“Western Pacific’s Gateway to the Feather River Canyon”
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR 2020 CONVENTION HERE!
Featuring…
| • Historic and Modeling Clinics | • Archive and Photo Exhibits |
| • Rare Films from the Virgil Staff Collection | • Vendors and Special Guests |
| • Our Ever Popular Raffle! | • Saturday night Banquet Speaker: |
| • Modeling Displays and Layout Tours | • Convention Car |
Saturday night Banquet Speaker: former WP trainman Tom Hervey
Thomas K. Hervey began his railroad career in Los Angeles in 1964 when he hired on as a switchman for the Southern Pacific. In 1971, he came to Northern California and hired out for the Western Pacific as a conductor and trainman working out of Portola. He would remain through the merger and retire from the Union Pacific in 2007.
While living in Portola, he was elected to the city council as a write-in candidate in 1978, becoming Mayor Pro Tem in 1979. Following the city election in 1980, he became Mayor and served in that position until 1984. Mr. Hervey was Mayor when the FRRS was formed and he signed the initial lease for the Portola Diesel Facility on behalf of the city of Portola, allowing the creation of the Portola (now Western Pacific) Railroad Museum. The city held the lease on the property in those first few years until the FRRS had established itself.
From 2007 to 2017, he worked for the California PUC Rail Operations and Safety Branch, retiring as an Association Transportation Operations Supervisor. From 1965 until 1967 he also served in the US Army and performed a tour of duty in South Vietnam.
Mr. Hervey is a long time member and supporter of the FRRS and we are honored that he has agreed to be our special guest speaker for the 2020 Convention.
Presentations include:
| • Western Pacific MOW Equipment |
| • History of the Reno Branch |
| • The WP in World War II |
| • Centennials on the WP |
| • Wrecks and Derailments |
| • and more! |
Watch the convention website for updates.
Menu for the banquet:
Tri-Tip
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Island Pork Medallions
Garden Salad
Sweet Corn
Mash Potatoes and Gravy
Printable convention flyer Download HERE!
Layout Tours
(as of 1/28/20)
Walt Schedler will open his Southern Pacific California Black Butte Sub at his home in Colusa for convention attendees on Sunday, April 19 from 10 AM to 6 PM. This large HO scale layout is located in a 1,200 sq ft upstairs room. Control is NCE DCC and 80% of CTC signals are operational. The layout has four levels and is viewed from the main floor or on elevated walkways. It is a loop to loop to loop design with no helix and features over 20 mainline freights, turns, and locals plus three passenger trains: the Klamath Mail Train, the Cascade and the Shasta Daylight. As part of the Sunday event, Walt has offered to arrange a lunch for signed up attendees for $10 per person. Lunch will be from 11 AM to 2 PM. (Lunch sign up/payment to be arranged.)
Also on Sunday, April 19, from 10 AM to 6 PM, two other layouts will be open for convention attendees:
Mike Andrews will share his 56' X 36' O scale layout. This layout features the WP and SP, centered around Binney Jct in Marysville. Layout located in Yuba City.
Gene Kuhn will open his 60' X 40' HO scale double deck layout, featuring SP Marysville to Roseville on the bottom deck and Roseville to Donner Pass on the Upper Deck. Layout located in Yuba City.
2020 Convention Car
We plan to have Accurail build 48 custom HO scale boxcars in a Western Pacific scheme. The car is an outside braced Pullman 40’ wood boxcar from the 26001 series.These cars for rebuilds from the original 1916 built 15001 series and were in service on the WP from 1937 until the late 1970s. Some could be seen in MOW service until just before the merger. Accurail will provide a decal sheet to allow modelers to put on their own custom numbers in the 26001 series.
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