Old Timer Spotlight: Boomer Bob
We caught up with Bob Engelbach aka "Boomer Bob" in the club's picnic area next to the roundhouse and turntable. In his characteristic "Boomer Bob" manner he talked about his involvement with Alaska Live Steamers.

"Boomer Bob" likes trains. His favorite train is the Great Northern. He grew up in Cutbank, Montana and near Whitefish, Montana. Both of these locations are division points for Great Northern so he has many train memories from his youth In the past he's been an active member of the Northern Lights Model Railroad Club in Anchorage. But Bob says especially enjoys the large scale trains of ALS. Getting to ride the trains outdoors around an interesting track is much more enjoyable.

He joined ALS somewhere about 1988 and so was with the club about 5 years before "The Great Move of 1993." In 1993 is when the club moved from the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer to its current location next to the Transportation Museum. That's when "Boomer Bob" came into his element. With his background as a civil engineer Bob was in his element designing track layout, bridges, trestles and whatever else he could get his hands on (One side project he is working on is a standards manual for track design).

This might explain how "Boomer Bob" could comment: "Getting kicked out of the fairgrounds was the best thing that ever happened to this club!" He then described how the old track at the fairgrounds was a basic oval track. Trains would haul passengers around the oval and then wait for more passengers to show up.
But trains aren't the only passion Bob has. Trains are almost as enjoyable as Boomer Bob's true passion of black powder guns. Now if he could just work a way to have 1.59-inch scale trains with black power cartridge guns, Boomer Bob would be in heaven. For those brave enough, you can ask Boomer Bob about 1.59-inch scale versus 1.5-inch scale.