| Hi
Fellow TCA members...
This year's annual convention was a wonderful experience as
conventions go. Jack Rodgers, Jake Jacobsen, and I decided
to drive to Phoenix in an overnight run starting Tues evening
around 9:00 pm after my Bocce night at Moraga Bocce Club.
After a quick victory there, off we went into the night. I
got to take the wheel around 2:00 am as we approached the
Grapevine. What a fun experience, trying to conserve gas while
powering Jack’s new Tahoe up that grade. I was glad
to give up the wheel as the sun came up over the desert horizon
and I slept most of the way on into Phoenix. We visited a
few train shops while waiting for our rooms to be prepared.
Arizona Train Depot was fine, and the Ton of Trains was really
that. Jack and Jake both found special items they wanted there.
By then the day was really warming up. We headed to the hotel
and I took a swim in one of the many pools at the very fine
Marriott Desert Ridge Resort. Jack and Jake took off for the
Crater on Thursday. Jack was unimpressed, expecting a much
larger swimming hole.
Fellow TCA member Will Taylor was in Phoenix visiting family
and they gave him some training time off. He joined me at
the convention for Thursday and we did the self-guided layout
tour. What a fine thing TCA guys and gals do to open their
home and show off their train set-ups. Will and I decided
to do the trip as follows:
(1) McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.
We wondered around for just a couple minutes before TCA Russ
Mosser found us and directed us around the park. WOW! These
guys have a great plan for a new building that will house
very large O, N, and HO layouts. The funding is in place and
the building is going up next year. Live steam in the park
is very active as well. Many Historical cars and buildings
are restored. Check it out when you get to Phoenix, or on
the internet.
(2)
Scott Russell has a
second floor train room most of us would die for, and a very
fine collection of postwar and modern trains. There were nine
running and 400 on display. He received many of these from
his father and added many on his own. This was a really clean,
neat and well displayed setup.
3) Peter and Mary Jane Atonna
next opened their condo to us, which is a second home for
them. They have family in Phoenix and have the condo for convenient
accommodation. They have a nice 9x12 niche off the family
room that houses the train layout. They usually live in Prescott
and Mary Jane has horses as a main hobby as well as trains.
We spent quite a bit of time with Peter and he answered many
questions Will and I had about the operation/wiring of Legacy
and TMCC.
(4) John
Bahne has a 20x40 addition to the rear of his home.
Hi-rail including many realistic operating opportunities,
mixing O and On30 very effectively.
5)Our last tour was to Terry Bunish's
garage layout. Well, the sun was really taking it’s
toll by then, and Terry had to keep changing out engines to
keep them from overheating. Realizing that as humans we were
also spent, he and his lovely wife invited us in for a cold
drink and conversation. Terry’s wife says ‘she
does her part for the hobby’ and we agree, as trains
collected over the years were displayed everywhere.
Wiil Taylor and I were both pleased with the Self Guided layout
tours. We felt that our day had been well spent. Each home
was very different, and really had something to offer. It
is extremely generous for these members to open their homes
and give up so much of their time for our enjoyment.
Friday,
of course, the trading room was open. Many beautiful trains
were available of all sort. I had my eye on a brass 3rd-Rail
2-8-2 UP Mikado (MacArthur) #2260 which I was able to acquire
Saturday morning. Of special note were some unusual trains
displayed in a second room. Included were both the Red and
Blue Commodore Vanderbilt complete train sets with cars. First
time I’ve seen them anyway. Also, a perfect original
Lionel prewar china blue Blue Streak set was displayed. Lionel
had their traveling display and several local clubs had traveling
layouts available for our viewing pleasure.
Friday eve, Will, Jack, Jake, and I were lucky enough to join
the home tour Z, visiting:
1)Fred Hunter
2)Tom Stange
3)Paul Wassermann
Saturday
we visited the trading room again, and also had plenty of
swimming pool time. The dinner was that evening. A good time
was had by all at the banquet. The food was excellent, I felt,
compared to the usually convention food. Getting a cup of
coffee was a challenge at our table, but other than that,
all went very well. Back over the Grapevine Sunday, and the
welcome cool breezes of the SF Bay area. What a lot we have
to be thankful for. Good friends, good trains, good times.
Come on over and run some trains!
John April #87-24941 (phone 925-209-6980)
TCA 2009 Phoenix Convention
Photos
John April took these photos at the recent
convention.
 This
is at the Fred Hunter collection, with Fred in the center
(white shirt).
Here is Fred's Plasticville section on his layout.
Another scene at the Fred Hunter collection.
Fred's Reading T1 is on the turntable.
This is at the Tom Stange collection in Scottsdale.
Mark Boyd at the Stange collection.
Now we're at the collection and layout of Paul Wasserman (2003-04
TCA President)
Here's Paul in person.
This is another view of Paul's layout.
At the displayn area- a rare Lionel red Commodore Vanderbilt
set.
This is a closeup of the observation car for that set.
Here's a rare Lionel blue Commodore Vanderbilt set.
Another view of the blue Commodore Vanderbilt set.
Nor-Cal member Randall
White's Colorado Fan Trip (posted 12-28-08)
Randall White recently went
on vacation to Colorado and New Mexico on a railroad photography
trip. Trains Tours Unlimited sponsors a photoraphers special
on the "Durango and Silverton" and "Cumbres
and Toltec Scenic Railroad" tourist railroads in September
and October of this year. The engines and all cars were painted
to their former "Denver & Rio Grande Western"
paint scemes to represent a mixed train of the late 1940's
on the Silverton Branch and a frieght of the early 1950's
on the line between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado.
Photo runbys were conducted at as many scenic locations as
time and light would allow. Randall reports that this trip
is well worth the cost.
K-28 #478 at Silverton with an old Model T. Taken 9-25-08
K-28 #478 crossing the low bridge just west of Silverton,
9-26-08.
K-36 "#485"just east of Los Pinos, easing downgrade
with a long freight train. The "real" #485 was scrapped
in the mid 1950's after being damaged when it fell into the
turntable pit at Alamosa. The charter organizers specified
that #484 be renumbered to #485. Taken 9-30-08
K-36 #488 passenger train passing the
freight train. Taken 10-01-08.
K-36 #485 at the coal tipple and sand house at Chama, New
Mexico, 9-28-08.
K-36's #485 and #489 just outside
of Antonito, Colorado. Taken 10-1-08.
K-36 #485 headed upgrade to
Windy Point and Cumbres Pass with a train of tank cars. Randall
reports "we discovered the pond to be a great photo location,
with its reflection of Windy Point." Taken 9-29-08.
K-36 #489 at the Chama, NM,
water tank. This was a specially arranged night photo shot.
Taken 9-28-08.
K-36's #485 and #489 eastbound
after Chama, NM, heading upgrade, toward Cumbres Pass, 9-30-08.
K-36 #489 in the lead and #485 as mid train helper passing
Los Pinos water tower. Randall reports: "Our charter
picked this scenic location since it will soon loose its charm
owing to the numerous "super-cabins" that are soon
to be constructed in the background. Tne owners are complaining
about the "smoky dirty trains!" Picture taken 10-01-08.
Fred Sill's Train
Collection Stolen (posted 12-18): I
was informed yesterday that the late Fred Sill's house in
Richmond had been burglarized and that just about everything
had been taken, including Fred's train collection. Apparently,
the burglars even took the train shelves off the walls. This
apparently happened a couple of days ago, apparently late
at night, and while Fred's roomer, who still lives there,
was out. Fred's trains included many nice prewar American
Flyer O-gauge sets, which included the 3011 and 3012 type
(4-4-4) and 3015 type (0-4-0) large electric type locos. Fred
also had lots of miscellaneous trains, almost all O-gauge,
some in pieces, and lots of used parts. About the only trains
not taken were some Marx trains. Nor-Cal members should be
on the alert for these trains while at flea markets, as this
is where they will probably try to sell them. And no, there
are no known markings on these trains to identify them as
Fred's. I will provide more details as they are available.
-Richard White, webmaster.
Your webmaster, sons,
and grandson attended the October 26 Open House at the Golden
Gate Live Steamers in Tilden Park (Berkeley-Oakland). Aren't
these trains great?!
This is the "Lionel" locomotive,
replendent with brass and chrome! This is scaled at
1-1/2" to the foot, and 7-1/2" gauge, the large
scale for live steam locos. Constructed and owned by Nor-Cal
member Bill Smith, of Alameda.
This is the obsevation car for the "Lionel" train.
This is patterned after the Lionel Standard Gauge #312 observation
car. But the arch-bar trucks are definitely "Non-Lionel,"
aren't they? I'm amazed at the craftsmanship that must have
been involved in forming the roofs of these cars.
Another view of the "Lionel" train. But who is that
on the observation platform?
It's none other than Homer Simpson!
Here's another loco, the 4-4-0 "Tahoe." This is
1-1/2 inch scale. Interestingly, the original "Tahoe,"
at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City (NV) is
a
2-6-0!
This is a GP7 in 1-1/2 inch scale, on the turntable.
Here's a closeup shot of the same GP7.
Here's an 0-4-0 switcher, in 1-1/2 inch scale. This loco isn't
quite completed, as it is missing the headlight and pilot
uncoupler bar, among other things.
This is a 4-6-0, in 1-1/2 inch scale.
This little vertical-boiler engine is in 3/4 inch scale, and
3-1/2 inch gauge.
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