Maybe the sun hasn’t set over Lou Schultz’s Chesapeake and Ohio layout just yet.  Lou’s family has indicated a desire to see the layout live on and has extended  an invitation for Lou’s operating group to conduct further operating sessions.  Matt Hardey has taken the bull by the horns, along with several others and the “exploratory committee” sat down together this past Saturday at DiMartino’s Restaurant in Covington for a fine meal and to do some planning for the session.  Present were Matt, Mike Walsdorf, Sam Urrate, Johnny Miranda, Wayne Robichaux and yours truly.

The late Bill Williams, known as the Gestapo among the crew, was the Chief Clerk for Lou.  He spent considerable time before each session staging cars and setting up the waybills.  Unfortunately, no one else has a full grasp for all that Bill did, so the main topic during the meal was how operations could be simplified and pre-staging eliminated (or at least substantially reduced).  Several ideas were presented that were deemed worthy of a trial.  The “shake-down” session has been tentatively scheduled for mid May.  I, for one, will be tickled to be back up in the attic again.  Even though Lou, Bill and Shawn won’t be there in person, I’m sure their spirit will be.

And speaking of that, several of the guys had been to Lou’s house earlier in the week to check things out on the layout.  Lou’s wife, Dee, was out puttering around in the back yard.  The fellows were down at the far end of the attic when they heard someone trudging up the stairs (wooden stairs lead up to the attic).  One of the group shouted out that they were down at the end by Alderson, but no one came forth.  Puzzled, one of the guys went to the stairs.  No one was there.  He went down and found Dee, who said she had been in the yard the entire time.  Soooo….who was there (sound of squeaking door in background)?

Maybe I’ll be busy that Saturday……

-Jack