Reaching Lifelong Goals as a Nontraditional Student

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum was not on my radar until planning for this trip.  While looking at the preserved sailing ship, USS Constellation in Baltimore harbor, I noticed something that looked like a railroad engine roundhouse.    Zooming in I could see big old steam engines in a parking lot.   This of course was a real find for me.   I have been a Model Railroader since 1970.   My father worked for the Southern Pacific in Oregon as well as the New York Central Railroad during WWII.   Trains, planes and ships (automobiles are cool too, but…) are my historical loves of my entire life, 40 years of it!!    More research led me to the B & O Museum, wow!!   Not being on my original “bucket list”, this museum soon became a priority when we were to visit Baltimore harbor.   This museum was not one that my wife had much interest in, she ensconced herself at a comfy table in the gift shop and gave me permission to experience this one on my own.   I resigned myself to not trying to teach Patty about the history of the early railroads of the US, she had a book and was just fine in the air-conditioned gift shop.   (Weather during the trip was not really oppressive, a couple of 90 degree days, but the humidity was not as bad as we had been warned)   Universally recognized as the birthplace of American railroading, the Museum’s site represents the vision, establishment, development and creation of the first common carrier railroad in the Western Hemisphere. The first 1.5 miles of mainline railroad right of way carries visitors on seasonal train rides to the site where the First Stone of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail Road was laid on July 4, 1828 by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.  (reprinted from the museum website)   The roundhouse is truly a work of late 19th century art, brick and wood and wonderful lines.   Looking up into the ceiling of the restored building is absolutely beautiful.   As I entered the roundhouse I was treated to some of the most significant artifacts of railroad history in the world.   East coast railroads were established in the 1830s and there were wonderful replicas of very early locomotives. Actual restored engines from the 1850s through the 1890s were especially wonderful.   Some one of a kind examples of early railroading were restored to original condition.   I was like a kid in a candy store.    Railroading in the West had different equipment than what was used in the East.   I have studied mostly the Southern Pacific RR and the Northern Pacific Railroad.   It was a treat to see some of the unique types of equipment that I had never been exposed to in person.  The Baltimore and Ohio roundhouse that has been restored was built in 1884.   It is truly a beautiful building. Adjacent to the roundhouse are the Mt. Clare shops that were established in 1828 and are the oldest continually operating railroad shops in the world.   Inside this building the collection includes some of the B & O and C & O locomotives from the modern steam era.  The huge Allegheny Type 2-6-6-6 articulated steam locomotive was the largest.   They were used by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for hauling huge coal trains (15 mph was all they could muster through the rugged Virginia mountains).   Also a beautiful streamlined passenger locomotive from the 1940s, a C & O  4-6-4 “Hudson” type.   These huge steamers were difficult to photograph in the shop’s close quarters, but just walking through the “forest” of steam locomotives was an experience in itself. The railroad car at left is a gift from the French people to the state of Maryland  from the French National Railways.   The boxcar (in Europe they are “wagons”) was used in the First World War.   The B & O railroad in the 1830s used some very interesting looking passenger cars.   The museum has a replica of one.   (None survive as they were made of wood and were scrapped when they were obsolete)   A small engine from the period would pull 3 or 4 of these “passenger cars”.   There were many other special pieces of railroad history within the grounds of the B & O Railroad Museum.   I tried not to overstay my welcome with my wife waiting for me so I moved a little quicker and moved inside to see the wonderful display of scale models of railroad equipment through history.    These scale models were a real treat as well as I am a scale modeller myself and can appreciate such beauty.   Although my time was short, I did have quite a wonderful experience at this museum.   I was able to see pieces of early railroad history, unique East Coast types of equipment and some really huge steam locomotives.   Before I could leave the museum, I had to walk around the bone yard display of equipment that had not been restored yet.   The collection of old unique diesel engines and steam engines waiting their turns for restoration was a museum in itself.   Of special note was an EMD BL-2 Diesel from the 1950s, something you don’t see on the west coast.   Also the last steam locomotive built in the USA by the Baldwin Locomotive Works was also on display.   This huge steamer for the C & O was a 2-6-6-2 type articulated.  I have the same locomotive, only the small N Scale (1:160) version which is only a few inches long.   This giant really put my hobby into a new light.

This was only part of our day in Baltimore Maryland.   From this museum, we traveled  a few short blocks to the Baltimore Harbor to experience one of my top bucket list items, the sailing ship USS Constellation.   Tomorrow’s post will be specifically on my walking the decks of this floating artifact from the mid 19th century.

The NASM on the National Mall was too important to me for only one blog posting.   Continuing with the “Legend, Memory and Great War in the Air gallery, we have a SPAD XIII that actually saw service in Europe during WWI.   Many of the SPADs on display are ex-training aircraft and did not see combat.   The Smithsonian’s Smith IV was assigned to the 22nd Aero Pursuit Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Service, which was taking part in the Saint-Mihiel offensive. The aircraft entered combat during this campaign, and by the end of the war six victories had been scored in it by various pilots.   This is significant.  There are still small bullet hole patches on the wings from combat.  The restoration of this aircraft in the 80s retained these battle scars.   I had to move on, as much as I wanted to spend more time with my WWI aircraft, history marches forward. There were some types from WWII that  are not in most Air Museums, of note was the Italian Macchi C.202 fighter.   This one was a treat, built models of them, never seen one in person.  Suspended from the ceiling of the WWII gallery it was in fine company with a Messerschmitt, Spitfire, Zero and Mustang.    The collection of WWII aircraft features some of the more well-known aircraft and they are staples at many air museums around the country.    This is not to say they are “common”, any aircraft from WWII is a significant display.   This museum is kind of sensory overload for a history nut, so I had to focus, focus, focus.   The collection from the Navy was just as enjoyable, with aircraft spanning the periods from the 30s all the way to current jets.   The gallery is set up to resemble a aircraft carrier and it’s interior spaces were used for additional displays.   Important civil aircraft and record breakers are also on display.   Hanging above the main welcome gallery is the Spirit of St. Louis, again a very moving experience for me to behold.  There are two main sections to the NASM, one with aircraft and the other, spacecraft.   I will move on to this side of the museum now and leave the best experience for last.    The artifacts on display from the NASA moon shots was very interesting, from large items like the Saturn V booster engines (extremely huge!!) to space candy, M&Ms that traveled in space as astronaut treats.    Significant artifacts that really hit home with me included John Glenn’s original space suit, Yuri Gagarin’s CCCP spacesuit and the moon suite from Apollo 15 that still had MOON DUST on the boots.   I was reliving my youth by actually seeing the actual items that had traveled into space as I watched on our black and white TV in the 60s.

The Lunar Excursion Module they have on display was actually slated to go into space on Apollo 5, but the success of the LM1 mission cancelled this flight and this spacecraft was used as a training vehicle.   The two astronauts coming down the ladder give the feel of what it was like back in 1969 when Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon.   This event in history is burned into my childhood memories as we watched in awe as the first steps on the moon were broadcast in the grainy, black and white video of the day.

I have been an aviation history buff most of my life.   My recent specialization in early aviation (WWI) has been a big part of my research over the past 20 years.   The goal of seeing the National Air Space Museum has been on my list since I was a child.   For the last 40 years I have dreamed of reaching this lifelong goal.   If it not for my wonderful wife, who seems to be quite invested in my dreams and goals, this dream vacation would never have happened.   Although my primary interest is WWI, walking into the Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age Gallery hit me in a big way.   To think that I was standing before the actual Wright Flyer, the artifact that meant the most to me in this facility was just too  moving for me to keep my composure.   It all just came over me at once, my new life as a Non Traditional College Student, my goal of becoming a Historian, reaching a lifelong goal of being at the NASM and being in front of the actual origin of my passion.  Patty left me on my own, she was enjoying reading the well presented displays and being a supportive wife.   I tried not to be too obvious, but I just lost it.   I stood before the flyer, weeping, my heart bursting from my chest with emotion.   Of all the sights I was enjoying on this vacation, this one was special, very special.

After gathering myself together, I was able to document this aircraft photographically.   The NASM display of the Wright flyer is really spectacular.   The condition of the aircraft has been maintained since  it was presented to the Smithsonian from the Estate of Orville Wright.   It was recovered in 1927  under supervision by Orville Wright and again in 1985.   The original fabric which covered the wings on that day in December 1903 is on display.   The unbleached muslin was not coated with dope to save weight.

Just a piece of white cloth, folded up in a glass case, it does not seem like a big deal…   Looking at things through my new eyes as an Aviation Historian and a History Major gives new meaning to even the most mundane artifacts on display in museums.   Just some old cloth, to an airplane nut, this is like the Shroud of Turin!   My experience at the National Air and Space Museum was the highpoint of my History Major’s Dream Vacation.   I clicked off the #2 item on the Bucket List of places to go before I die.   Not for the faint  of heart, this museum is truly a life changing experience…if you are an aviation fanatic like me.

Tomorrow’s post changes directions, trains and ships, two more of my passions and bucket list items achieved.

This was possibly the most exciting day of our whole vacation, my trip to the National Air Space Museum on the National Mall.   This was probably the highest item on my History Major “Bucket List”.   I have been dreaming of seeing this museum for as long as I can remember, and this is a high point in my process of “Reaching Lifelong Goals” as this blog’s title reflects.  Our first trip to the Mall on our own, we trekked to the Metro Station with our “smartpass” tickets in hand.   Within about a half an hour, I was standing in downtown Washington DC.   Our first task was to hit Starbucks, adjacent to the Navy Memorial Metro stop.    As a side note, the East Coast seems to only have Starbucks as coffee options.   It is not like the Northwest where there are espresso drive through stores on  every corner and coffee shops of all flavors everywhere.  This lack of  caffeine availability was duly noted.  But I digress…   My heart was racing as we went through the security checkpoint  and I was able to see some Milestones of Flight Exhibits just waiting for me, beckoning somehow…   Looking up I was treated to Gen. Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1 “Glamorous Glennis” in all of its orange glory (definitely a Oregon State Beaver plane…)  The huge open hall of the NASM entrance has some extremely historically significant artifacts and my journey began in earnest. John Glenn’s Freedom 7 Mercury Capsule,  the Gemini IV capsule ( the first American spacewalk by Ed White ) and the Apollo 11 Capsule “Columbia”.   Being a child of the 60s, the NASA race to the moon was a big part of my early interest in all things aviation.   Standing in the presence of these space craft was truly moving.    I had a hard time keeping my composure while looking inside of the moonshot capsule, thinking, I watched this happen so many years ago, history personified.   The aircrafts that are on display at this facility are the most significant examples of aviation history.   I’m sure to many folks, my wife included, they are just a bunch of old airplanes.   As a historian, I can no longer look at even the smallest artifact without having that “rush of history” come over me.

My primary specialty in history is World War One Aviation.   I will be writing on this topic and it is a big part of my life.    The WWI gallery was one of the most exciting areas of the NASM.   The Fokker DVII shown at left is one of the few remaining original examples of this German fighter.   It was brought back to the USA after the war and the Army tested it and used it for training for a few years in the 1920s.   The restoration of this aircraft is immaculate and it is one of the best examples anywhere in the world today.   Of course, I was really choked up about this one, spent many minutes just being “with” it.   Very big event for me.   Looking up, I saw one of the other holy grails of my visit the Albatros D.Va  “Stropp”. This is another original WWI vintage aircraft.  The colorful pattern on the wing fabric is called lozenge camouflage.   The restoration of this valuable aircraft is also absolutely flawless.   Aside from the dirt and grime of everyday flying, this is how a WWI Albatros fighter would look during its operational career.   Colorful, yes, but this is why the German Jastas (Squadrons) were called the “flying circus.   I cannot begin to convey the thrill of seeing these aircraft in the WWI Gallery.   This is my passion, and to see these original examples of my main aviation historical specialty was the 2nd most important highlight of my trip to this facility.   Tomorrow’s posting will continue with my trip to the National Air and Space Museum,  the experience cannot be handled in the space available for one blog post.   I need to chronicle the ultimate joy of this trip when I have calmed myself down from this posting a wee bit.    Stay tuned…

The oldest continuously operating airport in the WORLD is in College, Park Maryland.  Founded by Wilbur Wright in 1909 when he came to give flying instruction to the US Army’s first military aviators.   The College Park Air Museum is a wonderful facility that is partnered with the National Air Space Museum.   They have a great little collection of civil aircraft and some replicas of the first planes that were used for the US Military.   Another high point of this museum is its child friendly exhibits.   My niece, Natalie who is 3 had a wonderful time there while her Uncle Mike was drooling over the airplanes.   She had a great time, they have pilot uniforms and hats for the kids to try on, and a cool exhibit (right) that floated balls in a jet stream.   All of the photographs in these posts can be clicked on for a larger look.   Be sure and check out my niece, she is a cutie!!  Many of the aircraft on display are from the golden age of aviation and have ties to this old airfield.   One special exhibit that I found fascinating was an unrestored original experimental Berliner Helicopter from 1924 (above left).    The Berliner Helicopter, on loan from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, is the culmination of the experiments in vertical flight by Emile Berliner and his son Henry. On February 23, 1924, this helicopter achieved an altitude of 15 feet (at College Park Airport) with a maneuvering radius of 150 feet, while maintaining a speed of about 40 mph. This flight, in front of U.S. Navy officials and media, was acclaimed as the first controlled helicopter flight. The collection also contains some wonderful replicas of early (1909-1911) aircraft that were used to train the first military aviators in the USA.

This 1932 Monocoupe 110 is typical of the popular civil aircraft that frequented the airport during the 30s and 40s.   This aircraft is suspended from the ceiling and makes for a colorful display.   The museum has a number of these private planes from the mid-century, really a fun time for an aviation buff.   I also was very impressed with a small-scale diorama of the College park aerodrome circa 1911, the scale was about 1:87 (HO railroad scale) and the model work was superb!  The photo at the right shows a small section of the diorama, click to see the detail!

At the end of our visit to the Air Museum we were treated to a tour of my Brother in Law Joe’s laboratory on the University of Maryland campus.   Joe is doing his post doctoral work at the U of M and his field of study is in evolutionary genetics as a Biochemist.   Way over my head, he is a brilliant individual.   The Terps, for Terrapins have a claim to fame that I found wonderful.   Muppet founder Jim Henson was an alumnus of this university.   So I would suppose that Kermit the Frog is as well.   They have a statue of Kermit and Jim Henson on campus by their memorial union.  Natalie likes Kermit, and enjoys visiting this statue when she is on Daddy’s campus.

All in all, Labor Day 2010 was quite wonderful.   The whole family had a wonderful time and Aunt Patty was able to get some real quality time with her niece as well.   With the “all about me” nature of our vacation schedule of going to museums, ships, trains etc. it was nice to spend a day just having fun and visiting family.   This was of course the main purpose of our vacation, family time with Patty’s brother and sister.  Tomorrow we will visit my über bucket list item….the National Air and Space Museum on the Capitol Mall of Washington, DC.

This installment begins my journal of my History Major Dream Vacation series.   During the first two weeks of September, my wife and I went on a cross-country vacation to visit her brother in the Wash DC area, a sister in Oley PA and my daughter in Columbus OH.  Our first stop was in Ohio to visit my Daughter Heather.   She lives about an hour north of the USAF National Museum in Dayton, OH.   Of course, this air museum is near the top of my “bucket list” of places to see before I die.   This is one of the best air museums in the US and has many very significant, famous aircraft.   I was so excited when I walked through the doors of this facility that I kind of left everyone in my party behind.   The first gallery of the museum has the WWI collection as it’s center piece.   Spads and Fokkers and Jennys, oh my!!   There are some very important aircraft in this collection, one WWI fighter used by the Allies and flown by our US pilots both before we entered the war in the French Escadrilles and the fledgling Air Corps was this SPAD VII.   This early version of the SPAD is very rare and the restoration is absolutely wonderful.  I was spellbound by all of these WWI aircraft as this is my primary focus in my Historical research.   The collection also contains artifacts from WWI that were of great interest to me

for my goal of writing a Biography of the WWI Ace Ernst Udet.   Here we have a section of fabric off of one of the aircraft that he shot down.   It has his name and the date of the victory on it.   After the war he returned this fabric to the pilot, a Lt. Wanamaker and the family donated it to the USAF Museum.   More fodder for my book, just one of the many interesting stories about Ernst Udet and his WWI Service.   He survived the war and became quite a celebrity in Germany and in the USA, befriending his former opponents and other aviation pioneers like Charles Lindbergh.   Moving on to the “golden age” of aviation in the 20s and 30s, the collection contains some one of a kind remaining samples of significant aircraft.   I was very excited to see these aircraft. The P-26 Peashooter was an early fighter of the USAAF and during the 30s carried some very colorful markings.   This little fighter served right up until the beginning of WWII in the pacific and were exported to a number of countries.   Wow, I was really getting worked up over theses rare aircraft and I was only in the first main gallery.   In the WWII Hangar, a huge building that housed many great aircraft I was drawn to one of the most historically significant planes in the museums I would be visiting, namely, the  B-29 “Bockscar” that dropped the second Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki Japan to end WWII.   On this trip I was in the presence of both of the Atomic aircraft  when I visited the NASM in Washington which houses the “Enola Gay”.   The “rush” of history was more than I could stand and this aircraft moved me to tears for its major historical significance.    This of course was totally lost on my Wife and she did not have the same experience at looking at this airplane.    Maybe I’m just that much of a Geek…

I am not able to post as many of the photos as I would like, but indulge me for a couple more for this installment of the Dream Vacation.   There were so many important aircraft on display that I ended up taking hundreds of digital images.   I am still sorting through the 1600 or so pictures and I will update them onto my Flicker account and make them available through the Reaching Lifelong Goals.com blog.   The aircraft of the 1950s are also an area of interest to me and I was happy to see some of my favorites in this section of the collection.   One of the last few remaining B-36 Peacemaker Bombers is on display.   This aircraft is incredible.  Six props and 4 jet engines to get this behemoth into the air!   I was only able to get a nose shot!

The spaceflight collection of the museum was also a treat, seeing one of the Apollo capsules (Apollo 15 I think…) that had actually been to the moon and back was a very moving sight as well.   Being a child of the 60s, I watched the NASA flights and built all the Revell models of the Mercury, Gemini and Moon landing Apollo spacecraft.   To actually stand in the presence of one of the command modules that went to the moon was truly moving, again, I was a blubbering fool.    I guess history gets to me more than most folks, as I have been waiting 35 years to reach a lifelong goal of becoming History Major!  Tomorrow we will have another installment of the History Major Dream Vacation.   Washington DC!!