Douglas van Veelen

Douglas van Veelen wrote a series of three volumes entitled Civil Engineering for Outdoor Railroads.

Letter to Editor
The following appeared in The Crier, 11 February 2009:


 * My name is Douglas van Veelen. Mom and Dad moved us out to Dunwoody, GA in 1968. I graduated from Dunwoody Elementary in 1968 and from Peachtree High in 1973. I do recall when all three section houses were still standing. I also recall the pasture on Ashford-Dunwoody Road and the concrete bridge over nothing where Perimeter Mall and I-285 would eventually be built.


 * I graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Civil Engineering (both 1980). I get my interest in railroading and in history from my mother (Doris). Her family had 13 members work for the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors between 1910 and 1984.


 * I have been a faculty member for the ATE & Instrumentation Conference and the Test Engineering Conference. Articles I have written include "Civil Engineering for Live Steam Railroads", "Computerizing an Atlas 6” Lathe" and "Using In-Circuit Testers for Functional Testing". I have published the books “Civil Engineering for Outdoor Railroads Volume 1” and “The Gainesville Midland and Her Sister Short Lines.”


 * I have been asked to form the Dunwoody Railroad Museum. I have been working on long term plans. I am now announcing some of the ideas. At the moment, I have placed some railroad museum and train ride brochures from across the country in the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce, the 1881 Roswell Railroad section house on Chamblee-Dunwoody road.


 * I will be arranging to be at the section house on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00AM to 1:00PM in case anyone would like to come by and visit.


 * The sort of Railroad Museum I would like to build would be more of a hands-on railroad learning center. I will have historical artifacts for sure. However, I think an organization with hands-on classes/seminars would draw people back to the museum more often.


 * In keeping with this idea, my first project is to consider building a modular portable layout of the Roswell Railroad in HO scale for display at places such as Perimeter Mall and the local Railroad Shows. Once we have a permanent building, I would build a permanent layout that some modules can be connected to. I would like to have classes/seminars on model railroad module construction. This would allow participants to learn carpentry, electronics, painting and model building. I would also hope to provide an on-going group based on Live Steam railroad models.


 * Live Steam is a section of the railroad hobby that a few choose because they want to build riding models or are machinists. This will require a metal shop. It might be done in conjunction with either Peachtree High or Georgia Perimeter College. This would let the participants learn actual metal working skills for the future. I have made several patterns and had them cast in aluminum at an East Point foundry.


 * I would also like to offer visits to schools to discuss railroading from the usual history to the use of mathematics in metal working.


 * If a permanent building site is found and layout(s) are built, sponsorships from model railroad manufacturers might help to pay for the displays.


 * If anyone is interested in helping out, please let me know. Messages can be left at the section house.


 * Thanks.


 * Douglas van Veelen

Obituary
From Woodstock Funeral Home:


 * Douglas Edgar Van Veelen was born on November 14, 1955 and passed away on March 11, 2018 in Acworth, Georgia.