Michael Campbell began by saying he'd been on the Napa Valley Wine Train and had attended the Car Parties at this convention which he dubbed, Gin and Tonic Train.

Michael said he appreciated AAPRCO as an important part of American History as railcar restorers.

Over 100,000 people ride behind steam at Disneyland.

Walt Disney won 32 Academy Awards.  His Dad worked for the UP, and his cousin was an engineer on mixed aor accommodation freight train.

Walt, at age 40,  said that more important things happened to him in Marceline, Missouri, where he lived as a boy, than have happened since.  He went to California with all he had in a cardboard suitcase in 1920.

In 1935, he married a Disney illustrator.  When they married his wife said that the only thing that changed was that she didn't get paid any more.

In 1948, Walt went to the Chicago Railroad Fair (see posters above).  He had a cab ride there and became friends with the Santa Fe President.   That sealed Walt's decision to make railroading his hobby.

LillyBelle II is at Disneyland today.  It took $17 million to build Disneyland.  New Orleans Station is a crew break area.  The Disneyland RR is "Retlaw" (Walter spelled backwards), it runs through "Yensid Valley" (Disney spelled backwards).

In 1966, Walt got lung cancer and died after having a lung removed.  In 1971, Disney World opened, and Roy died two months later.  Four Baldwin Engines were found in Mexico and used at Walt Disney World on their railroad.

Carolwood Railroad Historical Society, originally had no members until someone asked to join.  They now have 600 members in 13 countries.  They have One Rule:  If you go to a Disney Park, you've got to ride the Steam Engine.

Membership in AAPRCO - 75 Amtrak Compliant Cars, 47 Non-Complaint.  330 Members, 23 Trade Members.  199 people registered for this Convention.

Roger Schmorr's Report:  Washington, DC, Oct. 30 or 31, 2009 (After hurricane season).  Depart Washington Oct. 31 or Nov. 1.  Amtrak Route to and overnight in Savannah.  Travel on to Jacksonville, FL, and south to Kennedy Space Center for tour.  Ft. Pierce, FL, overnight.  "South Central Florida Express" Sugar Plantation Route to join Mainline at Sebring.  Back to Jacksonville and Savanna for the Convention then back to Washington, DC.  If the Sugar Plantation Route does not pan out, then go to Miami.

Stephan Gerhardt's Report:  Finalizing the Hotels, the Hilton DeSoto or Doubletree.  $159 Convention Rate for Hotel.  Shuttle to Amtrak Station from Hotel.  Dates of the Convention:  Nov. 4, Wed. - Friday, Nov. 6.  Back to D.C. Saturday Nov. 7 or Sunday Nov. 8.  The name for the Excursion Train in 2009 will be "James L. Larsen Florida Special."

Scott's orginization's mission is to fight to save the country’s irreplaceable architectural, cultural and natural heritage.  They restore historic downtowns, barns, hotels, etc.

His orginization wants to have a strong Internet presence since 70% of all travel has been researched and booked online, only 20% offline.
Sites on the 2007 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places are:

Brooklyn’s Industrial Waterfront, N.Y. -- Once a booming 19th-century industrial waterfront supported by generations of immigrants, Brooklyn’s heritage is at risk as historic dockyards and factories are being demolished by developers anxious to cash in on the area’s newly hip status.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, N. Mex. -- The earliest Euro-American trade route in the United States, the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, known for its austere physical beauty, rural solitude and remote isolation, is threatened by a $225 million commercial Spaceport, a venture planned adjacent to one of the most pristine and sacred segments of the Trail.

H.H. Richardson House, Brookline, Mass. -- The last home and studio of famed 19th-century American architect Henry Hobson (H.H.) Richardson – the creator of Boston’s much loved landmark Trinity Church – is vacant and vulnerable to demolition unless a preservation-minded buyer comes forth to rescue the legacy of the man who created the “Richardsonian Romanesque” style.

Hialeah Park Race Course, Hialeah, Fl.  – The drop dead gorgeous 1925 racetrack known for its stunning Mediterranean architecture and pink flamingos, Hialeah Park – frequented by celebrities such as Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Seabiscuit – is threatened with a planned 3,760-unit condo and apartment complex with nearly one-million-square feet of retail and 200,000-square-feet of office space, which would destroy much of the storied park.

Historic Places in Transmission line Corridors, Va., W. Va., Md., Pa., N.Y., N.J.  Del.  – Seven states – many of them in the Mid- Atlantic region -- are waging battles to protect everything that’s irreplaceable about their communities as massive 150-foot tall, 75-foot wide high voltage transmission lines are planned that will blight historic landscapes and usurp private property rights.  Proposed lines would cut through private land, publicly held open space, neighborhoods, historic sites, historic districts and magnificent viewsheds.

Historic Structures in Mark Twain National Forest, Mo. -- Established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, the 1.5-million-acre Mark Twain National Forest is known for rocky bluffs, pastoral views and historical sites which speak to the region’s rich heritage – from intact 19th-century frontier farmsteads to New Deal-era fire lookouts and ranger stations.  Today, due to U.S. Forest Service budget limitations, many properties are vacant, unsecured, deteriorating and threatened with demolition.
 
Historic Route 66 Motels, Ill. To Calif. -- Affectionately called “The Mother Road,” Route 66 is known for quirky roadside attractions and unique mom-and-pop motels, constructed between the late 1920 and late 1950s and often clad in neon.  In recent years, Route 66 motels in hot real-estate markets have been torn down at record rates, while in cold real-estate markets, motels languish and are being reclaimed by the forces of nature.

Minidoka Internment National Monument, Jerome County, Idaho -- From 1942 to 1945, thousands of Nisei (Japanese American citizens and immigrants of Japanese ancestry) were sent to south central Idaho to live in camps under armed guard at the Minidoka Relocation Center.  Today a National Monument, the site, which once contained more than 600 buildings, offers scant visitor services or interpretive information, and is threatened by insensitive local land-use planning, including the proposed siting of a massive animal feed operation just over a mile away.

Philip Simmons’ Workshop and Home, Charleston, S.C. -- Beloved master blacksmith Philip Simmons has spent the better part of 80 years adorning his hometown with intricate ornamental ironwork – gates, fences, stair rails and window grills -- but with no plans to preserve his home and studio, the legacy of this 95-year-old artisan is in jeopardy.

Pinon Canyon, Colo. -- In Southeastern Colorado, under uninterrupted blue skies, the Pinon Canyon area includes scenic buttes, river valleys, family ranches and historic and archeological sites that span 11,500 years.  The area is threatened by the U.S. Army’s plans to expand its Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site by as much as 408,000 acres, a move that could lead to forced condemnation of private lands and damage or destroy historic Santa Fe Trail monuments, ranches, and historic and prehistoric archeological sites.

Stewart’s Point Rancheria, Sonoma County, Calif. -- The Kashia Pomo Native American tribe has inhabited this Northern California land for thousands of years. But because a federal program to protect tribal historic resources is seriously under-funded, the Kashia, like many tribes, is losing its sacred and historic sites to looters, vandals and the elements.

2007 marks the 20th listing of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has used its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places as a powerful alarm to raise awareness of the serious threats facing the nation’s greatest treasures.  This year, the Trust celebrates the list as one of the most effective tools in the fight to save the country’s irreplaceable architectural, cultural and natural heritage.  The list, which has identified 189 sites through 2007, has been so successful in galvanizing preservation efforts across the country and rallying resources to save one-of-a-kind landmarks that in just two decades, an astounding 52 percent of the sites have been saved and rehabilitated.  While the fight is not over for many of these historic places, only 6 sites have been lost since the Trust launched the 11 Most Endangered program.  For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org/11most/20th.

America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has identified 189 threatened one-of-a-kind historic treasures since 1988. While a listing does not ensure the protection of a site or guarantee funding, the designation has been a powerful tool for raising awareness and rallying resources to save endangered sites from every region of the country. Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy. For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org/11most.