The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society
November 2002
Thanksgiving Issue.
| The Gandy DancerThe Official Publication of | November 2002Thanksgiving Issue. |
| Club Officers: | |
|---|---|
| President Gary Lewis |
Vice President Henry Chandler |
| Secretary Dean Lewis |
Treasurer Cathy Chrisman |
| 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 December issue will be Friday, November 22 with a goal of being mailed and uploaded to the website by Sunday, November 24. 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. |
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| General News | HO Scale News | O Scale News | Test Your Word Power |
November 30 & December 1 (Thanksgiving weekend). Hours are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The nominations committee reported the results of their efforts to compile a slate of candidates for club officers. The committee spoke with a number of members to obtain a list of candidates for the various offices, during the month of October. These efforts were met with the usual enthusiastic response from the membership. No one stood up and said "I want to run for…" The committee report of candidates for general club officers is as follows: for President, Gary Lewis; for Vice-President, Bill Brisco; for Secretary, Dean Lewis; and for Treasurer Cathy Chrisman. Nominations from the membership are open and will remain open until the election at the November business meeting.
Prior to the October Business meeting we used up the last of the chili that we had on hand. Since voting on all expenditures seems to be the thing now days, a request for approval for the purchase of a fresh supply of canned chili was made. The purchase of more chili was approved by the membership. Ed Note: for those who were not aware, the supply of chili from the NMRA function was exhausted prior to the 2001 annual BBQ. So, we have not been eating two-year old canned chili.
Thanks to all of those, from both sides of the aisle, that staffed the layouts during this event. We did have a fair number of visitors for the event with 525 on Saturday and 509 on Sunday. The total number of visitors for this event was 1,034.
The November general business meeting will be held on Friday, November 2nd. Elections for club officers, for the coming year, will be held at this meeting. We will be selecting President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Please plan to attend, nominate a candidate for an office and vote for the candidates of your choice. Big Bertha, will be fired up for the pre-meeting grilling session, weather permitting.
Annual Club Holiday Party Scheduled. |
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The annual club holiday potluck is scheduled for Friday, December 6th at 7:00 PM. Please join us for our annual holiday season kickoff. Bring your spouse and children to the most festive occasion on the club calendar. The sign-up sheet is posted on the refrigerator door. The sign-up sheet is designed so that everyone will be able to see what others are bringing in order to avoid duplication of others efforts.
Membership Dues are Now Due.It's that time of year again, please see the Treasurer and ante up! Members are reminded that dues are $24 per year. |
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Have you missed a business meeting, or are wondering what was discussed at the last business meeting? Minutes are now being distributed via Email to members that are online and enclosed with the snail mail version.
Member Lee Buckner underwent major surgery in late October. Lee had recuperated sufficiently to return home from the hospital by Friday, October 25th. On behalf of the membership, we wish Lee a speedy and full recovery.
 Bennington Spirit of 76 Flag |
 Air Force |
 Army |
 Navy |
 Marines |
 Coast Guard |
 USA 50 State Flag |
The new HO Trainmaster is long time member Andy Herrera. The HO Assistant Trainmaster is Jeffrey Brown. For those who have not met Jeffrey, he recently became a regular member and is an active participant in club activities.
On Sunday, October 6, in the afternoon we ran DCC for several hours. With three members operating we had four trains running successfully. We had a good time and there was much less incidence of having all the trains out of sight at the same time. If you have not participated in DCC operation, give it a try, you might just have some fun and actually like it.
According to the calendar posted adjacent to the dispatch panel, which shows the scheduling of Analog and DCC running for Friday evenings, the schedule for November is as follows:
DCC: |
Friday, November 1; Friday, November 15 and Friday, November 29. |
Analog: |
Friday, November 8 and Friday, November 22. |
(The letter "A", on the calendar, denotes an analog run night. The letter "D", on the calendar, denotes a DCC run night).
The DCC programming station for upstairs was voted on and approved by an overwhelming majority at the October 4, 2002 HO business meeting. The cost of the programming station is to be split equally between both scales and a programming track will accommodate HO, On3 and O scales. As of October 25, the components were on hand, with the track module to be delivered soon. The programming station will allow for the programming of decoders away from either layout at a convenient and comfortable location as well as a section of track for testing of function including movement of the equipment in forward and reverse directions.
A new project has been announced code named Phoenix. Trainmaster Herrera has approved Detlef Buescher as manager of the project.
The following remarks are from the Phoenix Project Manager.
Hello all HO members,
With the election of our new Trainmaster also come new opportunities especially for those willing to get involved. One such effort is the restart of the city renewal project; Andy has agreed to allow me to assume the role of project manager. My charter is to assemble a team with the skills needed to complete the city project by Fair time (Alameda County) next year. A goal we would all celebrate if we could finally accomplish it.
Project management was a large part of my professional career. So, I am looking forward to working with creative individual contributors that step by step will progress into their own individually managed sub-projects and build a city we can all be proud of. Over the last week three members have joined the team and others have made generous contributions through their research and advice. I am very grateful for an excellent start.
Perhaps one day we can say with pride to a visitor "See that building, street or crossing etc...), I designed it or built it. A response of "Cool, it look really looks cool..." is enough to energize most of us into the next accomplishment. If you feel the same or simply would like to again be part of a collaborative team or make an individual contribution, join us. Contact me through the club roster so we can explore how to match your skills, interest and available time, to a City area needing your help.
So far the Kensington City team has accomplished:
And there is much more to come...with your help.
Until next time, and with my thanks.
--Detlef Buescher
The following remarks are from the HO Scale Trainmaster.
Greetings HO Members,
I would first like to acknowledge you for electing me as your new HO Trainmaster. As a club member since 1981 I should find this position quite challenging. I would like to give a warm welcome to our newest HO members Seth Milan and Jeffery Brown, who is also our newly elected Assistant HO Trainmaster. Both of them have shown a lot of interest since becoming members.
Thanks to those of you who participated in the recent Home and Garden Show. I believe we gave an impressive show to the folks. It's always nice to have a sufficient staff sign up for any event in which we have an open house.
So far, I have received some very positive input and ideas on projects we can engage in. I can see great improvements down the line to the HO side before the Fair in 2003. We can discuss these ideas at the November 1st HO business meeting. Until then, remember, Model Railroading can be fun.
--Andy Herrera, Newly elected, HO Trainmaster
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As of the printing deadline no information had been received.
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Listed below are the answers to last month's questions about American railroad slang. Some terms refer to people and others to equipment, facilities or actions.
It takes all kinds of people to make up the club.
We have people who love to run trains. We also have people who like to work on things like scenery and track. We have people who enjoy kibitzing (chatting while watching others do something). We have people who enjoy talking (we can use a few of them at shows to talk to the public). We have people who enjoy doing things that support the comfort of other members (like making coffee or taking out the trash or turning on the heat or cooling). We have people who enjoy helping others to enjoy the hobby more. We have people who serve the club by being an officer or publishing a newsletter or staffing a table at a show and handing out club information. We have people who enjoy kvetching (means complaining in Yiddish). We have people who are willing to step forward and see that things get done around the club. We have people who are willing to help; they only need to be asked to help. We have people who are persistent; if they did not win the argument last time around they bring whatever it was back to the forefront to do battle again. Don Quixote anyone? We also have people who belong but do not participate, why they don't is unknown, unless they live far away from the club. Perhaps some of them are afraid to have a little fun in their life.
The point of this is very simple. Everyone in the club is involved to one degree or another. We need many types of people to make the club work. And everyone gets out of the club proportionately what they put into the club.
If things seem to be getting a bit boring of late perhaps a change is in order. If you normally kibitz, try doing something a bit more active. If you normally kvetch, please try to find something positive to say for a change. If you normally work on things and are feeling a bit burned out, try having a cup of coffee or tea and have some conversation. You don't always have to do the same thing every time you are at the club.
Some observations and thoughts about members and the people in the club as the holidays approach and the year starts to wind down.
Top Ten reasons to stay in the club. With apologies to David Letterman.
The South Bay Historical Railroad Society is having a three day Open House on Friday, November 1, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM; Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days. Exhibits include HO and N scale layouts, Railroad artifacts, a 138 year old station building and a restored Harriman # 4 Interlocking tower. Tours of the Interlocking Tower will be conducted during the weekend. Cost is $2.00 for adults, $0.50 for youths 6-17 and families $6.00. The station is located at 1005 Railroad Ave., Santa Clara. If you need additional information please call (408) 243-3969 or visit SBHRS
November 24, 2002. 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 9th Annual Gold Coast Railroad Antique Show and Sale. Napredak Hall, 770 Montague Expressway, San Jose, CA. Admission $5.00. Free parking. Additional info (916) 485-4579 or E-mail: jbernard8@hotmail.com.
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In Memoriam,Former member Kirby Churchill answered the call of the great dispatcher and took his final run to the station of eternity on October 19, 2002. Kirby was a member of ACCRS for many years. He is fondly remembered for his excellent sense of humor and was always ready with a joke. He was a good friend to many people. He also was an avid scratch builder, several photos of his fine modeling are on display on the club website. Kirby will be missed by all who knew him and his name will be added to the club memorial board. A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday, November 2, 2002 at 1:00 P.M. at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church, 29th and Telegraph, in Oakland. |
This report is the third in a series of reports on railroad-related sites and both rail and non-rail related museums visited by the editor during his recent vacation. The following article covers The Gold Spike National Historic Site.
The historic site is located at Promontory Summit, 32 miles west of Brigham City, and marks the point at which the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads were joined on May 10, 1869. The site features two full sized working replica steam locomotives representing the original locomotives both of which were scrapped long ago. As originally built, placed in service on May 10, 1979, the replicas were oil fired, however when the time came for a rebuild of the locomotives they were modified to burn the same type of fuel that the original locomotives did. In the case of the Central Pacific "Jupiter" the fuel is wood and for the Union Pacific 119 the fuel is coal.
In addition to the equipment there is an air-conditioned visitor center, which offers short films about the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, a small gift shop and restrooms. Self-guided walking tours and driving tours are available for those who wish to trace portions of the old right of way.
During the summer months the driving of the golden spike is reenacted at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM on weekends.
The visitor center is open 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM during the summer months and 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM the rest of the year. Admission fees are $7.00 per vehicle April through October and $4.00 per vehicle during the rest of the year. Additional information is available at (435) 471-2209. Photos.
Nearby is the Alliant Techsystems Thiokol Propulsion rocket motor display. The display has numerous examples of solid fuel rocket motors that have been produced for NASA and the armed forces. Examples of rocket motors on display include a Reusable Solid Rocket Motor for the space shuttle, a Minuteman III ICBM, a U.S. Navy Trident II missile and a number of motors for various missile and rocket systems. A mockup of a solid fuel rocket motor shows how the fuel is arranged in the motor casing. Informative signs give information about what the motors were used for, how long the fuel in the motor would burn and when the motors were built.
The rocket motor display is open to the public free of charge and is located between the rocket motor plant office parking lot and the main road. There are no posted hours for the display; however there does not seem to be sufficient lighting for nighttime viewing or photography, so a visit during daylight hours would be best.
The next report will cover the Cody Park railroad display in North Platte, Nebraska. This display is home to a nice collection of artifacts from the Union Pacific Railroad.
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