Biography

[Fredbruhn at aol.com]

I won't leave Fred Schneider out there alone exposing himself to the group.

Fred Bruhn - born in 1940 as was Fred III in Canton, Ohio.  Stayed in Canton 
living 3 houses from Oxford Avenue and seeing the NOT&L tracks exposed all 
through grade school.  Went to college at Bethany, Bethany, West Virginia 
about an hour from Arden.  Graduated in 1962 with a BA in Economics and began 
work as a Mgt. trainee for Republic Steel in Canton.  Spent 10 years with 
them until they transferred me to Gary which isn't a nice place.  Relocated 
to Mansfield, Ohio instead of Gary and spent balance of working career in 
manufacturing management with the last six years as Manger of Manufacturing.  
Also taught ed. courses at Ohio State in management for several years.

Parents and family from Wheeling, W. Va. and earliest memories of Co-Op 
Transit are about 1945-46 when all cars for Ohio and the island passed in 
front of my Uncle's home on South Penn St.  Rode the cars with my grandmother 
in 1947 but she of course thought that was silly.  After service ended in 
1948 I spend most of my vacation times with my grandparents walking the 
exposed lines on the island and 
"hanging" around the old barn.  Met Bill Gwinn in 1955 and spent the next 25 
years until his death picking his brain and learning about Co-Op operations.  
Currently I am doing a series for Traction and Trolleys Quarterly on the 
Co-Op routes.  When that is done I hope to provide information and time to Ed 
Lybarger with hopes of doing a photo type booklet on Wheeling's operation 
under the museums' name.  As with West Penn and PRCo. I am always on the look 
out for Wheeling photos or anything.

First contact with West Penn was the February 1950 Trains magazine article on 
the line.  I was hooked.  Then while on vacation with the family saw a car 
pass near Connellsville in 1952 while my father was gassing the auto.  Hooked 
for life.  The 
final nail was on a trip with my uncle in 1953 to Pittsburgh to see their 
streetcars (he was on business) and I found the PERC booklet "Review of West 
Penn Railways
1889-1952."  From there I got roster shots from Barney Neuberger, and have 
been collecting information, books and photos ever since.  This past year I 
spent a week 
traveling the Coke Region routes to see what I could find and had a ball.  
Will be happy to share what I found with anyone interested.

My Pittsburgh experiences began in 1959 or early 1960 just after the West End 
quit running.  I finally got a car for college in 1961 and joined the PERC.  
I didn't spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh and didn't have a camera, but did 
make many of the fan trips
Jim Holland recapped a few weeks ago.  I remember most the last trip on 
Trafford and getting out to set cars up on the sidewalk to gain clearance.   

While I was in college I was able to spend many weekends in the fall -- 
winter and spring working at the Arden museum.  In those early days, which 
now being 40 years ago still seem like yesterday, we didn't operate cars.  
Overhead didn't arrive until John Wilkens hung it, and then he became 
instantly famous by ramming WP M1 into Rinney's single truck pay car which I 
think went through the back end of the barn.  We spent one whole fall raising 
the barn leads to match the new industrial
park road.  It is a real tribute to the members on what has been done in the 
last
40 years and what is there today.

Since college I have not found much time to visit or work at Arden.  It is 
time to get back there.  I retired last Oct. and have been doing some 
consulting work for my previous company and work 2 days a week at our local 
hobby shop.  

I have started a HO traction pike of course modeled after the West Penn and 
PRCo. with a splash of Wheeling.  We are in a new home and I have a fairly 
good sized room in the basement.  I hate to admit that my layout is only 6 x 
16 after seeing Derricks SHJ progress, scaled to size.  My layout is 
"compressed" but will feature 
a model of the Greensburg terminal and layout, the road crossing at 
McClellentown,
the trestle just south of Masontown, the bridge between Scottdale and 
Everson, and some side of the road running.  Some B&O and Pennsy track for 
effect will be included, but at a lower level and for continuous operation.  
My roster includes 3 West Penn 700's, 2 PRCo. 1000's, a PRCo. 1700 not here 
yet, and a NOPS car modified as a Wheeling car.  The barn layout is a 
compressed version of Wheeling's island barn.  The SHJ module keeps me 
motivated, as does participating and mostly 
enjoying the exchanges in this group.

As an aside, if you look at the current months Railroad Model Craftsman at 
the nice article on Rochester, you will note that many of the photos are 
marked copyright
2000, NRHS.   

I've attacked all of the photographers Jim listed some time ago over the 
years to fill out my personal library of photos from West Penn, Pittsburgh, 
and Wheeling.  I am always looking for more, and I think everything I have 
lists the source, but maybe not the original photographer.  

Fred Bruhn