The Columbia Gorge Gazette For the Members and friends

The Columbia Gorge Gazette For the Members and friends of The Columbia Gorge Model Railroad Club 2505 N. Vancouver Ave. Portland, OR (503)28-TRAIN V O L U M E X X V, N U M B E R I , F E B R U A RY, 2 0 0 5 h t t p : / / w w w .cgmrc.com 97227-1986 IN THIS ISSUE Eric Bleak, Editor-in-Chief Here we are, first of Febrraury, full of fun and ready to go ‘run trains’ to forget about all those relatives who came to visit over Christmas and New Year’s. The Second VP tells us that the layout is up and running great, and NOW is the time to enjoy all the fruits of our labors while everything is fresh from Show. This is an interesting issue, full of stuff for further thought. Many members are considering the future of the Club, and what can be done. See Jeff’s Editorial on gurella marketing. What if we started earlier — if parents restricted their kids’ TV and computer-gaming time, and the kids therefore learn that this world isn’t all instant gratification? What if kids were to actually learn the old rule, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me”? I’ve read a number of disturbing blogs by our ‘Younger Generation’ where young parents say that ‘they have no control over the TV in the house’. Hello!! There’s a reason they call you PARENTS! I would bet that the majority of us here at the Club didn’t have a TV that worked really well, so we maybe watched with our parents in the evenings when Dad was there to fiddle with it. So we learned the secrets of constructive play. Maybe that’s the secret: we actually learned ‘the secret of play’ for ourselves, rather than watching others play. Now there’s a concept. Elsewhere in the issue, Our New President weighs in with his opinions about things in the coming year, and reminds us that we have two Show opportunities this year. Let’s hope that this idea of being open during Rose Festival gets us the traffic we need here at the Club – and some new members. Meanwhile, with that special Show coming up in June, maybe it’s a good time to get trained on that particular part of the layout that you didn’t know so well. Or time to learn about something on the layout that wasn’t so familiar. Have you ever dropped in at Kennewick during a session just to watch? I urge you to think about it, anyway. We’re swapping newsletters with more folks. See Jeff’s article. And for some fun, our roving railfan, Rolland Rodway, has agreed to provide us with some interesting and obscure spots to watch trains and take photos. Remember to get some time off in June to help with our Rose festival Show. And in the meantime: Enjoy the issue. EXCHANGE OF NEWSLETTERS Jeff Pape The Gazette is now being exchanged with the Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club of Eugene, Oregon. I am receiving copies of Northwestern Timetable Oregon Division. The question is how to circulate the copies among the membership and not lose the copies. I am considering asking the Library Committee to make available a banker’s box to file the issues and encouraging our members to read the newsletter in the library. Your suggestions are requested. The Willamette Cascade Model Railroad Club is a modular group with an active schedule of events. The club sponsors a swap meet at the Lane County Fairgrounds. In 2005 it will be on April 9 and 10. Details will be in the coming events column. CONTENTS In This issue Exchange of Newsletters From The President Second Vice President’s report General Business Meeting Breaking Historical News Book Report: Dining Car to the Pacific Editorial: Now is the Time City Rail Fanning: Obscure Spot No. 1 Chuck Storz remembered Valentine’s Dinner: 2005 Book Report Timetable, 2005 Club Operating Sessions Committees 1 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 7 8 9 10 FROM THE PRESIDENT Steven Watkins Your New Club President I am pleased that I can again serve as President of the club. I look forward to my next two years. I want to thank Ken Shipman for serving the last two years. He did an excellent job of leading our fine club. Being President gives you insight to the difficulties of running a corporation. There are members here that have about every opinion available, but they all mean well. One just needs to be able to sort through it all and lead people in the forward direction. We need to get a flying start on the projects in 2005 because we will have show twice. Since we will be open in June and November there will be a shorter time to do projects. The committee list is already posted and by the time you read this, many of the chairman positions will have been determined. If you have not signed up to help out in an area, see the chairman and see what you can do. Remember, we are only as good as the members make us. There are many ongoing projects, and a little help by many will get us a lot further than work by a few. I did not list standing committees, and they still exist. Security, Planning and Engineering, Logging Division, Mountain Division, etc. The attendance at the last show was disappointing at best. I feel we are on the right track with the advertising; we need to tweak it some. We need to face the fact that the majority of Portland still does not know we exist. We need to figure out how to get the word out. The Rose Festival should help. It is my hope that we will be able to cut the November show to three weeks this year. Remember to keep June 10 and 11 open. June 10 is a Friday, so put in for vacation if necessary. I already have! The first week of the November show has been the days with the lowest attendance. We could easily double the daily attendance and still provide the public with a good time. We are wasting our valuable time serving so few public. Also, November and the holidays are a stressful time and 4 weekends is a lot to ask of the members. I would like to see a more concentrated show and less stress on the members. Hopefully if the Rose Festival works out and we can expand to two weeks in 2006, we can do two weeks in the future in November too. It would seem that if attendance is going to hover around 5000 people in November, 1250 per day and certainly doable. With less time required of members, or at least split by six months, we should get better response and more help. I am glad the November 2005 show date choice was tabled at the last GBM. I want everyone to consider a 3 week schedule ending with Thanksgiving. Please let me know what you think! Now jump in there and get to working on a project. Time’s awastin’! SECOND VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT Gene Nedrow Here we are starting a new year. As you know we have a show in June 10 & 11, 2005. This is in conjunction with the Rose Festival. The main projects on the layout for this year will be: • improvements to the ground cover, • add lights to more buildings, • Trackside signals, • track inspections or corrections, • and other small improvements. If you would like to work on any of these projects, come and see me about it. We are planning no major layout changes for this year. We also are still in the planning stage for new mainline cabs. Russ Lusk and Clint Bishop are working on the switchable power. This will turn off all transformers at the 120-volt room. You will not have to go looking for them. Also Jeff Pape is installing controllable plugs at the terminal boards. These will be on a timer so if a light or soldering iron is left on by accident, it will shut down by the timer. With no major change to the layout, now is the time to get trained on that new operating position for the next shows. GBM GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING Nov. 30, 2004 CTO by Ken Shipman at 7:05 PM Minutes moved by Bill Morse and second by Mike Durr to waive the reading of the minutes – passed. Treasurer Report – Tammy Auburg moved by Bruce Jones and second by Bill Morse to accept the report – passed. For detailed info. On the treasury contact Tammy. Membership – Bill Morse A new apprentice: Casey Wheeler was introduced. Paul Nasiatka was up for Senior vote. Congratulations to Paul as our newest Senior member! 1st VP – Russ Lusk The stairs in the helix were fixed. The light in the stairway on the South side was fixed. (he only helped on this) CGMRC GAZETTE 2 2nd VP – Gene Nedrow Had some problems at show, they are fixed now: Cabs 3 and 4 were out for a while; The Crates turnout had to be fixed. The layout is up and running – enjoy! 3rd VP – Denny Thompson For the Valentines party, the Multnomah Channel Yacht Club is available in Scappoose. Rental is $100 and the buffet dinner runs $16 to $18. moved by Tammy and second by Doug Auburg to use the location – passed. About 16 at this gathering indicated they wanted to attend. The show chow was a community effort. Thanks to all that helped. 4th VP – Jim Whaley The PR went out, not good response. The TV media do not think we are newsworthy. Library – John Schmieder We are down to 1-½ boxes of magazines to give away. Electronics – Ken Young The mid-yard turnouts need to be connected on The Dalles. Had to purchase some #12 wire, so we went over budget. Straw vote conducted by Bruce Jones: For any new mainline cabs: • Make them DC only – 1 vote • Make them DCC only – 0 vote • Make them both DC and DCC capable – All but 1 Doug Auburg indicated that the block usage was important to show. Gazette – Eric Bleak The current Gazette is available on the net. A new Gazette will be out at the first of the year. Operations – Don Riss The 3rd Saturday starting in January there will be operation sessions. Elections for 2005 officers: Nominations from the floorPresident – none: moved to close by Doug Auburg, second by Tom Treanor 2nd VP – none: moved to close by Rob. M., second by Mike Durr. 4th VP – none: moved to close by Tom Treanor, second by Gary Milsten. Treasurer – none: moved to close by Bruce Jones, second by Russ Lusk. Members at Large – Rick Koehler nominated by Gene Wallace, second by Steven Watkins moved to close by Doug Auburg, second by Sandra Lusk. Ballot Results: Your New President: Steven Watkins Your New 2nd VP: Gene Nedrow Your New 4th VP: Don Riss Your New Treasurer: Tammy Auburg Your New Members at Large: David Holden and Rick Koehler Show Report- Sandra (show chair), Mike Durr (Assistant show chair), Doug Auburg Statistics on attendance, the survey and such was discussed. Only 3365 people attended. The lowest on record. Miscellaneous Business Because the Secretary office is now vacant, a second ballot was taken. moved by Bill Morse, second by Rob Marssdorf to close nominations Ballot result: Your New Secretary: Sandra Lusk moved by Gene Nedrow and second by Gary Milsten to have youth nights in Feb., March and April on the 1st Tuesday from 7:30 to 8:30 PM. Passed. David Holden will distribute fliers. The 2005 November show was brought up. moved to table: Tom Treanor, second by Bruce Jones. The vote was 18 to 6. moved by Bruce Jones and second by Tom Treanor to adjourn, Passed BREAKING HISTORICAL NEWS Compiled by Tim Anderson From the Railroad Age Gazette, Sept. 24, 1909 OREGON RAILROAD & NAVIGATION CO. The Oregon & Washington, building from Portland, Ore. north to Tacoma and Seattle, Wash., 230 miles, is being graded to a connection with the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound, near Gate City, and track laying was started west from Gate City on September 10. A section of 11 miles from Gate City southeast to Centralia is finished and work has started on the Argo yards, where the company is pushing the work to develop terminal facilities. Bids for the construction of a new passenger station at Seattle were received September 15, and work on that structure is to be started at once. Work is under way on a tunnel to be 8,650 ft. long at Tacoma. Of this 1,650 ft. had been excavated up to September 8, and the work was progressing at the rate of 289 ft. a day from one end only. The company expects to have 60 miles finished west of Gate City by January 1, 1910. (March 16, p. 656) CGMRC GAZETTE 3 This company is now building a tunnel to be 5,425 ft. long at Portland, Ore., to connect the O. R. & N. with the O. & W. Contracts let to the Pacific Bridge Co. and Robert Wakefield Porter. The tunnel will extend from the O. R. & N. in Mock’s Bottom, near, St. John, northerly to a connection with the Spokane, Portland, & Seattle’s Columbia river bridge, just south of the Columbia Slough, This bridge is to be used jointly by the Harriman and Hill lines. The tunnel and approaches at this place will cost $800,000. PACIFIC & EASTERN. – According to press reports a contract has been given to Porter Brothers for an extension from Eagle Point, Ore., east to a point in the Cascade Mountains, 20 miles. (July23, p. 169) was really ‘the boss’ of the kitchen in the dining car. From the time when the Fourth Cook got up to the time the First Cook got up was always no more than an hour and a half. Once all the daily chores were underway, the crew would sit down and have breakfast together. This was the chance to catch up on stories, and also get the day’s supplies versus the menu items sorted out. When breakfast was over, the work got going in ernest. The cooks would get the breakfast menu started, the stewards would begin putting the final polish on the silver and glassware and lay it out; the waiters would be laying out tablecloths and then following the stewards by folding real Irish linen napkins in the proper manner and laying them out. Everything was well choreographed by years of refinement and practice. Once breakfast was over, then the entire car would be cleaned by the crew; linens went into a laundry bag, the floors were swept and mopped, the kitchen was fully and properly cleaned and sanitized. And soon comes luncheon. The same routine ensues for cleaning up after luncheon, and preparing for dinner. The crew’s day, when finally finished, was fourteen to sixteen hours long. Now, imagine doing it all aboard a train that is rolling toward the Pacific Northwest! The real reason to own this book is to have the preserved recipes of the Northern Pacific chefs. There are in excess of 80 recipes, from breakfast to dinner; and yes, they DO tell you how to bake “The Great Big Baked Potato”. A delightful book to own, and a real look back to those times. BOOK REPORT: DINING CAR TO THE PACIFIC Eric Bleak Dining Car to the Pacific: The “Famously Good Food” of the Northern Pacific Railway by William A. MacKenzie This book is a reprint of a popular (and immediate) sellout from 1990. It begins by saying that the book was not written to give plans and photos, with exact dimensions of the insides of the car, nor tare and loaded weights; rather it was written to give the reader some feeling for the level of service, fare, and the background of the dining cars and the people working for the Northern Pacific Railway. The author works very hard to provide the tools your imagination needs to put you right there in the car. While reading this book, you come to know the personalities and demeanors of the people who fought to keep the dining car service, those who worked in the cars, the commissaries, and those who managed the books. In particular, you come to know several managers of the fleet: First, Henry Villard, who due to some other sensationalist and fictional accounts has suffered from historical assassination of his character and personality. His successors at least had the good sense not to tamper with a success until Hazen J. Titus came into the picture and lifted the service from the great to the superlative. These men are only a part of the picture, for much is owed to the stewards, waiters, and all the cooks from the fourth to the Chief cook. The book fills us in on small day-to-day details, such as how the crew’s day starts: the Fourth Cook was the first to arise at about 4:30, when he would go to the car, and light the big ranges. His primary job was to get the crew’s coffee started, then go back to awaken the Third Cook, who would begin his bread-baking tasks, who would then go back and awaken the Second Cook, who would begin the pastry work for the morning, and who would then would go awaken the First Cook, who EDITORIAL: NOW IS THE TIME Jeff Pape Now is the time for all good members to come to the aid of their club. We have had a disappointing turnout for show. The guest attendance was the poorest since we moved into the new building. Our best efforts at publicity seem to have produced few tangible results. It is not for want of trying. The club, through the Fourth Vice President, diligently did all of the things that we have usually done and then a few more. The costly purchase of advertising space in the Oregonian seems to have been fully wasted, there was no detectable attendance that resulted from the ad. It seems that the world has turned beneath our feet, we need to adjust and adapt. One adaptation: If all of the members individually act now and without letup through the months to come we can make a difference. Each and every time you have a conversation with someone and the club is mentioned make note of who it was that you were speaking with and write it down. When the next show approaches, seek out that person again and give them a show flyer and a pep talk. Try to get a flyer or poster put up where that person works. This is a call for a massive one-on-one publicity campaign. In the commercial world, sales people invest lots of time and energy tracking and re-contacting their list of acquaintances. CGMRC GAZETTE 4 Contact management is a proven technique. It is appropriate for each member to keep a notebook or an envelope full of little bits of paper with the contact information preserved for use when show time approaches. Currently in the promotional industry there is a buzz term called guerrilla marketing. For example, a particular Japanese car company is marketing a new line of entry level autos to the ‘under 25’ set by sponsoring 3-on-3 basketball tournaments in city parks and just has a few of the vehicles on hand to be seen. It is a low-key, person-to-person, low cost campaign. We can do the same for our club. All year long, talk up the club, record to whom you talk. Recontact that person in the days before show. have been sunk into the riverbed and will be filled with sand and capped with concrete. The concrete spans have been delivered to the site and are stored ready to be installed. As I understand it a section of track will be cut out and the wooden supports removed and the concrete span will be set in place probably at the rate of one a day. The sections of span already have the track panels installed! Since this is a high volume track I suspect the work windows will only be 2-3 hours at a time with the idea of the track restored for use at night with slow speed restrictions until the entire trestle is replaced by the concrete spans. CITY RAIL FANNING: OBSCURE SPOT NO. 1 Rolland Rodway West of UP North Main at Penn Jct and east the of City of Portland Waste Treatment Plant on N. Columbia Blvd is a city park for nature lovers, bird watchers and rail fans. The path is asphalt and an easy walk of about a one mile. The UP runs several trains a day on the adjacent track, the North Main to/from Seattle. In addition on the west side of the sewer works the BNSF can be observed with its wide variety of traffic including 10 Amtrak’s per day between the Columbia and Willamette drawbridges. Street parking is abundant without resorting to private property parking and the fall colors are breath taking. Besides dressing for the weather, worthy of consideration are field glasses, bird book, scanner and light lunch. From the foot bridge over the slough very large carp, Blue Heron, Osprey, Mallards and an occasional Eagle might be seen while watching the B&B gang work. There are also bird houses for other varieties of birds. The UP Road is 160.515, Albina & Barnes Yds 160.680 and the BNSF Terminal is on 161.250. In addition, the UP Maintenance of Way might be using 161.070 or 160.290. Of current interest (Nov. 2004) is the UP Bridge & Building system gang working on the replacement of the trestle with a concrete bridge over the slough. The pilings (hollow pipes) CGMRC GAZETTE 5 CHUCK STORZ REMEMBERED Jack Taylor When I joined the CGMRC in 1953 Chuck was in the Army. It was a year or two later that he returned. Although I was the first official Junior Member (ages 18 to 21) Chuck was the “unofficial” first. (Gary Zenk can fill you in on that aspect). I heard through various sources that Chuck had started showing up on Tuesday nights as an ‘interested visitor”. Several of the members were dead-set against Junior Membership, so he was never asked to join until he was 21. I met Chuck upon his return, but didn’t really get to know him for quite some time. He became quite involved with track work, while I worked on scenery. He became the club’s Number One turnout builder. Chuck was a first class photographer also. I think he photographed everything SP&S owned, not just rolling stock. He was also interested in the Milwaukee Road electrics. He took several trips to the Washington-Idaho border area where the “Little Joes” were operating, as well as Tacoma. Although he asked if I could go with him, I was never able to take the time off work. (I had to schedule vacation time in January to get a July or August date. Chuck never asked until a week or two before his vacation time. So, it never coincided with mine.) I did go to Vancouver, WA, and Tacoma on weekends with him, however, a couple of times. He was never a “point and shoot” picture taker, (like me!), but rather, a “set up tripod and get a good shot” photographer. According to the information that I can dig up, Chuck was club President in 1970 and 1971. He was also Secretary from 19551958 and 1967-1968. This is based on the stock certificates that I can find. Here’s Chuck’s original Application for Membership. Note how yellowed it is by time. Ed. CGMRC GAZETTE 6 VALENTINE’S DINNER: 2005 The club is hosting our Valentine Dinner this year at the Multnomah Channel Yacht Club in Scappoose. The time is yet to be set exactly but will be in the evening. (There is a potential tie-in with a visit to our club by the Portland area Porsche owners club earlier in the day. That visit is yet to be confirmed. They would not be coming to dinner with us but it would affect the members hosting the visit.) The dinner is for members and their dates. The yacht club has a very nice meeting room and dining area in a floating structure on the river. Access is by ramps from the shore. The use of the room is through the efforts of George Schneider a yacht club member who is a friend of Jeff Pape. The arrangement calls for the caterer to clean the kitchen and for the club members to clean up the dining area after the meal is finished. Dinner is catered as a buffet style service. Sirloin roast and roast ham are the entrees. Cost is $18 per person with a suggested gratuity of at least $2. There will be a bar, tended by George, open before dinner. Pre-pay for the dinner to Tammie Auburg, our treasurer. Travel is by private automobile. A map will be prepared before the event. The club recommends car pooling from the club house. For the one or two individuals in the club who are mobility challenged it is felt that the ramp can be negotiated by wheeled chairs or motorized bar stools if the passenger has one or two stalwart rogues to help. It is the intent of the club to have a better event that we have been having in recent years at various restaurants that were ill motivated to host group events. Hopefully this will be a learning experience and can lead to even better events in the future. The life of a porter was very difficult, the hours were long, with as many as 240 hours of duty time per month. There were many nights away from home in flophouses used by many porters in “away” cities. The porters had to survive in some of the most racially aggressive parts of the country and the policy of the company was to not stand up for the porters as the company did not want to offend potential passengers. The work on the cars involved setting up and taking down the beds for passengers, keeping the car clean, helping with luggage, and being the awake person on duty during the night to assure order and safety. Often the customers were rude or even aggressive to the porters out of bad racial motivation. The porter’s job was to “take it”. The porters union worked for over a decade to get the Pullman Company to even start negotiations, than another decade to achieve a wage and hour settlement. When they did get a contract it represented only marginal improvements in the way employees were assigned to specific trains and a slight reduction, on paper at least, of the very long hours worked. During all of this time the majority of the wages earned were in the form of tips from the passengers. The porters were carefully screened before being hired and were subject to being fired for almost anything. It was unusual to see a porter supported by the company in the event of a customer complaint. The company did not stand out among others for these practices, they were the norm for the time. The porters as a group represent the first breakthrough for blacks in America in terms of attaining middle class status. More than a few had a college education but could not find work in their professions so they worked for Pullman. There was no path to promotion for black porters. The Pullman Conductors were all white. Porters stayed at entry level with the exception of sometimes supervising another porter if no conductor was assigned. There was no extra pay for this. Yet, with the long hours, the away from home time, the tough labor relations situation and the general racism of the era most porters thrived. It was the norm, not the exception for porter’s kids to go to college, for porters own a home and often to have a business on the side. Among the porters were college lecturers, writers, labor organizers, attorneys and other professionals. In many families the work of the males was to be a porter; brothers, sons, cousins and in-laws all worked for the company. Once the porters had finally achieved a working union and had achieved a slight improvement in their personal security as employees they used their influence as a union with its own press to speak for blacks in general. By the time of the Depression the president of the union, A. Philip Randolph, was meeting with Franklin D. Roosevelt to present the case for improving the lives of blacks in America. The effort was to get President Roosevelt to support legislation bottled up in Congress to outlaw lynching; the president could not afford to spend the political capital to support the measure, so it died without being passed. BOOK REPORT Jeff Pape Rising From The Rails by Larry Tye Rising From The Rails is an American history study that details the employment of thousands of black males by the Pullman Company in the period from the end of the Civil War until the coming of Amtrak. In great detail the life and times of the Pullman Porters is recorded. The history is scholarly in its approach, sources include the Pullman Company papers, the archives of the porters union, the porter’s newspaper and many other primary sources. In addition the author interviewed as many retired porters or their families as possible. They are almost all gone now and the few remaining are dying off rapidly. The book has value far beyond its contribution to serving a rail fan’s curiosity. It is a history of labor relations, the industrialization of America after the Civil War, a story of the sole opportunity open to black males to have a steady job and of the outcome in the form of the kinds of lives the porters were able to shape. CGMRC GAZETTE 7 At the time of the struggle to desegregate the South the porters individually and the union as a body were in the center of the movement, usually as leaders or persons of influence. The famous bus boycott in Birmingham, Alabama was organized by the president of the porter’s union local. He was going to be out of town working on a train when announcements were to be made so he selected Martin Luther King to be the spokesman for the almost two dozen groups that he had recruited. This was Dr. King’s first major public exposure. The great march on Washington, D. C. and the rally at the Lincoln Memorial benefited in large part from the expertise and work of the porters in the civil rights movement. The summary chapters of the book make a strong case for the argument that today the vast majority of prominent black professionals have parents or grandparents who were Pullman Porters. The author provides many examples. In the beginning porters were hired on the basis of being tall enough and strong enough to pull down and put up the folding overhead bunks and had a background in slavery of service in masters homes. These freshly emancipated slaves took hold of the only real opportunity available in a sharply racist country and they generally made good. At most one tenth of one percent of black males were porters yet their success in rising economically and socially through several generations is outstanding. The author contends that the black professional and political cadres of our times descend almost exclusively from Pullman Porters of generations past. I heartily recommend this book. It would be of particular value to any of our Youth Members who need a topic to report for an American History class. July 3 to 9 Cincinnati, OH NMRA National Convention WWW.NMRA.org July 5 - 9 Portland, OR NRHS National Convention Lloyd Center Doubletree Inn 1000 NE Multnomah St. Information: WWW.NRHS.com. Reportedly several steam locomotives have been invited to attend. Sept 15 to 19 Glendale, CA Pacific Southwest Region NMRA Convention. See www.nmra.org for link and information. CLUB OPERATING SESSIONS Don Riss After discussing the pros and cons with several people, the following dates have been selected as operating sessions on the Columbia Gorge Railroad. Please note that there are several different types of operating sessions. Since we will be having extra public exposure this year – Rose Festival, a special session for the Big Brother/Sister program with (hopefully) press and TV coverage in October (date TBA) and others, PLEASE try to make as many of these as possible. They provide valuable experience, especially in learning to think quickly to correct “emergencies.” A MINIMUM of 8 people generally allows a fun and successful experience. Members are invited and encouraged to put our fine railroad to use, to enjoy the company of other members and to generally spend time with the railroad without working on it or adding to it. With that in mind, Don Riss with Rolland Rodway are the session coordinators for these sessions. The sessions are fairly loose in plan, for the first few sessions at least there will be no documents associated with the cars or trains. Each yard operator will have a set of notes describing which trains to make up and which to switch out. It is intended to be easy and fun. The session on Jan. 8 saw activity in Hood River, Wishram and Portland as well as some main line trains moving cars among those locations. The sessions start at 9:30 AM and run until mid-afternoon. Members are encouraged to bring a sack lunch. TIMETABLE, 2005 Prepared by Jeff Pape Pacific Northwest Region NMRA — Apparently no convention this year. February 26 Clackamas, Oregon Willamette Model Railroad Club swap meet and Clinics. Camp Withycombe Armory, SE 102 off of Highway 212. Information Chris Kliner (360) 687-1639. April 28 to May 4 Napa CA Pacific Coast Region NMRA Convention HTTP//:pcr.nvmrc.org CGMRC GAZETTE 8 It can be argued that these sessions are the payoff for membership. These sessions are a why we put on public shows, pay dues and spend the time and effort to build and maintain the railroad. Come and play. It is appropriate to bring a guest, either a family member or a non-member who is in our hobby. Jun 10: Rose Festival 11:00 – 8:00 (Be aware that this is a Friday. Retirees and night workers are welcome...) Show staffing! Jun 11: Rose Festival 11:00 – 8:00 Show staffing! Jul 2: Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 (Holiday weekend – may be one week earlier or later) Aug 6: Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 (May be earlier in the day if the weather is hot!) Sep 3: Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 (Holiday weekend – may be one week earlier or later) Oct 1: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 Oct 4: SHOW TRAINING Oct 8: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 Oct 11: SHOW TRAINING Oct 15: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 Oct 18: SHOW TRAINING Oct 22: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 Oct 25: CLUB CLEANUP FOR SHOW Oct 29: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 Nov. 5: SHOW DRESS REHEARSAL NOV 8 – 30: WEEKENDS: YEARLY SHOW!! Feb 12: “VIP” style tour for Porsche Auto Club (~40 people) Need a minimum of 9 people for Albina/Union Sta., Troutdale, Wishram, 4-8 cabs, Bend (at least 1) and a dispatcher downstairs. Feb 26: Prototype operation 9:20 - 2:00 Mar 5: Show type operation for NMRA-PNR 11:30-4:00; See Feb 12 for staffing Mar 8: Scouts Apr 2: Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 Apr 5: Scouts May 3: Scouts May 7: Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 May 24: SHOW TRAINING or Prototype operation 9:30 - 2:00 Jun 4: SHOW TRAINING 9:30 – 2:00 1925: Waiters and a steward aboard The Yellowstone Comet await patrons. (In the 1920s, the second section of the westbound North Coast Limited and the eastbound Alaskan were renamed The Yellowstone Comet during the tourist season, with direct Pullman service available from Chicago and Seattle to Gardiner. The service outlasted the Comet name.) CGMRC GAZETTE 9 COMMITTEES Club Officers President: Steven Watkins 1st VP: Russ Lusk 2nd VP: Gene Nedrow 3rd VP: Dennis Thompson 4th VP: Don Riss Secretary: Sandra Lusk Treasurer: Tammy Auburg Ass't Treas.: Mark Hynson Board of Directors Chairman: Ken Shipman Members At Large: Rick Koehler, David Holden Members: Ken Shipman, Russ Lusk, Gene Nedrow, Steven Watkins, Tammy Auburg Admin. Committee Chairs Gazette: *Eric Bleak, Editor-In-Chief; Jeff Pape, Editor-At-Large Security: Doug Auburg Swap Meet: Doug Auburg Membership: Bill Morse Member Handbook Project: Open Curator of Collections: Jeff Pape Public Relations: Jim Whaley Show: Gene Nedrow Building Management: Russ Lusk Equipment Roster: Mike Durr Kitchen Commissary: Dennis Thompson Library: Mike Kniss Layout Committee Chairs General Chairman: Gene Nedrow PDX Yard-Upper: Keith Loose PDX Yard-Lower: *Rolland Rodway, Sig Lamplighter City Streetcar Line: *Corey Piazzese ML W. to M. Falls: Bill Morse Logging & Hood River: *Tom Treanor, Don Paulson, Sam Slivers ML East/Home Valley to Avery: Bill Morse Ore. Trunk-Lower: Mike Durr Ore. Trunk-Upper: Mike Durr Underground-East Spiral: Mike Durr, Lionel Loop Underground-Seattle: Mike Durr Wishram/Block 15: Mike Durr Control: Tim Anderson Communications: Ed Foley M of W Dept.: Steel Gang: *Open Switch Gang: *Open Motor Gang: Open Bridges: Steven Watkins, Bob Bascule Buildings: *Jim Whaley, Shorty Tubafore Signal Dept.: *Don Gibson, Hi Green Scenery: *Mark Hynson Theatrical and Scenic Lighting, Animation: RULE OF THE DAY Eric Bleak, Editor Rule S-89 (A). At schedule meeting points between trains of the same class, the superior train must stop clear of the switch used by the train to be met in going on siding unless switch is properly lined and track clear. At train order meeting points, the train holding the main track must stop clear of the switch used by the train to be met in going on siding unless the train to be met is clear of the main track and switch is properly lined. A good rule to keep in mind during our Club’s Prototype Operation Sessions where only one main track is in use. The Consolidated Code of Operating Rules and General Instructions 1948 Edition Northern Pacific Railway Company Tim Anderson Car Department: *Mike Durr Engineering Dept.: Gene Nedrow Operations: Rolland Rodway Training: Bill Morse Stores Department: *Steven Watkins Electronics: *Tim Anderson, Ken Young, Reddy Kilowatt * = Committee Chair COLUMBIA GORGE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB 2505 N. VANCOUVER AVE. PORTLAND, OR 97227-1986