To Shiny Rails

My 4th Parlor Car Chat, this time on Railroad Chapel Cars. The recorded video can be accessed from here.

This was our 3rd Parlor Car Chat. Nearly 50 people attended. Details with link to the video recording: https://slorrm.com/parlor-car-chats.html#200606

I did a second Parlor Car Chat today for the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. This one was about our trip to the 150th Golden Spike Anniversary held at Promontory Summit.

Details and recording of the presentation

A few of us are starting a new program at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. We’re calling it Parlor Car Chats. Kinda like fireside chats, these are virtual (online) get-togethers where a presenter has a favorite topic to talk about and maybe show photos/graphics/etc., railroad-related, of course, and folks can join from anywhere. The first one is scheduled for May 16th at 10am PDT. I’m the presenter and will be doing a virtual travelogue on the track segment from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara, CA. The next one I’ll offer on May 30th at 10am PDT will be about the 150th Golden Spike anniversary.

Parlor Car Chat details.

The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum recently posted a historical document that attempts to track all the folks who have worked for railroads in the area since railroads were a thing.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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