May 2006

GorgeRail 2006 came and went. Overall I’d say it was a great success. Within the next few days I’ll have some photos and information up for next year on the official website but here’s my take on things. Highlights of the weekend included:

• The first official event was Kathi Kube’s workshop about TRAINS Magazine: How to Get Published. She covered what they’re looking for and provided quite a few “do’s” and “don’ts” for potential contributors. I was pleased to see a crowd of just over 30 people for this workshop.
• After a hasty lunch break (it’ll be longer next year, I promise) Paul Petersen presented an hour-long workshop on digital imaging. It could’ve easily been stretched a bit longer. Paul knows his stuff and enjoys expanding on topics to convey a wealth of understanding upon the group. Again, this was well attended with between 30 and 40 folks in the crowd.
• The feature slideshow program was excellent. We featured a variety of topics from a range of presenters that traveled from places like Maryland, Canada, and California as well as more local locations. From a technical standpoint, things went off without any major glitches. On a personal level, I was disappointed that many folks chose not to arrive for the earlier shows in the program. Those who missed Ken Storey’s China Steam missed an excellent presentation on a topic which is now history.
• The lasagna dinner was excellent, although like lunch, we need to allow a bit more time next year for folks to eat and socialize.
• For the second time in our four years, a major steam event announcement was made at GorgeRail. The SP 4449 will lead an excursion from Portland to Bend (and back) in September.
• Doyle’s after-dinner talk, in which he told stories of his adventures on the Freedom Train, was a highlight of the entire weekend. His sense of humor and railroading knowledge provide a great mix to entertain a crowd of fans.
• What happened at the bar with the staff after the show, stays at the bar with the staff after the show
• The open house and excursion put on by Dick Samuels on the Oregon Pacific Railroad was excellent. He had all of his equipment lined up along the road for photography, and we piled about 50 people onto the 100 and caboose for a trip to Oaks Bottom and back.
• The folks at the Brooklyn Roundhouse went all-out and put on a great display. Kudos to the Friends of 4449, PRPA, ORHF, and others who helped set things up. The GorgeRail folks descended onto the roundhouse and found that in addition to the steam locomotives inside, the GN F unit had been coupled to the two Empire Builder cars for a “mini builder”, and there was a nice colorful assortment of staggered power out back with the F40PHR231, Doyle’s PA, Doyle’s “bumblebee” RSD-5, and a PSAP GP30 which was there for servicing.

I’d like to thank everyone involved, including our presenters, staff, door prize donators, and the folks at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center who were very responsive to our every need. From a financial standpoint, GorgeRail more than broke even. We made a decent-sized donation to Dick Samuels to help offset the fuel costs for the OPRR trip, and the remaining proceeds will be donated to the ORHF.

Mark your calendar for May 18-20, 2007 for next year’s GorgeRail.

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• 10 months of planning
• 106 attendees pre-registered
• 11 multimedia presentations
• 1 featured speaker
• 2 workshops
• 2 local artists
• 1 shortline tour & mini-excursion
• 1 historic roundhouse tour with 3 steam locomotives
• 2 photo meets
• 1 lasagna dinner for the 80% of the attendees who are choosing to eat with the group
• over 25 door prizes
• free copies of TRAINS magazine and discount coupons for the Mt. Hood Railroad for everyone

It’s go time. See you in The Dalles.

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