11 Volume 43 Number 4 April 2012 A 1984 Trip to California on Amtrak by Richard Tubbesing Westbound California Zephyr at Roseville, California. Photo by Richard Tubbesing Contents Meeting Notice The April meeting of the Northstar Chapter of the NRHS will be held on April 21st at 6:30 pm, at Roseville Lutheran Church at 1215 Roselawn Avenue, Officer Contact Directory P.2 midway between Lexington and Hamline Avenues in Directions to the Meeting Site P.2 Roseville. See map on following page. My 1984 Trip to California P.2 Memories of Railroad News Butchers P.3 Note the EARLIER START TIME at 6:30 pm. Amtrak Superliner Sleeper Names P.5 Program: It will be Burlington Route and Burlington North Dakota Train Depot Station Booms with Northern Night with Cy Svobodny’s slides and Warren Oil Patch Passengers P.6 Krekelberg’s scanned images. Minnesota Streetcar Museum Needs Operators P.7 From Trains Newswire P.7 There will be a pre-meeting get-together at the Keys Membership Meeting Minutes of March 17th P.7 Cafe and Bakery at the northeast corner of Lexington Chapter Library Hours P.8 and Larpenteur starting about 5:00 pm. PLEASE Railfan Calendar P.8 CALL Bob Clarkson at 651-636-2323 and leave a mes- sage with your name and the number of persons coming with you. 1 Northstar Chapter Officers Board of Directors President Dawn Holmberg [email protected] 763-784-8835 Vice President H. Martin Swan [email protected] 612-961-1684 Past President Cy Svobodny [email protected] 651-455-0052 National Director Bill Dredge [email protected] 952-937-1313 Treasurer Dan Meyer [email protected] 763-784-8835 Secretary Dave Norman [email protected] 612-729-2428 Trustee Bob Clarkson [email protected] 651-636-2323 Staff Program Chairman Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 Newsletter Editor Russ Isbrandt [email protected] 651-426-1156 Newsletter Production and Distribution Richard Tubbesing [email protected] 763-757-1304 Chapter Librarian / Historian John Cartwright [email protected] 651-481-8479 Webmaster Dan Meyer Website: www.northstar-nrhs.org Chapter Mail Box Northstar Chapter PO Box 120832 St. Paul, MN 55112 NRHS MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Dues are $51($36 for the National dues and $15 for the local dues). Family memberships are $5 per person additional. The student rate is $22 ($16 for the National, $6 for the Northstar Chapter). If you want to join, an application is available at http:www.northstar-nrhs.org/. Print out this application and send it with a check made payable to “Northstar Chapter NRHS” to Northstar Chapter NRHS Membership Services, P.O. Box 120832, St. Paul, MN 55112. A subscription to this newsletter may be obtained for $18 for either printed or electronic edition by sending a check to the post office box above specifying the form of the newsletter you desire. A subscription does NOT include voting privileges at chapter meetings nor any of the NRHS membership benefits and no membership application is needed. Directions to the Meeting Site I had a sleeper or just rode coach, but I was impressed From the east and west take MN 36 to Lexington Avenue. with the Superliners. The run from Havre to Seattle was Drive south on Lexington Avenue to Roselawn Avenue and on time and uneventful. My itinerary was to stop at Sac- turn right. The large lighted parking lot is on your right as ramento for a day, and then take the train to Salinas, CA you travel west on Roselawn. Use the lower entrance to to visit my friends. While in Sacramento, I rented a car the church and turn left through the commons area. We’ll and drove around, visiting SP’s Roseville yard, where I be in room 40, the Diamond Room. saw a GP in the shops painted in Daylight colors, saw a westbound Amtrak California Zephyr pass and caught a Western Pacific freight. After an overnight stay, I re- boarded the Coast Starlight to Salinas where we went to My 1984 Trip to California By Richard Tubbesing At the tail end of the family’s annual get together at a Mon- tana youth camp, I thought it was time to check out the SP SD-40 7342 in a Daylight paint scheme. This was new Amtrak Superliners. So I took a train trip from Havre, one of the diesel units to help the 4449 powered MT to Los Angeles via the Empire Builder and Coast Star- Louisiana Daylight over mountain grades in Califor- light. I had some friends with whom I played softball while nia to and from the New Orleans World’s Fair. Photo working at Control Data to visit in Salinas, CA. Therefore I by Richard Tubbesing thought it was a good deal to kill two birds with one stone! From Bozeman, I flew a puddle jumper plane to Havre, MT to catch Amtrak’s Empire Builder. I really don’t remember if 2 to Carmel, where we had a beer at the Hog’s Breath owned by Clint Eastwood. The next day I was driven to the Salinas depot to catch the southbound Coast Star- light. There must have a problem with the F40’s since this train had two SP Geeps, an SD45 and SD45 tunnel mo- tor, on the point. We left on time, and proceeded south to LA. I took a picture near San Luis Obispo which I think was on the Cuesta Grade. Then near the Vandenberg Air Force base we were right by the Pacific Ocean, then through picturesque Santa Barbara and finally into one of the great stations, Los Angeles Union Passenger Termi- nal. I rented a car and drove to my hotel, as I had an old army friend that lived in LA and wanted visit him. After a couple of phone calls and driving around trying to find where he lived, I struck out. The next day I went to LAX to fly home. SP SD-40 7342 in a Daylight paint scheme. This was Memories of Railroad News Butchers one of the diesel units to help the 4449 powered Compiled by Russ Isbrandt from All Aboard Yahoo Louisiana Daylight over mountain grades in California Group--Jonathan Meeks, H. Martin Swan, Fred Mills, to and from the New Orleans World’s Fair. Photo by Tom Hoffman, Gene Poon, Garl Latham, Internet Sites Richard Tubbesing Network 54.com, phmuseum.org, afrigeneas.com, Milwaukee Road Yahoo Group-- Bill Joynt, Paul of Seattle , Bill Shisler and Denny S. Anspach MD Railroad news butchers, news butch or news agents were vendors who would walk down the aisles of the coaches on passenger trains with or without dining cars. They offered sandwiches, snacks, candy, magazines and newspapers. For the budget minded, they were an alter- native to eating in the dining car when there was a dining car or diner lounge available. In some cases they would get on trains at major terminals, sell and get off before departure. The profession probably goes back to the earliest days of passenger trains. Between 1859 and 1863, Thomas Edi- son worked as a railroad news boy at the age of 12 out of Port Huron, MI and the Grand Trunk Railway. – Southbound Coast Starlight at Salinas, CA with two South- www.phmusuem.org. ern Pacific units lead by a SD-45 and SD-45T on the point. Photo by Richard Tubbesing Recently the question arose on the Yahoo All Aboard group about news butchers, as follows: “Probably show- the bay area across the big Suizan Bridges, to Oakland, ing my age by bringing up the subject of news butchers. San Jose and Salinas where I met up with Norm and Pat. As a child I remember leaving Grand Central on a Spring- While there, I was taken via VW Beetle to Monterey and field Line train and soon seeing a little man carrying a tote visited the docks and saw some sea otters, Then it was on loaded with soda, snacks, candy bars, and cigarettes burst into the coach and bark an auctioneer-like spiel of what he had to offer for sale. He could even keep up his banter as he did his business down the aisle and then on into the next car. Of course all his goodies were just be- low eye level as he passed by and it was difficult to resist the ham and cheese and a Coke. My recollection is the news butchers would get off in Bridgeport or some other intermediate stop and head back to New York. Occasion- ally one would get on at New Haven and ride northbound to Hartford. And I barely recollect spotting them loading their baskets either at an Armstrong or Union News com- pany shop in the station. Any other all-aboarders remember news butchers? Did other routes in the US have them? Maybe this would be something we could bring back on a few short distance trains lacking food service”. – Jonathan Meets, All Amtrak #11 , the Coast Starlight descends Cuesta Grade Aboard Group about to enter San Luis Obispo. Photo by Richard Tubbesing 3 “I remember news butchers onboard Rock Island's Twin I'm not quite sure I can emphasize this next point enough Star Rocket between Houston and Dallas in the mid- without sounding crude. Suffice to say she was VERY 1950s.” –Sunset Express, All Aboard Group attractive! “Great Northern Railway used news butchers on #359/360 That fact, combined with fresh coffee, quailty food items, Seattle/Portland, #23/24 (The Badger) Duluth/St. Paul, a winning personality and a sure-fire sales pitch must #27/28 Fast Mail, before the Western Star was discontin- have made for a pretty lucrative career.” ued and the Fast Mail renamed the Western Star.