Cal-Stewart and the Wine Train

e*Train Issue: Jan 2016 | Posted in: Railfanning

By Gordon L. Wilson, TCA #76-10233 Winter 2016

We’ve been going to Cal-Stewart meets in California since moving to Arizona in 1988. The one in Northern California has always held a special place for us because we have very close friends who live in what is called the “East Bay Area” of San Francisco, namely Concord. I went to school with a friend from kindergarten on; we were each others’ Best Man at our weddings; and his wife is Larry Bird’s 1st cousin.

Christie and I know Northern California nearly as well as we know Arizona and New Jersey. The Northern version of the Cal-Stewart Meet provides things to do such as attend performances of the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony; visit National Parks like Lassen, Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and Sequoia; plus stays at nearby 1/16 scale Lake Tahoe.

One of the greatest factory tours one could ever hope for is in Fairfield, California. Yes, the Jelly Belly (jelly bean) Factory Tour is phenomenal and it’s FREE! Did you know that the “Yankee Clipper,” Joe DiMaggio, and Wyatt Earp, the gunfighter of OK Corral fame, are buried in Colma, California, just south of San Francisco? These the amazing things you can learn when going to the Nor-Cal half of the Cal-Stewart Meet.

A REAL TRAIN offshoot is the Napa Valley’s famous WINE TRAIN. It is a 5-star level dining experience on an exquisite 1940-1950 passenger train, pulled by two ALCO PA diesel locomotives. On March 20, 2015, on our 8th trip aboard this luxury dinner train, I had the privilege of riding in the cab with the Engineer and the Conductor. What an amazing experience! Those two men welcomed me as if I was a long-time member of the crew. I had full reign to walk around the entire engine’s nooks and crannies, including seeking out its hidden video camera, the contents of which are given to CHiPs at the conclusion of each run. WHY? Too many autos still make “S” turns around safety gates across the roadways as the engine is approaching. That’s not only dangerous, but illegal and is a $450 fine! I witnessed several cars make the “S” turn around those downed gates as we bore down on them between Napa and St. Helena. Not a smart thing to do!

The view from the Cab was completely different along the Right-O-Way than it had been from the dining car. I could see damage to buildings caused by the recent Napa earthquake and was privy to “special” whistle/horn signals blown to acknowledge friends of the Engineer and Conductor as we traversed the 30-mile route. It was interesting that the speed of the train varied according to contracts with multiple wineries along the route. There were also stops at a few of the wineries to drop off and pick up patrons as part of special Winery and Wine Train Tours.

Having a good time from the middle seat.

This is the 26th year of operation for this world-class dinner train. I was very appreciative to the crew for their professionalism and the outgoing manner they showed toward me. It’s a ride I shall long remember and cherish.

Gordon’s view as the train passes the Mondavi Winery

Switching ends for the return trip to St. Helena, with train on by-pass track

Where a car did an “S” turn southbound, as we approached going north

Sugar Pine Railroad locomotive just outside of Yosemite National Park

Shop Amazon and Help TCA

TCA members who shop at Amazon.com can have each of their normal purchases generate a modest payment to TCA! And it won’t cost you anything!

The Train Collectors Association is now a participant with AmazonSmile, which is a special website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com.

The difference is that when customers shop at AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.

The process is simple. Just search for and select Train Collectors Association when you sign up and shop at smile.amazon.com.

You use your regular Amazon.com username and password, but when you log in to smile.amazon.com, you’ll see that you are supporting TCA with your purchases:

Note that if you just log in to the regular amazon.com, this benefit does not operate.

There are no costs to either you or TCA, but TCA benefits!

This is a great way for TCA to earn extra cash to offset costs, so sign up today to help support TCA.

* Note: TCA is not a party to any of your Amazon transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors.

Helping TCA with your ebay purchases when you use PayPal

If you’re an ebay user and have a PayPal account you use to make payments, you can designate a donation for TCA when you’re checking out — any amount, small or large.
If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can pre-designate a percentage of your sales to be donated automatically in your name to TCA as long as the purchaser pays with their PayPal account.

In both cases, you will receive a donation receipt from the PayPal Giving Fund, and enjoy applicable tax advantages.

How to do it:

Click on the image above, or use this link. This will take you to ebay, where you will see the following page (log in to ebay if you are not already):

This offers TCA as an option. Click on the “Add to My Charities” button where indicated with the red arrow. Thereafter, when you make a purchase, at checkout you will be offered the option to make a donation to TCA in any amount of your choosing. Small amounts add up, larger ones are great! It’s always up to you!

The option will appear at the lower part of your checkout page, something like this:

If you’re a regular seller on ebay, you can allocate a portion of your sales proceeds to be donated to TCA. Look at the green arrow marked “Optional” above to see how to do it. Details on how ebay calculates the donation may be read here. This is a wonderful way to share the financial benefits of your hobby with the organization that promotes it!

An added benefit to TCA is that these donations are not subject to normal processing fees, so that makes your donation work harder!

* Note. TCA is not a party to any of your eBay transactions, and does not endorse any products or vendors. PayPal issues the receipts to you for your donation, not TCA.

Cal-Stewart and the Wine Train

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