My thanks to the UP retiree working as a docent at the UP Museum in Council Bluffs. We had a great chat and while there are no actual rail relics in the form of engines or rolling stock, I did enjoy the museum. On my way out to the Lewis and Clark monument, I did notice some railcars in a yard but couldn't get close! If you want to see a great museum with actual engines, try the California Museum of Railroading in Old Sacramento. It is an actual old roundhouse/shed, so that locomotives that are there came in on the rails you can see in the floor. Most impressive is the narrow gauage display hanging from the ceiling... some engineering feat! A locomotive and tender, two cars and caboose all hanging from the roof! My docent said his name on this board is "mexitrain" so if any of you know him, please let him know I am onboard the site now and hoping we can correspond! And you can always come visit me for a personalized trip to the world famous Tehachapi Loop!
Hi pnance26, thanks for joining us, we're happy that you're on board, also many thanks to mexitrain for giving you directions....:happy:
Welcome aboard, pnance26. I share your enthusiasm about the California State RR Museum. The Railfairs that they hosted in 1981, 1991 and 1999 were fantastic events. :happy:
That's a great story! Glad to have you along - some time back I got the chance to visit Tehachapi while a "guest" of the National Training Center, it's a great spot to see.
Speaking of docents . . . pnance26, I'm looking for a possible docent to help me with the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. I'm researching the Whitcomb Locomotive history and the mother load of Whitcomb records are stored at the CSRM: http://www.csrmf.org/library-and-collections/library-collections/manuscripts-collections If you could possibly help, please contact me. Steve
Sorry Steve but I only visited there in the early summer... I live near the Loop about 350 miles away. Sorry I don't know anyone there at the museum...
Well thanks any ways. I've asked the librarian at the CSRM if she could help me, but she said its too much material for her to review. They don't have the man-hours to digitize boxes of documents. I left a message for the board of directors of the CSRM that we in Rochelle would like to pursue returning the Whitcomb documents back to Rochelle. They have ignored my appeal. No response. Steve
