The Gandy Dancer

Upcoming Public Operation Sessions:

GATS   -   Great American Train Show

November 24 and November 25 (Thanksgiving weekend). Hours are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

General Club News:

November Business Meeting:

The November general business meeting was held on Friday, November 2nd. Elections for club officers, for the coming year, were held at this meeting. While it had seemed promising that there would actually be some competition for the offices of President and Secretary, both candidates that were mentioned as running against the incumbents in those offices withdrew from the race. Ray Bailey was nominated for the office of President. There were no other nominations for any of the other club offices. The results of the elections are as follows: the existing officers were all reelected to another term. President Gary Lewis stated that this election marks the fifth consecutive time that he has been elected to the Presidency and that the club should be seriously looking at new candidates for next year.

A proposal was made that the proceeds from the upcoming GATS show should be earmarked for donation to a charity related to the World Trade Center. Specifically the charity would be one that is dedicated to this incident and not using the funds for other purposes. The majority of the members present at the business meeting passed the proposal.

December Business Meeting: The December general business meeting will be held on Friday, December 7th. As this is also the date for our annual holiday potluck, business discussion will be brief. Good Guys November Show Thanks to all of the members who took time to staff our display for this event. Despite threatening weather we had 235 visitors through our display on Sunday.

Annual Club Holiday Party Scheduled.

It's that time again! Time for the annual holiday party on Friday, December 7, 2001. If you have any questions about this event please contact Bob Johnson the event coordinator.

The way it works is like this. Each person volunteers to bring something to eat or drink for several persons. Better known as a potluck. These events have been very popular with the membership, over the years. If you want to know what to bring, just look at the sign up sheet and bring something that no one else has signed up to bring.

If you are interested in participating, please sign up. Sign up for party is located in the locker room, on the refrigerator.

Both warm and cold dishes are welcome. Items such as finger foods, cold cuts, vegetables & dip and whatever else might be good. There are plugs for those wishing to bring a crock-pot or other item to keep food warm.

Party starts at 7:00 PM on Friday December 7, 2001.

Membership Dues are Now Due. If you have not paid your dues yet, time to start scratching up the funds, please see the Treasurer and ante up! Members are reminded that dues are $24 per year.

Membership Roster Update.

We are in the process of updating the club roster. A copy of the current roster, with space for changes will be circulating for you to check your address, phone and email information. Once this process is complete, copies of the updated roster will be available for all members. We hope to be finished with the updating process shortly after the all of the dues have been collected. Please see Bob Johnson, if you have not been contacted to verify or update your entry on the roster.

No such thing as a free lunch:

Members are reminded that the hot beverages on Friday evenings are not free. Coffee and tea are 25¢ for all night. Hot chocolate is 15¢ per envelope of chocolate powder. A sign has been placed on a coffee can next to the hot water pot as a reminder of the pricing structure for hot refreshments.

Please unplug the coffee pot or hot water pot if you get the last cup from that pot. Thanks!

Will the last person leaving the building please turn out the lights?

During a recent weekend show, members arriving for the Sunday morning shift found a number of lights had been left on from Saturday. Lights that were left on included floodlights on the exterior of the building by the back door, floodlights on the end of the O scale layout by the display case and halogen work lights on the HO scale layout. If you are the last one leaving the club building please turn out all lights except the Santa Fe Chief tail sign, which is the night light for the building

If you are not familiar with the locations of the light switches, please ask to be shown where they are while other members are present so that you may become enlightened on this subject.

Happy Holidays:

The editor of this newsletter would like to express the wish that all members and their families have a Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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HO scale news:

The following remarks are from the HO Scale Trainmaster.

In the News:

Real progress has been made with the DCC Project. Gerald DeWitt has installed all of the basic Power Supplies and wiring. On top of this Gerald has installed one of our DCC Decoder units in an Athearn Alco PA, with real positive results.

In addition, Gerald is researching the components to construct a switching mechanism whereby we could operate on Analog or DCC without fear of burning out a non-DCC equipped loco or blowing out an analog Throttle Pack. The experiment on installing low Gauss magnet uncoupling ramps is getting started. Bill Wills, Lee Buckner and Keith Peck are working these units into the trackage at Charmin and Grainger.

Bob Johnson has made further progress on the Reefer Ice Deck and Ice Manufacturing Plant adjacent to the freight yard.

--Carl

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O scale news:

Observations from the center aisle:

The narrow gauge line along the back wall of the layout is now up and running. The geology of the ravine area has been improved with the addition of several new rocks. A pesky intermittent electrical problem has been tracked down and eliminated on the eastbound main. Seems the problem was traced down to a cold solder joint on a control panel switch.

The following remarks are from the O Scale Trainmaster.

Shows:

Thanks to everyone who worked during the Good Guys show November 10-11. We had a record crowd on Saturday, even though the rain that afternoon sent all the street rodders home early. GATS is coming up Thanksgiving weekend. Please sign up to work if you can--then we'll all take a vacation from shows until the Spring.

DCC Update:

We had full DCC in operation both days of the Good Guys shows. The extra trains were a big hit with the crowd. Don't forget that all O Scalers are entitled to 2 DCC receivers--contact Errol Spangler if you have not obtained yours yet.

Best wishes for the Holidays to all,

--George A Cumming, O Scale Trainmaster

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Test your word power.

Listed below are this month's questions about American railroad slang. Some terms refer to people and others to equipment, facilities or actions. Answers will appear in the January issue.

Who or what is a "brass pounder"? Who or what is an "engine tamer"? Who or what is a "dish washer"? Who are the "stovepipe committee"? Who or what is a "car knocker"? Who or what is a "master mechanic's blood"? Who or what is a "whangdoodle"? Who or what is a "brain plate"? Who or what is a "blazer"? Who or what is a "ice wagon"?

Note to self: Really need to talk to coal vendor about lump sizes!

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Editorial Notes:

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Being a member of the club (Everybody) entails more than just showing up on a Friday evening and having a cup of coffee. We have a number of public exhibitions during the year in addition to the Annual County Fair. Some members (Somebody) just don't seem to understand that they (Anybody) are expected to participate in the fair and other shows throughout the year. This is not to say that everyone (Everybody) is expected to participate in every show. But no one (Nobody) should feel that they are exempt for participating in at least some of the shows during the year. If a member (Anybody) is not familiar with how to run trains or have no trains to run, come on down and talk to our visitors. People watching can be an entertaining hobby also. The shifts for the weekend shows are only a few hours and you don't have to work on both days or both shifts. If anyone (Anybody) hasn't participated in a weekend show in a while, sign up and join the fun. It is a great way for members (Anybody) to get out of the house and participate with your fellow members (Everybody). Don't be the person (Somebody) that gets mentioned by others (Everybody) when the subject of who (Nobody) worked the last show is discussed.

Museum Report:

This is the fourth in a series of reports about railroad related sites and museums visited during your editor's recent vacation. This month features The High Desert Museum, located just south of Bend Oregon. While this museum is not railroad related it does feature a working steam powered saw mill and related equipment with lots of things for the spouse and children to see and do.

The High Desert Museum, which first opened to the public in 1982, is located 3.5 miles south of Bend, Oregon on US route 97 and is rated as an attraction of exceptional interest and quality by the American Automobile Association. The museum is one of Oregon's star attractions - dedicated to bringing to life the High Desert experience through exhibits and presentations on the region's history, culture, arts, and wildlife. The Museum experience includes live animals in natural habitats, lectures, seminars, and excursions.

The western region of the United States known as the High Desert is also referred to as the Intermountain West is a region bordered on the west by the Cascades and Sierras and on the east by the Rocky Mountains. This region includes the Great Basin to the south and the Snake River and Columbia plateaus to the north.

The museum uses a number of exhibits to tell the story of the region's exploration and settlement, the adaptation of native cultures to changing influences and the relationships between humans and the natural environment. The Henry J. Casey Hall of Plateau Indians was exhibiting an extensive collection of Native American artifacts including a tipi constructed of tule mats, a variety of baskets, clothing, ceremonial objects and related interpretative materials. The Spirit of the West and its Hall of Exploration and Settlement, feature displays relating to the exploration, settlement, and development of the region and the Desertarium features a variety of animals native to the High Desert region. The Brooks Gallery and Nancy R. Chandler Gallery host changing art and photography exhibits that allow visitors to see the west through the eyes of others. The photographic exhibit at the time of my visit depicted various locations and facets of the Chinese immigrants to the Western United States. The Donald M. Kerr - Bird of Prey Center, features a variety of raptors including a golden eagle, several species of owls and hawks.

The museum is open daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Admission is (for two consecutive days): General Admission $8.50; Youth (13-18) and Seniors (65+) $7.50; Children Admission (5-12) $4.00 and Children under 4 free. A minimum of three to four hours is easily spent visiting the exhibits and displays. Additional information is available by phone (541) 382-4754.

Photos from The High Desert Museum.

The next installment of the museum report will cover the Oregon Short Line 2537, located in Walla Walla, Washington. This railroad equipment display is located in Jefferson Park, which is a nice place for a picnic.

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Go to November 2001 Issue

Return to Gandy Dancer Index

Go to January 2002 Issue

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The Gandy Dancer, A monthly publication of the Alameda County Central Railroad Society, Inc.
Copyright ACCRS, Inc 2001 all rights reserved
Last Revised November 23, 2001
For more information contact Robert Johnson, Editor