What are your other hobbies?

[Tom]

I have far too many hobbies for one person, or so I am told by my wife to be. In addition to model railroading, my other big hobby is Old West Reenacting with our team "Spirits of the Old West" (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.spiritsoftheoldwest.org">http://www.spiritsoftheoldwest.org</a><!-- m -->). I also do quickdraw competitions on the side and have won a few. That bred a WHOLE other hobby of collecting Old West firearms, right now, I have my uncles coveted 1873 Single Action Colt (clone) made by A. Uberti & Co. in .45 Long Colt,

   

an 1875 Remington Outlaw in 7 3/4" barrel (MASSIVE pistol), my new Ruger Vaquero in .45LC stainless, 4 5/8" barrel with ivory grips with a competition spring kit that I use for quickdraw, 2 .38S&W break tops that are basically little hideaways, a 1873 Winchester carbine rifle and an original 1866 Wells Fargo Stage coach gun which is a .12Gauge double barrel with dual triggers and hammers. That is the groups favorite piece, everybody loves the thing. Even at 140 years old, she still shoots everytime, but it's getting so old that I have to have it gone through with a fine toothed comb by a local gunsmith for saefty's sake prior to beginning a season with it. I need to finally retire it and hang it over the fireplace once and for all.

My main thing anymore is railroad history and preservation, primarily of the Western Pacific Railroad. I do a lot of volunteer work with the Feather River Rail Society at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, CA. I grew up in a WP family and that equipment took care of me and my family and put a roof over our heads and food on the table. Now that a lot of that equipment is now preserved in Portola, the tables have turned, and I now have the opportunity to take care of the equipment that took care of me. I feel a huge obligation to it and have recently focused a lot of my work with the "Zephyr Project" up there. We have several original cars from the California Zephyr, including the only diner left (all original too) and the only WP CZ loco left (WP 805-A). In addition to that, I am also the crew trainer up there for the train crews as that is my profession in the real world, so I donate my time and materials doing that for them a couple times a year. Alicia, my brother and my nephew have gotten hooked and go up with me to Portola to help out. I even proposed to Alicia at the museum during an old west show up there. She didn't see it coming. Several members of the museum were there to witness.

   

In this photo, Museum Manager David Epling and I had just finished playing a prank on FRRS VP Steve Habeck and made a new sign for "Malfunction Jct." labeled "Habeckistan". We were waiting for him and FRRS President Rod McClure and the rest of the UP Steam crew to bring UP 3985 into Portola a few years back. We didn't tell anyone we were doing it, and the next morning when Steve was backing UP 1983 (WP Heritage unit) around the baloon track through Malfunction Jct., he looked in the mirror and saw the new "Habeckistan sign and a few choice words were uttered to us over the radio. He was not amused (but everyone else was!)

I am also very into photography although I am not great at it. I just bought a Canon XSi 12MP with several lenses after doing an extra job last year in Kentucky. It was nice to have back there, as I went home to Missouri and took my dad with me. First time he had been back there in 25 years. We took about 600 photos!

I used to crew on Nascar Late Model Stock cars for a 2 car Husband/Wife team (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.manschmotorsports.net">http://www.manschmotorsports.net</a><!-- m -->) and we made history in 2006 as the first female to ever win a major stock car racing series championship (2006 Westcar Champs!). Winning that championship at my home track was the highlight of my life. Just the coolest thing I was ever a part of. We even got interviewd by ESPN. I don't do anything with the racecars anymore, just not enough time and after 60 years, my local track closed in '06, so winning the championship with the team in Stockton at the second to last race there was real special, but racing isn't the same without Stockton on the schedule anymore. Great news though, they are bringing it back for this season! Stockton 99 should open this March. I can't wait!

   

I also used to enjoy building websites and built the one for my business and Spirits of the Old West as well as the new Western Pacific RR Museum site at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wplives.org">http://www.wplives.org</a><!-- m --> and the race teams website. I now HATE building websites, too much like work anymore.

Yeah, I have too many hobbies, but rarely am I ever bored!