Tag Archives: WP668

December 10, 2013 · 4:53 pm

Caboose Clinic: The Adventures of WP668

I presented a “Caboose Clinic” to the Coast Division of the National Model Railroad Association on 8 December 2013 in San Leandro, California. The title of my talk was “The Adventures of WP668 1916-2013: Buying and Restoring a Western Pacific Caboose”. You can see additional information about the backyard caboose in which I have my office on WP668’s web page: http://wp668.org. About forty guys and one woman attended my clinic. I was glad that they asked so many questions and seemed to have a good time.

As always, my thanks and appreciation to all who have made WP668’s long adventures possible, especially:

My family (“the crew”): John Plocher, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, Paul D. Goodman, Matthew Holmes, Eleanor Dickinson
Silicon Valley Lines Model Railroad Club and South Bay Historical Railroad Society members for ongoing support and crew backup
Railfans and photographers who have recorded WP668’s long travels, especially: Peter Arnold, E. Chambers, Danek Duvall, Sam Fineberg, Don Marenzi, Jacqueline Ramsayer, Ken Rattenne, John Ryczkowski, Jim Shackleton, Stephen Sloan, Dave Stanley, Vicki Thompson…
Don Marenzi who patiently searched his archives and located so many old WP668 photos for this presentation.

WP668 today:

WP668 in active service, 1971:
Used with permission of Don Marenzi

WP668 Caboose Clinic – Questions?

I am signed up to give a “Caboose Clinic” to the Coast Division of the National Model Railroad Association on 8 December 2013 in San Leandro, California. More event details are on the Pacific Coast Region Master Calendar. Check out the website of WP668, our San Jose backyard caboose for more about our family project.

Last Friday, I joined my husband John Plocher’s model train lunch group to interview the target market for my clinic. Here are the questions the train lunch guys want answered:

How did you find WP668?
How did you install WP668 in your Willow Glen backyard?
How much did the caboose project cost?
In restoring WP668, what did you discover that was unexpected or odd?
How did you match the paint color? What went into the original paint? How did you get the original paint off?

They also asked me to show many many pictures and to include the following:

Tell the story of getting the city permit submitted and approved.
Talk about restoration materials – how you got wood to fit the 1916 old-growth fir tongue-and-groove original boards.

Please add more to this list of questions and topics – and come to the event if you are available.

Cultural Adventures with TechWomen

Larissa Shapiro (Mozilla) and I are mentoring Imen Rahal from Algeria during this month as part of the TechWomen program of the US State Department. Last weekend, we cooked dinner together at my house on Friday night, then on Saturday and Sunday went on two cultural tours (with Imen and other TechWomen friends), to see unique California sites such as:

17 Mile Drive (Pebble Beach)
Big Basin Redwoods State Park (Santa Cruz)
Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)
Lombard Street (San Francisco)

We are enjoying our time together!

2 Comments

Filed under Caboose Project and Other Trains, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Algeria, Geeks, Mentoring, Middle East, San Francisco, technical women, TechWomen, WP668

May 20, 2013 · 11:49 am

Hummingbird Nest

There is a tiny Anna’s Hummingbird sitting on a nest outside of my office window. My window is about six feet off the ground (in the bay of WP668, our backyard caboose here in Willow Glen), so I can see directly into the pear tree where the bird is hiding. Such a delight!

June 14 update: two baby birds!

1 Comment

Filed under Caboose Project and Other Trains, Home & Family

Tagged as birds, San Jose, Willow Glen, WP668

May 14, 2013 · 10:08 am

Local Animals

I was suggesting images to my artist son Paul for his current animal series of water colors and thought that a blog with pictures of some of our local Willow Glen, California denizens would be of interest. Not pictured is the horrible towhee bird who is flinging himself repeatedly at my caboose office window as I type.

My cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus), Guapo and Sparky, eating a dried pepper:

Jerusalem Cricket (Stenopelmatus) in the side yard:

Big garter snake (Thamnophis) in front of our house:
(picture courtesy of neighbor Jamie Lynch)

Alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) on neighbor’s sidewalk:

American swallowtail butterfly caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) on fennel in the front yard:

Redda the dog (Canis lupus familiaris) trying for a lick through her kennel fence:

Beggar dogs hoping for a handout:

Cat (Felis catus) dominating the neighbor’s car:

Garter snake picture Copyright 2013 by James Lynch, other pictures Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson

TechWomen and International Visitors at Home

Yesterday, the TechWomen mentors gathered at my house in San Jose to cook a dinner for eleven guests from the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the Institute of International Education (IIE West Coast). Our guests arrived from Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Here is more about the IVLP program:

IVLP at IIESF works to promote citizen diplomacy in the San Francisco Bay Area. Community supporters and IIE members are called “Citizen Diplomats” and promote international understanding through person-to-person interaction with emerging foreign leaders from around the globe. Through direct contact with these visitors, members have an opportunity to share unique aspects of the Bay Area and/or their professional field, while increasing the visitors’ understanding of local and national culture and institutions. In the past 53 years Citizen Diplomats have had direct dialogues with tens of thousands of emerging international leaders from more than 145 countries.

These particular ladies are part of WISE (Women’s Innovations in Science and Engineering), invited to the United States under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. Their program was arranged by World Learning.

The TechWomen prepared a delicious potluck dinner, I showed them WP 668, our backyard caboose where I have my office, John and Paul helped and served as local guides to the house and kitchen, and everyone had a delightful time talking and learning. As always, I feel blessed in the community of my TechWomen sisters and look forward to our continued work together!

1 Comment

Filed under Caboose Project and Other Trains, Home & Family, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Egypt, garden, Geeks, John, Lebanon, Mentoring, Middle East, Morocco, Paul, San Francisco, San Jose, Willow Glen, WP668

March 31, 2013 · 6:44 pm

Easter Egg Hunt

Despite all official weather prediction to the contrary, we had no rain but a warm lovely morning for today’s Easter Egg Hunt. This year, we made some procedural changes. Young people who have been coming to this party for years volunteered as Associate Bunnies – staying over the night before or arriving very early to help the Assistant Bunny (me) hide 500+ plastic eggs with candies inside. Jessica (Senior Associate Bunny, in the Washington DC Branch Office) drafted the Gold and Silver Egg poems:

Gold Egg (hidden on the roof beam of the cabana, next to the hot tub) – found by Paul:

In my hutch I am squatting,
Through a triangle I see,
Above the earth I’m spotting
A train, two dogs, and a tree.
Next door water is too hot
But folks sit in there alot.

Silver Egg (tied up inside the San Francisco fire plug) – found by Jim:

My nest was moved from the city,
There its job was very gritty.
It once was wet but now is dry.
A little river I can spy.
Like a bunny safe in a log,
I’m hidden here from nose of dog.

Hunters lined up by age on the new porch – where they could see the eggs in the garden and plan their launch strategy. One family arrived late – I was so pleased to watch the big kids re-hide their eggs so that the new little ones could hunt. One teenage boy dumped his whole basket for them. Of course, there was food and drink (John made pulled chicken sandwiches, mint tea, and punch) and WP668 caboose tours for all.