#126 Well, here we are once again at the end of another train collecting season. The snow is finally gone and the ice is melting off the lakes. My season as streetcar operator will be starting soon. But first, there are some train shows that I can remind you about that will be happening this summer. Coming soon is the Twin City Model Railroad Museum Model Railroad and Toy Train Spring Hobby Sale in the Education Building at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 12, 2018 from 9AM to 3PM. There will be over 200 tables of toy trains, memorabilia, hobby supplies and more! Plus multiple operating layouts. Bring the whole family, bring the grandkids. The 29th Annual Strawberry Fest Model Railroad Show & Model Contest is Saturday and Sunday, June 16-17, at the Waupaca Recreation Center, three blocks east of downtown at the intersection of School, State and Badger Streets in Waupaca, Wisconsin. Saturday from 10AM to 5PM and Sunday from 10AM to 3PM. There will be operating model train layouts, demonstrators, exhibitors and vendors from throughout the upper Midwest. There will be a model contest on Saturday only with adult and junior categories. All modelers are invited to participate. Categories: cars, trucks, trains, ships, aircraft, scenery, Legos, photos and miscellaneous. The renovated Waupaca Soo Line Depot will be open between the hours of 8AM and 9PM each day. You can also enjoy a great meal and strawberry short cake at Virgie’s Railroad Diner. Sounds like a great weekend. The First International Toy Train Expo takes place Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8 from 10AM to 5PM each day at the Chippewa Valley Expo Center, 5150 Old Mill Plaza in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Menards is putting on this show to rival November’s Train Fest. All the big manufacturers should be coming to this one. The show will feature vintage toy trains, collector trains, operating layouts, vendors, exhibitors, train dealers, railroad clubs and organizations. This huge show is sponsored by Menards, Kalmbach Media, Model Train Classics LLC, Riverfest Group and Operation Life Saver. The door price is $5 for adults, children 17 and under are FREE. You can buy discount tickets at Menards for only $2.50. You can also visit the Model Train Classics LLC store at their location at 4284 London Road in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12PM to 5:30PM. You can read additional information at www.InternationalToyTrainExpo.org The 4000 Foundation Limited presents the 28th Annual Rail Fair in Copland Park, La Crosse, Wisconsin on Saturday, July 28, from 10AM to 4PM. It’s a railroad show, flea market and swap meet where you will find model and toy trains, railroadiana, antique toys and diecast models. There will be guided tours of the steam locomotive and Grand Crossing Tower. The BNSF Railway will display a locomotive at the North La Crosse Yard. The Canadian Pacific Railway will also have exhibits and displays. One more. The Southern Valley Railway’s 7th Annual Model Railroad Train Show is August 18 & 19 at the Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School Gymnasium, 500 West Broadway in Plainview, Minnesota. The show is 10AM to 5PM on Saturday and 10AM to 3PM on Sunday. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO THIS SUMMER FOR SOME TRAIN FUN? Let’s start with Minnesota. The Duluth & Iron Range Depot Museum is located at 520 South Avenue in Two Harbors. One of those huge DM&IR steam locomotives is right outside the door. Just a bit farther south in Duluth is the Lake Superior Railroad Museum at 506 West Michigan Street. They have indoor and covered displays, eight steam locomotives, steam powered crane, rotary plow, diesel engines, elegant coaches, maintenance-of-way equipment and historic railroad displays. You can also ride the North Shore Scenic Railroad to complete your day. In Minneapolis there is the Minnesota Streetcar Museum at Lake Harriet where you can ride a genuine Twin City streetcar on a mile long track between Lake Harriet and former Lake Calhoun, named something else now. They also have trolley rides on a half-mile track in Excelsior. For information visit www.trolleyride.org The Minnesota Transportation Museum is located in the Jackson Street Roundhouse near downtown St Paul. For information visit www.transportationmuseum.org If you are heading west, the Dakotas have some interesting places to visit. The North Dakota State Railroad Museum is located at 3102 37th Street NW in Mandan, ND. For information visit www.ndsrm.org The Fort Lincoln Trolley is also in Mandan at 2000 Third Street SE. Daily departures on the hour from 1PM to 5PM traveling between Mandan and Fort Lincoln, ND. In South Dakota you can ride the Black Hills Central Railroad at 222 Railroad Avenue in Hill City, SD. For information visit www.1880train.com At this same location is the South Dakota State Railroad Museum. There are a lot of train ride opportunities in Wisconsin. The Camp Five Lumberjack Steam Train runs out of Laona, WI. For information visit www.lumberjacksteamtrain.com The Chippewa Valley Railroad is a quarter scale, 16-inch gauge amusement park train ride in Carson Park in Eau Claire, WI. The East Troy Railroad Museum is located at 2002 Church Street in East Troy, WI. They run trolleys and interurban cars on a 15 mile ride from East Troy to Indianhead Park in Mukwonago, WI. For information visit www.easttroyrr.org The MidContinent Railway Museum is located in North Freedom, WI. They offer train rides and the museum includes exhibits and dozens of restored cars and locomotives with emphasis on the wooden car era. For information visit www.midcontinent.org The National Railroad Museum is located at 2285 South Broadway Street in Green Bay, WI. They have narrated train rides daily. They have over 70 pieces of unique rolling stock and railroading artifacts in several museum buildings on 33 acres. For information visit www.nationalrrmuseum.org The Osceola & St Croix Valley Railway is part of the Minnesota Transportation Museum. They offer weekend diesel train rides. Visit the MTM website for more information. The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad operates out of Trego, WI. They offer diesel excursion and dinner train rides. For information visit www.spoonertrainride.com HEY GANG, IT’S TIME TO PICNIC AND TO COOK THE PERFECT BURGER Hamburgers are among America’s favorite foods, but most people don’t know how to cook them so that they’re juicy on the inside with a great outer crust. Here’s how anyone can make the perfect burger. Use ground chuck that is 80% lean/20% fat. Beef that’s leaner than this makes a dry, less tasty burger. Use seven ounces of meat per burger – that’s a little less than a half-pound. Slap the meat down onto a flat, cold surface and quickly but gently form it into a patty approximately one-inch thick in the center with gently rounded edges. Warning: Excessive kneading or squeezing packs the meat too tight, resulting in dry, tough burgers. If your cooking burgers in the kitchen, use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Stainless steel if the second-best option. Add a little bacon fat or olive oil to the skillet, and preheat the pan over a medium-tomedium high flame for three to four minutes. Using a spatula, gently slide the patties into the skillet, then just leave them alone. Do not touch them! Moving the patties reduces their chances of developing that wonderful outer crust that the perfect burger requires. After three to four minutes, use your spatula to flip the burgers. If you want a rare burger, cook for two minutes on the second side…for medium rare – three minutes…for medium – four to five minutes…for well done – six to seven minutes. Enjoy your burgers. That’s all until next fall from Roundhouse Rick’s Ramblings. Rick Krenske. 

​​Lakes and Pines Division - Train Collectors Association