November 17, 2022 - ChaddsFordLive.com

50 Years of “Wow!” at the Brandywine Railroad

Brandywine Railroad model train display. Photo credit-Carlos Alejandro.

For the last two weeks, I have asked each person I met what they know about the Brandywine Railroad at the Brandywine Museum of Art. Without fail, their eyes light up and a smile appears—even from people who only visited once over four decades ago. From the two-year-old who simply yelled “TRAINS!” to longtime visitors in their eighties, their memories bring instant joy. They mention the trains, the scenes, a tiny piece that they remember in exact detail: “Oh, is the little drive-in movie still playing? That was always my favorite!” or “My kids loved following Thomas through the tunnels!” or “My grandparents brought me every year.”

Custom-built Steam Locomotive on the Brandywine Railroad

“We want that ‘Wow!’ factor,” says David Jensen, Senior Model Railroad Specialist at the Brandywine Museum of Art. Along with Paul Hoerner, Model Railroad Specialist at the Brandywine Museum of Art, they are the third generation of caretakers of the Brandywine Railroad.

It started with a small local group that was hired to bring a train display to the museum for the 1972 holiday season. Then in 1973 two local college students, Jeff Punderson and Kirk Lindvig, brought in the current O-gauge layout that has been maintained, updated, and expanded ever since. In 1976 Steven Clarke joined the team, and continued to lead the team until his retirement in 2016.

“I started out as a visitor to the Brandywine with my family when I was 15” in 1979, says Jensen. “I had model trains at home, so I began talking with the operator of the layout at that time.” Clarke was happy to bring someone else in with a passion for the display. “I showed an interest in running the trains, so the operator invited me to help run them so that he could concentrate on the maintenance.”

Jensen has worked with trains throughout his career, of every size. “My family and I worked at the Wilmington and Western tourist railroad,” he says. “I always loved trains, so when the railroad closed down for the winter, model railroading was a way for me and my brothers to keep ‘playing with trains’ throughout the year.”

Jensen has brought his history to the railroad in a special way: “I custom built a scale model of the Wilmington and Western steam locomotive 98. It was a locomotive that I used to run as an engineer and it was a lot of work to get the model just right, so that one means a lot to me personally, as well as professionally.”

Hoerner has been with the Brandywine Railroad since 1987, when he answered a “Help Wanted” ad on a bulletin board by one of his classrooms at West Chester University “to come help set up a model train display at the Brandywine right before Christmas.” It ended up being a perfect opportunity. “I always liked model railroading and knew I could always use the extra money for Christmas—and the rest is history.”

Trains had always been a special part of the holidays for Hoerner. “My Dad always set up a Lionel train set on Christmas Eve in my bedroom, so that when I woke up there were ‘magically’ trains for Christmas.” After the holidays, they would go back to the “North Pole”—their attic.

Young family standing in front of N. C. Wyeth’s Old Kris (ca. 1925) on view during the holiday season in one of the Museum’s galleries

The Brandywine Railroad comes down from the “North Pole” of the Brandywine Museum only a few weeks before the display opens each year. The first day is spent re-assembling the twenty-eight sections which form the base of the display, each carefully bolted into place by Hoerner and then adjusted to ensure smooth running surfaces for the tracks and trains. But the Brandywine Railroad is a year-round operation for Jensen and Hoerner. During the summer Jensen inspects, maintains, and repairs each piece of the display, about half of which is from his own personal collection. Some pieces are rebuilt, others are replaced, and others retired.

The off-season is also a chance to work on new attractions. This year, a new display includes the grounds of the Radnor Hunt, complete with a perfect replica of the famous judging tower built by Hoerner. It took him a few weeks to finish the piece, ensuring the miniature has every detail of the original. This year also introduces a new backdrop to the entire room, designed by the Brandywine Museum’s own Manager of Design & Digital Strategy, Joshua Schnapf. The backdrop ranges from familiar rolling hills to the Philadelphia skyline.

The newest member of the Brandywine Railroad, Traci Harkins, also works in security for the museum. “Other than ‘Where is the restroom?’ the most common question I get is ‘Where are the trains?’ or ‘When do the trains come back?’” she says. She is still learning how to run the trains, which are controlled using a mix of computer programs via iPads, classic switches and controls, and buttons and foot-pedals that visitors can interact with to turn on certain displays and trains.

In her second year, Harkins loves being part of the “traditions and memories” of the Brandywine Railroad. She is experienced in working with the public, especially the youngest visitors, and reminding them to enjoy the trains using their eyes rather than their hands. It can be tempting to reach out and touch the realistic displays, but the entire display is a highly fine-tuned machine. Keeping the tracks smooth, the trains perfectly weighted, and the thousands of moving pieces in perfect shape means they can create fantastic feats of engineering. For example, the freight train uses just two engines to pull over 100 cars along the tracks, wowing children and veteran train engineers alike.

Radnor Hunt Judging Tower on the Brandywine Railroad

It is all worth it, Hoerner says, for opening day “when all of the hard work and preparations for the season are done and the first visitors come through the door. The cries of delight and smiles from young and old ignite the holiday season.” Jensen agrees: “I hope our visitors enjoy making holiday memories at the Brandywine and that this exhibition brings joy to all.”

Hoerner reflects on the past of the exhibit while hoping it brings perspective to the present. “As we celebrate the 50th year of the Brandywine Railroad this holiday season,” he says, “I hope the message visitors take away is that some traditions endure, and I hope that while they are here, they can forget about the hustle and bustle of modern life for a little bit and simply enjoy watching trains.”

The Brandywine Railroad holiday train display opens to the public Saturday, Nov. 19 and runs through Jan. 8. While there, check out Fragile Earth: The Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art, as well as the permanent exhibitions throughout the museum. The Brandywine River Museum is located at 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA. More information can be found online at Brandywine.org/Museum.

About Victoria Rose

Victoria Rose (she/her) is an editor, writer, avid reader, self-described geek, and fan of all things creative. Her passion for words has led to her current career as a freelance editor, and she is the owner of Flickering Words, an editing service. When not wielding a red pen (or cursor), she loves reading books of all genres, playing video, board, and word games, baking ridiculous creations to show off on the internet, or enjoying the gorgeous outdoors. She is a board member of the West Chester Film Festival and part of the Thirsty Monsters, a team of streamers from around the world who fundraise for various charities supporting LGBTQIA+ and accessibility rights. She can be found online @WordsFlickering or the Brandywine Art Guide @BrandywineArtGuide.

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Vegetables for the carnivore palate

Business

_1JF2721-outside — Vegetables for the carnivore palate

Rich Landau had one thing to work out when he became a vegetarian in his teens: “How do I make vegetables for my carnivore palate?” There was nothing for him to eat, he said.

“It was the ‘80s, there was nothing to eat. It was like pine cones, sunflower seeds, and peanut butter. I had to teach myself how to cook. I’m still a carnivore at heart. I still have a carnivore’s palate. All I want to do every day is eat a giant corned beef Reuben. I had to teach myself how to get those flavors into my vegetables.”

Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, owners of Ground Provisions, are eager to open their second vegan restaurant, this one on the site of the former Inn Keepers Kitchen in Dilworthtown.

He said he’s done just that and now he and his wife, Kate Jacoby, are getting ready to open their second vegan-based restaurant, Ground Provisions, on the site of the former Inn Keeper’s Kitchen in Dilworthtown. Their other restaurant is Vedge on Locust Street in Philadelphia.

The couple isn’t sure when the combination restaurant and store will open. Renovation of the Inn Keeper’s Kitchen is taking longer than expected, but they hope to open within the next two months. And there are some operational details they need to work out as well.

Current plans call for the store to open first. They’ll be offering prepared vegan dishes for grab-and-go takeout, or for eating on the porch, weather permitting. The restaurant part of the business will open later. How much later, they still aren’t sure.

And the business hours still need to be determined. Jacoby said the store would likely be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days per week, and the restaurant hours probably 5-9 p.m. They hope to operate the restaurant five nights per week but might begin only two or three nights.

One other unique aspect is that the menu will be limited, beyond just vegan cuisine. They’ll have what Landau referred to as a “tasting menu” that features five courses for a single price, $75, with drinks additional. There will also be some wine pairing.

Even the bosses have manual labor, like putting tables together.

Landau said the “tasting menu” concept has been growing for a while but has become more important since the reaction to COVID severely hurt the restaurant business. Now, though, it’s borne out of necessity with the high costs of everything, product, utilities, and labor.

“Restaurants were almost annihilated during the pandemic,” he said. It’s bad and we‘re still going to see a ripple effect from that. We wanted to have a restaurant that would survive in that modern climate. That’s why we’re doing the tasting menu,” he said.

That menu will change periodically, “Big sweeping changes for the seasons, smaller changes week to week,” Jacoby said later.

And the food will be locally sourced as much as possible. Landau said about 90 percent of the produce will be coming from a five-mile radius once summer arrives.

He explained that the name Ground Provisions comes from Caribbean restaurants and a dish called ground provisions.

“It’s an actual side dish you get in the Caribbean. It’s basically all the roots and starches that are growing at any given time. If you go to Jamaica or any other Caribbean island and order ground provisions, you get a side dish of all the vegetables, which is what we do. We’re taking that concept and bringing it north,” he said. “And we looked at the word provisions and that was like a store. We wanted to have the store. So, provisions is the store and the ground is where all of our food comes from, and it clicked.”

Along with getting the building ready and deciding on hours of operation, Ground Provisions is also looking for restaurant help. Anyone interested can go to the website — www.groundprovisions.com — fill out an application and upload a resume.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Around Town Nov. 17

Along the Ford

_1JF2696-wreath — Volunteers at the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art put the finishing touches on the giant wreath that will be on the museum’s outer wall during the holiday season. The annual Brandywine Railroad will also be on display beginning this Saturday, Nov. 19.

A Longwood Christmas gets underway this weekend.

• Seasonal activities continue at Longwood Gardens this year with A Longwood Christmas. The annual display opens Nov. 18 and runs through Jan. 8. In addition to the light shows and seasonal floral displays, there will also be music in the air from the Longwood Organ and the 62-bell and five-octave Carillon. Timed tickets are required; buy them here.

• Winterthur, too, is getting into the holiday spirit with a 6-foot-long gingerbread version of the Winterthur mansion. There will also be a large, model train display, and a house tour featuring Christmas trees that were inspired by those displayed at the White House in 1961.

• Santa is on his way to Olde Ridge Village. The big guy and reindeer will be outside Giggybites from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26. Bring your own camera for pictures.

Cinderella is on stage at West Chester University this Friday and Saturday.

• West Chester University’s Opera Theatre presents Cinderella by Pauline Viardot on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. in the Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, Philips Memorial Building, 700 S. High Street, West Chester. General admission tickets are $7 at www.wcupatix.com/schoolofmusic. Tickets for faculty, staff, students, and children under 12 are free.

Learn about the Red Rose Girls on Nov. 29.

• The Chester County History Center presents the story of The Red Rose Girls from 7-8 p.m. on Nov. 29. Artists Jessie Willcox Smith, Elizabeth Shippen Green, and Violet Oakley captivated early 20th century Philadelphia with their brilliant careers and uncommon lifestyle. Nicknamed “The Red Rose Girls” by their mentor, illustrator Howard Pyle, they rented the Red Rose Inn on the city’s Main Line and set up an unconventional household. Joined by their friend Henrietta Cozens, the women forged an intense emotional bond and made a pact to live together forever. Author Alice A. Carter will recount the story of the Red Rose Girls against the backdrop of late-Victorian mores and the emerging women’s rights movement. This is a pay-as-you-wish event but registration is required.

Pianist Mark Livshits will perform Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini at the Delaware County Symphony’s Dec. 4 concert.

• There will be more music in the air when the Delaware County Symphony presents Virtuosity and Variations- Symphony Concert on Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. The symphony concert will feature pianist Mark Livshits performing Sergei Rachmaninov’s beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Also on the program will be the Hiawatha Overture by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. The concert will be held in Neumann University’s Meagher Theatre. Tickets for the concert may be purchased at dcsmusic.org/tickets

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

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Taxes steady in Pennsbury

Local News Pennsbury, Local News

Supervisors will still have to vote on the budget next month, but property owners in Pennsbury Township won’t face a tax increase if the plan is approved.

Township Manager Kathy Howley gave a brief rundown on the proposed 2023 budget during the Board of Supervisors’ Nov. 16 meeting, saying the millage rate would remain at 1.49 mils. (A mil is a tax of $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.)

It’s a balanced budget with revenues and expenses projected at $1,745,550, with the real estate property tax counting for $290,000 on the revenue side. Other local taxes account for $1,085,000. Franchise agreements, fines and interest, rents and royalties, grants, permits and fees, and sanitation and hydrants make up the rest.

Fire and ambulance services account for the largest part of the expenses. That totals $464,937. Public works come in second at $241,623. Legislative, executive, and administrative costs — salaries and benefits – add another $400,000 to the expense side of the ledger.

The full budget — as advertised —can be found here.

Supervisors are scheduled to vote on the budget during their Dec. 14 meeting at 5 p.m.