Microsoft Word - 99nov.doc Page 1 of 6 HotScoop Shovel Logo by Larry Rose A publication dedicated to San Diego Railroad Museum volunteers November/December 1999 MUSEUM NEWS VOL XI NO XI/X >>>NOTES IN A TIME OF CHANGE<<< Rich Borstadt, Interim Executive Director Here are some recent developments with which all active volunteers should be familiar. ADDRESS CHANGE The U.S. Postal service has altered our official business office address to improve reliability and timeliness of mail deliveries at the Santa Fe Depot. They have added a Suite 5 designator to the older form of address and urge use of zip-plus-4 on the zip code. The official address is now: SAN DIEGO RAILROAD MUSEUM 1050 KETTNER BLVD STE 5 SAN DIEGO CA 92101-3339 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES Additions and alterations to Staff positions have been announced over the last month or so, and a few more may develop in the next few months as we evolve the Museum’s structure for the new century. These are posted at the Campo Operations Office and the Car Shop as the decisions are made. An overview of the new structure to date and how it has come about might help to put the changes into perspective. When the health crises of our Executive Director, Pat Blackmore and Marketing Manager, Martin White struck in mid-summer the Museum faced a crisis in leadership. The Board of Trustees filled the immediate need by bringing back our retired Executive Director, Win Mott for a month and appointing myself, Rich Borstadt as Interim Executive Director. Subsequently, accrued debts for advertising, from a shortfall of anticipated income for that purpose, and other ill advised expenditures came to light along with identification of several dysfunctions in the organization. At the September meeting of the Board, the Trustees unanimously voted to reaffirm the Executive Director’s mandate and to re-structure the Staff to efficiently delegate authority and responsibility for the various aspects of the Museum’s operation as the Executive Director deemed necessary. The following changes have been made to address current conditions: A position of Chairman of the SD&A was created to which Denby Jones was appointed, to continue to take advantage of his years of experience and service to the Museum in an advisory capacity and for management of specific assigned projects. This will lighten his load at a time of diminished physical capacity during medical treatment. Denby’s dedication and behind-the-scenes efforts on behalf of this museum over the past 8- plus years have not always been visible, but they are very much appreciated by those of us who have shared the various and sundry crises through which we have threaded our way . . . often in large measure through his insights and leadership. The Director of Railroad Operations position was abolished to restore balance in the decision-making structure, since the equivalent Director of Museum Services position was vacated by Rich Borstadt’s shift to Interim Executive Director. Page 2 of 6 Operations Department A new Operations Superintendency for the SD&A then had to be constituted incorporating many of the responsibilities of the old Director of Railroad Operations position, including those of dealing with regulatory agencies such as CDF and the FRA, and combined with the oversight of daily train operation of the simpler Operation Superintendent slot. This position had to have equality in the Staff decision-making processes with other Superintendents such as those of the Mechanical and Facilities Departments and with the like-level Specialty Officers responsible for Training and Safety. All of these Officers and Superintendents represent their specialty or department in Staff debate and decision making, and all report directly to the Executive Director. Lew Wolfgang was appointed to this SD&A Operations Superintendent position. The more-limited, old Operations Superintendent position ceased to exist having been absorbed into this new position. The Qualification Board continues to feed suitability-for-service information to the SD&A Operations Superintendent through the DSLE. To aid Lew in covering the time commitments required by our operations, four Assistant Superintendents have been appointed to cover Crew & Compliance, Yardmaster, Logistics, and Operational Maintenance responsibilities. Randy Houk, as Asst. Superintendent for Crew and Compliance, is responsible for crew support and making certain that we maintain the proper reporting forms and records for ourselves and as required by outside agencies. Mike Edwards, as Yardmaster, is the Asst. Superintendent responsible for train makeup and movement strategy. Darren Apedaile, as Asst. Superintendent for Logistics, is in charge of consumables for operation such as fuel and running lubricants, stocking them as well as getting them to the right place at the right time. Steve November, as Asst. Superintendent for Operational Maintenance, is responsible for immediate mechanical support of train crews with our rolling stock and acts as the Department’s liaison with the Mechanical Department to bring major mechanical needs to their attention and to secure from them an inventory of appropriate consumable parts. Each of the above Assistant Superintendents, in addition to their personal areas of responsibility, serves along with Lew as Duty Superintendents on a given day through a rotation schedule. The Duty Superintendent is the anchor for train operation on a given day and must be consulted with regard to the day’s conditions, strategies and rolling stock assignment before crews assume control of their designated movements. Ansara Gilbert has assumed the responsibilities of Crew Caller from Mike Retz, and will issue the Call Board each month after receiving availability and preference information from volunteer crew members. He will also be recruiting by phone when there are still vacancies for crew coverage on a given day. Once the Call Board has been issued, should you, as a crew member, find a crisis has arisen that will not permit you to make your scheduled crew commitment, it is YOUR responsibility to find a replacement and notify Ansara, your Conductor, and/or the Duty Superintendent for that day . . . of the identity of the person who will be covering for you. Ansara provides a list of current volunteer crewmen and their qualifications periodically from which you can locate potential replacements or trade days on the schedule. Trainmen/Guide Interpretation Bob Schussler has been appointed Superintendent of Trainmen/Guides, a role vacated by Mike Retz. This is now a full Superintendency in its own right. Recent failures to present walking tours key to our Mission and loss of volunteers because of a feeling that the Trainman is regarded as the "low person on the totem pole" are the reasons for this and also to give a louder voice to our interpretive vanguard and bring balance to Staff deliberations. As always, individual Trainmen are subject to supervision and direction of the Conductor in matters of train movement and the safety of our passengers around our demonstration equipment. However, for all else, including the accuracy of information, adherence to script, style of presentation, and handling of ground or specialty tours, they report to Bob and this Superintendency. Page 3 of 6 Safety With the elimination of the old Operations Superintendent slot, Jack O’Lexey has tentatively accepted the position of Safety Officer. Details on the scope of his duties as they may be expanded from past definitions for the position will be determined over the next month or so. Mechanical Department Two Assistant-Superintendent-rank positions have been created in the Mechanical Department under Gary Sweetwood continuing as Superintendent. Dwight Koller, as Diesel Foreman, is responsible for mechanical integrity of our Diesel locomotive fleet, their inspection and maintenance. Matt Adams, as Asst. Superintendent for Support Equipment, is responsible for service and has authority over certification of operational/ maintenance competence on ground support equipment such as fork lifts, service trucks, rubber-tired crane, and MOW motor cars. These two positions join Bob Miles, as Steam Foreman and Mike Reneau as Car Foreman to make the four Assistant Superintendent-level cadre for the Mechanical Department. There will be additional tweaks in coming months as we learn more about what works best for us structurally. It is intended that the incremental redefinition of the makeup of each of the departments will provide us with the building blocks to enable us to put together a practical and comprehensive institutional organization chart by mid-year 2000. ONE-ON-ONE DIALOGUE Meanwhile, if you have any questions about these or other Museum issues please talk with me. I am at Campo virtually every Saturday and on most Sundays. This is my open door access for any member to present ideas, discuss, strategize and question. My days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. I am in meetings and involved with agency dealings, bill paying and such during most of the three days I am in the office. I try to block Monday and Thursday afternoons for in-office meetings so call and make an appointment if this seems the best way to discuss your particular concern. Even though we are in a tight-belt mode at the moment and working out some problems, we have exciting times on the horizon. There are the Coronado Branch activities in conjunction with the San Diego Electric Railway Association and the potential for routes east to make the magnificent Carriso Gorge experience available to the public once again. Join me in the cab as a crewmember, as we pull the SDRM into this promising future. >>>OPERATIONS<<< Lew Wolfgang As many of you may have heard by now, I have been appointed to the position of Operations Superintendent. I would like to thank Jack O'Lexey for the fine service he has contributed to our organization during his tenure as superintendent. It is hoped that Jack will assume the position of Safety Officer so that we will continue to benefit from his knowledge, experience and attention to detail. Our organization faces many challenges at this time, but there are also significant new opportunities for us just around the corner if we have the patience. So I am asking you, friend to friend, to chip in and help in whatever capacity you can. Our rewards will be in knowing that we helped to make this unique organization into a strong and important Museum that our great grandchildren will be able to visit and participate in. Our new Ops Assistants, Darren Apedaile, Mike Edwards, Randy Houk, Steve November and I are working on new procedures to make our lives easier and safer at Campo, so look for some changes in the near future. For now, all the existing General Orders, procedures and customs will remain in force. Page 4 of 6 Feel free to call me at any time for any reason. My phone numbers are 553-3106 (w), 662-1963 (h), 339-8511 (cell), all in the 619 (for now) area code. Thanks for your support and I hope to see you soon in Campo! >>>Speeder Help Wanted<<< Lew Wolfgang The California Division of Forestry has required that we reinstitute fire speeder protection behind all of our excursions during the fire season as a result of the recent wildland fire activity. Please note that ALL of our excursion trains will require speeder protection unless an exemption is provided by CDF. Even though the fire season is almost (hopefully) over, we will need the help of all certified speeder operators until we can relax the requirement for the winter. We may be calling you if there's a spot to fill on the callboard. Please note that CDF is not being unreasonable in their requirements. They are sincerely interested in seeing that our operations continue successfully, they are nice folks. But their responsibility is to the public and to the wildlands. They have the legal jurisdiction to insure that the threat from fire is minimized. Indeed, we share their responsibility. We can't let lives and property be endangered by our operations. Please note that even steam operations will require speeder protection. Old #2353 may be wildland fire safe, but there are many ways to start a fire. Sparks from wheel- rail interaction, brake shoe sparks and slag, hot journal boxes and passenger cigarettes are all possible sources of ignition. Remember, only we can prevent forest fires..... >>>FROM THE TRAINING OFFICER<<< Jim Baker The Qualification Board recently certified Steve November as Conductor. Congratulations, Steve! The Fall Trainman's and Brakeman's classes have just been completed, with 10 people in the Trainman's Class and 9 in the Brakeman's. Please look for these people at Campo, either as new Trainmen, or working as Brakeman trainees: Michael Fine, David Ford, Alan Hollander, Louis Parquette, Jr., Jim Polloreno, Greg and Johnny Quirin, Brian Sampson, Mark Walker, Dwight Koller, John "Doc" Mills, Vern Hudson, Karen Pruett, and Dave Houk. Some of these enthusiastic people took both classes. These will be offered again in the Spring. Annual Testing & Review A reminder that a review class & testing program is required for all operating personnel each year. We will be scheduling 3 evenings in town and a couple of days at Campo in January for these classes. Look for dates in the next Hot Scoop. >>>The Trainman's Corner<<< Bob Schussler In accordance with the Administrative Memo dated October 25, 1999, I am assuming the duties of Superintendent of Trainmen/Guides. My first task is to bring you some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that Mike Retz is no longer performing the functions of Crew Caller and Senior Trainman. Mike did a fantastic job and will be sorely missed. It looks like it will take two of us to do what Mike used to do alone, but Ansara Gilbert and I will try to fill his shoes. The good news is that the position of Senior Trainman has been upgraded to the Superintendent level. I will report directly to Rich Borstadt, and will attend all Staff Meetings. This gives the Trainmen increased visibility and a greater chance of being heard. We Trainmen are the interface with our passengers and, as such, we Page 5 of 6 personify the railroad. The impression we make remains long after the excursion has ended. I feel we are doing an excellent job, but we can do better. This would be a good time for us to review our duties to see if we are really doing what we enlisted to do. Jim Baker provided several pertinent handouts in the Trainman Class, including one dated Fall 1996. This handout lists the Trainman's purpose and duties, as well as how they are accomplished. Copies are available from Jim or me. At the present, we are extremely short of Trainmen and not everyone is as happy as they might be. Please contact me with any ideas you have for improving the Trainmen's performance and his enjoyment of life at Campo. I can be reached by telephone at (619) 698-1458, or through e-mail at schus@adnc.com or schussler@sdrm.org. >>>Update From The Operations Department<<< Steve November I am attempting to get the rolling stock we use on our various trains to the point where the operating crews do not have to make last minute repairs. SD&A 255 has all new brake shoes installed and is back in service. Spare brake shoes and tools will be staged in the storage room on the side of the depot. I am also going to redo the Car Log that is in the Office to allow the identification of deficiencies that crews find so that repairs can be scheduled as manpower permits. The current Car Log only lists the repairs that have been made and has no provision for noting deficiencies. In the interim, until the new Car Log is in the Office (hopefully by the end of November), please either leave a note for me in the current Car Log or email me. On your deficiency, please note the car, the exact location (the best that you can), describe the deficiency, indicate if you think it’s a safety issue, and sign, date and include your phone number. That way I can get back to you if I need additional information. >>>Campo Community Train<<< Roger Challberg Our third annual community train is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Dec. 18th. We need help in the form of any member who would like to help out with entertainment either before the train or on the train (musical instruments, songs, dancers, etc.) Also needed are helpers to prepare the coffee, hot chocolate, and to assist in train preparation (including decorations & lights). You can contact me by email (challberg@sdrm.org), phone (619-478-5768), fax (# is same), smoke signals, etc. >>>SP #3873 is back in service<<< Randy Houk Thanks to the tireless efforts of Diesel Foreman Dwight Koller, GP9 locomotive #3873 is running again! The massive job of replacing the main generator was followed by many other problems, attacked methodically by Dwight. I can attest to the performance of the “Geep” after our successful trip to Jacumba on Nov. 28th. The dynamic brakes worked really well, and we blasted up the hill from Jacumba in notch #8 with 525 tons, EMD 567-16 exhaust music echoing off the rock walls. Thanks, Dwight! >>>New SDRM web site offerings<<< Randy Houk I’ve updated the People Gallery with a few new faces. We now have Corrine Gallagher, Marion Warsaw, Daisha Smith, Shannon Robinson, Pamela and Andy Hartwell, Ann McVeagh, Allen Jones, Brian Sampson, John Mills, Dwight Koller, Allen Andrews, Officer Mike Conte, Gary Sweetwood and Matt Adams. We also have new photos of Terri Gregory, Sue Ann Taggart, Michelle Boeh and Linda Buel. http://www.sdrm.org/gallery/people/. Roger Challberg provided me with some neat photos of the newly restored Julian Stage. These can be seen at http://www.sdrm.org/gallery/stage/. I’ve also added a page of photos of our operations between Miller Creek and Jacumba. You can see these photos at http://www.sdrm.org/gallery/mc-jacumba/. Due to the generosity of my wife and her school, I borrowed a digital camera that has a mode for capturing mpeg videos. I’ve created a page around these files that showcases SP #2353, a trip to tunnel #4 and some trips across the High Bridge. See them at http://www.sdrm.org/mpegs/. Page 6 of 6 HotScoop mailing list Continuing with this issue, only those active members without email will receive a copy from the mailman. It is very expensive to copy and apply postage, so we’ll do our part to save the office some money! The HotScoop will also be available on the Museum's Internet web site on the same day the Editor releases the issue. Since the HotScoop contains information not suited for the general public, a username and password will be required for access. Just point your web browser at http://www.sdrm.org/members/. When prompted, enter "volunteer" as the username and "2353" as the password. Current and past callboards are also available at the same place. >>>December 1999 Dates of Note<<< >>>January 2000 Dates of Note<<< 6 Operations meeting 3 Operations meeting 11 Dinner Train 18 School Train 18 Community Train 26 Museum Services meeting 29 Museum Services meeting 30 Deadline for January articles >>>Article Submissions<<< Please submit articles in pure text (.txt) or MS Word (.doc) format. E-mail to hotscoop@sdrm.org is preferred, but floppy disks are OK. >>>PHONE NUMBERS and e-mail<<< SDRM ADMINISTRATION @sdrm.org Business Office, Rich Borstadt (619)595-3030 office Business Office Fax (619)595-3034 Museum Phone (La Mesa Depot) (619)697-7762 Report Editor, Marna Hartjen (760)489-1353 report HotScoop Editor, Randy Houk (858)672-0111 hotscoop Station Master, Terri Gregory (619)280-8529 gregory La Mesa Depot (619)697-7762 Campo Depot (619)478-9937 Campo Car Shop (619)478-9451 Campo Caretaker, Thomas Lee Braginton (619)478-9344 DEPARTMENT HEADS @sdrm.org Executive Director, Rich Borstadt (619)294-9321 borstadt Research, Bruce Semelsberger (619)264-7282 Crew Caller, Ansara Gilbert (619)529-3927 gilberta Library, Roy Pickering (619)462-3392 pickering Operations, Lew Wolfgang (619)662-1963 wolfgang Restoration, Ted Kornweibel (619)461-0098 kornweibel Steam, Bob Miles (619)280-8529 Training, Jim Baker (619)670-7441 baker La Mesa Depot, Jim Polloreno (619)590-2892 polloreno Facilities, Thomas Lee Braginton (619)478-9344 Web page: http://www.sdrm.org The HOT SCOOP is published by the San Diego Railroad Museum. Please send address changes to: San Diego Railroad Museum C/O Santa Fe Depot 1050 Kettner Blvd. STE 5 San Diego, CA 92101-3339

1999-11-12-Hot-Scoop

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Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

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