Emerald Coast Garden Railway Club

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Emerald Coast Garden Railway Club November 2010

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consisting of Keith Fasnacht. They were succeeded in laying four loops of track area.

Pensacola Train Show The annual Pensacola Train Show for 2010 is over. We rolled into the Hadji Temple facilities with a very small crew

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Rapley, Lorene and Bob very busy and down and setting up on the hall stage

We have set up on that stage for several years now. Almost old hat.

Contents Pensacola Train Show President’s Message Train Room - Part 1 Santa Rosa County Fair Red Cap, Swap Meet, Mug Shots 19 June Cookout, Train Room - Part Deux, Weekday Operations Calendar Events, Health & Welfare, Birthdays/Anniversaries Ramp Up, Picnic X Two, Turnout Throws Meeting, Lionel Christmas, Can Genie Gandy Dancers - Orlando Gomez & Angie

3 on the floor and 1 elevated - Ready to roll

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Ed Dice and Bob Cope rolled in after all of the hard work was done, shortly after 5 PM. Great timing or just dumb luck? Anyway, Ed got a train running in 5 minutes. A new wireless train not needing any cumbersome power connecting wires strung across the stage floor. When Ed said he was done, Keith about blew a gasket or rod or cylinder or cool or something-or-other. "Not to worry" Ed set to hooking up the regular train engineer power systems and everything got wired, connected, tested just before the 7 PM hall closing hour for Friday evening.

Miracle Strip HO modular in front of stage We did see a former Club member, Bollenger and his two twin 5 year old sons. They had joined the Miracle Strip Model RR Club (HO scale in Shalimar). It was right by his home there in Shalimar and it was a toss up getting into some sort of model railroading activity. So, once he joined the ECGRC (first available), then he found out about the HO club in Shalimar (closest won out). His two energetic sons were keeping the Shalimar folks active over there on Saturday. Front side - trains rolling along Sat. morn

An especially huge G scale thank you to Lorene Fasnacht pitching in and helping with the layout construction. Without her help, likely there would have been only two loops set up for the Train Show. So, THANKS BIG TIME, Lorene. Due to a lack of available manpower and horsepower and boy-power and so on... We did NOT get the elevated Sky Track moved in, set up and running. Look to see it in the future at a train show near you. Orlando Gomez, Frank Paine, and Ethel & Ed Couturie put in a lot of work making the Sky Track become real. Still, thanks to them for their efforts during the preparation for the Santa Rosa County Fair way last April. So long ago, but seems just like it was yesterday. We did have several Club members come out on Saturday for running their trains. So all 4 tracks were busy, busy, busy with trains all day Saturday and Sunday.

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President's Message From the Club President, Keith Rapley:

"W e need building re-habbers and makers ... the more structures the better... Any volunteers? Thanks to all that helped with the brand new "room".. Rap" Also, from Keith: "...we need to rehab the middle loop and the "penalty box" with split jaws. I would like to do revolutionized - 2a -test afterwards. Take oneNovember 2010engine and

Emerald Coast Garden Railway Club

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run everywhere with it From 1 to Siding #1 around to Siding #2 around to Loop #2 around to Loop #3 around thru the cut off to the Middle Loop around to the Penalty Box around and back out to Loop#1 (Rehabbing switches and split jaws where we need too) Paul had volunteered to switch out buildings, and we need to give him some help.." Rap

Train Room - Part 1 Now, in spite of the summer heat and humidity, we have been running trains at the Jordan Lot Garden Railroad. You remember that heat, don't you? Just about every Saturday there will be several folks there running trains. Lots of train running activity. And plenty of visitors for the RR Museum.

Train Room Windows Overlooking Garden RR

Thanks immensely for the Train Room and its wonderful air conditioner. We have added three fans to help move around the cool air. But please, PLEASE, PLEEEEASSSEEEE, remember to shut the door. Don't let all of the cold air out. Kind of doubt you grew up in a barn.... Of course, those Jordan Lot visitors also mean that the riding train has been busy, too. We have plenty of engineers taking turns at running around the Jordan Lot with a small or large load of kids. And sometimes an adult or two. Busy, busy, busy, busy. So come on out. Try out the different loops and see what your train can handle and not handle. Enjoy the camaraderie. Shoot the breeze, not the eggliners. Have a whole lotta fun-zippity-doo-dah!!!!

But, boy, oh boy, it sure was brutally hot. You would think it was a desert out there or something or other. Heat index up around 110 degrees. Iced tea, please.

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WFRM  addition. It was started with an off-hand comment and quickly brainstormed into actual engineering. Thanks to Orlando Gomez for building the elevated, dual tracked, sky track platform. Ethel Couturie and Frank Paine did the black painting without any paint drops landing out of bounds. It looked great. Ethel and Frank got a nice set of letters applied, too. Now, Andy Sloan was a bit hesitant to have his trolley run up there until the track bumpers were installed.

Santa Rosa County Fair

                         

It was another successful exhibit at the Santa Rosa County Fair 2010. It was held 30 March thru 5 April. The weather was absolutely perfect and greatly appreciated. Remember last year we had lots of heavy rain, plenty of mud, and many weather alerts for high winds, severe thunderstorms and tornados? Remember the constant wailing of the weather radio? Well, more perfect weather could not have been ordered up and delivered. And the public did enjoy it immensely.

This sky track runs for about 25 feet and can be elevated to most any height at the Santa Rosa exhibit building. Expect to see it pop up at other train shows. It is perfect for two back-n-forth tracks.

                 

The planning this year searched for something new,   something bigger, and something better. This was achieved with two additional track running levels added   to the arrangements of prior years. Gave lots more action and train running for the Fair public.   This year also brought forth a neat new and dramatic www.ECGRC.com 

Also reappearing was the BBQ boxcar from the 7-1/2" riding train. It and the display board helped advertise the West Florida Railroad Museum. We had a large display area as in past years. Alongside us were the ABATE Motorcycle Safety folks and in the corner the Harley guys and gals with a few bikes on display. ‐ 4 ‐ 

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  Also, a noteworthy event, as in GREAT BIG DEAL, we got the Spirit Award. It is the top award in   the overall community category. Tried to get this in past years with no luck. So this year was focused on just   running trains and, thus, this Spirit Award was a big surprise. It is a terrific ceramic plaque done up really   nice. Thanks to everyone and their hard word to help us win this award.  

beautiful day. Folks arrived and set up tables inside and outside. And lookers, buyers and sellers mixed it up. Lots of things got sold or bartered.

           

Jack Grill setting up, Paul Weston checking things out

 

While all of the selling and buying was going on, the Jordan Lot had lots of activity, too. The riding train was running almost constantly with lots of kids and a few BIG kids, too. Plus, the Jordan Lot Garden RR was running with lots of activity.

             

Much, much thanks to all of the helpers and builders and operators. Ethel and Ed Couturie helped with setup, RR tablecloth, mountain camo skirt, and 30# concrete whirlygig bases. Orlando Gomez helped with setup and built the Sky Track platform. Paul Weston, Frank Paine, Andy Sloan, Stephanie Carrington and Keith Rapley also helped with setting up and operating/staffing. The donations jug brought in $77 total over the six days of the Fair. Takedown was fast and totally wrapped up early Monday morning. Oh, and Ed Dice was there doing his little bit. Keep The Trains Running.

Also at the RR Museum was an afternoon bluegrass band, thanks to Andy Sloan. Plus, the Club ladies were working up the food and drink with hamburgers and hot dogs, plus some nice baked goods.

Mug Shots Roque's Gallery Mug Shots

Red Cap

 

Ed Dice is compiling a who's-who sheet with pictures and names of the Club members. He was having more than a little trouble remembering faces and names and who was who (or is that whom?).

  Remember those passenger railroad employees carrying traveling folks bags. Well, their uniform caps   were normally red, so they stood out in the crowds, and thus the nickname stuck.

The plan is to post it at the Train Room so we can identify seldom seem Club members. And so the new members can figure out who they were talking to about such and stuff.

  Source: B&O RR Museum, Train Trivia  

Swap Meet

 

If you have a good or preferred picture to use, pass it on to Ed. It can be serious or comical, with or without

This past 9 Oct at the RR Museum brought another swap

  meet. It started early with some folks setting up early, early. The morning started with a nice chill, but it turned quickly to a

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  props like a colorful locomotive or caboose.

Especially need rarely-seen members to provide a good   picture, since not around to get caught at the Jordan Lot. No plans to publish on the web due to legal liabilities   and privacy, so don't worry there  

19 June Cookout

 

Ethel Couturie headed up another cookout at the   monthly Club meeting on 19 June 2010. She had lots of

help from everyone, like Lorene Fasnacht, Bill &   Stephanie Carrington, Frank Paine, Orlando Gomez,

Carolyn Rush, Mary Caraway and many others. It was a

  hot day. The grill guy was well roasted by the end of the

day. And there were deviled eggs but they did not last zip and they were all gone. Thanks very much to   everyone for a terrific cookout and the great food.  

 

Orlando's car haulers

So be warned. You blink an eye, turn around twice, and click your red shoe heels twice and no telling what all else will have been done out there at the Train Room. Things are happening quickly. And trains are getting run, too.

Train Room - Part Deux

  Well, Club Members, things are happening at the Train Room and sometimes happening VERY FAST.   Orlando and Bob Berghage have been busy getting the final sections of the plywood walls up. And painted very   well. Bob Berghage donated gallons of white paint. The RR Museum provided some of its available green paint.   It all is looking great.

Weekday Operations A few folks have asked about any planned weekday  operations. While many of us still have day jobs and that  limits our main activities there to the weekend, usually  Saturdays. So for us'n work‐a‐day folks, no weekday  running for us. 

     

 

But there are some lucky ones who have their weekdays  free and clear. A few names that come to mind are Jim  Campbell, Bob Berghage and Chris Collins (a prospective  member). Those folks need to communicate with each  other and plan out impromptu or planned weekday  operations. The RR Museum folks would be glad to have  the weekday activity to help keep an eye on things.  

 

 

     

  During the weekend of 15-16 May, Orlando and Ed   Dice got the shelving installed, adjusted, chained, and locked down. We have six shelves but expect them to   fill up quickly. www.ECGRC.com 

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Health & Welfare

Calendar Events

  20 Nov ‐ WFRM Board meeting 

Monthly meeting at 9 AM in Dining Car. 

  Club POC: Keith Rapley                                               

  20 Nov ‐ Club meeting  Monthly meeting at Noon in Dining Car.  Conductor: Paul Weston    25 Nov ‐ Thanksgiving  Pumpkin pie, afternoon nap, zzzzzzzzz    30 Nov ‐ Hurricane Season "Ends"  Despite the formal end, they are talking about a wicked  December storm or even a hurricane. Get ready.  Don't forget the peppermint sticks, eggnog and nuts.    4‐5 Dec ‐ St. Anne's Arts & Craft Show  Christmas crafts show on Saufley Field Road.  POC: Ed Dice    11, 18 Dec ‐ Lionel Christmas at the Depot  Lionel Christmas in the Freight House. G, O, & N scale  trains running thru Christmas scenes.  POC: Ed Dice    18 Dec ‐ Club Christmas meeting  Monthly meeting & luncheon at Noon in Dining Car.  Christmas lunch  ‐ POC: Keith Rapley    25 Dec ‐ Christmas  Museum closed on Saturday, 25 Dec.    1 Jan ‐ New Years  Make your annual resolutions. Break out the  champagne and toot a horn to welcome in 2011.    8 Jan ‐ TCA Meet ‐ Shalimar  TCA Meet in Shalimar Elementary School.  POC: Jack Grill    15 Jan ‐ Club meeting  Monthly meeting at Noon in Dining Car. 

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Chris & Susan Wolcott - "We are both doing well. Chris is on his way to our niece's wedding in Leesburg, VA. He got a new live-steam Docksider engine at the train show last weekend." - Susan Stephanie & Bill Carrington report "My hand gets a little better every day. Just not as fast as I hoped for. Steff’s hand is doing quite well. It is healing rather quickly." - Bill "... My first hand is still healing and now my other or 2nd hand is healing. Had it done last week " - Steff Paul Currier reports " My health status is about the same, no improvement at this point. PVC" Lawrence & Janet report "Doing OK - Lawrence"

Everyone keep yourself healthy. Eat your veggies. 

Birthdays ‐ Anniversaries  OK, Folks, below is the known list of Club members’  birthdays and anniversaries that we know about. If you  have not gotten your info into our Secretary, Bob Cope,  please do so. Even if you don’t want to tell specifics, let  Bob C. know so we don’t keep bugging you for it. Bob’s  email is [email protected] so drop him a line.  August 2010  24 - Bob Berghage birthday

October 2010  10 - Kathy Perry birthday 29 - Andy & Beth Sloan anniversary

November 2010  21 - Dennis McDermott birthday 25 - Paul & Marla Currier anniversary 26 - Jim & Carolyn Rush anniversary

PS – If you got missed, our apologies.   Let Ed Dice or Bob Cope know.                                

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Ramp It Up!!!

Andy built an 8-foot table using some quick-assembly brackets. With Orlando's suggestion, Andy went with the wider top arrangement. So we can eat on both sides and still have plenty of room for dishes and dishes of food in the middle. Where are the deviled eggs?

  Sunday, 7 Nov., we had a little bit of infrastructure. It tipped the scales at 800 pounds of concrete. And we thought we   were done with concrete. Nooooooooooo...... Paul Weston, Orlando and Ed dug out that nasty step at the

  gate into the Jordan Lot. The one threatening to trip someone up and was like the Rock of Gibraltar for our loaded carts. On

  Sunday, Orlando, Keith and Ed, mixed up 20 bags of

concrete and filled up the hole and made a very nice ramp.

  Such a little thing and such a big difference.          

Orlando and Campbell table

 

The long 10-foot table was financed by Jim Campbell and built by Orlando. It is 300 pounds of solid picnic table. It has lots of sitting room and it is extra wide for a whole lot of good eats down the middle of the table. Plus, lots of leg room underneath, too.

   

New ramp, big ramp

 

Picnic X Two

Turnout Throws How to throw the mainline turnouts in the G garden railroad has been a perplexing problem for many, many months. Lots of ideas have been kicked around, picked up and kicked around some more. The original Aristo-Craft plastic turnout throws were failing and not standing up to the harsh Milton weather.

 

We have new picnic tables thanks to Andy Sloan, and Jim   Campbell and Orlando. The fresh lumber smell is still strong at the Jordan Lot rest area.

                  www.ECGRC.com 

Table built by Andy Sloan

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Orlando turnout throw

 

Orlando worked up a neat solution using a barrel bolt latch

  along with some springs, threaded rods, nuts & washers, and strips of aluminum.

  There are those new barrel bolt turnout throws on all of the   large #6 mainline turnouts. BUT A WORD OF WARNING, during the off-hours, they need to be set to the neutral   position to protect the springs. So IF you are the FIRST there to run, check each of the turnout throws and set it to the green color so it is set for the mainline. The red color is for   the diverging route. And experience has shown a turnout in the neutral position will derail the loco, for sure. Check first!!

   

November Meeting

The next monthly Club meeting is Saturday, 20 November.   Paul Weston is the meeting conductor.

         

Christmas Train coming round the mountain

We will need engineers to run trains on Saturdays, 11 & 18 December. No Friday running. Time slots are planned to be one hour each, from 10 AM until 3 PM. So, bring your Christmas train to run and have the layout all to yourself for an hour. You will get lots of oohs and aahs. See Ed Dice for the time slots and construction tasks.

Lionel Christmas The RR Museum is starting back up with the Lionel Christmas this upcoming holiday season. While a small start this time, it is sure to be a big hit with the RR Museum visitors. The Freight House will be decorated up on 4 Dec prior to setting up the trains. Get all of that high level decorating done. So if you want to help, let Art and George know. They can sure use lots of help getting the decorations up. (Am fairly certain there is not concrete involved.)

Very Special Announcement

  Then the RR Museum's N scale demo layout that is under

Orlando Gomez and Angie Congleton‐Amentler are now 

construction will be set up on a central table. We will then   circle a loop of O scale and then a loop of G scale on the table tops around the N scale layout. This will give three different scales running around.

officially engaged after a long courtship. No wedding date  has been announced yet. We wish them both much  happiness for a long, long time.

 

The tables will be covered with various covering material like

  the grass rugs, snow cotton material, and other things we can get our hands on. Then once the tracks are down, we will

  populate the neighborhood with various buildings, like Station 54 and similar.

         

Can Genie

The Lionel Christmas of the past was done with the Bay Area Rail Roaders. Originally, an O scale modular layout out of the Mobile area. One of the RR Museum members, Mike Moore, was one of the active and key BARR members. They had a great time setting up and running the O scale trains for the Lionel Christmas events in the past. During the Dothan Train Show of September 2009, they sold that modular layout to a new home. Lock, stock and barrel. Fully expect Mike Moore to show up with a train or two to run around the O scale trackage.

The elusive Can Genie has visited the Club again. There were several bags of soda cans in the Exhibit Rail Car a while back. Now they are all gone. So save up your soda cans and bring them in.

& & & & & & & & & & & & & &  Enjoy the Newsletter – Ed Dice, 850‐293‐3532  [email protected]   

      www.ECGRC.com 

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GANCY DANCERS OF ECGRC  ORLANDO GOMEZ 

What is the most powerful locomotive on earth? The Big Boy that could pull a 3600 ton train? Or, maybe it’s the newest Chinese freight engine with its six axles each able to carry loads of 25 tons? How about the Hudson J1E with its innovative boiler pressure design that increased its tractive effort 3820 pounds in order to pull an extra 15 passenger cars? Members in the ECGRC would answer “none of the above.” That’s because we know the world’s most powerful locomotive is not an engine at all, it’s our very own fired-up Orlando Gomez who’s proven his motive power can move a lot more than trains. Orlando’s interest in trains started at age six when his uncle showed him a slick silver HO gauge passenger train. Sensing her son’s keen attraction Orlando’s mother gave him a starter set, and that was it. Orlando was hooked. He became a serious collector and by age twelve, after saving enough money from his job on his paper route and mowing lawns, he purchased his first locomotive which he still has on display at his home.

Orlando’s love for HO gauge sustained him through the years right up until he purchased a Milton home on three acres. With a place big enough to accommodate his diversified interests, Orlando started building. Now, he has a small city in his back yard housing an amazing array of boy-toy projects. There are racks of classic cars he’s restoring, a dune buggy that he is assembling by adapting a motorcycle engine and bending metal pipes for the cage, he has designed three miniature fiberglass racing boats with engines, there’s a hand-hewn precision10

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built cabinet he constructed to store his tankers in and he built a 12 x 16 waist-high platform to run his G-scale trains. (See pictures at end of article) Some men, after taking their train hobby to the ultimate level of having their own place to display, run and store their trains, would feel they’d accomplished a lifetime goal. Not Orlando. Once he reached the max he became bored with it and decided what he really wanted was to build a 7½ track in his yard. (For those unfamiliar, the train that runs around the G-scale display at the Depot is 7½. This refers to the width of the track.) Orlando’s 7½ plan was promptly ratcheted back after he priced locomotives and found they run between $8,000 to $15,000.00. Re-adjusting his goals to something more affordable he settled on G-scale trains and starting buying metal locomotives along with some cars he liked because of the paint scheme or the look of them. He bought enough $9.00/ft G-scale track and laid it on what he thought was a huge area, but was disappointed at how the G-scale display looked on his 12 x 16 table. He needed something bigger and talked to Mr. Johnson, of Trains by Johnson, about options. Mr. Johnson referred Orlando to ECGRC because he heard they were building a G-scale layout on the Jordon Lot. Music to Orlando’s ears—a building project that would result in a place for him to run his trains—he was on it.

The vivacious Angel Congleton-Amentler and Orlando attended the March 2008 meeting and enthusiastically joined the club. Orlando learned the Museum had earmarked $15,000 for the Jordon Lot Project. 11

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“Wow!” he said, feeling stoked, “Let’s get this baby built.” The steam needed for such an endeavor was powering-up this one man locomotive; he was ready to for the long haul. “What’s the status of the project?” The status was Keith Rapley had designed the 3 pod layout; Bob Fasnacht had started cutting the PVC track bed pieces, and Ed Dice could be counted on to do the electrical. “OK,” Orlando said, “Let’s get the castle stone wall built.” From that day forward Orlando devoted all of his free time to getting the job done because he wanted the layout operational within a year. He was also driven by his commitment to be running trains for the Centennial Celebration of the Depot in October 2009. ‘Devoting all of his free time’ meant Orlando worked daily from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm, and for 12 hours each weekend day. He even spent his annual July vacation, a week off from his work as the rigging shop manager at Fabrro Marine, clearing debris, leveling the ground and digging the perimeter trench that was to become the bedrock of the layout. Trenching, laying stones, custom-cutting and assembling sixteen pallets of castle stone took three months. One day during the foundation-building phase Orlando was curving around the third loop, about to meet up with the straight stretch of track on the north wall, when it was noticed additional sidings were needed. This necessitated a 2 foot section of interlocking castle stone be de-constructed, modified by bumping out the perimeter two feet and re-constructed on the fly. With the perimeter wall built the next steps were to: lay the drainage system, handwheelbarrow in four loads of dirt to begin filling-in the foundation, install power taps for wiring and electrical, erecting the chain link fence around the lot to secure the area, and to continue with custom cutting miles of sch40pvc in preparation to lay, level and stabilized track. Orlando didn’t do all of the work, several faithful members helped too. But, our dedicated Orlando was the catalyst that ignited the enthusiasm needed to “get ‘er done” in time for the Centennial. At the October 2009 celebration the public, who will never know how much effort it took, enjoyed the dynamic display of trains running over 1,143 feet, or 6.29 miles of track at 1:29 scale.

True to form, Orlando finished with another life-time accomplishment, immediately set his sights on the next. He was the visionary who transformed the train shed into the useful ‘air conditioned, windows-for-viewing train storage room.’ Nice, very nice. 12

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The impact Orlando has had on the club has been significant. Thanks to his bore-sighted work ethic we have a show place--a stellar outdoor display where members come every weekend to run trains and the public comes too because it’s a magical place to be. Watching our member’s roll their stock along the miles of tracks they built transports them into their childhood, while at the same time transporting visiting children into dreaming about growing up and running trains. What’s the most powerful locomotive on earth? One that can transport people and their dreams.

Orlando's new #6 turnout throw control made with a plain old barrel bolt.

ALL ABOARD!!!

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