MYSTIC VALLEY RAILWAY SOCIETY

   Letter from the Editor

The Waybill is for you the members and our friends to enjoy. If there is something you would like to see in the Waybill then please contact us by email at contactus@mysticvalleyrs.org or by mail.

We are always looking for stories to include, as we have many members who are no longer able to go on any trips and they get great enjoyment out of reading about them.

So if you have ever wanted to be a Newspaper reporter now is your chance…

Group Sales Policy: 10 or more tickets purchased in ADVANCE by the SAME PERSON will be entitled to a 10% DISCOUNT subject to availability.

BLOCK SPACE may be arranged on any non-restricted event with Ticket Coordinator or Tour Director (when assigned) at least 50 days prior to departure. For further information, please contact the Mystic Valley Railway Society, 617-361-4445 or e-mail at contactus@mysticvalleyrs.org.

 From the President

by Theresa E. Rylko

As we start our 56th year, we are looking for a new Vice President and volunteers to help keep the club moving.

 THE INFLUENCE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY ON OUR EXISTING TIME ZONES –

by Marian E. McGrath, Senior Attorney of Pinta Law Group, LLC

When you schedule a doctor’s appointment or agree to meet friends at a certain time, we can thank the system established by the early railroad industry. How so? Because our time is standardized in this country, and prior to that standardization, the sun was used to determine the time of day. Each U.S. city had its own solar noon, the time when the sun was highest in the sky. Incredibly, at one point, there were more than 300 local times zones in the United States because of the Earth’s constant rotation. The sun is over a city that is in the east earlier than it is over a city that is further in the west. Without standard- ized time, there would be mass confusion if we were still relying on the passage of the sun overhead by which to measure time.

Railroads had to standardize the time they used because they regularly operated different trains on the same tracks. It would have been a disaster if they had tried to use the same track at the same time for different trains. To maintain safety, they used timetables, and every station master, conductor, brake- man, and engineer carried a reliable pocket watch that they kept synchronized to a master clock. To further ensure safety, the crew met together before each run to make sure all their watches were set to the same time.

As the nation’s railroad system grew and trains kept getting faster and more efficient, it became more difficult to maintain a standard schedule. The railroad officials realized they need to standardize time. In 1872, a school principal named Charles Dowd had come up with the idea of dividing the United States into four time zones. Railroad officials decided to use Dowd’s plan. However, if people outside the railroad industry continued to use sun time, there would be chaos.

Therefore, railroad officials approached local governments, persuading them to adopt standardized time. The newspapers assisted by printing instructions on how to adjust clocks and watches. The rail- roads adopted Dowd’s idea on November 18, 1883. The railroad officials had planned well so that the change to standardized time came with few problems. Many cities adopted this system of timekeeping immediately. By 1884, most places had converted to “railroad time.”

The times zones developed were the Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time Zones, the same time zones we use today. Each time zone was an hour apart. Thus, in Boston, which was in the Eastern Time Zone, when it was 1:00 p.m., it would be 10:00 a.m. in Los Angeles, which was in the Pacific Time Zone. “Railroad time” gradually became official time in the United States. On March 19, 1918, the Standard Time Act made “railroad time” the official time of the United States.

Currently, the United States Department of Transportation is the authority which oversees time zones for our country. Thanks to the efficiency of the officials in our nation’s railroad system, we have had reliable, standardized time for over a century.

Riding the Rails
By Robert A. LaMay

Night Train at Scotland, CT                          Crossing the Charles at Boston, MA

Santa waits for the Polar Express                               Salute to our Vets 

Local arrives at Stamford, CT                      Waiting for signal at Palmer, MA.

Calling all Members!
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ACTIVITY??

ALL ABOARD with the Mystic Valley Volunteers – the activities are as varied as
their locations. Auto transportation is essential for some events, but many are located
on the MBTA routes and may gather at special locations or at members’ homes. Is
distance an impediment? NO WAY, for we have dedicated members in many states
and foreign countries who complete their activity by letter or E-Mail. Remember: volunteering
allows you to share your talents and interests with those who would benefit
most.
TO JOIN THE FUN Please request a volunteer form by submitting your request
& membership number to: M.V.R.S.   P. O. Box 365486, Hyde Park, MA 02136-0009
or visit our Website www.mysticvalleyrs.org.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Your request is presented at our regular meeting so
that you will be contacted by the appropriate chairperson. From there it is up to you
how involved you wish to be, for the level of activity and variety of trips offered by the
Society are solely determined by the level of participation supplied by our volunteer
members. WELCOME ABOARD!

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2024-2025
President - Theresa E. Rylko (Tracey)
Vice President - Vacant
Treasurer - Judy Berson-Hoyt
Recording Secretary - Nancy Roney
Directors:
Jeff Costrello
Lillian Garvey
Nancy Juskin
Ellie Manning
William Manning
Marcia Pennington
Gerard Sevigny

You will see many of these volunteers as tour leaders on your trips.

It takes a team effort to have a successful volunteer organization. Please share your talents as a volunteer with MVRS and be

rewarded by seeing your work in action.  Call 617-361-4445 and a volunteer form will be sent to you.

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Previous Waybills: 

Spring 2024 

Spring 2023 

Winter 2022-2023  Fall 2022 

Winter 2021-2022  Summer 2021  Spring 2021

Winter 2020-2021  Fall 2020   Summer 2020  Spring 2020

Winter 2019-2020  Fall 2019    Summer 2019   Spring 2019

 Winter 2018   Fall 2018   Summer 2018   Spring 2018

 Winter 2017   Fall 2017   Summer 2017    Spring 2017   

Winter 2016 Fall 2016   Summer 2016    Spring 2016    

Winter 2015   Fall 2015   Summer 2015     Spring 2015     

Winter 2014     Fall 2014