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Two Days of Winterail 2022 and the Railfan & Railroad Magazine Pizza Party and the trip home 3/18-22/2022

After arriving at the Days Inn in Corvallis, we settled in to our room and Elizabeth and Robin walked to Corvallis High School while I went to Kentucky Fried Chicken to get dinner which I would eat at the high school. I drove over, parked and found Elizabeth and Robin already in line to go inside. Once you paid $10, it was all the pizza and soft drinks or water that you wanted.

Following the meal, the theater doors opened at 5:45 PM and we took our usual seats. Otto Vandrak, Managing Editor of Railfan and Railroad Magazine welcomed everyone and explained that Steve Barry could not be here this year. He also introduced Justin Franz, Associate Editor. At 6:00 the programs started. The first show was by Justin Franz about the Mission Mountain Railroad in Montana. Next was Bruce Blackadar who showed pictures from his Transcontinental Trip in 2021. Greg Molloy's show was on his trip to Turistren in Bogota, Colombia before we took a break. I was next up, showing A Year in the Life of Trains of Chris Guenzler part 1. Next was Mike Pechner showing his program on the Northwestern Pacfic and SMART. The evening's last show was by Otto Vandrak featuring Alco-powered shortlines of New York and Pennsylvania. We returned to the Days Inn and called it a night.

Saturday morning started with the Internet before went to Elmers Restaurant for a good breakfast. We then filled the car with petrol before driving back to the high school. We got in line and exchanged our Internet tickets for a hard ticket. We received our wrist bands and then we where free to explore the swap meet. I bought Western Pacific Vol one and two of Fiftty Years of the Western Pacific Caternary Video. I also bought Shortlines of Northern California Volume One and Two. Next I started the line into the theater. At 11:15 AM the doors were opened and we took our usual seats. At 11:45 AM Pre Show Announcements. At Noon the first show from 2020 was Tennessee Pass by Charlie Dischinger. That was followed by Un-common Carriersby David Hardie. I won a door prize and selected Caternary Video Skookum and CV-4 DVD. Next we had a lunch break which was followed my Sights and Sounds of the Sierra Railway by David Hardie. Next up was Chasing the Light: Photography of Eric C. Lundgren by Tim Tonge. That was followed by North to Alaska 2008-2018 by Frank Keller, Great lakes-Iron Ore Roads by Mark Harting and Skyborne Along 4014 by Dan Scheidell before the Three Favourites and the dinner break. Elizabeth and I went to Carl's Jr. for dinner as we were not very hungry then returned to the Days Inn where I finished yesterday's story and Elizabeth proofed it after checking her e-mail and other things. We went back to the high school and walked two laps around the track as is our tradition then returned to the theatre and I was in the front of the line for the rest of the programs.

The evening's shows commenced with Jeff Mast's Ann Arbor - The Final Years, followed by Oregon & Northwestern Railroad by Jeff Moore with Wayne Monger. It was then time for the Hall of Fame Award presentation and this year, Glen Icanberry was the recipient. He was instrumental in the development of the museum in the Santa Fe station at San Bernardino. The announcement of the photo contest winners was rather comical this year as some images had the wrong names but that was easily corrected by Evan. Ted Benson then presented long-time railroad photographer Dick Dorn with the Fred A. & Jane R. Stindt Photography Award from the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. The shows continued with Flatlander - The Great Plains of the Kyle Railroad by Bryan Bechtold, Crossing The Alps by Scott Lothes, Santa Fe In Color by Stan Kistler and the final show of the evening, Frame by Frame by Steven Brown. We returned to the hotel and called it a night.

I worked on the Pizza Party and the Winterail Show 2020 story before Elizabeth typed the show details. We walked over the Elmer's Family Restaurant then packed up the room before we checked out and packed the car. We waited about twenty minutes until 10:00 AM when the doors were opened. I bought Catenary Videos' "Sierra Railroads" Volumes One and Two. We then started the line to enter the theater. At 11:15 AM the doors were opened and we took our usaul seats then at noon, Annie and Vic Neves gave some pre-show announcements. The first program at 12:15 PM was a highly entertaining Steam Excursions on the Western Pacific Part One by Evan Werkema whose narration was priceless at times. Next was a promotional video by Caternary Video called Trains We Missed by Warren Haack (which I then bought after the show). At 1:15 PM we all enjoyed Columbia River Collection by Joel Hawthrone. That was followed by I Just Work Here - A Study In Railroad Workers by David Lang. Milwaukee Road West and Milwaukee Road Rocky Mountain Division by Don Hunter was the next show then, showing her first Winterail show, Driven Prologue-The Rhythm by Liz Kylin. A return to a 2012 show was Dick's Southern Pacific Adventures by Dick Dorn. We finished Winterail 2022 with Steam Excursions on the Western Pacific Part Two by Evan Werkema. This brought two days of top-notch and fantastic railroad shows to an end. Elizabeth and I left the theatre and started to head home.

I drove us to Jersey Mike's in Corvallis where we had dinner before we made our way to Interstate 5 south to Sutherlin and the first stop of our home trip.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Company 2-6-2 100 was built by Cooke Locomotive Works in 1921 for the Hetch Hetchy Railroad as their number 5. The Hetch Hetchy was a sixty-eight mile railroad constructed by the City of San Francisco to support construction and expansion of the O'Shaughnessy Dam across Hetch Hetchy Valley in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park in California. It operated from 1917 to 1949, primarily carrying construction crews and materials, but it also carried passengers, freight and mail. The locomotive was bought by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company in 1937 and renumbered 100. It worked at Vail, Washington until 1948 when it was moved to operate on the Nonpareil run out of Sutherlin, Oregon.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Company caboose. I then drove us to Roseburg where we checkin into the Best Western Garden Villa Inn for the night.

3/21/2022 Elizabeth and I arose at the Best Western Garden Villa Inn and after we checked the Internet, we loaded the car and checked out. Elizabeth drove us across the highway to Elmer's where we had a great breakfast. Elizabeth then drove Interstate 5 south to the Oregon border then drove the rest of the way to Dunsmuir and the first stop of the day.

A semaphore watches over Southern Pacific 2-6-0 1727 built by Baldwin in 1901. It was retired in 1957 and donated to the City of Dunsmuir. After cleaning and repainting at the Dunsmuir roundhouse, it went on display.

The display board for this engine which was placed here to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the 1727 in June 2021. I then drove us down the Sacramento River Canyon and we made our way south to Red Bluff getting on CA Highway 99 to Los Molinos, for our first station.

The relocated Southern Pacific Los Molinos station which is now a residence. Next I drove us to Vina.

Southern Pacific Vina station built in 1929. Our next stop was in Live Oak.

Southern Pacific Live Oak station built in 1876 built by the California and Oregon Railroad as part of their original line from Marysville, California to Portland, Oregon. I drove us to Lodi where Elizabeth finally acquired her Lodi municipal pin after the two attempts through the mail had resulted in damaged envelopes. She then drove us to Merced with one stop along the way.

Union Pacific 8232 West at Ceres.

A.L. Gilbert GP10 2004 at Keyes, built as Detroit, Toledo and Ironton 5164 by Electro-Motive Division in 1952. She drove to Turlock where we had dinner at the Sizzler which really hit the spot. After dinner, Elizabeth drove us the rest of way to the Best Western in Merced where we checked in for the night.

3/22/2022 Elizabeth and I woke up in Merced and after we checked the Internet, we checked out and I drove us to the Black Bear Diner in Madera where they were out one of Elizabeth's favorite dishes, Cinnamon Roll French Toast, so she had regular French Toast minus the bacon which I have. I drove us to a gas station to fill the car with petrol before I resumed the drive south through the San Joaquin Valley. Near Bakersfield I pulled off the highway for a train picture.

Union Pacific 7435 East at Saco. I then drove us up the Grapevine to the rest area where we switched drivers. Elizabeth did her excellent driving through the Los Angeles traffic. We made it back to Santa Ana and stopped at our Post Office to get our mail before coming home to our apartment. I unloaded the luggage and dirty laundry after we drove 3,081 miles in our ten-day trip, then Elizabeth unpacked and we settled in. This had been one excellent Winterail trip and it was good to be back in Corvallis.

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