The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
The Alameda County Central Railroad Society
October 2001
Happy Halloween
| The Gandy DancerThe Official Publication of | October 2001Happy Halloween |
| Club Officers: | |
|---|---|
| President Gary Lewis |
Vice President Henry Chandler |
| Secretary Dean Lewis |
Treasurer Cathy Chrisman |
| HO Trainmaster Carl Klenk |
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 November issue will be Friday, October 19 with a goal of being mailed and uploaded to the website by October 22 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 September 2001 Issue | Return to Gandy Dancer Index | Go to November 2001 Issue |
| General News | HO Scale News | O Scale News | Test Your Word Power |
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October 6 Saturday and 7 Sunday
Hours: Friday 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM; Saturday 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Sunday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
November 10 & 11. 12th Autumn Get Together. Hours: Saturday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Start time for the club display is normally 10:00 AM for this event.
November 25 & 26 (Thanksgiving weekend). Hours are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Three members have completed their required probationary status as of the end of the 2001 Alameda County fair. The three members are Bill Brisko of the O scale, Lee Buckner, and Keith Peck of the HO scale. Congratulations to all three for reaching this milestone.
In accordance with the club bylaws, a nominating committee was formed to put together a slate of candidates for consideration by the club membership for the November general election. Club offices up for reelection are President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The members of each scale select train masters for that scale in elections that are held independently of the general club elections. The nominating committee members are Seth Abrahams, Ken Chrisman and Dick Stark. The committee will report back at the October general business meeting with their list of candidates. Anyone that would like to volunteer to run for office or that may have a suggestion for a candidate for a specific office should contact the committee with their suggestions for candidates.
Visitors and prospective members present at the September Business meeting were Bob Galli, Jim Herdrich, Tom Kaetzel and Jeff Kaetzel.
The October general business meeting will be held on Friday, October 5th, Big Bertha the club BBQ, will be fired up for those wishing to bring your own meat for the self-service grilling session prior to the meeting.
The following comments about a theft that took place during the Fair, in July as related by ACCRS President Gary Lewis.
We had an unfortunate occurrence on the last Saturday of the Fair. The subject is related to money, specifically the donation money at the front door. One of our members (member "A") had manned the front donation box for quite a while and during that time he had sorted the "over flow" money, rolled it, and placed it in the coffee can. Member "A" was soon relieved by member "B" who removed "over flow" money several times and without sorting it, placed it in the coffee can on top of the sorted money placed there earlier. Although this later money was not sorted, it was noted by member "B" that there were at least two $20 bills and several $5 bills included. Member "B" was relieved at the front donation box for approximately 1.5 hours. When member "B" returned, he checked the coffee can and found that all the money he had placed there earlier was gone. The only money in the can was that which had been sorted and rolled in the bottom of the can. He questioned several members to see if the money had been removed and put elsewhere. It had not. At the end of the day, our treasurer sorted the money from the front donation box and found only two $5 bills amongst the dollar bills and change. It appears that during the 1.5 hour break for member "B" someone had removed a significant amount of money from the coffee can. We estimate the amount to be in the $50-80 range. We know who manned the station during the 1.5 hour time period. We can not narrow this down to one member, as there were three people involved. We have no absolute proof, only suspicions.
Since the Fair event is under the jurisdiction of the Alameda County Sheriffs Department, I contacted one of their people who indicated that they should be notified in the future if we have a prime suspect.
If any theft of club funds or equipment ever comes to light and the guilty party is known, he/she will be removed from the club membership and the matter referred to the proper law enforcement agency. We do not need and will not tolerate this sort of behavior in our organization. If anybody has any further information regarding the event during the Fair, please advise any member of the Board of Directors.
-- Gary Lewis
As is the custom with the HO scale, nominations were made and an election was conducted for the office of HO Trainmaster. Nominees for the office were Carl Klenk and Dennis Stokely. The end result of the election was that Carl Klenk is the new Trainmaster. In an announcement to the members present at the HO meeting after the election, Trainmaster Klenk said that there would be no Assistant Trainmaster for the HO scale.
The following remarks are from the HO Scale Trainmaster.
Hello to all. Well another year has come and gone. A year that has pointed the way to potentially new steps in technology that might prove both a boon and a challenge in the ways we can improve operation on our layout.
Thanks Gerald, you did a great job under sometimes trying conditions. Endeavoring to coordinate a major renovation, guide efforts in other areas and still keep interest up for this last County Fair was a daunting task.
As our new Train Master my goals are more in the areas of how we can somehow reduce the workload of some members in the individual shows and at the same time increase the participation of all members. A slight revision in the how we man these shows may be one way to accomplish this goal. Another way is to slightly modify the way we sign up for these shows. In any case, I will be presenting some ideas for you to digest for our next show, which is on Oct. 6th and 7th.
-- Carl
The following remarks are from the O Scale Trainmaster.
Welcome to Bob Galli of San Carlos and Jim Herdrich of San Mateo, both of whom submitted applications (and were present at the business meeting in September). Here's hoping we will get the by-laws amended to shorten their stays on the probationary list.
The O Scalers had another successful DCC operating session on Sunday, September 9, although Yours Truly was late in arriving, and can't dispense as many kudos as I would like. My own Baldwin Sharks were among those running; I liked the sound so well I went out and bought another speaker, this one for the B unit. The following Friday, Dick Stark brought down his Western pacific 4-8-4, with two speakers in the tender. It was-to borrow a phrase from our pal Russ Wood-totally awesome. I understand a good deal of the credit goes to Bob Bunch, who engineered the installation. I also enjoyed it operating one direction and Seth Abraham's SW-9 going the other direction, both on the same track. That still takes some getting used to. No cornfield meet, but you DO have to pay attention. The next Sunday meet is October 7 (see below). Finally, Errol Spangler and Bill Brisko rigged the siding to the right of the dispatch panel to serve as a programming track for DCC. There is a two-way switch that isolates the track when you want to program your engine. Clever, eh?
A sign-up sheet for NWSL wheel sets, both 33 and 36 inches, is posted. This is not a Club project or freebie; just a chance to pool orders to obtain volume pricing. Henry Chandler is getting the prices from Joan Bradford at Just Trains, and they will be posted as soon as available.
As announced elsewhere in this issue of the Gandy Dancer, the Club will be operating at the Home & Garden Show on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7. Please sign up to operate on one or both days. Sunday, October 7 WILL be our regular Sunday operating date, but DCC throttles will be available both days.
Did you see the ad in the current O Scale News? Beat Hug has Old Pullman up for sale, as he intends to retire. I hope this fine line of track products falls into good hands. Meanwhile, if you need anything, I'd suggest placing an order pronto.
--George A Cumming, O Scale Trainmaster
Listed below are this month's questions about American railroad slang. Some terms refer to people and others to equipment, facilities or actions.
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The events of the past few weeks bring an opportunity to reflect on what is important in life.
Most everyone tends to get wrapped up in some facet or other of their life and for a time that thing can become the most important thing in the world. If someone disagrees with our viewpoint or is critical of what we do or of us they become the most despicable person on the face of the planet. The drum of intolerance begins to beat and harsh thoughts about others begin to crowd out the enjoyment of being part of a group, in our case a model train club.
We can become so busy nursing our wounds and perceived hurts that we miss out on the more enjoyable things. The fun of operating trains or sharing the joy that another has with a new item of equipment is some of the more pleasant parts of being in the club. To miss out on these and other enjoyments, due to hard feelings is sad indeed.
Recent events underline some of the great truths of life. Life is all too short and too fragile to waste time on hurting another or nursing a grudge. If you know that you have hurt someone else's feelings please consider making amends with that person. If you are someone who has been hurt consider forgiving that person, they may not even realize that you have been hurt.
Time and events are always in motion around us, please don't find yourself in the position of saying "If I only had the chance to say…"
Some food for thought.
In last months edition it was noted that the Pacific Locomotive Association's ex-SP 4-6-2 #2467 was going to Oakdale for display and operation on Labor Day weekend. While enroute the 2467 suffered an overheated bearing on the lead set of drivers which resulted in considerable damage to the bearing and drive axle. The 2467 has been in the UP Stockton yard since August 25th. On September 7th the PLA announced that an agreement had been reached with the Golden Gate Railroad Museum to move the 2467 to GGRM's Hunters Point shop for storage and where permanent repairs will be made. Union Pacific, Herzog Transit Services and Altamont Commuter Express are assisting a mechanical crew from PLA in preparing the 2467 for the move to Hunters Point, which may happen by mid September.
The above information from a press release from Pacific Locomotive Association.
On the evening of September 1st the former SP Bayshore roundhouse in Brisbane, CA suffered a major fire. The roundhouse was one of the few remaining remnants of the once bustling railroad shop complex and yard. Reportedly the damage was severe and the structure has been condemned. Photos of the fire and firefighters in action.
George Cumming provided story information and link information for this item.
The remaining shop facilities at West Oakland are reportedly in danger of being demolished. The following information is from a report on Trainorders dated August 31.
To those of you unfamiliar with this structure, the SP West Oakland Diesel Shop Building is inarguably THE most historically significant structure left in West Oakland, CA. It was constructed in the mid 1870's as a Car Paint Shop for the CENTRAL PACIFIC Railroad, as part of a major expansion of the CP's passenger car shop facilities in Oakland.
The shop is a brick structure currently housing seven stalls for locomotives and rolling stock, and is still in use today as a inspection area for UP and Amtrak locomotives.
Demolition notices have now been POSTED for the historic brick SP Diesel Shop Building (former SP Car shop, dating back to the 1870s), as well as for the set of buildings at 515 Bay Street, including the Electrical Shop there.
The Demolition Permit has not yet been approved, but these buildings are currently obviously slated for demolition, within the month!
Member Andy Herrerra reports that as of two weeks ago, passengers are now boarding and getting off on the new platform in front of the new station. Yesterday I went to Martinez to see how things were progressing. The new station is not yet open as the construction crew is still making final touches to the interior. There is also some new track being laid in front of the old station.
A subsequent report from Andy is that the new Station opened for business on Tuesday, September 18, 2001.
Canadian Pacific is preparing 4-6-4 #2816 for its inaugural run to Calgary where it will be based. The move is tentatively scheduled to depart from the Vancouver area on Wednesday, September 19th with arrival in Calgary on Sunday, September 23rd. The 2816 has been restored to the 1940s and 1950s paint scheme. Report originally appeared on the Altamont Press web site by Steve at Railswest.
This report is the second in a series of reports on railroad-related sites and both rail and non-rail related museums visited during the editor's recent vacation. The following article is the second installment of this report.
The next railroad related stop, during the trip, was at a railroad display in Veterans Park, the yard in Klamath Falls, Oregon and the Klamath County Museum. Photos.
The Veterans Park display consists of a former Southern Pacific C-9 class 2-8-0 number 2579. The consolidation was built by Baldwin Locomotive Company in Philadelphia in 1906 and was retired and placed on display in the early 1950's. A more recent addition to the display was a protective roof over the locomotive that was installed in July of 1981. The 2579 seems to be well cared for and the paint appears to be in good condition.
Klamath Falls is also the home to a railroad yard and Amtrak station. Due to the schedule of The Coast Starlight, which serves the station during the early morning hours, the station was closed at the time of my visit. The station is of stone construction with two contrasting colors of stone in attractive arrangement. The adjacent yard was active with departures and arrivals in addition to switching activities in progress.
A short distance from the yard is the Klamath County Museum. The museum is located in the former Veterans Memorial Building. Displays include a number of local history displays including wild life, railroad, logging, natural history, Native American artifacts, and WWII artifacts including a relocation camp display. Logging artifacts include a home built caboose from the Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company. The Klamath County Museum has an interesting collection and is worth a visit when in the area. Next time on to Russ Wood's Wood 'N' Trains bunkhouse and Train Mountain.
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