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Weekly News March 21, 2016Description
Ruth Marshall’s “Stuttgart” Group: From 1963 through 1966, Ruth Pierson taught in the U.S. Army program in France and Germany. She and her compatriots were teaching the children of American occupation forces in Western Europe. She made many friends, especially in Stuttgart from 1964 through 1966, and they made many trips all over Europe on their vacations and days off. Ruth bought a new Volkswagen “Beetle” in 1963. Most in the program were young, and within a few years they came back to the United States to round out their teaching careers. A few kept in touch and visited back and forth.
In 1985 Ralph Zarlino, who had settled in Cleveland and was married to Patricia Brandt, decided it was time for the Stuttgart group to have a reunion. He invited several to come to Parma Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, and spend four or five days together, seeing the sights and reminiscing about old times. Archie and Pat Patton, both in the army program who had married at Stuttgart in 1966, came from California with two of their three children, Naomi Nechtel and her sister Ruth (who did not teach in Germany) came from Minneapolis, and Ruth and I, engaged but not yet married, went from Delaware. On our way out, we stopped at Mercersburg Academy and Bedford Springs, and we returned via the Chautauqua Institute. With the Zarlino children, David (10) and Elizabeth (8), we had a grand week.
Two years later (1987), the Zarlinos had rented a time-share condo at Traverse City, Michigan, and all of us were invited to join them there. All who were at the 1985 reunion were there with the exception of the Patton children, and we were joined by Albert Svec, a walking textbook who never married and stayed in the U.S. Army teaching program, spending his last years in London. Al Svec was a native of the Traverse City area, and we visited the Sand Dunes along Lake Michigan, the summer theatre at Interlocken, and Mackinac Island.
The year 1989 marked our first visit to Minneapolis, where the Nechtel sisters hosted our bi-annual gathering. There is much to see around the Twin Cities, and we visited the State Capitol in St. Paul and went to a musical matinee there. All 1987 attendees were there in 1989. Ruth and I came home via Lindbergh’s boyhood home at Little Falls, Duluth, the Apostle Islands, and Petoskey, Michigan.
We hosted the group on a very hot week in 1991. Only one bedroom at Auburn Heights and our kitchen were air conditioned. Nevertheless, the group had a ride on the Mountain Wagon, went to Longwood Gardens and some of the other museums, and seemed to have a good time. The Nechtel sisters did not attend, but they had visited us in 1988.
In 1993, most of us went to Novato, California, at the invitation of the Pattons, who were both teaching school in that district. They showed us the famous Napa Valley, San Francisco, and Monterey. Their three children were grown, and one was married, but all lived in California, so we had a chance to meet and visit with them. Ruth and I had flown to Salt Lake City and rented a car, and we made a great circuit trip that included Crater Lake, the Oregon Coast, the Redwood Empire, Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe.
The year 1995 found us back in Minneapolis, as it was getting harder for the Nechtels to travel (Naomi was the oldest in the group). This time we visited the Mall of America, and enjoyed a cruise on Lake Minnetonka. Ruth and I had traveled around the north side of Lake Superior on our westbound trip, and took a six-day river boat cruise on the American Queen from St. Paul to St. Louis before returning home via Lake Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
In 1997, we were invited by Al Svec to enjoy his new home along Grand Traverse Bay north of Traverse City. We visited vineyards, went to the Sand Dunes again, and heard Rosemary Clooney perform at Interlocken. Ruth and I enjoyed staying overnight at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, on several of our trips. Ruth Nechtel died, and since Naomi could no longer travel, we went to Minneapolis again in 1999. It was a sadder time, but Naomi enjoyed the attention and help from several of her old Stuttgart friends.
In 2001, Ralph Zarlino thought it was time for another reunion in Cleveland, and it was to last for seven days! This time we were joined by two women from the Chicago area, who had either taught at Stuttgart or had connections therewith. We visited some of the estates around Akron and attended a summer music event on the lawn of a large estate in that area. Some of us visited Garfield’s Tomb in a huge cemetery, where I also spotted the graves of John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Winton.
The Pattons invited us to visit in California again, but we declined, and official reunions of the Stuttgart group are no more. However, we visited Naomi Nechtel one last time in 2004, and Ralph and Patter Zarlino usually have lunch with us in this area almost every year when they visit her mother in Bucks County. We had lunch with Al Svec in the Traverse City area when we attended Mike and Kathryn May’s progressive steam car tour in 2011.
Work Report: On Tuesday, March 15, 15 volunteers were on hand, viz: Ted Kamen (in charge), Dennis Tiley, Bob Jordan, Dave Leon, Jerry Lucas, Mark Russell, Steve Bryce, Anne Cleary, Ken Hilbeck, Tom Sandbrook, John Bacino, Brent McDougall, John Schubel, and a new volunteer Stover Babcock.
John Schubel showed Stover Babcock around and familiarized him with our work sessions. He also checked out the motor on our radial saw, and found it to be O.K. (with a new cord). Jerry Lucas says the Model H-5 engine is ready to go back in the car, so the gentleman’s speedy roadster will be brought to the garage as soon as the CX is ready to go back to the museum. Mark Russell, Steve Bryce, and Jerry Lucas worked on the pilot of the 735, but the pilot pin broke off and will need repair.
Dennis Tiley, Tom Sandbrook and John Bacino reassembled the 401’s injector that had been thoroughly cleaned, and installed it on the locomotive. Dave Leon, Anne K. H. Cleary, and Brent McDougall put the tender together with its new tank liner and mounted it on its trucks. There is a slight problem in the connection to the locomotive. Work continued on the wiring harness on the ’37 Packard, with the new harness being pulled through difficult places by Ted Kamen, Bob Jordan, and Ken Hilbeck.
On Wednesday afternoon, March 16, seven volunteers appeared, as follows: Bill Schwoebel (in charge), Steve Bryce, Dave Leon, Mike Ciosek, Richard Bernard, Jerry Novak, and Tom Marshall.
The tender trucks for Locomotive 401 were shifted, but the tender still does not line up properly with the locomotive. Both trailers were moved from their storage locations, and prepped for a trip to the Delaware Inspection Lane on Thursday. Tie replacement continued on the Auburn Valley, near the water tower and near the tunnel. The railroad’s water tower was filled. Our inventory of Stanley condenser cores was checked, and we have offered one for sale to an owner in California who bought the ’17 condensing car owned by member Bob Crane. He may or may not buy it.
On Thursday, March 17, 10 volunteers attended the session, plus Bill Schwoebel and Jerry Novak who, along with Steve Bryce, took our two trailers for their annual inspection. Those at the session were Tim Ward (in charge), Steve Bryce, Ted Kamen, Lou Mandich, Kelly Williams, Dennis Dragon (early), Tom Marshall, Jim Personti, Geoff Fallows, and Tom Sandbrook. Dennis Dragon brought several special specification oils for our South Bend lathes, and plans to label them and store in a prominent place near the bench lathe.
Tom Marshall’s first attempt at repairing the pilot on the 735 was not successful, as the large pin (.045” diam.) would not fit the nozzle. More wires in the new harness for the ’37 Packard were pulled through difficult places, and wiring to the voltage regulator was checked by Ted Kamen and Lou Mandich. Lou also cleaned the Model T Ford timer and checked tire pressures.
The locomotive-to-tender problem was studied on #401. Pushing the unit onto the turntable indicated that the vertical alignment was O.K., but the draw bar was too long for the buffers to make contact. Jim Personti and Geoff Fallows made a new draw bar about ½” shorter than the old one, slightly heavier coil springs were placed behind the buffer plate, and everything appeared to be good. The petticoat pipe in the smoke box was properly adjusted, and the new water lines from tender to locomotive were secured by Tom Sandbrook. A pinched wire on our white trailer was replaced by Steve Bryce. Kelly Williams demonstrated his discussion forum idea to manage our shop projects.
On Friday and Saturday, the pilot was finally finished on the 735, with a large pin (.045”diam.) and nozzle to match. The pilot had to be removed from the burner to drill out the hole to .045”; then the pin was filed slightly (Sunday’s test indicated the pilot is still not right). Brent McDougall pressure-washed the R.R. trestle Friday and Saturday, and it looks great. A new ball valve was installed at the discharge from the water tower. The railroad crew fired up the 401 on Saturday and ran it around the loop several times, testing the engine and giving engineers a chance to practice. One of the injectors needs attention, but overall, it was a very satisfactory operation. Brent McDougall, Anne Cleary, Linda Herman, Steve Glazier, Dave Leon, and Mike Ciosek took part.
