February 2015 Issue - Page 1 Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club s Newsletter Since April 1993 Modular- less Lancaster and Northwestern Railroad Club Pictures and Story by Marlan Woodside The Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club (TLRC) train shows have been a showcase for the last couple of years for the modular portion of the Lancaster and Northwestern Railroad Club (L&NRC). We greatly appreciate the time and effort these folks have put into making sure that Garden Scale model trains are a part of our train shows. But did you know that they also have a permanent layout that can be viewed by the public? It is located in Palmdale at the intersection of Ave Q and 25th Street East. If you are an aviation enthusiast, you may want to take Sierra Highway South and turn East on Avenue P and go by Blackbird Park and then take a right turn onto 25th Street East and the Greenbee Nursery is just a couple of blocks down the road. On Saturday s between 11am and 4pm, weather and wind permitting, they typically have a few members operating trains on this nicely detailed layout. They have a website, LNWRR.og where they post their schedules. I stopped in one Saturday while they were operating, but did not have my camera. I went back the next weekend and they had a working session, so no trains were running. But from the pictures you can get a good idea of the complexity of the track work and the attention to detail that they have put into the layout. The TLRC President, Rex Welker, is pulling weeds at left and a CNW diesel is testing track at right.
February 2015 Issue - Page 2 East Kern G Scale Railroaders Story and Pictures by Rick Passalacqua We started out the New Year picking up where we left off. Robby Robinson, Dennis Keck and Rick Passalacqua went to John Bell s place on the 15 th of January. We continued cementing the roadbed for the track and with the forms already in place, set a record with over 70 feet completed. We started in the canyon and worked our way back to the flat area. John provided lunch and we left a little after 2pm. On the 22 nd Robby made it to John s again and they laid a little over 30 feet more of roadbed. The two day total was 105 feet. John is now grading more of the layout so as not to have any grades over 2% (Actually I think he is shooting for a maximum grade of only 1.5%). He is also making new forms, since this greatly speeds things up when we pour the cement. Also a new problem has surfaced, now that we will be doing mostly curved track. The bending of the rebar which is inside all the cement we have laid! USA Dockside 0-6-0 Well I went on a spending spree after the horse sold and wound up with the USA Dockside 0-6-0 with sound, a Bachmann trolley and a Bachmann 2-4-2 with Spectrum quality built. The 2-4-2 was not on my list but it was nearly 50% off during this special sales period. I would highly recommend it to others. It is 1:20 scale, with nice details and runs smoothly. Also I have to Bachmann 2-4-2 find some small radius track for the town trolley line since my old line was just a circle. I m also waiting for a sound system that I ordered from My Loco Sound which is updated with a remote. I also spent a few days cleaning my layout of leaves and twigs and I am about ready to install my new switch motors. Our next get together is at John s, helping with cement work or attaching track sections depending on the weather. That will be Bachmann Trolley on Thursday 1/29 at 10am. We will try to go back to John s every Thursday unless you hear from me or John. C U Rick Interested In An Amtrak Deal Phil Cornyn, an avid Amtrak cross country rider, has passed on the latest Amtrak offer. A 20% discount on the San Joaquin, Pacific Surfliner and associated Thurway bus routes. Tickets must be purchased a minimum of 3 days prior to your travel. Seating is limited and may not be available on all trains at all times. This offer runs 1 Dec 14 to 14 May 15 and is valid for travel between now till to 17 May 15. Book your trip at the Amtrak website: AmtrakCalifornia.com/VIP20. The 20% discount will be automatically applied when purchasing your tickets. Blackout dates are February 13th and 16th and April 2nd thru the 3rd and the 6th.
February 2015 Issue - Page 3 TLRC Business Meeting Stationmaster s Report Dean Smith January 10th, 2015 at Kelcy s Restaurant 1. Superintendent Rex Welker called the meeting to order at 10:01am. 2. Members/Guests: 20 members were present, including 5 board members. There were no guests present. 3. Stationmaster s Report: There was no Stationmaster report for December due to the Christmas Dinner and no business was conducted. Rex Welker put forward an approval for the November Stationmaster report. Doug Pickard made a motion to approve, Ron Snyder seconded. The motion passed with no dissenting votes. 4. Paymaster s Report: Rex Welker and Wilson James noted that at this meeting there were no copies of the November s Paymaster s report as they were in the newsletter distributed at the December Christmas Dinner. Rex Welker requested an approval for the November s Paymaster report. Ron Snyder made a motion to approve, Wilson James seconded. The motion passed with no dissenting votes. Mike Schmitt was not in attendance, but in his place Marlan Woodside informed the membership that there was an error in the December s Paymaster s report with the $330 in Single Dues was actually $40 in Single Dues and $290 in exhibition income from the November show. Marlan Woodside put forward an approval for December s Paymasters report. Wilson James made a motion to approve the revised breakdown of the report. Ann Tuma seconded. The motion passed with no dissenting votes. 5. Committee Reports: A) Hospitality: : Cathy Welker was not in attendance. Rex Welker reported that Maureen Cornyn had a successful cataract surgery and can see half of us! Rex Welker also announced he had just gotten over an allergic reaction to laundry detergent on Christmas Eve. B) Conductor: Chris Howard was not in attendance due to the train show in Anaheim. C) Historian: Rex Welker reported that there was nothing historically significant in the last month in the train world and he was still asking for any submissions from local newsprint outlets. Marlan Woodside noted that the ground breaking for the High Speed Rail project will be taking place soon up near Fresno. Jon Medvigy stated that the first segment will be from Madera to Fresno. Rex Welker stated that he talked to the Union Pacific track workers who were doing tie replacement south of Mojave and noted that they are replacing wooden ties with wooden ties and not using cement ties. Cement ties will be used on curves because of their strength. D) Membership: Rick Passalacqua was not in attendance. Rex Welker mentioned that we have a couple of new members from Glendale who were not at the meeting. He was not sure of their names. Marlan Woodside also noted that at the Christmas Party, Rick Passalacqua did have a listing of the membership which needed to have Tom Perino s name added. ( Stationmaster s Report continued on next page )
February 2015 Issue - Page 4 TLRC Business Meeting Stationmaster s Report (Continued) Dean Smith January 10th, 2015 at Kelcy s Restaurant E) Loop Editor: Rex Welker thanked Marlan Woodside for the excellent job that he is doing. Marlan solicited the membership to submit articles and pictures, as they add variety to the newsletter. Those submissions will be greatly appreciated. F) Facebook Site: Dean Smith reported that in the last month the surge in new likes is still going strong. G) Web Site: Ravi Balasuriya reported that the newly redesigned website is up and running at tlrc.club. He received content from Don Winter with pictures that are currently posted on the Tehachapi tab of the website, he also solicited for the submission of content for the webpage in the form of pictures, articles and such. Marlan Woodside also wanted to confirm that the webpage has fully been transferred from the Schulers. Ravi confirmed that it is fully transferred. H) Promotions: Maureen Cornyn noted that she was contacted in December by a lady who saw our merchandise listed for sale on the website and wanted to buy a couple of t-shirts. It resulted in a $30 sale for the club. However, Maureen noted that when she went on the website, there were all kinds of things listed for sale that the club no longer stocks. She also noted that on one page there were t-shirts listed in different colors, but the black t-shirt was listed at $10 instead of $15 and wanted to know when that happened. Ravi Balasuriya and Marlan Woodside responded that the item listings were migrated over from the old website and that the listings needed to be updated and H) Promotions (Concluded): Maureen Cornyn that new pictures may be needed for the web site to be current with our product offerings. Maureen suggested that we just remove them from the website because we no longer have the mugs. Her suggestion was to just list the pins for sale because we never have enough t-shirts in stock to sell. Maureen also made a request for a replenishment order of more hats, bags, t-shirts and stuff for the next show. Rex Welker agreed that a replenishment order was needed and gave permission to make the purchases. Maureen also noted that there may be an issue with our former supplier, as he no longer has a store front. She will try to contact him and place and order. I) Publicity: Mike Schmitt was not in attendance. Rex Welker reported that there was no need for publicity at this time. J) Ways and Means: Vacant K) Tours: Marlan Woodside apologized for being gone and under the weather; however, there are a couple of things for the upcoming year. First was the possibility of a group to go by car to the Del Mar Train show on February 14th. He noted that there was some interest among the membership in attending. If anyone was interested we might be able to carpool to it as Amtrak does not stop near the show. Dean Smith noted that February 14th is actually the next meeting date, which is the second Saturday of the month. Marlan also noted that the show also goes on the 15th as well and the trip could take place on that day. In addition there is the possibility for Metrolink trips to Los Angeles. ( Stationmaster s Report continued on next page )
February 2015 Issue - Page 5 TLRC Business Meeting Stationmaster s Report (Continued) Dean Smith January 10th, 2015 at Kelcy s Restaurant K) Tours: Marlan Woodside Dean Smith suggested the Los Angeles Fire Museum in Hollywood. It is located near a Metro Subway stop. Dean suggested it due to the model room which houses scratch built fire trucks and fire stations that represent actual Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) units. All were built by some LAFD Historical Society members. Also, it is a historical thing and the group would get to ride the subway for a longer time and distance than just downtown Los Angeles. Marlan suggested that we could stop at Philippe s for lunch. Marlan discussed the possibility for the last couple of weekends for March, of doing a trip via Amtrak s San Joaquin service to Sacramento to visit the California State Train Museum. The train would depart at 7:15am from Bakersfield and arrive in Sacramento around 11:30. The suggestion for overnight hotel is the Delta King. There are various dinner activities within walking distance. Phil Cornyn suggested the Vagabond Inn as another hotel option, with Marlan noting that there are several other hotels in the area. Ann Tuma also was wondering if the hotels offered a senior discount like Amtrak s. Rex Welker said those usually there are usually exist for AARP or AAA members. The return trip will be departing Sacramento around 5:00pm with a 10:00pm arrival in Bakersfield. Dennis Keck suggested visiting a HO layout in downtown, but Wilson James said it no longer exists. Marlan is soliciting any interest and noted that it will be pricey due to the hotel stay. John Bell suggested visiting Rio Linda museum out by Travis AFB. Marlan noted that it is difficult to get a trip like that together due to the different aspects of the logistics. L) Event Coordinator: Rex Welker thanked Wilson James for doing a fine job for the year as event coordinator. Wilson reported that the tentative dates for the 2015 train shows are April 11/12, setup on the 10th, August 8/9, setup on the 7th, and November 14/15, setup on the 13th. The times for the shows will be Saturday 10:00am- 5:00pm and Sunday 10:00am 4:00pm. These dates still have to be confirmed and booked with the Tehachapi Parks and Recreation (TP&R). Wilson, Rex, and Mike Schmitt will all go to confirm and lock in the dates as well as sign contracts. This will take place in the following weeks dependent upon the TP&R s meeting schedule. Rex reported that Maureen had provided details of the income from the last train show. On Saturday, the Promotions table generated $213 and bake sales were $157 with $26 in donations for a total of $396. For Sunday, the Promotions table was $104 and bake sales was $128 with $30 in donations for a total of $262. The weekend total was $658, which is the most the club has ever brought in from one weekend. Dennis Keck asked if that included the raffle, Rex said it did and that Ron Snyder was the winner of the raffle, whom reported he is getting it cleaned up. Ann Tuma noted that the donations where from stuff people donated to the club and that were sold. Maureen inquired if there was anything for raffle at the next show. Rex said possibly a puzzle or something different. Dennis Keck suggested that club members donate G scale or HO scale stuff that no one is using and put it up for raffle and the club ( Stationmaster s Report continued on next page)
February 2015 Issue - Page 6 TLRC Business Meeting Stationmaster s Report (Concluded) Dean Smith January 10th, 2015 at Kelcy s Restaurant L) Event Coordinator: Wilson James would make more money off the raffle as opposed to selling individual items. 6. Scale Chair Reports: A) N Chris Howard was not in attendance due to the train show in Anaheim. B) HO Wilson James and Phil Cornyn have kicked around doing a DCC workshop to help TLRC members that may need a refresher course before a train show. As far as work sessions, more can be talked about at the February meeting. However, Wilson may not be in attendance at the February meeting due to O Scale West convention in Santa Clara, but members can email or text him about work sessions. Something can possibly be setup in March before the show in April. Rex Welker reported that he has 4 modules he is building that need track laid. Rex said two modules will be going into the yard and the others will offset the two in the yard on the other side, possibly replacing the 8 foot module. Dean Smith reported that he still has the club owned spools of wire. Marlan Woodside asked about skirting for the added modules. Should the club be expected to provide the skirting or the individual? Rex stated that the modules he is building are for the club. Marlan stated he would need to know how many skirts are needed to cover the HO layout at the next show. C) Toy Trains Doug Pickard had nothing to report due to no show for a couple of months. D) O Vacant. 6. Scale Chair Reports: (Concluded) E) G Scale Rex Welker said the G scale will be having a work session this Thursday at 10:00am at John Bell s. If weather does not permit outside work, work can be done on the inside. John confirmed there is stuff to get done. Dennis Keck asked if the Lancaster and Northwestern (L&N) will be at the next train show; Rex will ask at the next L&N meeting. L&N is only supporting the June Thunder on the Lot event. Other venues are either no longer in existence or can t accommodate the L&N train layout. 7) Old Business: A) There was no old business to report. 8) New Business: A) John Bell: John noted that the train room was accidently left unlocked at his house. Nothing was missing. The key holders will perform more due diligence in the locking of the door in the future. B) Marlan Woodside: Marlan suggested we have a door greeter at the next show to provide a club brochure and show floor plan. Wilson James agreed to be the greeter. Maureen Cornyn asked for more brochures. Marlan will bring a brochure to the next meeting so members can review it and provide him feedback. He will update the flyer and have it ready for the next show. 9. Upcoming Events: A) February 14 th Monthly Meeting 10:00 am at Kelcy s Restaurant. 10. Superintendent: Rex Welker made a motion for adjournment. Doug Pickard motioned and Dennis Keck seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 10:45am.
From the desk of the Paymaster Mike Schmitt, the following reports are provided for your review February 2015 Issue - Page 7 TLRC FINANCIAL REPORTS Balance Sheet - As of 1/28/2015 (Includes unrealized gains) You are reading a special edition of the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club newsletter. (You didn t want to read our financials anyway, did you?) We hope you enjoy reading about our activities and hope your interest in our club has been ignited such that you might consider joining in the fun with us! We are a non-profit organization that fosters the interests of our members in the hobby of railroading and modeling of railroads as well as seeking out railroad adventures to further our understanding and love of trains. We put on an occasional show or two as well over at West Park in Tehachapi and meet the second Saturday of each month at Kelcy s Restaurant (across the street from the Depot) in Tehachapi. Stop on by we d love to have you join us. To learn more, visit our website, send us an email or contact one of our board members or any member of the club! All this information is displayed on page 8 of this newsletter.
Activities: TLRC OFFICERS Superintendent Rex Welker 661-256-2147 Dispatcher Mario Terrazas 661-816-6314 Stationmaster Dean Smith 805-760-1035 Paymaster Mike Schmitt 661-821-5271 1st. Inspector Wilson James 661-823-1665 2nd. Inspector Marlan Woodside 760-373-4765 ADMINISTRATORS/CHAIRPERSONS Hospitality Cathy Welker Conductor Chris Howard Historian Rex Welker Membership Rick Passalacqua Loop Editor Marlan Woodside Scale Chairs: N Chris Howard HO Wilson James Toy Trains Doug Pickard O Vacant G John Bell Facebook and Web Site Conductor Dean Smith and Ravi Balasuriya Promotions Maureen Cornyn Publicity Mike Schmitt Ways & Means Vacant Tours Marlan Woodside Event Coordinator Wilson James TLRC Email Address: tlrc_club@hotmail.com Facebook Address: Search for Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Website Address: tlrc.club February 2015 Issue - Page 8 Loop Editor s Corner Hope everyone s keeping their New Year s resolutions! Also, hope you have had an opportunity to check out the TLRC website. Ravi Balasuriya has done a great job getting everything transferred over to the tlrc.club location and is asking for feedback. Don Winter has provided an excellent travel log that is under the Tehachapi tab on the website. I truly believe this content may be why we have had such a spike in the likes on the website. Great job Don!. We are lining up a few more trips using Metrolink and Metro this year. The first one is on the 28th of February and is SOLD OUT! An Amtrak overnight weekend trip is still in the works for the end of March, it of course will cost quite a bit more, roughly around $300, so hope you folks can save up for that trip which will focus on the California State Railroad Museum and old Sacramento. I am working on Dean Smith s suggestion as well and will keep everyone posted of the progress! Happy Training!!! Marlan Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Monthly Newsletter of the Tehachapi Loop Railroad Club Post Office Box 876 Tehachapi, CA 93581 Table of Contents Lancaster & NW RR Club...Page 01 Kern G Scale Railroaders...Page 02 Stationmaster Report...Page 03 Stationmaster Report...Page 04 Stationmaster Report...Page 05 Stationmaster Report...Page 06 Paymaster Report...Page 07 Officers & Contacts...Page 08 Next Meeting Date: 14 February 2015 @ 10am Location: Kelcy s Restaurant 110 West Tehachapi Boulevard