MARCH 2015
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 1
TRAIN ORDERS by Morris Gould, Executive Director
NEW RAILROAD STATION CLOCK The Museum now has a genuine railroad station, pendulum-actuated clock, courtesy of ________. The group had a meeting in Galveston recently and I met some of the folks who, after learning I was Executive Director of the Railroad Museum, informed me that the clock was available. They brought it in on 22 November and it was immediately hung in the rear ticket office. At the same time, the group removed a non-working clock (that may or may not be a reproduction, weĘźll see) and took it to be repaired. So the next time you visit the Museum, come by the rear ticket office and take a look at a fine clock specimen.
ENGINE CONTROL STAND DISPLAY When the Texas Limited engines had to be scrapped because of the excessive salt water-caused damage after Hurricane Ike始s flooding, the engineman始s seat and control stand were salvaged. When they came out of the engine they were essentially rusty junk. Curator Ellen Ferrill designed a new exhibit featuring these items. Calvin Wehrle, the Museum始s go-to guy when it comes to fixing things, took the control stand home, cleaned it, painted the parts apple green, and constructed a platform for the pieces to be mounted on. The result is a very nice display so visitors to the Museum can see how the controls looked. This control stand is situated in the display cars. Calvin donated his time to prepare the parts for exhibition, for which the Museum is very grateful.
Calvin Wehrle standing by the bed of his pick up truck bed with part of the control stand.
The other part of the control stand.
View of the entire unit in Calvin始s truck.
The completed control stand display from the side
The control stand from the front.
THE GOOD NEWS DEPARTMENT By Don Harper, Board Member SOUTHERN PACIFIC BOX CAR RESTORATION
SP 43828 as it appeared in 1996 Calvin Wehrle has made great progress in restoring the MuseumĘźs 1917-vintage wooden box car. The exterior has been resheathed. Calvin found, when restoring the DRGW box car, that the wood wasnĘźt cured enough and the joints are tending to pull apart. With this restoration, he allowed the wood to dry, and, to create tighter joints between boards, cut bevels in the boards where they meet.
because there was so much wood in it.
SP box car 34828 in November 2014. Calvin did not replace the wood in the B end, but rather left it as it was, dinged and dented from use. The vertical steel bracing seen on both ends is worn rail drilled and bolted to the ends. I#34828 is a 40-foot 7-inch long, 40-ton capacity box car. The frame is steel, strengthened with truss rods (one of two cars with truss rods in the collection).. This type of car, built during World War I, was known as a "steel saver"
B end of SP 34828 In 1943, this car was one of 74 in the number series 34700 - 35477 still in use that were 7" longer than the standard 40-foot box car, and thus had a 3040 cubic foot capacity rather than 2996 cubic feet.
The A end of SP 34828. The small door in the A end, shown above, is called a lumber door. It was used for loading lumber, piece by piece, in the days before forklifts. #34828 was donated to the Museum by W. T. Mitchell a former employee of the Southern Pacific. Joe Bailey, who restored all the cars before the Museum opened, wrote that the car was intact when donated, but in being shipped from Oregon to Galveston, then to his farm in Simonton for overhaul, the framework gave way and the car had to be disassembled and reconstructed. Bailey noted that this car was totally intact and he did not have to hunt for any parts to reconstruct it. NEW EXHIBITS INSTALLED IN THE DISPLAY CARS Curator Ellen Ferrill continues to repair exhibits damaged by the Hurricane Ike flood in 2008, and to add new exhibits in the four display cars, formerly baggage cars for he Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. Members and visitors to the Museum will be impressed with the excellent job she has done. In the right column are two examples of displays she has created.
Another interesting exhibit that has been prepared is the kitchen set up in the Southern dining car. Trays, plates, and serving utensils have been arranged as they might have appeared when the dining car was in service. The scene may be viewed by walking to the east end of the car. The Southern dining car saw service on New York to New Orleans, Cincinnati to Jacksonville, and Washington to Memphis trains from 1949 until 1975, when it suffered a kitchen fire.
In the second project, funds would be used to purchase a vacant lot on Harborside Drive, situated between two lots the Museum already owns. A RV parking lot would be constructed on the combined space. In the photo below, the red arrow indicates the property already owned by the Museum. The fenced in lot next to it is for sale, and the one to the right of the fenced lot is owned by the Museum.
View of proposed RV parking site on Harborside Drive. Kitchen in the Southern dining car. GRANTS ACTIVITES The Museum continues to submit grants to philanthropic organizations to help fund its restoration and fund-generating activities. A proposal has been submitted to the Moody Foundation, Galveston, requesting funds to purchase two parcels of land. The first parcel, across the street from the Museum, was formerly a radiator repair shop. It would be used to expand the Museumʼs parking lot on the corner of th 25 and Santa Fe Place. .
View of proposed parking addition on Santa Fe Place.
A proposal has been sent to the Trains Magazineʼs annual competition. We requested $10,000 to be used to assist in the restoration of the CB&Q caboose. If funded, it would be added to the $10,000 already awarded by the Herzstein Foundation, Houston. A proposal has been submitted to the Bromberg Foundation, Galveston. We requested $25,000 to be used for two projects. The first is to purchase sets of audio tour equipment – headphones and the digital information storage units that accompany the headphones, and having a professional record the information into the storage units - that will allow us to provide audio tours of the Museum. The second is to purchase a video security camera and monitoring system to provide surveillance of the displays in the theater building.
MEMBERSHIPS AND VISITORS In 2014, the Museum had a total of ___ members,___ of them new members. A reminder that the membership forms for 2015 went out in the last newsletter. We look forward to seeing all our members this year. Also in 2014, a total of ____ persons, young and young at heart, visited the Museum. As usual, the majority of our visitors came from Texas and nearby states, but we had our share of folks from around the U.S. and from other countries. Having cruise ships docked almost across from
the Museum certainly doesnĘźt hurt attendance. Marketing Director Lauren Llanes has advertised the Museum and its activities (Pullman Parties, birthday parties, wedding/reception venue, Boy Scout Railroad Merit Badge venue, etc.) far and wide and the effort is paying off. WELCOME ABOARD New members of the Railroad Museum
VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
The lifeblood of any non-profit organization is the volunteers who give their time and money simply because they love what the organization stands for. There are many great volunteer positions available for YOU at the Galveston Railroad. Check out the types of jobs listed below and see which ones interest you! Archives Volunteer: Assist Ellen Ferrill with cataloguing and care of materials located in the MuseumĘźs archives. Create new displays for artifacts. Some prior experience helpful. Times needed: weekdays and weekends. Docent: Assist Eric Bowen to conduct guided tours of the Museum grounds and watch over Museum displays. A oneday training session to familiarize the docent with railroad history and the Museum equipment and grounds is required prior to beginning tours. Times needed: weekdays and weekends. Education Volunteer: Assist in presenting educational material to merit badge classes, Pullman Parties, and school groups. Should enjoy interacting with children ages 4 through 17. A one-day training session to familiarize the volunteer with railroad history and the Museum grounds and equipment is required. Availability year around is a plus. Grounds Volunteer: Assist the groundskeeper with cutting grass, and planting, watering and weeding flowers, and picking up trash and leaves. On the job training is available if needed. Times needed: flexible to fit your schedule. Publicity Volunteer: Generate publicity notices for local newspapers and provide copy to same. Assist in keeping the MuseumĘźs mailing list for special events and newsletter mailings up to date. Assist in preparing and mailing newsletters. Times needed: flexible to fit your schedule. Model Railroad Volunteer: Assist Stephen Duncan and Joseph Maytum to keep the model railroad display in Theater 4 running by cleaning tracks, engine and railcar wheels, replacing worn out parts, and keeping structures on the layout clean. Also act as a docent and answer questions from visitors while working on the layout. Times needed: flexible to fit your schedule. Rolling Stock Maintenance Volunteer: Assist in restoration, conservation and maintenance of rail cars and engines. Includes painting, woodworking, and upholstering, as well as metal, mechanical, and electrical work. Should have suitable work clothes and work shoes. Safety equipment can be provided. Times needed: weekends and weekdays. Way and Track Volunteer: Assist Scott LaPointe in railway track maintenance and in keeping the Museum yard and right of way clear of weeds and grass. Should enjoy heavy work. Should have suitable work clothes and work boots. Safety equipment can be provided. Times needed: weekends and weekdays. Conductor. Assist Bruce & Glenda Hehemann with passenger control during rides on Saturdays. Must be able to repeatedly climb on and off the engine or caboose. Special Events Volunteer: Assist the Museum staff during events such as the annual train show, Hobo Night, the Santa Train, Mardi Gras, and other such events. Volunteers need only to enjoy interacting with
Board of Directors Steve Barkley Dr. John Bertini, Chairman Tommy Blackburn Dr. Stephen Duncan Dr. Don Harper, Secretary Patrick Henry
Advisory Board Joseph Maytum Vic Pierson Doug Poole George Williamson, Vice Chair Kenneth Zimmern, Treasurer
Joe Adams Pete Messina Greg Smith Bobby Theriot Toby Thoresen Sandi Cobb Villeneuve Jon von Briesen Dr. John Worsham
Galveston Island Railroad Museum & Terminal 2602 Santa Fe Place Galveston, TX 77550
Bulk mailing permit
409-765-5700 galvrrmuseum@sbcglobal.net www.galvestonrrmuseum.com
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