Engineer 'retires' to real estate

     Frank Vander Heiden's fellow real estate agents say he has been on the right track for a long time.
      The 48-year senior engineer with the Union Pacific Railroad is retiring in September to devote more of his time to his own business, National About Real Estate.
      The family has scheduled an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 12 at the real estate office, 735 N. Nellis Blvd., to celebrate Vander Heiden's retirement.
      Vander Heiden began his working life as a rock miner in Yermo, Calif.
      In 1951, he went to work for the railroad in the roundhouse, repairing and maintaining locomotives, then went on to serve as a fireman and an engineer.
      Vander Heiden said he is looking for the the `simpler' life.
      "I'm only leaving one job for a second job," he said. "I've missed doing the fun things such as boating, fishing, traveling and camping."
      Vander Heiden is a member of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, and has been active in the Women's Council of Realtors. He holds a Graduate, Realtors Institute designation and is a 17-year licensee in Nevada.
      He and his wife, Teri, handle the sales of land and commercial real estate. He has two daughters, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.