In the 'Olden Days', when I first joined the NGDF, there was a 'profile' page for text,
in addition to the avatar, where at one time most of the following was posted ...
NAME:
Russ Sperry, aka Russo Loco
*, aka 'That @#$%& Green Boiler Jacket Guy':
PROFILE:
At age three, on vacation w/ family (had little choice in those days), I distinctly remember dropping toys and running outside to watch steam engines go by on opposite side of river, but ignoring diseasels, and falling asleep at home to sound of whistles in the distance.
Prior to discovering 12"/foot scale, I was an HO- and HOn3-gauge modeler, and subscriber to
MR and
Trains starting about age 13.
Helped w/ r.o.w. grading at Orange Empire Trolley Museum about age 16 (high-school classmate Richard Dieges was younger brother of OETM civil engineer Paul Dieges)
Explored parts of Colorado Midland grade while freshman at Colorado College in 1959-60; rode my first 3-day narrow gauge excursion in June, 1960 and 2nd in September, 1962 (got grade of 35 out of 100 on Physical Chemistry exam the following Monday ... )
After graduation, returned to Narrow Gauge Country for at least two weeks each summer, 1964-1968. VERY lucky to observe & photograph last revenue freights over Cumbres on August 28 & 29, 1968. (One of my favorite photos shows Olaf Rasmussen's VW racing #483 & #484 south of Alamosa on 08/28. Met Olaf again on #315 excursion last Sunday after 41 years!)
Volunteer on track restoration crew, first C&TS train into Chama, 09/06/70, and brakeman on Extra 483 East on 10/16/70. Rode first three C&TS Moonlight Dinner Trains in 1972, and first photo freight - "The Toltec Rattler" - on 10/22/72. Promoted reconstruction of a portion of RGS to serve an out-of-town parking lot while living in Telluride, CO, in 1972-73.
Volunteer on locomotive maintenance crew, American Freedom Train, 09/75-03/76. Worked up from polishing rods w/ steel wool & Ajax to steam cleaning running gear to hostler on #4449 & #610; fired #610 for several hours on its first night w/ AFT (out of Austin) when both Andy Adams & Dick Jensen fell asleep on tender deck.
Member Project 2472 (now Golden Gate RR Museum) since Day One, as West Bay Model RR Club hosted AFT crew for dinner in December, 1975, and WBMRRC member / GGRM founder Mike Mangini was also fellow volunteer on AFT. Borrowed GGRM Articles of Incorporation and changed a few names in order to help organize Project 3751 (later San Bernardino RR Histörical Society) in 1982; co-founder of Santa Clara River Valley RRHS in Ventura County in 1993.
Long-term member of, and donor to, The Friends of the C&TS; editor of Volume 1 of "Help Save #483" screen saver - featuring numerous photos by John West & Tom Gildersleeve - produced & distributed by Roger Hogan, which helped raise about $2,000 of over $4,500 total toward restoration of #483.
Revised & improved Volume 1 and new Volume 2 will be sold to raise money for C&TS 40th Anniversary Celebration, and after 2010 toward operational restoration of a K-37 locomotive.
Instigator of the C&TS 40th Anniversary Celebration - except my math was off by only ten years (see [
ngdiscussion.net]), and of the 60th Anniversary "#489 Season in Green" fundraising effort and resultant "Springtime in the Rockies" excursion (see [
ngdiscussion.net] and [
ngdiscussion.net]).
Holder of ticket #1 for Sept. 27 excursion of #315 from Antonito to Chama (see [
ngdiscussion.net]) ...
COMMENTS:
Many thanks to Don Richter for putting up The Forum, and to the rest of you for putting up with me!
- Russo de los Locos Viejos y Verdes y Perdidas en Purgatorio
* My nickname was granted by the Hispanic receptionist of the Information Systems Department (County of Ventura, CA, where I worked for 26+ years) due to my propensity to enlarge "Dilbert" cartoons, changing names to those of management and posting same on departmental bulletin board (our department at that time had
FOUR - not just one, but
FOUR - 'Pointy Haired Boss'-es) ...
Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 03/23/2010 09:59PM by Russo Loco.