Union Pacific releases its Big Boy summer schedule

Union Pacific has just announced its schedule for their legendary 4-8-8-4 steamer, also known as "Big Boy". There have been occasions where the mighty brute has traveled as close to Winnipeg as Fargo, North Dakota. Unfortunately, it won't be getting that close this year, as its main destination is Ogden, Utah, where it will participate in the 150 anniversary celebrations of the golden spike in May.

The Big Boy will travel from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Ogden and back, with stops in Rock Springs, Rawlins, Laramie and Evanston. For more information, you can go to the Union Pacific website by clicking here.

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns passing of Bill "Tiny" Summers

We are saddened to announce that former WMRC member William "Tiny” Summers passed away last week. Tiny served as the club’s annual spring show chairman in 1994. He was also a member of the Vintage Locomotive Society. 

Tiny was proud to have fired CPR steam locomotives during the 1950s. He served his country in Korea and drove countless miles as a truck driver for Canada Safeway. Tiny hauled produce from California and Texas and visited hobby stores on the way back to Winnipeg. He was a regular at the Thursday night get togethers at Golden Spike and at Ware House Hobbies. 

Tiny also assisted the Winnipeg Police Service in the 1960's, as he was a qualified diver, recovering bodies from the Red River. He survived a serious truck accident with on the Winnipeg to Thompson run. He survived necrotising fasciitis, also known as the flesh eating disease, and was kidded that he survived was that there was so much of him. 

He’s been described as a jolly giant, although he could be pretty gruff at times. He was a huge man, standing about 6’ 6”, and weighing well over 300 pounds.  At the WMRC spring train show in 1995, he sat on a flimsy plastic chair that couldn’t hold his weight, and he and the chair went crashing down onto the floor! Ed Mulholland, who was club president at the time, salvaged a piece of the broken chair, mounted it, and presented it to Tiny at the annual banquet as the “first annual chairman award”.

Tiny is survived by his wife Barbara, daughters Debbie, Wendy, Kathy, Donna, and Maureen, his stepchildren Brenda and Ron, 14 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. By Bill's request there will be no service.