The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society
June 2003
Flag Day June 14
Fair Starts June 20.
| The Gandy DancerThe Official Publication of | June 2003Flag Day June 14 |
| Club Officers: | |
|---|---|
| President Gary Lewis |
Vice President Henry Chandler |
| Secretary Dean Lewis |
Treasurer Don Pomplun |
| HO Trainmaster Andy Herrera |
O Trainmaster George Cumming |
| Newsletter Editor Bob Johnson |
Webmaster Jim Ferreria |
| Visit the club website | |
If you have any information that would be of interest to the membership please contact Bob Johnson, so that it may be included in the next issue. The deadline for submitting information for the July issue will be June 24 with a goal of being mailed later in that week. Members are encouraged to submit photos, announcements and other club and model railroad related material for use on the club website. Please contact Jim Ferreria with items for the website, or questions relating to the website. |
| Go to May 2003 Issue | Return to Gandy Dancer Index | Go to July 2003 Issue |
| General News | HO Scale News | O Scale News | Test Your Word Power |
| Friday, June 20 thru Sunday, July 6. | |
| Monday thru Thursday 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. | Friday, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. |
| Friday, July Fourth 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. | |
 |
17th West Coast Nationals. Hours: Saturday, August 23, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday, August 24, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Start time for the club display is normally 10:00 AM for this event. |
 |
The June general business meeting will be held on Friday, June 6th. Big Bertha, will be fired up for the pre-meeting grilling session, weather permitting. This will be the last pre-meeting BBQ session prior to the Fair. |
The club was open on Wednesday, April 23 and Friday, April 25 for this event. We had approximately twenty-five visitors between the two days. Many members attended and ran a nice selection of trains.
The annual Alameda County Fair is only a short time away. The time is fast approaching when projects must be completed and the club building cleaned up for the fair. Pre-fair preparations are always hectic, and additional help is always appreciated. Both scales are holding a Saturday workday on June 7. There are a number of projects to be done on both sides of the aisle. Examples of things that need to be done include, cleaning and tuning up the coolers, removal of cobwebs from the layouts and the overhead areas along with touch up painting and other repairs. Find out what needs to be done and lend a hand in getting the facility and layouts ready for this major event on the club calendar. Please contact your Trainmaster to let them know that you are going to be down to help out on Saturday, June 7. Start time is 9:30 AM.
The July edition of the newsletter will be short due to being published during the Fair. The August edition of the newsletter will also be short due to the editor's summer schedule. The newsletter will return to its normal size and format with the September edition.
Annual Club BBQ 
 |
The annual post fair club BBQ will be held Friday, August 1 starting with Hors D'Oeurvres at 6:30 PM. Mark your calendar for this family oriented event. The sign-up sheet for the BBQ is on the refrigerator in the locker room. |
Signup sheets for the annual Alameda County Fair are available in the upstairs meeting room. There are three shifts for each day:
Monday through Thursday: First shift is 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Second shift is 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Third shift is 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. |
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: First shift is 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Second shift is 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Third shift is 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. |
Friday, July Fourth: First shift is 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Second shift is 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Third shift is 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. |
Please note that in prior years we have closed early on a couple of evenings during the small animal changeover. We are required to close, as our front door must be closed during changeover, and fire regulations do not permit us to be open to the public with only one building exit available. We will not receive information on the dates for changeover until the Fair starts, or just before. Due to the statewide ban on poultry exhibitions, birds will not be a part of the small animal exhibit this year. It is unknown as of press time if we will have to close this year or not. The club membership will be advised as soon as the dates and times for changeover are known and if the absence of the birds will change how the changeover is conducted.
The following remarks are from the HO Scale Trainmaster.
Well, it's that time of the year again. The Fair is less than a month away.
Its time for us to fire up the boilers and start running for the Fair patrons, I know many of you will be participating. The Fair sign up sheets are up in the clubroom. Please be sure to sign up on the shifts you plan to participate. It lets the other HO members know what shifts we may be short handed.
I sure appreciate all the help and participation many of you have given the past few months. We've seen so much progress and improvements on the layout. You've put forth a lot of time and effort.
You may notice a new donation box Carlo recently installed in the former raffle counter. Sure is a nice addition and a great job done by Carlo.
At our next and final HO meeting before the Fair, we will go over final things we need to address and complete.
Don't forget, we are having a Saturday work session set for June 7th beginning at 9:30 AM. We need to know how many of the HO members will be attending so we can coordinate with the O scale for grill resources and other refreshments. So, if you are planning on participating please let us know.
Well, until next time. See you at the Friday, June 6th meeting.
--Andy Herrera — HO Scale Trainmaster
The following remarks are from the O Scale Trainmaster.
Please attend the O Scale workday, beginning at 9:30 am on Saturday, June 7. We need to clean up and fix up the layout for running during the Fair, and also get rid of the unclaimed junk under the layout. (If any of this belongs to you, please tag it or remove it; otherwise, it may get the old heave-ho.) Let George know if you will be attending; we will provide BBQ but need a head count. Contact George by E-mail.
The Fair begins on Friday, June 20. There are 17 days of running, which means about 50 shifts at which at least 2 O Scalers should be present. On average, this means you should contribute about 8 "shifts" of your time; more is always better! A sign-up list will be posted shortly. Don't be bashful. If you can't get to the Club to sign up, send George an e-mail with your dates. Thanks
--George A Cumming Jr. — O Scale Trainmaster
Listed below are this month's questions about railroad slogans. The answers to these questions will appear in the July issue.
Member's Model of the Month.Carlo Borlandelli created this month's model.
|
The photo at the left is of the new donation box located in the rear counter by the stairs, with Carlo hamming it up for the camera. Carlo and Henry Chandler installed the box on Friday, May 23. There are members of the club that do not have model railroad equipment, so showing their handiwork is a little different. Member's Model of the Month will be on vacation for the months of July and August. This feature will return with the September issue |
This is the ninth in a series of reports about railroad related sites and museums visited during your editor's vacation last year. This month's feature covers the Durham Western Heritage Museum.
The Durham Western Heritage Museum is housed in the former Omaha Union Station, at 801 South 10th Street, Omaha, NE.
Omaha Union Station, an Art Deco landmark, was constructed in 1931 and was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. The building is of steel frame construction covered with cream-colored glazed terracotta. During its time as a railroad station it hosted passenger trains from the Chicago & Northwestern; Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific; Illinois Central System; Missouri Pacific Lines; Union Pacific System; and Wabash Railway. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy also served Omaha with its own station on the opposite side of the platforms and was connected to Union Station by a passenger concourse that connected both stations to each other as well as the passenger platforms. In 1971 Union Station closed when all passenger service to Omaha ceased except for Amtrak's Zephyr, which called at the former Burlington station. In 1973 the Union Pacific donated Union Station to the city of Omaha. In 1975 the building reopened as the Western Heritage Museum. By 1995 the building was in need of restoration, which commenced in that year. In 1997 the renovation and restoration were complete and the museum was renamed the Durham Western Heritage Museum.
The main waiting room has been preserved as a large open space with many of the benches available for visitor use. A number of statues representing the people who used the station are located throughout the waiting room area. Examples of these statues include a soldier and his wife sitting on a bench waiting for the train that will take him from home to a distant local during WWII. A soldier and a sailor conversing while passing the time until their trains arrive. A mother and her two small children are going to their train with the assistance of a helpful redcap.
The museum includes a number of permanent exhibits:
Community - is a hands-on, interdisciplinary exhibit through its geography, neighborhoods, cultural, religious and leisure activities. This exhibit, titled Community, is devoted to telling the history of Omaha.
Omaha at Work - is a thematic exhibit that covers the period of the 1850's and 1860's sights and sounds of Omaha as an "outfitter city", before the era of the railroads.
The Byron Reed Collection - is a world-class collection of coins, medals, tokens and autographs.
O Scale Model Train - The layout is located on the lower level of the station near the full size equipment display. The layout represents the double track mainline of the Union Pacific from Omaha to Ogden during the 1950's. The equipment is from the Union Pacific collection of O scale models.
Through These Doors: The History of Omaha's Union Station - This exhibit follows the history of Union Station and its nine predecessors railroad stations in the Omaha area.
Home and Family - Traces family traditions and living conditions in the Omaha area beginning in the late 1600's with the Omaha people who used earth lodges and portable structures similar to teepees. The time period covered includes homes and businesses when electricity was a new addition to the scene.
On the lower level of the station is a small collection of railroad equipment on a single track. Union Pacific T-57 4-6-0 # 1243 (), Union Pacific CA-8 caboose # 25559, Union Pacific 4-4-2 Pullman #1202 National Command, Southern Pacific lounge and Pullman Observation car Cornhusker Club.
One of the more enjoyable parts of the museum is the soda fountain. An old-fashioned malt or phosphate (flavored fountain soda) is a nice refreshment during a visit to this interesting museum.
Museum hours: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, closed Monday. Admission: Adults $5.00, Seniors (62+) $4.00, Children (3-12) $3.50 under 3 free.
Additional information: Phone: 402-444-5071 or from the museum website.
Photos of Durham Western Heritage Museum.
Museum information from the Durham Western Heritage Museum website. The next installment of the museum report will cover the Strategic Air and Space museum near Omaha, NE.
The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation is sponsoring a two day event featuring train rides behind former SP 4-8-4 #4449 and former SP&S 4-8-4 #700. While the trips will be short about 3.5 miles with a top speed of between ten and fifteen miles per hour. The tickets are cheap $5.00 per person one way. This event will be held on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 from 9:30 AM to 8:30 PM both days. The event is located at Springwater on the Willamette Trail, SE 4th Avenue & Division Place SE Spokane at Sellwood Waterfront Park in Portland Oregon. Additional information from: Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, PO Box 42443, Portland, OR 97242.
The 27th Annual Great Pacific Railroadiana Show & Sale, Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H Street, Sacramento, CA. 9am to 3pm on June 29,2003. Admission $5.00. Additional information contact: . Roy Gabriel, Box 981, Sacramento, CA 95812. (916) 485-4579.
This annual event is scheduled for Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, 2003, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days at the Portola Railroad Museum 700 Western Pacific Way, Portola, CA 96122-8636. The event features train rides, rolling stock and model railroad displays. Additional information at (530) 832-4131.
There are two trips on tap for later this year.
The first is a Northern California trip scheduled for August 30-September 1, 2003. The Siskiyou Scenic will operate as a three-day trip from Emeryville to Medford and return to Dunsmuir using Amtrak Horizon Cars.
The second is a Southern California trip scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 2003. The San Diego Steam Special will operate as a one-day round trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and return using San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society's former Santa Fe 4-8-4 #3751.
The 6th annual edition of this event will be held on Saturday, September 6 and Sunday, September 7, 2003 in downtown Truckee, CA. Hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days. Events include handcar races, model railroad exhibits, displays of rolling stock and a wild west show in addition to many other related events. For additional information call the event hotline at: (530) 546-1221.
Those who enjoy reliving the old days of passenger train travel will have the chance to do so again on Saturday, October 18, 2003. Two former Santa Fe passenger cars will run from Oakland to Bakersfield and return on Amtrak's San Joaquin. Equipment for the trip will be business car 33 (Tamalpias) and Pleasure Dome Lounge 503 (Plaza Santa Fe). Fare for the trip will be $195 per person and includes all-day buffet and beverage service. Train departs Oakland at 7:30 AM and returns at approximately 10:00 PM. For further information contact Roger Colton at (925) 321-0023.
The above information courtesy of Altamont Press website.
| Top of page |
| Go to May 2003 Issue | Return to Gandy Dancer Index | Go to July 2003 Issue |
