The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society
May 2004
| The Gandy DancerThe Official Publication of | May 2004 |
| 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 June issue will be Tuesday May 27 with a goal of being mailed and uploaded to the website by the latter part of 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 April 2004 Issue | Return to Gandy Dancer Index | Go to June 2004 Issue |
| General News | HO Scale News | O Scale News | Name the Railroad |
| Friday, June 25, through Sunday, July 11 | |
| Monday thru 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. |
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The May general business meeting will be held on Friday, May 7. Big Bertha, will be fired up for the pre-meeting grilling session, weather permitting.
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This month marks the third anniversary of The Gandy Dancer going on line. The newsletter has changed since it first arrived on the web.
A trip from Oakland to Bakersfield and return using the open platform private car Tamalpais is being planned for Saturday, July 31. This trip is not being organized by the club itself but is being organized by and for club members. The seating capacity of the car is sixteen, which is also the number of passengers needed to make the trip a go. The car is operated by Private Car Service of Livermore. Photos of Tamalpais.
Train leaves Oakland 7:30 AM gets into Bakersfield at 1:45 PM leaves Bakersfield at 3:45 PM and returns back to Oakland at 10:05 PM. Service aboard will include an all-day buffet and beverages. The observation deck features four chairs for passenger use.
The fare for this trip is $250 per person, in two payments. $125.00 due by May 19, 2004 and $125.00 balance due by June 15, 2004. Space is limited to sixteen passengers.
Contact Garrett Kirby, ACCRS passenger agent, to make your reservation.
A calendar has been posted adjacent to the dispatch panel showing the scheduling of Analog and DCC running for Friday evenings. The letter "A", on the calendar, denotes an analog run night. The letter "D", on the calendar, denotes a DCC run night. Note: This schedule subject to change to allow for layout maintenance and upgrades.
The schedule for May is as follows:
Analog: |
Friday, May 7 and Friday, May 21 |
DCC: |
Friday, May 14 and Friday, May 28. |
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ACE Joins ACCRS.Well, sort of… The collection of HO passenger equipment has expanded with the acquisition of an Athearn three-car ACE commuter train. In the past when a member owned ACE train was on the layout, it was a hit with visitors. The addition of this train set, pictured at left will permit the club to have an ACE train on the layout at all times, without the need for a member that has one to leave their set on the layout. In a late breaking news item, after the printed version of the newsletter was mailed out, member Garrett Kirby has provided a second cab car, with a different car number for the ACE train. Our ACE train is now four cars long. Many thanks to Garrett for this most kind and welcome donation to our passenger fleet. |
The 2004 edition of the Fair signup sheet will be available prior to the June business meeting. If you "just can't wait" please be patient. Most members don't even sign up until a couple of weeks before the fair. It will not be "the end of the world" if you can't signup almost two months in advance.
The following remarks are from the HO Scale Trainmaster.
Hi HO Members,
I'll make this short. At our next HO meeting, I'd like to go over some issues pertaining to our final projects before the fair, our work Saturday the third weekend in May, and our Fair sign-up sheets, which may possibly include an issue I will be bringing up before you.
Thanks to Garrett, Wayne, Paul, Jeff, Dean, John K. and Scott for participating at the OSH "How to Fair". Your taking part was really appreciated. We'll go over more at the next HO Meeting.
--Andy Herrera
HO Trainmaster
The following remarks are from the O Scale Trainmaster.
Thanks to all those who worked the Good Guys show in March. We had a lot of visitors and a good level of donations. The night before the Show (when else?), one of our two power supplies burned out. Fortunately, we were able to run DCC on the "A" cab during the Show, and afterwards new members George Engeman and Dan Espinosa collaborated on the necessary repairs. Thanks, guys.
As previously announced, O Scale will hold a workday on Saturday, May 22, beginning about 9:30 a.m. There are several projects to be undertaken, plus clean up for the Fair. Please sign up at the Club or send an e-mail to George if you will be attending. BBQ will be served, and we have to know how many double porterhouse steaks to order (Dream on, Dodger dogs).
I visited Bill on Easter Sunday. He is recuperating from a stress fracture in his knee, and hopes by now to begin rehabilitation. Bill was in good sprits, and we had a long chat, covering (naturally) everything from Pac-10 football to some of the pioneer model railroaders that Bill has met along the way. These included Minton Cronkhite, who built the original Santa Fe layout at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago; Frank Ellison, whose Delta Lines was among the first large, prototypically-designed and operated layouts (Raymondale is the best little town in all of model railroading); and the still-active John Armstrong, dean of model railroad authors and the guy who wrote the book on layout design. These names may be unfamiliar to some of you, but their effect upon out hobby was enormous. Bill sends Hello to all the members, and thanks for the get-well card so many of you signed.
--George A Cumming, O Scale Trainmaster
Listed below are this month's questions about railroad slogans. The answers to these questions appear at the end of this issue.
This month the museum report returns for a visit. This time features coverage of the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car Line in San Pedro, CA.
The Waterfront Red Car Line is a recreation of a 1.5-mile segment of the old Pacific Electric that ran in southern California. The line features four stations located at Swinford St. (Cruise ship terminal), 6th St. (downtown San Pedro), Sampson Way (Ports O' Call shopping area) and 22nd St. (Marina). All stations were constructed to be ADA compliant.
Equipment for the line consists of three trolley cars. Two of the cars (500 and 501) are reproductions created from the original plans for the 1909 era cars. The third car is a restored 1907 (1058) vintage PE car.
The fare for an all day ride is a modest $1.00. Transfers to and from the local electric bus service is included as part of the ticket price. Trains operate on weekends and on days that Cruise Ships are in port.
 PE 501 is a recreation of a 1909 wooden PE car. |
 PE 1058 is an original 1907 wooden PE car. |
During the first six months of operation (July through December, 2003) 44,292 passengers were carried. The possibility of expanding the length of the line and serving additional locations is being explored. Options for expansion being considered are Cabrillo Beach, serving the 22nd St. Landing, Cabrillo Marina, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse and the fishing pier. Also under consideration is service to Wilmington.
Information relating to stations, equipment and possible service expansions courtesy of Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car Line website
 Amtrak California 2013 on a San Joaquin at 0930. |
 UP 9989 at 0937. |
 UP SD70M 4561 on a stack train passes at 10:42. |
 Santa Fe 904 is inspected and recorded at 13:20. |
 BNSF 4657 and sister as DPUs on mixed freight at 16:14. |
On Saturday, April 17, 2004 a group of club members got together for a day of train watching in Stockton, CA. The location of this outing was at the site of the former Stockton Tower at the crossing of the Santa Fe (BNSF) and Southern Pacific (UP). We saw 27 trains. Members attending included Garret Kirby and his dad, Wayne Toigo, Dean Lewis, Jeff Brown, Scott McGee and Bob Johnson. The group had a good time and plan other outings. Additional photos from Garret Kirby. |
The Danville-Alamo Branch of the American Association of University Women is holding a fundraiser for their Aspiring Female Scholars fund. This fundraiser is a tour of four Danville gardens, four Alamo gardens and one in Walnut Creek. Each of the gardens features a different theme. Examples include ENGLISH ROSES AND PERENNIALS, CASTLE OF BRICK, VICTORIAN TREASURES and A TRAIN RUNS THROUGH IT. Light refreshments are available at one location during the tour and restrooms are available at some locations.
A description of A TRAIN RUNS THROUGH IT follows.
Special hostess: Nancy Norris of Garden Lines
Level. Six hundred feet of miniature railroad track meander through this country estate. The tracks and the landscaping were designed and constructed by Nancy Norris, along with hobbyist-owner Don Pickett. The over 150 species include mostly dwarf plants that are pruned with bonsai techniques. Nancy will be on hand to run the trains and explain everything! Watch for miniature replications of the towns of Danville, and Alamo, and fictitious "Little Creek."
The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 8 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek. Tickets are $25.00 and are available at 1001 Ironwood Pl. Alamo, CA 94507 starting at 11 AM. The sponsoring organization has requested no children under 12 please.
Directions to the Ironwood address: Take I-680, exit at Stone Valley Rd west. Turn south onto Danville Blvd. Right on Camille, which is first stoplight. Turn right onto Ironwood Pl. Corner of Camille and Ironwood.
Listed below are the answers to this month's questions about railroad slogans.
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Annual Club BBQ 