STAYING ON TRACK
NANCY B. REED'S REPORT
As is my custom, I will reprint Nancy B. Reed's article from The Marker Lamp, Vol. 46, No. 3, Fall 2000 in edited format. Thanks Nancy!The Lubbock Model Railroad Association continues with its regular meetings on the first Monday of each month. The programs are always varied, to catch everyone's interest. Recently we were treated to a demonstration of new methods of using expanding foam to make rock molds, a technique which is bound to revolutionize the old heavy modular units which had to use plaster molds. We enjoyed an ice cream social in July to celebrate our nation's Independence Day. A home layout tour was organized in August. It is always fun to see what other members are doing, even if they have something only in the beginning stages. We can all learn something new and share experiences about what does or doesn't work and help solve problems while we are visiting with each other.
Dave Lamberts attended the 20th National Narrow Gauge Convention in St. Louis at the end of August. The slides he comes back with and the program he prepares are a delight for all the members who were unable to attend the convention.
The folks down in Midland have transformed themselves into the Texas Caprock Model Railroad Engineers. Formerly, they were the Midessa Model Railroad Club. Their meetings are usually every Tuesday night in Odessa at the Parker Heights Christian Church (second floor) on the corner of University and Maple. If you are interested, give them a call at (915) 550-5448 or (915) 368-0971.
News from Amarillo is great and thanks to Virgil Young for keeping us informed. Jerry Michels, president of the Amarillo Model Railroad Association, writes with obvious delight that the club now has its own land, together with the Amarillo Railroad Museum. They have acquired 12 acres on the northeastern edge of the old Air Force base and now are in the process of planning their headquarters building. They intend to have a layout in it but its design will follow plans for the building itself. And, secondly, they intend to get a connection to the existing siding and rebuild the turnout. Some of this work may actually lead to genuine "track work on a real railroad" writes Jerry. Sounds like a great experience awaits those members. If you want to participate in the development of Amarillo's new headquarters, get in touch with Jerry at 133 Dewey, Route 3, Amarillo, TX 79124 or e-mail him at asychis@aol.com Volunteers are always welcomed!
The annual LSR conventions are always a great opportunity to visit different cities in our region (which includes Louisiana) and to see new layouts, prototypes of all sorts, and even hobby shops. However, if you are able to travel throughout the Lonestar Region at other times of the year to see model railroad shows or to do some rail fanning, don't forget to contact members across the region for hints and tips. If you don't know anyone in particular, just look on the Call Board of The Marker Lamp for the names and addresses o the division directors or the LSR chairs.
TUNNEL NEWS - submitted by Jeff Ford.
Some of you may be familiar with the Fort Worth & Denver's tunnels through the Caprock south and west of Quitaque. One of the two tunnels remains today and is located along the rail trail that the state operates along the abandoned railroad right-of-way.I stumbled across this photo of a FW&D/Burlington train at the tunnel some time in the 1960s. This line was the Burlington FW&DBurlington Northern line which served Lubbock, Dimmitt, Plainview and Silverton. All that remains of the branches are the yards at Lubbock and Plainview and the branch line from Plainview to Dimmit. The rest of the line was abandoned in the early 1990s. To see the photos go to
http: //www.rypn.org/NTCNRHS/april.htm, Click on the photo for a much larger view.
FASTER, FASTER - submitted by Ron Kutch.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amtrak will take delivery on Wednesday of its first Acela Express train, paving the way for high-speed service to begin between Washington, New York and Boston later this year, industry sources said on Tuesday. The national passenger railroad has pinned much of its hope for becoming operationally self-supporting on the sleek train that aims to compete with air travel in the highly-populated U. S. northeast.Details about schedules and fares for the new service were to be unveiled when the railroad accepts the new train Wednesday at Washington's Union Station. An Amtrak spokeswoman declined to say when the new service might begin, but railroad sources said federal regulators would not allow paid passenger service to start until Amtrak accepts a second train to act as a backup.
Originally due to begin service last year, the train made by Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. and Paris-headquartered Alstom has suffered a series of setbacks ranging from excessive wheel wear to a below-contract ability to maintain speed by tilting into curves. Acela, which will run at up to 150 miles an hour (240 km/h), will eventually slash New York-Boston travel times from five hours to three hours, and will shorten Washington-New York travel times by 15 minutes to less than three hours.
A source familiar with Amtrak's plans said initial Acela Express service would start with just one round trip each day.
Prices will be higher over the same route than on the Metroliner, currently Amtrak's fastest train.
Interest in rail passenger service is undergoing a revival in many parts of the United States as congested skies and highways lead policymakers and consumers to consider alternatives.
Last week, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater designated two new high-speed rail corridors. One in northern New England with Boston as its hub and a south-central corridor centered on Dallas-Forth Worth in Texas. It brought to 10 the number of designated corridors that are eligible for a small amount of federal funding to eliminate grade-crossings. But billions of dollars would be needed to complete the projects, which would be slower than European and Japanese fast trains because the tracks are shared with freight trains. The White House has thrown its support behind a $10 billion high-speed rail bond bill developed by New Jersey Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg that would provide some of the necessary money. It is unclear if the bond bill will clear Congress before lawmakers leave to campaign for Nov. 7 elections.
MIDLAND - ODESSA MEETING - submitted by Ron Kutch.
On September the 25th, Jan and I went to a meeting of the Odessa and Midland Model Railroad Club in Odessa. There were about 22 people there. The meeting was a regular meeting for their club and we had both been asked to present a program. I started the program with an explanation of the Railroads of the Civil War in the Confederacy. I also covered the NMRA convention coming in July 2001 in St. Louis. I discussed some of the benefits that railroad modeling has received from forming the NMRA. We also presented a T-shirt promoting the convention.Jan then got down to real railroading by presenting the detailing program she had given earlier in Lubbock. After completing the house as her main structure, she described a way to put in a detailed water hose. The Browns have a layout in their home and are, at present, building a new layout in the garage. The club decided to come to Lubbock on November 3 to see our play day.
November 3, 2000 will be playday for the Lubbock Model Railroad Club. Set up will be Friday night. As far as I know, Dave Lamberts' layout will be available for an "open house" sometime on Saturday morning also. Ron Kutch will announce the exact time at the play day. A swap meet will also be part of the festivities. Bring whatever you want to sell and place it with your name and a price on a table (provided). If there are any interested buyers, they can find you.
At the last executive committee meeting, Rod Warren suggested that a good article for the newsletter would be a list of all the reporting marks used on rolling stock. I thought I could find that on the web. Sure enough, it is there. But like wow! I did not know there were so many! The newsletter could not start to print all of them. So, if you want to know about reporting marks go to www.railspot.com/gif/railspot/rp082.html and spend as much time as you want. There are millions of 'em.
NOVEMBER 4TH & 5th - Fort Worth Holiday Train Show. From 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. At the Will Rogers Memorial Center, #1 Amon Carter Square, Fort Worth. Call (361) 937-7566
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER - Houston Live Steam Run Days. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month. At Zube Park, U.S. 290 at Roberts Road. Call (713) 939-8002
DECEMBER 8TH & 9th - Aransas Pass Coastal Bend Hobby Festival (tentative). At the McCampbell Airport, Aransas Pass, TX. Call (361) 937-7566.
FEBRUARY 3, 2001 - San Antonio Model Railroad Association Annual Model Railroad Jamboree and Train Show. At the Live Oak Civic Center, Live Oak , TX (NE San Antonio). Call (210) 522-9325