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Lubbock Model
Railroad Association
Staying On Track - May 1998

May 4 Meeting
7:30pm at Highland Baptist Activity Center, 34th and Quaker. Brint Hlavaty will show slides and tell us about his travels to the California Switchyards and R.R. Museum, the SP R.R., Grand Canyon and El Tovar. Nancy Reed will have a book report. Web Page and Newsletter Articles
 http://home.earthlink.net/~jackseay, http://home.earthlink.net/~jackseay. E-mail mailto:jackseay@sbcglobal.net, jackseay@sbcglobal.net. If you want to write a newsletter article (please), give it to me at the meeting, email it to me, or call me at work, 792-6512. Hobby Shop News
Wings N' Things - N-scale doodlebug. Executive Committee Meeting
May 19th, 7:30 at Patrick Pritchett's house. Arts Festival
We set up the Demonstration pike at the Fairgrounds April 18-19. Many people saw it and learned about our club. Slide Sig
Patrick Prichett is planning a slide SIG for sometime in June. American Orient Express
Friday, April 24, Lubbock was the stop of the American Orient Express. I received an e-mail from James and Julie Aldrich with it's schedule. It arrived about 4:30pm and left at 6:15. As I arrived downtown and saw it, I was somewhat dumbstruck. It has been about 25 years since I've seen a passenger train. That was one I rode from Orlando to Lakeland, Fla. Seeing this train sitting on the tracks in Lubbock reminded me of the scene from Jurassic Park where they first see the dinosaur. Hopefully our passenger trains will be saved from extinction. When I was a child (I believe it was back in the Jurassic Age), I saw Santa Fe passenger trains roar through town almost every week in Garden City, Kansas. My dad's job was to deliver mail between the Post Office and Depot, and we often got to go with him. There were about a dozen or so cars on the American Orient Express, with names such as Berlin, Istanbul, and Chicago. They were pulled by two Amtrack P42 diesels. It was a sight to see, and I'll bet a special vacation for those on board. For more, see http://www.great-vacations.com/train/ame.htm, http://www.great-vacations.com/train/ame.htm http://www.vacationstation.com/usa/amorient, http://www.vacationstation.com/usa/amorient.html http://www.amtrakintercity.com/amnews/atns9718, http://www.amtrakintercity.com/amnews/atns9718.html Layout Tour - May 9
We will be having a layout tour Saturday, May 9. We will meet at the Highland Baptist Activity Center at 8:30 am. Here's a schedule of the layouts we will be seeing. 1. 8:45-9:45 -- John Lott, HO - "Panhandle and Santa Fe", 3214-44th St.
and Dr. T. H. Holmes, HO - working title "Mt. Blanco and Santa Fe", 3302-44th St. 2. 10:00-10:45 -- Rip Maples, HO - "Ft. Stockton to Prisidio", 4307 - 41st St. 3. 11:00-11:45 -- Bob Batson, N - "Texas Central", 1914 - 56th St. 4. 12:00-1:15 -- Lunch, all scales - "Copper Caboose", 50th and Slide 4. 1:30-2:15 -- Bob Moulton, N Bendtrack, behind Atlas Fasteners, 4910-B-Homestead Ave. 5. 2:30-3:15 -- Bob Anconetani, HO - "South Plains and Santa Fe", 5922 - 16th St. 6. 3:30-4:15 -- Dave Lamberts, HO narrow gauge - "Denver and Rio Grande Western", 3717 - 95th St. Scratch-build, Kit, Kitbash, Ready-To-Run
Which is best? It depends on many things. Ask yourself these questions. Do I enjoy building this item? How much time do I have? How big is my layout? What looks best? How much do the various options cost? Do I know how, or can I learn how? When do I want my layout to reach the realistic looking stage? What is most reliable? Many of the items we can now buy ready-to-run or as a kit look as good as if it was scratch-built. But you may get pleasure out of doing it yourself. That's for you to decide. Or perhaps you want an item that can't be bought and you have to make it yourself if you want it. If you have little spare time and want to spend it operating the trains, then you will probably want to use ready-to-run as much as possible. If you want to enter contests, then craftsman kits or scratch-building is in order. It is advantageous to do at least some scratchbuilding. You can find out what kind of building you enjoy, and also have a greater appreciation of other people's modeling. After taking a few voice lessons, I gained much more pleasure from hearing a good singer. You may not get excited about building a locomotive, but how about adding a few detail parts, like handrails and a brass bell or horn. Weathering is the finishing touch that brings your models to life. Take close-up pictures. Show them to someone. Do they instantly know they are models? Go outside and look at the real world: the colors, textures, glossiness, reflections, and shadows. Observe the effects of sun, wind, and rain. Then take another look at your layout. Lubbock Western Timetable May
2,3 - San Angelo Rail Fair,Sat 10-4, Sun Noon-4, Santa Fe Depot (vendors, layouts)
4 - Meeting 7:30pm- Highland Baptist
9 - Layout Tour 8:30am Highland Baptist
17 - Albuquerque RR Fair, 9-5, State fairgrounds,
30,31 - Amarillo show, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 12-5, Civic Center June
? Slide SIG
1 - Meeting 7:30pm- Highland Baptist
3-7 - N-scale East Conv., Orlando, FL
18-21 - Lone Star Region Conv., New Orleans Airport Hilton, Kenner, LA (for members of NMRA and LSR) July
Static Display at Mahon Library
20-26 - NMRA and N-scale Conv., K.C. MO Sept.
23-26 - Narrow Gauge Conv., Co. Spgs. CO

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