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"In The News" ... from the museum newsletter, The Depot Dispatch. 
(Last update:03/11/2008)
View/Download The Latest Issues Of The Museum Newsletter: SPRING 2008 (Vol. 28, No. 1) (725k PDF) WINTER 2007-08 (Vol. 27, No. 4) (1.1mb PDF) FALL 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 3) (830k PDF) SUMMER 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 2) (1.0mb PDF) SPRING 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 1) (730k PDF) WINTER 2006-07 (Vol. 26, No. 4) (1.0mb PDF) FALL 2006 (Vol. 26, No.3) (1.4mb PDF) SUMMER 2006 (Vol. 26, No. 2) (730k PDF) More of Volume 26 - 2006 (SEE BELOW)
Volume 26 - (ISSUES IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER) This Issue Sponsored By Carroll Plumbing and Maintenance, Inc. - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) Summer Is Steaming At The Railroad Museum - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The weekend of July 29-30 will be an important one for the railroad museum, marking the 20th anniversary of Steaming Summer. The event draws its name from the live-steam locomotives that visit the museum once a year to pull the trains of the Goleta Short Line railroad. Steaming Summer will again feaure a circus theme, with cars from Ted Cheesman’s circus train added to one of the consists, including the ever-popular squirting-elephants car and the musical calliope car with the bubble-blowing bear. In the model-railroad exhibit, the circus train from Ken and Carolyn Weber’s “K&C Famous Family Circus” will return to travel the “Goleta Loop.” The Weber circus first joined the list of Steaming Summer attractions in 1999. Daily admission to Steaming Summer is only $4 ($3.75 for members), which includes unlimited train and handcar rides (Riders must meet minimum-height requirements: 34” for the train; 48” for the handcar.). Hours both Saturday and Sunday are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Museum members enjoy the privilege of an early-bird invitation – to come between 10 and 11 a.m. to watch the locomotives being steamed-up in preparation for the day’s activities (Early admission is a special membership benefit open only to members and their accompanying guests, please.) The admission charge applies to everyone, including those who choose not to ride. Infants and any others who are unable to ride the train will be admitted at no charge. For late arrivals, the admission price is lowered to $3 after 3 p.m. Advance tickets, at 50¢ off (75¢ off with membership card) are now available in the museum’s Trackside Shop. The Steaming Summer program will also include continuous free showings of railroad films, with an emphasis on steam locomotion, including tutorials on how to operate and maintain a steam engine — all to be shown in the museum’s Gandy Dancer Theater. During the event there will be tri-tip sandwiches, “Depot Dogs” and beverages available for purchase. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to ride on a Goleta Short Line train pulled by a real steam locomotive! Steaming Summer would not be possible without the generous sponsorship support of Toyota of Santa Barbara. This marks the 19th consecutive year in which the car dealership has sponsored the event. The name “Another Steaming Summer” was first applied back in 1988, when steam-train rides were offered on the second and fourth Saturdays of July, August and September thanks to the sponsorship of what was then Joe Redford’s Toyota. The 1988 event was “another” steaming summer because the previous year was the museum’s first summer of train rides, when the steam-powered trains ran every Saturday in July and August as part of our contribution to the Santa Barbara Railroad Centennial celebration. Except for Depot Day, those were the only rides given that year. The miniature-railroad ran steam trains exclusively until 1989, when the gasoline-powered diesel-prototype engine No. 1316 was purchased. Rep. Capps Makes Memorial Gift - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The museum has received a donation in memory of Steve Arbuckle from Congresswoman Lois Capps. Steve Arbuckle’s passing on Jan 11 was reported in the previous issue of the Depot Dispatch newsletter. In her card, Lois Capps wrote about Steve, “He and his family were our neighbors in Goleta as he and his brothers and sisters grew up as friends of our children. At an early age Steve loved trains. We miss him!” Olitzky Family Adopts Free Fridays - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The family of volunteer Seth Olitzky and Jr. Engineer Ian Olitzky has taken over the sponsorship of First Fridays Free, the museum’s popular monthly afternoon of free miniature-train rides. The program was started in spring 2002 by Cox Communications, which generously sponsored the popular museum event for four years. Thanks to the Olitzky family, “Free Fridays” will resume on July 7. Don’t Miss Jr. Engineers Party!! - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The museum’s annual Junior Engineers Club Party will be held Thurs., Aug. 17 from 2 ‘til 4 p.m. on the museum grounds. There will be yummy refreshments and free miniature-train rides for all in attendance. To make reservations, please call the museum office (964-3540). Each Junior Engineer member may bring two guests (parent, sibling, relative or friend) without charge. There is a charge of $5 each for any additional guests). Coombs Selected As Museum Reviewer By Professional Group - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) Museum Director Gary Coombs has been selected by the American Association of Museum to serve as a peer reviewer in its Museum Assessment Program (MAP). MAP is a confidential, consultative process designed to help museums understand how they compare to standards and best practices in the field. MAP reviewers are professionals from the museum community who conduct site visits and make recommendations to museum boards and administrators about ways to improve their programs and manner of operation. Dr. Coombs has been approved to conduct any of the four types of MAP assessments: Collections Management, Governance, Institutional, and Public Dimension. Each assessment type focuses on a different aspect of museum operations. Gary will be working primarily with other small museums. Teachers’ Group Sponsors Summer Reading - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The museum is renewing an 18-year-old tradition this year by participating in the Summer Reading Program of the Santa Barbara Public Libraries. Children who complete the program by reading 15 or more books will receive a pair of free rides on the Goleta Short Line — one for themselves and another for a friend or family member — in recognition of their reading achievement. This year’s participation is being made possible by the Santa Barbara Teachers Federal Credit Union, through its sponsorship support. The museum has been a part of the Summer Reading Program since 1989, when Museum Director Gary Coombs, Asst. Director Phyllis Olsen and Goleta Children’s Librarian Judy Savage led a group of 16 youngsters and 14 parents on an Aug. 11 rail adventure to Simi Valley via Amtrak’s San Diegan and Coast Starlight trains, celebrating that year’s program theme, “Get On The Right Track — Read.” “Kids’ Crossing” Is New Addition To Museum Web Site - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The museum web site has a new section devoted especially to children. It’s called “Kids’ Crossing” and the section can be reached via a link in the menu at the top of any web page. The section also includes the popular “Run Your Own Train” game as well as a spot for getting information about holding a birthday or youth-group party at the museum. Allen Gives Track-Building Class - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) With the grant funds received from the Santa Barbara Foundation and the Alice-Tweed Tuohy Foundation, the museum has been amassing a large supply of rail, tie materials and hardware for assembling track for the Goleta Short Line. In May, Gene Allen conducted a class on constructing 10-foot-long track panels, both straight and curved, using these track materials. Attending the morning class were David Chapman, Jim Felland, Ed Leska, Bruce Morden, Seth Olitzky and Museum Director Gary Coombs. The new track, which includes ties made from 2x2-inch plastic lumber, will be used to expand the miniature railroad as well as repair parts of the roadbed that have become worn after years of use. Thanks, Noontime Rotary - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) Special thanks are owed to the Goleta Noontime Rotary Club for sponsoring an afternoon of free train and handcar rides on Saturday, June 17. It was the 6th annual “Rotary Day.” Volunteer News: Training Completed For Handcar, Amtrak Programs - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) Congratulations to volunteers Neil Baker, B. Marc Bradley, Rich Guske and Bernard Verbit who have completed all of the classroom and onboard training required to become Coast Starlight guides. Neil, Marc, Rich and Bern have each received the Trails & Rails green shirt and shoulder patch that signify their advancement from guides-in-training status. All four men participate in the Santa Barbara-to-San Luis Obispo version of the program, in which guides make a one-day roundtrip sharing history and information with passengers on the West Coast Amtrak train. The museum also conducts an overnight Santa Barbara-to-Oakland program. Don Chalfant, Kathy Chalfant and Bev Torres have recently been approved as guides for Oakland trips. Both programs are offered in partnership with the Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail and the “Trails & Rails” program of the National Park Service. Robert Burtness has been recertified to offer rides on the museum handcar. Visit Bob and the other handcar volunteers on the third Saturday of any month, when free rides are given, or during special events. Volunteers Needed - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The museum needs more volunteer help, especially during the busy summer season. If you would like to pitch in, please call Assistant Director Phyllis Olsen at 964-3540, weekdays. Museum Is Birthday Party Hit - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) You couldn’t ask for a better spot to hold a party for that little rail fan in your family. For less than $40 (and there are discounts for members!), a party group receives exclusive use of the museum party area for the entire afternoon, 20 miniature-train rides, a 10% discount for party-supply and other purchases in the museum store, a special birthday greeting card from the museum, and other benefits. The party area can be reserved by contacting Phyllis Olsen (polsen@goletadepot.org) in the museum office (805-964-3540). For more information, ask Phyllis, or pick up a party brochure in the museum shop or download a copy from the new “Kids’ Crossing” section of the museum web site: www.goletadepot.org. Celebrating recent birthday parties at the museum were Sean Erskine, Justin Juarez and Jack Lindsey (March); Scott Buie, Kendall Spitsz and Kyle Wilczak (April); Keegan Naronka (May); Emily Donelan, Eric Johnson and Elijah Valerjev (June). Worthen Added To Museum Board - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) Claudia Worthen has been elected to the museum’s Board of Trustees for a two-year term. President Joan Hanna describes Claudia as “one of the most energetic and active women I know.” She “comes to us with a lot of experience serving on non-profit boards.” Worthen is president of the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club and treasurer of the Santa Barbara Business & Professional Women. She is also a past president of the Automotive Service Council and Zonta International and has served on the boards of Job Smart, the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce, Goleta Community Center, Girls Club, and the Santa Barbara Christian Women’s Club. Claudia moved here from Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1966. Before her retirement, she ran two successful local businesses, Wally’s Automotive in Goleta and Kimo’s Polynesian Shop, a Santa Barbara Downtown fixture for many years. Spring Fundraiser Results Are In! - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) As this issue of the Depot Dispatch goes to press, donations received and pledged for the 25th annual Spring Fundraiser stand at $12,500, tantalizingly close to the $13,000 goal. If you would like to help put us over the top, it’s not too late to make a pledge or add to your 2006 gift. The money raised during the Spring Fundraiser is used to support general museum operations. Museum Joins “Read For The Record” Event - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) In partnership with Jumpstart and the Santa Barbara Public Libraries, the railroad museum will be participating on Thurs., Aug. 24 in “Read For The Record,” a national campaign to engage tens of thousands of children and adults in setting the world record for the largest shared reading experience ever. Groups across the U.S. will be reading The Little Engine That Could to promote children’s school readiness through one-on-one reading. At the museum, we’ll add free train rides, refreshments and other fun things as we help to set the record. Please join us, 1 to 4 p.m. Railroadiana Collecting Is New Display Topic - (Vol. 26, No. 2 - Summer 2006) The next time you’re at the museum, be sure to check out the new display on railroadiana collecting in the Waiting Room. The exhibit was designed by volunteers Jean-Guy Dube and Paul Williams, using items and books from Jean-Guy’s collections and library. This Issue Sponsored By Mid-State Bank & Trust - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) “Easter Bunny Express” Is April 15 - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) Get those income-tax returns finished early this year so you’ll have plenty of time for some good ol’ family fun on Saturday, April 15, when the annual Easter Bunny Express rolls into town. The hours for the popular springtime event at the railroad museum will be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $4 per person, adult or child. Those holding the special oversized egg-shaped tickets will be able to take part in a number of fun event activities, including visits to Wabbit-Twacks Station (to ride the decorated train); Harvey’s House (for a yummy cookie and some lemonade); Easter-Bunnyville (to meet the Easter Bunny and receive an egg surprise); Jack-Rabbit Junction (to enter a prize drawing); and What’s Up Dock (to collect another event souvenir). Tickets are available in advance at the museum. They will also be sold during the event until 3:30 p.m. For those wanting lunch or an afternoon snack, our volunteers will be serving hot sandwiches, snacks and refreshments throughout the event. The 2006 Easter Bunny Express promises to be another “hare-raising egg-sperience” for the whole family. Don’t miss it! (rain date: April 22). The museum will be closed on Easter Sunday, April 16. Railroad Museum Representatives Share “Information Station” At State Meetings - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) The California Association of Museums held its annual meetings on Feb. 21-24 in Monterey. One of the session topics was the South Coast Railroad Museum’s “Information Station,” which will soon be housed in the new Visitor Center where everyone will have access to its many fun and informative resources. Rotary Day Coming June 17 - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) The 6th Annual “Rotary Day,” an afternoon of free train and handcar rides at the museum, will be held Saturday, June 17. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime. Volunteer News - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) We are pleased to welcome the museum’s new class of guides-in-training for the Coast Starlight Program. Ray Allen, Merle Betz, B. Marc Bradley, Dondra, Margot Durham, Mary Kahn, Thomas Smith, Bernard Verbit and Annette Winter all successfully completed the emergency and safety course and the other classroom training during a day-long session on Jan. 28. Congratulations to Don Chalfant, Kathy Chalfant, Pat Martzen, Bev Torres and Esther Velarde, who have fulfilled all of the requirements to become Coast Starlight guides. Grants Are Making Visitor Center Completion Possible - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) The museum has been awarded grants totaling $12,000 from two local charitable foundations, the Hutton Foundation and Wood-Claeyssens Foundation. The Hutton grant is for $7,000; the Wood-Claeyssens award is $5,000. Both will be used to complete the Visitor Center project.The Wood-Claeyssens grant is the third that organization has given for the Visitor Center, bringing its total commitment to $19,000. Super Saturday: Tenth Annual Was One Of Best - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) The Goleta Short Line trains were full all afternoon on Feb. 4, during the museum’s 10th Annual Super Saturday! The free-ride event was made possible by the generous support of these event sponsors: Allen Models; Bartlett Tree Experts; Dick and Wendy Shelton; Circle of Friends Children’s Center; Cold Spring Tavern; Friedlander & Associates Insurance Services; Motel 6, Goleta; Michael J. Gartzke, CPA; Dal Pozzo Tire Corp., Goleta; Goleta Valley Voice; Grace Baptist Church; Robert B. Locke, Esq.; Montessori Center School; Bruce and Andrea Morden; Mike and Gail Pearl, Sotheby’s International Realty; Ken Pontifex Family; R P Printing & Graphics; Peter Tiersma; and State Farm Insurance, Ed Attlesey & Tammy Dobrotin, Agents. Thank you one and all for making this year’s event a great success! “Great Race” Fundraiser Slated For May 20 - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) The museum’s 25th annual Spring Fundraiser will be held Saturday, May 20. The event will include unlimited free miniature train and handcar rides for all museum visitors. Lambda Theta Nu sorority will also be helping to host this year. The 2006 event will reprise the “Great Goleta Rail Race” theme that has been used since 1997. Reminiscent of the story of track-builder John Henry, the “steel drivin’ man” who raced a steam-powered drill, the museum’s “Great Race” offers its version of the epic struggle between man and machine, as the people-powered museum handcar and the Goleta Short Line miniature train compete to see which can complete the greatest number of passenger-miles over a three-hour stretch. For museum visitors, the event means they can enjoy unlimited free rides from 1 to 4 p.m., during which both the handcar and train will operate continuously. Careful record will be kept of the total passengers carried and the distance completed by each vehicle, with the winner determined using a handicap for the handcar. This handicap has been based on the actual vehicle performances over the history of the event, except for the very first year, when it was determined by calculations performed by math teams from local high schools. Members are urged to take part this year by helping with the fundraising leading up to the May 20 event, either by obtaining pledges or making a pledge of one’s own. Each year, the Spring Fundraiser generates about 15% of the museum’s annual operating costs. Please support this important museum event by making a tax-deductible donation using the pledge form that accompanies this newsletter. For more information about the event and how you can help, please contact Gary or Phyllis at the museum (805-964-3540). All “Great Race” train riders must meet the museum’s 34-inch minimum-height requirement. On the handcar, 48 inches is the minimum height. Museum Receives Software Gifts - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) Three software manufacturers, Berkley Integrated Audio Software (BIAS), Lucid Flash and Diskeeper Corporation, have made valuable product donations to the museum. Diskeeper has contributed four copies of its Diskeeper 10 Pro defragmentation software, to help protect all of the museum’s computers. BIAS has donated a copy of SoundSoap 2, which is used to remove hiss, hum and other defects from digital sound recordings. Lucid Flash has contributed its Chameleon Sound Player, which has become an important component of the museum’s “Information Station” resource. This past holiday season the museum lost two of its oldest and dearest friends with the passing of Hilda Volkman and Steve Sullivan. Hilda Volkman is best remembered by most museum members as the artist who painstakingly prepared the panels that form the lively scenic Santa Barbara/Goleta backdrop that is the model railroad exhibit’s most prominent feature. That was in 1987, the same year that Hilda began work on a series of coloring pages on depot scenes and rail topics for free distribution to the museum’s young visitors. Hilda was one of our very first weekday “agents,” the volunteers who share the Freight Office with visitors. Over the years, Hilda also helped with museum events and fundraisers far too numerous to mention. She also fashioned the little 4-4-0 American steam locomotive that became the museum’s logo. Hilda became an important early supporter of the Goleta Depot Project when, as a Goleta Valley Historical Society board member, she prepared the sketch that graced the historical society’s 1982 calendar. Entitled “Our New Neighbor,” the drawing was a tender depiction of the recently-moved depot as viewed from a window at Stow House. In many of these activities, Hilda was accompanied and supported by her husband, Al Volkman. Other family members were also called upon to assist: In 1989, grandson Ryan Maloney adopted the wig-wag installation on the museum grounds as his Eagle Scout project. Steve Sullivan, as the Goleta Bureau Chief for the Santa Barbara News-Press, was an indispensable ally in the early 1980s campaign to save Goleta Depot. Steve wrote about the depot project, telling thousands of readers how valuable the historical landmark was to its community. Steve often worked behind the scenes, making enormous, but oftentimes unheralded contributions. He edited all of the local-history publications produced by the Institute for American Research during the 1980s, including Goleta Depot: The History Of A Rural Railroad Station by Gary Coombs. He also wrote a benchmark essay, “Goleta Depot: A Tribute,” which chronicles the history and pageant of Goleta Depot from its construction in 1901 through its rebirth as the centerpiece of a fledgling railroad museum. Throughout the depot project, Steve was a relentless devil’s advocate, constantly challenging the ideas and assumptions that members of the Depot Committee frequently brought his way. Steve Sullivan died on Nov. 26. Memorial donations honoring Steve have been given by Barbara Cornish and Rose Ann Hill. Another longtime member and friend, Steve Arbuckle, died on Jan. 11. A Southern Pacific Railroad train dispatcher, Arbuckle joined the museum in the fall of 1982, just weeks before Goleta Depot was reopened and dedicated as a Santa Barbara County Landmark. Steve loaned the museum an authentic Western Union Telegraph sign, which was used to produce the replica sign that hangs today in front of the Freight Office. He also donated to the museum a number of dispatcher’s log books and train sheets from the early ‘70s, which the museum recently transferred to the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society’s library. Gifts in memory of Steve Arbuckle have been received from Edward and Judith Arbuckle, Ethel Carstens, Barbara and Robert Eggemeyer, and Morton and Joan Metersky. George Thorpe, who joined the museum in 1999, was a faithful supporter of museum appeals and causes, from the annual spring fundraiser to the Visitor Center project. George was a daily fixture at the Santa Barbara Amtrak Station where many of our Coast Starlight volunteers came to know this gentle man quite well. George Thorpe died Nov. 8. A gift in George’s memory has been given by Pat and Perry Lorentzen. Exploring The World’s Great Narrow-Gauge Railways - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) Join international railway traveler Rich Thom on Wed., April 12 as he presents the first half of his epic ‘Round The World By Narrow Gauge, a lecture and multimedia program sponsored by the South Coast Railroad Museum. The presentation is free and open to the public. It will be held at Goleta Library starting at 7 p.m. Rich Thom’s topic, narrow-gauge railways, refers to those world railroads where the distance between the two parallel rails (the track gauge) is less than the 56.5 inches found on the more common “standard-gauge” railroads. By comparison, narrow-gauge railways tend to be shorter in length, traversing scenic, often difficult mountainous terrain, typically with trains that are pulled by steam-powered locomotives. Narrow-gauge railways are especially common in many third-world countries. Thom’s April 12 presentation will focus on narrow-gauge railways in South Africa, North America and India. His opening, South African segment will focus on the 24-inch-gauge Port Elizabeth-Avontour Railway, but will also cover other narrow-gauge lines in that country. To represent North America, Thom has chosen the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad of New Mexico and Colorado. Even those who have ridden this popular seasonal tourist destination will find unfamiliar the snow-mantled scenes that will illustrate the narrative. Thom will close with a look at the various narrow-gauge railways of India, with an emphasis on the spectacular Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, considered by many to be one of the world’s greatest engineering feats. Rich Thom has ridden and photographed the railways of 30 countries during 45 international trips made over the past four decades. He has chronicled his journeys in a number of railway publications, including regular contributions to the International Railway Traveler magazine. A former trustee and president of the South Coast Railroad Museum, Rich Thom is retired and lives in the state of Washington with his wife, Linda. The couple make frequent trips to Santa Barbara, where Rich can often be found once again volunteering his time at the museum. Part II of his narrow-gauge saga, scheduled to be offered later in 2006, will feature the Jiayang Coal Railway of Sichuan Province, China; the Indian Kalka-Shimla Railway; and railways in Ferrocarriles Guatemala. Joanell Scala Joins Board; Joan Hanna Elected President - (Vol. 26, No. 1 - Spring 2006) Joanell Scala has been elected to the organization’s Board of Trustees for a two-year term. She served for two years as an elected member of the Republican Party Central Committee and also served as its secretary. For 10 years, she was an active member of Soroptimist International of Santa Barbara. The Board of Trustees has also elected Joan Hanna as its president for 2006. Other officers are Richard Shelton, vice president and president-elect, and Bruce Morden, secretary and treasurer. Copyright © 2006 by Institute for American Research |
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