ESPEE IN OREGON 2013

This year’s Espee in Oregon Meet was held in Millersburg (north of Albany) the first weekend in June.  This year’s meet featured a pair of industry tours on Thursday, layout tours on Friday, and a day’s worth of clinics—both formal and informal—on Saturday.  As usual, the meet provided an opportunity for fans of the Southern Pacific in Oregon to meet and greet and share information and modeling techniques with emphasis on Oregon-based layouts. 

Herewith some photos from the tours:

Fiberboard (former Duraflake)--one of the last major industries in Millersburg, OR.  Fiberboard makes high quality particle board.

Fiberboard input and grading.

Fiberboard mixing silos.

Fiberboard kiln.  Wood fiber temperature is carefully controlled.

Rick Franklin Industries facility in Lebanon, OR, was our second stop.

Locomotives at Rick Franklin Industries, Lebanon, OR.  It was good to see an old friend, LLW 5399, resplendent in “Black Widow” paint and full light packages.  The Albany and Eastern and RFI units in the background show railroad impartiality to the two big state universities <Go Beavers!>.

In contrast to the LLW 5399, here is the parted-out radiator end of W&P 1851, another SD9.   Rick Franklin salvages and parts out a vast array of railroad equipment.  Some gets reused as originally designed, other gets repurposed (flat cars becoming road bridges) while some goes to scrap.

RFI purchased this unique bit of SP maintenance gear, formerly based at Oakridge for use in tunnels.  Rod Loder, our meet organizer just checked it out.

Larry V’s railroad empire, loosely based on the Valley and Siletz.  “What if?” the V&S made it over the Coast Range to the Coast?

Chuck C’s double deck (and more!) Modoc empire.