June 2010 National Railway Historical Society Portland, Oregon
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The Trainmaster The Official Publication of the Pacific Northwest Chapter June 2010 National Railway Historical Society Portland, Oregon PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHAPTER TIMETABLE #575 Board of Director’s meetings: June 10 and July 8, Thursdays, 9320 SW Barbur Blvd Suite 200, 7:30 pm (Note address for Board meetings; follow instructions posted on the door for entry.) Lending Library is open two Saturday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 pm: the Saturday following the membership meeting (June 19) and also the following Saturday (June 26). It is also open every Monday morning from 10 am to noon. A wealth of material is available for PNWC member check-out. Archives work parties on Mondays from 10 am until at least noon. Membership Meetings: St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 5415 SE Powell Blvd: June 18 – 7:30 pm – Program: Oregon Operation Lifesaver, Terry Kimzey July 16 – 7:30 PM – Program: Videos: America & the Passenger Train and So You Want a Model Railroad August 20 – 7:30 PM – Program: Oregon Electric Railway, Mark Moore July 28 – August 1 – Excursion: Glacier Park Centennial, www.pnwc-nrhs.org. August 4 – 8 – Excursion: Glacier Park Centennial (#2), www.pnwc-nrhs.org / 503.236.7826 Forward program ideas to Al Baker, 503.645.9079 or [email protected]. NOTABLE NON-CHAPTER EVENTS: April-Sept Logging Train Rides, weekends, Noon-4 pm, Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, Washington, www.camp-6-museum.org May 29-September 26 Chehalis-Centralia Railroad, weekend 2-8-2 steam runs, www.steamtrainride.com May 31-October Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, Thursday = diesel, Friday-Saturday-Sunday = steam, www.mrsr.com June 5-6 & 12-13 Day Out With Thomas, West Coast Railway Museum, Squamish, British Columbia, www.trainmuseum.org June 11-13 Dunsmuir Railroad Days, Dunsmuir, California, www.dunsmuir.com June 19-20 Steam locomotive Oregon in operation, 4-mile roundtrip, Oregon Zoo, www.oregonzoo.org June 19, July 17, August 14, October 2 Train to Trek, Tacoma Freighthouse Square to Northwest Trek, www.nwtrek.org June 22-26 Endless Mountain Rails, NRHS 2010 Convention, Scranton, Pennsylvania, www.endlessmountainrails.com July 4 Fireworks Spectacular, Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Tillamook, Oregon, www.ocsr.net July 9-11 & 16-18 Day Out With Thomas, Northwest Railway Museum, Snoqualmie, Washington,www.wcra.org July 10 Rails to Ales Brewfest, Cascade Rail Foundation, South Cle Elum, Washington, www.railstoalesbrewfest.com July 13-17 Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association Convention, Spokane, Washington, www.nprha.org July 14 SP&S Railway Historical Society Convention, Spokane, Washington, www.spshs.org July 24-25 & July 31-August 1 Great Oregon Steam-Up, Antique Powerland Museum, www.antiquepowerland.com July 28-31 Union Pacific Historical Society convention, Boise, Idaho, www.uphs.org August 14 Great Northern Day in Skykomish, Skykomish Masonic Hall, begins 9:30 a.m., [email protected] August 21-22 70th Annual Snoqualmie Railroad Days, Northwest Railway Museum, www.trainmuseum.org September 4-6 Steam locomotive Oregon in operation, 4-mile roundtrip, Oregon Zoo, www.oregonzoo.org September 8-24 Portland Rose, Pendleton Roundup Centennial Special, UP Steam, www.uprr.com September 11-12 Steamfest & Classic Car Show, West Coast Railway Association, Squamish, British Columbia September 30-October 2 SP Historical & Technical Society Convention, Sacramento, California, www.sphts.org October 16-17 Fall Foliage & Photographers Weekend, Sumpter Valley Railroad, www.svry.com October 19-21 Rail~Volution 2010, Portland, Oregon, www.railvolution.com January 2011 Brooklyn Roundhouse, yard vacated June 9-13, 2011 White Pass Railfan Week, White Pass & Yukon Railroad, Skagway, Alaska, www.extra2200south.com June 20-26, 2011 Cascade Rails 2011, NRHS Convention, Tacoma, Washington January 2012 Brooklyn Roundhouse, vacated and steam locomotives moved June 2010 Pacific Northwest Chapter National Railway Historical Society The Trainmaster Page 1 WILLIAM MILLS THOMASSON Rest In Peace November 13, 1915 – May 10, 2010 PNWC-NRHS Member 1981 – 2010 A memorial service for Bill Thomasson was held May 15 at the University Park United Meth- odist Church in north Portland. Bill spent many years in Alaska and was the founder and primary sparkplug for the Alaska-Yukon Chapter of NRHS that was chartered April 1, 1967. Bill was very proud of the newsletter that he started and published monthly until he retired to Portland. The newsletter title, The Moose Gooser, came from the action regularly required of trains in Alaska. The Chapter dissolved after Bill moved to Portland. Many of the railroad artifacts at the Mu- seum of Alaska Transportation and Industry, now located in Wasilla, were originally organized by Bill and the other members of the Alaska-Yukon Chapter. Bill was also noted for his support of the Antique Powerland Museum in Brooks and regularly par- ticipated in the annual Steam-Up grand parade with his 1912, three-wheeled, gasoline engine-powered Samson tractor, delighting spectators with his “wheelies”. During WWII, Bill served in the Navy as a gunnery instructor. Note: Bill provided special funding for printing an issue of Trainmaster in color. We hope that he approves. PNWC – NRHS MISSION To preserve and interpret Pacific Northwest railroad history and historical artifacts for the education and enjoyment of current and future generations. Page 2 June 2010 Pacific Northwest Chapter National Railway Historical Society The Trainmaster PNW SHORT LINES by Arlen L. Sheldrake On April 17, the Coast Starlight Communities Network released an 18-page report titled “Improv- ing America’s Premier Long-Distance Train” that is worth a read. The report is available from: www. coaststarlight.net. This is a coalition of various interests with the goal of protecting and improving rail service between Washington, Oregon and California. Some interesting interurban history is available from the City of Edgewood, Washington in a 60- page report titled: “A Community History of Edgewood, The Interurban Railway 1902-1928”. The October 2005 report can be found at www.cityofedgewood.org. Click on Community Information, then scroll down to Interurban Trail and click on Interurban Trail Historic Report. Edgewood is a few miles east of Tacoma. Amtrak Systems Operations Transportation Notice 040-10-W: National Train Day – Portland, OR; Consist: Steam Loco DLMX 4449 (formerly SP 4449), Lounge PNWC 600 (formerly SP&S 600), Caboose RPCX 25198* (formerly UP 25198). Schedule: Friday, May 7, Train 963(7) Depart Brooklyn Yard 3:00 PM, Arrive Portland 3:15 PM; Saturday, May 8, Train 964(8) Depart Portland 3:30 PM, Ar- rive Brooklyn Yard 3:45 PM. Notes: This is for a National Train Day equipment display in Portland on Saturday, May 8, 2010. On Friday, May 7, equipment will operate from Brooklyn Yard to the Amtrak Portland Station. Amtrak engineer pilot is required. Equipment will be on display in the PDX Station on Saturday, May 8. At the conclusion of the event, equipment will return to the Brooklyn Yard, an Amtrak engineer pilot is required for an estimated 3:30 PM departure from the Portland Station. From Donna Myers, Manager-Charter Operations, Amtrak. *This caboose is owned by Chris McLarney, founder of PRPA. Added to the consist later was OPR SW1200RS #1202. The Fife Free Press reports that the City of Fife is moving the cosmetically restored Chehalis West- ern #684, a C-415, from CEECO in Tacoma to Dacca Park in Fife, Washington. The City is planning a dedication for October 2 during the annual Harvest Festival. The Snohomish Times reported May 6 that the GNP Railway states that they were too optimistic in their original excursion planning and they now are planning world-wide marketing and operations in 2011. Trainsets are expected sometime between May 2010 and June 2011. The GNP Railway website, www.gnprail.com, states that freight service between Woodinville and Snohomish began in January 2010. Tom Payne is the Chief Operating Officer forGNP Railway. On April 16, KCBY reported that the Port of Coos Bay is nearing agreement with Union Pacific to acquire the line between the North Bend Rail Bridge and Coquille, thus giving the Port ownership of the full 111-mile Coos Bay line. The deal includes the Port relieving Union Pacific of any liability for the Coos Bay Railroad Bridge or any obligation to ever remove the bridge. Other sources report that the Port is hoping to have the line reopened from Eugene to North Spit by the end of winter 2011. Congratulations to Mount Rainier Scenic Railway for receiving the Valerie Sivinski Award for Out- standing Rehabilitation from the Washington State Department of Archeology & Historic Preservation for their restoration of the Rayonier No. 2 Willamette steam locomotive. This award program is in its 20th year and recognizes persons, organizations, and projects that have achieved distinction in the field of historic preservation. This and other awards were presented May 4. On April 30, Central Oregon & Pacific assembled a test train consisting of nine bulkhead flats of ve- neer and seven log cars powered by four recently acquired EMD GP20D locomotives that ran from the Roseburg Mill in Weed, California to Medford, Oregon. The test is intended to determine if the GP20D is more cost-effective than the GP40 on the run over the Siskiyou Line. After a 6-month closure to encapsulate the lead paint and install security cameras, the Union Street Railroad Bridge in Salem reopened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic on May 16. Amtrak Cascades ridership continues to grow from 2009 totals; January was up 26%, February 34%, June 2010 Pacific Northwest Chapter National Railway Historical Society The Trainmaster Page 3 and March 11%. Much of the growth is attributed to the 2010 Olympic Games held in Vancouver, Brit- ish Columbia, Canada. Installation of the new on-board Wi-Fi system will begin in June and will be completed on all Cascades trainsets by the end of October 2010.