The following twelve organizations were awarded grants totaling $27,000 at the National Board of Directors meeting during the NRHS annual convention in Stamford, Ct., July 14, 2000:

ACL & SAL RAILROADS HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Rocky Mount, N.C. received $500 towards the initial purchase of computer and scanning equipment suitable for producing CD-Roms of photographs, drawings, and documents from the former Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line Railroads. The society is establishing a functioning archive in the restored ex-ACL passenger/office building that will serve as a repository for historical materials and artifacts.

BRANFORD ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOCIATION of East Haven, Ct. received $4800 to complete the reassembly work on the New Orleans Public Service streetcars 850, a classic 1920s double-end lightweight-style streetcar, the type that was immortalized in "Streetcar Named Desire" by playwright Tennessee Williams. To date, over 2400-person hours and $13,000 have been committed to this project, which is due for completion July 2001.

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER, NRHS of Winter Garden, Fla. received $1,000 matching funds for extermination of dry termites and other insects in the chapter's railway museum building, a former SAL freight station circa 1913. NRHS in 1998 awarded a matching grant of $1500, the City of Winter Garden, Fla. granted $1500 and the chapter contributed $1500 to replace the station's roof.

CUMBERLAND VALLEY CHAPTER, NRHS of Chambersburg, Pa. received $500 matching funds for the videotaping of oral history of the living persons who worked for the Cumberland Valley Railroad and/or its successor, the Pennsylvania Railroad. The Chapter will record their recollections before they are no longer available. A completed video tape is planned for April 2001 providing first hand knowledge of CV RR headquarters building, roundhouse and shop buildings that are still in existence but are now used for other commercial endeavors.

GRIFFITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Griffith, Ind. (Endorsed by Blackhawk Chapter, NRHS) received $4500 towards the moving and relocation of the 75 year old Broad Street Crossing Tower, a $66,000 project. The tower controlled traffic for five railroads: E.J.&E, G.T., M.C., Erie and C&O. 180 trains a day crossed at Broad Street. The top level contains the original equipment that will remain intact as a historical display, also providing an excellent location for the photographic purposes of railfans. The lower floors will house a museum. The completion date of 2004 coincides with Griffith's centennial celebration. The tower must be moved across the tracks by July 31,2000.

ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM of Union, Ill. received $4,500 matching funds toward the restoration of electrical equipment on the 1940 ELECTROLINER interurban that ran on the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railway. The ELECTROLINER has been restored externally to its original blue-green and salmon color scheme, and work is underway to correct the mechanical and electrical problems. "This icon of modern rail design was streamlined and articulated with an operating speed of 85 mph."

LACKAWANNA & WYOMING VALLEY RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Scranton, Pa. (an NRHS Chapter) received $3,000 toward boiler repairs on ex-Boston & Maine number 3713, a 4-6-2 built by Lima in 1934. Total restoration to operation is underway in the Steamtown shops at an estimated cost in excess of $240,000. The private contractor, Bill Frederickson Co., plans for steam-up sometime prior to 2007, the 50th anniversary of 3713's last run. Daily work commenced June 1999 and continues at a "brisk rate" with Phases I and II completed and Phase III well underway.

READING COMPANY TECHNICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Reading, Pa. received $500 toward the purchase of 15,000 acid-free envelopes to protect 15,000 negatives and photos taken by official Reading Railroad photographers from the late 1930s up to the railroad's termination in 1976. The images not only cover steam and diesel locomotives, they include rolling stock,accidents and derailments, storm damage, employee meetings and events, and many other topics. An estimated 600 person hours will be required to complete the labeling, cataloging and envelope insertion of each individual photo/negative.

RIDGWAY RAILROAD MUSEUM of Ridgway, Colo. received $2,400 towards the establishment of a museum display area within the Ridgway Chamber of Commerce Visitor's Center that will include a dramatic 1:20 scale diorama of the Pleasant Valley Bridge on the RGS, complete with "Galloping Goose" railbus. An accurate and full functional re-creation of RGS motor No. 1 is currently under construction and will be displayed with other equipment and buildings alongside of the Visitor's Center. An early 2001 completion date is contemplated.

TRANSPORT MUSEUM ASSOCIATION of St. Louis, Mo. received $2,000 toward the restoration to "Pristine" and fully operational condition of City of St. Louis Waterworks Railway car No.10 at the Museum of Transportation. Car No.10 ran on the unique Waterworks Railway and had as its main purpose the transportation of employees from the end of the public streetcar line to the water treatment plant. This unique car was built in 1914 to almost interurban proportions with railroad height floor and couplers so it could move carloads of chemicals into the waterworks. This unusual car and line operated until 1955. A Spring 2001 completion date is intended.

WAYMART AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY of Waymart, Pa. received $2,000 toward the restoration of D&H Gravity Railroad open (summer) car No. 43 in time for the 2001 Sesquicentennial celebration in Waymart and Carbondale, Pa. The Delaware and Hudson Canal Co. Gravity Railroad was completed in 1829 to carry anthracite coal from Carbondale, Pa. over the 900-foot Moosic Mountain to the head of the canal in Honesdale, Pa. The coal moved via the D&H Canal to the Hudson River and on to New York and other eastern markets. In 1877 scheduled passenger service began with 36 "summer" cars in use in addition to 12 "winter" cars. Car 43 will be assembled in the freight room of the well-preserved Waymart D&H steam era passenger/freight station built in 1900 when the line was converted to steam. Number 43 will be displayed next to the restored Waymart D&H Gravity Railroad station in a pavilion supported by cast iron columns from the Gravity Railroad Shops in which it was built.

WESTERN STEAM FRIENDS ASSOCIATION, INC. of Salem, Ore. received $1,300 toward the restoration and relocation of a 1927 Bucyrus-Erie steam powered railway crane, formerly Southern Pacific No.7020. Specifically, this grant will be used to refurbish & reset two safety valves, repair a leak in the fuel oil tank, provide 30 yards of ballast gravel, ties, plates, spikes and a display panel. Recent state inspections have shown the crane to be in excellent condition overall. The goal is to have the crane operational in the Western Antique Powerland Museum in Brooks, Ore., for the "Great Oregon Steam-Up" shows in July and August 2002.