(619) 699-8690 February 2005 Check us out at our web site: TROLLEY LINES www.sdera.org Sam Judd buys Old Spaghetti Factory’s Birney Car, Gives to SDERA — Move to NC expected Feb 11th Inside this issue: The 1917 Birney Car Birney car awaits a 2 as she looked before break for freedom; Old Spaghetti Fac- GATS sales & gifts tory closed down and auctioned off Art Jones offers to 2 their properties. match $3500 in gifts Once a Bellingham, WA trolley, only SDERA needs to make 3 parts left of Car 357’s original St. more, spend less, says Louis Car Co. parts outgoing treasurer are the body shell and one power SDERA librarian gives 4 switch. Move out of his wish list; and we’re the restaurant to the making tracks in NC National City His- toric Depot starts Spaghetti Factory’s 5 Friday February11. loss, our gain: trolley facts we need to know Now you can order 6 Please plan to help. Standby for Two consistent themes , rail gifts by mail: a THE PREZ SEZ some serious fund-raising activities! emerged from the surveys and catalog of videos, By Jim Price the open forum: we need All of us who are railroad and something operational, i.e. books, toys, etc. streetcar enthusiasts thank Sam for something that moves on rails, his contribution to electric railroad First, a Happy 2005 to all! and we want to remain a sepa- February, March & 7 history preservation. Hopefully the Holidays were as rate organization – but with April Depot doings good to you as they were to links to any number of like- minded organizations. me and my family. We have a Membership Surveys and Open number of hot items, so here Forum. Thanks to those of you we go. who have returned membership · PRES SEZ: A full year In addition, many of you had surveys. I say to the rest of you: ahead, with new SDERA some great ideas. For exam- please DO return your surveys as ideas and event plans Old Spaghetti Factory Birney ple: soon as you read this reminder. Car. In case you haven’t We spent considerable money on · Develop a traveling ex- heard, Sam Judd, one of our San Diego Electric self-addressed stamped envelopes members and our legal coun- hibit that we can set up at to facilitate the return of the Railway Association sel, bought the Birney Car various events around South- forms. Please use them! · Jim Price, President during the Old Spaghetti Fac- ern California. · Mike Reading, Vice President tory (OSF) auction on January · Show old-time movies on 10! And Sam has indicated · Chuck Bencik-Secretary Thanks also to the 20 or so of the south side of the depot on that he will donate the car to you who braved the rain and at- Summer evenings. · Tom Matson, Treasurer SDERA. As of this writing, the tended the Open Forum meeting · Lay some track on the · Directors: Gene Calman, car is scheduled to be removed on January 8 at the depot. We had Gary Johnson, Stuart Rudick depot grounds and operate from OSF on Friday, Feb. 11 some spirited discussions and be- handcars and/or speeders. · Chris Higgins, Webmaster and to be delivered to the NC gan to develop a real “way ahead” depot. This will be an interest- · George Geyer, Bookstore for SDERA. · Partner with North Park ing opportunity for SDERA. · Chuck Bencik, Editor [continued on page 8] Page 2 SDERA TROLLEY LINES Train Show Sales Jones will match $3500 Tax Deductible Gifts Help SDERA restore for non-member gifts Trolleys, educate Public on Rail History Promote SDERA for Birney car renewal Restoration of the Birney of a video projector. We By George Geyer Member Art Jones has of- Car from the Spaghetti Factory could buy one for $1000, but We staffed the Great fered to match up to $3,500 and the Vienna Cars soon to it’s possible a decent one could American Train Show (GATS) of non-member contributions follow aren’t the only urgent be found on the used market at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on to the Birney Car restoration needs your Electric Railway for about half that price. We December 4 and 5, 2004. We project. Jones is a very dedi- Association has right now. also need a good carousel slide projector, and movie projec- did very well up there selling cated world-wide trolley fan, a SDERA will no longer have tors for older original films, books, videos, DVDs, and benefactor of trolley projects access to the Power Point both 16mm and 8 mm. other items. We took in about such as Old Pueblo Trolley in projector that we've been $765. Tucson, and our Volkswagen using (it belongs to the San Donations to SDERA of Trolley “Herbie” at the Na- Diego DX Club). We will have money, securities, equipment Thanks to the following staff tional City Depot. to rent one when we need it, and materials may be used as members who took part: but we should probably start basis for tax deductions, at Chris Higgins, George Art is a video cinematogra- looking around for either buy- their fair market values. pher who has videotaped ing one, or getting a donation Geyer, Gary Johnson, Please Donate today! Charles Smith, Herb Yak- SDERA events at such events lin, and especially Jim Ander- as the luncheon honoring son for taking all the gift shop SDERy employees about 10 items up there and back to years ago. He’ll give a program National City Depot. on Canadian and Tampa, FL, rail transit on March 12th. Photos by Stuart Rudick Board members Bencik and Calman look at 5th Ave. site where trolley will exit thru hole in wall, leaving the same way it came. FEBRUARY 2005 Page 3 Hamilton: Met Half his Treasury Goals , SDERA’S Value Deteriorating, Bank Balance fell $4105 in 2004, Urgent Need to Bolster our Income By Richard Hamilton money. 2004 SDERA Income The 3 leading Income catego- ries for both 2003 and 2004 I took over as Treasurer in 46 % were (in order of amounts for 17 % Rental Income January of 2004 with a goal in 2003/2004: Rental Income mind. That was to get SDERA in Dues ($5688/$5,925), Total Sales Rents a position to know where it is Total Sales ($3961/$4,879) and Member- Sales financially and to help plan for ship Dues ($3812/$2,260). the future. I feel I have been Membership successful in half the goal. The 3 leading categories for Dues Expenses for 2003 were: Cost 37 % SDERA has had its financials of Goods Sold ($3,119.93), on Quick Books for several Utilities ($2,374.98) and Insur- years but had not had the ance ($1,517). For 2004 the ‘books’ monitored or organized audited through December 31, point at the last ‘planning meet- categories were: Utilities or audited in any manner. 2004. The best of my knowl- ing’ of the BoD on January 22, ($3,179.19), Cost of Good Sold Shortly after the first of the edge says that this is a first for 2005. ($2,590.48) and year we froze the books and this Association. Insurance Unfortunately, as the old say- had an experienced bookkeeper (2,562.19). The This is a very ing goes, you can lead a horse to go through all the years’ infor- leading categories wide view of water but you can’t make him mation and bring the informa- stayed the same; SDERA’s financial drink. tion for 2003 in line and in bal- status. Basically it only the order “...we are put- As I said in the first paragraph, ance so we could start 2004 shows how the changed. ting all our ef- I feel I only succeeded in half of correctly and have good valid value of SDERA is my goal. This among other rea- records. This is a brief summary Total Income forts into spend- deteriorating and sons is why I decided to with- of the ‘year at a glance’ for for 2004 was ing money, and the financial stabil- draw as Treasurer effective the 2004. down $450 from little to no effort ity continues to 2003. Total Ex- end of January 2005. If I cannot Our Balance Sheet bottom into creating the be Sales. pense for 2004 be productive and helpful to line at the end of 2003 was was $6,328 more income we need As Treasurer I SDERA then I should not waste $34,504.38 and at the end of than for 2003. to support have made nu- either of our times. 2004 we are at $30,399.19, merous attempts SDERA at the As Treasurer I have exclaimed which is to say that the bottom The gift shop to make the very strongly over this last year line for SDERA is $4,105.19 less continues to be level it needs to Board of Direc- how we are putting our efforts at the end of 2004 than when the main financial be supported.” tors aware of into spending money, and little the year started. (NOTE: our anchor for what is happening to no effort into creating the bottom line as of 25 January SDERA. In 2003 to the finances, income we need to support 05 is $28,648.64) Gross Profit SDERA showed a sometimes making SDERA at the level it needs to for 2004 was $11,805.26 while 22% profit be- the members be supported. Total 2004 Expenses were tween Sales and quite aggravated $14,716.42.