DRHS logo

Dayton Railway Historical Society (DRHS)
DRHS logo

About the DRHS

The Dayton Railway Historical Society (DRHS), Inc, is a non-profit, unaffiliated historical and educational group serving the Dayton, Ohio and the Tri-State (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky) area.

Membership in the society is open to all persons of good character who are interested in trains -- railroad history and preservation at dues of $20 per year.

General Meeting/Programs are normally held on the second Thursday of every month at 730PM at the Patterson Historic House on Brown Street in Dayton OH. Programs usually consist of a combination of slides, movies, or a guest speaker unless otherwise noted.

Steam, diesels, streetcars, rapid transit and trolleybus subjects are featured each month.

Members and their guests are invited to attend. Free admission and parking.

For membership info, please drop us a line at
gvaddy


Railroad History of Dayton
Dave Oroszi and R Kirk Reynolds document, "The Railroad History of Dayton OH"
Photos
Selected steam and diesel photos from our members' collections
Bill Purdie Interview
Ted Vigodsky, the DRHS's informal correspondent for all things rail and transit in the South, did an interview with Bill Purdie.

Mr Purdie, who passed away in 2010, was a mainstay in the steam engine excursion program that the Southern Railway, and later the Norfolk Southern, operated for many years to the great delight of thousands of rail fans. Bill was the former Master Mechanic of Steam Engines for both of these railroads. Undoubtedly, without Bill's experience and devotion to steam, there would have never existed the scope of steam excursions that evolved from his dedication.

On September 30, 1985 the Southeastern Railway Museum of Duluth, Georgia was operating a steam fan trip, using Savannah & Atlanta #750, a beautifully restored Pacific engine. Mr Purdie, of course, was in the cab, firing and advising.

At that time, Mr Vigodsky, a reporter for radio station WGST (Newsradio Atlanta) was invited into the loco's cab to interview Bill. Fortunately, an audio recording of that live interview is available still today, preserved by Ted himself.

After 25 years, and after many years behind the mike at WGST, Ted established and hosts a website that he calls Atlanta Side Streets. Recently while perusing Atlanta Side Streets, Ted came across the Purdie in-cab interview. To make a long story short, we put the link up for all to enjoy on YouTube.

Link to State of Ohio Railway Map



daytontrolleys.net