“Time Line With Tunes: The Illinois Terminal Railroad” as well as a musical tribute to the photography of the late Jim Boyd. Both will be the topic of a multi-media presentation by Mike Schafer, editor of Passenger Train Journal (PTJ), and retired Amtrak engineer Craig Willett at Harrisburg Chapter National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) on May 8 at Hoss’s restaurant, 743 Wertzville Rd, Enola, Pa. Business meeting and speaker begin at 7pm, with a meal available as early as 5 pm. Dinner and meeting are open to the public.
Aside from editing PTJ, Schafer is also editor of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad Historical Society’s Diamond, The Milwaukee Railroader, the Nickel Plate Road Magazine, and co-editor (with cousin Bill Schafer) of the Southern Railway Historical Association’s Ties magazine. The Illinois Terminal is Mike’s Number One favorite railroad, and so he also helps produce The Flyer, the bi-annual publication of the Illinois Traction Society. Illinois Traction became the Illinois Terminal Railroad in 1927, and Norfolk Southern Railway absorbed it in 1982.
Trained as a graphic designer and writer, Schafer has achieved recognition in rail history circles through his work as a photographer (over 150,000 images), magazine editor, author and co-author of several books on trains, an associate editor for Railfan & Railroad, and a columnist in Railroad Model Craftsman.
Jim Boyd and Mike founded the North Western Illinois Chapter-NRHS in 1969 and both have served as president.
Harrisburg Chapter, one of over 135 chapters of the National Railway Historical Society, is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to studying railroad history and preserving significant local railroad artifacts. Major projects include: maintaining Pennsylvania’s official electric locomotive (GG-1 No. 4859) as well as Pennsylvania Railroad wood-sided N6B caboose, and preserving and operating Harris Tower, a National Register of Historic Places structure.
www.harristower.org
