Home

Announcements Brooklyn El Book ERA-TV Membership eCard Join Renew Donate Pub Sales Zoom Calendar Vintage Collection Periodicals

We are greatly saddened to announce that Ron Yee died on Friday, October 29 after a very brief but severe illness. Ron (#5169) was an ERA member for 46 years, having joined on July 19, 1976. In addition to being the Tri-State and North American news editor for The Bulletin and a frequent contributor to Headlights, Ron also served on the board of directors as second vice president and corresponding secretary. We will have a full obituary soon. Our hearts and prayers go out to Ron’s wife Lily and the rest of his family and friends.

David Wilson

Friday, December 17, 2021

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to 34th Street in Bayonne, N.J. Photo: Sandy Campbell (June 24, 2007)

This month’s Zoom presentation by David Wilson is “Manhattan Transfer.” David’s show will trace the purposes, construction, expansion, decline and revival of transportation systems at the Hudson River waterfront from the first railroads to the introduction of present-day light rail and ferry service.

Manhattan Transfer was more than a fictional name for Penn Station immortalized in the titular novel by John Dos Passos. For nearly two centuries, eight railroads, streetcar operations and a subway line surmounted obstacles in northern New Jersey to reach the Hudson River waterfront where passengers could transfer to ferry boats or H&M subway trains to gain access to Manhattan.

This presentation is comprehensive, with many rare photos. It is not one to be missed!

December Meeting Notice

Please visit this page for the link to join our Zoom presentation. We will post the “Zoom Login” button about five days before the meeting.

Important Announcements!

President Bob Newhouser

San Diego Trolley. Photo: Mike Glikin (Jul 31, 2021)

ERA trips are back!

ERA annual conventions have returned. Our 2022 convention, based in San Diego from July 7-10, will be headquartered at the Best Western Plus Hacienda Hotel Old Town in San Diego’s historic Old Town district. We have planned several exciting trips throughout Southern California. Visit our convention page to find out more, reserve a room, and order tickets.

ERA international tours also return in 2022 with an exciting trip to Greece, starting and ending in Athens from September 8-17 (leaving the U.S. on September 7). We will travel on high-speed railways, a narrow-gauge steam train, and a luxury tour coach. Check the ERA website soon and watch for our tour flyer in the January mailing when “Transit and Tourism in Athens and Thessaloniki (Salonica)” will be covered in detail.

Save the date!

Our next Zoom meeting will be on Friday, January 21, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. The presenter will be Jack May.

Renew!

It is that time of year for renewing your ERA membership for 2022. We have mailed each of you a printed renewal form. OR, if you prefer, renew quickly online. Don’t forget to download a membership e-card.

Vote!

Time is running out to vote for the 2022 board of directors. You can review candidate bios, then vote for your 2022 directors on the following pages of the ERA website:

Donate!

ERA greatly appreciates your prompt membership renewals and your donations. It’s our primary source of income and makes possible the monthly programming, Bulletin issues and the Headlights magazine that we all count on and enjoy!

Donate

The Brooklyn El Book is now available!

Composite Photo: Sandy Campbell

By now, all ERA members whose dues are paid up through 2020 should be receiving a copy of Eric Oszustowicz’s The Elevated Railways of Brooklyn and the BMT Subway, Volume One: 1864-1940. This incredible 436-page book counts as the 2019 and 2020 issues of Headlights. Copies are also available for sale on our Publication Sales page. If you haven’t received your book by July 15th, or you have any other problems, please complete our contact form.

Order

ERA-TV

All of our latest monthly meetings are now online

Our monthly meetings will be held via Zoom until we give prior notice of a new hotel location and we are authorized to hold live meetings again. Starting with the June 2020 meeting, Zoom presentations are being recorded and posted here and on our YouTube channel, ERA-TV. Recordings will become available for viewing approximately two weeks after each meeting.

Nov 19, 2021

Oct 15, 2021 - Dr. Rich Allman and Charles Long

Aug 13, 2021 - Rich Krisak

Jun 18, 2021 - Albert J. Churella

May 21, 2021 - Peter Ehrlich

Apr 16, 2021 - Ron Yee

Mar 19, 2021 - Jeff Erlitz

Feb 19, 2021 - Gary Grahl Tribute

Jan 15, 2021 - Jack May

Dec 18, 2020

Nov 20, 2020 - Mark Kavanagh

Oct 16, 2020 - Carl Jackson

Sep 25, 2020 - Russ Jackson

Aug 21, 2020 - Andrew Ludasi

Jul 17, 2020 - Peter Ehrlich

Jun 19, 2020 - Ron Yee

Mar 21, 2014 - Bill Armstrong Collection

Join. Renew. Donate.

Photo: Rupixen.com (Unsplash)

2022 New Member Application Form

Members, feel free to share this page with your friends. If they enjoy our Zoom programs, they can join the ERA right now using our 2022 New Member Application Form. Digital dues are $60 and members receive the monthly Bulletin via email. All-print dues are $110 per year. Those under 30 years are eligible for $30 youth dues. All three memberships include either an annual print copy of the color Headlights magazine or a book every two years.

Join

2022 Dues Renewal Form

Please take a moment to complete our online 2022 Dues Renewal Form. We look forward to your continued support of the ERA’s long record of traction education and entertainment.

Renew

Donation Form

Thank you very much to those of you who have already made generous contributions to support our programs in 2020 and early 2021! The membership’s response to our fund drive has been outstanding! If you have not already done so, please consider a donation this year to help ERA continue its nearly 90-year record of traction education and entertainment. Our new online Donation Form makes it much easier to contribute!

Donations are tax deductible: The ERA is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt corporation. Your donations are fully tax deductible and can be made using the new donation form on our website.

Shop using AmazonSmile: Each time you shop on Amazon, use our unique charity link AmazonSmile ERA and 0.5% of your purchase will go to the ERA!

Donate

Download the 2022 Membership eCard

It’s free. And it’s fun.

Image description — 2022 ERA Membership Card

Slideshow (1 of 7): The ERA Membership Card Collector Series. Card Design: Sandy Campbell

We’re proud to introduce the 2022 ERA Membership eCard, photographed by Ron Yee and featuring the Miami Metrorail approaching Government Center. Our Membership Card is now digital, so you can keep it with you on your phone for easy access. And for the first time, the complete series is available as high-res PDFs, suitable for printing and framing. Download all seven today!

2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Publication Sales

We have a huge selection of Headlights in both print and PDF editions, plus The Elevated Railways of Brooklyn and the BMT Subway book, all available for immediate purchase online. Plus, our convenient Publication Sales section is cleaner and easier to use than ever before.

Zoom Meeting Calendar

December 2021

The Zoom Meeting Calendar is a new monthly feature compiled by ERA member George Chiasson Jr. Zoom presentations are happening at transit clubs all across the country, and now you won’t have to miss a single one. Thank you, George!

December 1, 2021

Conway Scenic in the Snow DVD

Presenter: Andy Sisk
St. Louis NRHS

December 2, 2021

Pre-Conrail: New Jersey to Illinois

Presenter: Dave Michaels
Cincinnati Railroad Club

December 3, 2021

David P. Morgan’s Milwaukee

Presenter: Kevin P. Keefe
Wisconsin NRHS

HO Scale MUNI F Line Layout

Presenter: Havey Simon
East Penn Traction Club

NE Missouri & SE Iowa in 1991

Presenter: Bob Franke
Kansas City NRHS

December 4, 2021

Midwest II 2019 (Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago and Pittsburgh)

Presenter: George Chiasson Jr.
Boston Street Railway Association

December 6, 2021

COVID-Era Images

Presenter: Jack May
New York Chapter NRHS

December 7, 2021

Elgin County Railway Museum & St. Thomas Railway

Presenter: John Kanakos
Bytown Railway Society

December 8, 2021

Schuylkill Railways: Trolleys

Presenter: M.Szilagyi & A.W. Maginnis
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

TBD

Presenter: TBD
20th Century Railroad Club

December 9, 2021

The Depths of the Depot

Presenter: Colin Page
National Trolleybus Association

December 10, 2021

December 11, 2021

Cincinnati Transit

Presenter: Tom McNamara
Cincinnati Transit Historical Assoc.

December 13, 2021

100 Years of the TTC

Presenter: Ted Wickson
Toronto Transportation Society

December 16, 2021

The Nine Lives of Number 9

Presenter: Classic RR Film Series
Mass. Bay Railroad Enthusiasts

TBD

Presenter: TBD
NRHS Philadelphia Chapter

TBD

Presenter: TBD
Arkansas-Boston Mountains NRHS

December 17, 2021

Manhattan Transfer

Presenter: David Wilson
Electric Railroaders’ Assoc.

New York City Metro

Presenter: Steve Kalka
New York Railroaders Enthusiasts

The Publication of Rail Fan Magazine

Presenter: Steve Barry
DC NRHS

December 21, 2021

Holiday Social with Pub Quiz

Presenter: Chapter Membership
NRHS Potomac Chapter

Online Slideshow

Presenter: Five Photographers
Wisconsin NRHS

January 4, 2022

Manitoba Railways

Presenter: Mark Perry
Bytown Railway Society

January 7, 2022

MBTA 4.0 (Bean Town Adventure, Pt. 4)

Presenter: Byron Nash
Boston Street Railway Association

January 11, 2022

The Isle of Man Transport System

Presenter: Ian Longworth
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

Vintage Collection

Free PDFs of vintage ERA memorabilia are now available for viewing online or download. Composite Photo: Sandy Campbell

When Ray Berger passed away in 2016, he left a trove of transportation memorabilia he had been collecting for decades. Jeff Erlitz and Noah Caplin have been hard at work sorting through these archives. Jeff has scanned a bunch of the vintage items they found, presented here for our members to enjoy.

Periodicals

Our new Periodicals landing page gathers all of our ERA magazines and newsletters in one spot for easy access.

Electric Railroaders’ Assoc., Inc. is a non-profit educational organization consisting of people from all walks of life interested in the history and progress of electric railways.

The ERA was founded August 15, 1934 by Edwin Jay (E.J.) Quinby, 1894-1981.

More about E.J. Quinby (much more) can be found in Arthur Goldwag’s 2011 article Commander Edwin J. Quinby and the Great Streetcar Conspiracy.

Benefits of ERA membership include regional trips, monthly meetings, annual conventions, biennial international tours, monthly Bulletin newsletters and a yearly Headlights magazine.

Mailing Address

Electric Railroaders’ Assoc., Inc.
P.O. Box 3323
New York, NY 10163-3323

Office

Email erausa.org/contact
Phone 917-714-7087
P.O. Box 3323
New York, NY 10163-3323

Search

Join Us

Contact Us

Online Contact Form

ERA Policies

Sitemaps

Administrators

ERA Website Sandy Campbell
Facebook Philip Hom
Hosting MediaTemple
Issuu Sandy Campbell
Linkedin Sandy Campbell
Twitter Sasha Ivanoff
YouTube Sandy Campbell