A number of track improvements were completed in time for the May 13 steaming day. The high line transfer table rebuild has been completed. A new transfer table track, which is much stronger and wider than the old one, was laid and should provide years of trouble free service. Thanks to Tom Stewart, Harry Savile and Rick Intini for a great job on laying the track and modifying the transfer table to fit the new track. Three new 7-1/4" steaming bays have been installed with two more bays to be installed. The new 7-1/4" passenger platform, opposite the existing high line station, has been completed. A special thanks to Bill Lee for donating his old decking that was used to construct the platform with no cost to the club. The spectator safety fencing has been started. The support posts have been put in the ground and a number of the steel fence posts with welded eyes for the rope have been completed. Wooden posts will be used for the remainder until the steel ones are completed.

             A group of members interested in large-scale equipment met on Sunday, after working at the track, to rescue some railroad artifacts from Mother Nature. The "Scrounger", "Mechanic", "Scribe" and the "Magnificent One" all helped to retrieve a number of 24" wheel sets which will become 15" trucks for riding cars. It's better to retrieve this equipment so that it can be recycled and reused than to let it rust and decay to nothing. Retrieving the artifacts went smoothly until the cart being used to carry the items suffered suspension damage in a gopher hole. It then became a struggle to carry the items by hand. This large scale stuff sure is heavy! All items were successfully recovered with nothing worse than a few sore muscles the next day.

             Bob McDowall's 3-1/2" Pacific was the first to take to the track for the 2001 season. Also running was Cliff Bartlett's 4-3/4" Speedy and Tom Stewart's 4-3/4" Pacific. Harry Savile had his 7-1/4" Consolidation on hand but due to a boiler leak was unable to run and Linc Johnson had his almost completed 7-1/4" Diesel on hand but didn't run due to problems with the driveline pulleys. Bob and Cliff were running well until the springtime mechanical gremlins struck they both. Bob bent a drive rod and Cliff lost a crosshead pin. This left only Tom's Pacific to put on a show for the public until some inexperienced engineer plugged the flue tubes with soot. There was a good turnout of spectators, with the museum having one of its best Sunday attendance. Let's hope that there is a better turnout of locomotives at the next steaming day on June 10. A small birthday party for Harry Savile was held with cake for all members present and a gift for Harry. Happy Birthday Harry!

             Tom Stewart has entered the computer age with his acquisition of some high-tech video editing equipment. Russ Milland has helped Tom get some specialized digital video editing software that will allow the production of professional videos of operations at the track. So, the next time you see Tom taking videos at the track be sure to smile for the camera, you may end up in his next production.

• Steaming Day - Sunday June 10
• OMLET - Sunday June 24
• Steaming Day - Sunday July 1