Flag Day June 14th
US Flag wreathed in steam. Copyright 2004 Dan Espinosa. All rights reserved.

Fair Starts June 25

The Gandy Dancer

The Official Publication of
the Alameda County
Central Railroad Society

Go to May 2004 Issue	Return to Gandy Dancer Index			Go to July 2004 Issue
General News		HO Scale News	O Scale News	The Lighter Side

Upcoming Public Operation Sessions:

2004 Alameda County Fair Friday, 25 June through Sunday, 11 July, 2004
Monday through Thursday	11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday, Saturday and Sunday	10:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Sunday, July Fourth	11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Small Animal Changeover Dates and ACCRS Closing Times
Tuesday, 29 June, 2004	6:30 pm
Monday, 5 July, 2004	6:30 pm

Small Animal Exhibit Details

Historically, we have been required to close our front door during the small animal exhibit changeover, and fire regulations do not permit us to be open to the public with only one building exit available. With that in mind, the schedule above is intended to minimize hassles for both the animal exhibitors and the ACCRS.

General Club News:

Newsletter Under New Management

Bob Johnson has stepped down from the editorship of the Gandy Dancer. New member Dan Espinosa has volunteered to step in as editor and copy boy. Some minor changes will be evident, especially as remodeling work on the club website progresses. The most noticeable change to the newsletter will be a new web address for the online version, which will be announced (when it comes available) at the regular club meeting and via e-mail. The Gandy Dancer will be a bit smaller than usual for a few issues while Dan gets his feet under him. He will also be working with Wayne Toigo and others to integrate the newsletter with the club site. If you wish to help or have suggestions, contributions or constructive criticism for either project, contact either Dan or Wayne.

Website Gets Makeover

The ACCRS website is undergoing a renewal of sorts. Plans include obtaining a domain name for the club (TBA) and a change of site hosts. Contributions of club historical anecdotes, photos, drawings or other material are welcome and encouraged. Contact Wayne or Dan with ideas or suggestions.

June Business Meeting

The June general business meeting will be held on Friday, 4 June, 2004. Big Bertha will be fired up for the usual pre-meeting grilling session, with the usual weather caveats. This will be the last pre-meeting BBQ session prior to the Fair.

Top of page

Fair Shift Schedule
	Monday through Thursday:	Friday, Saturday and Sunday:	Friday, July Fourth:
First shift	11:00 AM to 2:00 PM	10:00 AM to 2:00 PM	10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Second shift	2:00 PM to 6:00 PM	2:00 PM to 6:00 PM	2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Third shift	6:00 PM to 10:00 PM	6:00 PM to 10:00 PM	6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

HO Scale News:

From the HO Trainmaster:
Hello HO members,
Well, we are close to our annual big event. As announced earlier by Bob Johnson, the Fair signup sheets are now posted in the upstairs tower room. I hope the majority of our HO Members plan to participate and sign up. It would be nice to see those members we seldom see during the year take part in the Fair event. Please pay note when signing up for your shifts of the days that seem to be short staffed.

We have a whole month to plan and decide what shifts we want to pull. It looks like our city project will have some attractive lighting on some of the buildings. We also hope to have some other additions to the layout come Fair time. A lot of folks who visit the Fair each year like to see some new additions to both the O and HO layouts.

I'd like to thank those members who participated in our Saturday club spruce-up. If we all take part as a team, we should have a very successful 17 day run and "wow" the crowd. We'd like to remain a permanent attraction and keep our club for many years to come. Let's all have fun making this Fair a success.

Andy Herrera - "HO" Trainmaster

Top of page

O Scale News:

From the O Scale Trainmaster:
Workday Success: The May 22 O Scale workday was a great success. We accomplished a number of maintenance and other tasks, including spiffing-up the throats on both the freight and passenger yards. Thanks to everyone who participated, and a special thanks to Bill Oborne (and Bob Johnson from the HO side) for handling the BBQ.

Fair Sign-Up: The sign-up sheet is posted. Don't be bashful! If you cannot make it to the Club, send me an e-mail with the dates you can work. This is how we "pay our annual rent," and full participation is expected.

Annual Meet, August: Our fourth annual midsummer meet will be held on Sunday, August 8. This is a chance for vistors to operate their equipment on the ACCRS layout, and enjoy the good company of other Northern California O scalers. We will have trading tables for private and small dealer sales, but no large commercial dealers can be accommodated. And as usual, we will have a BBQ luncheon at a modest price. So, spread the word. The turnout for this unadvertised event always amazes me.

George Cumming
O Scale Trainmaster

Departures:

Bob Bunch, O scale member, lost his son to brain cancer Friday, May 21. Bob sent an e-mail to several members, reprinted below.

"Our son, Chuck, lost his battle with brain cancer Friday night. He passed away peacefully here in our home surrounded by his family.
We are so grateful for all your expressions of concern and your prayers for the past year.

Bob and Mary"

Top of page

News of the Prototype:

General Motors to sell EMD?

General Motors is looking to streamline its business model, which apparently means that anything not profitable and automotive related is being sold off. The latest victim? ElecroMotive Division, which has attracted the attention of Caterpillar and a few financial institutions. However, the Canadian Auto Workers' union has expressed opposition to Caterpillar's bid due to ongoing labor strife.

Go to May 2004 Issue

Return to Gandy Dancer Index

Go to July 2004 Issue

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 Dan Espinosa	Webmaster Wayne Toigo
Visit the club website
If you have any information that would be of interest to the ACCRS membership please contact Dan Espinosa. The deadline for submitting information for the July issue is 21 June. Members are also encouraged to submit photos, announcements and other club and railroad related material for use on the club website.

The Gandy Dancer, a monthly publication of the Alameda County Central Railroad Society, Inc.
Copyright 2004, ACCRS Inc. All rights reserved.
Last Revised 29 May, 2004.
For more information contact Dan Espinosa, Editor