Tag: orange-empire

As you saw from my journal, last weekend was busy with the theatre. Next weekend is busy with my daughter’s birthday. This means that we had to miss volunteering at Orange Empire Railway Musueum for the Thomas Event. I just received mail from the event coordinator (still looking for volunteers for next weekend). According to him, attendance has been astounding: The visitor count for the first weekend was approximately 20,000, with over 7,000 on Sunday the 13th. They are expecting 6,800 to 7,000 visitors on Saturday the 19th and again on Sunday the 20th, for a total of over 33,000 visitors for the event. I’m looking forward to seeing the improvements this event funds. He noted that some of the proposed improvements include completion a new 12 stall restroom, a diesel service area with pit, a handicap loader, improvements to the front entrance of the museum, partial or complete paving of our visitor parking lot, and additional paving to some of our internal roads.

I miss being there (and seeing the good folks there, including some on my friends list), but life has a way of intervening.

Now back to my crazy morning…

Note: This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by California Highway Guy. You may comment either here or there (where there are comment(s)).

Just a reminder: Please come up and say “hi” to us during Rail Festival Weekend, Saturday and Sunday June 4^th and 5^th at Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California:

Saturday, on the second and third shifts, I’ll be working on Train 52, the Caboose Train (pulled by ATSF 7441): I’ll be on ATSF 999020 from noon to 3:00pm, and on UP 25129 from 3:00p to 5:30p. NSS&F will be on the same train. Sunday, we’ll both be on Train 51 (pulled by SP 3100): I’ll be on the ATSF 2602 Combine until noon, on UP 1530 from noon until 3:00p, and on UP 542 from 3:00p to 5:30p. Both days, my lovely wife will be working in the bookstore.

Do drop by and give us a “shout”.

Just a reminder: Please come up and say “hi” to us during Rail Festival Weekend, Saturday and Sunday June 4^th and 5^th at Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California:

Saturday, on the second and third shifts, I’ll be working on Train 52, the Caboose Train (pulled by ATSF 7441): I’ll be on ATSF 999020 from noon to 3:00pm, and on UP 25129 from 3:00p to 5:30p. NSS&F will be on the same train. Sunday, we’ll both be on Train 51 (pulled by SP 3100): I’ll be on the ATSF 2602 Combine until noon, on UP 1530 from noon until 3:00p, and on UP 542 from 3:00p to 5:30p. Both days, my lovely wife will be working in the bookstore.

Do drop by and give us a “shout”.

Note: This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by California Highway Guy. You may comment either here or there (where there are comment(s)).

Note: This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by California Highway Guy. You may comment either here or there (where there are comment(s)).

I’m home. I’m cold (though warming up). I’m tired (I’ll take care of that in a bit). I’m sore.

Let me back up. Yesterday and today I worked a A Day Out With Thomas. This is a special railfest when we put Thomas the Tank Engine in front of a consist of passenger cars, with OERM 1956 at the back (doing the real work, but don’t tell anyone, because children do believe in Thomas). Is this big? You tell me. At a typical rail festival, we’re lucky to have 2,500 attendees over two days. When Thomas comes to town: 6300, 1^st Saturday; 5900, 1^st Sunday; 3100, Friday; 6060, 2^nd Saturday (yesterday); and 5500, 2^nd Sunday (today). So this is a big event. By Sunday evening, everything in the Thomas merch tent was sold. Folks take Thomas seriously.

Yesterday, I worked in Car House #1. No problem. I like working Car House #1. It is where we have the narrow gauge LARy cars, together with an SF Muni Cable Car and Kyoto 19. So I know enough to explain stuff about the cars and the routes.

Today. We woke up to rain. Heavy rain. This is not a good thing, as the museum is not fully paved. Furthermore, it was frigging cold. There was snow on the mountains around Riverside, snow in Hemet, even a dusting of snow at the Museum. I don’t think it got over 42 degrees during the day today. We get to the museum. Many assignments were rained out: the Mother’s Tent was in the middle of Hostrum Lake (nee Park), and the Activities tent was mostly muddy slosh under astroturf. But my assignments were still good. I spent the morning finding a new home for the Sir Topham Hat character: we ended up improvising a changing room in Car House #1, draping ropes and tarps and making lines. My last two shifts were outside, helping load people onto the trains and serving as an attendent. I just froze and was my jacket soaking wet, and had to give up. About every other trip I was going over to Town Hall to defrost. My hip was giving out, my shoulder was sore, my fingers were numb, my parka was soaked through. How cold? In the afternoon, it was 38°! We ended up leaving around 4:30 PM.

I think I prefer spring railfest! Thomas will be back in Perris next November.