Last updated - 03/09/2010
Amador Foothill Railroad & the S T & E Railroad
March 20 & 21
Last run on the Amador Foothill Railroad |
| Recreational Railroad Coalition has lost access to the Amador Foothill Railroad effective 3/25/10. The Motorcar Operators West excursion planned for 3/20 on the AFRR will be modified to include two days of running including a Saturday Night run. The Sunday 3/21 ride on the ST+E in Stockton ,Ca, will be rescheduled to a later date. There will be a total of 100 round trip miles. These are rain or shine dates, but any day on the rails beats staying home. This is a Narcoa Insured excursion, all Narcoa requirements will be observed. We are especially concerned about proper footwear and will require ankle high boots and long pants.The run fee for both excursions will total $50, or $35 for one day. Excursion Coordinator for the weekend is Dave Balestreri, address, 2320 'E' street Sacramento, CA. 95816, phone, 916 531 7536, email, dbalestreri@softcom.net . Set on times for both days is 7:00 am. Lunch plans are still tentative but we hope to have Fat Freddy and his famous hot dogs. We hope you can join us! |
Santa Maria Valley Railroad – April 10th and 11th, 2010
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad has once again invited us to spend time on their rails near the beautiful California Central Coast. We will run both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we will do a morning run covering as much of the railroad as possible and will return to Betteravia for a delicious Santa Maria Style Barbecue prepared by the Friends of the SMVRR. After lunch we will run the railroad again, and following dinner on your own, we will do a twilight run at 7:00 PM. We will do a morning run on Sunday followed by another barbecue lunch and then an afternoon run to round out the day. Set-on will begin Friday afternoon at 4:00 and again on Saturday at 7:00 AM with a 9:00 departure towards Guadalupe. The run fee is $65 for one day or $80 for two days. All NARCOA and MOW operating rules will apply. MOW membership is encouraged but not required. Mail your check for $65 or $80 made out to Motorcar Operators West to: Bill Schertle, 804 E Tularosa Ave, Orange, CA 92866. Please include your e-mail address along with your NARCOA Insurance and Rulebook numbers. All return communications will be via e-mail. If you do not have e-mail please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. My e-mail is bschertle@sbcglobal.net. Telephone: 714-633-1605 (h) or 714-743-0804 (cell)
ROOTS OF MOTIVE POWER
STEAM ENGINEERING AND RAILROAD OPERATIONS AND SAFETY TRAINING
2010 CLASS SCHEDULE
ROOTS OF MOTIVE POWER, INC.
PO Box 1540, WILLITS, CA 95490
Steam Engineering and Operating Safety
Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11, 2010
Two full days cover: Boiler Design and Construction, Boiler Inspection,
Certification, Boiler Operation, Boiler Repairs, Steam Theory, Steam
Engine Design, Steam Engine Operations, Wood and Oil Firing, Water Treatment, and Engine Lubrication.
The Steam Engineering Class is mandatory to become a Roots Certified Steam Engineer and to progress in railroad operations to Fireman and Engineer.
Railroad Operations and Safety
Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23, 2010
Two full days cover: Railroad General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR), Track Construction and Inspection, Car Inspection, Locomotive Inspection, Switches, Railroad Signals, Coupling Cars, and Air Brakes.
The Railroad Operations and Safety class is required if you wish to
continue your training and progress to conductor and diesel engineer.
Course Fee for each class is $75.
Membership is required (additional $35 if you are not a Roots member).
Registration: Send your name, address and a check made out to
Roots of Motive Power & identify which class you wish to attend to:
Roots of Motive Power, Inc.
PO Box 1540
Willits, CA 95490
Classes begin promptly at 8 a.m. both days and ends at approx. 4:30 p.m.
The Classroom is located at the very back of the Mendocino County
Museum/Mendocino Community College complex
400 East Commercial St. Willits, CA
Participants should wear work clothes, especially work boots, bring eye and hearing
protection, gloves, and come prepared for inclement weather. All participants should
bring a bag lunch for both days of the course. A.M. Classroom instruction - P.M.
hands on equipment operations.
Mason County Steam Locomotive No. 7 100 Year Birthday Celebration
Saturday, May 22 6-9 p.m. Join us! After the RR Class
Contact the Willits Chamber of Commerce for lodging (707) 459-7910
Contact Chris Baldo for more information about the classes (707) 459-4549 or (707) 489-3984
Enrollment is limited to 30 students.
April 19 – 21, 2010
GRAND CANYON RAILWAY EXCURSION
Motorcar Operators West is pleased to announce a spectacular spring rail tour on the Grand Canyon Railway. Motorcar operators and guests are invited to spend three days and two nights exploring the railroad and the Grand Canyon National Park. Motorcar set on is scheduled for Monday afternoon, April 19, 2010 between 3 PM and 6 PM. Beginning on Tuesday, April 20 the excursion will travel sixty four miles to the Grand Canyon by rail, explore the South Rim on Wednesday, April 21 and return to Williams on Thursday, April 22. The excursion is a portion of the 2010 Southwest Rail Tour.
The extended excursion allows operators and guest the opportunity to take advantage of the Park’s many attractions; such as bus sightseeing tours, guided day hikes, mule rides down into the Canyon or South Rim horse trail rides. All attractions can be viewed on the Grand Canyon National Park’s Plan Your Visit website:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/index.htm
Lodging has been arranged and rooms reserved with Xanterra South Rim LLC. All Maswik Lodge rooms include full private bathrooms, televisions, telephones, coffee makers and refrigerators. The rooms can be viewed on the Xanterra South Rim website:
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/grand-canyon-maswik-lodge-412.html
Because rooms are in great demand for the upcoming tourist season, operators are encouraged to make room choice and submit excursion payment as early as possible. Deadline for payment is February 1, 2010. Make checks payable to Motorcar Operators West and mail to Dan Berg, 2017 Mule Creek Rd, Las Vegas NV 89134. Please indicate first and second room choices:
Maswik Lodge South Forest View room with double queen beds for two nights plus GCRY fee: $450
Maswik Lodge North Rim View room with double queen beds for two nights plus GCRY fee: $620
This is a NARCOA insured excursion and all NARCOA rules apply. Motorcar Operators West membership is not required. Safety vests, work boots, long pants and safety glasses are mandatory. No pets allowed. Please contact Excursion Coordinator Dan Berg at 1-702-341-8617 or email Dan Berg to make reservations or answer questions about the excursion.
Apr 20 - May 11, 2010
MOW-PRO Southwest Tour
The tour starts with the MOW Grand Canyon run on April 20,21, and 22nd. Dan Berg is the coordinator.
Then we will doing the Copper Basin on Friday April 23rd, Set-on at Hayden, Arizona. Hayden to Florence RT 100 miles.
Continuing the Southwest Tour after Doug Stiver’s Copper Basin run April 23rd, we will move to Safford, Arizona and set on our cars Sunday, April 25th for safety inspections. Time to begin set-on should be around 12 noon, actual time to be determined.
Arizona Eastern
Monday April 26th, run to Miami from Safford and possibly a mine tour at the mine in Miami. Overnight in Globe. Must bring overnight bags for each person. Leave cars in the Miami yard, security by the railroad. Transportation to motels in Globe will be provided.
Tuesday April 27th, Miami to Safford, overnight at Safford.
Wednesday April 28th, Safford to Bowie, Arizona and return, set off and overnight Safford.
Thursday April 29th, we drive to Duncan, approximately 50 miles east, and set-on there. We will run north to Clifton and turn our cars at the end of the track, have lunch. Then, we go back to Duncan, then on south to Lordsburg, New Mexico, and return to Duncan. Set off. This is all welded rail on the section from Duncan to Lordsburg!
Friday April 30th, We have a travel day to Hobbs, New Mexico for runs on the Texas, New Mexico Railroad.
Saturday May 1st, we rest, relax and repair, maintain our cars, before our set-on that afternoon in Eunice, New Mexico. Overnight in Hobbs.
Sunday May 2nd, run south on the Tex Mex and return and tie up at Eunice. Overnight in Hobbs.
Monday May 3rd, run north of the Tex Mex and return, set off and drive to Dobbs, Texas. Set-on cars, and overnight at Lubbock, Texas on the West Texas and Lubbock Railroad.
Tuesday May 4th, we run to Seagraves Texas, and return, tie up at Dobbs, overnight at Lubbock.
Wednesday May 5th, we run our cars to Whiteface, Texas, and the BNSF and return. Set off. Overnight at Lubbock.
Thursday May 6th, we set-on in Dimmit, Texas and run to Plainview, Texas, and return. Set off.
Friday May 7th, we have a travel day to Alamosa, Colorado.
San Luis Rio Grande
Saturday May 8th, Rest, relax and repair, maintain our cars before set-on Alamosa. Overnight in Alamosa.
Sunday May 9th, we take a run to Antonito and return, then on to Monte Vista and back to Alamosa. Tie up and overnight.
Monday May 10th, we have the most challenging run from Alamosa, over La Veta Pass, and possibly to Walsenburg if time permits. We will return to Alamosa, and there may be trains running over the pass to meet. Set-off.
Tuesday May 11th, we will drive to South Fork for set-on and running the Creede Branch.
This concludes the Southwest Tour 2010.
At all of the above sites where we tie-up and leave our cars on the track, there will be campers providing security. In Miami, the railroad personnel will provide security as we are overnight in Globe.
We need a great turn out for this first ambitious tour of many of these Iowa Pacific Holdings Railroads, as they are very willing to provide what we really want most, track miles. They have adjusted all of their schedules to accommodate us in such a big way.
Total mileage is around 1500 miles, combined with the Copper Basin, and as there is no limit to the number of cars at this time, priority will be given in the possibly of a 10 percent price break to those who sign up for the complete tour, and that we average 30 cars per run.
Send a large SASE , with a check made out to PRO for $120.00 per run day, $150.00 for the Creede Branch for those who have not signed up with $2.36 postage, (10 oz’s), to Dave McClain, 22850 Placer Hills Rd, Colfax, CA 95713. We will accept all cars, sign up for any and all runs that you want to do. All motel and some restaurant information, and maps will be sent to you in return. I will set up a block of rooms at a Globe, Arizona motel,(s), for us to stay in on our trip to Miami.
Check wheels and brakes as we will be doing inspections again on all cars beginning at Safford for Iowa Pacific. All Narcoa rules apply, especially spark arrestors. Radios are not required, but highly encouraged. Also, we will be using them to convey information and history of all the lines that we traverse. Also, be advised that some schedules may be changed, switching directions, or waiting for trains, etc. But we will do all runs, some times may be subject to change. April 1st will be a “soft” deadline right now to sign up, as I need to have most information to everyone before our tour.
Join us on a real ambitious adventure, as opportunity for us is knocking on our motorcar windshields!
Any questions, call me anytime, please, at 530-908-8296.
Dave
Alaska Railroad by Speeder for the Pacific Northwest Tour 2011?
Chris Baldo and Margaret Hope are in the preliminary stages of planning a speeder tour on the Alaska Railroad, beginning in Anchorage, and traveling to Seward, Fairbanks, and points in between. We do not have dates although we would likely travel before June 1 or after September 1. We are still trying to finalize the itinerary, but we expect the tour will last about two weeks. It will include lodging, and could cost about $7500/car. In addition to this, you will likely spend about $4000/car to get yourself and your speeder to Anchorage.
If you would like to be on our e-mailing list, please reply to mhope@lionsgate.ca with the word ALASKA in the subject line. In your response please tell us if you have a preference for traveling in May 2011 or September 2011.
The railway tells us: “Typically
June is our rainy season, when the group came up last time they were
very fortunate with regards to the weather. May is usually our first
warming time frame, not a lot of wildlife activity. Bears are still
sleeping and the migration season is just getting underway. Late
September on the other hand is typically our last burst of summer,
the winter migration is getting into full swing and the autumn
colors are setting in. The temperatures in the evening are dropping
and very cool mornings are to be expected. … If it were me, I’d
choose September.”
Marg Hope
Motorcar Operators West
Excursion Co-coordinator
Pacific Northwest Tour 2011
(604) 320 - 7613
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