The North Platte Telegraph
2013
Sept. 20 to Sept. 22 | North Platte, Neb.
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Rail fest
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
the north platte telegraph
Old and new meet at Rail Fest From handcar races to model trains, there’s something for everyone here By Andrew Bottrell abottrell@nptelegraph.com
Rail Fest has a little something for everyone this year — from standards such as the hobo contest on the morning of Sept. 21, to new events like the handcar races at the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. Opening ceremonies for Rail Fest will be from 4-5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Cody Park Pavilion. A new edition this year is the showing of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” outdoors in Cody Park at 9:30 p.m. on Friday. Organizers are asking you to bring your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy this family-friendly movie. Another popular stop is the annual Model Train Show at the National Guard Armory. The armory is located along 16th Street on the west side of Highway 83 from Cody Park. The show, which costs $3 to get into with children under 12 free, will be on Friday from 11
Telegraph file photo
A little conductor and his mom watches as an engineer fires up a steam engine during Rail Fest 2012. This year’s festival will again feature fun for all ages. a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Model train enthusiasts come from all over the region to show off their setups.
The visiting locomotive exhibit at the Bailey Yard Diesel Shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. On display this year
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will be the E-9 Passenger Set, originally built in 1955 and refurbished in the 1990s with modern components. Three of the engines have been restored, including No. 951, which originally pulled passenger trains along the west coast and to and from St. Louis. The Centennial DD40X will also be on display. No. 6936 and its counterparts were some of the largest diesel-electric engines ever built, delivering 6,600 horsepower. The first Centennial engine was rolled out at the centennial celebration in 1969 in Utah. They were fully retired from the UP
fleet in 1984. The UP No. 956 miniature train will also be on display, along with the six heritage engines, which represent the six lines that were ultimately consolidated into today’s Union Pacific. The miniature train will be available for rides in Cody Park on Friday from 2-6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Union Pacific Railroad will also be bringing equipment from Bailey Yard to display in Cody Park on Friday from 2-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Displays will include complete sets of trucks, end of car cushioning devices, draft gears, bearing and air valve cut-a-ways, tie panels and much more equipment that the railroad uses. The UP No. 480 Steam locomotive exhibit will be on display in Memorial Park from 2-8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday morning kicks off with NebraskaLand National Bank’s famous pancake breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Cody Park Pavilion. A favorite, the annual hobo contest for kids, will be at 11 a.m. at the Cody Park Pavilion. Union Pacific Family Day for employees will be from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday in Cody Park. Handcar races will begin at 4 p.m. at the Golden Spike. The Heartland Quilters Guild will host the 2013 Rail Fest Quilt Show and Boutique at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior, 203 W. Fourth St., from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
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Events for kids, families aplenty By diane wetzel dwetzel@nptelegraph.com
Among the many popular, fun and free events for the younger generation of train fans during the annual Rail Fest celebration is the hobo costume contest. Think of a bright red bandanna tied to the end of a stick with all your worldly possessions bundled up inside and the temptation to hop a train and see the country as it passes by. Children ages 0-12 are invited to put together their best hobo costume and compete on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 11 a.m. in the Cody Park Pavilion. There is no charge to enter and prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each age division. Rail Fest is a family-friendly event and designed to be easy on the pocketbook. There will be inflatable fun jumps for all ages, balloon animals, sack races, pony hop races, face painting, health pedal rides and the National Guard will be on hand with its climbing wall. There will be no charge for Cody Park carnival rides during Rail Fest, or for any other kid-friendly activities that take place from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday during Rail Fest. On Saturday evening, the movie “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” will be shown at dusk. North Platte’s Cody Park is a jewel among the many lovely parks in the community, and a perfect venue as the headquarters of for family-friendly Rail Fest.
Visiting locomotives E-9 Passenger Set
Union Pacific has restored three E-9 passenger locomotives: No. 951, 949 and 963B. They are used in special train service.
Centennial DD40X
Union Pacific has retained only one of its 47 Centennial diesel-electric locomotives, No. 6936. The Centennials were the largest diesel-electric locomotives ever built.
UPRR No. 956 Miniature Train Heritage Trains n UP No. 1995 Chicago & North Western Railroad n UP No. 1989 Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad n UP No. 1982 Missouri Pacific Railroad n UP No. 1988 Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad n UP No. 1983 Western Pacific Railroad n UP No. 1996 Southern Pacific
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Rail fest
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
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Superintendent: Rail Fest is great for Union Pacific “It’s also a way for our employees to be ambassadors in the communiAs the man in charge ty. It’s important for us at Union Pacific’s Bai- to be ambassadors and ley Yard in North Platte, demonstrate our effecTony Orr is a busy man. tiveness in safety, techOrr took the reins in the nology and, most imporsuperintendent’s office tantly, our relationships in April 2012. Despite a with the communities full schedule, which in- we serve.” cluded keeping The Employee’s a close watch on Club serves as a potential floodbridge between ing along the the public and South Platte Rivcurrent employer, Orr took a ees, and “they do few minutes to a wonderful job,” sit down and talk Orr said. about Rail Fest Railroad emand Union Paployees are active cific Employees Tony Orr in many comClub No. 8. munity outreach Employee’s Club programs, including members are busy do- Rail Fest, he said. ing community service “I think Rail Fest is throughout the year, but an excellent opportuniare most visible to the ty for our employees to public during Rail Fest come together with the when they prepare and city and visitors from serve food for the UPRR other states and othemployee’s picnic and er countries,” he said. volunteer during the “I enjoy the chance to three-day event. stand back and watch “The employees club our employees relate helps former and cur- their job functions and rent employees stay demonstrate the tools current on how our busi- they use. They are the ness flows,” Orr said. professionals.” By diane wetzel dwetzel@nptelegraph.com
Telegraph file photo
Members of the North Platte Union Pacific Employee Club No. 8 serve lunch during the 2012 UPRR employee picnic. Employee Club members are gearing up for Rail Fest in North Platte on Sept. 20-22.
Faces UP of
Rail Fest showcases Union Pacific Railroad’s most valuable asset — employees By diane wetzel dwetzel@nptelegraph.com
The 290 members of the North Platte Union Pacific Employee Club No. 8 logged nearly 13,000 hours of community service in 2013, representing 18 percent of all the community service hours for clubs across the UPRR system. That translates to $273,310 in labor and mileage costs. In addition to volunteering, the club also donates funds to local organizations such as the Goodfellow Shoe Fund, the Salvation Army, area mentoring organizations, and the annual Golden Games during Nebraskaland Days. Employee Club members are gearing up for the annual Rail Fest celebration in North Platte on Sept. 20-22. While they are most visible during the UPRR employee picnic on Saturday, around 40 members will be busy helping during all three days of the event. The club received the Community Service Award at the annual convention in Sacramento, Calif., in August. “They gave us the award and told us to go out and do it again next year,” joked outgoing president Deloit Young. Young succeeded Rod Ury in the president’s spot after Ury took a position on the national board, serving as one of 12 vice presidents.
On Sept. 19, Mick Jesse will assume the presidency of the North Platte club. Jesse worked for UPRR for 42 years as an engineer before he retired. “I got involved with the Employee Club because it was a chance to be with people I worked with after I retired,” Jesse said. “But the idea that the club is only for retired UPRR employees is a misconception.” As president, Jesse said his priorities are to bring in more members, especially current railroad employees and their families. “I would also like to see more representation from across the different crafts at the railroad,” he said. The club is open to current railroad employees and their families, as well as retired employees and their families. Dues are $2 a year. “We are involved with the Employee Club because we are passionate about the railroad and the people who work there,” Young said. “Railroading is a lot like police work. You’d better love it or get out.” Ury also used the word “passionate” when talking about his involvement with the club. Unlike Young and Jesse, Ury still works for the railroad full time. “I’m involved because I care,” Ury said. “I care about where the North Platte Club goes and the
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community service it does. I really care about the people. These retirees and the few working people we have love to come out and see old friends and make new connections and to serve the railroad. It’s in their blood. They have a sickness and it’s called railroading. They love the social time.” Employee clubs had
their start in 1924 with at a banquet honoring two retiring employees in Cheyenne. Eight clubs were formed that year, including the North Platte chapter. Clubs now span the UPRR system from New Orleans to Seattle. Along with social events, the North Platte club is active in community service all year around.
Diane Wetzel / The North Platte Telegraph
They are also committed to the Operation Lifesaver program, a nationwide effort to reduce railroad crossing fatalities. The Friend to Friend Network is a program that is also dear to the North Platte club. In 2013, the club donated $6,700 to the program that is funded and operated by active and retired employees. Its primary purpose is to help employees and their families in times of need and distress. “About 10 years ago, someone said that with 34,000 employees across the system, it is stupid to rely on someone else to take care of our needs,” Young said. “It basically started right here in North Platte with the filing of the 501(c)(3) papers.” The club is always looking for ways to raise money
for its charitable contributions. This year, it is raffling off a limited edition chromed locomotive bell that once rode the rails on a diesel locomotive. The North Platte chapter won the bell in a national raffle and decided to re-raffle it as a fundraiser. The winning ticket will be drawn by North Platte Mayor Dwight Livingston on the final day of Rail Fest, Sunday, Sept. 22, at 1 p.m. at the Employees Club booth. Tickets are one for $1, six for $5, 12 for $10 and 25 for $20. Tickets are available at all NebraskaLand National Bank locations and at the Rail Fest office, 1020 N. Jeffers St. The bell will be on display during Rail Fest and tickets for the raffle will be available during the event.
Deloit Young, outgoing president of Union Pacific Employees Club No. 8 hands off the bell to incoming president Mick Jesse. The club is selling chances on the bell as a way to support community service in the area. The winning ticket will be drawn on Sunday, Sept. 22, the final day of Rail Fest Celebration.
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Rail fest
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
the north platte telegraph
Golden days at the Spike Tower overlooking Bailey Yard open for twilight viewings until 11 p.m. on Saturday By Heather Johnson hjohnson@nptelegraph.com
The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center is inviting the public to look upon Bailey Yard in a different light during Rail Fest. The tower plans to stay open late on Saturday, Sept. 21, so guests can watch trains move through the world’s largest railroad classification yard at night. “We do a twilight viewing every year during Rail Fest,” said JoAnne Hoatson, executive director. “It’s the one time when people can be at the Spike until 11 p.m.” Because Union Pacific Railroad employees work around the clock, there’s guaranteed to be activity happening in the rail yard even after the sun has gone down. Hoatson said it’s one of her favorite times to be at the attraction. “It’s a pretty incredible view from the top
of the Spike at night,” Hoatson said. “It’s completely different from looking out on the tracks during the daytime. It’s fascinating how they have the yard all lit up like a football field.” When tickets are purchased for the Golden Spike Tower, they are good for all day. “So if people want to, they can go up in the tower during the day then come back later and take in the view after dark,” Hoatson said. The tower is popular year round, but it’s even better attended during Rail Fest. Hoatson said several hundred people filled the attraction during last year’s celebration. Those who visit are asked to mark where they are from on a map inside the front door. “We just have people put a little red sticker on the map,” Hoatson said. “Some days we have five or six countries represented. The other day, we had guests from Denmark, Zambia and Australia, all at the same time. We average about 35,000 people per year from around the world.” The visitor center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 20 and Sept. 22. On Sept. 21, it will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Admission is $5 for anyone older than 6. Children who are 6 and younger will be let in for free.
Handcarts are old-time fun By diane wetzel dwetzel@nptelegraph.com
It’s like drag racing but with people power rather than horse power. The first-ever railroad handcar races will be at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center in North Platte. “We really wanted to do this as part of the 150th celebration of the Union Pacific Railroad,” said Golden Spike executive director Joanne Hoatson. “We didn’t have time to get everything put together for last year. We’ve been working on it for the entire year.” Handcars are platform cars powered by a hand pump bar. According to Hoatson, the cars were used by railroad employees to check railroad track. “If a train was coming, they would lift the handcar off the track out of the way,” she said. “As technology changed, railroads stopped using them.” Each handcar team has five members — a pusher and four pumpers who power the car down the track. The Golden Spike
Diane Wetzel / The North Platte Telegraph
The track is ready, the cars are completed, so all that is needed is some muscle power for the first-ever handcar races at the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center in North Platte. The races will be Saturday at 4 p.m. as part of this year’s Rail Fest. has installed two parallel tracks, each 700 feet long, for the races. The competitive handcars were built by Guynan Machinery. The cars are sponsored by Guynan’s and NebraskaLand National Bank. Each race will be timed, Hoatson said. The teams will race side by side. “Each team will race and then go back and switch cars and do it again,” she said. “The average time will be used, so each team has two chances.”
The competition is open to the public for those who would like to have a handcar team. Men’s, women’s and mixed teams are invited to sign up. Cost to compete is $25 per person. “People can put together a team from their softball team, their friends or their family,” Hoatson said. “You can even schedule a grudge match against another team and we will make sure you get the chance to race against each other.”
Handcar races are popular throughout the country, she said. “They do these races all over,” she said. “Our hope is to be part of a circuit so that people who travel to do this all summer long will make North Platte a regular stop. We plan to always schedule our races during Rail Fest.” Hoatson said local Union Pacific Railroad employees have put in countless volunteer hours on the project. Following the races on Saturday, the Golden Spike will serve a barbecue dinner provided by Ole’s Steakhouse of Paxton.
Rail fest
the north platte telegraph
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
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Train-watching spots abound around area By Andrew Bottrell abottrell@nptelegraph.com
For train enthusiasts, west-central Nebraska is one of the best places in the world to watch trains. During Rail Fest, rail fans from around the world will gather at several points along the Union Pacific route through Lincoln County to watch the trains roll by. Possibly the most popular spot during the Rail Fest weekend is where Airport Road crosses the UP tracks about 2 miles east of North Platte, just north of Highway 30 and the North Platte Regional Airport. The spot provides train watchers several miles of visibility on either side, and gives them the opportunity to watch the trains accelerate out of Bailey Yard and North Platte, as engineers turn south to follow the Platte River east. The spot gives train watchers a good view as Union Pacific’s standard Armour Yellow engines approach the intersection from both the east and the west. Downtown North Platte also provides a great place for train watchers at the Union Pacific Memorial site where the former Union Pacific Depot once stood. That site can be found on Front Street between Chestnut Street and the Jeffers viaduct. The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center is also another good place to watch trains and to see the activity in the world’s largest rail yard, Bailey Yard.
File photo
Experience ‘Canteen Spirit’ at NP playhouse
40 quarts of cream, 500 half-pint bottles of milk and 25 dozen rolls. The massive volunteer effort evenTo truly appreciate the present and tually drew people in from as many look forward to the future, one must as 125 communities in and around the honor the past. state. Volunteers met every troop train The North Platte Community Play- that passed through North Platte, ofhouse will present “The Canteen Spir- ten as many as 20 trains a day. Someit Experience” as part of the Original times between 7,000 and 8,000 serviceTown Association’s annual Rail Fest men and women arrived in town for celebration on Sunday, Sept. 22, at 2 a 10-minute stop on their way to the p.m. front lines. In North Platte, each one The Nebraska Television Network’s of them was greeted by friendly faces documentary film, “Canteen Spirit,” and lots of food. will be shown and will be followed by a panel of Canteen volunteers and soldiers who came through North Platte during World War II. An authentic canteen meal will be served after the performance. From Dec. 25, 1941, until April 1, 1946, the North Platte Canteen served more than 6 million servicemen and women who traveled through Nebraska during World War II. In the days of steam locomotives, North Platte was a designated service point for the Union Pacific Railroad’s steamers hauling passenger trains. A stop in North Platte while UPRR employees hurried to relubricate the driving wheels and refill water tenders meant the servicemen were allowed to leave the train and visit the Canteen. If passengers were not allowed off the trains for any reason, volunteers passed gift baskets through the windows of the train cars. Every day, between 160 to 175 loaves of bread were used to make up to 4,000 sandwiches, along with 100 pounds of meat, 15 pounds of cheese, two quarts File photo of peanut butter, 45 pounds of coffee, By Diane wetzel dwetzel@nptelegraph.com
Andrew Bottrell / The North Platte Telegraph
Train enthusiasts can see trains all across North Platte, including at Airport Road, just east of North Platte near the North Platte Regional Airport. The Golden Spike is located on west Front Street about a mile outside of North Platte city limits. If you continue down Front Street you can view the Bailey Yard humps, where railcars are attached to engines. Another way to get a bird’s-eye view of Bailey Yard is to walk up the viaducts on the pedestrian paths and look down upon the east side of Bailey Yard as trains travel through North Platte. There are also a number of places outside of North Platte for those looking to catch a glimpse of Union Pacific trains. Railroad Park in Sutherland is a perfect spot to catch the trains as they roll by, or to have a
picnic with the family. A popular pedestrian bridge from Railroad Park to the south side of Sutherland gives train watchers a bird’s-eye view of the trains as they pass through. Lincoln County provides a number of opportunities for people to view the trains from above. Similar pedestrian overpasses have been constructed in both Maxwell and Brady, connecting the two parts of town on either side of the tracks. Another popular spot for train watchers is Buttermilk hills, east of Brady. This site also allows viewers to see the trains coming from several miles away.
Courtesy photo
Union Pacific Railroad is taking back ownership of one of the largest steam locomotives in the world. The Big Boy No. 4014 will move to Cheyenne, Wyo., for restoration later this fall.
Hello, Big Boy! Large locomotive will rejoin Union Pacific’s extensive stable of heritage steam engines By Heather Johnson hjohnson@nptelegraph.com
The Union Pacific Railroad is bringing a classic back after more than 50 years. In July, an agreement was reached with the Southern California Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in Pomona, Calif., allowing UPRR to take back ownership of one of the largest steam locomotives in the world. The Big Boy No. 4014 has been on display at the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona since 1962. UPRR donated it to the historical society on Dec. 7, 1961. “It’s so much a part of our history and heritage that Union Pacific decided to bring it back,” said Mark Davis, director of UP corporate relations and media. No. 4014 will be relocated to Cheyenne, Wyo., where a heritage fleet operations team will restore it. Davis said details about the restoration would be released at a later date. He said the locomotive will not be hauled to Cheyenne, but instead will move there on its own. “Crews are going over it right now,” Davis said. “They are looking at the
bearings and everything to make sure it’s capable of making the journey.” According to Davis, No. 4014 is expected to arrive in Wyoming about mid-autumn. It is estimated it will take three to five years to fix up the locomotive. Davis said no decision has been made regarding travel plans for the No. 4014 after it’s restored. According to UPRR, the railroad had 25 Big Boys built. The first was delivered in 1941. Each was 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Their length required hinged frames so they could navigate around curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, meaning they had four wheels to guide the engine, two sets of eight drivers and four wheels in the back to support the tail of the locomotive. Davis said most of the Big Boys were scrapped. Eight were donated for public display. In addition to Pomona, Calif., they ended up in St. Louis, Mo.; Dallas, Texas; Omaha; Denver; Scranton, Penn.; Green Bay, Wis.; and Cheyenne, Wyo. Davis said No. 4014 is the first UPRR has gotten back and he’s not aware of any plans for the others. “No. 4014 was used to pull freight,” Davis said. “Most of the time, it went from Ogden, Utah, to Green River, Wyo., but it would also travel to Cheyenne for heavy maintenance.” At the time the locomotive was retired, it had been in service for 20 years and traveled 1,031,205 miles.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Rail fest
the north platte telegraph
Collectible knives, nails carve out railroad history By Heather Johnson hjohnson@nptelegraph.com
Pieces of railroad history will be up for grabs during the annual Rail Fest celebration this year. The Lincoln County Historical Museum will sell Union Pacific Railroad “date nails” to help offset the cost of operating expenses. “They used to put the nails in railroad ties,” curator Jim Griffin said. “For record keeping purposes, each was marked with the year it was driven in.” The nails that will be sold during Rail Fest are from the 1930s. There are approximately 800 of them, and each is priced at $3. “They were donated by a guy in Hershey who wanted us to use them as a fundraiser,” Griffin said. “He collected them over the years because he was very interested in the railroad. He also donated a bunch of telegraphy equipment and other items from the original Hershey depot that we have turned into part of our collection.” Griffin said the nails will be available for purchase at the Rail Fest information booth in Cody Park. Eventually, the museum plans to sell older nails, some dating back to 1903, in its gift shop. Griffin said those will be more expensive. Many will be made into cuff links and tie tacks.
Andrew Bottrell / The North Platte Telegraph Heather Johnson / The North Platte Telegraph
Above: Kathy Jacobsen, assistant at the Lincoln County Historical Museum, sets out commemorative knives for display. Made out of rail spikes, the knives will be raffled to raise money for museum operating expenses. Below: Jacobsen arranges a railroad nail exhibit. The nails were donated by a man from Hershey and many will be made into cuff links and tie tacks.
Tiny trains, big fun Model trains will cruise around the Golden Spike’s main lobby By Andrew Bottrell abottrell@nptelegraph.com
Knives It will be the fourth year the museum has sold souvenir knives at Rail Fest. Bill Fanter, the museum’s blacksmith, created 20 specifically for the celebration. Fanter took railroad spikes, twisted the tops into handles and flattened the points into blades. He then shaped and polished them, and local artist Roger Fattig hand-engraved them with gold lettering. Griffin said the museum name and logo is on one side of the blades. “Rail Town USA” and the year is on the other side. The ends are stamped with serial numbers. Each knife comes with its own velvet bag and certificate of authenticity. The knives cost $200, and like the nails, they can be purchased at the Rail Fest information booth in Cody Park. “After this year, we will have raised about $16,000 from them,” Griffin said. “The money goes toward running the museum, providing our programs and maintaining our historic buildings.” Fanter also made two special edition knives: one in honor of the Lincoln
Jack Rickett and Eldon Walthers volunteered their time to engineer a two-track model train set that now can be seen in the lobby of the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. The Holzfaster family in Paxton donated the train sets.
Highway and the other commemorating Fort McPherson near Maxwell. They are mounted on wooden bases. Griffin said those models will be raffled. Tickets will be on sale through Sunday, and the drawing will be Monday. People don’t have to be present to win. “We have people from all over the U.S. who bought tickets this year,” Griffin said. “We started the raffle during our Heritage Festival.” Tickets are $5 each and are limited to 200 for each knife. Griffin said about 100 have been sold so far for the Lincoln Highway edition and about 80 have been sold for the Fort McPherson souvenir. Tickets will be offered at the information booth at the park and at the “Canteen Experience” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the North Platte Community Playhouse.
This weekend, there’s a new attraction at the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. Several volunteers and model train enthusiasts have erected a 150-foot, two-track model train set around the ceiling of the Golden Spike’s main lobby. The train set was originally donated by the Holzfaster family of Paxton, and the volunteers built the track. Jack Rickett, with the help of Eldon Walthers, Eldon’s son J.D., Brian Walz and Mike Wyatt, put in more than 200 hours to put together the model train set that now operates at the Spike. Rickett and Walthers are both volunteers for the Spike. They visit with people on the observation deck. Walthers said he had the idea after visiting the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, Ariz., that has a similar set-up to North Platte’s new attraction. “I saw this layout in Arizona and I thought, that’s what we had to have,” he said. “I’ve been to other places where they have model railroads on the ceiling or other places where they work,” Rickett added. “When you walked in [the Spike], there was something lacking. We’re rep-
resenting the world’s largest rail yard but we didn’t have a train.” Now the Spike has an operating train, Rickett said. The G-Scale train set-up was constructed in 23 different sections, requiring more than 100 welds per section. After the track was built, Rickett said they had to figure out how to then mount it to the ceiling. “There’s a little bit of engineering in it,” Rickett said. “Eldon and I have been figuring out the construction and his son, J.D., welded everything together. It’s done, we’re just waiting for them to build a cabinet to put the transformers in so it can run.” The two members of the North Platte Model Railroaders Club have been building model trains since they were children. Walthers said he got his first set in 1951 or ’52 and has been building model trains ever since. Rickett said he was 8 when he got his first train. “I’ll be 68 this year. I put 42½ years with Union Pacific. Working for the railroad wasn’t dull. It fit right into what my hobbies were,” Rickett said. “I’ve always had model trains.” The Holzfasters donated a Alco FA-1 and a number of passenger cars to ride behind the engines. Rickett said they wanted to
represent Union Pacific as best they could. “They didn’t run [an Alco] on passenger trains, but that’s what they gave us. I built a boiler car to put on the back of the car,” he said. “That represents a second-class passenger train because of the different colors. All four colors are represented.” A 4-6-2 Pacific engine was also donated by the Holzfasters, and that heads up the second track. “[It was the] premier passenger engine back in the 1920s. That pulls a freight train and has a mix of 60 freight cars back to the turn of the century, with a little bit of Buffalo Bill’s billboard cars in it.” Rickett said he’s really going to enjoy watching people watch the trains run. “I’ve built stuff like this before. [I enjoy] the engineering part and putting it together and seeing people’s excitement as you get to the end of it,” he said. Railroad runs in Rickett’s blood. His father was a conductor and later he was an engineer. “I was lucky enough when I worked there that there were a couple of transitions. I just missed the steam era but I got to work with the first-generation diesel. A lot of guys like the new, flashy stuff but I like the old stuff because there’s a little bit more challenge of running it.”
Note: The annual Model Train Show will take place Friday and Saturday at the National Guard Armory, adjacent to Cody Park.
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Rail fest
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
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