|
| |
2009 GNRHS Convention Duluth
by Lindsay Korst
gngoat@gngoat.org
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Baolu drove me to Sea-Tac Airport for my early morning flight to Minneapolis.
With Northwest Airlines' merger into Delta, the situation at the Seattle airport
is chaos. I had checked in online the night before, but now had to do it all
over again as they had added a $15 fee for checked baggage. In essence, there's
no reason to check in online anymore, if you have a bag to check.
Northworst had stacked all their online check-in machines in a cramped area far
from the baggage drop off, so people are milling about unsure what to do. You
basically have to push your way into the fray, pay for your baggage, barge into
another seething mass of people and drop off your luggage. It's a mess. As I was
to find out, it was MUCH better organized in Minneapolis airport.
Next was the rat's maze security "theatre" for the TSA (Toothpaste, Soda,
Aftershave). Despite their new uniforms, it's the same old liquidless, beltless,
shoeless shuffle through the x-ray machine. I notice water prices have gone up
as I pay close to $5 for two bottles of the precious liquid. I hate to fly. And
it shows. It's the only time I have to put up with being treated like cattle.
So anyway, I'm crammed into my aisle seat and we're on our way. As soon as they
let us, I pull out the laptop and watch "What's Up Doc" on the little screen.
Later, I pull out my purchased-yesterday sandwich and banana from the grocery
store. A couple pages of my novel and we're in the Twin Cities.
Next, I pick up my rental car from Avis. I've always been a Hertz man, but
decide to give them a try after someone's recommendation. The check in goes
smoothly and they hand me their portable navigation system in a little bag. This
is kind of annoying as I have to unplug and plug in at each stop.
Up I-35 I go with only a quick pause at Target for some Kleenex and a whole flat
of water. It is getting late in the afternoon as I approach Duluth (bonka-bonka-bonka-bonka
on the rough-track of I-35). My car really took a pounding on that road. I'm
glad it's a rental.
Duluth/Superior. The Twin Ports. Head of the Great Lakes. Fondly called "Gitchi-goo-me"
by the area Indians. The mistake on the lake. Oops! Ixnay. Cancel that last
one...
I check into the rather rundown Duluth Radisson (it wouldn't be a proper
convention without a slightly threadbare hotel with only two elevators and no
coffee shop). I just have time to stow my stuff and then run out to the
Blackwoods Grille in East Duluth where we're having our pre-convention dinner.
All the guys are there. I sit with Jim and Caroline Chinquist, Bob Kelly, Bob
Downing and Greer Nielsen. The night's special is a ribeye and salad which is
very good. There looks to be about 75-100 people in our little group. Good food
and good company! I have to go back to the hotel early because the Board Meeting
starts at 8am.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
I am up bright and early and ready for the meeting. A big crowd is on hand to
watch as the GNRHS Board Meeting is (and should be) open to the public. I see
Jim Larson, Jack Porzig, Bob Kelly, Norm Priebe among others in the audience.
Jack Porzig asks a question of the Board.
There are lots of resignations and (thankfully) other members willing to step in
and keep the Society running. Some of them are:
Duane Amdahl is resigning as membership secretary after 20 years on the job.
Thanks, Duane! He will be replaced by Duane Sebelius. During the break I go over
and introduce myself to Duane S. as I will be working with him (sending him
future Paypal transactions for memberships).
Duane Sebelius
Ed Erickson is our new Convention Officer. His recommendation was for our 2011
convention to be in St. Cloud, MN and 2012 to be in Klamath Falls, OR. Both were
approved unanimously by the Board.
Ed Erickson
Duane Buck is not going to run for President next year (2010) so we will need to
find a replacement for him.
Ray
Chappell and Duane Buck
Bev Tracy is going to discontinue the "Ask Bev" feature on the GNRHS website
(and in the Goat magazine) at the end of 2009.
l to r: John Thomas, Jim Chinquist, Bev Tracy, John Tracy.
Ron Erickson is resigning as Superintendent of Motive Power (GN 400 - Hustle
Muscle).
l to r: Duane Amdahl, John Langlot, Ron Erickson
Phil Gjevre is resigning as Publishing Editor and Membership Officer after 2010
so we must find a replacement.
We have a new Vice President! John Langlot has agreed to take on this vacant
post.
We have two Board Members with terms expiring at the end of 2009. Bill Sornsin
has indicated he would like to run again and Bev Tracy said she will not be
running.
-------------------------------------------------------
Some additional news to come out of the Board Meeting: Glacier Park apparel will
be a white polo shirt (with pocket) with black logo, a red cap and a red
lightweight jacket with GNRHS logo (insert pictures). The apparel will be
available during registration for the 2010 Convention in Glacier Park.
Andrea Plano models a sample of the 2010 Glacier Park jacket.
   
Cap, jacket & shirt for 2010 Glacier Park.
John Tracy indicated that the 2010 convention is still sold out and there will
be no walk-ins allowed (no at-convention registration allowed). All guests will
be required to have convention badge, or they will NOT be allowed on tours or
the events.
The weed sprayer kit will be available $45 for members and $50 for non-members
postage paid as soon as Don McGlothlin and I can get the details worked out for
the website and the Goat publication in September 2009. I also heard at the
convention that the plan is to create another batch of the very-popular X2902
tank cars to go with the weed sprayer kit.
 
John Thomas said postage costs are going way up and we may have to increase
prices for Reference Sheets and other items.
GN 400 Hustle Muscle will NOT be used at the NRHS convention in Duluth this
August. Unfortunately, we could not come to contract terms with NRHS for the use
of GN 400. As far as I know, GN 400 is on it's way back to Jackson Street in
Saint Paul.
GNRHS received a Certificate of Appreciation from the group in Sioux City, Iowa
doing the cosmetic restoration on GN 1355 H-5 class 4-6-2 steam locomotive. The
certificate includes a picture of the mostly-restored engine on their turntable.
----------------------------------------------
The Board Meeting adjourned at 12:11PM. I went over to the hallway and got my
registration out of the way. There I ran into Kris Werner and family who were
visiting from Fergus Falls, MN. I gave Kris a couple, original Scotchlite GN
safety stickers I had lying around. Kris is always putting together nifty
GN-related luggage tags for others and I figured he could put these to good use.
Kris also did the banner for the convention and created little keychains with
the same image for banquet giveaways. (Thanks, Kris!)
Railfair was about to start up (our swap meet), but I was getting peckish, so
with Bill Sornsin and Stu Holmquist, we retired to the bowling alley across the
street for some burgers and talked about the GN archives. (Mmmm...Good burgers
at that place, BTW.)
We came back after the Railfair had started, but I still managed to snag a nice
book on the GN in the Kelly Lake, MN area along with an old Baldwin GN
locomotive reprint. I also picked up the new photo CD that Bob Kelly came out
with on GN electric locomotives (from the Skykomish Historical Society
collection.
Ron Erickson had brought GN 400 Hustle Muscle up from St. Paul and was giving
cab rides/operating sessions away for $20 a pop! I signed up for 3:30pm, but was
down there early at 3pm. Ron waved me into the cab anyway and I put my $20 in
the slot. I sat right down and he walked me through the steps. Electricity on.
Reverser from neutral to reverse. Bell on. Engine brakes off. Run one. Run two.
Here we go! Oh, this is so much fun. Once you get past run one, it really kicks
you in the pants and starts to move. Notch down and coast. Keep an eye on where
you're going. Rolling by the GN NW-5 on display. Now put on the brakes and just
FEEL them catch and ease it to a stop. It just doesn't get any better than this.
 
Now others took their turn at the throttle. Up and down the track we went. Pure
JOY.
   
Afterwards, I bumped into Kris Werner and family again and we had a nice chat.
We watched the Hustle Muscle go up and down the track as the next bunch of
engineers boarded.
That evening's dinner turned out to be in the Duluth Lake Superior museum. The
timecard had listed it as hors doeuvres only, but it was a full dinner line with
cold cuts and meatballs and pretty much a decent spread! There was only one
line, so getting your food took a while, but it was worth it. Nicely done and
very tasty chow.
   
 
|
