Friends of Kingston Station’s blog

Friends install bike rack!

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:56:59 -0700

Thanks to the South County Tourism Council and the support of director Myrna George, the Kingston Station passengers and visitors now have a brand new bike rack conveniently installed near the entrance to the station. Installation was completed last week by Friends Chairman Frank Heppner and RIARP President Everett Stuart, with some help from Jack McCabe the State Coordinator of Operation Lifesaver.
Unlike the first bike rack, that was installed near the the stairway to the overpass, this shining new unit is placed where bikes can been seen from most vista's both inside and outside of the northeast part of the station grounds.
Our first bike rack was seldom used in it's lonely distant location. It didn't last long there before it was run over by an elderly driver who hit her gas peddle instead of her brakes one day pulling up to the parking spaces.
During the construction of the overpass four years ago, the remaining pieces were removed and we have been without a proper bike rack for the last five years. The Friends are hoping that bike users will now refrain from leaning bikes up against the stations new paint job, or laying bikes down in front of the door ways and sidewalks in front of the exits. A long time amicable relationship with the South County Tourism directors has been fruitful on this an other projects to support passengers and visitors.
It may be possible to install additional bike racks at other locations near the station in the future as needed. Most of the bike riders coming to the station currently are those using the O'Neil bike path. We have less than a half dozen passengers of Amtrak using bikes on a regular basis, but this may also change as the rack is discovered.

Photo: Jack McCabe

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Blowing Snow by the Station!

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:33:27 -0800

2158.blows.by.mp157

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Electrification trespass danger slide summitted by RIOL

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 10:39:00 -0800

Elec.danger.web

UPDATE!!! SLIDE ACCEPTED by the OL PDC!

5. We have two newly approved slides for Presenters to use regarding electrification and third rail issues, which at this point occur mostly in the Northeast.
--------------------------------------------------------###------------------------------------------

TO: Region 1 Coordinators / RIOL Team

From: JPMcCabe SC RIOL

This is a redirect to update you on Progress of RIOL's request for an electrification presentation slide.
We have been making a case for this slide as part of a critical trespass danger for over five years now.
This is a very important trespass aspect for us, and with every city, town, and state along an electrified line.

I submitted sample photographs I have taken of engine panagraph and overhead catenary power structures, as well as some sample scripts. The photograph shown here is one I took at Kingston Rhode Island. I inserted the warning sign with photoshop and cropped the entire image to focus on the panagraph and catenary wire.
Other OL contributors mentioned below have since contributed specifically to improving on the scripts and also the third rail images.

Some of you may recall that our new president promised, at our most recent Vermont Regional 2007 SC luncheon, to follow up on this for us.
Andy Davis of the PDC contacted me directly after the PDC met and immediately began working on this with us.
I have also received continued support from Charlie Anlonge, Patrick Corcoran, Rich Neff, Nancy Hudson, Terry Ludban, Alvin Richardson, Vivian Speight-Bridges, and others.

Your support as Region 1 state leaders is appreciated as we move forward, and I hope using this slide soon!
I suspect many of us will find this slide one of our top choices in most presentations on railroad right of way trespass dangers, especially in Region 1!
We are hoping to have this slide available for use in this coming year [2008].

Sincerely,
Jack McCabe
SC RIOL

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Close Encounters | Video Art Show at Kingston Station

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:12:12 -0800

A portion of the exhibition will be mounted in the Historic Kingston Train Station, Amtrak Waiting Room, beginning January 16. Partners for the complementary “town and gown” program are the Friends of the Kingston Station and Amtrak. Available at both sites, a Program Guide accompanies the exhibitions. Complementing the video exhibition, the Corridor Gallery showcases staged photographs by a leading photographer from the Slovak Republic, Pavel Pecha (see below).
The special exhibition is guest curated by Independent Curator Viera Levitt, a native Slovakian now living in Rhode Island. From 1997-2005 Levitt was director/curator of the contemporary art showcase, Jan Koniarek Gallery, located in the historic town of Trnava. She was the youngest director ever in a public art museum in the Slovak Republic.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Central European Video Art
from the Czech and Slovak Republics,
Poland, and Hungary
Main GALLERY
Fine Arts Center Galleries, University of Rhode Island
January 24—February 10, 2008

Guest-curated by VIERA LEVITT

Kingston Train Station
Shown in a continuous loop within a bay window in the Kingston Train Station, the meditative character of Pavel Mrkus’ Seagull, 2005 (with music composed and played by Aziza Sadikova) will intrigue and calm travelers. Mrkus is an international digital media and glass artist represented by a gallery in Dresden. He has also taught at RISD as a Visiting Professor. This video combines a romanticized historical interior with a 3D animation of a flying golden seagull. The ambience of the video setting, its mirrors and shining chandelier, strangely echoes the décor of the Kingston Waiting Room.

Public Closing Reception & Remarks by Curator

On Sunday afternoon, February 10, 2-4 pm, a Reception will be held in the Main Gallery, Fine Arts Center Galleries. The Guest Curator will speak about the exhibition at that time.

Main Gallery hours are T – F, 12 noon – 4 pm & Sat. – Sun. 1 – 4 pm.
All Galleries are handicapped accessible.
Classes and other groups are encouraged to visit after hours;
please call 401.874.2775 to make arrangements.

The Fine Arts Center Galleries are open to the public without charge.
Contributions are gratefully accepted.

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Seen around Kingston Station or on the corridor.

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:55:04 -0800

You never know what can happen down at the station!
Local residents are accustomed to the regular movement of Amtrak Regionals, eighteen of which make stops daily.
Once a week the P&W RR brings a box car of lumber down to the Kingston Yard for the Arnold Lumber Company. On weekdays twenty Acela Express trains whip by at speeds of 150 mph to the amazement of visitors and tourists.
It pays to have your camera ready down at the station, as you never know when a special car or train consist might show up unexpectedly at our little village of West Kingston!
The station itself is always undergoing notable changes as it continues to serve the traveling public as "model station of the road" that it has always been since opening in June of 1875.

The American Orient Express, Pokeman on the Acela, New Paint on Kingston Station, The Ticket Office

Photograph by JPMcCabe ©

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Narrgansett Pier Caboose is in Spielberg Movie

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:44:00 -0800

Narragansett-Caboose-(26)Va

Narragansett Pier Caboose Becomes Movie Star

On July 5, 2007, Stephen Spielberg and Harrison Ford were in Essex, Connecticut, to shoot some exterior shots for the new “Indiana Jones” movie, which will be released this May. Indy was supposed to be catching a train in 1957 from the fictional Bedford, Connecticut. For just a few minutes of film, a week’s worth of preparation and shooting were involved. The fictional railroad was the “Lehigh New England,” and the old Narragansett Pier caboose owned by the Valley Railroad in Essex was repainted in “LNE” colors. Just like a model train, even though the paint job was brand new, it was artfully done to look it was about 40 years old-just like some of the model buildings in the Friend’s model railroad diorama in Kingston Station. The caboose also received some sorely needed structural repairs.

The Essex station was repainted to look like “Bedford,” then repainted after the shoot was over. Both of the Valley Railroad’s steam locomotives, #40 and #97 were used either as motive power or background. Old Number 40 is fondly remembered in Kingston as the locomotive that was used in the Grand Rededication ceremony in 1998 (can it be 10 years ago? Oh, my-time for another celebration?)

-Frank Heppner

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RIOL is Rhode Island Operation Lifesaver

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 09:53:54 -0800

From 2001 to 2008 we have increased our RIOL volunteer team from 1 to 12 participants.

RIOL works with partners and shareholders, including the RIDOT, on issues related to safety around tracks and trains, crossings, trespassing, bridges, tunnels, and wherever the public intersects with railroad rights of way. Our main website is located at http://RIOL.US
if you wish to learn more or to request a presentation.

RIOL at CETC 2008

Presenters of RIOL are invited to visit the Amtrak CETC dispatching operation in Boston.
Learning how trains are managed and how Amtrak operates trains safety is part of RIOL presenter training.

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Historic Changes! Century Old Thames River Bridge

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:02:50 -0800

The bascule bridge points upwards each day like two hands in prayer, while ships safety traffic below it. The new vertical lift bridge will be a modern- day elevator ascending up toward the heavens, and returning to safely carry trains safely over the Thames River.

Watch in real time! http://earthcam.net/ Thames River Cam [ user: amtrak password: amtrak ]

01.thamesriverct

JPM 2008.01.07 ©
OLYM 3040 w/ Wide Angle
Thames River Bridge, under reconstruction. Every train from Boston to New York and Washington uses this bridge.

A bascule style lift span railroad bridge was constructed at the start of the twentieth century (1919) over the Thames River from Groton to New London Connecticut. It is the lower of the two bridges shown in the above photograph by McCabe. The picture was taken from the Groton side of the river looking westward and up river at lunch time.
The bascule bridge is going to be replaced with a vertical lift style bridge which you can see under construction with the two towers not yet completed in this picture. It will cost over seventy six million dollars and take over two years to complete. Train traffic will be interrupted for several days in the spring of 2008 when the new bridge is barged to site.

*Amtrak newsletter about the Thames River Project: Amtrak website / Thames Project
also PDF file: Amtrak Employee News

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Welcome Friends of Kingston Station!

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:31:01 -0800

This blog is the starting point in an attempt to create interactivity with our members and friends.
Information and updates on our activities will be posted by our board and discussions encouraged.

Kingston.1875.cleaned.up

Poster Displayed at the Rhode Island Railroad Museum Entrance at Kingston Station
Open on Saturday and Sunday from 2pm to 6pm and by appointment.

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The Little Rhody Train Show 2007

nobody@vox.com(Friends of Kingston Station) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:54:43 -0700

Each year RIOL attends The Little Rhody Train Show in West Warwick, Rhode Island!
Railroad safety around tracks and trains is well supported by the model railroader community

Little Rhody Train Show

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