The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society
January 2001
Winter Edition.
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Friday evening February 9th is the informal "stop by" session. The more "official" open house is on Sunday, Feb. 11, from 11 AM to 3 PM, more or less. There is a BBQ hosted by the O Scale, on Sunday, and HO scale members are welcome to attend and run for this event.
Thank you to all of our members for participating in club events during the past year. Without your generous assistance it would not have been possible to staff all of the events in which the club participated. Now we look forward to the new year, may it be a happy and fruitful year for our members, their families and our club.
The January Business meeting is scheduled for Friday January 5th.
If you have not paid your dues, please see the Treasurer and ante up! Dues are still a bargain at $ 24.00 per year.
The annual club potluck was held on Friday, December 1st. We had a very good turnout and those who participated had a good time. Many thanks to all of the participants who provided all of the delicious goodies. If anyone went home hungry, it was your own fault.
The party saw the first use of the new club TV/VCR. Don Pomplun acquired this piece of equipment for the club. Gary Lewis and Bob Johnson provided tapes for the evening's entertrainment.
We also had some special guests at the party. Paul and Rosalie Powers attended the evening's festivities. For the benefit of our newer members, the Powers were involved with the club for many years. Paul spent many hours doing the job that Gerald DeWitt now does, playing electrical mole below the layout. It was a real treat that Paul and Rosalie were able to attend this year.
A great big thank you to all of those from both sides of the aisle that helped staff both of these events. We had a good turnout for both events and had lots of visitors on both weekends.
OK, race fans, now is your big chance. A rematch for the downhill run has been scheduled for January 6, 2001. This contest is open to all club members from both HO and O Scales. If you want to participate, but do not have any equipment to run, equipment will be available for your use during this contest. One of the prizes is a gift certificate, so no one should feel that they would end up with a prize that they cannot use if they participate in this event.
Several small projects are still in progress as of mid-December. Gary is putting on some finishing touches at the new Oildale station. The roundhouse is in the process of receiving some interior lighting. Little Joe has been working on vehicle animations for fire trucks and police cars. Dean and a couple of helpers have been doing some work on planting many of the new trees on the layout.
No major projects are in progress currently.
The following remarks are from the O Scale Trainmaster.
Many thanks to Al Estabrook, Len Ferreria, Bob Bunch, Bill Oborne, David & Henry Chandler, Curly Bellaver, Errol Spangler, Dick Stark and Bill Brisko for helping out with operations during GATS.
We will begin the once-a-month Sunday operating sessions on Sunday, January 7, 2001, beginning at Noon. The first meeting will have a wee bit of "organizational" discussion of members' interests, DCC and like topics, but mostly operating in whatever format the members wish. Errol will add a DCC receiver to our Milwaukee Road U-Boat, so we will have one Club locomotive available from the get-go.
We have rented an ACCRS table, hoping to provide information to prospective new members. Please sign up to work the table for an hour or so on Friday or Saturday, February 9 and 10. Members may also sell at our table.--George Cumming, O Scale Trainmaster
The following article is the fifth and final installment of a report on museums visited during by your editor this past summer.
Heber Valley 2-8-0 #75 Bob Johnson photo.
In the fall of 1899 the first train made its way up the canyon from Provo, Utah to a little settlement called Heber. For decades the railroad served the people of this tiny community hauling freight into the valley and livestock out. In the late 1930s and early 1940s more sheep were transported out of the Heber Valley than anywhere in the nation. Naturally they traveled by rail.
When the new highway was completed, rail traffic gave way to trucks and in 1967 the rails fell silent. The D & R G W because of declining business abandoned the line. In 1970 the train became a recreational railroad and except for a brief pause between 1990 and 1993 trains have operated continuously along the scenic rail line. The Fall of 1999 the railroad line was 100 years old.
The roster of equipment currently includes two operable 1907 Baldwin 2-8-0s, one ex-UP # 618 and the other former Great Western Sugar # 75, which was returned to service at the start of the 2000 operating season. There are two diesels on the roster #1813 an EMD MRS-1 and a former UP NW-2 # 1011.
Rolling stock includes caboose # 3700, which was the first all steel caboose delivered to the UP in 1942. Passenger cars include several heavyweight and open-air cars. A number of other cars both freight and passenger are stored in the property. There are long-term plans for improving the facilities, as there is a turntable awaiting funding for installation.
Summer operations involve several train movements each day. The Provo Canyon Limited is the longest ride. A round trip to Vivian Park takes three and one half hours. According to the railroad the grade out of Provo River Canyon has some sections of 4% grade, which gives the locomotive a workout. The fare for an adult on this trip is $19.00.
This operation is worth a visit if you get to the Salt Lake City area. Heber City is about an hour from SLC. The staff, during my visit, was friendly and helpful. I hope to visit this operation again.
Further information on this operation is available from:Heber Valley Railroad, 450 South 600, West Heber City, UT 84032(435) 654-5601.Heber valley historical info excerpted from the Heber Valley Railroad website.
Listed below are answers to the questions about American railroad slang terms from last months issue. Some terms refer to people and others to equipment, facilities or actions.
Club members are reminded that the 2001 Orchard Supply Hardware calendars will be available starting December 26th. This year's calendar features train art by Mike Danneman and a pullout 70th anniversary poster. |
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The Christmas and New Year holidays are almost here as this is written in mid-December. Since most of you have not attended meetings during the holiday season, in previous years, please bear in mind that many of the long time members may not be down at the club facility on Friday December 22 or December 29. It is possible that there might not be anyone present to open the club building on those evenings. If this is the situation on either evening, please don't be discouraged. We will all be back and ready to model railroad on January 5th.
There are many of us, in the club, that try to follow what is going on with the full sized railroads in addition to modeling. The Union Pacific Railroad maintains a collection of historical steam and diesel locomotives in Cheyenne Wyoming. The UP Historical Society has some newly updated reports about some of the equipment in the collection on their website. The following information was related by Bob Kreiger of the UP steam program.
"We are in the process of cutting new rings for the pistons, valves and expansion joints. We also are overhauling the springs, rigging and brake rigging on 3985's tender."
"New firebox sheets, combustion chamber, throat sheets, and tube sheets are in the process of being cut, rolled, and drilled. This will be about a month long process. So at some point next year we will have them all shipped to Cheyenne. I am not sure of the timeline for beginning work on 844 as we need to get 3985 ready for next year first."
"As reported, the 6936, while pulling an engineering inspection train in Louisiana, on Dec 1, struck a semi truck carrying mud from the sugar cane fields. Damage occurred to the front nose of the locomotive and upon the collapse of the nose the incoming debris into the cab caused one fatality there. The truck driver passed away also.
Following inspection, the 6936 was towed with the train to Alexandria and removed from the train for routing to UP's Jenks Locomotive Shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It is there now and in line for repairs. It is planned to restore the front end, add cab air conditioning and repaint the locomotive (which will include a pair of wings on the front end)." Info from UPHS website .
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