Railroading – Why does it interest me?
A while back someone posed this question to me:
“Why are you so interested in railroading?”
Considering how much of a passion it has become at times for me, there isn’t any easy, “go to” answer. I could say I was born to it. With so many family members who had a connection to the railroads in one way or another, that is understandable. Like the photo above, on the Southern Pacific at Crows Landing, California on the line between Tracy and Fresno, in 1906. It came from a family collection and one of the men pictured in it may be a distant relation.
Throw in an almost insatiable curiosity about the American west and that plays a part in my interest. Some of the first trips I took once I had my drivers license were out to see trains. Not even to photograph, just to watch as they rolled by.
I have, over the years, been to places in search of railroads – both active and abandoned – that I never would have gone to for any other reasons. There was one instance where I wandered into a bar in very rural central Nevada with a friend. We were both amused as the topic of conversation from the locals turned to snakes and the size encountered. All the more amusing as we had our own encounter earlier that morning along the Walker River following an abandoned right of way – where rails had last been seen in the late 1930’s.
Yes, as a hobby, I can honestly say railroading has not kept me off the streets and out of bars.
Model railroading came early, as a grandfather introduced me to the world of Lionel trains. High school years saw me join a Boy Scout Explorer Post sponsored by a local model railroad club. Imagine being able to share my interest with other people (yes, both boys and girls) at both the model and prototype level. It was a dream come true! Eventually I became a member of the model railroad club and continued in many roles for almost 30 years. I still have a small collection of models but enjoy a friend’s garden railway instead of the club railroad.
Upon graduation from high school, I briefly considered a career in railroading. Having family still in the business, I thought that was a good choice. Yet at the time, everyone I spoke to advised me to get some college years instead. Good advice as the economic downturn of the 1980’s came and went. Being a low seniority railroader, so would my career choice. College it was and a 25 plus career with AAA before I retired and went on to explore other career opportunities.
Participation in the model club led to involvement in a local railroad museum. Another 20 years passed with all kinds of railroading. Steam, diesel and electric train operations; restoration and maintenance projects; marketing and sales experiences – including ticketing, gift shop sale and special event planning… it seemed that the opportunities had no end to variety!
Good friends and good times came from all the hard work. One particularly memorable evening found me running a diesel electric locomotive on a train back to the museum after working on the railroad some 10 miles away from the museum. It was as if I had come full circle from my ancestors working on the railroad to running that train. As the sun set that evening, there was just something right about my place in the cab as we rolled along.
The opportunity that led to that evening has changed. While no longer a volunteer at that museum, I have helped out with other museums from time to time including one in Hawaii. And I have a good group of folks that help out on excursions on chartered private rail cars from time to time.
Still, I stop and watch as a train rolls by. Something about the story that makes it worth watching. You see, railroading is really the story of the people involved. Sure, machinery is fascinating. But without people who make the trains move, it is just so much cold steel sitting there, looking pretty. Nope, people make the trip. People order the goods that the trains take from point to point. People ride the passenger trains going from place to place. And people make it all happen. Each with their own tale of why they do what they do.
And that’s just the start of the story. Fascinating does not begin to describe it for me.
Meanwhile…
Hey, look! A new blog posting.
Yes, I am still alive and kicking. Just way too much fun lately to post on anything resembling a regular basis.
So, let us see, where were we when I last posted…
Oh, riding streetcars now and then in the City. What a way to travel!
Well, that private railcar trip from Los Angeles to Oakland with a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum? A grand time had by all, according to the report posted by Shelly Valladolid on Micechat. And the after event was a real treat. A tour of the Warner Bros. lot followed by a dinner at the Smokehouse. Will have to go back sometime to take in their version of the lot tour.
Some fun events coming up at the Walt Disney Family Museum. This Friday brings Animate Your Night with a Halloween flair. Musical guests the Seadogs promise merriment for the season. And the upcoming exhibition, “All Aboard: A Celebration of Walt’s Trains” promises to be full of great surprises for all as well, opening November 13th. Not to mention the special program on the same subject on Saturday, November 15th. Speaking of which, I am looking for two tickets for this. Somehow, I didn’t get in an order before the event sold out.
Another November tradition coming soon is the start of the Dickens Christmas Fair at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Okay, Daly City, but close enough. Holiday spirits soon to be lifted, enjoyed, etc…
More to come? Maybe a trip to Disneyland right before Christmas to really get in the swing of the season.
Another railcar adventure from Private Car Service in January from LA to Oakland to visit the WDFM and the railroad exhibit. Maybe a trip to Reno aboard a dome lounge car if the snow gods are generous in February or March?
Later in the spring of 2015? Maybe some history with a Disney connection will be the reason for a ship-board event you will not want to miss.
After that, who knows?
Still fumbling about…
Some years the days just fly by. And so it is with this one. Time just seems to get away from me.
Hey, how about that Napa earthquake? Slept right through it out in Livermore. Yet, glad that no one lost their lives and that damage is less than it could have been. Indeed, a wake-up call for all of us. Having a “disaster” kit on hand is a good idea for everyone, be it in case of tornados, hurricanes or earthquakes. The old Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” is advice worth following.
Glad to see that both Silverado Vineyards and the Lasseter Family Winery are back welcoming visitors after the quake. A lot of other wineries were not so lucky. And yes, you can cry over spilt wine…
Speaking of oddities with weather, is it just me or does the fact that in the midst of one of the toughest droughts on record Burning Man got enough rain out on the Playa to wash out the first day of events seem more than ironic? I’m still trying to keep a straight face about the whole thing. Especially as one of my great-grandfathers was involved in making the decision that brought a big cement plant to Gerlach back in the 20’s. Even Reno locals never went out there if they didn’t have to.
On the subject of other Nevada events, on the calendar there is the Rib Cook-Off in Sparks coming up this weekend. One year I was aboard the train as it came into town during the festivities and all you could smell was BBQ. Ribs were damn tasty! September also bring aviation to Reno with the Balloon Races the following weekend, and the famed Reno Air Races the weekend after that. The fun never stops, does it?
September also promises to be an exciting month for fans of America’s national pastime here in the Bay Area. Both the Athletics and the Giants may yet still be in the post season. And no, we don’t need another earthquake if there were to be a Bay Bridge series. 25 years after the last one, things are almost recovered.
Looking forward to October, too! Private Car Service will be welcoming guests aboard the chartered Pullman sleeping car “Salisbury Beach” for a round trip from Los Angeles to Oakland on Friday the 10th. A wonderful ride to and from the Bay Area with a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum and perhaps some Fleet Week activities including the US Navy Blue Angels.
Speak of the WDFM, November promises a great new exhibition on Walt Disney and trains. Some great items on display and some fine programs in store!
Yes, sir! Plenty of fun available in the months ahead.
Okay, Disneyland… time to take action. Safety First!
So, I have returned from the wilds of Orange County. For the most part, it was an enjoyable three days in Anaheim. But the image above was definitely one of the lower moments.
Yes, loyal readers, this is the kind of thing Disneyland needs to step in and put an end to. For the record, this was on the afternoon of Friday, June 20th at about 2:45 pm. Astute folks may recognize this location as along the Rivers of America between Frontierland and New Orleans Square. Where at 9:00 pm that evening, the first of two performances of Fantasmic will take place. Pretty much the center of where the audience will be.
As you may also see, there was a fairly good crowd in the Park that day. Even though many AP’s were blacked out, there were more than enough folks having a good time. During the day, the area along the river here is used for stroller parking for guests heading off on Pirates. A good call as that can equate to lots of strollers in one spot at a time.
Now it’s one thing to grab a curbside spot for that parade coming by in a bit, but more than six hours in advance? A bit over the top. Way over. And if you look closer, you will see that on two of those blankets are the vests of one of the social clubs that call the Park their turf. It’s obvious to me that the folks who did this were veteran visitors staking out their space for the long haul.
The scene above is a recipe for disaster in the making. All one would need to do is slip and fall on one of those blankets and be trampled under foot. Lawsuits just waiting for the taking. The trip of a lifetime in way too many ways.
So, what does Disneyland need to do? Simple! Station someone from Security here, who firmly and politely informs guests that they can not place a blanket on the faux stones to save a place for the performance – more than an hour before it begins. Explain it as matter of safety. Disneyland has placed guest safety in high regard and I can think of no better way to show this.
Take things to another level and make Fantasmic work just like World of Color. Fast Passes and all. It would help greatly. I can imagine that it would help with some of the traffic flow issues as well.
And don’t stop here, the same should apply on Main Street and in the hub before fireworks. Setting up to save a place should be limited to an hour before the performance. Any earlier than that should not be allowed.
Time for Disney to take back some responsibility here. Don’t worry about saying “no” to a safer situation.
No going back…
It’s funny really.
One of the most common things shared by repeat visitors to Disneyland is the desire to travel back to a previous visit. To enjoy the same experiences as they happened before or as we would like to remember them as happening.
Be it the Peoplemover, the Skyway, or any of the myriad of attractions gone off to Yesterland, fans of this theme park all have that favorite that they would like to see revived in some way. And that isn’t a bad thing, to an extent.
Disneyland is all about memories. Making them or reliving them. Even theme park merchandise tags at this desire with all kinds of goodies to take home from the Parks and share with others. Right down to that shirt or pin that pays homage to a dear departed icon. Even Walt, in his desire to have a place where all members of a family could enjoy something together, realized that those memories created by the shared experience would be a great thing.
Recently, some folks have derided the Park’s Annual Passholder’s who just seem to come to the places to “hang out”. Now while I can’t plead guilty to that myself, I have visited Disneyland and spent the whole day with just one attraction or ride – The Disneyland Railroad. Mostly because it was efficient transportation that got me where I was going. I was by myself (okay, it was my 40th birthday), but I did enjoy a nice meal (lunch at the Blue Bayou) and I did buy a few Christmas gifts for others as well as a nice pocket watch for myself.
That day, the real joy came from just being at Disneyland and savoring the moments. Things like listening to the Royal Street Bachelors on the street of the same name in New Orleans Square; a performance by Billy Hill and the Hillbillies at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontierland; just walking about the Park and taking it all it. People watching.
Looking back, there are plenty of great memories with family and friends. Wouldn’t trade a moment of any of them. Would I like to go back and enjoy some of them all over again? I can think on a couple and that sure sounds tempting.
But the truth is that no visit will ever be the same as one before. And to those who would like to see the Park as a moment in time, trapped in amber as it were, it can never be. Too much has (and continues to) changed. For example, the only thing that may be unaltered? The Main Street Horse Cars. Pretty much as they were opening day. But even those cars have been repainted, with minor changes over the years.
Buildings wear different colors than they have over the years. Signs tell of changes, too. Foot paths have been altered to best allow the flow of people. It’s not a museum. Disneyland changes to respond to needs,a s it should
The perils of nostalgia? Yeah, they are lurking about. My advice is to enjoy the past, but don’t live in it – no matter how cheap the rent. Enjoy the “now” instead. Make new memories to take home.
Always worth the effort!
