THE RAILHEAD

Important Dates
Layout Hours and Address
Just a reminder
Union Pacific! Wow!
Hi, InterMountain
Rails in the Rockies II
Ask not
Let's get crackin
Gear up for October Open House
We're gonna have a swap meet
Warning, MicroTrains packs
Classic Trains magazine starts
For SP, a Modoc comeback
Famous SP/D& RGW quote
How we began, part Tres

Pikes Peak 'N' Gineers Model Railroad Club is celebrating its tenth birthday at Giuseppe's Restaurant on Saturday night, October 16, starting at 6:30 P.M. with cocktails at a cash bar. Dinner will be served at 7:00 P.M.

Dinner choices include

1. Chef Darden's Lasagna, made with spicy Italian Sausage & Ground Beef

2. The Depot's Spinach Lasagna, a great vegetarian choice

3. Giant Boxcar Beef Ribs, served with Baked Potato

4. Pan Fried Rainbow Trout, served with Baked Potato

5. Breast of Chicken Cordon Bleu, served with rice.

All of these dinners are served with garden salad with Italian dressing, garlic bread, coffee, tea, pink lemonade or soft drink, and really good company.

There will be a bar for those who wish to purchase adult beverages.

The cost is $13.50 per person for members and guests. Reservations may be made by paying the $13.50 cost to Ron Theisman at Train Showcase, on or before Thursday, October 14.

We are really pleased and privileged to have Rosa and Lindsey Ashby, the owners and operators of the Georgetown Loop Railroad, come back to visit with us. Those who attended last year's party will easily remember their wonderful presentation on the Acquisition of Georgetown Loop Railroad Equipment. We have asked them to address their operation of the Royal Gorge Route which started operations this year down in Canon City. Since that train is really something, their talk should be special.

So, mark your calendar for October 16. Don't delay. Get your reservations in, and plan on a good evening of fun!

This is just a reminder to all members that THE RAILHEAD presents the minutes of club meetings in an edited form for confidentiality and space considerations.

Please see our Stationmaster for an official and complete copy of the minutes of any meeting.

Webmaster's Note:  Meeting minutes will not be published on the website.
PPNG members may obtain minutes from the Stationmaster.

September was a great month! Why? Because our club was busy with great activities.

The first and most spectacular was our September 11 visit to the Union Pacific Railroad Steam Program Shops in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

All 27 club members, family and friends had a wonderful opportunity to learn about real railroads and have fun at the same time.

According to plan, most of our group met in Monument, decided who was riding with whom, and headed north. We took the Lincolnway exit off I-25 and met in the parking lot of an A-frame bar called Eagle's Nest on Ames Ave. much earlier than planned, primarily because the trip through Denver was quicker and smoother than expected. We later learned that had we left later, we would have been caught in Denver's traffic snarl.

Our tour started about 10:30 AM. Lynn and Mary Nystrom, Union Pacific employees, met us and served as our tour guides. They answered all manner of questions and allowed us to crawl into the cabs of UP's Challenger #3985, the world's largest operating steam locomotive, UP's Northern #844, and UP's Centennial diesel-electric #6936. We got to view the shops in two buildings and see the tools used to make parts and repair others. Some of those wrenches were huge!

We got to walk through power car 207, a boiler car, a maintenance-tool car and other rolling equipment that accompanies the steam engines on trips.

The only working standard gauge rotary snow plow in this part of the country was there, too. The view from the cab of this unique vehicle, seventeen feet up from the rails, was something! One of our tour guides, Lynn Nystrom, was one of the crewmen on this unit and we pestered him with questions.

Our tour ended with our party visiting the souvenir shop which was located in the Sherman Hill, the concession car. Some spent some serious money.

Afterwards, and after just about everyone had left, Rick, Tom Swanson, Kirt and Charley walked around Building P taking pictures of everything there. There was an exquisite Missouri Pacific transfer caboose sitting there that would have made our first superintendent, Chris Mueller, just drool with desire. This foursome was the last to leave at 1:10PM.

Besides Union Pacific, just who do we have to thank for this splendid event? Rick Shumpert, that's who.

He came up with the idea. He suggested the idea. He planned it. He handled all of the communications and the paperwork and finished up his responsibilities by sending a very nice thank-you letter to Union Pacific.

Thanks, Rick, for making a truly great event happen.

It was embarrassing. Only five PPNG members gathered in Longmont for the club's third visit to InterMountain Railway Company on September 25.

InterMountain's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Robert Bickley, spent his personal time Saturday morning meeting our party and graciously providing us with a nice tour. We viewed InterMountain's new HO scale F unit that was introduced to the hobby this past summer. The detail on this model is the very best I have seen on any non-customized model, brass or plastic. And I had it in my hands! If only it were available in N scale. Will it be someday? Maybe.

We were asked to participate in a poll. What would new N scale engine would we like to see? We voted for an EMD FT and learned that InterMountain had been getting the same answer from others throughout the hobby. Our fingers are now crossed.

We saw the new company manufacturing facilities which just about doubled its physical plant and got to take a close look at products, including ones made partially of wood.

Even though this reporter has participated in the previous two club visits to InterMountain, I found that this visit was just as worthwhile as the previous ones. Those PPNG members who have not been on this tour missed a great learning opportunity and a great time.

Because Pikes Peak "N" Gineers had been invited to participate in Rail in the Rockies II this train show earlier this year and because our club was not knowledgeable about this two-day event, a number of club members drove over to Estes Park on Saturday September 25 to explore.

We found more layouts on display than vendors. There were at least 8 different layouts operating HO, O, and N scale trains. All but one were larger than our traveling layout.

I don't think there were 8 vendors. Most did not have N scale items.

This Estes Park two-day train show is a long way from Colorado Springs. Therefore, an overnight stay in Estes Park, and added personal expense, would be necessary to make PPNG participation really feasible.

Is this something we would want to do next year?

It is October and time for each of us to start thinking about ourselves and Pikes Peak "N" Gineers. Next month, we will be looking for nominations for the club officer and board of directors positions . There will definitely be at least one open officer position and perhaps more.

It is time to paraphrase President John F. Kennedy and say, 'Ask not what the club the club can do for you but, ask what you can do for the club.'

Quite a few members have answered this call in the past and have sacrificed and served to maintain and keep PPNG an excellent, active group so that all can have fun and grow in experience and in knowledge.

If you haven't served in a leadership capacity ever, or for awhile, please think about volunteering some extra time this coming year by running for office.

The process of having new people lead the club keeps us strong.

Remember, you can't get a lot from the club, or any other organization, unless you invest time and effort in it. That's a simple fact of life. We don't have fun by accident.

Our club is in an ambitious schedule. Activity equals excitement. If you have been following the running accounts of PPNG's early days, you know that the club had a very active clinic schedule. As time passed, open houses and field trips were added to the list of activities.

In more recent times, we have been less active, going months at a time without a clinic, a trip, or an open house. Perhaps that is a bad habit; a result of having been in storage for so long in the Junior Achievement Building.

Activity on our main layout has been dormant since late Spring. By the time you get this newsletter, our first open house of the fall/Winter is mere hours away. We are model railroaders. Let's start modeling again! If you aren't a module owner, the club's passenger yard/roundhouse areas need some real attention. There's stuff to do. Let's get crackin'.

All hands are needed, all day!

When? Saturday, October 9 and, to a lesser extent, Sunday, October 10.

Why? We've voted to operate two layouts at the same time during our Open House. Larry will be dispatcher at the club and needs a minimum of at least three other members present at all times to

- greet visitors and collect donations

- run trains on the red line,

- run trains on the blue line,

- run trains on the yellow line and

- run trains on the green line.

Joe will be dispatcher for the Traveling Layout which will be at the Slim Rails Swap Meet at Doherty High School, about a mile and a half from PPNG. He needs

- at least three other members to set up the layout (probably on Friday night, October 8,check with Joe),

- at least one other member at all times to run the layout from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM on Saturday, and

- at least 3 other members to tear down the traveling layout and bring it back to the club.

So, please help support the club. We need the exposure and the money!

The club voted to hold an informal swap meet at the November business meeting. Here's your chance to clean out all of those old books, cars, trucks, couplers, engines, buildings, trees, weeds, etc. and foist them on your fellow club members.

As the old cliché says, one man's junk is another man's treasure. Turn your junk into money or something you can really use in your model railroading.

Here's your chance to clean up! Don't blow it!

Over the last few weeks, I have had occasion to open three packs of MicroTrains products. They were all different. In each, parts were either missing completely, were too few, or were too many.

Since MicroTrains quality control seems to have slipped, look before you buy and save yourself an unnecessary trip back to the store.

The colorful era of giant steam locomotives, early diesels, and shiny passenger trains will come to life in the new quarterly magazine 'Classic Trains,' Kalmbach Publishing Co. announced September 8.

Inspired by the success of the annual 'Trains Classic 1999,' 'Classic Trains' will be devoted to railroad history extending from about 1930 to 1970. Emphasis will be on the post-World War II era, the 'golden years of railroading,' when diesels and steam locomotives worked side-by-side, and nearly every town had an active railroad facility.

'Classic Trains' will be a showcase for compelling feature stories and great color and black-and-white photography. Articles will cover aspects of railroading such as operations, locomotives, and passenger trains; personal recollections from railfans and railroaders; and photo essays featuring specific topics or individual photographers.

'We're tremendously excited about the opportunity to give fans of steam and early diesel trains a well researched and well written magazine that directly fills their needs,' said Jim Slocum, publisher of 'Trains.' 'We know from the success of the annual 'Trains Classic' earlier this year that readers are hungry for a quality publication on this subject. We will use our trove of evocative photographs and our access to wonderful railroad writers to take readers on an exciting journey each issue.'

'Classic Trains' will be published four times per year, with the first issue out in early February 2000. It will be available at hobby shops, bookstores, and newsstands for $5.95 per copy. One-year subscriptions, available through Kalmbach Publishing Co., are $19.95. To order, call (800) 533-6644.

Kalmbach publications include 10 consumer magazines, one trade magazine, and more than 200 books on topics such as railroads, model railroads, plastic models, doll house miniatures, beading, birding, and astronomy. The company's railroad and model railroad magazines are 'Trains,' 'Model Railroader,' 'Classic Toy Trains,' and 'Garden Railways.' The company has about 270 employees in its Waukesha corporate office.

As scheduled, Rio Grande Industries completed its purchase of Southern Pacific October 13, 1988, for $1.02 billion, and as part of its new system service,known as Southern Pacific Lines, SP has reopened the Modoc Line between Alturas, Calif., and Flanigan, Nev., after closure as a through route for about a year. This shortcut, which employs trackage rights over UP (Western Pacific), from Flanigan to Winnemucca, Nev., is 258 miles shorter than Winnemucca-Roseville (Calif.)-Klamath Falls, Ore. New daily freights between Eugene, Ore., and St. Louis are in operation; UTU agreed to reduced crews on the Modoc.... SP is ordering 50 new diesels for 1989 (30 GM GP60's and 20 GE B40-8's), 80 new double-stack container cars, and 150 new center-beam flat cars....Separately, SP has sold its 134-mile Globe (Ariz.) branch....to the Arizona Eastern.

'If you feel like I do, then you're tired of being pushed around by the competition, and you're tired of seeing missed opportunities. It's time to start pushing back and feeling the pride that comes with being a continuation of a proud history, as well as a part of something new and exciting.', Southern Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande Chairman Philip F. Anschultz, in a 'pep talk' letter of October 13, 1988, welcoming employees to the combined railroads.

3645 Jeannine Drive, Suite 108

Tuesday: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Fridays: 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Saturday: 1:00 - 4:00 PM

At the beginning of 1992, Pikes Peak "N" Gineers was optimistic about the future. It had money in the bank and all was well with the world. A look back just 12 months later showed a very busy event-filled year, including an unexpected new home.

Early in 1992, the club voted to participate in the Home and Garden show at Pioneer Plaza and in the February 8 and 9 train show at Rustic Hills Mall.

The April club newsletter reported that Scott Oakley had volunteered to rewire most of the club's permanent layout. 'This has lead to a cleaner operation electrically as well as a commonalty of wiring underneath most modules. He has done this on his own time and own expense. From an electrical standpoint, our layout has never operated more smoothly and reliable.' Scott's work was about 2/3rds finished.

The newsletter also revealed, '...we are incorporating more passing sidings. This lends itself to much more realistic and typical operations. As we have more traffic on our layout, the slower moving freight trains can pull over to let the faster moving passenger trains fly by! This is exactly how you would see it in the real world.'

This activity lead to starting operation nights. 'These nights, usually Friday nights, are set up to simulate real operation situations. They have been very well received as it has added a whole new dimension to our club functions.'

April also marked a sad time. David Bol, PPNG's first Stationmaster (Secretary) and club newsletter writer and editor, was forced by his job and a move to a new home to resign his club duties. He was one of the club's early heroes and a reason the club succeeded. His farewell message gives a good glimpse into the club's culture at that time.

Tom Levy became the first club member to replace any of the original club officers when he was elected Stationmaster at the May 15 business meeting. Tom was the person responsible for naming the previously unnamed club newsletter to 'The Railhead.' He also changed the format to one with three columns and published his first issue in May, 1992.

Club activity continued. The club extended itself by participating in the Optimist Club Show in Denver. This show was three weekends long, extending from the last weekend in April and the first two weekends in May. This was a very successful show for PPNG. We had the only layout that had full scenery. Not bad for a club with 37 memberships.

The 1992 Spring Spree celebration was on June 27 and 28. The club had over 300 visitors, making it one of the largest open houses the club had had so far. It was this event that introduced the club's use of acrylic panels which 'were installed on the front facing modules to give a badly needed measure of protection for trains and scenic items. According to members who manned the show, the panels functioned as intended, providing module protection against the curious fingers of younger visitors.'

Editor: Charles J. Bay

THE RAILHEAD is published monthly by the Pikes Peak 'N' Gineers Model Railroad Club, P.O. Box 594, Monument, CO 80132; Telephone 719-488-9318. Subscription is covered through membership in Pikes Peak 'N' Gineers, a nonprofit corporation. ©1999. All rights reserved. We assume letters, questions, news releases, and club items are contributed gratis.

Club's joint picnic was Sunday, July 26. Over 75 Denver N scale and PPNG model railroaders ate 180 hamburgers, 32 hotdogs, and lots of other food.

PPNG hauled its traveling layout to the Narrow Gauge Convention, held September 16-19.

On November 6, 7, and 8, 1992, Pikes Peak "N" Gineers participated in the Colorado Springs Model Railroad Council Extravaganza along with three other model railroad clubs. The Railhead reported, 'Train operators reported the club was filled with visitors on all three days of the show. There seemed to be many more visitors for this show than there were even for the Spring Spree weekend show.'

Something unexpected occurred during the club's third anniversary party, which Ann Foster arranged at the American Hall in the Rustic Hills South Shopping center in October. Steve Krauss, a professional model railroader and friend of Gary Coleman, who starred as Arnold on the 1970's television situation comedy show, Diff'rent Strokes, announced that Mr. Coleman planned to donate his personal N scale layout to Pikes Peak "N" Gineers. The layout was reportedly valued at $115,000.

The club took possession of actor Gary Coleman's home layout on November 12. Two Denver television stations covered the layout dismantling which took 2 1/2 hours. Television and newspapers called the layout a 'train set' valued at about $150,000. The Colorado Springs Pepsi-Cola bottling company helped the club by donating a driver and a truck to transport the layout to storage at Shops at the Bluffs Shopping center. It would be many months before this layout would be up and running.

With the Coleman layout in storage less than 24 hours, the club participated in the Salvation Army's Annual Doll show on November 13 and 14 with its traveling layout which proved to be a real attention-getter.

The club then had its own open house November 27, 28 and 29.

On Wednesday, December 2, 1992, the club was given notice by the Plaza of the Rockies that it must move out. An special business meeting was called by President Chris Mueller to take place December 8.

At this time, Scott Oakley was elected President (Superintendent) by a landslide, replacing Chris Mueller, who could not run due to constitutional term limits.

Adding to this hectic period, the club had two more 3-day open houses: December 4, 5, & 6 and December 11, 12, & 13. During the second open house, the club entertained more than 350 visitors.

Five days later, on December 18, Pikes Peak "N" Gineers left the Plaza of the Rockies forever. Under the very able direction of Vice President Mike Peck, the move was accomplished smoothly, taking 6 1/2 hours and three semi-truck loads.

Much work had to done before the club could function once again. The new rooms were painted prior to the move. But, new wiring and additional fluorescent lighting fixtures had to be installed. The main breaker box had to be rewired to activate dead wall sockets. Being chief electrician, Scott Oakley was the chief workman on these projects.

A wall had to be removed. A number of filler modules had to be created to make the new permanent layout functional. Kirt Bailey, then chairman of the new pike design committee, was in charge of this project.

With all the recent frantic activity, 1992 ended and 1993 began with the hope that the club layout would be assembled and functioning by mid-March, 1993. As Tom Levy reported,

[Continued next month]