2008
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2008
Home Back to Late Breaking News
Click here for Lenny's Obituary http://www.mem.com/Story.aspx?ID=2773896
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The Travel Log to Kauai can now be seen - Go to Travel Logs
New MLS system maps are now posted.
Lenny Rossow (1/11/33 - 12/25/08 )
Information for Lenny's viewing / funeral.
Viewing to be held Tuesday, 12/30. Time 6:00-8:00 pm.
Green Acres Glendale Mortuary
5830 W Missouri Ave
Glendale, AZ 85301
(623) 939-8321
Funeral to be held Wednesday, 12/31. Time 9:00 am
Alleluia Lutheran Church
8444 W Encanto Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85037
(623) 849-4327
Interment will be at 11am at the National Memorial Cemetery 23029 N. Cave Creek Road
Just to update everyone. Stephanie called me. Lenny took a turn for the worse this morning and passed away this afternoon. Information for services will be updated later as we find out.
Jim
Stephanie called me this morning. Lenny made it through the night. They don't have an update beyond that though. They are waiting on lab results. I will update you as I get them.
Jim
Guys,
Betty Moore just called me. She asked me to send an email out and ask everyone to pray for Lenny. A new drug they gave him has interacted with his chemo drug and thickened his blood. His family took him to the ER tonight. It sounds like it's touch and go right now as to whether he'll make it through the night. I asked Betty to keep me updated. I'll pass along any info I get.
Jim
December 8
December 5
Mary P. Neubauer
Professor, Sculpture Dept.
School of Art, Box 1505
Herberger College of Art
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-1505
Phone - 480-965-7047
FAX - 480-965-8338 (Attn. M Neubauer)
Mary.Neubauer@asu.edu
December 1
The December Stack Talk is now posted click here to view it
November 25
Attention all Steamers...An Urgent Request
From: Mary Neubauer [mailto:MARY.Neubauer@asu.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:52 PM
To: webmaster@maricopalivesteamers.com
Subject: concerning mls website
To the Maricopa Live Steamers:
Our University Sculpture Department is presenting an exhibition in Downtown Phoenix on Friday December 5, at 1st Studio, 631 N 1st Avenue from 6-10 pm. The theme of the exhibition is “Steampunk” and the artwork in the show celebrates a fantasy future of steam-striven apparatus for a hi-tech time that never came to be.
We have received permission from the gallery to present examples of actual steam engines outside the gallery, and I was wondering if you could forward this message to any Phoenix area steam enthusiasts who might be interested in running small steam engines for this exhibition. I really think it would be good for our students to see how they really work, and would lend a real historical touch to the exhibition.
(As for myself: my father was a steam mechanic his whole life. He worked for Great Western Sugar Company, which had one of the last remaining working steam dinkies. I rode it all the time as a kid. Crowds came to see it up in Colorado in later years. But there were steam engines of all kinds running the sugar refineries. When I grew up, I visited many of the steam engine sites in the UK! I come by my interest in steam honestly, but for my students it is truly an unfamiliar technology!)
Thank you so much,
Mary Neubauer
Mary P. Neubauer
Professor-Sculpture
School of Art, Box 1505
Katherine K. Herberger College of the Arts
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-1505
mary.neubauer@asu.edu
November 22
Subject: 4403:Repaired
Team Thanks to Lenny Rossow, Dan Borders and Mike DeMars Loco 4403 is back up and running for Sunday. The front axle on the rear truck broke a weld. It has been keyed and collared. We also added a hydraulic tank filler neck. 4402, 4403 and 7282 riding cars have been equipped with a clevis pin to release the riding car in case of a rear truck derail allowing the rerailer to be used. Hank |
November 22
"November 22 - Founder of Train Mountain, Quentin Breen, has passed away. Per a press release issued a memorial service will be held in the spring. MLS sends its condolences to Sharon, Greg and the Train Mountain Family."
Train Mountain
Railroad Museum
36941 S. Chiloquin Rd.
Chiloquin, OR 97624 Phone: (541) 783-3030
Fax: (541) 783-2013
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Train Mountain Railroad Museum
Press Release
Please see attached statement from Sharon and Greg; please keep them in your prayers and allow the family the privacy that is required at this time of sadness.
To our valued Members,
Greg Petersen and I, Sharon Breen are letting you officially know of Quentin’s passing at 2:30
A.M. this Friday morning November 21, 2008.
We are sorry to have not notified you sooner, but we were making arrangements today.
I admitted Quentin to the emergency room on this Wednesday noon, just to have him checked
out as he wasn’t feeling well, and had some new achiness in his chest.
After admission to the hospital, Quentin requested Greg’s presence on Wednesday afternoon,
and Greg,Mrya and their son came quickly. He felt much better yesterday, and told Greg and
Myra that they should go back home. However, and fortunately, they stayed. Suddenly, early
this A.M., he went into respiratory distress, and then respiratory failure. Thankfully, his
suffering was very brief.
As per Quentin’s request, there will be a private family burial out of town. He specifically
requested a memorial service to be held at Train Mountain later. The details are still being
arranged but it will be in the spring. You will all be notified of the event.
As the Vice Presidents of Train Mountain, Greg and I wish to assure you that we are each
committed to our valuable members, to Train Mountain itself, and to the future enjoyment of
this great hobby on Quentin’s superb creation.
We will send you more information soon.
If you would like to send anything, (please no flowers), send to the Train Mountain address:
36941 S. Chiloquin Rd.
Chiloquin, OR 97624
With gratitude,
Greg & Sharon
November 22
November 8
November 4
Subject: RE: STOLEN TRAIN/TRAILER
Hi Everybody
I recovered my train and trailer Monday evening, thank you for posting it on the website
Roger Frymire
November 2
brought to you by
EXTREME TRAINS, hosted by real-life train conductor Matt Bown, reveals the incredible inner workings and past lives of the amazing locomotives that haul huge loads across the nation and deliver passengers to their destinations. The series shows the huge part these trains have played in shaping American history--and how vital trains are to American life today.
Coal Trains
Premieres Tuesday, November 11 at 10pm ET/9C on the History Channel
In the premiere episode, Matt joins the coal train hauling a priceless cargo of coal through Pennsylvania from mine to power plant. Getting the train, which weighs 1,400 tons when full, over the Allegheny mountains can be quite a challenge. Matt pitches in with the crew as they load up the train and learns how the Nazis tried to blow the tracks during World War II.
November 1
Attention All Railroad Enthusiast!
The 2009 Operations Meet is January 14-18 2009
October 29
Subject: STOLEN TRAIN/TRAILER
HI
MY 12’ WHITE PACE CARGO SPORT TRAILER WITH TRAIN INSIDE WAS STOLEN TUESDAY MORNING IN BAKERSFIELD, CA. YOU CAN SEE TRAIN AND VIDEO AT www.bittercreekwesternrr.org
Please add to your website, I am offering a reward for return of the train
Thank you
Roger Frymire
661-205-4296
The railcars pictured above were stolen early this morning from the Bakersfield area. The locomotive was not stolen. The seven cars plus caboose were in a 12' white Pace cargo sport trailer with Union Pacific logos on the sides and the Bitter Creek Western and Kern County Live Steamers logos on the rear. If you can help in any way, please contact the Roger Frymire
661-205-4296. Here's a video clip (.wmv) of the train video (11mb, see each car closely) provided by Mike Massee. Thanks.
October 24
The November Stack Talk is now posted click here to view it
October 23
Vote for the new board of directors - -Click here for your ballot
October 16
HELP!
we need some volunteers to erect sign posts on Saterday10-25-08 from 7am till ?.
We need to put up all of the signs we have in the clubhouse. We also need some cement, if someone wants to donate several bags. We will be using the tractor and a new power auger to do the holes.
See Bill Myers
October 10
Another Reminder - - On Military Day wear your Red MLS Shirt.
October 10
Red Shirts are in See Betty Moore for yours!
October 10
Reminder December Meeting is canceled!
September 30
A reminder that if you are out at the park late, please remember to close and lock the gate after yourself when you leave.
This reminder is being sent to the other clubs too.
September 30
The October Stack Talk is now posted click here to view it
September 30
An update on the passenger cars that were auctioned August 9th
These Cars were donated by Pete Winchester the proceedes to be used by the club for the new transfer table.
A live floor auction was held at the August meeting. Bill Unglaube took home the cars and the winning bid of $1750.00 will be put towards the new transfer table.
Thanks to Pete for his generous donation and congratulations to Bill.
September 23 .......Important!!!!
Members of Sahuaro Central be aware that the elections for SC have been moved to Oct 4th at noon.
September 17
It's Election time click here to get to the nomination page that you can print out and send to Bud Waterworth.
September 14
Subject: introducing Michael James Hernandez
Michael James Hernandez born Wednesday, September 10th at 5:27 PM Michael weighed in at 6 pounds 14 ounces and measured 20.25 inches
~Heather, Robert, and Michael
August 31
The September Stack Talk is now posted click here to view it
August 29
From: Bob & Nancy Martin
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 7:55 PM
To: Jim Manley - MLS
Subject: Gratitude
To the Board, Officers and Members of Maricopa Live Steamers,
Thank you for your help in my retirement from live steaming, in particular Bob
Alkire, Bob Douglas and
Bill Pardee. Your help in my time of need will long be remembered, and I hope
you can help other
members in the same type of situation in the future.
Sincerely,
Bob Martin
August 24
From the feedback I received about the
Christmas Lights Nights, it seems most folks
wanted to do Friday and Saturday nights. Cliff and Perry and their families have
volunteered to run Thursday night as well! If you would like to help out
Thursday night
as well please let them know. If you can help on Friday or Saturday evening
please let
me know. Let's make this a memorable experience for our and AMRS' guests.
Thanks,
Jim
August 14
The cub scouts will be here on Sep 6 from 8 to noon.
WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!!!
last year we gave over 400 rides in the 4 hours. We will need all the riding
cars and motive
power that we can find
Any questions Call Jim Brown 623-694-1061
August 4
The August Stack Talk is now posted click here to view it
August 4
Fire Ban Lifted
The fire ban posted on May 12th has been lifted as of Aug 1st click
here for Details, http://www.maricopa.gov/pr_detail.aspx?releaseID=897.
Remember folks to maintain your vigilance against accidental fires since we still have dry brush.
July 31
Fall meet Schedule is now posted
July 31
Volunteers needed !
This is an URGENT request for volunteers to help us get ready for the fall runs.
We need people to rake up weeds, I
need a crew of 3 or 4 to go around and “plant” all the new signs we have had
made. We need people to paint the station and the railing around it. I will need
a crew of a couple younger people to pick up rocks so we can finish the
approaches to the bridges. -
Thanks Bill Myers
July 16
Fall Meet sign up form is now active -- -Fall meet info page coming soon
July 15
New Sunday Run Schedule is posted - We need you to help fill in the blank spots - Including Maintenance
Click here to see the schedule
July 14
Auction August 9 2008
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These cars will be auctioned at the August meeting The cars may be viewed prior to auction by contacting
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June 15
A friendly reminder ;
that we need to help contain cost at the club. If you are out at the park running at night (which is great) please remember to turn off the lights that are not in use. The other night some board members stopped by the park close to midnight and found the club house, patio, switch barn, and station lights all on. Please turn off the lights in the areas that you are not using at that time.
For safety remember to carry a flashlight!
June 1
The June issue of Stack Talk is now available in our Stack Talk Library
A note from Jim Manley
reprint from June 2008 Stack Talk
I just
got back from vacation in the Los Angeles
area. I forgot that the Los Angeles Live Steamers
had their spring meet the same weekend I
was there so it was a pleasant surprise to show
up there and get to visit with Bill Unglaube! I
also met several LALS members. New to LALS
is Ollie Johnston’s 1/4 scale Train Depot. Ollie
Johnston was one of Walt’s “Nine Old Men”;
Walt Disney’s core animation team. The bright
yellow little building really stands out amongst
the greens and browns of the surrounding flora.
Visiting Walt’s Barn is always on the list. Walt
was a superb story teller, no doubt. He was also
a rail fan. To ride the trains at Disneyland, you
can tell it was something that tugged at his heart
much like it does for all of us. Now if I could
only scrape together the funds to buy one hundred
and sixty acres and put a train around the
outside of it.
And there’s the beauty of it… we don’t have to.
With the countless hours put in by volunteers
over the years we have our own “magical” park.
If you don’t believe me, watch on Sundays when
it is too hot to breathe the number of people who
show up and want a train ride. The same nostalgia
that makes people want to ride the trains at
Disneyland makes people want to ride our trains.
We don’t have the scenery that Disneyland has and
yet people return visit after visit. There’s a nostalgic
peacefulness about riding trains that calms the spirit.
In a society where the microwave doesn’t cook fast
enough anymore, isn’t it nice to be stewards for a time
when things weren’t so busy and folks enjoyed looking
out the window to see what was going to go by.
We, rail fans, have an extraordinary task to keep railroading
alive. Just remember that as you carry the
torch on at breakneck speeds to ride the trains and
calm your spirit.
Amtrak: Wheel of Fortune Celebrates National Train Day
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Wheel of Fortune Celebrates National Train Day
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May 5 -- Attention
May 3 -- Thanks to all Volunteers for your great support and hard work which made a great day for our visiting guests. Each one of them will take home a great Experience at Maricopa Live Steamers!
May 1
The May issue of Stack Talk is now available in our Stack Talk Library
April 19 -- Thanks to the club members who
helped paint the containers last week, Friday, April 11th. Jerry Smolyk,
who headed up the paint party had this to say,
"I would like to thank everyone who turned up Friday morning to help paint all
the new containers. In all we had 16 members [ 14 men and 2 ladies] show up all
prepared to go to work. Everyone was asking "What can we do?" Well everyone did
something, scraping rust or loose paint, removing peeling decals, brushing off
dirt, manning the spray guns and the support people that kept the paint coming,
mixing it and helping move the spray equipment around, dragging hoses and cords,
moving the power generator and cleaning up. Ladies and gentlemen you should be
proud of your efforts. Can you believe you all participated in preparing and
painting 14 [ yes that's right FOURTEEN!!!!! ] containers or trailers AND
repainted FOUR previously painted containers! Thanks also to Pete Pennarts, Bob
Alkire and Dan Tack for supplying the paint spraying equipment. That was a
TERRIFIC TEAM EFFORT and I was glad to be a part of the team. Sincere THANK YOU
to you all !!! Job WELL DONE !!!! I may be a little biased but I think the
WEST END of CONTAINER ROW looks Pretty Darn Good!!!! Going back to Canada
:( See you in the fall. Regards, Jerry Smolyk"
For those of you who had a container painted, the club is asking for donations to cover the costs of the paint. For those that didn't have a container painted but would like to donate towards the cost of painting the club containers, that will be accepted gladly as well.
The positions of Stack Talk Editor and Webmaster have been filled. Please thank Jim Ashcraft and Bob Waterworth for taking on these roles and helping the club to continue forward. A really big Thank You to Charlie Downs who handled both of these jobs for almost four and a half years.
A little humor for today... Jerry Smolyk got a new handcar to play with. Jim Brown and Jim Manley got the crazy idea to paint the handcar like a Via Rail F40PH so Jerry could pull his passenger cars with some "realism" instead of his F-7 Zebra. The only problem is Jerry didn't have a "baggage" car so they built him one. Below are the pictures from the delivery day.
A new Stack Talk editor is needed. Charlie Downs has resigned as editor but can help turn the reigns over to a willing volunteer. Please let Jim Manley know if you would like to take on this very important job.
First I want to thank Jerry Moore for the good job he did on welcoming and registering our guests on Thursday. By the time I started on Friday he had already signed in 22 people.
We had 95 out of state visitors which is the most we have ever had. Our last three meets had 72, 75 and 72 out of state visitors. Our guests this year came from 14 states plus Birsay and Edmonton, Canada. What a great group.
The attendance break down was:
Birsay, Canada 4
Edmonton, Canada 3
California 31
Colorado 1
Illinois 2
Michigan 2
Minnesota 5
Nebraska 2
Nevada 19
New Mexico 6
Oklahoma 1
Oregon 1
Pennsylvania 2
Tennessee 2
Texas 12
Virginia 2
It was such a pleasure for us to have all these guests come and run on our railroad. We all hope that everyone had such a good time that they will return for future meets.
On behalf of Sahuaro Central I want to thank Maricopa Live Steamers for their support of the Swap Meet Train Rides on Saturday, March 15, 2008. Our passengers were treated to a ride from Adobe City to Pottsville with a 10 minute layover at Pottsville and then a return trip back to Adobe City. At Pottsville the passengers visited the Sahuaro Central Museum and the operating 'G' gauge train layout. The visit at Pottsville was nicely facilitated by Jerry Oyler and Mike Russell.
Based on the number of train trips we estimate that we gave rides to 475 people. This was quite an increase over the 140 passengers for the 2007 Spring Swap Meet and the 176 passengers for the 2007 Fall Swap Meet. For most of the time we were operating all three of the club locomotives. There were no derailments in the Pottsville Yard. Kudos to the track crew and the rolling stock maintenance crew.
I want to express particular thanks to Bud Waterworth. He served as Station Master for the whole time and did a great job in keeping everything moving smoothly. I also want to thank all the volunteers who kept the trains running and the passengers smiling. The rest of the volunteer crew consisted of: John Caldwell, John Draftz, Greg Gorman, Wade Gorman, Denise Kennedy, John Lovely, Bob Waterworth, Ed Willekens, Fred Wilson and Ken Bain. Denise Kennedy with her smile and conductors' uniform added a nice touch of class.
It was a pleasure to hear the comments from several of our passengers. Not only were they complementary about the ride but they were very impressed with the whole Adobe Western Railroad. Several mentioned how much they enjoyed seeing all the train action and a couple said that this was the first time they had seen live steam locomotives in action on our tracks. In the final analysis I am sure that everyone involved felt they had a satisfying experience.
Thanks Maricopa Live Steamers!
We have also sorted through the hundreds of photos Moe McKiernan took of the Fall Meet, and have posted his best here
And we have Perry McCully's Fall Meet Photos for your consideration. Take a look.
March 6 -- Orange County Model Engineers Inc., home of the Mackerel Flats & Goat Hill Junction Railroad, will celebrate its 2008 Spring Meet April 24th through the 27th. The club is located in a Costa Mesa city park in Orange County, Calif. A map depicting the location can be viewed at the club's web page, www.ocmetrains.org.
Space for RV's and tenters is available on-site for four nights (Thursday through Sunday). No hookups are provided. Water and bathroom facilities (no hot water or showers) are available. No open fires permitted. Early arrival date is the Thursday of the meet. The park is not open for camping before then. Departure required by noon Monday.
OCME is a 380-mile one-way trip from MLS (seven-hour driving-time trip for a vehicle towing a trailer and obeying the speed limits - no fueling or eating time included). Our usual fueling stop is Quartzite each way. For a trip starting in Arizona, we think that buying fuel in Arizona (at Quartzite) would be good (cheapest). It is 265 miles from Quartzite to Costa Mesa, so at least one California fuel stop seems mandatory.
Bill Laird has decided to sell his RMI 65-ton "A" and "B" diesels. Complete information is available on our Want Ads page.
January 23 -- There is a log book in the clubhouse to sign when working volunteer hours. This will allow us to recognize individuals for all the hard work done at the end of the year. Please enter your name, date and the hours worked.
Remember
to watch Wheel of Fortune Monday, May 5 when America's Game celebrates
National Train Day. The episode will feature on-air segments with Pat and
Vanna and a wedge on the famous Wheel with fantastic getaways from Amtrak
Vacations. An eye-catching Wheel of Fortune-wrapped train will also be
traveling between Chicago and Milwaukee through May 15 to spread the word
about National Train Day. Check your local listing for times, then tune in
to Wheel, play along and catch all the National Train Day fun.The First-Ever National Train Day Arrives May 10
