OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OFTHE PACIFIC SOUTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM ASSOCIATION —OPERATING THE SAN DIEGO RAILROAD MUSEUM AND THE SD&A RAILWAY— As related in the previous issue of the Report, our Museum has been given quite a lot of used track, located to the north in Orange County. Members of our Museum that live in that area, and some from the local area as well, have been pulling spikes, removing joint bars, stacking rail and ties, getting it all read to be moved to Campo. Pictured above, top left (unbolding joint bars) is Jeanne Tomlin and Dick Rogers; lower left (with our vintage WWII Army spike puller) is Chris Leenknecht, Jeanne Tomlin and Paul Westover; and to the right (working the spike puller), Paul Westover (hidden), Chris Leenknecht and Duane Leal. Photos provided by Jeanne Tomlin EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT by Kay Carter UPDATE ON THE GORGE We have received a lot of inquiries concern ing the status of the repair work under way in the Carriso Gorge. MTDB, in their latest Board Action Update, reports that the re construction of the tunnels (in the section called the Desert Line) is estimated to cost about $3.1 million more than is available. The SD&IV (freight operator) is working with shippers and the Southern Pacific to find ways to mitigate this cost. Until a funding solution is found, however, further progress on this stretch of railroad is on hold. SAN DIEGO MODEL RAILROAD MUSEUM SPENDS DAY AT CAMPO Seventy-two folks joined us for a special train ride, tour and carne asada dinner on Saturday, June 13, 1992. In total, ninety members from both organizations enjoyed the meal and exchange of ideas under the oak tree. Model Railroad Museum Curator, John Rotsart, sent a note saying what fun it was and how much they appreciated the efforts of our tireless volunteers. (A full court press by Rich Borstadt and members of the Interpretive Department allowed us to run regular tours and host our guests without a hitch.) John pointed out that he especially enjoyed Larry Williams’ talk on Steam Locomo tive §2353 - how the engine works, and what the project plans are. He extended good luck in raising the money necessary for completing project restoration. Thanks for your kind words, John. The Wine and Cheese Party hosted by the Model Railroaders this past winter was such a great event, the pressure was on to reciprocate with the same level of warmth and enthusiasm. By the way, if you haven't caught Larry's talk at Campo, it's worth the trip out. Anyone with a video camera, please document the moment on film and send a copy to the office. Seeing Larry up on the front of 2353, pacing back and forth animatedly describing the project could make a convert out of the worst skeptic. Move over, Elmer Gantry, you've got competition! THE "FUNDER'S CLUB" NEEDS YOU!!! As announced in the last issue of the Report, the San Diego Railroad Museum has embarked on an aggressive restoration program to coincide with the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad. Four major goals have been approved by the Board of Trustees in anticipation of this communi ty-wide event. Special restricted accounts have been established and our Museum is re questing donations be identified for the individual projects listed below: PROJECT §2353 - Restoration of the Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive. Fraser Boiler will be doing the required boiler restoration in the amount of $50,000. Boiler goes to the shop approximately July 11 and will be worked on throughout 1992-1993. Entire restoration estimates are $250,000 in total. Already donated $20,000. JOHN D. SPRECKELS' PRIVATE CAR - #050 to be restored for the commemorative run from San Diego to Campo. Estimated restoration costs - $201,000. Already secured $4,000 thanks in part to a generous donation of stock certifi cates from George Cain. SANTA FE DEPOT PROJECT - Phase I Development for installation of a display track on the exterior of the baggage building under the portico with two pieces of equipment on exhibit. Cost to implement - $14 0,000. City TOT grant of $12,788 to begin architectural design work kicks off this campaign. QUALITY MUSEUM AT CAMPO - through the completion and upgrade of the existing facil ities and a rolling stock display ready for interpretation and enjoyment including ca boose row. Costs to implement not including the new Display Building - Machine Shop, $20,000; restoration, $20,000; facilities, $21,000. Total costs to meet th $685,700. Please conside" the above projects. As amount needed is extreme end results will be not future of our Museum, b- entire community as well questions regarding the hesitate to contact the most happy to spend sc these critical programs < into the overall purposes ca paign goal is don. cing to one of you can see, the s able, but the ly iluable to the a enefit to the hoc d you have any p jects, do not off e. I would be e ime explaining id their integration of the SDRM. HERE AND THERE Ray Crapo reports that he will be in the San Diego area during July and that he would like to meet with those of you who attended the seminar last Fall for an update. Bobbie Ringersma will have the date (once finalized) when you can spend an evening with this helpful, well-informed and extremely enter taining gentleman. He has served as a wonder ful resource for the SDRM and we look forward to his return visit. ALL THE WAY WITH THE SD&A 2 FROM THE OPERATIONS DIRECTOR by DENBY JONES Having been around our Museum for at least a few years, I thought that I had seen just about everything at Campo. I had poked in all the spaces, looked under tarps and in trail ers, and figured that I had just about every thing pegged. SURPRISE!!! SURPRISE!!! I was talking to Norm Hill, and mentioned the fact that I was writing a short article on the two cabooses that have been restored. He said, "not two, but five”. I said "you're kidding"!! Well, he took me for a short tour, and I was impressed!! He first told me of the restored SP steel caboose in La Mesa, then he showed me the wooden Santa Fe caboose and the UP which he wa<: just finishing. Then he opened the door to the wooden SP caboose and you could have knocked my socks off. The outside of this car looks as if it had gone over Donner Pass every trip since day one, but the inside was pristine. It was just beautiful. Then as a climax, he showed me the steel SP caboose. I can not say enough about (he work ; cars. They term "RES'; ly display are capab tour thrcv has been accomplished in these a classic example of what the )ION" is all about and definite- ■. i. what the people in our Museum ).f. When you come to Campo, a cse cars is a must. While yr are looking at the caboose line, step int: y . car barn and look at the wooden PFL -ir. It is just about ready for final pail . is another classic job. The 1820, our ..her EMD MRS-1, has, in a few months, cove from a source of spare parts for the 1809, to well on its way to becoming an operational locomotive. Our goals have been confirmed, and work is underway on #2353. The boiler is ready to be removed, and should be in the shop in a week or so—possibly by the time you read this. The #050 (the Carriso Gorge, John D. Spreck els' private car) is still being researched. When everything is documented, the work will begin. Work has been going ing. We are trying Miller Creek and Hi a special trip. on with the weed clear- to get the area between Pass clear so we can run The wheel lathe has been delivered—all ten tons of it, and it is a welcome addition. Many thanks to Paul Goldstein who transported it for us from Seeley, and Wally Barber who loaded it. Being able to turn our own wheels will be a real boon. Saturday, the 13 th of June, we hosted the Model Railroaders from Balboa Park. They had their own car on the Miller Creek train, and afterward there was a barbecue for all. It turned out to be a really good day, and everyone had a good time. I would like to thank everyone that made it happen, especial ly Larry Williams. I wish I had a video camera to record his antics on #2353. It would be worth an admission price just to watch him spiel the 2353. If his name was Elmer Gantry, I swear we would have had rain. SP*2353 RESTORATION CREWS by Larry Williams The Museum Steam Team is sending out a spe cial invitation to all members who have been part of the 2353 restoration effort over the years. It is only because of your work as far back as 1985 that the locomotive has come to this point. We urge you to come to Campo and make some more history on the SD&A Railway. For those who can make it during the week, there is a special Thursday/Friday work crew that includes Cliff Pennick, Richard Dick, and Carol Dyreng. The regular steam work day is the third Saturday of each month, and is quite full, so we are asking people to expand their commitment to one more Saturday or Sunday. We need more people to come out on the 2nd and 4th weekends. Quite a number of good people who have worked on #2353 in the past have already volun teered. John Ashman has been out at Campo several weekends and Gaylen Dyreng is adding his skills to the effort. Doug Mick, where are you? We need Doug but cannot seem to contact him. Can anyone help us find him? As noted in a separate article, work on the boiler, running gear, brakes, cab and all else has been scheduled and approved. Con trols and accessories will be installed during early 1994 leading up to 'first fire' in July. This leaves the Steam Team with a 5- month break-in time for training crew members before the BIG CELEBRATION! This is an ambitious project! And yet a goal that is very achievable. Think of it this way - there are 100 weeks to come. Our work estimates run about 640 man-days of labor. That is 6.4 man-days per week. As you read this the crews have been at Campo for several weeks and are making impressive progress. This writing would be incomplete without a discussion of financing. The arrangement with Fraser’s to finance the boiler repairs out of future revenues helps greatly. The existing restricted accounts add over $15,000 more. The Steam Department budget for 1992 is another $18,000 assuming Campo ridership stays up; plus future budgets for 1993/94. Steam Team members who are supporting the plan with commitments of work, are also pledging, and giving money. We have initiated the ”2353 CLUB” by committing to the project, some combination of work-hours and/or dollars totaling TWO THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED FIFTY THREE (see accompanying pledge form). Members of the Steam Team have led off this financing plan with a commitment of over 12,000 work-hours and nearly $10,000 to date, and is inviting ALL who long to hear a steam locomotive leaving Campo station pulling a load of passengers, to become part of the ”2353 CLUB” and make more history on the Impossible Railroad. 3 EXCURSION NEWS by Ann McVeagh. The Excursions Committee has another success ful spring season behind them and are gearing up now for fall and winter. Our April excur sions to Puerto Penasco and Copper Canyon were well attended and our wonderful passeng ers enjoyed scenic and enjoyable trips. With late rains in Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua, the landscape was spectacular. The ride up into the Sierra Madre on the Chihua hua Pacifico was like a trip through a botan ical garden. Everything was blooming from trackside wildflowers to mountainside trees. And everything was Green, Green, Green... Usually dry chapparell was leafed out, the rivers were full and there were waterfalls everywhere. A great year for traveling, especially for the nature lover. For the rail fan there were other thrills; see article elsewhere in this issue. Many thanks to the hard-working staff that made these trips possible: Puerto Penasco Crew: Rita Cloud/ Velia Fematt-Hanson, Kathy Foote, Corrine Gallagher, Norm Hill, Ann McVeagh, Tom McVeagh, Don Odorico, Jack O'Lexey, Fran and Carl Pfetzing, Phil Pisco- po, Mike Reading, Mary Toomey, Joyce Zelenz, and the Friedlan Family, Jim, Gretchen, Jimmy and Gabriella. (Jim Friedlan is the one who donated the Robert Perry car to our Museum - well, actually he charged us a dollar for it) . The dedicated Copper Canyon Crew: Sally Anderson (who did the passenger's paperwork), Corrine Gallagher (who saw that everyone was well fed, Bill Groya (who kept an old Pullman and its parts working), and Ann McVeagh. Thanks also to the office staff who handled all of the reservations. And last but far from least, Laura Zaterain Acosta, at the Hotel Lucerna, who has taken care of all of us for many years, and the National Railways of Mexico, without whose generous help and cooperation none of these trips would be possible. Scheduled for fall are Puerto Penasco on November 7th, and Copper Canyon November 13- 23rd. The latter trip will depend (as always) on having a Pullman available. Call Ann Mc Veagh (280-4525) or our Museum office (595- 3030) if you have any questions. Five members of our Excursions Committee attended the 30th Anniversary of the Baja California History Symposium held in early June in Santa Rosalia in Baja, California SUR. There were other Museum members also in attendance; I counted 11, which must be some sort of a record for long distance meetings. John Kirchner, author of Baja California Railways, presented one of the papers. He accompanied his talk with photos by R.v. Dodge, and a map drawn by Eric Sanders. Santa Rosalia was the center of a French mining operation in the last century and had a narrow guage railroad to and from the mines and on the docks - Much of the operation is still there to see. We saw five locomotives, two nicely restored and mounted on pedestals, one at the entrance to the city and the other, out in front of the old French hotel that sits high above the harbor on a bluff that gives a fine view of the old works. Santa Rosalia itself does not look like a typical Mexican town. The homes and city buildings are made of wood, with wide veran das and balconies overflowing with plants and flowers. Its tree-lined streets shade pedes trians from the scorching midday sun. The church is unusual in that it was designed by Gustave Eiffel (of 'tower' fame) for the 1898 World's Fair in Paris. It was dismantled, shipped and reconstructed in Santa Rosalia. The drive down was easy. The Transpeninsular Highway is good. There are 1st class hotels, gas and restaurants all along the way, all-in-all a delightful trip. The Excursions Committee will look into the possibility of a Museum tour down the Baja Peninsula early next year. If interested, call Corrine Gal lagher at 287-2417. For another future tr 1 p in for the adven turous, early in Feb y ere will be the long-promised trip th?. ;gh he Yucatan which will include Mexico, -.li and Guatemala (Tikal) . Watch for d* ils »nd flyers soon. To reserve a seat no ca Ann McVeagh at 280-4525, or Rita Clo 44 3550. And yet another trip in t e works for the really adventurous! This is not a Museum trip, but several of us are going in January on an 11-day river raft trip down the Usama- cinta River (forms the border between Mexico and Guatemala) to explore Mayan ruins not accessible except from the river. It there are enough of us from our Museum, we will have our own private tour on the date of our choice. For more information, call Ann Mc Veagh, 280, 4525. So fellow travelers, all for now... ALL 'BOARD!!! OPPS, GOOFED (again) In the last issue of the Report, I not only misspelled "MUSEUM" in the headline of Bill Schneider's article on #2353, but an alert reader caught another one. Near the end of the fifth paragraph, I said that the boiler installation, that had begun late in 1916, wasn't completed until 1979, which at least one reader felt was a little excessive. The actual completion date was January 15, 1917. Thanks, Syd. ________ ____ _________________________ R E PORT,_______________________ _ Official Publication of the SAN DIEGO RAILROAD MUSE'-’- 4655 Nebo Drive, La Mesa, California 32041 EDITOR: Harry E. Deering Senior-$15: ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIPS Individual-525: Family-535: Cert Supporting-575: Sustaining-515’ '.but mg-550: LIFE MEMBERSHIPS SENIOR LIFE-5200: LIFE-5500: GOLD SPIKE LIFE-51,00C COMPANY/CORPORATE MEMBERSHIPS Associate-51,000: Sponsor-52,000: Benefactcr-55,OCC 4 FACILITIES UPDATE by STEVE WADE Hello again from 'Center it just me or does time body? One of these years whole weekend off just the....... CREOSOTE ! ! ! Field' at Campo. Is race by for every- I'm going to take a to stop and smell CAR BARN It looks like our 220V-3 Phase will be pulled during the July 4 th weekend. New members Dennis Rutherford and John Harrison are two of the prime movers of this project. Stan Paulsen borrowed a motor-puller to help move the heavy 3/0 wire. Once the sub-panel is wired we're going to need a? 1. experienced hands inside the machine shop to bring these vintage lathes and presses up to operating standards. MACHINE SHOP Charles A? < a and yours truly are continuing to prepa?. He new area. We've etched and painted » o.d cement floor, and I'm busy • lildinc .2’ work bench. If anyone has a ne or .'./4" thick plate for the bench p, pl ve me a call. JiDING Thanks \ Paul Bortell, Jim Hamill and one unidentified member all the old, high main tenance windows along the west wall have been replaced. Wr-’ve replaced them with the same translucent plastic that the upper windows are made of. MOTOR CAR SHOP The Motor Car Shop has been silent for so long it's time to clean off the cobwebs, roll up some sleeves and get down and dirty! Paul Westover is donating the oak lumber for a new top to go on the A-5. New members Matt Rock- enback, Mike Morrin and Josh (sorry, no last name) have been cleaning up one of our M19s. We'll be steam cleaning and painting both these cars along with building new oak tops. Charles has rearranged the shelving to better organize all the different speeder parts. LINE SHACK/BUNKHQUSE Thomas Lee and his sidekick Steve Wade are moving steadily toward completing the renova tion of the outside of the Line Shack. Wind ows have been sealed up and all the holes and cracks are being patched. We'll be painting in the middle of June before the summer heat sets in. Well, that about wraps up this update and I'm still contemplating that weekend off. Wait a minute, what about the North end of the Car Barn, the leak in the tool room, the shelves for Ed Duling's garden shop and Roy Picker ing's book cases? I guess Dave Slater was right when he told me, ’’Steve, you can rest after you're dead!" Yeah, that's the ticket. LOCOMOTIVE & RAILWAY PRESERVATION MAGAZINE Several years ago a new railroad-oriented magazine came on the scene, called Locomotive & Railway Preservation. I, like many of you thought it looked good and subscribed. And perhaps some of you, like me, let your sub scription expire after a couple of years for no better reason than we just never got around to the renewal form. Well, word has come from a reliable source that the magazine is in fact in financial trouble, and I have been asked to make men tion of this here, with the hope that those of you who have seen the magazine and liked it might consider taking out a new, or renew ing an existing subscription. Many whom I have heard from that work with restoration have said they thought it was an excellent magazine and many of the methods others have used have given our Industrial Archaeologists some insights in solving difficult problems with our restoration projects. To quote our own Charles Alban, "It seems to me that this is an extremely worthwhile publication, and that it deserves our sup port. If we could get more of our members to take out subscriptions or purchase gift subscriptions, it would go some way towards helping with their problems." Subscription information is available at our Gift Shop at Campo, 478-9937. RAILFAN QUIZ by BILL SCHNEIDER WHERE in Southern California is this retired locomotive located? Hint: It's within whistling distance of a still-active mainline on which it once operated. And what is it? Photo-b.schneider 5 RESTORATION NEWS by TED KORNWEIBEL What is the plural of caboose? CABOOSES? CA- BEESE? Whatever, we’ve got one of the finest collections in any railroad museum. Five of them are beautifully restored, one is com pletely restored on the interior but needs exterior work, two are quite presentable in "as-is" condition, two need much restoration, and one is a broken-backed basket case. Museum volunteers have worked on four of our cabooses/cabeese in the past two months and they’ve really done a "crummy” job (for readers unfamiliar with railroad lingo, that’s not an insult). Our Museum’s first fnlly-restored caboose, ATSF #1413, received a much needed spring cleaning by Tony Neece and Norm Hill. Tour guides report that visitors are enjoying the car much more, especially with the new light ing, which made the clean-up all the more needed. Thanks, guys. Those who do custodial jobs around our Museum don’t get the recogni tion they deserve. If you haven't seen UP #25247 lately, you won't believe what has happened to this once- wrecked waycar. Norm Hill's interior paint job is superb, including the floor. He also installed new window shades and other goodies. Bob Haney and Dick McIntyre have also continued to add details, particularly the blue and red "marker light" lenses mount ed on the cupola. Bob also worked with Frank Stites and Ted Kornweibel in installing the cupola walk-over seats, which have been lovingly painted and upholstered. And Jim Hamill has reassembled the toilet piping. Dan Marnell's SP #1061 is getting closer to perfection every month. He has installed light fixtures throughout the interior and now has solar-charged batteries to provide power. McIntyre & Haney Metal Magicians Extraordinaire have worked on the stove pipe, while "no-job-is-too-dirty" Norm Hill cleaned cushions. Visitors who get to walk through UP #25247, SP #644, and SP #1061 all in a row get our Museum's premier rolling stock tour. Probably nowhere else in the country could you get such a show! here's Report #56415 Many ever If caboose news doesn't stroke you, something even more exciting. As this goes to print, our wood reefer, FGEX is receiving its finish coat of paint. of us—and you—wondered if it would ever wear anything but white primer. The inspira tion for this project has been Norm Hill, who began sanding and priming the car at least two years ago, often working unthanked hours under the hot sun. Since it has been in the shops the reefer has been re-sanded, selected boards soaked with penetrating oil, re primed, sanded some more, primed some more, and sanded still more. Stalwarts on this task, which always seemed endless and sometimes hopeless, were Norm, Frank Stites and Ted Kornweibel, with assistance from Ken Faller, Duane Leal and Jack O’Lexey. Now for the real painting. Everything has been under the Supervision of master painter artist Jim Hewes, who is also a master chem ist when it comes to paint, surfaces, and the effects of the environment. Jim has been our straw-boss, consultant, and teacher in the paint department. June 13 was P-Day, as Jim led Steve Wade, Frank Stites and Ted Kornwei bel in professionally applying the first beautiful coat of FGEX yellow. The next day Steve started applying gloss black paint to hinges and grab irons. And thanks to hard working Museum Executive Director Kay Carter, who wasn't afraid to get dirty (I mean GRIMY!!!) on a job that nobody else wanted to do, one of the trucks has been nicely cleaned, using TSP and a toilet brush. Way to go, Kay! By the time you read this, we will be ready to apply the final coat of paint to our FGEX reefer. This may be your last chance to be able to say, "I helped restore that beauty." Call our Museum office to register your interest in painting. And speaking of that, once the body is painted, lettering will begin. We have a professional—one of the best in California—wh< will lead us in hand lettering the car. J you would like to apprentice under a mas r a learn railroad lettering as it was de .e 7 years ago, let our Museum office know yc r interest. Looking to the future e'r all anxious for the grand roll-out F< #56415. That accomplished, our ATSF .?O car comes into the barn for major restoration. Here's a partial "help wanted" list: 1. People to lovingly restore the wood letter bins and sorting tables; 2. Individuals to install new metal exterior window sills (already built); 3. Someone with professional wood-shop equipment and skill to build new wood windows and screens—yes, it had screens in the main windows; 4. People to remove rusted metal on the interior; 5. Someone with CAD skills who can do plans for new metal frames in the window openings so that we can have them profession ally fabricated; 6. A Sherlock Holmes-type to take our basic information on RPO cars and determine what interior appointments are missing—lamps, toilet, etc.—and find a source for purchase or donation; 7. Someone to follow up on leads for free mailbags; 8. Several persons willing to strip, sand and do painting. This isn't an exhaustive list, but it shows that we need at least fifteen new volunteers who will commit to making the RPO car "their" project and see it through to completion by November, 1994, the 75th anniversary of the San Diego & Arizona Railway. Please call our Museum office to register your interest in any of the above tasks. At this point we need workers more than money, although the latter is always appreciated! Hope to see you at Campo soon. Restoration meetings are the first Saturdays of every month, at noon, in the car-barn lunch room, with the exception of July, when there will be no meeting. 6 AROUND THE INTERPRETATION DEPARTMENT by Rich Dorstadt, Superintendent It has been a busy spring at our Museum with much activity in all areas of the Interpreta tion Department. EXHIBITS Several years of effort by those engaged in the restoration work on our caboose Collec tion have now brought them to a state where a cross section of examples in the evolution of that vehicle, particularly the western rail road caboose, is ready for public viewing. Their interiors present variations on a theme with respect to a lifestyle largely gone from today's rails. We are now looking at how best to make them available to our visitors through a meaningful exhibit experience beginning in the fall. If you have an inter- and/or some ideas on how this might be donp, contact at 447-3297 or bring your ideas to me at Campo or the Interpretation Depar rjient mor. L -i 7 business meeting on the lc..~t v-odnesday the month (next one is July 29) Caboose < >r view is ready for more than A. tart of . we want to explore the rc • of the c in Popular Culture. The pi ograph si; one manifestation of its pr' '• ince. Dr u have photos or know of u: -•.-'ue uses fo al cabooses or their image? Sh.t 'c them with > -ur Museum. A number of special displays and exhibits have been staged by our Museum in the first half of the year. We began shortly after the December Christmas Exhibit at Grossmont Center with an installation in a tent at the Americus Cup Village. Though plagued with periods of heavy wind, rain and resultant flooding, this joint venture with the San Diego Historical Society explored the city's transportation heritage with a look at Sails and Rails. We currently have a presentation window in the U.S. Grant Hotel on the C Street Side fronting the Trolley and are in preparation, as this is written, for short term exhibitions at the KCBQ Reunion Event in the Convention Center and a five-day-stint at the Del Mar Fair. LIVE INTERPRETATION September 12 will be the date for the Fall, Trainman/Guide-Course, Campo All-Day Work shop. It's a great opportunity to get into the formal training programs of our Museum and learn about Campo history and the opera tion of our Campo demonstration train and preservation facility. And, its an opportun ity for old hands in the organization to meet newcomers and bone up on the area's history and Museum plans. Contact Chief Trainman Mike Retz (466-8808) or the Superintendent to register for the session and get your advance materials. George Mock, son of SD&A construction fore- man/later Conductor Minor K. Mock stopped in at Campo one recent weekend. He has photo graphs from his father of early construction on the line and a wealth of stories he is sharing with us. Briefly, one of the latter involves the period when military units made trips into Mexico in attempts to capture Pancho Villa. Conductor Mock was approached by one of these units for transportation back to the states while his train was in Mexico. He let them board then charged them $17 a head for fare once the train hit the U.S. border. They paid in silver dollars. He could barely carry his bag off the train and into the depot to file his reports when he reached the end of his run. LA MESA DEPOT Good news! After a long hard search, we have found a new Director for the La Mesa Depot. He is Art Paget. Art has been volunteering his time for special mid-week tours at our 1894 facility, in addition to his regular stints as weekend Station Agent. He has developed several specialty scripts for imparting information to visitors about the telegraph, the display rolling stock, the early years of the community and the rail road's importance to it. These activities have demonstrated his dedication to the aims of our Museum and the involvement and educa tional outreach it attempts in the La Mesa community. This appointment, in combination with the oversight of Duane Dubke for securi ty aspects of the building, which Museum members restored in the early '80s to its 1915 appearance on its original site, means a period of increased activity at the Depot in concert with our partner in the mission there, the La Mesa Historical Society. EVENTS Another partnership with individuals and organizations in Campo again resulted in a successful Wild West Days celebration over the memorial Day weekend. Our ridership was up over 10% from the level for that weekend last year. Coors Brewing, Mountain Empire Health, the Campo Community Center, and the High School PTSA joined traditional sponsors of the event (including the Mountain Empire Historical Society, Antigue Gas Engine Asso ciation , and ourselves) to make it a weekend that attracted a wider range of attendees than ever before. June 13 we hosted 72 members of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum at Campo with special tours, train ride and a barbecue. It proved to be a wonderful day for those of shared railroading interests. EXCURSIONS The traditional spring ten-day Copper Canyon and Puerto Penasco one-day trips played to enthusiastic riders once again. A separate article elsewhere in this issue looks at what excursion plans are in the works for the 1992-93 season. MUSEUM LIBRARY Our Museum's Library in the Santa Fe Station downtown hosted the Congress of History on Saturday, June 20. This served to acquaint more of those individuals interested in the history of the area with the unigue research more next page Interpretation continued opportunities offered by our holdings and the facility we can now offer to access them. With cataloging of our book collection com pleted, we have discovered may duplicate copies, so we’re going to have a sale. SUR PLUS RAILROAD BOOKS, SEVERAL HUNDRED, WILL BE AVAILABLE ON A FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED BASIS, SATURDAYS, JULY 18 & 25, DURING REGULAR LIBRARY HOURS, 10 AM TO 4 PM. This is an excellent opportunity to fill in missing issues in private collections, and will help the library's always-inadequate finances. RESEARCH A new relationship with Mountain Empire School District has been forged this spring, thanks largely to the efforts of member David Richardson. You'll be hearing more about it as the activities planned for Fall begin to happen. Essentially, there is now a formal mechanism in place for partnering between the academic programs of the schools in Campo and our Museum. This makes possible student activities that range from projects to ap prenticeships and bode well for enhancing the educational opportunities of the students and the human resources of our Museum. MEDIA The new edition of our Museum Rolling Stock Roster is in process of review and editorial preparation for publication. This material, newly revised and updated by author and Museum rolling-stock-documentation specialist Bill Schneider, is also finding its way into our Museum's training and internal guides. There are three new SDRM Briefing Notes available on the origins, terminology and variations of the railway caboose. Contact the Superintendent or our Museum office if you are interested in picking up a copy. This retired caboose foui Restaurant in Alamagord parties and sits near th water tower in that soul know of other unique uses a he e at the Macdonald's It the site for kid's ain ne and stil1-standing 1 Nr Mexico city. Do you rc red cabooses? photo-r.borstadt The second edition o -tuc Guide for Student Appreciation Days h just come back from press. It is used by tea hers in the class room to prepare their students for the visit to our Campo Preservation and Operations Center and the demonstration train experi ence. If you are interested in helping with our Museum's in-school programs, please contact the Superintendent or the main office at 595-3030. SCANNER USE ON MY AMTRAK TRIP by Jack O'Lexey When I got on the train, I had a scanner. The Engineer and Conductor passed messages back and forth constantly, each signal color, and going on Track 1 or 2, and two calls to track crews; one time the engineer was asking permission to pass at track warrant speed. Later we heard a call from the dispatcher to slow our speed over the south switch of a yard coming up, and as we did, the track crew asked the engineer how it felt. After the engineer told him it seemed fine, he was told they were digging out a bog of mud under the switch. The engineer replied, "That's good". As a bonus, I could hear an electronic track side detector reporting the number of axles, train speed, length of the train, and "no defects"! After boarding the City of New Orleans in Chicago, I first had my meal, and then talked with the Conductor. He told me his radio was set on Channel 72, but did not know what frequency that was on my scanner. But later, back in the dome car, I met another train buff who was able to tell me what Channel 72's frequency was on my scanner. Coming into Houston, Texas, as the train was slowing down I heard a call from Tower 86 to the engineer. A set of switches would not operate from the Control Tower, and would have to be operated by hand. The tower said they would have to shut off the electrical power to the switch so the fireman could align them. Then the engineer was given permission to run through the red signal light and into the station. We left Houston late because of some loading in the baggage car. I was also able to hear conversations from freight trains in the area, waiting for our passing, or yard switchers. Locally I have heard Santa Fe, trains and work crews in the Mira Mar area working and calling San Diego Dispatch for permission to enter the main line, or clearance to go to the end of the next block to wait for an AMTRAK passenger train. STEAM WHISTLIN’ by Larry Williams The SDRM Boaftl of Trustees has accepted the offer from Fraser's Boiler Service of San Diego for the repairs to the boiler of loco motive SP #2353. Following the presentation of details by Larry Williams (project coordi nator from the Steam Team) at the May 2 6th meeting, the Board decided to proceed. Briefly summarized, the agreement calls for the boiler to be removed and transported to Frasers' shop in San Diego; the cost to be $50,000 with $10,000 cash down payment and Fraser's to finance the remaining with inter est. This balance to be paid off out of revenue generated by steam excursion rider ship at Campo. SDRM will provide the large superheater tubes and hot riveting as needed. SDRM members will be able to help with the boiler work too, while it is at Fraser's, in order to learn how and also to videotape the process for iturc aining. Any of you wish ing to be rt c this boiler crew should contact Ric d D: at 276-2222. The team p tc locomotive me boiler is <. ■•duh July, 1993. ft the boiler from the mid-July. The completed □ return to Campo before A sister to SP locomotive #2353, #2360 departs El Centro station westbound, with the first 363 train of 6 cars. The train will soon pull out onto the main line to San Diego, and then pick up a helper engine at Coyote Wells for the uphill climb through Carriso Gorge to the Titus siding. From photo collection of Carl Cummins In order fo. the '.omotive to be ready to pull the 7 5 ch Anniversary Train, the Steam Team restoration plan calls for the first fire (since 1957) to be built in the refur bished firebox about July 1994. Anyone who wishes to be a part of this very exciting final effort on the SP #2353 locomo tive should contact Larry Williams at 744- 4845 or come to Campo any Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday and join in. Many people are staying overnight in the bunk rooms. February 1994 Smokebox work completed/door installed March 1994 Install completed cab (estimated cost $1,500) Electrical wiring completed (estimated cost $950) April 1994 Finish all painting of locomotive RESTORATION TIMELINE TO HAVE LOCOMOTIVE SP #2353 READY FOR OPERATION BY NOVEMBER 1994 February 1992 Steam Locomotive Group accepts goal Museum Staff accepts goal Museum Board of Trustees accepts goal July 1992 Boiler off and sent to Shop (estimated refurbishment cost $50,000) Frame/running gear repairs begin (estimated cost $7,800) May 1994 Tender is completed and attached (estimated cost $1,450) June 1994 First Steam-Up of locomotive; Testing, Inspections, Certifications, Crew Training Estimated Total Cost of Restoration $90,350 10% Recommended Contingency Reserve _9,000 Grand Total $99,350 January 1993 Driving cylinders/valves repaired (estimated cost $10,650) July 1993 Boiler returns from shop, gets piping, wiring, lagging and jacket Locomotive/tender brake systems repaired (estimated cost $17,500) September 1993 Frame/running gear are ready for boiler 8580 Mellmanor Drive La Mesac CA 91942. SUPERINTENDENTS: Please mail articles for the Report directly to my house. Some articles previously mailed to our Museum office have experienced delays in getting to me, sometimes making it necessary for me to redo several pages to make room for them. My address is: October 1993 Boiler sets back on frame 9 Home of Museum Office and Library CLASSIC SANTA FE DEPOT - HUB OF REGIONAL RAILS by Bill Schneider Connoisseur and Researcher, Lorraine Sundberg, San Uieqo Magazine, April, 1972. ,IIC mailed re uepot was scholarly and aristicallydesigned and it stands on its own as perfect in every way. It is pure, with no idiosyncracies. Its graceful beauty leaves us with a sense of wonder. It has a restful beauty that counteracts visual pollution. It is as timeless as an Old Master." Diego Historical Society Photograph , ect N°te the palm trees parallel to the tracks, the flagman at the unprotected Broadway crossing. When the San Diego Railroad Museum office and its research library moved to the 77-year-old Santa Fe Depot at Broadway 4. Kettner Boulevard in downtown San Diego in mid-1991, it was a return to San Diego’s rail beginnings and its own past. It was also an appropriate focus on the future,as the historic depot is a terminus of the nation’s second-busiest rail corridor, the hub of San Diego County’s expanding light rail system, and in the center of the city’s revitalized downtown/harborfront area, giving the museum excellent public exposure. to 1915-16 Panama-California ?^°n celebrating the Panama Canal’s 1914 Roik e i°n,* wa3 similar to the Exposition’s 1 Oa-. bu^ldings (some now museums), but ess elaborate &. not in their advanced-baroque urrigueresque style. The new depot was the a eway for most Exposition visitors, who rode an a e trains to San Diego, and "Exposition Flyer trolley cars to Balboa Park. Historic Design The Santa Fe Depot is a beautiful example of the classic "Spanish Mission-Colonial Revival" style of architecture from the "Golden Age of Railroading". Built by the Atchison, Topeka, k Santa Fe Railway at a cost of $ 300,000 and opened March 7,1915, it replaced the Victorian style depot built by the California Southern Railway in 1887 to serve the city’s first rail link to the north and east, completed in 1885. six feet east of the old one far larger than needed. serve (and impress!) millions The new depot was bi*___ ui une old one and over twice as big, far larger than needed. It was built to serve 4--- 10 According to the August 1915 Santa Fe Magazine •••it was the aim of the architects to design a ??ution aS °ne th® Franciscan Fathers would have designed it had railway stations een uilt in his day". Quite an order! The depot architects were Arthur Brown,Jr. and •? nF.Bakewell of San Francisco, designers of i s City Hall. Bakewell also did Pasadena City all, and Brown the Stanford University Hoover rary. Tbe^r design revived the colonial-era Spanish Mission style, influenced by centuries or,Moorish (Arab/Berber) occupation of Spain. It s also called "Mission", "Spanish Colonial more next page Depot continued Revival", "Americanized Spanish Colonial", and Franciscan Pure". The depot has rennaissance, tuscan,& baroque architectural forms, a"quasi- Moorish effect", and "Arabesque" tiles giving •••the effect of a Turkish rug"! What a mix! The Middletown Addition property for the new depot was bought from local banker Louis Wilde for $ 25,000 cash May 18,1914. He purchased it eight years earlier for $ 8,000 - nice profit! The William Simpson Construction Company, (which also built Santa Fe ’ s Hemet, CA depot), had been awarded the contract March 24, 1914; broke ground May 28; and started work June 15. Work was "substantially completed" by December 31st, avoiding penalties, and ready for the opening of the Exposition January 1, 1915. Opening Postponed But the depot wasn’t opened. On July 28th the Santa Fe had peti* oned to close off B Street from Atlantic Av<- ue to Arctic Street (after 1921 named Paci ' c Cc Highway and Kettner Boulevard, for C ,gres- n William Kettner, a Democrat in the h vily publican six-county district until 19 , wh nought many military & naval bases to n Di ). The City Council denied the reques • in /. st, starting a major dispute. In Dece r, Chamber of Commerce proposed a pedest an s ay under the tracks if the city would lose Street. The Council agreed, provided he 3*. '.a Fe built a viaduct over the closed portion 'thin two years. The Santa Fe refused cn December 17th, and said it wouldn’t open the new depot until B Street was closed. In January 1915, the State Railway Commission ordered B Street closed, and final work and track changes were completed. The Santa Fe Depot is 650’ long and 106’ wide, including both the main passenger depot and the baggage and express building connected to its north end by arches. The depot is built of wood, bricks, tile &. cement on a steel frame. It has graceful, high, and wide arches, tuscan columns, baroque-style cornices, and a heavy masonry appearance. The roof is made of steel- supported wood with curved red "mission" tiles that darkened with age. Its twin terra-cotta towers are finished with zigzag-pattern glazed tiles bearing the Santa Fe emblem. Illuminated rooftop "Santa Fe" signs were added later. A covered 650’ x 27’ trackside arcade connects the passenger depot with the baggage & express building. They’re surrounded by 30,000 square feet of asphalt on a 5" concrete base. About 14,000 square feet of fired clay bricks, laid without mortar for long wear in a herringbone pattern, are interlaced throughout the grounds The lofty main waiting room with its arched redwood-beam ceiling is 170’ long x 55’ wide. It has five bays at each end and nine per side with small arched openable clerestory windows. The windows are double-hung with wood frames, except for the south wall’s metal-framed ones. There are sixteen bronze and glass chandeliers costing $ 200 each, with six Santa Fe crosses around the top of each one, and specially-cast light globes. The floor is made of fired hard clay tile, and the benches of solid oak. The depot has heavy iron steam-heat radiators. Tiled Walls The walls have a six-foot-high Moorish-style glazed-tile wainscoting in five colors, including different shades of blue, green, and yellow. They feature Santa Fe Railway’s cross in-circle- in-square emblem, with a frieze at the top of southwest Native American origin, which relates to the Santa Fe’s routes. It’s believed the tiles were designed by depot architect Arthur Brown. They were made by Walter Nordhoff, who moved here from Ensenada, Mexico in 1911 and operated the California China Products Company in National City. He also did much of the Exposition’s tilework. A five-foot wet-battery bi-facial clock with 3-1/2-foot hands that could be seen from both inside and outside the depot was installed on its south window on March 15,1915. Seven other electric clocks were placed around the depot. Facilities on the east(Kettner Boulevard) side of the waiting room had carved oak identifying signs, and included a "Stair Hall" leading to a second floor along the depot’s east side containing offices and Fred Harvey employee quarters; a "Vestibule" with eight-foot-high light green, brown-streaked Mexican onyx walls trimmed with marble & verde antique; a "Men’s Smoking Lounge" ("ladies" presumably did not smoke in those days!); and a "Women’s Waiting Room" , which extended to the south wall and had a well-furnished sitting room (where the SDRM’s main office is now located). Above the vestibule door was a 115" x 131" oil painting of the Grand Canyon, painted in 1910 by artist C. Robinson and then valued at $ 5,000. A newsstand, checkroom, novelty shop, and the ticket counters were on the west side of the waiting room in wood structures. Though later removed, their locations are revealed by the tiles in the floor. They had the same pattern of designs as the wainscoting. The solid brass ticket window gratings cost $ 1,000 each! •— LOOKING NORTH: The Santa Fe Depot under construction on September 1, 1914. At left is the old California Southern depot. more next page 11 I BILL SCHNEIDER’S PICTURE PAGE CLASSIC BEAUTY of the depot is seen in this view of one of its towers, the many details blending into one. The catenary wires for the San Diego Trolley's Old Town Line are in the foreground. Unsightly wires were one of the reasons most cities discontinued trolley service in the 1940s and 1950s. Photo-b. schneider EAST SIDE of depot shows the Kettner Blvd, taxi line and its second floor. The attached baggage/express building is at the right, with the SDRM Research Library inside the shallow arch. Photo-b.schneider as well as a are seen in o-b.schneider WEST SIDE windows, walls and wainscoting steam radiator and patterned floor tiles this waiting room view. Phot MOORISH TILEWORK for a western railroad was made by a National City firm. Designs at top are of Native American origin. Photo-b.schneider more next page 12 Depot continued Had Lunchroom A 41-seat opened March 17,1915 in a north end, separated from five now-closed arches behind counter. The depot had 17 telephones to Santa Fe’s private exchange, fl ones, and a basement at its north end. Fred Harvey-operated lunchroom was i low-roof area at the the waiting room by today’s ticket j connected five public The depot originally had a 70’x 100’arcade and mission-style patio on the south (Broadway) end of the building that served as a passenger waiting area and a trolley car loop terminal. Four large palm trees were planted along its west side. Its east side was used by Santa Fe Trailways motorcoaci es b -ginning in the late 1930s.After San Dictfo El .ric Railway trolley car service ended 1941 the patio was torn down in 1954, spoi ig t architectural lines of the depot, and

235 Report_May-June 1992

Publication

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

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