Truckee Donner Railroad Society provides educational classes to requesting organizations. Nelson Van Gundy gave a week long class to a dozen gradeschool kids over the summer of 2008. Here is the narrative:

I took 12 kids, one teacher, and one parent volunteer to the Museum today; wish I'd had pictures of the kids all over the equipment!   I'd spent the morning prepping them in the classroom---even though I felt like I was speaking from the distant past to the far future---we had a great time.  They'd now be happy to educate you on standard gauge vs. narrow gauge,  building track [they are still doing it--it was the BIG morning project which has spilled over into the rest of the week--they are spiking mavens], cab forwards, rotary snow plows, cabeese, etc.  And then we walked the Balloon Loop, and they picked up considerable RR detritus, which of course opened up some more topics for discussion--rail anchors, brake wheels and linkage and brake shoes, and reasons for same, spikes, spike plates, fish plates, on and on.  And the UP was kind enough to run a short ballast train with a backhoe mounted on a ballast car, powered by a semi-truck hi-railer right past us  [see the website for a view of the same or a similar truck Keith took in Roseville months ago].  They want to help get the Crane running, and they are talking about writing letters to the Town requesting that the Caboose--the "Truckee RR Museum Headquarters"---be placed by the Intermodal Transportation Center, AKA the Old Depot. 

Tomorrow we do classroom on Logging RR's of the Area, then to Coldstream Canyon for a visual of RR's climbing mountains. 

Thursday is more logging discussion in the AM, then to Bob's for Ride-On and 1:20.

Friday is ALL [short] DAY TRESTLE TOUR; we will be leaving between 9:30 & 10 AM for the middle of the day, returning before 3PM.  If you want to come along, we'd love to have you; I'd love a Photographer, as I seem to be pretty much involved answering questions and leading the havoc.  Please read the attachment, as it is the  BRIEF DISCLOSURE of the 2006 Trestle Tour, which contains the basic survival information for Friday.    Any questions, call me at 530-587-1165, or 530-386-0638; or you can email me, I may look at it in the evening. 

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