Staying On Track - June 1997

Lubbock Model Railroad Association Newsletter

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June Meeting

at Highland Baptist Church Activity Center, 7:30pm. Bob Anconetani will show us about "Operations on the South Plains and Santa Fe". We will also have 2 book reviews: Patrick Pritchett will review "The Virginia and Ohio Story", and Dr. T. H. Holmes will review "Iron Horses of the Santa Fe". The August meeting will be about scratchbuilding a flower mill, by Ron Bremer.

Web Page at http://www.earthlink.net/~jackseay

Get newsletter articles (they can be very long for the web page) and pictures to your editor, Jack Seay.

Shows and Tours

Lubbock Layout Tour will be Saturday, May 24. Bob Anconetani will coordinate. Details on last page.
Playday at Highland Baptist Activity Center, Aug 29, 30
Texas Tech Museum in Lubbock will host a special event Sun., Nov. 9 - "A Century of Progress: The History of the American Railroad Industry", in conjunction with the railroad exhibit. Lunch 12:30 - 1:30, speaker 2:00. It will be in gallery 1.

Model Contest and Hobby Shop News

There will be a model contest June 14-23. The models will be displayed in the show cases at Wings N Things and judged June 23. Categories will include: locomotives, rolling stock, structures, and photography. Will will award the winners at a picnic in July.
Wings N Things has Stewart FT units in Santa Fe.

Executive Committee Meeting

The next Executive Committee Meeting will be Tue., 7:30pm, June 17th, at Jan Kutch's house, 3611 Chicago (on a cul-de-sac).

Maedgen Elementary Module Setup

"I was having so much fun, I just stayed the whole day!" said Ray Zips, one of the LMRA members who worked the modular display at Maedgen Elementary on Thursday, May 8. Over 300 children saw the layout as each grade had 30 minute tours of the layout room.

"It went very smooth, with very few problems. The teachers and aides were a real help! We answered over 1,000 questions," claimed Ron Kutch, another worker. "And the girls asked more than the boys!" Ron added.

The students were observing Young Authors Day at Maedgen, and our layout was one of the features. They also had the Kenny Maines Band, lunch on the grounds and other activities.

Special thanks to Ron and Jan Kutch, Ray Zips, Ron Bremer, Dr. T.H. Holmes, Jim Baker (deserves a big hug for providing the 4th corner) and Jerry Dukes for providing the modules for the 12 by 12 layout; Also to Ron Kutch, Ray Zips, Dr. Holmes, John Lott, Homer Morrow, Jack Seay, Tony Horn, Howard Bunting, Rip Maples, and Marshall Higgins for running trains, answering questions, and supervising the layout during the day. Bob Batson

Dear Railroad Men,
We loved your train set. I loved it so much I'm starting my own. I bought a track farm scene and a train. My uncle is going to give me his old fashione train that goes ten feet long. Justin is going to help me with it this summer. Both of us love traans.
Your freinds,
Tory Tropoloc, Justin Castor
Maedgen Elementary School

SIMPLE INTRODUCTION TO "OPERATIONS"

by Bob Batson

The term "operations" as it applies to model railroading is certainly not a new concept. Nor is it necessarily a higher level of model railroading, as some would claim. The bottom line of any individual's modeling direction is to do what is pleasing to him/her. If you enjoy putting a train on the track and sitting back and watching it run around your layout, then, by all means, do that.

My first layout was a small loop with several passing sidings and very few industrial spurs. After a while, I got very little enjoyment out of this. I would only run trains when a visitor came by or when I got a new piece of equipment. Running trains in circles was not what I wanted to do.

Simply defined, "operations" is running the trains on your layout in a way to simulate prototype railroading. This simulation can take any degree of complexity, depending on the abilities and desires of the designer. The size of the layout will also effect the complexity of the operations, but it is not necessary to have a large layout to run trains like the prototype.

About this time, I read Al McClellan's book on his Virginia and Ohio layout. He described the concept of modeling just a small segment of a much larger "transportation system" where trains came on and went off the layout. Some just passed through, but some stopped to do local switching at the industrial areas. Some trains were locals which did not leave the layout at all. The more I read, the more excited I got about the possibilities.

John Allen once compared this type of modeling to a stage play, where the layout is merely the setting, the trains are the actors, and the staging area is the backstage. The plot involves the movement of trains around the layout.

As I began to design my "super layout" I realized that there were several elements that had to be included in order to be able to operate in a somewhat prototypical manner--Industries on spurs which needed shipments of raw materials and which shipped out finished products; passing sidings at which trains could meet and pass one another; an off-line staging area where trains could be stored before and after they entered the layout; runaround tracks in the local switching areas so rolling stock could be delivered in either direction; lead tracks so local switching did not have to tie up the main line, a system to tie the operations together, etc.

This is not a simple matter, but the individual modeler is the one who controls the complexity. I designed my layout to do what I wanted to do, and I encourage you to do the same! I can run trains by myself, or with a crew of a half dozen. We can go real serious with headsets, dispatcher controlling movement, and a fast clock, or we can just putter around operating as we go.

Designing a layout to simulate railroad operations may not be everyone's goal, but it has worked for me, and I encourage you to at least give a serious look at it.

My First Operating Session

by Jack Seay

A few Saturdays ago, my whole perspective of what model railroading is about changed considerably. My previous impression of a yard was that it was primarily a holding place for excess cars that were stationed there for decorative purposes. And occasionally a train was pulled off a mainline onto a yard track and another train pulled out of a yard to replace it. While these purposes for a yard may suffice for when a module is on public display, they hardly seemed worth the trouble or the money and space required for even a small home layout yard. I had read the book "Track Planning for Realistic Operation" onto tape and listened to it several times. While this is a good book, it isn't a substitute for being involved in an actual operating session. I still didn't understand what I needed to put on my layout to be able to operate trains. Then I got to go see an actual operating session for the first time. At least, that is what I thought I would be doing. When I got there, I was handed a radio headset, switch list, and throttle. I almost panicked, but fortunately hung in there and found that it was delightful. This was a beginners session, so there were no deadlines to meet, no quotas to fill, no efficiencies to worry about. We were there just to have fun and get our feet wet. There was about a 15 minute orientation and a 2 minute explanation of how to read a switch list. I already knew how to couple and uncouple the trains and switch the turnouts. Someone else was there to control power to the blocks for us. My first assignment, should I choose to accept it, was to move a passenger train from one end of the layout to the other. I was a little less nervous after that, so then I was handed a switch list and given a train to make up, involving dropping off a few cars at various industries, picking up some at others, and transferring some to different locations. This wasn't really hard, since I wasn't yet expected to do it quickly or efficiently. So I proceeded

to do it slowly and inefficiently, which suited me just fine, since I was being paid by the hour. Only beginners have it this easy. Some of the industry tracks faced one way, some the opposite way. This meant that some cars had to be transferred to the front of the locomotive and then pushed onto the industry siding. Others could be backed onto the siding and uncoupled. Just to make it more interesting, these sidings already had cars on them that were to be added to the train I would be making up. So I needed to pull them out and drop them off on another siding where I would be making up the next train. Often, however, there were cars in front of the one I needed, so they had to be pulled out along with the car I wanted and put back where they came from, if I could remember where that was. To move a car from the back of a train to the front of a loco, a runaround track was used. The train was pulled onto a siding, the offending car unhitched, the train pulled ahead, backed up beside the car, then pulled up behind the car. Then the car was ready to push onto an industry siding that was facing the wrong way to back into. All of these maneuverings added to the enjoyment. It reminded me of one of those little plastic puzzles with numbered squares that you have to put into the proper order. I learned from my first session that a lot of fun can be had with even a minimum amount of equipment and trackage, important for apartment dwellers like me. Here's what I would call a minimum to learn operations: two industry sidings facing each way, an extra siding to build your train onto, a runaround track, one locomotive, and 10 or 20 cars. That may not sound like much, but those plastic puzzles don't have very many squares either. You can also add a loop for continuous running to show visitors, but I have learned that watching a train run around a loop has limited entertainment value. Here's a diagram of a plan I am making for a z-scale layout measuring 14 inches by 6 feet to si

t on my computer table, above my computer and printer.

News From the Rail World

From Jeff Ford -- Jack, These guys run the West Texas & Lubbock...
From Chicago Sightings News Daily - a Free E-mail newspaper for Railfans
RailAmerica, Inc. Announces Several Management Additions; Company Also Unveils Internet Home Page.....BOCA RATON, Fla., May 19
RailAmerica, Inc. announced today that several key management executives have recently joined the Company at its Boca Raton, Florida headquarters. The new associates include Wayne August, Director of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations; Marc Jacobowitz, Tax Manager; Gary Laakso, General Counsel; Harry Snyder, Director of Human Resources, Budgets and Special Projects; and Tracy Trent, Manager Financial Reporting.
In addition, the Company announced that its World Wide Web Internet site can now be contacted at www.railamerica.com . This site contains valuable Company information as well as investor-related information such as stock performance, quarterly reports and press releases.
SOURCE RailAmerica, Inc.

LMRA LAYOUT TOUR

This is to remind you that this Saturday, May 24th, from 8:30 am to 12:00 noon, we will be having our spring layout tour. We will leave Highland Baptist Activities Center parking lot at 8:30 am, so be sure to be there early. We will be visiting five layouts. Below are listed the addresses of each layout and the times they will be open for viewing.

John Lott 3214 44th St. 8:40 to 9:40 am
Dr. T.H. Holmes 3302 44th St. 8:40 to 9:40 am
Bob Anconetani 5922 16th St. 9:25 to 10:25 am
David Lamberts 3717 95th St. 10:15 to 11:15 am (narrow gauge)
Bob Batson 1914 56th St. 11:00 to 12:00
Robert Wiggins 7805 Ave. V 12:00 until whenever (moving sale - HO: 5 Fine Scale Miniature buildings, Cambell buildings, 40 other scratch-built buildings, 1 box of trees, 3 bridges)

You need to arrange for your own travel to each layout. We will leave the parking lot together, but after that you can spend as much time or as little time at each layout for the time that it is open. Some suggestions to make the tour enjoyable for all.

1. Some layout rooms are small and can get crowded quickly. Practice courtesy. If you want to view the layout more, allow for others to see it first and then hang around after the crowd has moved to the next layout.
   2. Don't touch ... move slowly ... watch when you move your arms ... be careful.
   3. Ask questions, most everyone loves to share their modeling secrets.
   4. Don't criticize ...
   5. Have fun ....

SEE YOU SATURDAY MORNING, DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA



Do you know who invented the potatoe chip? Jay Gould, one of the robber barons.

Lubbock Western Timetable

May
24 - Layout tour

June
14 - 23 - Model contest at Wings N Things
27 - 29 - LSR Convention, San Antonio, Nancy Reed will be running for Region 5 Director.

July
27 - Aug 2 - NMRA, Madison, WI.

Aug
21 - 7:00 PM, Slide SIG: Early Geeps
29 - 30 - Playday at Highland Baptist Activity Center

Nov
9 - Tech Museum - "A Century Of Progress"

Dates not yet set
Tolk Station rotary coal dump tour
Picnic - July