To Shiny Rails

The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum recently posted a historical document that attempts to track all the folks who have worked for railroads in the area since railroads were a thing. You can imagine the undertaking to put this data together! And I’m quite proud to say that I’m included in this “People Tracker” having worked for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad as Conductor and Trainmaster. I also served as Director, Business Administrator, and Webmaster. This was mainly 2009-2017, but I was involved with SMVRR and its related Friends organization starting in 2006 when Coast Belle Rail Corp bought the railroad from the Hancock descendants; see the Change of Ownership event. [Update: I continued web mastering for both the railroad and Friends through 2021.]

On November 30, 2018, the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush, passed away at the age of 94. Among the many ceremonies and events accompanying the memorials for President Bush will be the train carrying his body to its final resting place at College Station, TX. The train will be lead by Union Pacific’s No. 4141, a locomotive honoring President Bush painted in the colors of the Air Force One he used. As far as we know, this is the only locomotive on the rails that was ever driven by its namesake and a former U.S. President (for about 2 miles during its unveiling ceremony on October 18, 2005 near the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the Texas A&M University campus). Here are some photos of 4141 when it came through San Luis Obispo in September of 2008 as part of a freight power consist. A few of these photos also show what the freight house and display track looked like at the time.

https://slorrm.com/181130-UPRR-4141.html

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