Outside Activities
The Daylight Express 2017 Convention Committee is working hard to set up some unusual tours and activities for your enjoyment during the convention. Check the News & Updates page periodically for updates.
Our First Offering!
Tehachapi Loop Tour ticket sales are now CLOSED!
Tehachapi Loop Tour – Now includes live signal demo!
Friday, April 21, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – What would a trip to Kern County be without a visit to one of the most iconic railfanning destinations in the world — the Tehachapi Loop? If you like railroading history, then you won't want to miss this tour. On this tour, not only will you be able to visit the World Famous Tehachapi Loop, but you will also visit the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum — and to top off the trip — you will be able to visit Kern County’s only model train shop!
New! Live signal demo added. See below for more information.
The World Famous Tehachapi Loop from the air (Click photo for larger image) |
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For this tour, you will be boarding a 50-passenger bus and departing from the Convention Hotel at 9:00 AM. You'll be transported to Tehachapi for a guided tour (from the bus with a couple of photo op stops, if safety permits) of the legendary Tehachapi Loop, provided by 2 docents from the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum. As the bus travels to The Loop and towards Tehachapi, the docents will point out various points of interest along the way and describe the history of The Loop.
You will then continue along the Tehachapi-Woodford Road to Tehachapi for lunch at Kelcy’s Restaurant in beautiful downtown Tehachapi, where you will be able to enjoy a great lunch and the camaraderie of your fellow travelers. Meals include soft drinks and gratuity. And since Kelcy’s sits right across from the Union Pacific mainline, you’re sure to catch some trains rumbling by while you enjoy your meal.
Historic Downtown Tehachapi Water Tower (Click photo for larger image) |
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After lunch, you can stroll right next door to Kern County’s ONLY model train store, Trains Etc., a Tehachapi staple for more than 17 years. They carry scale model trains, toy trains for all ages, train-themed books, puzzles, Thomas & Friends™ wooden trains, T-shirts, souvenirs, etc. They also carry paints, plastic models and some small tools. Trains, Etc. will be closing its doors a week after the convention. Be sure to stop by for some great close-out deals!
After you've spent your hard-earned dollars at Trains Etc., you can walk right across Tehachapi Boulevard to the Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum. This depot replaces the original depot, a type 23 depot originally built in 1904 by Southern Pacific, but destroyed by fire June 2008. It has been fully restored and is now operated as a museum by the Friends of the Tehachapi Depot.
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Restored Tehachapi Depot (Click photo for larger image) |
The Tehachapi Depot Railroad Museum houses several large collections of historic railroad artifacts, including antique railroad maintenance equipment, signals and tools, dinnerware, signs and other railroadiana, plus stories and photographs of the men and women who built the railroad and whose lives were affected by it.
Tehachapi Depot Museum inside exhibits (Click photo for larger image) |
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Live Signal Demo Added!
Have you ever wondered how a semaphore works or what makes a wig-wag wag? Then you don't want to miss this value-added presentation. While visiting the museum, you'll be able to enjoy a live presentation by fellow GEHAMS member and Railroad Museum signal maintainer, Jim Jury. The depot is home to over a dozen operating signals that were used on The Loop. Jim will be explaining the inner workings of the signals and their uses during this newly-added presentation on the tour. Take photos, take videos of operations, pick up modeling tips and learn how to animate and operate these signals on your layout.
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Tehachapi Depot Museum outside signal exhibits (Click photo for larger image) |
We will be exploring many different signals, including 3 semaphores – a lower quadrant SP style B, a Santa Fe Union Switch & Signal P2 upper quadrant, and a Northern Pacific GRS semaphore – an H2 searchlight signal, a Pennsylvania position signal, and several crossing signals, including an electric flagman wig-wag and a Griswold rotating stop sign. There are over a dozen signals to explore.
Welcome to the Tehachapi Depot Museum (Click photo for larger image) |
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The depot is not only one of the best places in the area to watch trains; the depot property is now a city park and has been set up as a 24-hour train-watching park! A deck around the depot complete with benches, picnic tables and a great view of the railroad.
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Trackside at the Tehachapi Depot Museum (Click photo for larger image) |
After this 7-hour Tehachapi Loop Tour extravaganza, you will then be transported back down the hill to the Convention Hotel. This trip is scheduled to start at 9:00 AM and have you back to the hotel by 4:00 PM, on Friday, April 21st. The cost of this tour is $65.00 per person, which includes your meal, soft drinks and gratuity at Kelcy's Restaurant.
This tour will be limited to the first 50 convention attendees who register for this trip. You must register for this trip no later than Thursday, April 6, 2017. If we fill up the first 50 spaces on the first bus, and there is enough interest, we will contract a second bus, but we must have this information no later than Thursday, April 6, 2017.
You can either sign up for this tour while registering for the convention or add it to your existing registration by going to the Company Store webpage and buying your ticket. Remember, sign up for this tour no later than Thursday, April 6, 2017.
For further information, please contact Daylight Express 2017 Co-Chair Doug Wagner at carldw@aol.com, or by phone at (661) 589-0391.
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