Katy Dickinson

Caboose Brunch

On 18 July, my husband, John Plocher, and I served a brunch for six inside WP668, our backyard caboose, to the winning bidders at the 2009 charity SAMA Auction. We provided cherries, peaches, melon, potato frittata with garlic aioli, bacon and sausage, eggs, french toast, coffee, tea, and orange juice. A good time was had by all!

You can see photos from last year's caboose brunch on my blog entry dated May 27, 2008.

Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 02:58PM Jul 28, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

HO Scale Train Track

My husband John Plocher loves trains of all sizes, from WP 668, our 1916 historic backyard caboose, to the HO-scale models at the Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) club where you can find him most Friday nights. John has twice been President of SVL and is now Board Secretary. On the live Operations nights at SVL (last Friday of each month), John often serves as Dispatcher. Recently, John has been hand laying a section of track near the main yard at Nowheres on the SVL layout.

The SVL club is of particular interest because of the high degree of its computerization. It is often on tours of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). The last two years, SVL has also been one of the invitation-only layouts toured by Bayrails. SVL operates trains using digital command control (DCC), which allows engineers to control locomotives independently on the same track.

The club is located near Virginia and South Third in San Jose, California, in the basement of a historic brick building occupied by Golden State Builders. Most of the basement is rented out for storage and is sectioned off with metal and plastic fencing, floor to ceiling. Look for the SVL signs...

Virginia & S Third, San Jose

The Ramp to SVL

SVL sign

SVL Nowheres yard

John's work in progress

SVL layout detail

Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 09:39PM Jun 13, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Window Seat Done

My husband John Plocher just finished creating the window seat for WP668, our 1916 backyard caboose. We bought WP668 in January 2006. WP668 has my desk in one bay window, facing our house across the garden. Princess Birdie is my 13-year-old pet cockatiel. She has one cage in the kitchen and the other next to my desk in WP668.

The bay behind my desk features a lovely custom three piece stained glass window created for us by Vince Taylor. The new window seat is deep enough so that the space below can store the window screen inserts John made last year. The seat will eventually have a cushion.

WP668 bay January 2006

Rebuilding the bay window February 2008

Linoleum floor installed May 2008

Glass installed May 2008

Window Seat frame February 2009

John and window seat top

Adding window trim

Caulking cracks

Installing under seat storage doors

All done!

Images Copyright 2006-2009 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

Posted at 05:43PM Mar 27, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Making a Window Seat

In between job hunting, my husband John Plocher, has been designing and creating a window seat for WP668, our 1916 backyard caboose. WP668 is a bay window caboose with my desk in one bay, facing the house across the garden. The other bay features a lovely custom three piece stained glass window created for us by Vince Taylor. The red linoleum flooring and stained glass were both installed in May 2008. Everything was designed around the planned window seat. The window seat is deep enough so that the space below can hold the window screen inserts John made last year. The seat top is done and John is working on the front. It will be painted white and have a leather cushion when complete. Photos of the project so far:

WP668 in March 2009

Floor installed May 2008

Glass installed May 2008

Window Seat and Template

John and window seat top

Window seat top installed

Images Copyright 2008-2009 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher

Posted at 12:40PM Mar 13, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  |  Comments[2]

Caboose Permits Signed Off!

I am delighted to announce that WP668, our 1916 backyard caboose, is now fully signed off! The City of San Jose building inspector came, saw, signed and left this morning. After almost three years of working with the city, we are done - hooray!

Other WP668 news - at Sunday's successful SAMA auction, we sold a caboose brunch which will be cooked by John. This popular item was offered for the second year at the charity fund raising event. SAMA is a major outreach program for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Saratoga, California). Auction money goes to support medical programs in the Holy Land and Africa. For details, see the SAMA web page.

Work in progress on WP668:

• Welding cleanup and metal coating for the stair railing
• Install roof walk, attach it to existing ladders
• Install bay window seat
• Restore the rest of the windows (1 done, 5 to go)
• Complete the back deck and step woodwork (steel is done)
• Restore brake rigging and wheels
• Reattach and restore battery box
• Restore (replace?) the doors

WP668 Electrical Plan

WP668 Caboose

Photos Copyright 2008-2009 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 12:21PM Feb 24, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Packard Hospital Model Train

During my son's recent stay at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) in Palo Alto, California, we enjoyed playing with their model train. The HO-scale train layout is on the main floor and provides entertainment as well as a focus for walking directions. There is a sign inside the front door "... take the Elevators by Model Train to Ground Floor...". The meticulously detailed self-contained layout is about 12 feet square under an arched roof. Inside are two non-connected oval railroad track loops. The scenery is inspired by Northern California's Southern Pacific rail line, featuring mountains, a lake, the ocean (beach and underwater), fields, and a small seaport town. Each of the four sides has two large plastic buttons which do something: create a sound or flash model street lights... Several friends of ours were involved in creating this layout under strict hospital supervision. It is a huge kid magnet and brings joy to all.

LPCH model train layout

LPCH model train layout

SP Engine closeup

John and LPCH model train layout

LPCH model train underwater scene

LPCH model train layout

Photos Copyright 2009 by John Plocher and Katy Dickinson

Posted at 01:08PM Feb 10, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  |  Comments[2]

Caboose Visitors from Japan

Last weekend, two visitors from Japan came to see WP668, our backyard caboose. Atsushi and Tab were in the San Francisco Bay Area for O Scale West and also to visit the Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) HO-scale model train club for operations. Last week's SVL monthly operations session was held in the dark - night operations. Atsushi is a member of SVL and helped in 2006 to construct WP668's very short rail line. It was a pleasure to host railfans from so far away.

Visitors in WP668

Atsushi and Tab outside of WP668

Atsushi in 2006

Photos Copyright 2006-2009 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 01:19PM Feb 03, 2009 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

WP668 and the Conductor Ducks

Our backyard caboose, WP668, looked good for Saturday's Silicon Valley Lines (SVL) model train club Christmas party. John put up the Western Pacific herald on the new metal plate he welded to WP668's side, then added Christmas lights too.

I bought train-theme party supplies from the Oriental Trading company, including small plastic Conductor Ducks for giveaways. One of our Christmas traditions is to set up my G-scale railway track in the living room. (I am collecting G-scale rolling stock and track for when I build my garden railway next to WP668.) The Conductor Ducks were a popular party favor and were given many G-scale train rides during the SVL party.

Photos:

WP668 with new WP herald

Conductor Ducks

Western Pacific decal

John mounting decal

John mounting decal

John mounting decal

WP668 new herald

WP668 Christmas lights

Hank vs. the train

Hank helping Dad

Ladybug engine, Conductor Ducks

Little John with ducks

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:43PM Dec 07, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Western Pacific Herald Going on Caboose

For the third year, our home will soon be hosting the Silicon Valley Lines model train club Christmas party. To prepare for the event, I have finished painting the bay window markings on WP668, our backyard caboose. Tomorrow, John is going to mount the Western Pacific herald on the metal plate on the side of WP668. John wants to preserve the etched shadow of the original WP logo on the original herald plate, so he lacquered it. Today, he had a 21-1/2" x 23-1/2" steel plate cut (the size of the WP decal we bought from the Portola Railroad Museum), then painted the new plate black. Tomorrow, John will tack weld the new plate over the old and then mount the decal. WP668 will once again display the Western Pacific herald!

Here a small size reproduction of the WP logo and a current photo of WP668:

Images Copyright 2007-2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 09:51PM Dec 04, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Art Tour

I am still decorating the inside of WP668, our backyard caboose. The last big piece of furniture, the Victorian fainting couch, is still not finished. Below are pictures of some of the art currently inside. Two of the artists are in my family: Eleanor Creekmore Dickinson is my Mother, and Evelyn Van Gilder Creekmore was my Grandmother. Elkmont is where our family cabin was in the Great Smoky Mountains, near Knoxville, Tennessee. Some of the furniture in WP668 was hand carved by my Great-Grandmother, Ellen Bolli Van Gilder.

"Gay Street, Knoxville" with Eleanor Dickinson 1951

"Gay Street, Knoxville" by Eleanor Dickinson 1951

Victorian Etchings - Shakespeare's Heroines: Katharine and Cassandra circa 1900

Dream of Evelyn V. Creekmore, Elkmont by Eleanor Creekmore Dickinson 1970

Elkmont, Tennessee, Creek Paintings by Evelyn Van Gilder Creekmore circa 1980

Inside WP668

Inside WP668

2008 WP668 Caboose drawing by Eleanor Dickinson

WP668 Caboose today

Images Copyright 2008 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 01:10PM Nov 10, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Almost Signed Off

The San Jose city inspector came today and signed off on everything for WP668, our backyard caboose, except one wire. This is frustrating because the last city inspector checked that same electrical box and did not say there were any problems. To pass this last inspection requirement, John has to pull an existing set of wires out of the underground conduit, add a neutral ground wire to the bundle, then pull the set back into place. This new wire is in addition to the existing grounding rods. WP668 today:

Images Copyright 2008 Katy Dickinson

Posted at 02:21PM Nov 06, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Final Sign Off Scheduled

On 21 May 2008, our backyard caboose, WP668 passed its first electrical inspection by the City of San Jose. Last weekend, John added the exterior lights to WP668, the last big electrical chore on his list. The final city inspection, of the electrical and the stair rail, is scheduled for later this week. John and I started work with the city on permits and variances in January 2007. I will be very happy to have the permitting process finally complete!

WP668

Work in progress on WP668: This week: Final stairway and electrical inspection and sign off Short term: Attach Western Pacific decal to steel plate on side of WP668 Upgrade garden lighting around WP668 Paint touch up (base coat, trim, and markings) Welding cleanup and metal coating for the stair railing Longer term: Install roof walk, attach it to existing ladders Install bay window seat Restore the rest of the windows (1 done, 5 to go) Complete the back deck and step woodwork (steel is done) Restore brake rigging and wheels Reattach and restore battery box Restore the doors

Posted at 05:56PM Nov 03, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

WP668 Caboose Railings Done

This weekend, we mostly finished creating the stair railings for WP668, our backyard caboose. There is some detail work to be done and the railings need to be painted but what we have looks good and is very sturdy. I also stood in my cactus garden and painted WP668's name on her bay window (finally) since the weather was warm. We still need to add the Western Pacific Railroad decal to the side.

John worked with welders Chris Gremich (CG Designs in San Jose, CA, phone: 408-313-3706) and Adam Stickles (Fusion Welding, 408-849-6636) to shape and assemble the parts out of galvanized steel pipe. Each rail set can be unbolted and removed for painting - the banisters slot into pipes set in concrete in the ground. Photos:

WP668 today:

half done railing

railing removed for finish welding, Adam

stencil on bay window

first paint on stencil

baluster-banister welds close up

Chris grinding pipe

adding balusters: Chris, John, Adam

a few more to go

looking upstairs

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 11:19PM Oct 26, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

WP668 Caboose Railings (half done)

We are half done creating the stair railings for WP668, our backyard caboose. See my 14 October 2008 blog entry for more. The rail and balusters are being created out of galvanized steel pipe. John assisted Chris Gremich (CG Designs in San Jose, CA, phone: 408-313-3706) to shape and assemble the parts. We hope to finish the job this weekend.

WP668 before stair railings

John leveling railing

1st two balusters in

checking spacing

leveling again

2nd railing in

cactus garden view

checking 2nd stair railing height

still needs welding

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 03:25PM Oct 24, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  | 

Caboose Railings

We are still working on the stair railings for WP668, our backyard caboose. Chris Gremich (CG Designs in San Jose, CA, phone: 408-313-3706) has made the part of the bannisters. He needs to finish those and then attach them to the balusters. Balusters have to be less than 4" apart for safety. WP668 still has the temporary railing John put in last year.

Those who have been to Sun Microsystems' Menlo Park, CA, campus have probably seen where we got our bannister design.

WP668 today

WP668 Bannisters so far

Sun Bannister

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 08:52PM Oct 14, 2008 by katysblog in Caboose Project and Other Trains  |