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This year’s Fall Show was one that all of us will remember for a long time. It was a reminder that when
disaster strikes, we all need to count our blessings and do whatever we can to help those who have lost
so many of the things around which their lives were centered. San Diego County was hit very hard, and
thousands of people found themselves homeless so quickly that it was beyond understanding.
We Museum inmates who stayed to work during the week between the Show weekends experienced no peril,
but we certainly got our share of the ashes and smoke. Tuesday morning, the 22nd, brought us a fall
of ashes that covered everything, and the smoke was thick under a very dark sky all day long.
It would have been very risky to attempt any strenuous work in those conditions, so we just took
it easy as much as possible. Let us hope that we, and those unfortunate victims of the fires,
never have to repeat that experience.
Steam Engine Row is lucky to have a dedicated crew of people who make it possible for us to improve and progress.
Kurt Hostetter donated a fine big water softener that gives us an excellent flow of feedwater that will
supply all our future needs. Pat Mackin and Richard Eckert come from Prescott, Arizona for every show,
and as a result, we now have two modern, high efficiency boilers that we have test-fired and found to be ready
to go to work.
A lot of hard work was needed to get everything running properly and connected to
the main steam line to our engines. These two gentlemen are master mechanics in every way, and we are
very grateful to them for everything they have done for us over the years. Pat’s dog, “Perky”, is a charming
old friend whom we all love and enjoy.
George Bohn has been on our crew for about sixteen years, and his contributions in the way of restoration
and installation of engines are truly remarkable. He is also a very talented builder of model engines,
several of which we have had the pleasure of displaying. In addition to all of that, George has been
involved in a lot of other Museum activities that make everything go a lot more smoothly for all of us,
and that are of great benefit to the Museum.
Randy Staheli, who comes all the way from Goshen, Utah, and for this trip to Vista, had the misfortune
of having a drive-line U-joint break on his pickup while he was coming into Nevada. He was held up
for a couple of days while the Dodge dealer waited for a replacement part to arrive.
Randy is a long time Member. He pitches in and helps with just about everything, and adds to the fun of
the constant ragging that we practice on each other. Another of his talents is that he is really good cook,
and he has provided us with some very tasty chow for our ‘al fresco’ suppers in the lee of the boiler house.
Kent Graham lives in Orange, and is a man of many talents. He attends to the boiler and the engines with
skill and knowledge. We are lucky to have him aboard. He owns Pacific Sheet Metal in Costa Mesa, and
has provided us with some excellent installations on our boiler house, and most recently, a new bottom
for the big Arkansas sharpening wheel that Captain Ron Mealy uses for knife sharpening.
Ron does a fine job of entertaining visitors while he puts a razor edge on the knives that the visitors bring in.
Rudy Dremely is a long time Museum Member. He has spent a lot of time helping us with our repair and
construction work, and we are most grateful to him for all his service to us and to the Museum in general.
William Stickney first caught our attention a number of years ago when he came with his family for a visit
to the Show. He was probably eight or nine years old at that time, and we were impressed with his curiosity,
knowledge, and intelligent questions about how things worked. He soon became a welcome guest at many of
our Shows, and during the 2007 Summer and Fall Shows he has spent both weekends of each Show, helping
us in many ways. He is now in college, and has a full time job. We are pleased to count
him as an active Member of our Crew.
We tried out our new boilers and were able to run more engines at the same time than we have ever been able
to in the past. That’s something that we have wanted for a long time.
Among our visitors were some interesting people. One brought along a speed governor for a model Corliss
engine that he is building. All of us who “make chips” in our home shops were really dazzled by the
beautiful workmanship. It is fully functional in every way, and we hope he will bring the complete
engine in for us to see when he gets it finished.
We invite any of you who are interested in steam power to join us in our efforts to preserve and
demonstrate the prime movers that powered the Industrial Revolution, and were indispensable in getting
us to where we are in the modern world. We’d like to pass on what we know about this stuff so that
the knowledge doesn’t get lost. Please let us know of your interest.
You can call or e-mail me any time.
Until the next time, I wish you all a very pleasant and joyous Holiday season.
Auf Wiedersehen!
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