2015 Rudy Run at Joshua Tree

Veterans Day weekend is our annual Fall Meet, or as it has been for a number of years now in honor of Rudy Van Wingen, the Rudy Run. There was a picture that surfaced showing Rudy's C&S #10 with a couple of cars behind, on the section of the upper loop where the old unloading track switch is. The unloading track was also the steaming bay as seen in the picture the paraphernalia around the area. November 1981 is the date on the old slide. A young Greg Ratliff as engineer and Allan Ratliff riding shotgun. This was the weekend that the Big Rock in Big Rock was blasted and the track only at the time reached to either end of the boulder as it impeded progress. Our first Fall Meet at Joshua Tree.

  Fast forward a few years and down to the current site of the steaming bays and the view changes quite a bit. Over the years the Meet has grown and this year was no exception.

Over twenty pieces of motive power and 60 plus cars & cabooses on the line. Things started happening Wednesday this year and went on in some manner till Tuesday making the meet or for some the trip to Joshua Tree a week long affair these days.
 The weather was cool Wednesday and Thursday, warming quite nicely for Friday and Saturday. The breeze kicked in Saturday night and Sunday it calmed down to acceptable for the most part. The Sun played peekaboo in the afternoon and deteriorated to a rain by nightfall Sunday. Running the full gamut of conditions as the high desert can do. Non running visitors were light on Saturday and upon returning home to the Southland one learned the weather down below was not as nice as up in the desert.
 Ray and Becky Bjerrum brought out the South Park 2-8-0 for its first trip down here. It is a beautiful sight to see and Ray said it ran great up the hill as well as control down the hill when they ran up the high line over the weekend. RGS 41 made it down from Salinas and the whole Burns Family with it. Ron and Peter flew down and enjoyed the quick trip, letting Anthony do the driving as he brought down C&S 10 from Portola Valley along with a trailer full of rolling stock. Good to see 10 back on her old home rails. Maywald's had RGS 20 running, Mike Thompson spent the weekend with the Mich-Cal Shay pulling the family. The Barters met in the middle, John showing off his new 2-8-0 which still is sans tender, but it interchanges with the ten wheeler tender easily. Both engines did run at different times. Steve Nelson and his C-21 with a string of cars made it from Tucson. Eber West has his West Valley Consolidation to round out the 2-8-0 list of all sizes. Erin Swain rolled out his 2-6-0 J.W. Sessums a Mogul that has been slowly transforming into a really nice looking engine, he's hoping to get the tender finished soon. The Davenport list is long, JT&S #7 under the eye of Matt Z. ran all over the place and often. John Barter had his 50 too. Burns had their Construction motor going, Art Barter ran his Pacific Electric Juice Jack with cars that he and his new bride picked up in Washington on their Honeymoon, congrats on both. Stites and Allan Ratliff covered GE with both their 47tonners. The list goes on and like said before, over twenty engines. Quite a growth from the old days.....

11-20-15,
A few more pictures got added to the picasa site.

https://picasaweb.google.com/Ratsgarage/2015RudyRunJTSRR? for a few pictures of the weekend, Thanks Anthony, Erin, Matt, John and Allan for their pictures

Next time out is Thanksgiving Weekend for the Turkey Run. If you get the chance, come on out.