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rock island update

Writer's picture: Jonathan WolfJonathan Wolf
Nov 3, 20244 min read



At Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire Corp, we believe in keeping history alive. Our approach to doing that is fundraising and taking the cars on tour so we can get younger generations to be able to continue where we left off. We gather a list of railcars that are for sale and find the owners of those cars. We reach out to them so they know we are answering the call to help buy or have them donate to us.

We will cover the moving expenses when it's donated to us. For example, we tried for Redwood Empire, and the owner knew we were fundraising and it would take us time to raise the funds. But he ended up getting it sold to someone else, which we were at a loss for. Then both Pine King and Pine Grove were up for sale. Looking at Pine King, it needed too much work and was too far for us.

Then we saw Pine Grove that's in Texas right next door to me, but even that needed too much work. If anyone knows if Pine Grove was sold or any info on who owns Redwood Empire, please shoot me a DM because I really would like to know. Then came the 2 SP obs cars. They were almost ready, but I'll just leave it at that. Then the CP Pony was up for sale. The only problem with Pony was that it was landlocked and needed a lot of repairs to handle, so we turned that down. The Long Island coaches that are ex-commuter coaches were interesting, and we were going to go for them, but they needed work, which maybe we will still get after. And then the final railcar to join the fundraiser that we are raising funds for is the Rock Island Jane Marie. It's everything we need and ready to go except for the Amtrak part of it, which me and my team will take care of.. Last year,

Please donate to my team's cause. We don't want to miss out on this opportunity. Your donation will help us buy the Private Car "Jane Marie."

We've added a Bonfire store where you can buy T-shirts and other items. Right now, Bonfire is having a fall sale, so you can get 20% off any shirts in the store. Use promo code EXTREMER1 at checkout to get your discount..

In May, we added the Jane Marie store on Spring. We have lots of shirts from different railroads, puzzles, bath stuff, and digital downloads. You name it, we have it! I hope this helps you choose who to donate to and who to buy merch from. We are a nonprofit business, and every donation or sale goes back into the project. We will use the money responsibly. Check out our website for more information.

We also know that the trucks were updated in 2022, so we'll be able to get it to pass inspection. My name is Jonathan Cordova, and I'm the founder, owner, and CEO of the Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire Corp. I started this nonprofit business to help get railcars to go behind 2926. I worked on the Silver Iris for many years, and I got my certificate for office skills from ENMU. I used to be a railfan before working on the Silver Iris, but I don't do that anymore. I left my position at the Silver Iris to start my own business. I have skills working on the Iris, and I'm using those skills to help others. We are a nonprofit business called Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire Corp. We provide rail tours and are dedicated to using donations responsibly.

Check out our website for more information. We need your help to raise funds to get the "Jane Marie" and coaches to go behind 2926. Please donate to our cause. If we reach our goal, it will help us get the "Jane Marie" and the coaches. All proceeds will go back into the rail cars and rail tours, and will help us grow our outreach to the younger generation and get them interested in railroading. We have a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to purchase the Jane Marie and a coach car to go behind the 2926 tool car. All proceeds from the sale of merchandise will go to the "Jane Marie" and coaches to help get coaches for 2926 to be used.

We have a website that describes our business, which is rail tours. Our company is called Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire Corp, and we are a nonprofit business. The Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire Corp. crew is in desperate need of funds to complete our projects. We've already lost three of our cars because we haven't been able to raise the necessary money. We're asking for your help to save the remaining cars and complete these projects. We are a non-profit business committed to using donations responsibly. We are collecting donations at the event, and we need all the help we can get. We're asking for your help to save the remaining cars and complete these projects.

The Extreme Railfan Redwood Empire team consists of Jonathan F. Cordova, Nicholas Matthew Webster, Mathew Casford, Transcontinental Railroad Productions, Maxwell Romero (fundraiser overseer), Johann Benavides, Alex Gillman, Matthew L. Lapp, CJ (sponsor with our fundraiser box), yard limit productions, and Dean Flores (vice president). Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at Railroad Days. Your support means a lot to us. If you'd like to donate, please visit our GoFundMe page or Pete's Auto Care in Albuquerque, NM. Your donation will help us buy the Private Car "Jane Marie." This is a great way to help us continue our fundraising efforts. also the reason why we are trying to raise 15k

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Alexa Young, CA

Barbara and I were part owners of the Private Car Tamalpais for over 20 years.  It was our flanged wheel Winnebago that took us on trips all over the U.S. and Canada.  Barbara loved not having to cook and having somebody else to make the beds.  Our son Andy loved going through tunnels.  And most importantly it was a great venue for spending time with good friends.

The Tam was built by Pullman about 1923 and was formerly ATSF 33.  It was sold by the ATSF and had several private owners including Atlantic Richfield Corporation. Our group purchased the car "on the court house steps" after Southern Pacific had forclosed on the previous owner for non-payment of storage charges.     A few modications had been made to the car over the years, but overall it retained much of its original 1933 ambience.

While a private railway car is an expensive luxury (a black hole into which you throw money), we shared ownership with a group of like-minded people and chartered the car to earn money.  Some folks contributed money, others contributed hard work maintaining our 50-year old antique.  One day we might be enjoyed prime rib on fine china served by a white jacketed waiter, the next we might be under the car covered with grease trying to fix the most recent old vebelfetzer to break.  By sharing costs, running it as a business, and most importantly making it a labor of love, the cost was not unreasonable for what we got in return.  Our friends who rode with us certainly loved it.

But eventually our group ran out of steam, and we sold the Tam.  We miss it.  But it went to a new owner who invested a lot of money in needed repairs and improvements.  Today it still plys the rails, painted Pullman green, and renamed "Redwood Empire".

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