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Articles Footlose
in
Vancouver The
Mighty
Yellowhead Rocky
Mountain
Romance THIS
EDITION IS IN PROGRESS. MORE TO
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Travel Series |
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Editor's
note: One of the highlights of our
career in publishing was a visit to
Railfair in Sacramento. It was held at
the California State Railroad Museum
and was certainly an event to remember.
We hope Railfair continues. The
Railroad Technology Museum at the
Southern Pacific Railroad Sacramento
Shops Momentum
Builds with Completion of Reconstructed
Transfer Table In late
1999, the Museum secured a lease from
Union Pacific Railroad on the complex's
two main structures, the Boiler Shop
and Erecting Shop. These cavernous
structures both date from the days when
steam locomotives were built and
repaired at the Sacramento Shops.
Portions of the massive, brick Erecting
Shop date from 1869 and SP predecessor
Central Pacific Railroad (CP). As such,
the Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops
include the only surviving CP
structures standing when America's
first transcontinental railroad was
completed. In
early 2000, the Museum completed moving
its restoration facilities into the
former Boiler Shop. In order to fully
occupy the Erecting Shop with
full-sized locomotives and cars,
however, reconstruction of the Transfer
Table&emdash;a bridge-like structure
that allows access to the many "work
bays" within the Erecting
Shop&emdash;has been essential.
Construction of the Transfer Table
began during mid-2001, and it was
completed in spring 2003. This $500,000
project has been funded through State
Parks Deferred Maintenance allocations
and a major fundraising campaign
conducted by the CSRM Foundation in
2000-2001. The
completed Transfer Table now allows
access to the Erecting Shop for the
Museum's collection of historic
railroad locomotives and cars. Stored
outside for years, these historic
items&emdash;many awaiting
restoration&emdash;are considered a top
priority for conservation by the
Museum. Many of the locomotives and
cars will become exhibits within the
new Railroad Technology Museum,
showcasing over a century of
technological development and
innovation in the railroad
industry. Restoration
and maintenance activities for the
Museum's collection of full-sized
locomotives and cars have been
conducted since 2000 in the complex's
Boiler Shop. In December 2002, the
latest project&emdash;refurbishment of
a 1920s vintage coach with a
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad heritage
for operation on the Museum's excursion
railroad, the Sacramento
Southern&emdash;was completed at the
facility. Construction of the Transfer
Table has also taken place in the
complex's Boiler Shop, given its
proximity to necessary tools and
expertise. Ongoing
maintenance of the Museum's operating
steam and diesel locomotives takes
place in the Boiler Shop, along with
maintenance of the Museum's coaches and
converted freight cars which regularly
carry school groups in spring and fall,
and families during the summer. The
necessary support systems for the
Museum's operating
railroad&emdash;track materials,
specialized machinery, and wayside and
at-grade crossing signals&emdash;are
built and maintained here as well. Also
under way is a railcar conservation
project for another State Park, Colonel
Allensworth State Historic Park,
attesting to the Shops' ability to
provide skills and tooling for a
variety of activities. Background The
Railroad Technology Museum (RTM)
was envisioned in the very first
planning documents created to guide
development of the California State
Railroad Museum. Planning for the RTM
began in the mid-1980s, following
completion of CSRM's flagship, the
100,000 square-foot Railroad History
Museum in Old Sacramento. Intended to
complement that facility, the RTM would
convert a portion of the 44-acre
historic Southern Pacific Sacramento
Shops site into a dynamic cultural
attraction. The
ambitious project would increase the
drawing power of Sacramento as a
cultural and tourism destination, and
provide a unique focal point for
surrounding Downtown Railyards and
waterfront redevelopment efforts.
Originally envisioned at a waterfront
location south of Old Sacramento, the
Railroad Technology Museum is much
better suited for development in the
former Southern Pacific Sacramento
Shops. This adaptive yet historic
re-use project would preserve the very
structures that best commemorate and
celebrate the history and technology of
railroading in California. It
would benefit the Museum's commercial
and residential
neighbors&emdash;including Old
Sacramento, the Union Pacific Railroad,
and the City and County of
Sacramento&emdash;and help spur
redevelopment of the Railyards in a
positive, historically appropriate
manner. The spacious railroad shop
buildings would house CSRM's collection
of historic locomotives and railroad
cars, plus formal museum exhibit
galleries interpreting railroad
engineering and technology. Children
would have the opportunity to explore
fundamental physics and engineering
principles through hands-on,
interactive exhibits. Through the use
of sectioned locomotives, scale models,
interactive displays, oral histories,
and other interpretive techniques, the
Museum and its staff would educate the
public about steam and diesel
locomotion, track structure design and
wheel interface, the importance of the
Shops and its labor force in the
development of Sacramento, and the
relevance of railroads in helping meet
the transportation challenges of the
future for California and the United
States. Another
significant aspect of the Railroad
Technology Museum is the opportunity
for the public to regularly view
ongoing restoration work. Previously,
this important aspect of the California
State Railroad Museum's work has been
conducted offsite, not accessible to
the public. The ability to watch
artisans working "real time" on steam
and diesel locomotives, wooden and
steel railroad cars, and other types of
projects has significant informational
and educational value. The facility
could easily support curriculum-based
educational programs for teenagers and
young adults. Vocational educational
programs could be established in
conjunction with ongoing renovation
work, offering new skills training and
development. To this
end, the Sacramento City Council in
late 1999 voted unanimously in support
of the concept of locating the Railroad
Technology Museum in the former
Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops. The
Railroad Technology Museum portion of
the project is estimated to cost
approximately $25 million. Development
of other existing structures within the
historic Shops complex are being
discussed with the Union Pacific
Railroad and railyard developers, as
well as other cultural organizations
potentially interested in the
site. Benefiting
the Community The
Railroad Technology Museum represents a
unique opportunity to secure public
stewardship of the oldest (and for a
time, largest) industrial complex west
of the Mississippi River, which for 80
years was also the Central Valley's
largest employer. It would create an
urban museum complex contiguous with
the Old Sacramento Historic District,
itself internationally known, and its
location and appeal would help foster
surrounding transit-oriented
development. The
Railroad Technology Museum would
benefit the community in numerous ways.
As the region's largest employer for
decades, the Southern Pacific
Sacramento Shops fundamentally
influenced the development,
concentration, and growth of many
ethnic groups in Sacramento and the
Central Valley. Ethnic diversity and
community pride will be demonstrated
through ongoing study and exhibition
focused on the thousands of workers
once employed in the Shops. The
California State Railroad Museum is
uniquely equipped to foster the
preservation and appreciation of
California's rich railroading heritage.
The Museum's primary mission is to
preserve key railroad heritage
resources, and make them available to
the widest possible audience. Assisting
the Museum (a unit of California State
Parks) in its mission is the California
State Railroad Museum Foundation, a
non-profit organization chartered to
raise and manage funds on behalf of the
Museum and to provide a variety of
additional support services. Operated
by California State Parks with
assistance from the non-profit CSRM
Foundation, the California State
Railroad Museum is open daily from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Year's Day. Widely
regarded as North America's finest and
most-visited railroad museum, the
complex of facilities includes the
100,000-square foot Museum of Railroad
History plus the reconstructed Central
Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and
Freight Depot, 1849 Eagle Theatre, and
Big Four and Dingley Spice Mill
buildings in Old Sacramento State
Historic Park. by
Jerry W. Bird As
a rookie with The Edmonton Journal, my ear was
glued to the radio for what many feel was the
greatest football game of the century. With
seconds to go, James Dickerson (Jackie) Parker
scooped up a Montreal fumble and ran the entire
field for a touchdown. Those few seconds kicked
off Edmonton's amazing string of Grey cup
victories. Never have I seen such a spontaneous
eruption of civic pride as during my seven years
in Alberta's capital. The cool, crisp air is a
healthy tonic for body, mind and spirit -- and
the work ethic was second to none. Most
Edmontonians I knew were optimists - and I got
to know some great ones, from hockey coaches
like Bud Poile, to Mayor Bill Hawreluk, media
moguls and captains of industry. In the years
since, little has changed - Edmonton continues
to amaze and to capture its share of victories
in the arenas of sports and business. With the
North Saskatchewan River flowing by, the
Yellowhead Highways at its doorstep, a glorious
Indian Summer that stretches the outdoor season,
lakes galore and savory Ukrainian food, few
places can match it as a healthy vacation spot
and gateway to adventure." Read more about
Edmonton when you finish this first
page At
the Edmonton Journal Daily Newspaper, my old
stomping grounds on the Banks of the North
Saskatchewan River, we rubbed shoulders with
many unique characters that made up the fabric
of the city. It will also be my pleasure to tell
you about some of Edmonton's superstars, from
aviation icons Grant McConachie, Wop May and Max
Ward to football and hockey legends by the score
in coming editions of Air Highways Magazine. How
can one help but love the city that jump-started
his career, was home for seven years and a
second home for much longer. No place I know has
such energy, or capacity to seize the moment.
NAFTA's
Northern Gateway is a magnet for tourism Edmontonians
have always been a cocky lot, from their sports
dynasties and oil czars, to politics. Even the
location is cocky ... perched regally on the
North Saskatchewan cliffs; its Upper Level
bridge reaching from Alberta's Legislature to
the University area. And who else has the
audacity to build a shopping Mecca that rates
seven mentions in the Guinness Book of World
Records? Speaking
of highs and lows, Edmonton's river valley, from
Old Fort Edmonton to the Conservatory and
beyond, is a tourist destination all by itself;
golf courses and picnic spots. Get out and
stretch your legs; this is the largest greenbelt
of any major Canadian city. Edmonton
as a boomtown? - its archives tell of fur
traders, riverboats, a Klondike boom, a railway
boom, a land rush, and black gold that blew
things sky high in '47. Legendary
bush pilots, who opened up the North live again
at Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. By the way,
if you love to shop, or hanker for genuine
Alberta Prime Rib; there's no provincial tax.
And if I recall the jingle, "Your credit is fine
with Irving Kline." Beyond the outskirts is Lake
Wabamun (try saying that with your mouth full),
a popular camping spot. Edson and Hinton are
major stops en route to Jasper National Park.
East of Edmonton are some great places to
visit. Nonstop
scheduled services: As
the gateway to Canada's high growth northern
territories products, eco tourism and fly-in
fishing, the future has arrived. The city's
impressive location on the high banks of the
North Saskatchewan gives visitors to its
Conference Centre Complex a spectacular view of
the river valley. Likewise, vacationers enjoy
the largest parkland area in all of Canada, and
a retail center that not only leads the nation,
but still boasts no provincial sales tax. West
Edmonton Mall ranks in the Guinness Book of
World Records as a key attraction. "Open
Skies means that Edmonton's position as NAFTA's
Northern Gateway is bound to strengthen over the
years." That is how Dave
Frank
of International Commercial Centres reads the
situation. Dave expects new nonstop flights from
Edmonton to Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas,
Denver and Chicago developing over time, as well
as a continued strengthening of Delta Airlines
service to their Salt Lake City hub, Northwest
Airlines to their Minneapolis- St. Paul hub, and
American Airlines to Dallas- Forth Worth.
Strong, growing charter services will originate
in Edmonton to European centres like Amsterdam
and Warsaw, with domestic charters to Palm
Springs, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Reno. Air
Canada: 1-800-222-6596 Alberta
Citylink: 1-800-222-6596 Air
Transat: (780) 890-7099 Athabaska
Airways: 1-800-667-9356 Canadian
Airlines: 1-800-665-1177 Horizon
Air: 1-800-547-9308 Lot
Polish Airlines: 1-800-668-5928 Martinair Northwest
Airlines: 1-800-225-2525 Royal
Airlines: 1-800-361-6674 Sky
Service SunWest
International WestJet
Airlines: 1-800-538-5696 est
Edmonton Mall http://www.westedmall.com/
A
wonderfull Hotel only 11 blocks from the West
Ed. Mall . Details at www.westharvest.com.
Contact: Deborah Donick, Director of Sales &
Catering. WEST HARVEST INN. PH 780-484-8000,
Fax# 780-486-6060 |
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California
State Parks, with the support of the
California State Railroad Museum
Foundation, continues to make progress
toward placing the Railroad Museum's
next phase in the historic Southern
Pacific Sacramento Shops complex.
Located adjacent to downtown
Sacramento, the Shops are one of North
America's most important industrial
heritage sites. Proposed for the site
is the Railroad Technology Museum
(RTM), a major expansion of the
California State Railroad
Museum.
"City
of Champions" .. a feeling that's
contagious