Steam Whistle Music Music Tracks Ahead Brought to you by: Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Music , I'm Spencer Cristian.

On this episode of Tracks Ahead, we'll visit a southern California railway historical society, as well as one of the oldest garden railroads in the country.

We'll enter the magic world of the Sunset Valley Oregon Railroad, cross the country to Vermont's scenic Quechee Gorge Village for a toy and train museum, and ride through the scenic beauty of the Finger Lakes region of New York state.

Southern California is home to many things involving railroads.

We discovered a fantastic display of railroad history, as well as the oldest and possibly the largest public garden railroad in the united states.

Annc: Children of all ages can be found at the Los Angeles County Fair grounds, or FairPlex where there is a wide variety of activities for railroad lovers.

Our first stop is the Southern California Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, where you'll find some great examples of California's Railroad heritage.

Loren: The Arcadia Station is an original Santa Fe Depot.

It came from Arcadia, ah, it was built in 1895, and we got the depot in 1969 in another location here on the fairgrounds.

In 1989 it was moved down here.

We have the largest diesel locomotive that's been built.

We have the largest steam engine that's been built.

We have three cylinder locomotives.

We have the largest 4-12-2 and the largest 4-10-2.

Our most well known is the Big Boy.

It's the best, in the best shape of any of them that have been preserved.

And we have people from all over the world come to visit and look at our Big Boy.

Annc: The largest display is the Fairplex Garden Railroad.

It's the oldest garden layout in the country.

The miniature railroad came to life at the Los Angeles County Fair in 1924 as a simple diorama.

Rick: The intent of the original display was to create an attraction that people would look at during the LA County Fair so that they would see Puddingstone Dam, to come out and visit Puddingstone Reservoir and the surrounding area.

The Pacific Electric was involved as an additional player as a way for people to come out and visit the Puddingstone Dam area.

So the first display, the first diorama, had the background, and it had a trolley in it.

As what we understand, the trolley was not operating.

Annc: The display remained within the Fair's tent for the next ten Fairs, growing slowly as an operating miniature railroad.

In 1935, there were no miniature trains of this size commercially available.

So each locomotive and piece of rolling stock had to be hand made.

Enter Herman and Homer Howard.

Rick: Herman Howard was a Pomona High School shop teacher who was contacted to build the original display., and he did all the original construction.

His brother, Homer helped him with the electrical wiring and the diorama when it was first built.

Students assisted Mr. Howard on the construction of several of the different locomotives and rolling stock.

Rolling stock would include flatcars, boxcars, tank cars, and everything was constructed from scratch.

The trains were originally built to one half inch scale and they were built from plans that Mr. Howard obtained from the railroads.

Annc: The Howards kept the place alive by annually running the train during the LA County Fair.

In 1958 the Howard family sold the operation.

After passing through several local ownerships, Fairplex eventually took title to the railroad in 1970.

The railroad was a popular attraction and Fairplex wanted to revitalize the aging display.

Enter the Southern California Garden Railway Society.

Rick: That group came out and took out all the old half inch track and put in new, modern G gauge track and at the time they put down about 5,000 feet of track.

They brought out their own trains for the next fair, and for the 1997 fair, they were able to operate and have the trains running.

Annc: Physical labor wasn't the most important item of the new relationship between Fairplex and the society.

Rick: In conjunction with our coordinator Bob Toohey, they developed a business plan.

This business plan, which we still use today, is a comprehensive document that states how Fairplex will interact with the garden railroad.

It explains the projects that we'll work on here at the garden railroad.

And most importantly, it covers how the volunteers will be organized.

And that's crucial for coverage during the annual LA County Fair.

Our volunteer crew is critical to the ongoing success of this exhibit.

We have, of our over 70 some volunteers, we staff ten people for every one of the ten hours that the fair is open everyday for all 23 days of the fair.

And that works out to over 2300 hours that we put in every year for the fair.

Of course, we're slightly biased in our viewpoint of our importance.

But we like to see that the majority of the people that come to the fair are, do visit the garden railroad.

In fact, our annual attendance at the LA Fair ranges between 1.3 and 1.4 million people.

And exit surveys have showed that approximately 80% of those people are exposed to the garden railroad one way or the other.

Annc: The various trains and trolleys operate past several scenes depicting California history from the 1850s to present day, and wander through out the mountains, over the lakes and streams, and through the gardens.

Rick: Some of the areas we're proud of are our mountain area, which has over 100 dwarf Alberta spruce trees that are carefully trimmed and thinned out to resemble real trees.

Another area is our western area.

The western area is one of our two interactive areas that allows visitors during the fair to control the trains.

And that's very popular with young adults and kids of all ages, I suppose.

I would suppose the area that gets the most visibility is the front end, what we call Main Street on the front of the exhibit, which goes from the old west down to pretty much present day.

And that covers a variety of buildings from a car show to a housing development under construction to some of the buildings that are actually historic to Southern California and the Pomona area, including the Fox Theater and the Mayfair Hotel which are on our Main Street.

Annc: The railroad has over 10,000 thousand feet of track in the three main lines, and over 8,000 feet of wiring.

Rick: The trains and the buildings are all powered by electricity systems which basically have been here since the 1950s.

We've taken some of those circuits and upgraded them with modern components, but the main controls, the controls that allow us to move the trains are ah, were built, as far as we know, in the '50s and they're still performing very, very well.

Annc: Because it's a garden railroad, there is plenty of work for the landscape people.

Rick: On the front and down Main Street, we have junipers and boxwood trees.

These are common shrubs that you can find in any nursery.

It's just that we have to trim them in a certain way so that they resemble real trees.

And that takes a lot of maintenance in terms of our volunteers.

We have people who do nothing but come out and just trim trees.

We have volunteers who come out who really don't have expertise in any particular area, but they just some out and pull weeds.

And those people are as valuable to us as anybody else.

The layout is open the first Sunday of every month and of course we're open and operating everyday during the annual LA County Fair.

which is in September and the first weekend in October.

Annc: Whether you find yourself at the Los Angeles County Fair, or are just passing by, stop at Fairplex in Pomona and visit a California treasure.

Fairplex is usually open the first Sunday of each month, so if you're in the area, stop in Pomona and check it out.

Model railroaders know that having friends around to help out only enhances the experience.

We're about to meet a Michigan man and woman who bring together a great number of people for their Pacific Northwest railroad.

Annc: Bruce Chubb's Sunset Valley Oregon System takes prototype railroads to a whole new level.

Bruce: The vision is to create something which replicates life in 1955 in the Pacific Northwest and how ten prototype railroads or real railroads operated in 1955.

Annc: When the many operators of the SVOS gather, their everyday cares melt away.

Janet: It's like living with a magic world.

And when these fellows have a throttle in their hand and they're in charge of a train, and it's traversing through this magic world that's been created the rest of the world ceases to exist and this magic world is the focus.

Annc: But Bruce's main focus isn't the trains and tracks; it's the teammates who come together to operate the SVOS.

Bruce: Without that team, there would be no railroad.

If I was doing it myself I'd still be building the first bench work, or putting the first lumber in.

You've got really most all the advantages of a club without the disadvantage of the politics.

We'll have anyplace from twenty-five to thirty-five, maybe even guests up to forty-five at one time down here for like an eight hour session.

We'll run about a hundred and twenty-five trains during that period of time.

It's the group effort and running it as a team where everybody is doing their job on the railroad to make the whole thing hum.

There's thirty-eight individuals currently that are working and operating on the system.

Janet: Each one has a specialty that they particularly enjoy and have been given the freedom to express their talent on this railroad.

They work together but so much of the railroad has been influenced by the crew.

Thom: I have my own railroad and when I come over here I always go home with new ideas and things that I've got to do on my own railroad because one of the guys here would have said something or made a comment or suggested something and I'll say, "Hey, you know, that'll work for me."

And so I do that.

Marc: As you can see behind me, we have a highly sophisticated computer control system operating this model railroad.

We take great care in wiring practices to make sure everything is well-documented and put in place in such a way that we can quickly and easily solve any problems.

Skip: A friend of mine is actually a member of a local club I belong to, brought us -- a whole group of us from the club -- down here and Bruce and I seemed to hit it off and I volunteered to help work on the layout and specialize in his logging operations.

Bruce: A lot of the crew members have been twenty-five, thirty years and a lot of younger people are coming on and they're going to have the same longevity, and we'll all do just about anything for each other.

And we really pull together as a unified "ultimate team" is what I would call it.

Janet: It's about the team; it's about the friendships.

Our circle of friends are all primarily in the hobby and we share a lot of good times together.

Bruce: It is an extended family, in fact several of the crew members have even mentioned that, "Gee, we come here, it's just like being part of a family."

And I think we're that close.

Jim: Oh, I think my favorite part is just being part of a group of people operating on one of the finest model railroads that exists, and just the opportunity to be part of that is what I look forward to.

Keith: My favorite part is the commradery.

I've met a lot of nice people here, learning a lot of stuff.

Russ: I guess the thing I enjoy most here is just being able to say I'm part of this.

John Allen's Gorean Defeated Railroad has been gone for more that thirty years and they still write about it in the press.

This is a model railroad they'll still be talking about in a hundred years, and I can at least say, "I was there and I was a part of it."

Annc: Not just talking about it, but operating it too.

At least that's Bruce's plan for the future of the SVOS.

Bruce: We want to preserve it for all time.

You'll always be adding detail and refinements, but the railroad is built into moveable sections that can be taken apart so you can unbolt it all apart and move it out and the goal someday is to have it set up under a foundation and as a museum of its own.

Annc: A railroad of the past for future generations to enjoy: the Sunset Valley Oregon System.

Bruce, Janet, and crew have a wonderful time in the operating sessions.

New York has long been home to some of the nation's oldest railroads.

While most have passed into history, there is still one which has combined passenger and freight operations to keep making money in the 21st century.

In a minute, we'll take a visit.

All of us had favorite toys when we were young.

As we grew, those toys became lost, broken or discarded.

But in southern Vermont, there is a place where you can relive your youth and see those playthings once again.

And of course, there are trains.

Annc: Gary Neil and his wife have owned the Quechee Gorge village since 1988.

Here you will find artists, wineries, specialty shops, antiques, restaurants - and the Vermont Toy and Train Museum - a toy collection unrivaled in New England.

Gary: We think it's perfect.

Its an opportunity for people to see things that they had and inspires them to collect after they've seen the toys.

And it also educates them as to what is possible to bring home.

Toys bring a sense of both passion and fun into your life and it usually invokes some kind of a happy memory.

The expression that keeps coming up is, "I had one of those."

In fact, our stickers remind people that others say the same comments, but, "I had one of those" is truly echoed.

Trains are perhaps the single toy that evokes the fondest memories and the lasting memories among children.

The train layouts are very important to people who have had trains, who remember their experiences they had with their parents or with their friends, but they are very powerful in terms of bringing back good memories.

We acquired the train layouts ten years ago and we moved them initially into storage.

After that we assembled them on this site, Quechee Gorge Village and after it had been there for three years we needed to relocate them.

More artisans moved into the property and subsequently we moved the train layouts here to it's present location.

Annc: Although Gary didn't have a train layout like the ones in his museum, he still realized that trains are the quintessential toy.

As an adult, Gary doesn't pretend to be a true blue train guy, so when the real train guys showed up, Gary was more than happy for the help and expertise.

Gary: Not being a model railroader myself, I did not realize the amount of work, the amount of skill and effort that it took to get these up and running, and keep them running.

So in my pursuit to bring the layouts together I began reading books, and I've been fortunate enough to meet some people who have helped me along the way.

There's a book on model railroad scenery that was written by David Frary.

And 1 that book features this layout, which was a surprise to me and an entire segment on changing seasons.

Annc: Fate intervened, in the form of a local model railroader, John Gaworecki.

It was a question of who found whom?

Gary: John found me.

John is probably someone who would travel and see model railroads where ever he would go.

And one day came forward and said, "Gee, do you mind if I help you with your layout?

It looks as though it needs a little bit of work, one of the trains is off the tracks."

I was thrilled that he asked.

We got to know each other better over the next couple of weeks and began to do work on the engines, on the scenery, keeping the track fresh, and he put together a crew of gentlemen who are very passionate, very caring for, not just this layout, but other layouts and they're responsible for reinstalling this layout.

They took it apart.

They made drawing to reassemble it, catalogued it, labeled it, we moved it.

And I think it's been improved since then.

John: What sparked my interest is I came to visit the museum at one point, and have always been interested in seeing trains run.

When I arrived the trains were not running.

They needed some regular maintenance.

I happened to be at the place, and Gary was here at that time and we just started talking.

I said, I can fix these things and make them run for you.

So since that point I'd started working with the trains and maintaining them.

And then of course, we went through the process of moving the whole layout to this point.

We had never seen a layout with four seasons like that before.

Which created a certain challenge for us to try to match all those different colors.

It was a work of art, built by a professional and we had to take it apart and reassemble it.

It was a challenge to get all the different scenery back in place.

My favorite part of the smaller layout here is the actual ski train.

This is a train that runs up and down from the town to the ski slopes.

It stops at each location.

When it reaches the end it reverses direction and then goes back down to the other end.

This is a combination of both train part of it, but also my interest in electronics and making sure that we provide the electronics to go back and forth and stop at the different locations.

Annc: The trains are a real delight for the people who visit the Vermont toy and train museum...

But no one is more delighted than Gary Neil... Gary: I do it because it really brings joy to our visitors here at Quechee Gorge Village.

A key to a good toy would have to be what memory it brings and what inspiration it might bring to a child's life.

And that also includes adults.

Annc: A lot of visitors to the Vermont Toy and Train Museum start with recollections of toys they once had, but leave with some great new memories.

Music Annc: The Finger Lakes region in upstate New York is a mixture of old and new, rural and industry.

It's no surprise that railroads played an important part in the area history.

The first rail line, the Auburn & Syracuse railroad, was chartered in 1834, with the first locomotive starting operation in 1840.

Known initially as the Auburn Road, portions of the area actually saw three major railroad players - the New York Central, the Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh Valley Railroads.

By the mid 20th century, all were merged into a single entity - ConRail, which operated the lines generally referred to as the Geneva Cluster.

Slated for abandonment by Conrail, the lines found new life.

Deborah: The Finger Lakes Railway was started in 1995, when a group of investors purchased what was known as the Geneva Cluster from ConRail.

The purpose of the acquisition was to continue carload service to the customers that were on the line, to upgrade the maintenance of the line and then to promote future rail use in the region.

Finger Lakes Railway operates on 118 route miles and the trackage runs from Geneva, east to Syracuse, and then a section from Geneva west to Canadaigua, and another piece from PennYan To Watkins Glen.

The company started with 6 employees, and we currently have 50 employees.

We had 3 locomotives, and we now operate with 12 locomotives, and in our first year of business we were running 5600 carloads and we're now up to 18,000 carloads annually.

Annc: Technology has helped the Finger Lakes improve efficiency in their booming freight business.

The use of remote control allows ground operators to maintain locomotive control via wireless communication.

The control system is actually housed in the caboose, and speeds switching activities, while reducing rail yard accidents.

An additional component of the Finger Lakes Railway is the passenger operation.

Deborah: Our passenger operation started in 2000.

We purchased four cars from Canadian National that were in service for Via Rail.

And we started running special excursions for local community groups like Rotary Clubs.

And that has since expanded to a May through December operation which includes holiday trains and special trains like a Blues & Brews Train for adults, as well as family friendly trips.

And we visit every one of the communities that we travel through.

This is one of those regions where you can see everything from city landscape to small villages.

We pass beautiful bodies of water in the Finger Lakes Region, as well as wide open farmers fields.

Annc: Visitors also travel through the Montezuma National Wildlife refuge.

With more than 7,000 acres of breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife, it is one of the largest refuges in the northeast.

The passenger trains are headed by striking examples of railroads past.

Deborah: We have an EMD unit, the Finger Lakes 1751 that is painted in the New York Central lightning stripes, reminiscent of the former operator of the line that we travel on, the New York Central.

And we also have the Finger Lakes 2201 that is a U32b, 2250 horsepower, and that is painted in Lehigh Valley paint scheme, reminiscent of the parts of the line that were former Lehigh Valley Railroad.

The passenger cars were built in 1958.

They were on the Via Rail system of the Canadian National.

They're touring coaches, very comfortable.

We retro fitted them with heating and air conditioning.

Annc: Many of the historic old stations and structures have been repurposed, and are still in use along the line.

Paul: Along the Finger Lakes Railroad there are many historical structures.

Most of them date back to the early, later part of the 19th century.

We have in Canadaigua the passenger station still remains.

In Shortsville both the freight and the passenger stations are still being maintained.

We also have Clifton Springs, both freight and passenger stations that are maintained.

And Waterloo still has their freight station.

And right here in Seneca Falls were very happy to have both the passenger and the freight station.

Annc: The future of the railroad is bright.

Deborah: Finger Lakes Railway intends on maintaining our infrastructure to be able to accommodate passenger and freight service for years to come.

This track has been here for 150 years.

And we're going to make sure that it's here for another 150 years, providing the quality service that it does today.

Annc: So the next time you're in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, take a moment to experience the Finger Lakes Railway, where history is still very much alive.

The passenger schedule is usually announced at the end of April, so be sure to check the web for the latest information.

That's it for this episode.

Please join us next time for more, Tracks Ahead.

Tracks Ahead Brought to you by Rancho de Tia Rosa, three unique Mexican restaurants serving culinary delights since 1990.

Walthers, manufacturer and supplier of model railroading products; serving the hobby since 1932.

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