Who Am I? or, Let's Introduce Ourselves

[Ira Schreiber]

Welcome and a great story.

[Steve Smith]

Later, I was a correspondent with Dick from 1982 until his passing in 1979

Martin, you meant to type 1962, or 1972, rather than 1982, right?

It's natural that I would be drawn to a typo, seeing as how I've made so many in earlier WW&F Forum posts!

[Philip Marshall]

My name is Philip Marshall, I'm 38 years old, and live in Port Jefferson, NY. I've been a fan of the Two-Footers from an early age, beginning with a fateful visit to Edaville with my parents when I was about seven years old. I was an early member of the WW&F Museum from about 1990 to 1995 when I was just a teenager, but let my membership lapse when I went away to college. This was followed by years in graduate school when I was both too busy and too poor to be useful to anyone. (I am a botanist and forest ecologist by training.) Now I have recently re-joined the Museum as a Life Member, and look forward to getting involved again.

In addition to being a railfan, I enjoy gardening and collecting antiques and rare books. My collection does includes some railroadiana, but the Two-Footer component of this is fairly meager, limited to some photos and paper (a few tickets and timetables) and a handful of spikes (from the B&SR, Monson, and SR&RL).

[Mairi Dulaney]

Ahoy!

My name is John Dulaney.  I'm from the original Down East (heh heh), which is the eastern half of one county in eastern North Carolina.  However, my grandmother is from Maine and currently lives in Orono.  I have always had an interest in the Maine two footers secondary to the original Norfolk Southern and Beaufort and Morehead (which was even shorter than the WW&F!).

I have experience in drafting and doing CAD work, so, if that is needed, I can at least help out there.  I'm currently a software engineer at Red Hat in Raleigh, NC.

[Jim Jendro]

Hello , I'm Jim Jendro, a new member as of last week. My wife and I stumbled on the WW&F after a GPS search for “railroad” while we were vacationing in Maine. Even though we showed up on a weekday, president Steve Zuppa gave us a tour including being up close to #9 and #10. I was impressed with the work the Museum is doing, the shop facilities, and the engineering ingenuity of the ballast tamper and rotating railcar. Steve’s enthusiasm led me to join on the spot.

I’m a retired electrical engineer, originally from West Virginia now living in Massachusetts. My grandparents lived next to a B&O branch line, and my great uncle was an engineer for the B&O. I’m old enough to remember steam on that branch line as well as the huge articulateds that worked along the Ohio river. I’ve always been interested in railroads, mainly standard gauge. Have done pilgrimages to many rail museums as well as to Cass, Fostoria, Folkston, Horseshoe Curve, Kenova, Tunkhannock Viaduct, and the Hoosac Tunnel. I dabble with train simulators, mainly modeling structures, building routes, and writing software to turn USGS data into model terrain.

Glad to support the WW&F and I hope to find some way to help other than membership.

Jim

[James Patten]

Jim: Make sure you find a way to make it back the WW&F for the Fall Work Weekend, which is Columbus Day weekend.  You'll have a blast, you may see the ballast tamper in action, you'll get to ride behind steam and in the railcar, etc.  Friday through Monday.

[Bill Robie]

I'm Bill Robie, new member to the Forum. I live in Golden Colorado and have been a member of the Colorado RR Museum since the early '60s and a Trustee of the Museum for about 15 years. I grew up in Reading, MA, and was fireman for Edaville on #5 at Pleasure Island for the summers of 1962, '63, and '64. I am very impressed with all the volunteer hard work and effort to restore the railroad and equipment at WW&F. It's an amazing accomplishment! Of course, I am even more delighted with the restoration and continuing TLC being given to #10. She looks far better now than when I took care of her 50 years ago for three successive summers. #9 is an incredible story. Those years when I worked for Edaville, #9 was just a rumor that an old Maine 2-footer was in someone's barn down in Connecticut. #5 and #9 have come a long way and it's a remarkable success story for both. Keep up the great work, and I wish I lived closer.

[Ira Schreiber]

Gee Bill, you can accompany me to Maine on my yearly excursion to the WW&F. As you know, I am a life member of CRM as well as the WW&F so I volunteer at both.
Yes, it is a long commute.

[Bill Robie]

Here's a photo of my favorite girlfriend all steamed up when I was 20 back in 1964. Bill Robie

[Stewart "Start" Rhine]

 [LIKE] !!

[Linc Reed-Nickerson]

Hi, I'm Linc, a Life Member here, and also at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA and the Puffing Billy Railway in Belgrave, Victoria, Australia. 

I am currently at a extended volunteer visit at Puffing Billy, I've been here since November 1st 2014, and return to the U.S. in May.  Right now I am working on the regauging and rebuilding of a South African 2ft gauge Garratt.  Puffing Bully is 2ft 6in gauge. The regular fleet of 2-6-2 locomotives are of a Baldwin design built in Australia, very close kin to the Maine Two Footers.

On my first visit to the WW&F I met Harry and Jason, at the time all that was there was a short length of track and the restored flat car.  At that time we shared a summer home with my folks on Lake Messalonskee.  Proir to relocating to Oregon I was able to participate in a few work weekends.  I also donated a whistle that I was told had come from #8 after the wreck, although that has never been confirmed.

I have great respect for the museum for all that has been accomplished over the years, you are a great group of volunteers.

Now that I am retired I hope to spend more time at Alna working on whatever needs to be done.

Linc

[David Emery]

I'm David Emery (but you figured that out from the required real name :-)  My interest is in late 19th century railroading, including light and industrial railways.  There's a 30" railroad (unnamed) that interchanges with my standard gauge Sandy Lake & Northern, providing slate (inspired by Monson RR) and other mineral products and freight.  I'm also working on a 30" mule-powered tramway as part of a brickworks.

Back in the '60s, I rode on the Edaville, and still have a pile of B&W photos from those trips.  Some day I'll scan them, I was fascinated by the little Forney locos. 

dave

[Don Fenstermacher, Sr.]

Hi, my name is Don Fenstermacher and I hail from Bucks County, PA. I have had a fascination with steam from the early 1960's. I rode on a number of the Reading's Iron Horse Rambles and also volunteered at the WK&S in it's beginning years. From there I boomered around for a little over 30 years, volunteering at several tourist railroads and mainline rail excursions. I have worked in engine service as both an engineer and as a fireman, also worked in the shops as well, even a roundhouse. I had the pleasure of working on everything from an 0-4-0T to a 4-8-4. I have helped in the restoration of a 4-6-2, 4-6-4 and a 4-8-4, a lot of hard work but, also a lot of fun.

In 1995. I changed vocational careers and went to work for a short line railroad where I was employed as an engineer and/or conductor. I retired from the railroad 3 years ago.

In the early 1990's, I hung up my gloves from steam railroading and turned my interests to personal hobby steam boats. From 1996 to the present I have had two steam launches. My current launch is a 23' Elliott Bay hull with an VFT boiler and a two cylinder reversing steam engine. I have been steaming on our home lake, Lake Nockamixon as well as other lakes and rivers. I have attended steamboat meets from NH to FL. We have a lot of fun as a family and have my son and grandson, 3 generations involved.

I became interested in the WW&F through a good friend of 55 years, Wayne Laepple. I joined several years ago, but had not visited WW&F until earlier this year. I had followed the happenings at the museum thru the newsletter and this forum. Wayne finally enticed me to attend this years spring work week-end and I had a very enjoyable time. I was simply awestruck having seen the place first hand. I had a blast, everyone is so friendly and laid back, yet so much is accomplished.

Wayne invited me along for the fall work week-end but unfortunately it falls on the same weekend as our annual (3 day) steamboat meet at Nockamixon. I hope to return to WW&F next year! In the meantime, I'll continue to support you from here.

Keep on steaming,
Don Fenstermacher

[Ira Schreiber]

Welcome to the fold.
Ira Schreiber
Aurora, CO
(currently in Maine)

[Kevin H Evans]

I am Kevin Evans, an Airways System Specialist for the FAA. (I fix the stuff the controllers break, steady work.) In about five months I am going to pull the plug and retire, and move from New Mexico to Idaho.

I have worked as a boilermakers helper and have a small machine shop. I gunsmith, hot air balloon crew, and am involved with the restoration of the Santa Fe 2926.

Also with my wife, write science fiction, they even pay me for it grin.

Once I get broken loose from the day job, we plan a trip to the North East, I am sure we can fit it in as research.

Kevin