MARCH 20, 2020, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE B7
She’s been working on the railroad
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of No Adults Allowed
When Rachael Aldridge started volunteering at
the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR) in 2017, she
couldn’t imagine where it would lead her. Three short
years later, she is the executive director and is going to
school to get her master’s in nonprofi t management.
She got involved with OCSR because of
her husband, a train enthusiast, who had been
volunteering for a year.
“I had no interest in trains at that time,” Aldridge
said. But she eventually agreed to go so they could
spend more time together.
Her fi rst day as a volunteer she was hired on as
a ticket agent, someone who verifi es the tickets and
greets the riders. Aldridge continued to move up the
ranks fairly quickly.
“All of this just happened in such a short amount
of time,” she said.
Though Aldridge began to work at OCSR three
years ago, her history with the railroad goes back
further. When she was a kid visiting her grandparents
in California, they took her on a train pulled by an
engine named McCloud River Railroad #25.
“I know most engines just kind of look like an
engine, they don’t look like anything special,” Aldridge
said.
But after looking at it for a
while, she realized McCloud
#25, one of the main engines
used by OCSR, is the same one
that pulled her nearly 20 years
ago.
“That’s probably one of my
fondest personal memories
with the train,” Aldridge said.
Though Aldridge loves her job, it was not where
she thought she’d end up. When she started school
she was going to be a veterinarian; she went to a pre-
vet program where she was in school for seven weeks.
“I hated every single moment of it. I cried ... I did not
want to do this,” Aldridge said, which is when her husband
encouraged her to pursue something she did want to do.
Aldridge began to pursue American Sign Language (ASL)
and special education.
“I thought I wanted to get my ASL degree and go work in
the special needs fi eld ... I even dabbled in the idea of being a
language pathologist for a while,” Aldridge said.
While she enjoyed it more than vet
school, she knew it wasn’t quite right.
“None of that was really a passion
for me,” Aldridge said. “One thing I’ve
learned to embrace in life is change and
how life can change quickly because
you never know what’s going to come
up ... how your life might look in fi ve
years.”
And it was this attitude that lead her to working on the
railroad.
After graduating with her ASL degree she worked as a
youth pastor. Then she was unemployed, which is when her
coolcareers
Got some time? Try making paint
By LAUREN MURPHY
Of No Adults Allowed
We made it to spring break!
I’m so proud of you guys, you’re
doing great.
Time off of school is nice, you
can sleep in, you don’t have to
do homework, you can stay in
your pajamas until 10 o’clock, but
sometimes having nothing to do
can get boring. I’ve been working
on some crafts to kill some time.
Making paint.
Glue is great. 86.1 percent
of the crafts that have appeared
in No Adults have used glue, it’s
essential for crafting.
White glue is typically what
we use, because it dries clear, but
kids, colored glue is a thing and it
looks so cool. You could go to the
store and buy pre-made sparkly
purple glue, but I think making
it would be a lot cooler. I mean,
who doesn’t want to play with
glitter and food coloring.
What you’ll need:
Glue
Food coloring
Glitter (optional)
Take the top off of the glue
and dump it into a disposable
cup. Add food coloring and stir
until you get the desired color.
Now carefully, you may need
to ask your adult to help you,
pour the newly colored glue back
into the glue bottle. I found the
easiest way to funnel the glue in
was to bend the lip of the cup to
make a little spout, which helped
control the fl ow of the glue.
Once it’s in the bottle, screw
the cap back on and we’re all set.
husband asked her to volunteer at OCSR.
While working on the railroad is something
Aldridge is passionate about, it is not without it’s
challenges.
Aldridge is pursuing a master’s degree in
nonprofi t management which takes up a lot of
her time.
“I work very closely with my board members
and keep them very updated on my school
schedule, my grades, the new projects I’m doing
and how it’s going to benefi t the organization
[OCSR],” she said.
For Aldridge, it all comes down to balance.
“[The board members] are very fl exible, but
that also means I need to be fl exible,” she said.
On busy days at the railroad her schoolwork
gets put aside for later, which usually means
doing it on her day off .
“You do what you need to do to make things
succeed,” Aldridge said.
Another challenge that Aldridge faces is being
a woman, and a young one at that. At conferences
for railroads, she says there are a few women
in high level positions, but most of the women
present are there to support their husband’s
passions. “[Men at conventions] start quizzing me
as if I need to prove my credentials as a railroader
... And that just doesn’t happen with other men.”
she said.
Aldridge said that this attitude is something
she has to fi ght within her own organization after
she became executive director.
“Someone found out that I was executive
director and they said ‘she is going to close this
organization before next season.’” she said. “And
that hurt because I know that person. I still see
them quite often.”
Aldridge said she doesn’t do what she does to
prove these people wrong, but instead focuses
on doing her best and making OCSR the best it
can be, “because that’s what the organization
deserves,” she said.
Her advice to young readers is to fi nd what
they’re passionate about and make it their priority.
“You need to out yourself fi rst and drive
towards your goals,” Aldridge said.
Though Aldridge was not initially excited
about trains, she has come to love them — and
her job. “I want to stay at this job forever,” she
said, though she knows she needs to be willing to
accept change.