The Preserving 'The Feather River Route1l1 ... news from The Feather River Rail Societl/ and The Portola Railroad Museum Issue No. 83 January/February 1997 WP 37 Celebrates its 60th Anniversary This Year Built by 'Industrial Brownhoist Corp. in 1937, this 200 ton steam powered "Big Hook" was stationed in Oroville until returned in 1990. The derrick was converted to diesel-hydraulic by Holt Bros. in Stockton in 1972. Union 'Pacific donated it to our museum in late 1990, arriving january 29, 1991 . The photo was taken at Oroville on September 13, 19Lf5, by Norman Holmes. It shows the 37 lifting a complete 16 cylinder diesel engine from W'P FT No. 902. Much of the early diesel maintenance was done at the Oroville roundhouse. Interestingly the rear headlight of 37 has a black out shield - reqUired on locomotives during WW II. Inside this Issue: • WPRRHS Convention. • News of 1997 operating crew training. • Request for people to run for board of directors. The Feather River Rail Society FRRS Membership ********************** Associate-------- $15 The Portola Railroad Museum Histortcal--------$22 Active------------ $30 Preserving the Memory of Family----------- $35 ff~g-~~~' Sustaining------ $75 P.O. Box 608 Life--------------$300 Portola. California 96122 Family Life-----$450 (916) 832-4131 The museum is open daily year round from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM except These are the dues for one year for ASSOCIATE. ACTIVE. Christmas Day. Entrance to the museum is free. however. we have a FAMILY and SUSTAINING. LIFE and FAMILY LIFE suggested donation of $2.00. memberships are a one-time payment. HISTORICAL The Feather River Rail Society. a tax exempt public benefit California corporation. membership dues shown above are for 4 issues of the is the historical society for the Western Pacific Railroad and operator of the Portola Headlight. Railroad Museum in Portola. California. The FRRS is not associated with the Union Pacific Railroad. ASSOCIATE memberships do NOT have a vote. do NOT receive the Headlight. receive only the Train FRRS Tax ID number is 68-0002774 Sheet. and are for one person ·only. Member of Tourist Railway Association INc. HISTORICAL memberships receive only the Headlight. do NOT have voting rights. do NOT receive the The Western Pacific Railroad Historical Society Train Sheet. ana are for one person only. (WPRRHS) is a division of The Feather River Rail Society. ACTIVE memberships receive both the Train Sheet and the Headlight. have voting rights. and are for one The Train Sheet is the newsletter of the FRRS. person only. The Headlight is the Western Pacific RR historical and FAMILY memberships receive both the Train Sheet and the Headlight and may include all members of one's modelling publication of the WPRRHS. immediate family. but there is only one vote. FRRS Board of Directors SUSTAINING memberships receive both the Train Sheet Norman Holmes; Founder and Museum Executive Director and the Headlight. and are for a maximum of (916) 832-4737; [email protected] two people and two votes. Steve Habeck; President LIFE memberships receive both the Train Sheet and the (916) 283-3396 '. 102054.637 @com~userve .com ·, FAX (916) 283-5810 Headlight. have voting rights. and are for one erson for life. Vic Neves; 1st Vice Pres.--- (510) 352-437 ; [email protected] Clyde Lippincott; 2nd Vice Pres.---------------------------------- (702) 882-4529 ~ mem rs 'ps receive 0 e ain eet Gordon Wollesen; Treasurer--------------------------------------- (916) 832-5311 and the Headlight. and are for a maximum of Wayne Monger; Secretary--- (707) 426-5510; 73563. [email protected] I-____tw_o...;;.p_e_op;...l_e_an_d_tw_o_v_o_te_s_f;_o_r _lu._e_.-------t! Doug Morgan-------------------------------------------------------- (916) 893-1862 The Internet Bruce Cooper------------------------------- (916) 832-1002; [email protected] Hank Stiles------------------ (916) 363-8572; 103344.250 [email protected] FRRS web page: http://members.aol.com/cyborgsam/frrs Sue Cooper-----------------------------------(916) 832-1002; [email protected] WP web page: http://www.jps.net/fbrehm/index.htm WPRRHS Administrator Headlight Editor Train Sheet Chief Mechanical Officer Restoration Specialist John S . Walker Bill Shippen Ed Warren W.H. (Hank) Stiles David Dewey c/o WPRRHS P.O. Box 7261 110 Date Palm DIive (916) 363-8572 (916) 534-3676 P. O. Box 608 Chico, California 95927 Sparks. Nevada 89436 103344.2501@ djdewey@ Portola. California 96122 (916) 892-9609 (702) 425-3610 compuserve.com ecst.csuchtco.edu (916) 671-9584 [email protected] [email protected] 6362. [email protected] FAX (916) 894-7359 A vaila'ble Back Issues of the Headlight Issue 2 Joint issue with the Freight Car Journal; WP freight car roster; color. 28 pages, $5.00. Issue 5 The Reno branch; M-K remanufactured GP35s and GP40s; the Charles O. Sweetwood car; mill gons. 48 pages. $4.00. Issue 6 M-K remanufactured GP40s. part 2; Budd RDCs; cupola cabooses; 1970 freight car roster. 52 pages. $4.00. Issue 7 Western PaCific FT 50th anniversary Issue; color cover. 48 pages. $5.00. Issue 8 Working the Sperry Rail Detector Car on WP; GP 35's; modeling WP ex-MILW boxcars. 36 pages. $4.00. Issue 9 WP History; Merger 10th Anniversary; Complete Western PaCific steam and diesel locomotive roster; color on cover and interior. 90 pages, $12.95. Issue 10 War time, Beer cars, Shafter, GP-35's. 36 pp. $6.00. Issue 11 Train dispatching on the WP, Fifty foot single sheathed automobile box cars. WP employee magazines. 36 pages,. $6.00. Issue 12 Burlington Northern Pool Power on the WP in the 1970·s. part two of "Taming the Canyon,M modeling a WP "Recreational Vehicle CarrierMautorack. 36 pages. $6.00. Headlight issue #12 is the most current issue as of February 25, 1997. Back issues of the Train Sheet are available for $1.00 each postpaid. Send all orders to: FRRS Gift Shop at P.O. Box 608. Portola. CA 96122. Page 2 January/February 1997 The Train Sheet Issue No. 83 The FRRS Needs You (And Annual Meeting Date Change) Once again. it's time (already) to start thinking about coming to the forefront in shaping the future of your Society. As I'm writing this. it has been over six weeks since the We are now soliCiting volunteers to step forward and run for devastating floods of New Year's week in northern and cen­ election to the FRRS Board of Directors. tral California. and western Nevada. This area is home to the vast majority of the FRRS membership. and we have heard This year. the Board seats currently held by Bruce many stories from many of our friends and members who Cooper. Sue Cooper. Clyde Lippincott, and Wayne Monger have been impacted by these floods in some way. We sympa­ are up for election. Per the terms of the Bylaws change thize with those who have suffered losses; we also realize passed by the Membership in 1996, the candidates receiving that we were lucky. The Museum grounds. separated from the three highest vote counts in the upcoming election will the river by the UP yard. were spared the flooding that prop­ be elected to three-year terms. to expire in 2000, and the erties along the river in Portola endured. During the height fourth-place candidate will be elected to a one-year term. to of the storm. all highways to/from Quincy were severed. iso­ expire in 1998. The election results will be tabulated at the lating that area for three days. Portola was also tough to get FRRS Annual Meeting and Dinner, which will now be held at to for a time. with the Two Rivers slide to the west. minor the Museum on Saturday. June 14. 1997. Note that this slides on highway 89 toward Truckee. and flooding in the date is changed from what was put out on the FRRS Calen­ Sierra Valley to the east. dar of Events that was sent out with the last Train Sheet. This change was necessary due to the FRRS involvement in But. through determined efforts by CalTrans and their a "Dunsmuir Daylight" Amtrak excursion (Sacramento-Dun­ contractors. most of the roads are now open. Even the Can­ smuir-Black Butte and return) being planned for Saturday. yon may be open to controlled traffic around the clock by June 21. 1997. in conjunction with Dunsmuir'S summer­ April. and if you haven't seen the extent of the damage in the time event. (For more on this excursion. see Norm's article Canyon. you would be amazed that it's even open at all. The elsewhere in this issue.) UP is expected to be running trains again in the Canyon by the time you read this; even the railroad's shutdown lasted The Society really needs people who are concerned over two months. compared to a two-week shutdown after about the future of the FRRS and the Portola Railroad Mu­ the flood in 1986. seum to consider running for a Board seat. There are no special qualifications required to serve on the Board; the The Museum is slowly being awakened from the slum­ ONLY requirement is that you be an FRRS Member in good ber of the off-season. Several projects are already in standing. at the Active membership level or above (only As­ progress. as weather and manpower allow, and preparations sociate and Historical members are NOT eligible). Of course. are starting for the upcoming season. Plan on coming up It is desirable that you are able to attend most of the month­ and seeing what's going on; the remaining evidence of the ly Board of Directors meetings. normally held on the third floods will still be impressive. and we might even have some Sunday of each month, in or near Portola.