REGISTRATION or QUESTIONS: E-mail or call Reese Davis at reesepdavis@gmail.com or 610-692-4456
Our tour guide has assembled an array of information relating to locations on our tour.
BACKROUND INFORMATION, IMAGES
Here are some links for additional information on the Adam Scheidt Brewing Co. The Flickr Albums give people on the tour the ability to connect with information, historic maps and images of the brewery complex. Of course, they can be viewed any time, even for those who don’t take the tour, or to conduct their own self-guided tour.
Flickr Collection of Albums: Tour of Scheidt and Von C Breweries:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/15424848@N07/collections/72157720942701060/
This Collection contains 5 Albums that correspond with our tour.
Album: A.R. Cox Brewery is a “ghost site” and location of a brewery which was purchased by Scheidt.
Album: Adam Scheidt Brewery Complex, including Bottling House on Markley St.
Album: Wildman Mfg. Co. Plant #1 “ghost site” in the blocks behind the Elm St. Station Wildman manufactured knitting machines.
Album: Wildman Mfg. Co. Plant #2 on Stanbridge St. is the property which has been subdivided and repurposed, a portion of which houses the Von C Brewing Co.
Album: Von C Brewing Co. Brewery and Taproom.
Article on Scheidt’s 1940s Czech Connection with Prior Beer.
https://pabreweryhistorians.tripod.com/ScheidtPriorCzechStory.html
Article describing a reporter’s tour through the Scheidt Brewery in 1952.
https://pabreweryhistorians.tripod.com/Observer060952_Scheidt.html
Rich Wagner has been researching Pennsylvania brewing history since 1980. In 1990 he brewed at Pennsbury Manor using reproductions of seventeenth century equipment. Two years later he worked with a cooper to make his own system and has taken it on the road to demonstrate the brewing process of antiquity at historical sites and festivals.
In 1994 he earned a diploma in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute in Chicago and worked in Philadelphia craft breweries over a seven-year period. Since his retirement as a high school science teacher, he has devoted his time to writing and speaking. He has given tours of breweries in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Lehigh Valley and South-Central Pennsylvania and published guidebooks to go with each tour and is the author of “Philadelphia Beer, the Heady History of Brewing in the Cradle of Liberty” (The History Press, 2012)
Maps of the tour locations:
An Oliver Evans chapter member become aware of this auction which features some model railroad paraphernalia and thought some of our railroaders might be interested.
The link features images of the items available in the photo gallery and also in the lot listings. The auction site recommends checking back as they will be adding more photos of the uncatalogued items.
Location: 502 Fairmont Dr., Chester Springs, PA 19425
Preview on Friday, August 12th from 1PM to 6:30PM and Day of Sale from 8AM to Sale Time
Auction features a wide variety of items from a clean well-maintained home. Some of the highlights include:
1951 Packard Patrician 4-Door Sedan
John Deere D130 Tractor
Antiques & Collectibles incl. original WW1 posters, Political Pins, James Madison & James Monroe signed document, local Maps, Sterling Silver set (over 100-ounces)
Jewelry w/ Gold and Sterling
Model Train Collection w/ many layout accessories
Furniture incl. Leather Sofa & Chairs, Dining Room Tables & Chairs, Theater Room Sofa, Recliners, Book Shelves, Modern TV Stands, Sportcraft regulation size Ping Pong Table
Electronics incl. High-Quality Polk-Audio Speakers, flat-screen TVs, Receivers, DVD players & more
Large Selection of Tools
Office Equipment incl. electronics & desk
Large Selection of Household Goods, Clothing, and much more!
Call us at 610-942-2367 with any questions or to place absentee bids. Day of Sale Phone # – (610)-476-6965
***In-Person, Absentee, and Phone bidders will pay a 13% Buyer’s Premium reduced to 10% if paying by check or cash. Internet Bidders will pay an 18% Buyer’s Premium regardless of form of payment.
PA AU-002163-L – PA AU-002766-L AuctionZip ID: 1651
Celebrate the life and times of Rebecca Lukens, American’s first female industrialist, and her descendants. Although by far not the only woman who managed iron furnaces in the 19th century, Rebecca was the only documented woman to manage multiple businesses. The list of National Historic Landmark properties along South First Avenue includes her home Brandywine Mansion, Terracina, and the steel industry that evolved from the original iron business. The proximity of these homes and offices to the mill reflects the Lukens and Huston families’ long-standing commitment to living and working close to the factory and community. Learn about the owners of the mills and the men and women who worked in them.
There are multiple tours throughout the evening. After parking sign up for one of the tours in the main building. Registration starts at 5:30.
Parking & Registration
National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum,
50 South 1st Avenue, Coatesville
| Across the Continent. “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”, 1868,Frances Flora Bond Palmer, published by Currier & Ives |
| The Grolier Club in New York City has an exhibition “Travelers, Tracks and Tycoons: The Railroad in American Legend and Life” on display through July 30, 2022. The exhibition is from the very extensive Barriger Railroad Collection of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St.Louis. Nicholas Fry is curator of the Collection and of this exhibition.Mr. Fry writes: We look at railroads as relics of a simpler age, but in reality the railroad age was just as chaotic to its citizens as our modern age is to us. The story is told through printed works, objects, and artwork. It is a maker of legends that still impacts our lives.Here are details:The exhibitionThe exhibition is on display only through July 30t,h at the Grolier Club at 47 East 60th Street.in New York City. The exhibition is free, but advance reservations through eventbrite are recommended–please click here to make your reservation. Exhibition Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.The online catalog of the exhibition is here.Online lecturesThere are live online presentations coming up on July 19th and 20th–see below.The video of the opening reception includes a brief overview and tour of the exhibition. Click here.Nicholas Fry, the curator, is presenting a three-part lecture series, on Travelers, Tracks, and Tycoons:Part 1: Travelers: Journeys on the Railroads from the Early Surveys to Modern Vacation will be presented on Tuesday, July 19th 2022 at 6 P.M. Click here to register. This program is presented in conjunction with The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen.Part 1 was also presented on May 25 by the Grolier Society, and you can watch the video herePart 2, Tracks: Images Documenting the Building of the Railroads, was presented on June 29th. You can watch it online here.Part 3: Tycoons: Men, Money and Monuments. will be presented on Wednesday, July 20th, at 1:00 PM. Click here to register. It will also be recorded for future viewing. |
This information came from a Roebling Chapter email. You can sign up to get mailings from them at:
West Deptford Free Public Library
Join us at the West Deptford Free Public Library for a lecture presented by Peter Walzer.
Mr. Walzer holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Mr. Walzer was a docent at the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum.
Mr. Walzer also worked as a Licensed Operating Shipping Engineer. This event will follow social distance seating. Masks are optional.
West Deptford Free Public Library
420 Crown Point Road
West Deptford, NJ 0808
Business Hours
Monday — Thursday
10:00 AM — 7:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM — 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM — 1:00 PM
The Philadelphia Chapter will be holding the June 25, 2022 meeting in-person at Drexel Hill United Methodist Church (600 Burmont Road / Drexel Hill, PA 19026). The meeting will be simulcast on the Zoom meeting service.
Business Meeting 1-2PM
Film Presentation 2PM
The film is the 1957 production TRAINS TRACKS AND SAFETY FACTS, made by the Pennsylvania Railroad for school age children warning them about the dangers of railroad trespassing. This film, acquired from Walt Berko who may have shown it years back. This will be the actual 16mm presentation. Runs 25 minutes. Scenes were filmed on the Middle Division near Duncannon, Paoli. Conway Yard and Washington’s Crossing on the Bel-Del. Some really fantastic views.
PRR photography of the late Allen H. Roberts. Views include Sunnyside Yard, New York Penn Station, North Bergen, NJ, Meadows Yard, PRR Middle Division, and PRR trains that went to Maybrook via the Bell-Del and L&HR. When PC took over the NH, PRR power began to appear on New Haven rails.
To attend the meeting and watch the film, sign up to receive notifications from the PRRT&HS. A Zoom link to the event will be mailed the day before the program on the 25th. Those who sign on will continue to receive notifications on future programs.
The Oliver Evans Chapter presents
A virtual Zoom presentation by Joel Spivak, OE Acting President
Wednesday, June 29, 2022 7 pm
Joel Spivak’s Power point presentation brings together two of his favorite subjects, Railroads and Worlds Fairs and Expositions. See how the railroad was presented to the public at the 1851 “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations” London, and at the spectacular exhibit “Railroads on Parade” at the 1939 World’s Fair, New York.
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 814 9559 4025
Passcode: 110518
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Did you know that the iconic NY State Pavilion at the NY World’s Fair was made using Roebling Wire Rope?
Salmaan Khan and Aaron Asis of People for the Pavilion will be joined by Justin Rivers of Untapped Cities to present on the past, present, and future of the Philip Johnson designed New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Cost: Pay what you wish, Register at this link:
Two of our Oliver Evans chapter members attended the modelers convention at Malvern, March 24 to 27, 2022. Here are their thoughts on their attendance at the meeting and their involvement with railroad modeling.
The Railroad Prototype Modelers (“RPM”) Valley Forge is a biennial gathering of model railroaders concerned with accurately depicting railroad equipment, structures, and scenes in scale models. For many years it has been held in the spring of even numbered years at the Desmond in Malvern, alternating with another biennial gathering in odd numbered years in the Pittsburgh area. The name “prototype modelers” uses a term born in the model railroad press early in the days of commercial model railroading: “prototype,” referring in this case to the real thing, actual railroads and their components. Therefore, modeling to the prototype means as accurately as possible portraying actual existing or historic railroads. The gathering at Malvern, and other similar gatherings around the country, have displays of models in multiple scales, “clinics,” or presentations by skilled modelers about their techniques of researching and/or constructing highly accurate models of specific prototypes, and vendor tables selling items appealing to this subset of the wide-ranging model railroad hobby.
The 2022 gathering was dedicated to past RPM Valley Forge leader and OESIA member the late DIck Foley of Philadelphia. The web site of the gathering includes a tribute to Dick as well as a list of the clinics and many photographs of this year’s and previous years’ model displays. You may visit the website at http://www.rpmvalleyforge.com/
Larry DeYoung, OESIA and RPM Valley Forge Clinician
Railroads are an industry too.
As members of the Society for Industrial Archaeology all of us share an interest in a variety of industries. Recent perusal of the Society’s journal covers a broad spectrum of interests, from bridges to grist mills and lots of interesting items in between including gold mining. What I have noticed is that very seldom do railroads seem to be featured. I am not sure why, but I would like to say a few words on their behalf.
Interest in railroads comes from two sources. One is the strictly academic perspective that is probably studied under the broader heading of transportation industry. The other source is from modeling trains. When most people think of model trains it is often the nostalgic image of trains running in a circle under the Christmas tree. While this may have been true in the 1940’s and 50’s, the hobby has changed significantly since that time. Probably the most significant change in the hobby has been its demographics. While 50 years ago it was considered a hobby for kids, now most of the participants are middle aged or older, in fact younger people are definitely in the minority. With that change in demographics there has also been a change in the goals of the hobby.
Most of the change took place in the late 1990’s with what I would call the “prototype modeling” movement. Prior to that, model railroading tended to be more fanciful, with imaginary railroads that bore only a slight resemblance to the real thing. Probably with the change in demographics and the feeling that older people should not just being playing with toys, model railroaders became a lot more serious about what they were modeling. By the 1990’s a number of small companies began manufacturing railroad freight cars that were highly detailed and accurately matched a very specific prototype. The availability of these models spawned what is know as “Railroad Prototype Modelers” meetings (RPM for short). In the beginning there were only two but enthusiasm for these meetings quickly spread so that probably there are a few dozen of these meetings spread across the country each year.
While modeling is the end game, the information or history behind the model is of equal importance. Typically at an RPM at least half the talks are about specific freight cars. When and why was a certain car built, how long did the railroad keep them in service, and what ultimately led to their demise. Often there is no mention of a model, although certainly if you wanted to create a model all the information was there. Not surprisingly after a few years the meetings started to encompass more than just freight cars. Detailed studies of how specific railroads operated and why they did certain things became part of the meeting. This also generated any number of special interest groups, NY harbor railroad-marine operations, or steel mill railroads that adds an interesting mix to the talks. While most of the participants in these meetings are modelers, most of the emphasis is on history.
Clearly there is a significant part of the community that would like to preserve this disappearing railroad history. Realistically there are only so many railroad cars that can be saved, restored and found a home for. On the other hand modeling provides an alternative way to preserve this history just in a much smaller scale.
Ron Hoess, OESIA and RPM Valley Forge Clinician
This layout tour at the RPM feature’s Ron’s modeling.
http://www.rpmvalleyforge.com/layouttour.html
Ron presented his model at the OE Chapter meeting on Tuesday, January 11, 2022. The video is available on the OE YouTube channel if you wish to view it. Homage to Workshop of the World.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=oliver+evans+chapter+sia
OLIVER EVANS CHAPTER 
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