Outside Activities
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The Iron Horse Express 2013 Convention Committee is working hard setting up some unusual tours and activities for your enjoyment during the convention. Check the "News" page periodically for updates.
You MUST be registered for the Convention to go on any tours listed below. If not already registered, please go to the "Registration" page to register for the Convention. You may add available tours when you register.
NOTE: Any tour purchased without a registration will be denied with payments refunded.
Speeder Rides in the Canyon
Thursday, April 4, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 2:00 PM – If you have never been on a Speeder Ride through Niles Canyon, you are truly missing something special. For those who don’t know what a speeder is, it’s a small gasoline engine powered “car” that runs on rails. Riding one is an absolute blast!
For an idea of what it's like to ride in a speeder, click here.
The group that owns the speeders takes them all over the place. It’s kinda like a motorcycle gang on rails. (Okay, I’m joking, but you got the idea.) Enough speeder owners have volunteered their speeder so that we can have 15 people for each time slot.
The rides are Thursday, April 4, at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 2:00 PM, starting at the Niles Canyon Railway’s Sunol Station. We will carpool from the Convention Hotel to the Sunol Station.
In addition to the speeders, there will also be two velocipedes and one hand pump car to operate in the Niles Station area while waiting for the speeder rides, or when you get back.
To see a velocipede in action, click here. (BTW, the popping you hear in the video is not the velocipedes, but rather another rail car.) For more information on a velocipede railroad inspection car, click here. (PDF)
NOTES & ADVISORIES:
- Deadline to buy tickets is Friday, March 1, 2013, after which remaining seats will be sold to the general public by the speeder club.
- Riders must wear long pants and closed shoes, preferably not tennis shoes.
- Riders will also be required to sign two legal releases, one for the speeder club and one for the Niles Canyon Railway.
Price: $25.00 (limit 15 seats per tour) First come, first served!
Select which tour you want:
| 10:00 AM Speeder Ride in the Canyon | |
| 11:00 AM Speeder Ride in the Canyon | |
| 1:00 PM Speeder Ride in the Canyon | |
| 2:00 PM Speeder Ride in the Canyon - |
If not registered, please go to the "Registration" page to register for the Convention.
Niles Canyon Railway Steam Train Excursion
Friday, April 5, 9:00 AM – This is your opportunity to ride and photograph a vintage steam train plying its way through scenic historic Niles Canyon on the path of the original Transcontinental Railway’s gateway to the San Francisco Bay Area.
We will take carpools from the hotel in Dublin to Sunol at 9:00 AM and ride the Niles Canyon Railway from Sunol to Niles through the canyon. We will stop on the way back at the historic Farwell Bridge for a photo run-by, with the train crew mounting a head of steam for you to take great pictures of. We should return to the hotel by 1:00 PM.
Price: $25.00
| Niles Canyon Railway Steam Train Excursion |
If not registered, please go to the "Registration" page to register for the Convention.
Military Vehicle Technology Foundation Museum Tour – CANCELLED
Jacques Littlefield's Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (www.mvtf.org) in Portola Valley, with 240 restored WWI, WWII, Korean and Vietnam era military vehicles of all types situated in 4 football field sized buildings. Close up examination of light, medium and heavy tanks, recovery vehicles, trucks and more. These vehicles are from several countries including: USA, USSR, Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, and Israel. The tour provides an interesting historical perspective.
Regretably, this tour was cancelled due to a lack of sign-ups. Anyone purchasing tickets for this tour will get a refund.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Tour – SOLD OUT
Thursday, April 4, 8:30 AM and 12:30 PM – We will have a very special tour of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory which will take us through the National Ignition Facility (https://lasers.llnl.gov), the world's largest and most energetic laser. This is a major national facility for investigating the basics of matter. You will view some exciting state-of-the-art research programs and facilities up close.
Tour spots are limited to 14 seats at 8:30 AM and 14 seats at 12:30 PM. When ordering, be sure to indicate the preferred tour time. This tour MUST be purchased in advance by March 19, 2013. Tickets for this tour will not be sold at the Convention. (See Note #2 below)
NOTES & ADVISORIES:
- This tour involves extensive walking and standing for 3½ hours. For your comfort and safety, please wear flat-sole, closed-toe and closed-heel shoes
- Due to the nature of the facility, you will need to fill out a brief security form at least two weeks in advance to have the form reviewed.
- Non–U.S. citizens must register 60 days in advance. Tours by foreign nationals are subject to approval of the U.S. Department of Energy.
- You MUST be registered for the Convention to purchase this tour. If not registered, please go to the "Registration" page to do so. You may add this tour when you register.
Price: $20.00 (limit 14 seats per tour) First come, first served!
Select which tour you want:
| 8:30 AM Lawrence Lab Tour | SOLD OUT! |
| 12:30 PM Lawrence Lab Tour | SOLD OUT! |
If not registered, please go to the "Registration" page to register for the Convention.
Outside Activities Chairman
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