| 2008
TTOS National Convention - Tours |
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Monday
August
11, 2008
Tuesday
August
12, 2008
Wednesday
August
13, 2008
Thursday
August
14, 2008
Friday
August
15, 2008
 Click here for
the
Skunk Train
website
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DEPARTURE: 5:30 am (Buses
leave promptly)
RETURN: Approximately 9:00 pm
Guests will travel via bus from Sacramento to Fort Bragg located on the
California North Coast where you will board the world famous Skunk Train.
Built as a logging railroad, the Skunk Train travels through the majestic
California coastal redwoods to Northspur.
The train has coaches and
open-air observation cars to view the incredible scenery.
At Northspur,
guests will disembark to walk around and view the beautiful surroundings.
A dinner stop (price not included in the tour price) is planned on the
return bus trip from Fort Bragg to Sacramento.
Please note that the bus trip from Sacramento to Fort Bragg is
approximately 4 hours.
This Convention Tour is limited to 80 guests.
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WESTERN RAILWAY MUSEUM
JELLY BELLY FACTORY TOUR
TRUCK & TRACTOR MUSEUM
DEPARTURE: 7:30 am (Buses
leave promptly)
RETURN: 5:00 pm
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Click
here for the
Western Railway
Museum website
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Guests will travel via bus from Sacramento to the
Western Railway Museum
in Suisun City to visit the Western Railway Museum.
With over 100 pieces
of equipment the museum features one of the world’s most complete
collections of interurbans, streetcars, PCC’s, parlor cars, and electric
locomotives.
Our guests will enjoy a trip on the museums electrified
railway in restored interurbans or trolleys.
The museum also offers a book/ souvenir shop, a library, and archives.
Our guests will enjoy a boxed lunch served on the museums shaded picnic
grounds.
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Click
here for the
Jelly Belly Tour
website
|
After lunch, our bus moves to the
Jelly Belly Factory and
Visitor Center in Fairfield for a tour to see the Jelly Belly candies in
production.
The Jelly Belly Candy Company is a family owned business established in
1869.
The company achieved additional fame when it became known that
President Ronald Regan kept a jar of Jelly Belly beans in the Cabinet Room
and Oval Office in the White House.
After the tour enjoy the gift shop or if you are still hungry try a
Jelly Belly shaped pizza or hamburger in the café.
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Click
here for the
Hays
Museum website
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Our last stop of the day is the
Tractor and Truck Museum
in Woodland.
The museum features the world’s largest collection of antique tractors
and agricultural equipment in the world.
Also inside the museum is the Hay’s Antique Truck Museum, also
recognized as the largest of it’s kind in the world.
In addition to the real trucks and tractors the museum has a sizeable
collection of toy trucks and tractors on display.
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click
here
for the
RiverTrain
website
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DEPARTURE: 6:00 pm
RETURN: 11:00 pm
Guests will enjoy a sumptuous three-course dinner while aboard the
Sacramento River Train. The train travels 28 miles through scenic
farmland, along the Sacramento River and over the longest wooden trestle
in the Western United States. Guests may relax in the 1940’s vintage
Pullman Coach-Club Car while enjoying live entertainment.
A drawing will be held and four lucky winners will receive a half hour
ride in the Sacramento River Train circa 1950 locomotive.
This Convention Tour is limited to 110 guests.
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GRASS VALLEY LAYOUT TOURS
INCLUDING SPAGHETTI DINNER
1ST GROUP RETURN: 2:00 pm
2ND GROUP RETURN: 5:30 pm
LAST GROUP RETURN: 9:30 pm
Guests will travel along California’s Highway 49 from Auburn to the
historic towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City to visit the fabulous
layouts described below.
Please note that all four layouts are up or down stairs, so persons
with limited mobility must exercise caution.
This Tour is limited to 3 groups of 80 guests each
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CLYDE and EMMA EASTERLY
A charter member of TTOS, Clyde
loves prewar toy trains, and he also loves Erector and Meccano
construction sets. Therefore, he has combined both hobbies into his
fascinating, all prewar, 33' by 26' layout. Standard, O, and #1 gauge
trains operate under a powered Erector Giant Airship and a tri motor plane
suspended from the ceiling. Clyde’s collection dates from the
turn-of-the-century through the 1930’s was featured in Classic Toy Trains
January 1998. In a program featuring collectors, the local PBS station
described their home as an amazing playroom filled with hundreds of toy
trains, railroading memorabilia, and accessories — all in mint condition.
Watch for Erma’s touch in the Disney trains and collectibles.
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CHUCK and SUE BRASHER
Chuck’s collection of original,
prewar standard gauge trains has been featured twice in Classic Toy
Trains, in Tracks Ahead and in the TM Great Toy Train Layout book and
video – and with good reason. Guests will see all of the important Lionel,
Ives, and American Flyer named trains from the Classic Standard Gauge Era,
the race track, the Lionel airplane, rare stations and other buildings,
and dozens of other accessories – all dating prior to 1939, all operating
and all in mint condition. Chuck has twice added on to his original train
room, and the layout now measures 20' by 88'. This historical layout
shouldn’t be missed. Chuck is also a charter TTOS member.
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CHUCK and JERI STONE
“Ives Toys Make Happy Boys” is
a great description of Chuck and his collection and layout. This
over-the-garage layout with a standard gauge 41 foot straightaway will
take your breath away. Guests will see one of the finest collections of
original Ives trains and toys in the West. Prewar Lionel and America Flyer
and a nice collection of European trains and their associated accessories
are also displayed. Chuck also collects and displays early toys. On the
tour, look for early Marx toys, made long before Marx got into the train
business. Jeri’s antique doll collection will be an extra treat.
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BILL WILSON and SANDY DAVISON
Bill’s layout and collection
bring us into another time period. The shelves in his train room showcase
his large collection of postwar to modern trains including many 3rd Rail
and Williams brass engines and rolling stock. Bill’s imagination and
creativity, coupled with his attention to detail in his scratch built
structures, enhance this delightful high rail layout. The gem of the
layout is a baseball park with music and game sounds plus an operating
merry-go-round and Ferris wheel with lights, sounds, and people. Visitors
are sure to love the train room with its stunning overhead murals of
mountains and sky.
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click
here for the
Sierra RR
website
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SIERRA RAILROAD
DEPARTURE: 9:00 am
RETURN: 4:00 pm
Guests will enjoy a full three-course luncheon while riding through the
rolling hills on the Sierra Railroad. Your meal includes a salad, main
course, desert, and beverages. In addition to the dining cars, the train
includes a open air observation car where guests can enjoy the scenery
along the trip.
There will be a raffle for two guests to ride in the cab of the
locomotive for a half hour each.
This Convention Tour is limited to 86 guests.
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HOME LAYOUT TOURS
DEPARTURE: 5:00 pm
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Karl and Jeanette Schmidt
Karl is a gifted artist who
likes to bring discarded trains and toys back to life, so look for some
truly outstanding restoration projects. Karl’s restored prewar standard
and O gauge trains appear as they would have when they were taken out of
their boxes many years and many kids ago. The crown jewel of his
collection is his operating 3-rail, No.1- gauge layout. The collection is
upstairs so wheelchairs won’t work.
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Pete and Nancy White
In a spare bedroom which has
been converted into a large layout room Pete runs trains high and low. His
O gauge trains, including a monorail, run on track hanging from the
ceiling. On the layout itself Pete runs standard gauge trains with lots of
activity and many operating accessories. In the rest of their home,
collections of antique toys, toy soldiers, and Western memorabilia will
make your visit even more delightful. Again, the trains are upstairs.
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Dean and Bonnie Busick
Dean’s layout is built around
an original 5' x 9', Super O, Lionel dealer display, No. D-291, which Dean
has restored to its original condition including the original accessories.
Surrounding this is his 16' x 18’ modern, multi-loop layout with Ross
track and switches and featuring the new Ross transfer table. The many
clever scenes around the layout reflect the theatrical set design
backgrounds of both Bonnie and Dean. The train building and shady patio
have access for handicapped.
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Phil and Emma Fravesi
Fans of postwar trains and
accessories will love Phil’s layout. Phil added a room to his house just
for his amazing 34' x 18' rail empire. The layout uses original ZW
transformers and old-style Lionel O-gauge track with multiple loops on
several levels. Almost every accessory, from postwar to modern, is
featured and they all operate. The exciting operation of the three-level
railroad empire is enhanced by the structures and imaginative scenery that
Phil designed and created. Wheelchair accessible.
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Mike and Beverly De La Pena
This outstanding 21' x 18'
layout, housed in its own building, is always a favorite. Mike runs DCS,
TMCC and conventional trains on the same loop at the same time. The 96-
inch outside diameter track, the six-stall operating turntable and the
coaling tower will appeal to the operator, while the fully scenic layout
with its operating ice rink, snow-covered mountain and many operating
accessories will intrigue the high-railer. Easy wheelchair access.
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Jack and George Ann Hornor
Look for surprises here,
starting with the location of the 11' x 17' layout – smack-dab in the
middle of the living room. A former nuclear engineer, Jack likes reactors,
so you’ll see a couple. The GASP railroad is a mixture of whimsy and
state-of-the-art electronics. Not for the purists, you’ll see several
gauges and several eras represented. The layout was featured in the
February 2003 issue of Classic Toy Trains. Easy wheelchair access.
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