Nov 12 2010
KC SmithNews 2010, November 2010, Santa Train
We are getting closer and closer to December 4th and our 2010 version of our Santa Train. This years trips will leave from the Glen Rock Boro Hall station at 9:30am, 12 noon and 2:30 pm and we will have a 9-car train.
With the work being done on the station we are having to handle calls from our homes, which makes it a little more difficult for passengers to reach us, but so far it seems to be working ok. This is also making the job of answering the calls fall on the shoulders of only a few volunteers.
As always we are going to need a good crew of volunteers on December 4th to make the train run. With 9 cars we are looking for 4 Santa’s, 4 Mrs Clauss, 4 elves and 5 people to put on the other costumes. If you or anyone you know is willing to help please give call the station, 973-238-0555 and say you (or they) want to help.
In addition to those 17 people we will need 5 helpers to guide the costumed characters through the train.
Then we will also need up to 18 car hosts and 5 or 6 station / platform attendants. These volunteers help make the trip safe and enjoyable for everyone on board. Volunteer do not need to have any past experience as we put anyone who new with a veteran who knows what we need to do.
This project will be paying for the fence that will go around the station and the property we lease and will help pay for all of the other work we need to do at and around the station. Please volunteer to help because without you making the trips a success will be much harder.
See you all on December 4th.
Nov 12 2010
VRAHawthorne Station, News 2010, November 2010
BY: KC Smith
September 17th 2010, remember that date. That was the day of the final move to get the station onto it’s new foundation. That was also the end of one phase of the project and the beginning of the next.
Since that date we have made a lot of progress getting the station back into good shape. We added the addition on the North side that covers the stairwell going down into our new basement, thanks to the crew from Abbood Construction. Mike Abbood, the owner, also made a donation of some roofing material and loaned us a tool to put it down. Hawthorne Mechanical reconnected the water and sewer and is working on the gas line this week.
We had a lot of help from Ed Newman the owner of Command Electric. He did the most work and he also volunteered to help us with a few other things. Ed ran all the new wiring in the basement, put in a sub-panel to handle the new service, put on the new meter, ran the new line that PSE&G will use to hook up the power, put in new fire detection and a few other things I am sure I am forgetting. In addition Ed helped guide us through the process of putting on the siding on the addition, helped us build the new closet where the old back door once was and he loaned us tools to make the job easier or is some cases even possible. I cannot thank Ed enough for all he did.
Andrea Rebner led our volunteer crew as they spackled over the holes and cracks on the inside walls and then painted the ceiling and primed the walls. We still need to put the final coat of paint on the walls but that will probably have to wait until after the Santa Train on on December 4th. New members Frank Ball, Mike and John Goralski gave a lot of time to get this work done as did a number of other members.
We also started working on the area where the station once stood. After the move we realized that the old foundation should stay and be incorporated into the new park, so we went about cleaning off all the old concrete and dirt and started to lay back down some of the bricks that were removed during the move. If you have not seen this area since the move you will want to stop by. It is a very strange site to see as you come down Diamond Bridge Ave.
Other work that has been done includes painting of the steel frame that the station now rests on (thanks Charles and Tom), cleaning up the area all around the station, siding and priming the new addition and a few other things I am sure I am forgetting.
We have had a decent turn out of volunteer but I would like to see a lot more as time goes on. We have a goal of April 29th 2011 to get the station finished and it is going to take a lot of people working many long hours to make that happen. If you are not already a member of our Yahoo group I suggest that you join. If you are a Yahoo group member and do not have you’re your e-mail setting at least set for the Daily Digest please make that change. I say this because we use the Yahoo group as our main communications tool and if you are not getting the e-mails you will not know when we announce a work day.
I have said this before and I will say it many times more as time goes by, we cannot do any of the good and fun things we do if YOU do not volunteer to help. The move of the station and all the work we will need to do to get it ready to reopen is the biggest project this group has ever undertaken. A few people have put many hundreds of volunteer hours into this project and without them we would not be anywhere near as far along as we are. I want to thank them without naming them, they know who they are and they are not looking for the recognition.
These people have had the help of a dedicated group of VRA members and they need even more help from those who have volunteered and those who have not.
Please consider coming out to volunteer when you can, the station and you will be glad you did.
Nov 12 2010
VRAAnnouncements, News 2010, Newsletters, November 2010
Over the years I have many times written about how busy we were or how many things we needed to do, but the last 3 months and the next 6 months will make all of those times look like we were standing still. With the work we have and will continue to do at the station, the 2 weekends of motorcar trips we ran in September and October, our upcoming Santa Trains on December 4th, and the planning and running of our Easter Trains next spring, we are all going to need to step it up a few notches.
We have had a few new members join us in the last month or so and we are looking for even more new people to become part of this great group. So when you are coming out to one of our workdays or other projects, why not bring a friend along.
Also if you have not had much time to come out and volunteer lately we hope you can find some time in the near future to take part in something we are up to. I know that everyone is not into the same things and getting filthy dirty working on a motorcar or getting paint all over you while we paint the station may not be your idea of a fun day out. So we also offer you the chance to car host on a train ride, its not too hard and heck, you get to ride a train all day.
Whatever you choose to do when you come out is up to you. If we are working at the station and heavy lifting is not part of what you can do, you could always help in many other ways. Just the other day we could have used a free set of hands to do things like get screws or nails to the people who were building the closet in the new addition. Or when we are painting the station or motorcars someone to help with tarps or hold ladders or countless other things can make the day go easier and faster for those people doing the painting.
The long and the short of this is that when we work together we can do great things. Just look at what we have been able to do over the last 17 years. Volunteers did it all and along the way we met some great people, had some great times, raised countless thousands of dollars to help preserve railroad history and most importantly…we made a difference.
Remember our slogan, So close to railroading…Only the paycheck is missing. Now we can add to that building construction and landscaping too.
See you on the train and or at the station
KC
