Reprinted from The Semaphore, The Newsletter of the Texas Panhandle Railroad Historical Society, July and August 2004

The target dates of June 25 and 26 and 27 have come and gone and the moving of locomotive 5000 did not occur.

Initially it was understood from the Railroad Artifacts Preservation Society president, Sam Teague, that the engine would be moved over that three-day period and would be temporarily placed at an angle on the new site until the pad was completed. Then the locomotive and tender would be put into the final position.

The additional handling (moving) of the engine was of a concern to the TPRHS especially not knowing just how fragile the 74 -year-old machine might be. At the outset there was to have been a pad ready for the placement of the Madame Queen at the time of moving. Transferring the locomotive to the new location prior to having the pad completed seemed ill-advised and actually would accomplish only one thing; getting the engine off of Mr. Bob Goree’s property. This, of course, has been the crux of the need to move the engine from the beginning.

According to Mr. Larry Offerdahl, Director of the City of Amarillo Parks and Recreation Department, under whose jurisdiction the locomotive falls, he and the City Manager, Mr. John Ward, have deemed it necessary to have the pad competed and ready to receive the engine. Then, and only then, would the Queen be moved. A most prudent decision.

Specifications for the pad are: 120 feet long, 12 feet wide and 18 inches in thickness. Considerable dirt work and overburden material removal has been done at the new site. Mr. Offerdahl said he hoped the pad could be laid during July with a new, tentative moving date around the first of August.

The August clinic will be presented by Paul Schacht. He will discuss Santa Fee dining car memorabilia.

By Tony Hartzel as printed in the Dallas Morning News, January 11, 2004, pg. 2B.

That high-decibel, telltale sound of an oncoming train may become a thing of the past in some areas, thanks to a new federal ruling.

Last month, the Federal Railroad Administration published interim rules that allow cities to create “quiet zones” at all railroad crossings. With a little technology, sounds of relative silence can replace the 110-decibel train whistles that usually accompany a train’s approach.

In cities where residential areas abut active rail lines, the new rules are music to city officials’ ears.

“We can now have a whistle-free city, or at least a more quiet city,” said Walter Ragsdale, Richardson’s assistant director for development services.

The rules have been years in the making. While they are still considered preliminary, the rules give cities guidance on how they can make railroad crossings safe enough that train whistles will no longer be required.

Final rules should be published in about a year, after the Railroad Administration holds public hearings on the issue.

Even if cities decide not to create quiet zones, the new rules should help reduce the noise from train whistles. For the first time, train horns must not exceed 110 decibels, and the duration of the horns could be reduced from about 25 seconds to 15 or 20 seconds. In comparison, a food blender at a distance of 3 feet generates 87 decibels.

“The entire metro area should be able to sleep better at night,” Mr. Ragsdale said.

In Richardson, the new rules mean that the city will consider creating quiet zones at the 10 railroad crossings where engineers must blow train whistles. The city already has two quiet zones along Custer Parkway which were created several years ago as some of the first pilot projects in the country.

The two test projects involved different kinds of technology that now can be applied to railroad crossings nationwide. In one case, the city installed a horn near the railroad crossing gates. The horn, facing the direction of vehicles, sounds its own warning to motorists that focuses the noise on the street and reduces noise pollution in nearby neighborhoods. It also requires warning lights and gates.

In the other case, the city installed a median barrier and placed gates on both sides of the track for each direction of traffic. The extra gates placed on the opposite side of the track are designed to discourage motorists from driving around gates to beat an oncoming train.

While each has its advantages, cost will be a factor in cities that want to create quiet zones. Richardson paid about $36,000 for the horn and other required technology and the median barrier and extra gates cost the city about $400,000.

Quiet zones are being considered in several west Fort Worth development projects. They probably will feature raised median barriers rather than more expensive options. A 100-foot median barrier as required would cost about $15,000 to install.

In North Texas, where sport-utility vehicles are popular and can easily hop curbs, cities might consider placing landscaping or other architectural items in a median to prevent motorists from jumping in front the trains.

I also used the same K&S brass angle for the vertical supports for the curved grabs near the car ends as shown in figures 2 and 4. These were about 3'-6" long with the lower 6" on one side cut away. I drilled holes for the Detail Associates curved grabs, then tack-glued the supports in place. With the curved grabs in place I marked locations carefully and frilled companion holes on the side sills of the flatcar. Then I removed the angle supports and set them aside for permanent installation later.

A toolbox (fig.4) goes on the same side of each car as the smoke jack. Its location outside the safety railing must have made it awkward to get into. The toolbox can be mad from Plastruct square tubing. Add styrene ends and trim and sand them flush after the glue dries. The straps were HO 1 x 6 styrene cut in half lengthwise and glued to the toolbox. I set the finished toolbox aside for installation later.

Fig. 4 TOOLBOX. The toolbox located on the edge of the deck is made of Plastruct styrene 1/4" square tube, cut to a scale five feet long. Close the ends with squares of .010" styrene

I made the cab of .020" sheet styrene. Make a photocopy of the drawing and tape it to the sheet of styrene. Cut out the window and door openings and then the main panels, using the photocopy as a template. Make pairs of ends and sides.

I framed the door and window openings with HO 2 x 4 styrene strips. Doors were glued to the read edge of the frames and HO 2 x 4 strips to the bottoms of the side and end panels. I did a final test fit of the completed cab panels on the flatcar, then glued them with HO 4 x 4s in the corners for added strength. I also added HO 4 x 4s to the top and bottom edges of each side and end to serve as attachment points for the roof and for gluing the cab to the flatcar. Don’t attach the cab to the flatcar at this time. . . To be continued

Three G-Scale railway systems. A few of the features are: 700 feet of track, a 6-foot waterfall, a walk-through tunnel and an incredible 7 foot x 30 foot long trestle. A must see, even while under construction. These three railroads are at the Clark Gardens Botanical Park at 567 Maddux road, just 3 miles east of Mineral Wells, off highway 180. A breathtaking 30 acre botanical park with 50 different gardens, the park is open 7 days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children under 12 and seniors over 65.

For more information call 940.682.4856 or visit their web site at <www.clarkgardens.com>.

I received a flyer from Hawthorne Village regarding their Civil Was Confederate Express train. The brochure explains: With its precision detailing and a Civil War theme, the 2-6-0 steam engine looks incredible. Soon, you can look forward to adding coordinating Civil War confederate Express freight cars -- and FREE nickel silver tacks and power-pack--sent about every other month.

I will bring the brochure with me to the August meeting. No mention is made of a Union civil war train.

LUBBOCK MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION

PO BOX 53674

LUBBOCK, TX 79453