Article and Photos by Rich Thom Except as Noted

Fig 1 – The Blake Christmas Layout

The Skagit Valley & Whidbey NMRA Clinic revived an earlier tradition of our group by enjoying a Christmas wassail in place of the usual programs of modeling tutorials and hands-on sessions. All right: It’s a bit of a stretch since wassailing originally was the practice of people going door-to-door, singing and offering a drink from the wassail bowl in exchange for gifts (click here for additional history). No singing tonight (thank goodness, knowing our group) or wassail bowls either, but plenty of merriment and a good program, too, by long-time member John White, who along with wife Valerie hosted our original wassails. Twenty-eight enjoyed the evening including several spouses, and an abundance of potluck finger-food prevented starvation.

In the spirit of the season, Clinic Chair Rich Blake skipped his usual announcements and calendar review, but did bring a Christmas tree with (of course) a train running around it (Fig 1). OK, we’ve all had circles of track around a Christmas tree, but with a pair of sidings for switching? Note the cargo: wrapped candy kisses.

This little “layout” traveled around the world during Rich’s long Navy career and meant a lot to his family. Thanks for bringing it, Rich.

Fig 2 – John White (Seated, Left) Holds the Audience

After loading up plates, and we really mean loading up (i.e. testing the weight limit of paper plates) John White began the evening program (Fig 2), titling it: American Association of Railroads Visit to Various European Railroads for an Exchange of Technical Information. Whew – that’s a mouthful. Officially, it was one of a series of frequent technical exchanges of track-related advances among many railroads, an international cooperation. Despite differences in loading gauge and wheel/axle loadings between the USA/Canada and Europe, the basic track challenges were the same. Unofficially, it was an opportunity for marketing, and among others Plasser, the Austrian manufacturer of perhaps the world’s top-of-the-line maintenance-of-way equipment, laid on the luxury for participants.

The luxury included a journey on the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) from London all the way through to Venice. (Decades later, the VSOE still runs London-Paris-Venice-Istanbul: see http://www.belmond.com/venice-simplon-orient-express to make your reservation.) But on the ‘80’s train, Valerie White (Fig 3) wondered why John was still on the platform taking photos moments before the train was due to depart.

Fig 3 – Valerie White Aboard the Famed VSOE (Photo–John White)

John continued on to describe this once-in-a-lifetime journey through France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy with each host railroad bringing out the welcome mat and equally lavish entertainment. (There were many pictures of laden dinner tables and jovial diners.) Two breaks gave clinic attendees more opportunities to laden their plates again, while John changed slide trays. Yes, ancient trays of cardboard-mounted slides, if anyone remembers those. Rich Thom had to unearth one of his 35-year old Kodak Ektagraphic projectors stored in the back of a dark closet, a relic of an earlier technological age. Like almost everything Kodak made in those days, the hefty machine performed flawlessly — no two-year warranty from Best Buy needed.

The canals of Venice, ornate palaces, and cog railways in Switzerland were all dished up in John’s narrative, capped off by a ride in the cab of a 7,000 hp Austrian electric locomotive, with great through-the-windscreen views of the typical excellent trackwork of European railways. Thanks, John, for a fun evening, and we look forward to next season’s wassail.