LMRA Newsletter

Lubbock Model Railroad Association

Staying on Track - August 2005

Meetings are at the Highland Baptist Activity Center, Quaker Ave. and 34th St. - first Monday of each month at 7:30pm.

Mailing list: groups.yahoo.com/group/LMRA

Web page: railserve.com/lmra

Holiday meetings: It was decided at the last meeting that in the future, when meetings fall on a holiday, to have them the second Monday of that month.

For sale: Hello.  My name is Bob Murphy.  I have been building a HO layout for about 5 years. I have accumulated an awful lot of equipment, scenery, structures, etc., over a period of 15 years or more.  My layout is 18' X 8" and is partially finished.  I am currently in the scenery phase, but have not been able to work on the project for some time. We are going to sell our home (too large) and buy a garden home.  There will be no room for my HO project so I must, reluctantly, dispose of it. Can you help? MURFMILK@aol.com

Mineta says Alaska knows how to run a railroad : ANCHORAGE, Alaska [06 Jul '05] - Alaskans know how to run a railroad and their success could serve as a model in the drive to reform Amtrak and save inter-city passenger rail, said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta July 5 during a visit to an Alaska Railroad terminal in Anchorage.
"The Alaska Railroad has developed an innovative service that has made it the only passenger railroad in the nation that doesn't require operating subsidies," Mineta said.  Mineta took a ride on the railroad that he has often cited as a model during his campaign this year to reform Amtrak. He has been pushing Congress to give states control of routes and federal dollars for capital investments, while promoting competition and an end to what he has called Amtrak's "dysfunctional monopoly."
Mineta said the Alaskan railroad has demonstrated a willingness to innovate, running long distance trains that combine first-class travel cars owned and operated by cruise lines, while continuing to serve commuters and local residents across the state.  In addition, he said, the railroad's sound business model has enabled the company to cover the cost of operations while partnering with the federal government to share the cost of new tracks and other capital needs.
"Amtrak is dying, but it doesn't have to be that way. With true reforms, this key mode of transportation can be revived and brought back to health to serve the entire country," Mineta said.

Layout tour: July 9th, we had the first home layout tour we have had in years. Thanks to those who opened their homes for the club (Patrick Pritchett, Rip Maples, Homer Morrow, and Curly Bunting). Unfortunately, the turnout was very low. I apologize for being late mailing out the schedule for the tour, as some did not get it in the mail until the day of the tour. Hopefully, we can plan for another one soon, and maybe we can do a better job of planning and advertising it.

Harvey House: The Slaton Harvey House had a open house July 3. Our club donated a beautiful framed plaque with three AT&SF passenger train magazine advertisements. Thanks to Ron Warner for donating the ads and getting them framed.

Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., purchases Life-Like Products Toy and Hobby Division assets
ScaleModelTrains@ trains.com
[ 15 Jul '05]  Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wis., purchased the assets of Life-Like Products Toy and Hobby Division on Thursday, July 14. Life-Like's headquarters will remain in Baltimore, Md. Walthers expects no interruption in production and delivery of new Life-Like items and plans to increase the availability of the newly acquired line.
Phil Walthers, president and chief executive officer of Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., said, "This new acquisition is an important step in continuing our long-term commitment to the hobby. Walthers is determined to preserve the valued brands modelers trust. We're dedicated to improving the hobby for generations to come."
John Sanheim, Walthers' vice president of marketing and sales, added, "Walthers is reaching out to new customers in an effort to expand our hobby's enthusiast population. We're achieving that by offering an abundance of new, diverse choices to match individual needs across all differing skill levels. Novice and experienced modelers alike will be offered everything they need to make their layout vision a reality."
Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., has been based in Milwaukee for more than 75 years and is the world's largest distributor dedicated to the model railroad hobby. The firm also manufacturers passenger cars, freight cars, and structures, and produces the annual Walthers Model Railroad Reference Book for N and Z, HO, and large scale model trains.
Life-Like Products, based in Baltimore, has been involved in the hobby industry for more than 50 years. Some of the firm's well-known model railroad lines include Proto 1000, Proto 2000, and Heritage-series steam locomotives.

Roco declares bankruptcy
 ScaleModelTrains@ trains.com:
[15 Jul '05] Roco, a large Austrian model railroad-manufacturing firm with products in HO and N scales, has declared bankruptcy. For many years Roco's main operations were in Salzburg, Austria, but it recently moved its operations to a new factory in Hallein (in the Salzburg area, 370 employees). Roco also has facilities in Gloggnitz, Austria (200 employees), and in the Czech Republic (230 employees).
The European train market has been in a slump since the German economy weakened, and several of Roco's competitors are now offering lower-cost items made in China. The German train market has declined from sales of 204 million Euros in 2002 to 181 million in 2004. Germany is Roco's largest market (approximately 65 percent of Roco's sales are in Germany). The firm, which according to Austrian sources has debts of approximately 24 million Euros and losses of approximately 5 million Euros per year, will remain in operation under receivership. Leopold Heher will serve as receiver. Employees have not been paid their wages for June or their vacation pay as of today, July 15. Substantial layoffs are expected as the firm reorganizes.