Delmarva Model RailRoad Club

Open House is Approaching Once More!

2011-11-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

With only a few days left until open house, we are ready for the public. This season's open house dates are:

Nov. 26th. & 27th.

December 3rd. & 4th.

January 7th. & 8th.; 14th. & 15th.

Saturday: 11AM-5PM

Sunday: 12PM-5PM

Due to the flood not much progress scenery wise has been done, but a lot of hours and effort by our members have been put into restoring the layouts to running order. As we get through this season, we want to thank everyone who has been following and supporting us on here, our facebook page, and just in general. We hope to see everyone that we saw last year and then some! See ya'll there. All aboard!

8/19/11

2011-08-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

i know i know if every one is wondering the roof is fixed and we are in the process of rebuilding the layouts the ho layout got hit the worse. also due to the storm the dispatch tower is being rebuilt as i speak. there is so much going on the parkersburg yd is getting torses switch machines.and getting a new bridge over it. The coal mine is being redone. we have a new power plant going up. tin plate is redoing all there track. O scale is putting cameras up. We are really buisy with getting ready of open house season.

2011-03-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't up dated the blog lately. So let me catch you up on everything.

In December the open house went OK we had a descent crowd. Our founder of the club that had a surgery died because of complications.

In January the open houses were great we had a lot of people and made a lot of kids happy.

February was interesting our biggest news was the roof blown off on the 25th and the club getting flooded on the 28th. for more info on this subject go to our facebook page

open house

2010-11-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

It is that time of the year again open house season is here this weekend starts it off what could be better eat turkey on thursday go shopping on friday and spend saturday and sunday with us. all of the dates are up on the club website. the address is also there so what are you wating for come on down. see you all there.

2010-06-10T16:46:00.001-07:00

The new DCC Electrical Cabinet has been installed and wired. Testing is now complete. Everything seems to be working the same as it was before the change-over. Phasing between all Boosters now seems to be correct. (A couple of Phasing issues were found and corrected.) This was verified by running several trains around the layout, in the Parkersburg Yard, down to the Port, on the Branch through Wieland, and up the Ohio River Sub. Trains did not slow between districts and breakers did not trip.

A note about this Electrical change: This change was not done to correct any abnormal issues. It was done to remove the old DC power supplies and cabinet, and make the DCC wiring neater and easier to work on if issues were to develop later. Plus it gets some of the electronics under cover and away from the prying hands of visitors.

2010-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

The May Operating Session is now over. A major electrical change is to begin. For the next two weeks (May 26th through June 2nd at least) the HO layout will be inoperable. (That means that no trains will be able to be run during this time.) A major DCC Booster reconfiguration and wiring change will be taking place. The old gray power cabinet will be removed and a new special DCC cabinet will be installed. Two weeks is the least amount of time required for this change, and it may be longer. Speedy work is sloppy work, as many of you have already experienced, and sloppy work always must be done over and does not save time. An estimated time of completion should be available at the June meeting.

2010-03-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

The annual March meeting and Banquet for this year is now over and a good time was had by all. The first business meeting for 2010 will be on April 7th. The next HO operating session is scheduled for March 21st. Work continues on all layouts.

February newsletter

2010-01-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
Website: http://delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org
Blog: http://dmrrc-delmarvarailroadclub.blogspot.com
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
February 2010
Matt Schramm, Editor

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feburay 6, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Mail vs E-mail

With the cost of postage going up 2 cents on the 11th of May, I would like to make a plea to all the snail-mailers that if you can get an e-mail account, it would definitely help the club. Right now it costs roughly $250.00 per year for postage, ink, and paper to get the snail mail editions out. If any of you can get the newsletter emailed to you, it would cut down on these costs.

Jeff

Timetable Special Edition

Matt Schramm, Editor
With 2009 being the 25th anniversary of the club, we are planning on a special edition of the newsletter for March. It will contain ONLY club history items. If anyone has any pictures or stories of the last 25 years, please send them to me at Tcccnentego20@yahoo.com.

Layout News

O scale – is in the planning stages of putting there layout on a separate circuit breaker

Ho- we are ready for our Operating session for this month

N scale – scenery is getting done

tin plate – no report

Open house

for our second half of open house the attendence was not the greatest
for the weekend of the 9-10 it was saterday and 299 the sunday
also for the 16-17 it was265 on saturday and 355 on sunday
if you would like to know how much we made please come to the meeting,
or the numbers will be posted on the board.

License Plate Frames

These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome.
The top has “Delmar,Delaware” engraved on it,
the bottom has“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”.
Price for members $15.00,
non-members $20.00.
Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts

Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

News From the Rails

Museum director climbs aboard

For Charles Fox, his assignment as the new director of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is "like being "a kid in a candy shop."
"It's a phenomenal facility and I'm very excited at the prospect," the 45-year-old Bucks County native said.
Fox's love of trains dates back to his youth.
"I got my interest in trains from riding the Reading Railroad in and out of Philadelphia," he said. "Some of those trains are here in this collection today, which is pretty neat."
He also collects Lionel trains from the 1940s and 1950s
Fox, who has worked for the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission for 12 years, took over at the railroad museum in mid-December. His last job was as the site administrator of the Somerset Historical Center in Somerset County.
While there, he also was involved in the development of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, commemorating the Americans who died on the plane while fighting terrorists on 9/11.
Fox replaces David Dunn, who is now a section chief in the Harrisburg offices of PHMC.
Coming to the Strasburg museum poses both opportunities and challenges, Fox said. It gives him the opportunity to "learn even more about trains, and try to take this museum to the next level."
The challenge is to move the museum forward in light of budget cuts and recent staff reductions.
"The challenges that this museum faces are similar to those faced by all museums, especially in this economic climate," he said. "There's not as much money allocated for cultural heritage history, so we have to look to alternative sources to raise the funds we need to maintain our level of programming."
Alternative sources of funding must be found to help maintain the "level and quality" of the museum's programs, not to mention its vigorous and costly restoration program for the cars and locomotives in its extensive collection.
Fox hopes the museum's active Friends of the Railroad Museum group will step in to help fill the void.
"We have a wonderful Friends group here, who have done tremendous things for this museum in terms of staffing and helping us to increase the level of professionalism, and expand the spectrum of programs and exhibits we can offer to the public," Fox said. "Their role may have to increase as a result of some of the reductions in the state budget."
Fox sees no changes in the museum's current programs, but is concerned about the museum's ability to care for the pieces in its collection after they go through the lengthy and costly restoration process.
"Right now, they're out in the open air, exposed to the sun, the rain, the wind and the snow," he said. "That's a major problem. It doesn't do any good to restore them if we can't take care of them."
Above all, Fox wants to provide the best experience possible for "our visitors who come through the door."
"Museums often get the reputation of being static, and we can't be, particularly in this case," he said. "Railroad history hasn't ended. It didn't end when the steam locomotives went away. It's still alive, so we need to be nimble and adapt to our audience and to changing circumstances in order to stay on top of our game."
Despite the current recession, Fox believes the future is bright for the PHMC overall, and the railroad museum in particular.
"Yes, there are challenges, but they're not insurmountable," he said. "I think you'll see great things happening here in the next few years."

Touring railroad exhibit coming to Huntington

HUNTINGTON — The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Society’s indoor museum at 1323 8th Ave. is will be housing a touring railroad exhibit on loan from the West Virginia Division of Culture.
The Historical Society will have an opening reception at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20. The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 17.
The exhibit, “Riding the Rails: Connecting West Virginia,” will have text panels detailing railroad development in West Virginia.
The exhibit will contain artifacts from the West Virginia State Museum collection including tongs for holding odd-shaped pieces of iron forged on the anvil, side shears used to cut hot, soft iron, nippers used to trim horses’ hooves while shoeing them, claw hammers, a coal drill sharpener stake used to place an anvil to sharpen coal drills, rail spike pullers, a coal shovel, a C&O Adlake lantern, a C&O Yellow Dog Lamp which burned on waste oil, and a B&O Railroad compartment plate, cup and saucer for use in the dining car, among others.
There also will be a photograph display courtesy of the Huntington museum collection and railroad videos for the children and adults played during the visitation hours.
The hours the exhibit will be open are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday evenings.
For more information about the exhibit, call 866-639-7487 or 304-523-0364.

Amtrak wifi

Amtrak's Acela Express trains, which run from Washington to Boston, will soon be getting wireless Internet access.
Amtrak said that its installation of wireless Internet access on the high-speed trains would be complete in March and initially free to passengers. Amtrak made the announcement as part of a 2010 preview of its activities.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Acela Express train service, which began operating in 2000. The trains make the trip from Washington to Boston in about six and a half hours, about an hour and a half faster than regional trains. Also in 2010 Amtrak will complete upgrades on the interiors of the Acela trains, including leather seats and improved tray tables and power outlets.
Last year Acela had some 3 million riders.

2010-01-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

Our 2009-2010 Open House is now over. This years Open House days were a big success. This year was the first year that we were open for Thanksgiving weekend and we had a big crowd. We also found some things that need to be fixed, and we found out that some things we had fixed were operating well.

Now it is time that we move forward and continue to have fun working(?) on our layouts and enjoying our hobby of Model Railroading. Good things are happening.

In case you haven't noticed, we have posted some videos on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/user/DelMarVaRRClub

January newsletter

2009-12-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
Website: http://delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org
Blog: http://dmrrc-delmarvarailroadclub.blogspot.com
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
January 2010
Matt Schramm, Editor

Next MeetingThe next meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Presidents Message

Well, the first two weekends of Open House are behind us and a huge THANK YOU goes out to all those who helped make it a success. John Steplowski called today to tell me that the grand total received was $ 2871.95. That will be a real help towards our mounting expenses to keep the Club functional.. It would be difficult to thank everyone personally who helped make this program go over so well but I do think an extra thanks should go to Matt Schramm and Tim Burlingame for all their work around the building. Also to Greg Coughlin and family, Ed ( the Conductor ) Stogran, Pete Genero for the white elephant table and Mary Deeter for her help at the door.

Thanks also to all of our Engineers, while it starts out being a lot of fun, it can also wear you down after 3000 trips around the layout. I know I was running my train Westbound all day Saturday and Jeff told me I would have to go Eastbound on Sunday just to unwind. We have two more weekends to go and if anyone has any suggestions for changes or improvements, don’t hesitate to bring them up. Again, thanks for everyone’s help and I think I’m looking forward to the next two events.
Patrick Malronny

Mail vs E-mailWith the cost of postage going up 2 cents on the 11th of May, I would like to make a plea to all the snail-mailers that if you can get an e-mail account, it would definitely help the club. Right now it costs roughly $250.00 per year for postage, ink, and paper to get the snail mail editions out. If any of you can get the newsletter emailed to you, it would cut down on these costs.Jeff

Timetable Special EditionMatt Schramm, EditorWith 2009 being the 25th anniversary of the club, we are planning on a special edition of the newsletter for March. It will contain ONLY club history items. If anyone has any pictures or stories of the last 25 years, please send them to me at mailto:dhmodeler@gmail.com.Layout NewsAll groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts.

License Plate FramesThese fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.Club ShirtsBill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.Styles, Sizes and Prices are:Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)S, M, L, XL $22.752XL $26.253XL $28.754XL $31.25Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)S, M, L, XL $25.002XL $27.503XL $30.004XL $32.50

News From the Rails

Ethanol Terminal Opens on Union Pacific Line

Facility to meet demand as California hikes fuel blend to 10 percent
Ethanol terminal operator U.S. Development Group said its West Colton Rail Terminal at Rialto, Calif., has started handling ethanol railcars from Union Pacific Railroad.
The facility is near gasoline blending terminals that supply California’s San Bernardino and Riverside County-Inland Empire region, plus San Diego and Bakersfield.
USDG Vice President Larry Padfield said the terminal “represents a key addition to the nationwide network of logistics terminals” the company has developed, which include major ethanol hub facilities in Linden, N.J., Baltimore, Dallas and Houston.
West Colton can receive volumes from single railcars to full unit trains, and can offload 15,000 barrels of ethanol a day. USDG said it completed the facility “in time to meet the increase in ethanol demand in California resulting from the January 2010 increase to a 10 percent ethanol blend across the state.”
Future development plans there include putting in a 100-railcar unit train receiving and offloading terminal to be completed by this time next year. The company also said it will eliminate much of its current need for secondary, onsite trucking operations by building a pipeline to a nearby dedicated ethanol storage and gasoline operation.

Fast Trains Lead Amtrak List of Needs

Amtrak has been working hard to lure more business travelers to its trains, with advertisements highlighting its advantages over air travel — roomier seats, power outlets on its Acela trains and fewer annoyances.
And its efforts have borne some fruit: the number of riders on its Northeast corridor trains has been rising.
But faster trains are critical to its future. So while Amtrak got some desperately needed financing from the federal government this year, its forecasts suggest that speedier rail travel in the United States remains a daunting challenge.
For the Northeast corridor alone, Amtrak estimates that it will need almost $700 million annually for the next 15 years to maintain the system and to tackle a backlog of maintenance projects and upgrades. Reducing travel times between New York and Washington to two-and-a-half hours and times between New York and Boston to three hours — goals that were established in the 1970s — will require straighter track, improvements to bridges and tunnels, increased capacity through Manhattan and newer trains, among other investments.
Almost all of Amtrak’s lines fail to make money, with a total loss of $1.1 billion in 2008. Even technology enhancements seem to move at a slow pace: developing a new electronic reservation system is expected to take until 2015.
Still, Amtrak officials are more optimistic now than they have been in a long time. “We’re probably in the best position to move forward to get the things done we want to get done and that the government wants us to get done,” said David Lim, Amtrak’s chief marketing officer. “We have an administration that is supportive of rail.”
One of the biggest changes for Amtrak is that after years of bare-bones annual financing that limited the railroad’s ability to make significant upgrades, Congress approved a five-year authorization in 2008 that allocates the system nearly $2 billion a year.
Although the money still needs to be appropriated every year, Mr. Lim said, “the fact that there’s a five-year plan makes a tremendous difference. Asking the government for your annual subsidy obviously makes it difficult to plan and execute capital projects.”
In addition, the economic stimulus package approved by Congress early this year provided $1.3 billion to supplement Amtrak’s capital budget and $8 billion in grants for intercity service and high-speed passenger rail. While those amounts will not go far in developing the bullet trains that operate in Europe and Asia and will probably be distributed among projects throughout the country, Amtrak officials say they view the investment as an important policy shift.
There are also signs that passengers are increasingly embracing trains. The number of Amtrak riders has increased steadily since 2001, surpassing 28 million in 2008, though a dip is expected this year because of the recession.
Amtrak estimates it carried 63 percent of travelers flying or taking the train between New York and Washington in 2008 — an increase from 37 percent before the Acela service began in 2000. Amtrak’s market share between New York and Boston was 49 percent last year, compared with 20 percent before Acela.
Amtrak hopes to push those numbers even higher, Mr. Lim said. The railroad plans to introduce free Wi-Fi service on all Acela trains in the second quarter of 2010, then add Northeast regional trains later in the year.
The ability to work on the train is one of the reasons Brian Silengo says he rides Amtrak for his weekly trips to New York from Washington. He uses a cellular wireless card to get Internet access, but as a sales executive for an interactive marketing agency, he mostly values the Acela trains’ reliability.
“They’re very good at getting you where you need to be on time,” he said.
Although he said he would like to see the trains travel at faster speeds, a more important item on his Amtrak wish list is making the process for ticket changes and refunds easier.
With future improvements to the reservation system, Amtrak plans to allow customers to make ticket changes online, and possibly allow passengers to print boarding passes at home. Mr. Lim said the latter option is more challenging because conductors would have to carry ticket scanners.
Another challenge for Amtrak is to price its fares competitively, yet find a way to improve its financial performance. An analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts’ project Subsidyscope calculated that 41 of Amtrak’s 44 routes lost money last year. The average loss was $32 a passenger, though the Acela Express line earned $41 a passenger, suggesting that faster trains are crucial to profitability, according to the data.
“The Acela, of course, is the moneymaker,” said Marcus Peacock, project director for Subsidyscope. “And that’s the closest thing we have to high-speed rail right now.”
Amtrak’s Acela fares between New York and Washington range from $133 to $221 one-way, compared with $49 to $139 for the slower Northeast regional train. Advance-purchase airfares for the same route can be $150 roundtrip, an important consideration for travelers.
“Our clients look at the price,” said Dave Kilduff, senior director of ground transportation for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a travel management company, though he added that service and travel time are important, too, and that many travelers are surprised by their experience with the train.
“Once they try it, they see it’s much more pleasant than they expected,” he said. “The faster they go, the more people will get on them.”
But to achieve those speeds, and turn Amtrak’s blueprints into reality, some industry experts say what is needed is a broader transportation strategy rather than separate approaches to air, highway and rail travel.
“The United States doesn’t really have an integrated transportation plan,” said Robert L. Crandall, the former chairman of the AMR Corporation, the parent of American Airlines. He recently participated in a Transportation Department forum on the aviation industry.
“What is needed is some kind of overall plan, and it has to be done by the government,” he said

BNSF wants monopoly suit heard in federal court

BNSF Railway and state officials are engaged in a legal skirmish over whether a shipping monopoly lawsuit should be heard in federal or state court — a disagreement that could have far-reaching consequences for grain farmers in central Montana's Golden Triangle.
The dispute centers on the 87-mile Geraldine Line near Lewistown. For years, Central Montana Railroad has battled in federal court to force Texas-based BNSF to make payments for the line under a 1984 agreement.
After Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock last month stepped in and tried to move the matter to state District Court in Fergus County, BNSF balked.
BNSF — the country's second-largest railroad — accuses the state of "shopping" for a favorable venue.
A decision over which court has jurisdiction is pending before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong in Great Falls.
State attorneys say that if BNSF wins, Central Montana could go out of business and farmers in Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus and Judith Basin counties would have to drive long distances to unload their grain.
That would put new pressures on Montana's agriculture industry at a time when high fuel costs and widely fluctuating grain prices already are causing a strain.
In court documents filed Dec. 21, attorneys for the state asked Strong to remand the case to the state court.
But after consistently getting its way in federal court, BNSF is eager to block the move.
BNSF says the state is engaged in a transparent ploy to subvert federal authority. They point out that the grievances filed by the state are largely the same as complaints Central Montana Railroad unsuccessfully pursued in federal court.
"The new lawsuit is merely a tactic by (Central Montana) and the state to elude the federal forum and undermine rulings by this (federal) court," BNSF attorney Matthew Hayhurst wrote.
BNSF's payments to Central Montana under the 1984 agreement at one point were worth about $1 million annually. After an arbitration panel ruled that BNSF could back out of the agreement, the payments ceased this fall.
The state also claims BNSF has unfairly subsidized construction of a rail loop in Moccasin to give preference to a private unloading facility that competed with Central Montana.
In recent months, traffic along the Geraldine Line has dropped sharply — from about 1,150 carloads a year on average to just over 500 in 2009.

December news letter

2009-12-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
Website: http://delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org
Blog: http://dmrrc-delmarvarailroadclub.blogspot.com
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
December 2009
Matt Schramm, Editor
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday,December 2, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Mail vs E-mail
With the cost of postage going up 2 cents on the 11th of May, I would like to make a plea to all the
snail-mailers that if you can get an e-mail account, it would definitely help the club. Right now it costs
roughly $250.00 per year for postage, ink, and paper to get the snail mail editions out. If any of you can
get the newsletter emailed to you, it would cut down on these costs.
Jeff

Timetable Special Edition
Jeff Shockley, Editor
With 2009 being the 25th anniversary of the club, we are planning on a special edition of the newsletter
for November. It will contain ONLY club history items. If anyone has any pictures or stories of the last
25 years, please send them to me at dhmodeler@gmail.com.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts.

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are
accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to
4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:
Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25
Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Is Buffett's BNSF takeover a good move at a good price?

Early in November, the world's second-richest man made a deal to buy America's largest railway,
swallow it whole and take it off the market.
At a total value of $34-billion (U.S.) it is Warren Buffett's biggest deal ever. If shareholders finalize the
deal as expected early in 2010, it can be argued that his purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe
(BNI-N98.530.070.07%) (BNSF), based in Fort Worth, Texas, will do good things for the U.S.
economy and cement Mr. Buffett's legacy as the Sage of Omaha. When you're pushing 80, that's a good
thing.
But what does it mean to ordinary investors? There are those who are argue that the deal isn't very good
for shareholders of Mr. Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B-N3,336.78-15.52-0.46%) , or
those of BNSF, even though Mr. Buffett has offered the equivalent of $100 a share in cash and stock.
Hard on the heels of the deal's Nov. 3 announcement, three lawsuits were filed alleging that BNSF
management shortchanged shareholders, rushing into a deal for their own benefit and failing to get the
highest price for the railroad's shares.
You could argue that the litigants are all wet, as the deal for the 77 per cent of the stock Berkshire
Hathaway does not already own represents a 32-per-cent premium over BNSF's closing price on Nov.
2, the day before the deal was announced. At one point last March, the stock had dipped to $51.20. Too
bad for his own shareholders, Mr. Buffett wasn't able to make the deal then. Still BNSF stock had
climbed to $113 on its own in May, 2008, before the recession took the steam out of its locomotives, so
maybe Mr. Buffett hasn't lost all is marbles.
Even Mr. Buffett concedes that BNSF doesn't come cheap, unlike some of his other legendary deals.
And he's doing some things in this deal that he doesn't normally do – like issuing stock. He's offering a
50-to-one split on Berkshire Hathaway's B shares, which means that Berkshire's B shares, which are
currently trading at about $3,354 will trade around $67 after the deal is approved.
At least you won't have to mortgage your house to buy one, which will still be the case with Berkshire's
A shares, currently trading at about $100,600 – the most expensive stock on the market.
You could dismiss the litigants as greedy, as did BNSF spokesman John Ambler, who told the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, “Unfortunately, it has become almost a universal occurrence for certain law firms
to file lawsuits of this type around any corporate M&A activity.”
Yet a Scotia Capital Markets report indicates that Mr. Buffett paid too much for his railroad. A report
issued at the end of November indicates that profit estimates for the Big Six North American railroads
are inflated and may have to be adjusted downward. Since the deal was announced shares of the other
five railways are up 12 per cent on average, and that includes Canadian National Railway Co. (CNRT56.15-
0.15-0.27%) , up five per cent, and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP-T52.300.400.77%) , up
more than eight per cent.
“In the short term, we would not be surprised to see the group retrace the gains made post the
announcement of the bid,” writes Scotia analyst Cherilyn Radbourne.
Not a ringing endorsement of railroads.
Even Alice Schroeder, former Wall Street analyst, Bloomberg columnist and Buffett biographer, thinks
Mr. Buffett paid too much for BNSF. “I'm not surprised he bought it,” she told Bloomberg on the
Economy. “I was certainly surprised at the price … he's getting a five-per-cent return on his initial
investment which is considerably less than half of what he likes, and he's issuing stock.”
So when that stock becomes available to trade, will it indeed be overpriced at one-fiftieth of its current
price?
Despite what Ms. Schroeder thinks, UBS analysts point out that while Mr. Buffett paid within the
acceptable range of earnings multiples of 8 to 9, the multiple was based on recession-depressed
earnings. If his offer was based on that May, 2008, price of $113, for example, it would fall below 8
times earnings, which is why some shareholders are going to court.
Still, when your railroad is coming out a deep hole, $100 a share sounds pretty good, and it's likely the
deal will go through as scheduled early in the new year.
Which leaves a lot of people still asking the fundamental question: A railroad? There was, a time, not
so long ago, when Buffett and Co. were leery of investing in railroads because they were capitalintensive,
mired in union strife and make-work rules, but the Sage has changed his tune in recent years.
Rail is more environmentally sound than trucking. One freight train can move a ton of cargo 436 miles
on a single gallon of diesel and can carry the load of 280 trucks.
According to Sharon Dunn, the executive director of the Georgia Railroad Association, if one per cent
of freight currently moved by trucks went on rail instead, the reduction in greenhouse gases would be
1.2 million tons and the fuel savings would be 110 million gallons.
As the price of fuel increases, rail becomes an increasingly attractive alternative – and that capital
intensive disadvantage becomes an advantage: no one is going to start a railroad. In defending the deal,
Mr. Buffett told CNBC: “I basically believe this country will prosper and you'll have more people
moving more goods 10 and 20 and 30 years from now and the rails should benefit.”
Mr. Buffett has famously called the deal “an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.”
And, he added: “I love those bets.”
Ok, it's not high-tech or bio-tech or Google. But it's certainly one of the most intriguing deals of the
21st century, and it puts the spotlight on railroads. Many analysts believe that Canadian Pacific, which
has none of the foreign ownership restrictions of the larger Canadian National, could be the next
railroad on the block. So you may not have to buy into BNSF at a premium – CP is up in the wake of
the BNSF deal, but nowhere near the 30-per-cent range – to get in on the next big thing. All aboard!

Santa Is At Railroad Museum Saturdays In December

posted November 30, 2009
Santa will be at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum Grand Junction Station on Dec. 5, 12
and 19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
While at the station ride the Missionary Ridge Local for a 55 minute adventure that includes
riding the train, pulled by steam engine #610, over bridges, through the historic Missionary
Ridge Tunnel, and watching the engine turn on an operating turn table. Adult tickets are $14
and child tickets (age 3-12) are $8.A few tickets are still available for the North Pole Limited
- the nighttime train ride to the North Pole. Call 894-8028 or check www.tvrail.com for
available dates and reservations. Departure times are 5:45 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22
(ages one and up).

GE Transportation pressing for Amtrak deal

Team lobbies for new locomotives
Amtrak hopes to replace 54 of its oldest passenger locomotives, and Lawrence Park-based GE
Transportation wants to bid for the contract.
But at least for now, there's no money in the government's 2010 budget to pay for them.
In what might have once seemed like an unusual collaboration, company officials and its main union
are making a joint plea for Congress to include an appropriation for new locomotives.
"We have the best technology and we know the customer requirements and believe we are best
positioned," Lorenzo Simonelli, the company's chief executive, said in an interview Monday.
"This comes down to funding. Funding for Amtrak for the purchase of diesel electric locomotives isn't
currently planned for in the 2010 appropriation."
Jim Pifer, president of Local 506 of the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, who
joined Simonelli in the interview, said union and management share the same goal.
"We have been trying to work together," Pifer said. "This is important for the community. As GE goes,
the community goes. We are all together on this."
The federal government's $787 billion stimulus bill did include billions of dollars for rail infrastructure
and high-speed rail.
What it didn't include is money to buy higher-speed locomotives that could bridge the gap between
existing passenger service and the arrival of true high-speed rail.
GE Transportation recently signed an agreement with the Chinese Rail Ministry to jointly pursue
opportunities in true high-speed rail, in which locomotives are capable of topping 200 mph.
But the company is ready today to build machines that will run at 124 mph, and both Simonelli and
Pifer are asking employees and members of the community to press lawmakers for Amtrak funding.
His plea comes just days after GE Transportation collected company IDs from the last of about 1,480
employees who lost their jobs as part of a massive reduction at the local plant. The number includes
about 550 who agreed to retire early.
Winning a contract to build 50 or so Amtrak locomotives wouldn't bring workers back, but it would
help keep employees on the job, Simonelli said.
Pifer said he's hoping ultimately that more sales will mean more employees.
"Hopefully, this is just the first of orders to come," he said. "I have a personal commitment to people
who got laid off. My job is to get as many people back as quickly as we can."
Both Simonelli and Pifer said members of Congress have been supportive.
In a statement from her press secretary, U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, of Erie, D-3rd Dist., said she's
committed to securing funding that could produce local jobs and is advocating for passenger-rail
funding.
Along with Dahlkemper, Pennsylvania's U.S. senators, Democrats Arlen Specter and Bob Casey, sent a
letter in September to Amtrak's chairman, calling for the replacement of outdated locomotives.
In an Oct. 1 letter to the Senate subcommittee on transportation, Specter and Casey offered their
support to provide the funding.
What would be an order for 54 passenger locomotives mean to Erie County's largest employer?
Simonelli didn't offer a monetary estimate, but he did say the contract would be worth more than a
recent agreement to sell 300 locomotive kits to the Chinese.
Funding for Amtrak doesn't automatically mean a contract for GE Transportation, but it would give the
company a chance.
"It's a competitive bidding process, but I think we are the best-equipped," Simonelli said

This weekend's open house

2009-11-29T15:25:00.001-08:00

We had a very good weakend. We had over 700 people come through the door. Thanks to every one who made this a very sussesful weekend. See you at the next one.

Delmarva Model Railroad Club 24th Annual Open House

2009-11-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

Del MarVa Model Railroad Club 24th Annual Open House
103 E. State St., Camelot Hall, 2nd floor
Delmar, DE 19940-1155

11/28/2009
11/29/2009
125/2009
12/6/2009
1/9/2010
1/10/2010
1/16/2010
1/17/2010
Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. noon to 5 p.m.

www.delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org

This is one of the largest permanent model railroad displays on the Delmarva Peninsula with over 6,000 square feet of operating model railroads in N, HO, O scale, O tinplate, G, and standard gauges, plus an N-track modular layout. Also train videos, refreshments and "White Elephant" table. Free Admission

Located in downtown Delmar, at 103 State Street on the second floor of Camelot hall. State Street (54) is the main East/West route through Delmar. The building is just one block East of the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. Coming from the railroad tracks it is on the left. Parking behind St. Stevens Church.

302-856-9250 / 410-742-9325

2009 DE, MD, PA, NJ Open House Schedule

2009-10-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

For those that would like to have a copy of the 2009 November Open House Schedule, go to: http://www.modelrropenhouse.com/

Jeff

op session

2009-10-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

our monthly op session will be on the 25 at 1230

New YouTube and Facebook pages

2009-10-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

By the acceptance votes of the club members, I have created a new YouTube channel and Facebook fan page. I haven't been able to upload any videos on youtube yet, or do much with the facebook page, because I've been busy the past few days. Here's the YouTube channel link: http://www.youtube.com/user/DelMarVaRRClub
And here's the facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/DelMarVa-Model-Railroad-Club/149579634033?ref=ts

Toby.

HO Scale Happenings

2009-10-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

- The LocoNet problems on the HO layout that were discovered and reported in this Blog on August 18th have been corrected. The LocoNet in the suspect area was rewired and separated. This basically included all of the new section. There is now one Net for throttles and another Net for the detection, signals, and turnout control. This was done so if we have problems again, troubleshooting will be easier.
- Scenery work is moving forward in major and minor areas and ways. There will be several areas of new scenery for our Open House visitors to see this year, some completed and some still in work. Some detail work is also taking place on various parts of the HO layout.
- Track work, both design and installing in the Parkersburg Yard is also continuing. The town of Athens should be seeing some new developments soon. Rowland and friends have submitted a plan for that area, and it has been approved by the HO members.

- Don't forget, this Wednesday October 7th is the October Business meeting.

Elmer.

the september open house

2009-09-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone who made it out to our open house on september 22 2009. We only had 40 people come though the doors, but I think every one hade a good time anyway.

Don't forget apple scrapple on Oct. 10 we will have 2 layouts running in the school cafitera. So come out and see us. We will also have raffle tickets for sale for train sets

Open house dates for this year is

Nov. 28&29
Dec. 5&6
Jan. 9&10
Jan. 16&17

hope to see you there

september open house

2009-09-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

For any one interested we are having a open house. September 22, 2009 at 6:00pm tll 8:00pm this is in conjuction with the towns walking tours that night. We are also invited to the rededacation for the high ball and the caboose. Which will be earller in the day. Hope to see you there.

9/3/2009: N Scale Layout Report

2009-09-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

This past month has been progressing well. However, due to the lack of scenery, and other people from different scales are using the same scenery N scale is, the work is being very conservative. I am only laying grass, dirt, and bushes down with what I think is fair for everyone else who's using them. Until we order more scenery stuff, the work on the N scale layout will be slow. But we are continuing as much as possible. Trees, bushes, and more turf has been placed since the last report. We hope to have rocks and T41 turf soon so the river will be finish by open house.

To make up for our lack of scenery, I'm going to attach a picture of our newest engine, a Kato GG1.

2009-08-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

The HO scale operating session that we had Sunday, August 16th, didn't go quite as planned. We encountered some LocoNet problems, and they are still not corrected yet. The focus on the work at Wednesday's meeting will be to try and correct those problems, at least temporarily until a plan can be devised to reconfigure the LocoNet into a more reliable bus system.

2009-08-13T14:02:00.001-07:00

don't forget we have opsession sunday at 1230

2009-08-13T13:58:00.001-07:00

Work continues at the club on Wednesdays, rain or shine. Membership turnout was low this past Wednesday the 12th, possibly due to the fact that it was raining cats and dogs in the late afternoon and on into the evening. Pat and John S. dismantled the HO portable layout sections that were donated to the club as we could not use them. Parts were salvaged as appropriate. Work at Parkersburg, Hamden, Mount Lime, Renick Jct. and Mead Paper also continued. Several new visitors were present as well.

2009-08-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

At the August business meeting, we celebrated our 25th anniversary with cake and ice cream that was provided by Pat Mulrooney, Matt Schramm, and John Steplowski
Of the members that arrive early in the day, there were fewer folks working on the HO layout this week. Meade Paper is still progressing under the work of Charlie Scott. Elmer continues to work on the scenery in the Mount Lime area as well as teaching Pike some basic layout track bus wiring. (Pike is wiring in the block detection board (BDL-168) to the main line from Chillicothe to West.) Bob is proceeding with getting ready to switch over some turnouts in the Parkersburg wye area from remote switch control to computer control. Pat has started work on Kaiser Aluminum on the Ohio River Sub. He has the track plan laid out and is moving some mainline track, and has started installing track for the facility. Others continue to work on their respective areas as well. Some of the new members have started to get more involved in the club by asking about areas that they could work on, and with HO CEO Bill's approval, will be assigned areas that could use work.

Elmer.

N Scale Layout report

2009-08-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

The valley on the N scale layout started construction over 2 years ago. Today, it is the main project the N scalers are working on. High hopes are what the N'ers have for it to be completed by this season's first open house. For those who don't know what is being done to the valley, I will tell you know what we have accomplished so far, then I will keep updating this until it is finished.

The bottom of the valley includes a winding river with the railroad crossing it trice, 6 if you count the high-girder bridge, and two other bridges; beautiful scenery; and a gravel mill. The outside top of the valley has a grainery; stockyard; a kitbashed high-girder bridge, and more beautiful scenery.

I will try to keep this posted as I much as I can.

Thanks, Toby.

August 2009 Newsletter

2009-08-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Delmarva Timetable
Website: http://delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org
Blog: http://dmrrc-delmarvarailroadclub.blogspot.com
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
August 2009
Jeff Shockley, Editor

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Mail vs E-mail
With the cost of postage going up 2 cents on the 11th of May, I would like to make a plea to all the snail-mailers that if you can get an e-mail account, it would definitely help the club. Right now it costs roughly $250.00 per year for postage, ink, and paper to get the snail mail editions out. If any of you can get the newsletter emailed to you, it would cut down on these costs.

Jeff

Timetable Special Edition
Jeff Shockley, Editor
With 2009 being the 25th anniversary of the club, we are planning on a special edition of the newsletter for November. It will contain ONLY club history items. If anyone has any pictures or stories of the last 25 years, please send them to me at dhmodeler@gmail.com.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts.

HO Layout Report
By Bill Deeter

Well, another month has passed and I need to try and write something new and witty for this month’s newsletter. Hmmmm…… that probably won’t happen but Jeff does need some club news to put in the news letter so I’ll ramble on a bit. It would really be great if some of you could contribute to the newsletter as well. We see a lot happen in other scales but really don’t here anything about it. Also maybe a how to do something would be of interest. As you build something take a picture or two as you progress and if you don’t want to write an article at least write a caption for the picture and send it to Jeff.

Ok now lets talk a bit about the HO layout. The progress is pretty much unbelievable as I continue to say. However I’m starting to wonder if we may need to slow up just a bit and make sure the track work is bullet proof. It doesn’t mater how great the layout looks if there are mechanical problems because then the layout is pretty much junk. Ken Kidd and I along with others spent a lot of time re-working the old section of the layout to make the track work as good as we could. Some areas already had scenery in place but we did manage to get it reliable. Dave, with some help from a few of us meticulously laid most all the track on the new section.

What I’ve been noticing is a lot of derailments during ops sessions. Last month I mentioned the 0-5-0 switcher let me also mention that hitting the train hard with an engine can get it very out of sorts also. Then there are jerky starts or running through a switch as this can also cause problems on down the line. Yes you can run a turn out and make it through but again it gets the train out of sorts shall we say. Ok so it may be time to do some serious checking of the track work again. There have been many changes to the track work in the last couple of years and my deal is it has to be smooth I can’t say smooth enough on this. That means smooth transitions in curves smooth as in level no sudden anything.

Roland (trained by Dave) is our track Forman but unfortunately his work has been keeping him away this summer. And I know as much as Dave would like to be involved he just can’t right now. So how smooth is smooth well you should be able to push a train anywhere on the layout. So I will try and be more involved in the track work till fall when Roland will have more time. Please don’t take offence if I ask you to work on something you may think is just fine. We are all in this to learn more and build a great layout that performs flawlessly. I don’t want to discourage anyone who wants to lay track from trying just don’t be offended if I or someone else may make a few suggestions on how to improve. Many years ago we had to stop the sessions and spend something like 2 years tarring up and realigning a lot of track. Then even when we got it much better there were areas that still needed rebuilt.

While we are on this subject we also need to come up with a plan for maintenance on the rolling stock and locomotives. Pat has volunteered to be Car Forman and Steve has volunteered to be Locomotive Forman but they need all our help coming up with the plans and the help to make them work.
Derailments are going to happen but they should be rare. Let’s put our heads together and see if we can make them a rarity.

We had 17 people at the July session but it seemed like only about 14 participated and that was barely enough for a complete session. I’m not sure why but this is not meant to be a spectator sport so just jump in and give it a try. It is amazing that not all that long ago 5 people was a huge turn out.
We try and make sure it is fun for all but sometimes some folks want to play the game a bit more seriously than some others so there can be some tension. I hope no one takes this personally. I would really like to hear from everybody with your thoughts on what you enjoy and what you don’t during the sessions.

The August session will be the 16th @ 12:45. The staging crew is getting larger and larger and the layout is already mostly staged.

Well, that’s enough rambling for now.

Notes about the new Club Web Site
by Elmer Mc Kay
If you go to the new web site and into the LAYOUTS section, you will notice that the HO layouts section is more complete that the sections for the other layouts. This is because I have had input and suggestions from the HO group.

To present our best work on the Internet, I need some input from the other Scales. Look through the HO section and see what is there. I am perfectly willing to make the other scales and layouts sections look the same way. For me to do this, I need you to send me the information. If you want the HISTORY of your layout explained on the page, write one and send it to me. If you want to talk about how you OPERATE your layout, write something up and send it to me.

You O Scale guys are going through a building and construction phase right now. Are you taking photos so they can be put on the web site? If not, why not?

I would love to tell the story of your layouts, but I can't make it up, after all, I am a relatively new member and was not here for what has happened and how your layouts have grown and changed

Our web site will be what YOU make it!!!

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Member News
Lee Weldon reports that “I’ve submitted an article about my home layout that will be published in the September/October edition of N Scale Magazine. The article covers how my freelance Laurel Valley Railway interchanges with my proto-based Western Maryland layout. It should be on news stands and in hobby stores by mid August.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Revolutionary Hudson Locomotive Arrives At Chatham Depot
by Alan Pollock
July 2, 2009 The Cape Cod Chronicle Chatham, Massachusetts

CHATHAM - In 1927, the New York Central Railroad ushered in a new era of power, style and elegance with a brand new type of locomotive: the 4-6-4 Hudson. Far too large, and let’s face it, too cosmopolitan to make the trip to Cape Cod, it was operated between new York and Chicago as part of the ultra-luxurious 20th Century Limited service. The Hudson was a revolutionary locomotive.

That’s probably what prompted Jacob Almon Keeth, an engineer from Leawood, Kan., to build a scale model of the train in his home workshop. Built entirely from scratch using parts he machined himself, the model Hudson consumed the majority of Mr. Keeth’s spare time over the course of about 20 years, concluding it in the mid ‘50s. The model, which has done about as much traveling as a real Hudson, is now on loan to the Chatham Railroad Museum.

Mr. Keeth had the model on display in a built-in bookshelf of his home for several years, but when he moved into a retirement community, he began to search around for a museum that might preserve the model and put it on display.

“I’ve wanted that model since I was a kid, and I was heartbroken when my grandfather didn’t give it to me,” grandson Don Keeth said with a chuckle.

In 1975, his grandfather decided to place the model in the care of the Newcomen Museum in Exton, Penn., where it was put on display for some time. In 2000, Don Keeth was traveling in Pennsylvania when he decided to visit the museum to see his grandfather’s handiwork. He called to check the museum’s hours of operation, and learned that the museum had permanently closed, and that all exhibits had been consigned to the international auction house Christies.

Don Keeth and his father, Allan, resolved to try and get the model back. It was to be an expensive proposition: the two had to fly to London to attend the auction, carefully researching the other items on the auction block and the other bidders likely to attend. When the auction began, there was a brief bidding war with another buyer, but the Keeths prevailed and bought back the Hudson. They were taken aback to learn how much it would cost to ship the model back to the U.S., and even considered having the locomotive crated up and brought home as “carry on” baggage, but ended up hiring a firm to crate, insure, handle, ship and deliver the precious package.

Though they were glad to have the model back in the states, the Keeths wanted to honor their grandfather’s desire to have his model placed on display for the public. Don Keeth lives in Belmont, and began researching suitable museums nearby. From trips to the Cape, he remembered the small railroad museum in Chatham, and called museum director Larry Larned, who was very excited.

“It just seemed like a nice place,” Don said. Probably because museum founder Frank Love and William Main, the second museum director, had careers in the New York Central, the museum has many artifacts from that railroad. So the Hudson fits in nicely, even though the real locomotive never would’ve visited here.

The model is on loan to the Chatham Railroad Museum and will remain on display at least through the summer. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

West Virginia Railroad Museum Gets Turntable
Story by Dani Brake
July 3, 2009 WBOY-12 TV Clarksburg, West Virginia

ELKINS -- The West Virginia Railroad Museum has received a new addition.

Workers unloaded a railroad turntable from Chicago, Thursday night. The original turntable at the Elkins Depot was sold in the 1980s. The new turntable is 90 feet long, and weighs more than 82 tons. The museum says it will be the centerpiece of its plans for the future.

Workers will move the turntable off the tracks early next week.

Glenwood's Railroad Museum takes visitors on a trip back in time
Depot houses track tools, model train, photo essays
July 7, 2009 Post Independent Intern Glenwood Springs, CO

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Men smoked their cigars in one waiting room, while the women waited in another for a train to pull into the Glenwood Springs Depot in the late 1800s. Today, there is just one waiting area for everybody with the former room for the ladies transformed into something else. The Western Colorado Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has changed that room into a railroad museum.The popular museum welcomes more than 8,000 visitors annually.In 2003, the members of the society decided that a dedicated railroad museum commemorating the colorful history right here in Glenwood Springs would be a great attraction. Two connecting rooms now make up the Glenwood Railroad Museum. Viewers gain a rich experience with an operating model railroad, photo essays following routes of the trains, and a room that holds a track maintenance car and 80-year-old signal lights. Tour Guide Dick Helmke takes viewers on a high energy walk through the museum. He points out the model and explains some of the photos, he takes visitors back in time, what used to be the Railway Express Agency, which is the equivalent to today's UPS service. The trip ends with an informational show-and-tell about the track car and the tools used to fix and work on tracks. Helmke loves showing kids how heavy the tools are and how much effort is needed to use the hand tools for removing spikes and drilling holes into the track. Each piece of equipment is solid iron and extremely heavy. The museum is located in the train depot, which was in built in 1904. The town's first depot was at Seventh Street and Pitkin Avenue, but it was destroyed after the new one was built. “It wasn't as nice as people wanted it to be,” Frontier Museum Director Cindy Hines said. The townspeople felt that since Glenwood was named a tourist destination, visitors needed to be welcomed by a good-looking building. Along with the separated waiting rooms, the depot had baggage handlers and a telegraph messenger. Messages could be sent by passengers to outside people along with the communication to the train operators. Today passengers handle their own luggage, wait in the same area, and send mail via cell phones, computers or other technology. The trains have switched to diesel and are no longer run by steam. Helmke explained that steam engines could blow up easily because of the constant fire under the holding tank full of boiling water. Another aspect of train life in the late 1800s and early 1900s was “The Hoop.” It's essentially exactly how it sounds. Train orders were clipped to it and a worker would hand it over to the operator as the train came by. The operator would drop the hoop down the tracks and the worker would run to get the hoop and use it again later. Preserving the history of Glenwood's trains and railroads is a why visitors to the museum appreciate the value of old towns and today's way of life.

Railroad from New York City To Poconos
July 7, 2009 Examiner Allentown, Pennsylvania
If you're one of the thousands of people waiting for New York City passenger rail service to come to the Poconos, you've heard all about the projected completion dates.

Many of them already have passed.

This one, however, seems a little more optimistic after Monday's announcement that the Scranton-to-Hoboken, N.J., rail project in the works for more then a decade has received special federal designation allowing it to move forward.

The Environmental Protection Agency has declared a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the entire project, meaning the rail line — after a 30-day public comment period — can move to secure funding for the engineering and construction phases.
Pennsylvania's two Democratic senators, Arlen Specter and Bob Casey Jr., made the announcement Monday in Pittston Township.

"This railroad is really about the future," but this is going to bring jobs and commerce and the future to northeast Pennsylvania."

The $550 million project, “I.E Wow I wonder where the $550 million project will come from….will the tax payer’s cover this cost?

The Rail will include stops in the Poconos; the estimated time of completion is four to five years, according to Larry Malski, chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.

The Scranton-Hoboken line has five proposed Monroe County stops in Delaware Water Gap, East Stroudsburg, Analomink, Mount Pocono and Tobyhanna.

Officials from Monroe and Lackawanna counties, as well as New Jersey, have been trying for more than two years to secure the EPA's designation.
Now that the project has the EPA's approval, it must find funding. Malski said the entire $550 million isn't needed immediately, that the project still will be completed in phases. In 2013 or 2014 it can be finished.

Vermont Amtrak Disaster of 1984
Marselis Parsons
July 7, 2009 WCAX News Williston, Vermont

This is the 25th anniversary of one of the worst transportation disasters in Vermont.

A heavy downpour overwhelmed a beaver dam in Williston and a torrent of water washed away a section of roadbed on the Central Vermont rail line.

The engineer of the Amtrak Montrealer-- speeding north with 278 people on board-- had no warning.

As the train passed over the culvert it gave way and the back of the train tumbled down the embankment.

Reporter Michael Gilhooly and photographer Paul Gittelsohn were among the first on the scene. We talked to Gittelsohn at his company Videosyncracies.

Gittelsohn: Well it was the most carnage I'd ever seen in my life. I didn't see any dead bodies but there were trains piled up on top of each other... people covered with blood... it was a very dramatic scene.

Marselis Parsons: Confusion?

Gittelsohn: Yes, we didn't know if things might shift. It had rained heavily the night before it washed out the culvert and, you know, there are cars on top of each other, and there's people up on the hill with blood and there's ambulances... It was quite a scene.

We were there pretty early... I dunno... maybe 7:30, something like that and I remember staying until probably near noon getting all the original footage including the aerial footage from the National Guard helicopter which took me up for ten or fifteen minutes and circled around a couple of times.

Parsons: Michael is doing a report there but you both put the gear down and helped in the rescue effort.

Gittelsohn: A little bit, it wasn't quite as grandiose as it sounds. There was somebody on a stretcher and it looked like they were struggling over boulders and tracks and stuff like that so I put it down and helped them for 20-30 feet, but then grabbed my camera getting different angles.

Parsons: What were you thinking about in something like that? Were you thinking my God, there are a lot of dead people here? Or are you thinking I've got to get good pictures?

Gittelsohn: Good pictures, a variety of shots. I wanted every angle. I was glad to get up in the helicopter... I just wanted a variety.

Parsons: (pointing at video) Some of these people look like they were pretty badly hurt.
Gittelsohn: They were the lucky ones."

Five people were not so lucky. They were killed in the crash. More than 150 were injured.

Washington Train Crash Prompts Safety Warning
by Matthew l. Wald
July 13, 2009 New York Times New York, New York

WASHINGTON — A single broken part probably caused last month’s deadly train crash here, the National Transportation Safety Board hinted Monday, as it issued an urgent recommendation to local and federal authorities to evaluate similar systems around the country for “adequate safety redundancy.”

The board is months away from completing its investigation, but it has said that a circuit failure in the spot where a subway train smashed into a stopped train ahead of it on June 22, killing nine people, had caused trains to intermittently become invisible to the control system.

The train that was struck had stopped near the above-ground Fort Totten station in Northeast Washington, on the Metro Red Line, and had apparently disappeared from that control system.

The Washington Metro, which opened in 1976, is largely automatic, with a central computer telling trains when to start and stop. The June 22rd accident occurred after the control system directed a train to accelerate into the rear of the stopped train.

The impact was compounded by the cars that made up the moving train, which were an older model that the federal safety board determined after an earlier accident was not crash-worthy. In addition to the nine people who died in last month’s crash, including the train operator, about 52 people were taken to hospitals.

“The accident has shown that the train control system is susceptible to a single point failure,” the board said in a letter on Monday to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

The board sent a similar letter to the Federal Transit Administration, urging that the agency tell rail transit operators around the country to evaluate their systems.

This was in marked contrast to statements by Metro experts shortly after the collision, when they said they did not understand how such an accident could have occurred because it would have required multiple system failures.

The equipment that failed had been replaced five days before the crash. After the crash, investigators said they had found data that showed “errors in train detection for several days before the accident.”

After the crash, system managers said they would check daily for anomalies in which trains seemed to disappear, but the board’s letter said that software or new circuitry should be developed “to continuously evaluate the validity of real-time track occupancy data.”

While Metro seemed ignorant of the detection problem before the crash, The Washington Post reported on July 7 that Bay Area Rapid Transit system officials in San Francisco had recognized such a malfunction, and had installed a backup system. Bart and Metro were developed about the same time and use similar technology.

North Shore train enthusiasts have model club in Wakefield

Wakefield - Hidden in the expansive basement of Brothers Restaurant on Main Street is a treasure that has had perhaps more visitors from around the country than from around Wakefield — The North Shore Model Railroad Club, featuring a magnificent display of meticulously built models of the 1950s Chesapeake Railroad System.

Containing about 1,500 to-scale model freight cars, more than 100 passengers cars, hundreds of ’50s automobiles and trucks, buildings and scenery, this is definitely not child’s play.

In the 45- by 90-foot basement there are nearly nine miles of intricate, hand-painted buildings and scenery that appears so real when photographed it looks like the outdoors. Yet, with all the miles of wiring, 134 siding switches, hand-place ties, tracks and lighting, it has taken club volunteers nearly 30 years to build, and it is still a work-in-progress. One of the most impressive buildings is a large white hotel, a replica of the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, formerly owned by the Chesapeake railroad, which ran between Virginia and West Virginia.

All of the trains on the line are functional, and it takes about 20 minutes for any train to complete the run. Of the nine clubs in Massachusetts, Wakefield’s North Shore Club is the largest and one of the largest in New England.

Featured on the June 2009 cover of Scale Rails, the official publication of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), club member Malcolm Laughlin of Belmont wrote an eight-page feature on the club that reads like an article for an engineering journal. From the National Convention of the NMRA held in Hartford, Conn. this past week, three busloads of members came to visit the impressive layout designed by the North Shore Model Railroad Club and some were thrilled to have the opportunity to operate the system. They ran seven trains with about 15 to 20 cars per train for their guests. The North Shore Club served as the National Convention’s Layout Tour Host. They’ve also had tour groups from England, Scotland and Australia.

“Our club features mostly freight trains, and clubs from Europe, Canada and Australia and around the world are fascinated with the U.S. railroad system and model their clubs after our systems,” said Wayne Slayton of Woburn, who grew up in Wakefield and serves as one of the club’s tour guides. Slayton now has a section of the model named for him as one of the original members. He served as an equipment operator and brakeman for a number of railroads, including Boston & Maine, Amtrak, MBTA and others, following in his father’s footsteps.
Many of the club’s 64 members are former railroad workers and managers and train lovers from childhood. They live in various towns throughout the state. But, they all have three things in common: they have a passion for trains; they show great attention to detail; and they are all men, ranging in age from 23 to nearly 80.

The club began in 1977 with eight members meeting in homes and starting with a train layout donated by someone who was moving across the country. They moved to the Brothers Restaurant basement in 1979 and began designing the layout, with actual construction beginning in 1980. Some of the towns in the model are named after actual towns on the railroad line and some are named after longtime members.

Each member goes through a probationary period of about three months and then is given a key to the building. Everyone must sign up for a committee and perform tasks. Committees are representative of a real railroad company: operations, scheduling, and maintenance; and there are committees for construction and painting. Five of the members work on sophisticated electrical wiring. A chief dispatcher controls the operations and assigns crews to trains. It takes a minimum of four men to operate the system for demonstrations and many more for the complete operation.

John Burroughs of Waltham, past president and club official, said members pay only $20 per month in dues. The only other money raised is through donations and their large annual Open House and Dealer Train Show, to be held on Oct. 17 at the American Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $3 per person, including entrance to the club’s model railroad.

The club also buys and sells models and hosts a “white elephant” table. The club offers monthly tours for the public and special tours for scouts and schools at no charge.

Burroughs, who owns a company that manufactures train car boxes, explains that Malcolm Laughlin’s job as the club’s operations manager is to make up a “waybill,” or identifier ticket, for each freight car and assign schedules. Each car is assigned a unique number. (Laughlin is the former manager of car distribution systems for the New York Central Railroad, now known as SCX.) There are also schedule cards showing the sequence of events for each train.

The men meet on Thursday evenings as a group to work on operations and layouts and monthly they hold a business meeting, which includes committee reports.

“We are a casual club and we’ve become good friends. Some of us even travel together around the country on trains,” said Burroughs. “We have the responsibility of re-enacting railroad operations as they were 50 years ago. We are loosely based on the Chesapeake system, with steel mills and coals trains.”

Jeff Brown of Ashland has been in the club for 16 years and he said, “there is always something new here. It takes a lot of time and patience, but we all have a passion for trains.”

The members never cease to admire the work that has already been accomplished, and they are excited to be working on additions and modifications to the layout.

The detail in the village scenes are extraordinary and exact in replicating the 50s with authentic billboards, a cat in the rubbish, a woman watering plants in a top-floor window box, a wedding at the church, women at a gift shop, parking meters and drunks on the street. Three hours in this room is not enough time to view every detail. For instance, some of the trucks dump coal into the trains, and one train stops and drops express mail into another train.

With about 1.5 million trains in the 1950s in the U.S., club officials estimate the North Shore Railroad Club has about one-tenth of one percent of all the trains in the U.S. at the time.

The club has free parking in the lot off of Princess Street. It is open to visitors the first Saturday of each month (or the second Saturday when the month starts on a Friday or Saturday) from 1-5 p.m., at no charge. Clubs and groups may schedule special tours by calling 781-245-4742. There is no charge for group tours and a fare box is available by the door for donations. Visit their web site at http://www.nsmrc.org/.

Attention all

2009-07-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

To all members you will want to be at this next business meeting it will be one to never forget

op session

2009-07-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is the month op session 1230 to 1700

Matt

2009-05-29T04:35:00.000-07:00

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Note from The President
Well another month has gone by again. Means we're getting closer to open house.

I would like to thank everyone that is trying to find out more ways to raise funds for the club. More ideas to get the funds up and word of the club out is great thing. Keep up the good work.

Everything seems to be running great and progressing in great speed. Great work to all of
you.

That's all I have to say for this month.

Happy modeling and railroading to all
Adam

Mail vs E-mail
With the cost of postage going up 2 cents on the 11th of May, I would like to make a plea to all the snail-mailers that if you can get an e-mail account, it would definitely help the club. Right now it costs roughly $250.00 per year for postage, ink, and paper to get the snail mail editions out. If any of you can get the newsletter emailed to you, it would cut down on these costs.

Jeff

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian
The cataloging and arranging of the books and magazines continues.

If anyone has any news that they would like to share with the other members, whether it is club news, or news on your home layout, please send it on to me, pictures are welcome too. I will make sure it gets included.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts.

O gauge Hi-Rail Division
Gary Burlingame
Well work is almost done in the workroom. Paint booth done and in use. Shelves done (and about full) Track about 50% laid.

Comment was made about some pictures. We have only one member with a digital camera and he’s been out with health problems . Last week (21st) an HO member came up and we talked about this, and he said he had his camera so he took some. So Elmer we got pictures. Please give him credit for them.

Assumptions
Bill Deeter

The other night some of us were talking, and something I said about how to operate a train brought a “Hmmm I didn’t know that” from a couple people. So somehow I will try to put to paper, some of the stuff that I assume everybody knows. I’m not exactly sure where to start but we will give it a try.

I assumed everyone knew that when you pick up your train in staging that you take a minute to check all of your cards match the cars in the train and the caboose as well. What would happen in the real world is the conductor would walk the train and check he has the right paperwork and then on his way back he would check the brakes have released. It also takes a bit of time for the train to get the air pumped up. So what this means for our layout. When you start a train anywhere check that the cards are right and that you have a caboose card. If you’re in a yard and things are not correct call the Yardmaster. If you are in a yard without a Yardmaster call the Dispatcher for instructions and help figuring out why the cards do not match.

I assumed everybody could look at a siding and see how many cars can be loaded or unloaded but maybe not. Pennsboro Power has two unloading tracks; each can only handle 5 cars. They will each hold 6 or 7 but they can’t all be unloaded. Continuing the 5 car theme most of the coal on the layout operates in 5 car blocks because Smith Mining only can load 5 cars per track.

There are many other things like this. So the real point of this is, sometimes I forget to explain certain things. So never be afraid to ask if you want to understand something.

Please join the clubs yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmrc/

It will make a great way to share info and have conversation through out the week and allow everybody to be a part of it. Who knows it may even help with those assumptions!

HO Layout Report
Bill Deeter

Progress is continuing to happen all around the layout. Elmer is expanding the signal and switch crew. Bob and Pike have been hard at work learning the ropes. They are working on both ends of the signaled territory, on the east Parkersburg throat and on the west end West Junction. I can see the main line completely signaled soon. Pretty cool!

Pat has a track plan for Kaiser Aluminum and he has also been working in the shop area with some help from John S. It is really looking good. It will have an extended test track as well as a programming track.

Work on the Wieland valley, Mead Paper, Ray and Moonville continues and much more. Mary has been making some trees so if you need some for where you are working help yourself.

The operating sessions continue. We ran a full session on May 17th with about 17 people present. I think all went well. I was in Parkersburg Yard and really concentrating on it so I didn’t notice much else. Matt did the dispatching chores. Ed had some electrical difficulties in Wieland but hopefully we can get that sorted out by next session.

We could not have been ready for this session if it weren’t for the hard work of Jeff and Pete. They are learning how to stage and did a great job. Jeff is working on the main line staging for Grafton and Cincinnati while Pete set up the Ohio River Sub at Wheeling and Huntington.

The next OPS Session will be Sunday June 21st., hope you can make it. If you would like to help with the staging it would be greatly appreciated. See Jeff, Pete or me. The more people helping the faster it goes.

Important message from the Assistant Treasurer
May 7, 2009

As most of you know, I am the new Assistant Treasurer for the train Club. Bill Shehan recently decided he needed help with the job and I volunteered. Bill will remain as the Treasurer ‘of record’ but I will be doing the day to day grunt work of handling all the receipts, writing all the checks, picking up the mail at the post office and some of the other duties that Bill performed. Bill will continue to handle membership, sit at the head table at the Club meeting with the ‘big wigs’, and give the Treasurer’s Report which I will prepare.

First of all, I believe Bill has done a great job of handling the financial records of the Club. We all should appreciate the work he has been doing for the past couple of years. I do not plan to make any significant changes, but, I thought I would take this opportunity to go over some of the Club procedures, especially in the area of disbursements and also provide insight into other areas. Since the Club has several new members, this message would also serve them well.

Each scale (HO, O, N, and Tinplate) has ‘allocated funds’ which were approved at the January 2009 Club meeting. Funds were also approved for ‘Scenery’ purchases. Each scale has an ‘Approver’ or ‘Lead person’ or ‘Go to person’ or whatever you want to call them, that speaks for or represents that scale. They are:
HO – Bill Deeter
O – Tim Burlingame
N – Louis O’Day
Tinplate – Bill Shehan and/or John Realini.

These people are aware of their scales’ allocated funds. The following steps should be taken for Club purchases and subsequent reimbursement:
Clearance must be obtained from your ‘Approver’ before the purchase is made.
After the purchase is made, a reimbursement request must be completed and given to the ‘Approver’ with receipts attached.
The ‘Approver’ will approve the reimbursement, deduct the amount from that scales’ allotted funds and give to me for reimbursement.
I will write a reimbursement check for the approved amount.

NOTE: Items should not be purchased by a Club member until appropriate permission is obtained

The ‘Approver’ is responsible for ensuring they do not exceed their allocated amount. Reimbursement requests that exceed the allocated amount will not be made.

The Officers and I have had several meetings to discuss an area that has been and continues to be of concern. It involves timely payment of dues. Currently, the Club has about 45 dues paying members. At the current time, 8 of these members are delinquent from one month to 8 months. The Club’s By-Laws require that the Treasurer report to the Board of Directors the names of members who are over 90 days late in payment of their dues. The Board may take such action as deemed appropriate, such as suspension, expulsion, or withdrawal of Club privileges and use of Club property. Payment of Club dues should be a high priority of Club members. Although the Club is not a ‘business’ per se, we do attempt to operate like a business in that plans are made based on anticipated receipt of income. When the dues are not paid on time, plans have to be revised. Most of you pay your dues on time and I applaud you for this. I know times are rough, but if you can not pay your dues in a timely manner, please contact us and we can make some sort of arrangements. The bulletin board always has the latest print-out of members’ dues.

Expenses of the Club continue to grow. In the ‘Old Days’ the Club used kerosene heaters to warm the place and the Club did not have air conditioning. Many Wednesday evenings in July and August members would show up to work on the layouts only to be sent home because it was simply too hot or too humid. Also, in the ‘Old Days’, kerosene used in the heaters during the winter was very reasonable. Just light a couple heaters and the members would be kept from freezing. Now, we have two large propane heaters and several air conditioners and this adds a significant amount of overhead to the Club. During the period January – April we have spent almost $1,600 for propane and electricity. Purchases for the propane heaters will naturally let up until fall, but the electricity usage will increase significantly for the summer. A couple of years ago, we increased dues to $80 per year to help cover this and operating costs in general, but we need to do more to control costs. If you are the last to leave the Club, be sure the heaters/air conditioners are turned off. We don’t want to cool/heat the Club with no one present. We have had incidences of the heating/air conditioning being left on which means we are wasting money to heat/cool when no one is at the Club. It is up to all of us to watch our costs and economize where we can. The very last thing we want to do is have another dues increase.

I also will be taking over the purchasing of the sodas/water and stocking of the refrigerator. The Club can make a few dollars each month on the sale of sodas/water if all members pay for the items they drink. Recently, I purchased four 12-packs of sodas for $10 from Giant. These drinks could bring in $24, for a profit of $14.00 each time we drink 48 sodas. This won’t exactly make us millionaires, but it all adds up. The Club charges only 50 cents for each drink. If you take a drink, please deposit funds in the container located inside the refrigerator.

In an attempt to bring in cash the Club recently sold aluminum cans and made $6.40. Again, this isn’t much but if we keep it up, it will add up over time. This was suggested by a Club member and it has begun to pay off. At the present time the price for aluminum is probably quite low, but continue to place empty cans in the re-cycle container located at the front entrance and hopefully the price will go back up.

I am trying to think of a way to get on the band wagon and get bail out funds from the Obama administration, but until I can come up with a way we need to watch our costs and be creative about new ways to bring in cash. We are currently exploring several ways of bringing in additional funds. As the ideas come together, we will be asking for everyone’s help in these endeavors. If anyone has any ideas, please let us know.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks for taking time to read this and I am looking forward to handling the financial transactions for the Club.
John Steplowski

Notes about the new Club Web Site
Elmer Mc Kay
If you go to the new web site and into the LAYOUTS section, you will notice that the HO layouts section is more complete that the sections for the other layouts. This is because I have had input and suggestions from the HO group.

To present our best work on the Internet, I need some input from the other Scales. Look through the HO section and see what is there. I am perfectly willing to make the other scales and layouts sections look the same way. For me to do this, I need you to send me the information. If you want the HISTORY of your layout explained on the page, write one and send it to me. If you want to talk about how you OPERATE your layout, write something up and send it to me.

You O Scale guys are going through a building and construction phase right now. Are you taking photos so they can be put on the web site? If not, why not?

I would love to tell the story of your layouts, but I can't make it up, after all, I am a relatively new member and was not here for what has happened and how your layouts have grown and changed

Our web site will be what YOU make it!!!

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum plays host to Steam Days
Railroad Museum marks golden age
by Scottie Vickery, News staff writer
May 01, 2009 The Birmingham News Birmingham, Alabama

Those who miss the golden age of steam locomotives will get a chance to relive the glory days this weekend and next.

The Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera will hold Steam Days on Saturday and Sunday and May 9-10.

The highlight will be six-mile train trips on passenger cars pulled by Flagg Coal No. 75, an operating, coal-fired steam engine on loan to the museum. The rides will be offered six times on each of the four days. Tickets range from $15 to $50.

"This will be the first time since probably the late'40s that a passenger train has been pulled by a steam engine on these tracks," said Barbara Morrow, the corporate secretary for the museum. "This engine has a lot of history."

The 40-ton saddle tank steam locomotive was built in 1930 by Vulcan Iron Works of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. In 1935, it was sold to the Solvay Process Quarry in Jamesville, N.Y., and was used to push carts of rock from the steam shovel to the crusher.

In 1954, it was sold to Stanley Groman of Syracuse, N.Y., who built the Rail City Museum. The engine, along with others, was unloaded on a storage track and remained there untouched for decades.

John and Byron Gramling bought the steam engine in 1991, and the father-son team moved it to their farm shop near Ansley, Ind., and spent 10 years restoring it.

Visitors to the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum may also take a ride on the museum's Shelby and Southern narrow-gauge steam engine, which formerly was at The Birmingham Zoo. The train runs about every 15 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets for the Shelby and Southern are $4.

"People will have a chance to ride two steam engines in one day," Morrow said. "There are a lot of railroad buffs who love steam engines."

E-mail: svickery@bhamnews.com

Unattended CSX locomotive derails
May 2, 2009 The Northern Virginia Daily Strasburg, Virginia

WINCHESTER -- An unattended locomotive derailed from its track Friday afternoon and cleanup efforts were expected to last well into the evening, according to a press release from city officials.
The derailment occurred around 3:39 p.m. between the buildings at 126 N. Kent St. and 231 E. Piccadilly St., the release says. The CSX locomotive "suffered a tear, causing a leak in diesel fuel," it says.

Winchester fire and rescue personnel arrived on the scene shortly after the incident occurred, and secured the locomotive and began channeling the fuel. City public works personnel arrived on the scene at about 4:50 p.m. to help dig a reservoir for the fuel, so it could then be pumped off of the ground, the release says.

Officials from CSX were at the scene, the release says, and the reason for the locomotive's movement and derailment was still unknown.

As of 6:30 p.m., Winchester police were diverting traffic from North Kent Street to East Lane, it says, though North Kent Street was expected to be open to traffic "in the coming hours."

Railroad Museum donates Soo locomotive to city
by Amie Jo Schaenzer
May 8, 2009 The Oshkosh Northwestern Oshkosk, Wisconsin

A locomotive that once ran through Oshkosh could be on track to return — this time for good. The National Railroad Museum in Green Bay has offered to donate a 1963 GP-30 Diesel Locomotive to the city for the purpose of displaying in Oshkosh.

The locomotive once ran on the Soo Line Railroad, which passed through the city up until the 1960s.“It’s in good shape and really doesn’t require a lot of work to make it shiny and new-looking, again,” said Mike Tellzrow, executive director of the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay. “We put it up for public sale but were not able to sell it. The ultimate option would have been destruction of the locomotive so we are very happy that the city has an interest in it.”The railroad museum was asking $20,000 for the locomotive, which is basically a “shell” without an engine. Tellzrow said he offered to donate the locomotive to the city when Mayor Paul Esslinger called to show interest in it. Esslinger has placed a resolution on the Oshkosh Common Council’s agenda for Tuesday, asking the city to accept the donation.
“It used to come though Oshkosh and I thought it would be neat to have some of that history back here,” Esslinger said.

Woman sentenced to probation in railroad theft
Associated Press
May 8, 2009 The Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A woman caught trying to sell a ton of stolen railroad parts to a salvage yard in the Mississippi River city of Alton has been sentenced to two years of probation. Thirty-seven-year-old Pamela Wright of Alton pleaded guilty last month in Madison County to a felony theft count. Prosecutors charged her last August after investigators say she pilfered 2,000 pounds of railroad parts from along a set of tracks in Granite City. When she tried to sell the Norfolk Southern Corp. parts to a salvage yard, that business told police and Wright was arrested. Investigators say the parts included bags containing hundreds of rail anchors, tie plates and spikes.

Model Railroad Club A Big Hit
by Jane Aldrich
May 8, 2009 www.wlns.com Lansing, Michigan

There was a time when almost every little boy had a model train set. The hobby of model railroading may not be as popular to young people now, but for those still riding the rails in miniature, it's big fun. It's a permanent, large scale model railroad track that is complete with cityscapes, outdoor scenes and even remote controls.

Ron St. Laurent, Lansing Model Railroad Club Treasurer: "A model in the '50s wouldn't even compare to what we're running here."

Yes, things have changed a lot through the years for model railroaders as they're called.

Terry Friar, Lansing Model Railroad Club Secretary: "A lot of the small electronics you see in an iPod have really accelerated the whole hobby." It's called a hobby, but members of the Lansing Model Railroad Club take this fun very seriously.

Michael Frezell, Lansing Model Railroad Club President: "It's a very in-depth hobby, people learn about electronics, construction work and very fine detail work."

Terry Friar: "To make it more lifelike, that's what everyone's trying to do."

The Lansing Model Railroad Club has been around since 1963. They have about 800 square feet they work on. 35 members gather once a week to run their trains, enjoy each other and get away from the real world.

Michael Frezell: "t's a great stress relief too. Come in here after a long day or work and then come in here and leave the whole world behind you."

Sounds like a simple way to get back on track when life gets too complicated. If you'd like to learn more about the model railroad club, call 517-347-1831.

Ignoring Railroad Safety Could Cost You
by Israel Balderas
May 12, 2009 KFOX Morning News

A police officer on his motorcycle sits on his idling bike, waiting at a stop light intersection. He waits for the red flashing lights to go off, ready to catch a would-be law breaker. But the lights he focuses on are not those of the closest traffic signal, but rather the red lights that indicate a train approaches. His job is to pull over any hurried drivers who don't wait for the train to pass.

Most drivers see a railroad crossing sign as just another standing post. But those safety signs are there to warn drivers that vehicles can move along only when the tracks are clear. The problem is that rushed drivers often ignore them without much thought. But doing so around town may result in getting pulled over and seeing another kind of flashing lights -- those of police officers.

The El Paso Police Department and public safety officers with Union Pacific work together to remind drivers of the need to obey railroad safety signals. If their own bodily integrity doesn't persuade them to wait, police officers believe traffic tickets and a hefty fine may do the trick. "Unfortunately, all to frequent, one of the reasons why we are out here today is try to promote public safety and good motorist behavior at crossings," said Jay Holman, senior special agent for Union Pacific.

Motorists are urged to obey the law and obey the signs and signals that warn of approaching trains. Just remember -- look, listen and live. These are three simple words that can go a long way to keeping drivers safe and going. "A lot of times, there's always somebody that has the intent to beat the train," said Holman. A lot of times it’s mostly inattention. According to the public officials with Union Pacific, people get focused on day to day errands and then they put themselves in harms way for that quarter second or half second to get across the train tracks.

"We just want drives to take an extra second to think about their safety," said Holman.

Steam locomotives celebrated at new Museum of the Shenandoah Valley exhibit
May 16, 2009 www.shenandoahvalley.com

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester has announced a new exhibit, set to open on May 29 in its Changing Exhibition Gallery. "Life Along the Line: Railroad Photography by O. Winston Link," is a collection of historic photographs that recall a time when the sight and sounds of the steam locomotive ruled the land and touched the lives of countless people in many different ways.

“The Norfolk & Western Railroad was the last Class One railroad in America to operate exclusively with steam power,” says Julie Armel, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. “So when you think of the steam locomotive, that's truly what it is. The big locomotive with the billows of steam coming out of it.”

Between 1955 and 1960, photographer O. Winston Link created images that documented how people lived along and interacted with the Norfolk & Western Railway, the last Class 1 railroad in America to operate exclusively with steam power. This exhibit includes more than 30 photos that capture life along the Norfolk & Western Railroad from 1955-1960, at the tail-end of the heyday of the steam locomotive.

“They are just amazing pictures. Link was very well known for the photographs that he took at night. There are some fantastic shots -- some in the Valley, some in other parts of Virginia. Anyone who is interested in photography, trains, or that time period in America might be very happy to see this exhibit,” Armel says. Many of the photos are on display to the public for the first time.

Today Link’s work is hailed as one of the best records of this long-vanished way of life, and the haunting images he took at night have become especially acclaimed.

Armel says there are some wonderful pictures of Americana and amazing technical work. She describes one photograph of Link and an assistant that shows all of the flash bulbs that they had to use to take the nighttime photographs.“You see a train at night in the background, and in the foreground there's a classic 1950s-era car and a couple at a drive-in movie theater. Or there's a wonderful picture of a family playing in the water at Hawksbill Creek in Luray with a Norfolk & Western on a bridge going over the creek.”Life Along the Line will remain on view in the Changing Exhibition Gallery through August 2, 2009.
Admission to the museum is free to MSV members, otherwise regular gallery admission rates apply. Armel noted that the museum staff will assist people who may have limited time schedules and may not be able to see all that the museum has to offer. For example, the museum staff may suggest a tour itinerary that only includes the museum galleries or the gardens, or just a house tour and the gardens. The museum is open year-round, and the house and gardens are open March through November. All are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday; closed Mondays and major holidays.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Virginia is for Lovers slogan, the museum is offering a special until the end of 2009: For every three tickets the visitor purchases, the fourth is free. Admission is always free to the museum galleries Wednesday mornings from 10 a.m. until noon. For more information, visit the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley online, at www.ShenandoahMuseum.org.

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

Cancel your credit card before you die

Now some people are really stupid!!!! Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die. This is so priceless, and so, so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.

A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the exchange :

Family Member: 'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'

Citibank: 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been.'

Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'

Citibank: 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'

Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'

Citibank: 'Excuse me?'

Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'

Citibank: 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'

Supervisor gets on the phone:

Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'

Citibank: 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'

Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'

Citibank: (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'

Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)

Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'

Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given )

After they get the fax :

Citibank: 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help..'

Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'

Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.' (What is wrong with these people?!?)

Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'

Citibank: 'That might help...'Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'

Citibank: 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'

Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

(Priceless!!) You wondered why Citi is going broke and need the feds to bail them out!!

Texas Ingenuity
I have a friend who is president of his homeowners association in the Dallas, Texas suburbs. They were having a terrible problem with litter near some of his association’s homes. The reason according to Wallace (my friend) is that six very large, luxurious new houses are being built right next to their community.

The trash was coming from the Mexican laborers working at the construction sites and included bags from McDonald’s, Burger King and 7-11, plus coffee cups, napkins, cigarette butts, coke cans, empty bottles, etc. He went to see the site supervisor and even the general contractor, politely urging them to get their workers not to litter the neighborhood, to no avail. He called the city, county, and police and got no help there either.So here’s what his community did. They organized about twenty folks, named themselves the "Inner Neighborhood Services” group, and arranged to go out at lunch time and “police" the trash themselves. It is what they did while picking up the trash that is so hilarious. They bought navy blue baseball caps and had the initials "INS" embroidered in gold on the caps. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what they hoped people might mistakenly think the letters really stand for.After the Inner Neighborhood Services group's first lunch time pickup detail, with all of them wearing their caps and some carrying cameras, 46 out of the total of 68 construction workers did not show up for work the next morning -- and haven't come back yet. It has been ten days now.

The General Contractor, I'm told, is madder than hell, but can’t say anything publicly because he could be busted for hiring illegal aliens. Wallace and his bunch can't be accused of impersonating federal personnel, because they have the official name of the group recorded in their homeowner association minutes along with a notation about the vote to approve formation of the new subcommittee -- and besides, they informed the INS in advance of their plans and according to Wallace, the INS said basically, "Have at it!"
SO, FOLKS, I THINK YOU COULD SAY THAT TEXAS INGENUITY TRIUMPHS AGAIN!

40 Things You Will Never Hear A Redneck Say

40. Oh I just couldn't. Heck, she's only sixteen.

39. I'll take Shakespeare for 1000, Alex.

38. Duct tape won't fix that.

37. Lisa Marie was lucky to catch Michael.

36. Come to think of it, I'll have a Heineken.

35. We don't keep firearms in this house.

34. Has anybody seen the sideburns trimmer?

33. You can't feed that to the dog.

32. I thought Graceland was tacky.

31. No kids in the back of the pickup, it's just not safe.

30. Wrasslin's fake.

29. Honey, did you mail that donation to Greenpeace?

28. We're vegetarians.

27. Do you think my gut is too big?

26. I'll have grapefruit and grapes instead of biscuits and gravy.

25. Honey, we don't need another dog.

24. Who's Richard Petty?

23. Give me the small bag of pork rinds.

22. Too many deer heads detract from the decor.

21. Spittin is such a nasty habit.

20. I just couldn't find a thing at Walmart today.

19. Trim the fat off that steak.

18. Cappuccino tastes better than espresso.

17. The tires on that truck are too big.

16. I'll have the arugula and radicchio salad.

15. I've got it all on the C drive.

14. Unsweetened tea tastes better.

13. Would you like your salmon poached or broiled?

12. My fiance, Bobbie Jo, is registered at Tiffany's.

11. I've got two cases of Zima for the Super Bowl.

10. Little Debbie snack cakes have too many fat grams.

9. Checkmate.

8. She's too young to be wearing a bikini.

7. Does the salad bar have bean sprouts?

6. Hey, here's an episode of "Hee Haw" that we haven't seen.

5. I don't have a favorite college team.

4. Be sure to bring my salad dressing on the side.

3. I believe you cooked those green beans too long.

2. Those shorts ought to be a little longer, Darla.

1. Nope, no more for me. I'm drivin’ tonight.

You think you were having a bad day?????

A short guy is sitting at a bar just staring at his drink for half an hour when this big trouble-making biker steps next to him, grabs his drink, gulps it down in one swig and then turns to the guy with a menacing stare as if to say, 'What'cha gonna do about it?"

The poor little guy starts crying.

"Come on man, I was just giving you a hard time," the biker says. "I didn't think you'd CRY. I can't stand to see a man crying."

"This is the worst day of my life," says the little guy between sobs. "I can't do anything right. I overslept and was late to an important meeting, so my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car was stolen and I don't have any insurance. I left my wallet in the cab I took home." He continues crying even harder.

"Then I found my wife in bed with the gardener and my dog bit me. So, I came to this bar trying to work up the courage to put an end to my life, and then you show up and drink the damn poison."

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

National Collectors Club Train Show – July 12, 2009, Wayne P.A.L. Hall, Wayne NJ. All Gauges from Z to O, Hess Trucks, Die Cast, Test Track, Train Doctor, FREE parking. 9am-2pm. $5.00, Children under 10 Free with parent. For info: John @ 732-845-5966. Future show dates for 2009, Nov 8, Dec 27.

National Collectors Club Train Show – July 19, 2009, Brick Elks Lodge, Brick NJ. All Gauges from Z to O, Hess Trucks, Die Cast, Test Track, Train Doctor, FREE parking. 9am-2pm. $5.00, Children under 10 Free with parent. For info: John @ 732-845-5966. Future show dates for 2009, Nov 1, and Jan 3, 2010.

Great Scale Model Train Show – June 27-28, 2009, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. All scales Z to G, Large White Elephant sales area, FREE train movies, Free parking. Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Adults $9.00, Children under 15, free. For info: Howard @ 410-730-1036 or email at: hzane1@comcast.net.

Tidewater Division Model Railroaders 2009 Model Train Show & Sale - September 19-20, 2009, Virginia Beach Convention Center. 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach VA. Operation layouts, Train Doctor, Test Track, Train Sets, Scenery Supplies, BSA Merit Badge for Railroading, Memorabilia, White Elephant tables. $7.00, children under 12 free with parent, Scouts in uniform with Scout Leaders in uniform admitted FREE. For info: 757-426-2811 or email atnawneycreek@msn.com.

2009-04-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Delmarva Timetable

Website: http://delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org

News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
May 2009

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Note from The President

Well another month has past. I've noticed that a lot of progress has happened with all the layouts.

I did get an email about the heater being left on again. Now that summer is almost here we will be running the AC units. All I'm asking to remember to turn off everything when every one leaves the club. We don't need to spend the extra money we don't have.

There isn't anything new else to say for this month.

Happy Railroading

ADAM

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian

The cataloging and arranging of the books and magazines continues.

If anyone has any news that they would like to share with the other members, whether it is club news, or news on your home layout, please send it on to me, pictures are welcome too. I will make sure it gets included.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts

O gauge Hi-Rail Division
Gary Burlingame
Well we just about got the workroom finished.

Thursday I will get the air manifold mounted this will give you 1 high pressure outlet and 1 regulated outlet. I have a plug on the low pressure side so you could have 2 quick disconnects, if you want. The vent fans work off the bottom switch of the paint booth. This will save you from bending down and using the fan switches, just set em and forget em.

Then we'll start moving stuff back onto the shelves, probably will not get finished this week. But it's better than it was.

Ops Session and HO Layout Report
By Bill Deeter

We had our first session for 2009 on April. 19. There were 19 people in attendance. For the first session of the year everything went very well. We had a few electrical issues in Parkersburg and some confusion on power set up on the old section of the OR Sub and Wieland but that should be all sorted out for next session.

We ran 15 trains on the mains and another 10 + or so elsewhere. Traffic is still a bit out of balance but not that bad over all.

We also seemed to have a shortage of throttles as well as radios. It looks like we need 12 to 15 throttles, as that should get most everything that needs to move at one time, moving.

At the next HO meeting we need to figure out what our purchase priorities for the year will be.
Do we want to buy some throttles and radios or suggest operators get their own?
What projects will take Priority?

I also want to thank Curtis for donating the tortoise switch machines, as they were something we were in need of.

When working your trains please be sure to check your car cards and match them to the cars. Do not take a car out of a yard without a car card. As we were staging we found cars with no cards and cards with no cars. Also all the caboose’ have car cards.

Updates – Pat is working Kaiser Aluminum in Ravenswood on the second level. At this time, he is researching the plant and coming up with a plan. Work continues on Mead Paper, and Charlie has managed to work in the Scioto Oil building, complete with the buffalo on the roof! Pike has been busy with the landscape below Weiland. Signal switch wiring and turnouts are mostly wired in Moonville. Elmer has been working with Bob and Pike on that project. Andrew has expressed an interest in Sporn Power and has also been working on the spray booth area. Work continues on the area near Ray by John and Bill. Other scenery work continues around the layout, along with the continuing track maintenance and wiring. The Mayor of Weiland, Ed, has helped the Weiland and Port Charles RR acquire a locomotive, and designed a special paint scheme for the W&PC RR! It is an MP15 locomotive; and works hard to climb the grade up to the limestone quarry.

We need to start thinking about the industrial part of the yard in Parkersburg, so that building can continue. All suggestions and plans are welcome; but we need to vote on the best idea before we begin building. Bring any plans or recommendations to the next HO Meeting and we will discuss and vote on the best plan.

Keep in mind that in an industrial area, there must be room to run around and work the industries.

Notes about the new Club Web Site
by Elmer Mc Kay
If you go to the new web site and into the LAYOUTS section, you will notice that the HO layouts section is more complete that the sections for the other layouts. This is because I have had input and suggestions from the HO group.

To present our best work on the Internet, I need some input from the other Scales. Look through the HO section and see what is there. I am perfectly willing to make the other scales and layouts sections look the same way. For me to do this, I need you to send me the information. If you want the HISTORY of your layout explained on the page, write one and send it to me. If you want to talk about how you OPERATE your layout, write something up and send it to me.

You O Scale guys are going through a building and construction phase right now. Are you taking photos so they can be put on the web site? If not, why not?

I would love to tell the story of your layouts, but I can't make it up, after all, I am a relatively new member and was not here for what has happened and how your layouts have grown and changed

Our web site will be what YOU make it!!!

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Amtrak's Sunset Limited may rise again
Support builds for return of Jacksonville-New Orleans route
April 9, 2009 http://www.newsjacksonville.com/ Jacksonville, Florida

The Sunset Limited Amtrak Route from Orlando to New Orleans has been gone since Hurricane Katrina damaged the CSX train tracks in 2005.

But after almost four years of inaction, politicians and various community groups in at least three states have begun advocating for the return of the train route, which runs through Jacksonville.

Supporters of the Sunset say they are optimistic that the new administration will mean Washington is more open. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden were vocal Amtrak supporters in the Senate.

“The political climate seems to be turning in our favor,” said Barbara Tucker, a resident of Hurley, Miss. Tucker is a member of the Sunset Marketing and Revitalization Team, or SMART, a group that formed to advocate for the route’s return. SMART, the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers and the National Association of Rail Passengers are all advocating for the Sunset’s return at the same time as Amtrak has begun conducting a feasibility study.
The damaged tracks have been repaired, and CSX says it has no objections. But low ridership before Katrina hit has Amtrak hesitating. About 81,000 people rode the line in 2005, down from 96,246 in 2004.

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-FL., who chairs a rail subcommittee, has insisted that Amtrak look into re-establishing the route. She inserted a requirement into recent Amtrak legislation that mandated the rail agency do at least that by the summer.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the study into feasibility and cost is under way and will be submitted to Congress by July. A process is also being developed that will seek public feedback, but he couldn’t comment on what that process would be.
Ross Capon, spokesman for the National Association of Rail Passengers, said the Southeast is the only part of the continental United States that lacks an east-west Amtrak line. Several routes run through Florida, but they all go in a north-south direction.

Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton sent a letter to Amtrak asking that the route, which still runs from Los Angeles to New Orleans, be re-extended to help with area tourism.

Stephen Sayles, president of the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, said his group is trying to let people know about the practical impact of having an east-west Amtrak route in the Southeast.
Such a route could keep cars off the road, and give people an alternative when they travel along the Gulf Coast, Sayles said.

Uncertain future for model steam engines
Community Development officials seek more information on model railroad
Patrick Whitehurst, Reporter
April 7, 2009 www.williamsnews.com Williams, Arizona
Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN
Red Lake Junction Railroad operator Robbie Diehl works on one of his miniature steam locomotives. Officials with Coconino County have recently raised concerns over Diehl’s operation, which offers public rides on weekends.

WILLIAMS - The Red Lake Junction Railroad may be in for some rough weather, as Coconino County officials decide how to classify the local attraction. The local model steam engine, which offers free rides to the public each weekend, may be forced to cease its activities should a suitable agreement not be reached between the property owner and development officials. County officials sent a letter to Robbie Diehl, owner and operator of the railroad, March 20 asking that he cease all rides and remove the railroad track from his land. According to the letter, Diehl is currently in violation of zoning ordinance, section 9.1.Coconino County Community Development Assistant Director Sue Pratt said they are hoping to meet with Diehl in early May to talk about the model railroad."Having a hobby railroad on your property is not a problem. Having a public attraction brings it into a different realm," Pratt said. "We need to determine how to classify the use, so that we can determine what steps the property owner needs to take in order to get it in conformance with the zoning. Where they are inviting the public to the property and offering rides, I understand, brings it into a use that's not just a permitted use. It makes it appear to be more of a commercial operation. We need to sit down with the property owners and have them explain it."

Officials notified Diehl of his violation, due to the fact that model railroads are not specifically mentioned as an allowable operation under Zoning Ordinance Section 9.1."If it's not listed it's prohibited," Pratt said. "What we allow people to do, if it's not a listed use, is to come in and explain how it might fit under a different use."A conditional use permit is a possibility, Pratt said, should the two parties reach an agreement on the property's use. Costs for permits vary, with the lowest beginning at $400. Diehl, meanwhile, said he hopes people will visit his Web site at www.redlakerailroad.com and leave comments about his railroad, which he plans to share with both Pratt and Coconino County District 3 Supervisor Matt Ryan.

"If you can go to my Web site and send comments about the railroad, whether you'd like to have the railroad or even comments, if you think it's going to be a problem, of why it would be a problem, I will forward all these e-mails to Matt Ryan and I will forward these e-mails to Sue Pratt to show that there is support in the community for it. If there's no support in the community for it, there's really no use in me pursuing all these other avenues," Diehl said. "I'm more than willing to share my hobby, but it is a hobby and I'm not going to be able to afford to do thousands of dollars in permits to allow the general public to come ride the thing."Diehl added that he believes the model railroad can be a good thing for the community in the Williams area.

"The boy scouts actually have a railroading merit badge and I feel that this would be one of the places where the boy scouts could come and earn their railroading merit badge and learn about railroading," Diehl said. "My daughter's teacher, they're going to start doing railroading, I'm assuming, in May and teach about how the railroad developed the west. I've already invited them, from Heritage Elementary School, to come out and they can ride the train and see the steam engines and all of that, so there are a lot of different directions that you can go with this."

Crawford Co. train show calls up childhood joys
By JAMI KINTON
April 12, 2009 http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/ Mansfield, Ohio

BUCYRUS -- Dennis Chandler's father gave his son a Lionel model train when he was little.

Sixty years and 300 trains later, the Solon man found himself at the Train Show and Swap meet at the Crawford County Fairgrounds on Saturday.

"I've been collecting them all my life," Chandler said. "I've got a train room in my basement that's wallpapered with trains. It's got 1,200 feet of shelving, 300 engines and eight operating trains. I have just about everything, but I always keep looking. You never know what you're gonna find."

Dave Moore, president of the Bucyrus Model Railroad Association, said the event included 115 tables and 30 dealers from all over Ohio and Michigan.

"People come out to buy, trade, swap and bargain," Moore said. "This is our big fundraiser for the year. It helps pay our bills and utilities."

Trains of all scales, plus videos, books and scenery pieces were on tables throughout the Youth Hall.
Wearing a white train sweatshirt, Sharon Couvion traveled two hours from Beavercreek for the show.

"I've been doing this stuff since I was a little kid," she said. "It's an interest between me and several friends."
Couvion said she grew up near railroad tracks on the east end of Dayton.

"My dad would walk me down to the tracks, and I always thought they were so neat," she said. "I liked the passenger cars. I enjoyed seeing all the people and I always wanted to travel."

Couvion said she has a train set up in her house.

"It's just not as big as the one I had as a child," she said with a laugh. "I live in a condominium now."

Scott Love, of Delaware, Ohio, attended as a seller.

"I'm selling some of my stuff and my brother's stuff," he said. "He got me interested when I was little. I think my favorite part of these shows is just meeting all the people."

Seated next to him, wearing a striped conductor's cap, was his 9-year-old son Bryce.

"I like playing with trains," Bryce said as he munched on a handful of pretzels. "I also like to spend time with my dad. Sometimes I walk around or I help him sell. It's fun."

jkinton@nncogannett.com

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

We Tried
A 75 year old man went to his doctor's office to get a sperm count.

The doctor gave the man a jar and said, "Take this jar home and bring me back a semen sample, tomorrow.

The next day the 75 year old man reappeared at the doctor's office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day.

The doctor asked what happened and the man explained, "Well, doc, it's like this--First I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then her left, still nothing. She even tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing. We even called up Earleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit!! She even tried squeez'n it between her knees, but still nothing.

The doctor was shocked! 'You asked your neighbor?'

The old man replied, "Yep, but no matter what we tried we still couldn't get that damned jar open".

Beware Home Depot
A heads up' for those men who may be regular Home Depot customers. This one caught me by surprise.

Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.

Here’s how the scam works:

Two seriously good-looking 21-22 year old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the trunk. They both start wiping your
windshield with a rag and Windex With their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy t-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to McDonald's.

You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way, they start undressing . Then one of them climbs over, onto the front seat and starts crawling all over you, then, the other one of them steals your wallet.

I had my wallet stolen October 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th & 29th. Also Nov 1st, 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, three times last Saturday and very likely again this upcoming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Wal-Mart has wallets on sale 2.99 each

Irish Golfer
A golfer playing in Ireland hooked his drive into the woods. Looking for his ball, he found a little Leprechaun flat on his back, a big bump on his head and the golfer's ball beside him. Horrified, the golfer got his water bottle from the cart and poured it over the little guy, reviving him.

'Arrgh! What happened?' the Leprechaun asked.

'I'm afraid I hit you with my golf ball,' the golfer says.

'Oh, I see.. Well, ye got me fair and square. Ye get three wishes, so whaddya want?' '

Thank God, you're all right!' the golfer answers in relief. 'I don't want anything, I'm just glad you're OK, and I apologize.' And the golfer walks off.

'What a nice guy,' the Leprechaun says to himself. I have to do something for him. I'll give him the three things I would want... a great golf game, all the money he ever needs, and a fantastic sex life.'

A year goes by and the golfer is back. On the same hole, he again hits a bad drive into the woods and the Leprechaun is there waiting for him. 'Twas me that made ye hit the ball here,' the little guy says. 'I just want to ask ye, how's yer golf game?'

'My game is fantastic!' the golfer answers. I'm an internationally famous golfer now.' He adds, 'By the way, it's good to see you're all right.'

'Oh, I'm fine now, thankye. I did that fer yer golf game, you know. And tell me, how's yer money situation?' '

Why, it's just wonderful!' the golfer states. 'When I need cash, I just reach in my pocket and pull out $100.00 bills I didn't even know were there!'

'I did that fer ye also.' And tell me, how's yer sex life?'

The golfer blushes, turns his head away in embarrassment, and says shyly, 'It's OK.'

'C'mon, c'mon now,' urged the Leprechaun, 'I'm wanting to know if I did a good job. How many times a week?'

Blushing even more, the golfer looks around then whispers, 'Once, sometimes twice a week.'

'What??' responds the Leprechaun in shock. 'That's all? Only once or twice a week?'

'Well,' says the golfer, 'I figure that's not bad for a Catholic priest in a small parish.'

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

National Collectors Club Train Show – May 17, 2009, Wayne P.A.L. Hall, Wayne NJ. All Gauges from Z to O, Hess Trucks, Die Cast, Test Track, Train Doctor, FREE parking. 9am-2pm. $5.00, Children under 10 Free with parent. For info: John @ 732-845-5966. Future show dates for 2009, July 12, Nov 8, Dec 27.

National Collectors Club Train Show – May 31, 2009, Brick Elks Lodge, Brick NJ. All Gauges from Z to O, Hess Trucks, Die Cast, Test Track, Train Doctor, FREE parking. 9am-2pm. $5.00, Children under 10 Free with parent. For info: John @ 732-845-5966. Future show dates for 2009, July 19, Nov 1, and Jan 3, 2010.

Great Scale Model Train Show – June 27-28, 2009, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. All scales Z to G, Large White Elephant sales area, FREE train movies, Free parking. Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Adults $9.00, Children under 15, free. For info: Howard @ 410-730-1036 or email at: hzane1@comcast.net.

Tidewater Division Model Railroaders 2009 Model Train Show & Sale - September 19-20, 2009, Virginia Beach Convention Center. 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach VA. Operation layouts, Train Doctor, Test Track, Train Sets, Scenery Supplies, BSA Merit Badge for Railroading, Memorabilia, White Elephant tables. $7.00, children under 12 free with parent, Scouts in uniform with Scout Leaders in uniform admitted FREE. For info: 757-426-2811 or email atnawneycreek@msn.com.

april op session

2009-04-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Crew call for the parkersburge sub
for sunday april 19 @ 1245
for the first op session of the year

Matt

2009-03-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

Delmarva Timetable
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
April 2009
Jeff Shockley, Editor

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 in the Club meeting room.

Note from The President

This something new that Jeff started for the newsletter. hope this works out good for all of us.

There are a couple of things that i would like to have people keep in the back of there minds before the next Open Houses.

The door at the top of the stairs. We need to change the swing of the door to the inside not out. For anyone that is worried about fire codes at Open House we can take it off the hinges, remember the other fire escape is behind the "O" scale layout.

I was approached last Wednesday night (March 18) about selling tickets at the mall between our Open House dates in December and January. I should be getting more info about before the April meeting.

The 501c3 has been killed off. Jeff looked more into it, and he found out that the building has to be completely set up for handicap access. That is going to cost us too much money to do.

If anyone has any other ideas for ways for us to bring in money, other than what we are doing now bring it up over the next couple meetings. Remember, the club needs money to survive on.

ADAM

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian
The cataloging and arranging of the books and magazines continues. The next big project will be redesigning the layout for the computer. I would also like to thank everyone for their comments on the work going on in the Library, as well as those that have sent emails about how much they are enjoying the newsletter each month.

If anyone has any news that they would like to share with the other members, whether it is club news, or news on your home layout, please send it on to me, pictures are welcome too. I will make sure it gets included.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts.

O-Gauge News
Gary Burlingame
We started to clean up the work room last week (2/19). Did you know there are corners in it? Those haven’t seen the light of day for many a year. We put up shelving on the west side and have a place to store plywood. Thursday 26 back at it, found two more corners! Tim brought his truck and we packed it full! Many thanks to the N & HO guys who helped.

HO News
Adam Fleischer
We started the back half of the Parkersburg yard, we completely ripped it up and relayed down new plywood, the new track for the yard itself will be in by Saturday, in time for the April Op Session.

April HO Layout and Operations Report Combined
Bill Deeter, HO Scale Coordinator
As I look around the layout all I can say is WOW and awesome job folks! Everywhere you look on the layout there is progress. There is even some survey crew’s busy working at a couple industries on the Ohio River Sub. Watch for signs of growth around Sporn Power and Kaiser Aluminum in the near future.

You are all part of building something pretty incredible.

I also want to thank the 19 people that showed up for the OPS session that wasn’t. A lot of track got cleaned, cars repaired and inventoried as well as some staging got done but not as much staging as I hoped would get done.

First real OPS Session of the year will be April 19, 2009. Trains will start rolling at 1 pm so please try and be there no later than 12:45. Hope to see you there.

For the ops session to really I really need a lot more help with the staging but have a hard time explaining to the few folks that have asked to help just what to do. So with Mary’s help I have created a staging instruction sheet for both the Main East (Grafton) and West (Cincinnati) Staging yards. I explained it to her and she kept making me explain the process in enough detail that she could understand and that is the first draft that is now available for each yard. I’m sure there may be questions from anyone trying it for the first time but we will try and add those answers to the next revision so several people can handle the main staging. There are approximately 15 trains in the main staging area so if several people handle them the time per person will be greatly reduced. The layout is set up not to require all that much staging but even so it still takes time and of coarse it is even worse after Open House.

So on the staging front I’ll take the first after meeting clinic and it will be on staging. I got several inputs about clinics but as of yet no one has said they have one ready. I’m not sure how time will go with both business meetings as this is the club’s first meeting with it’s new officers and the HO group may spend some time on the money thing. If it gets too late I will post pone it for another time.

As we discussed a bit at the last HO meeting the club resources are still quite thin and the HO group was only given $500.00 for the year as were each of the other groups. There may be a slight chance of a tiny bit more later in the year. As you may realize that won’t buy much. However even with all the construction that has been going on I have not had anyone bring me any reimbursement requests. Please do remember any purchases made to come from club funds needs approval before it is spent. We discussed financing plans for the HO railroad but no real decisions were made. Our next HO Business meeting will be right after the Clubs Business meeting on April 1. 2009. At that meeting we need to decide the priorities that will use the club funds.

At the last HO Meeting in February we reactivated a couple positions for the HO layout to help keep things moving smoothly. These were nominated and elected.

Track Forman will be Rowland Ritte.
What this position entails is making sure all track work is done reliably and follows the approved plans. What does this mean to you who are working around the layout? Make sure you clear any track work through the Track Forman like switch installs, grade crossings, track realignments as well as ballasting to name just a few.

Electrical / Signal Forman will be Elmer McKay.
This one covers all the electrical connections and components on the layout and any equipment connected. What this means is any electoral work needs coordinated through Elmer.

Nether of these positions means they are the only ones that do all that type work it means they coordinate and supervise the work to make sure it meets reliability standards.

As we move forward a few more positions will be necessary to keep everything moving forward.

One position that needs to grow out of the Electrical and Track Departments will be

Switch Maintainer
This position ties very closely with both the Track and Electrical Departments. This person will be responsible for maintaining all turnouts. There are two parts to this: above and below the layout. The above will involve making sure the points are clean and aligned as well as any linkage and ground throws are working correctly. The below will entail Switch Motors and linkage.

Signal Maintainer I’m not completely sure about this but it is a nice sounding railroad term.

Coordinator Car Utilization / Rolling stock foreman makes sure rolling stock is repaired and test ran and that it meets NMRA standards. Works closely with Fleet Database Maintainer makes sure any cars shopped are recorded as to where they are.

Division Road Foreman Engines
Keeps Locomotive Programmed and balanced Power Correct for trains and MU'd as well as maintaining Locomotive roster in Decoder Pro / Excel

Fleet Database Maintainer (car cards)
Works closely with Rolling Stock Foreman. Adds new cars to system and prints Car Cards Locates missing CC or cars. Tracks maintenance of cars. Records rolling stock removed for repair

Chief Clerk (creates and maintains waybills)
Uses Sheneware Software to create and balance waybills

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Club Officers 2009 - 2010
The following officers were elected at the Annual Meeting in March:

President – Adam Fleischer
Vice President – Pat Mulrooney
Treasurer – Bill Shehan
Secretary – John Realini
Director – Bill Deeter
Director – Bill Latourney
Director – John Steplowski
Director – Tim Burlingame

Club Website
Elmer McKay
As most of you know, the club's web site was taken down just before our annual open house due to events beyond our control. There was a replacement site that was put up and posted in a bit of a hurry, and of course didn't have too much on it. Elmer McKay has now taken over the task of getting the web site set up in a proper and appealing manner.

What seems to be lacking is photos of the following layouts: N scale DCC; N scale modular; O scale; and Tin Plate. Basically all of the layouts except HO.

Currently there are some off site links to photos of some of these, but it would be nice if we had some recent photos that we could post on our own site. Photos should be of both completed areas, and areas that are under construction with people in them doing some work. Also, there should be some sort of a write up on each of the layouts telling a little something about it. If you have some photos that can be used, please let me know. DO NOT email me your photos right away. Contact me by email first and let me know how many you have and what they show. I will then coordinate with you about how many to send at a time as attachments. The photos should also be of good quality and sharp. I will not post tiny, blurry, or poor lit photos. The web site is our showcase and should reflect good work. If you want credit for taking the photo, put your name and the date IN THE PHOTO at the bottom right corner.

There are several photo editing programs that you can do this with. Otherwise there will be a general statement that photos in the section were submitted by club members.

My email address is emckay70@member.afa.org.

The subject line must pertain to the message and not just "Hi", or something simple like that, because I trash those without reading them, because I get a lot of Spam.

The web site is a club project, although I am overseeing it at the moment. I have not received any responses except from the HO scale group. To make the site a club wide project, I NEED good photos of the following layouts: N scale DCC, N scale Modular, O scale, Tinplate. What it boils down to is No photos, No publicity.

What is Weiland?
Ed Stogran
This article describes the geography of the Town of Weiland on the HO layout of the Delmarva RR Club. Weiland is a non-prototype (free lanced) village, the only one of its kind on the HO layout.

Accidentally, it also just happens to be the largest town on the layout. This was not true eight years ago because it didn't exist back then. Only the yard was in
place in those days. So fundamentally the village was "incorporated" in 2000/2001.

Fictional Weiland is located inland (East) of the Ohio River, in West Virginia, South/Southwest of Parkersburg and some distance North/Northeast of Huntington. There is a Delmarva HO club rule that when any track is viewed (from the aisles) you are looking South. E.G. West being to the right & East being to the left.

WEILAND is an exception since it depends
from which aisle one is looking. If one is inside the layout (looking toward the East wall
of the building or, from the yard) then it is NOT true. East (actually Northeast) is to the right, heading toward Parkersburg and eventually, Wheeling. [West, actually southwest, toward the left] But from the main aisle, (looking from the Port, Eastward toward Weiland, in other words with your back to the East wall of the building) RR West (actually southwest) is to the right.

This is an anomaly because the Ohio River is now nominally before you, yet the mainline to
Belpre/Athens, also in front of you, is actually supposed to be retreating behind you toward the West, rather than toward the right which is "defined" as westward. This anomaly is a geographical strangeness and a creature of our layout. Think about it awhile and you might understand!
[Curiously this is consistent: trains leaving Weiland and headed toward the North side of the clubhouse building are always traveling "west", regardless of how they are viewed]

Weiland has seven roads, the longest ones (Main Street and also Commerce Street) being 2 blocks long.
All roads are named. The local U.S. Post office on Railroad Avenue keeps track of addresses.

There are 13 buildings plus the railroad station in "downtown". On the edge of town there is a lumberyard and coal yard, as well as a church with a parsonage. There are "other" buildings in the yard area, which are technically not inside the village.
The Weiland Herald newspaper reports News events.

Weiland is also "home base" for the Weiland &
Port Charles Railroad, whose corporate offices are at 106C Main Street, in the village. The railroad is actually older than the village. This W & PC Carrier was initially created to serve 2 nearby industries, lumbering and quarrying, as well as transfers in/out of the Port but has now seen increasing demand from new local commercial businesses and a growing village population. The W & PC connects to the Ohio River Sub of the B & O Railroad. The W & P C RR Company is in the process of acquiring new motive power, and a new passenger coach to handle increased traffic.

Behind the town, in the commercial area, there are five yard tracks that have served the town, the quarry and logging, as well as local commercial interests for many years.

NOTE TO CLUB MEMBERS:
The Village of Weiland (as well as the "branch line") was named in memory of club member Carl Weiland (club Member #151) who made many contributions and was very well liked.

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Crapo, Lincoln Introduce Railroad Legislation
Bipartisan bill boosts short line freight transportation through tax incentivesMarch 1, 2009 American Chronicle Congressional Desk
Washington, DC – Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) have introduced legislation to extend the tax credit to increase the necessary investment in rehabilitation and upgrades for short line railroads. The announcement came as Crapo met with representatives of Watco Companies and other short line railroad companies in his Washington, DC office to discuss the legislation on "Railroad Day" on Capitol Hill. Watco operates rail services in eastern, southern and north-central Idaho. Both Crapo and Lincoln are members of the Senate Finance Committee with jurisdiction over tax law. The legislation grants short line railroads a tax credit of 50 cents for every dollar the railroad spends on track improvements. "Short line railroads are a lifeline for our small businesses by moving the product from the farm and factory to the distribution centers, and on to the stores and consumers. The Short Line Rehabilitation Tax Credit increases the necessary investment in track rehabilitation and upgrades to allow this freight to move safely, faster, and in heavier rail cars."
"These rail improvements not only create jobs; they can save rail lines that might otherwise go abandoned by other rail companies. The Lincoln-Crapo bill would extend the tax credit program for three years.Watco Companies, based in Kansas, owns Watco Transportation Services which operates 19 short line railroads throughout the United States, including the Eastern Idaho Railroad and has operations in the Magic Valley and Palouse areas, including rail repair facilities in Rupert and Idaho Falls. Crapo has strongly supported these tax credits which helped spur improvements along the Eastern Idaho Regional Railroad lines near Burley when Crapo toured there in the summer of 2006."Every dollar invested in rail equals three dollars in economic output," said Rick Webb, Watco CEO. "Tax credits are value-added when you consider that everyone in the transportation cycle benefits. New jobs are created to perform the work; shippers receive the best service for their dollar and the public benefits from the efficiencies created by improved infrastructure."

Locomotive Cameras May Follow Metrolink Crash Probe
By Angela Greiling Keane
March 4, 2009 Bloomberg.com
Calls may increase to put cameras or voice recorders inside locomotive cabs as investigators sift the evidence into what caused last year’s Los Angeles commuter train crash that killed 25 people.

“Where we’re going with this is technology,” said Gregg Konstanzer, assistant general manager of Connex Railroad LLC, which employed the Metrolink commuter train engineer. “The onboard cameras with the recording, I don’t know how one can argue against that.”

Investigators are piecing together the events leading up to the Sept. 12 collision of a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific Corp. freight train that was the deadliest U.S. passenger rail crash since 1993.

Crew members on both trains were sending text messages before the accident, an inquiry showed.
Metrolink will install cameras inside all its locomotives and lead passenger cars, becoming the first U.S. railroad to do so, Metrolink board chairman Keith Millhouse said today in a statement released after the National Transportation Safety Board concluded a hearing on the collision. The cameras will be”a significant deterrent” to unauthorized actions, Millhouse said.

Voice recorders could be as useful in examining rail accidents as they are in incidents involving commercial airplanes and ships, in which they are now required, NTSB member Kitty Higgins said outside the hearing.

“How can we do a better job investigating these accidents?” Higgins said in an interview.

Labor unions representing train operators, which have protested requiring recording devices, said they only object to using the data for purposes other than accident probes.

Safeguards for Privacy
“We do not object to camera installation in the cab of locomotives once the proper safeguards for privacy are in place and the recorded data is used only for accident investigation and not subverted for use as a discipline tool,” said Frank Wilner, a spokesman for the United Transportation Union, whose members include railroad conductors.

“The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen opposes video cameras or voice recorders in locomotive engine cabs unless there are strong controls limiting their use for accident investigation purposes only,” said Bill Walpert, National Secretary-Treasurer of the agency.

Head-on Crash
The trains in Los Angeles, both traveling faster than 40 miles an hour, collided after the Metrolink engineer missed signals telling him to stop to let the freight train pass, the board has said. The engineer, Robert Sanchez, was sending text messages as recently as 22 seconds before the crash to a rail enthusiast he was planning to let take the controls of the train later that day, the NTSB investigation found.
Many trains, including the Union Pacific locomotive in this crash, have outward-facing cameras that capture footage in front of the train.

“I have no issue with” cameras inside the cabs, Larry Breeden, Union Pacific’s general manager of
Operating procedures, said at the hearing yesterday.

The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates rail safety, is looking at requiring voice recorders in locomotives and has not considered cameras, agency spokesman Warren Flatau said.

Association of American Railroads spokeswoman Patti Reilly didn’t respond to a request for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Greiling Kean in Washington at agreilingkea@bloomberg.net

Text messages of engineer in deadly train wreck detailed
March 5, 2009 Cable News Network
Trains and text messages made a deadly combination when two locomotives collided head-on last year near Los Angeles, California, witnesses told an investigative panel this week.

Metrolink commuter train engineer Robert Sanchez missed a stop signal while trading text messages with a friend on September 12, leading to a collision with a Union Pacific freight train that killed Sanchez and 24 other people in Chatsworth, California.

The accident injured 101 people and caused $10.6 million in damages, according to a report by federal investigators.

One National Transportation Safety Board member worries other disasters loom on the nation's rail system.

"One train, one day, one crew. It raises questions for me as to what the heck else is going on out there," said Kitty Higgins, chairwoman of a two-day NTSB hearing in Washington on the accident.

Sanchez violated his employer's safety rules by even having a cell phone in the cab of the locomotive, a supervisor testified.

Phone records show Sanchez was not only texting a friend just 22 seconds before the collision, but he also had made plans to allow the same friend to actually operate the train.

This was a text conversation four days before the crash:
[Sanchez to friend]: "I'm REALLY looking forward to getting you in the cab and showing
you how to run a locomotive."

[Friend to Sanchez]: "OMG dude me too.
Running a locomotive. Having all of that in the palms of my hands."

[Sanchez to friend]: "I'm gonna do all the radio talkin'...ur gonna run the locomotive & I'm gonna tell u how to do it."

At the hearing, officials said Sanchez had been caught with a cell phone twice before. Once another employee turned him in, another time a manager called his phone to see if it was with him in the train cab.

"The engineer's cell phone rang. It was in his briefcase on the other side of the train. I told the engineer that he was in violation of our policy," Rick Dahl, who was a safety manager with Metrolink at the time of the accident, told the NTSB investigative panel.

Federal regulations do not cover cell phone use by train crews.

Records also indicate Sanchez previously had allowed unauthorized people to ride in the cab, and one person even sat at the controls while the train was operating, investigators said.

Phone company records indicate the Union Pacific freight train conductor, who was not named and who survived, also sent a text message about two minutes before the collision, but no other crew member sent or received any messages while on duty, investigators said.

That train crew followed all signals and other procedures properly, according to an NTSB timeline.

The Metrolink train stopped at a station for 57 seconds to allow passengers to exit and board the train, according to an animation of the timeline presented at the hearing.

"The engineer is required to call all signals and indications via radio," Dahl testified. Sanchez did not call any of the last three signals before the crash, investigators determined.

The freight train was supposed to move onto a siding to allow the Metrolink train to pass, but it never got there because the commuter train ignored a stop signal and intercepted it at a curve. The freight train was just emerging from a tunnel in the rugged Topanga Canyon, and the trains were visible to each other in the curve for only about five seconds, according to the report.

At the time of impact, the Metrolink train was traveling about 42 mph and the Union Pacific train 41 mph. The freight train braked for two seconds before impact; the commuter train didn't brake at all, according to onboard data recorders.

Investigators found no problems with the signals, the trains' brakes and radios or the tracks. The Union Pacific conductor's blood and urine tested positive for marijuana, but no other crew member's from either train did. A final report on the Southern California crash is months away.

A month after the crash, former President Bush signed into law a bill requiring the railroad industry to implement by 2016 a rail-traffic control system akin to the familiar air-traffic control system in the nation's airports. Such a system had been on the NTSB's "wish list" since 1990, an agency press release said.

"Many lives will be saved as a result of this legislation," NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said at the time.

Arson guts early railroad building
March 5 2009 www.krqe.com Albuquerque, NM
RATON, NM - Fire investigators in Raton Thursday blamed arson for the fire that destroyed part of a historic building housing offices of the Colfax County Senior Center.

Raton fire crews were called to the former railroad freight house building on South First Street about 3:30 a.m.

Fire chief Dave Pasquale said the fire started on the south end of the building on a wood deck. An accelerant was used, he added.

The building had been remodeled a few years ago. It was built in 1903 as by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway as a freight house.

Investigators are still trying to find the person who set the fire.

20 years later, train lovers still gather for model train show
By Brooke Nelson
March 8, 2009 Standard-Examiner Ogden, Utah
Model trains of all sizes filled Union Station on Saturday (March 7) and for the first time, crowds could ride one very big train from Salt Lake City directly to the smaller trains at the Hostlers Model Railroad Festival.

The festival is in its 20th year, but this is the first year FrontRunner has been available for festival guests.
While the Jupiter train ride running between the FrontRunner station and the festival was a highlight for many families, it was old classics that really drew the crowds.

"I think (the appeal) is that some of it's hands-on, it's simple and it's really cool," said Christy Chambers, who came from Tremonton with her two children. "I think it's a constant. Trains have always been around."
Hundreds of model trains were on display this weekend, combining the efforts of nine different model train clubs.

Trains ranged in size from miniature to large enough to ride in. Mike Murphy, festival chairman, said this is the biggest year yet.

The attendance total is expected to near 9,000.
"The favorite part for me is seeing the gratification of people who come, the kids especially," Murphy said. "This is something we grew up with as kids."

Twenty years ago, Murphy and two others founded the club, which now has more than 200 members, and he says it's among the largest model railroad clubs in the world.

"It's in their blood," he said.

Union Station docent conductor Byron Lewis said he doesn't build model trains, but his career was spent getting real trains to run, and it's a passion he wants to pass on, so he brings his great-grandchildren to the model train festival every year.

"Most people will never ride a train," Lewis said. "It's something the youngest generation won't get. This is the nearest you're going to see."

Murphy said Ogden's prominence in the history of the railroad is a huge factor in the success of the festival.
Once the costs of the festival are covered, the majority of the proceeds are donated to Union Station to help preserve the historic building.

"This is a really neat building," Murphy said. "I'm always surprised by the number of people who have never been here before."

Man Allegedly Steals Railroad Rail
John Walker
March 10, 2009 The Duncan Banner Duncan, Oklahoma
DUNCAN — A Comanche man was arrested Friday evening for allegedly stealing a piece of railroad rail approximately 40 feet in length. Johnnie DeWayne Branch, 37, was stopped by Stephens County sheriff’s deputies after a report came in about a truck pulling a 16-foot trailer that was hauling what was initially thought to be an approximately 40-foot beam. More than 20 feet of the beam was hanging out the back of the trailer and dragging on the road, causing sparks. After Branch was stopped by the deputies, they realized that the beam was actually steel rail from the railroad. Bond for Branch was set Monday at $3,500 after his initial appearance in Stephens County District Court. His next appearance in court is April 14. He remained in jail Monday evening.

After the Stephens County commissioner meeting Monday morning, Sheriff Wayne McKinney asked Commissioner Dee Bowen to look at the roadway near Oklahoma Highway 53 on 42nd Street where the rail caused sparks to see whether there was any damage. At about 3 p.m. Monday, Bowen said that the road didn’t have much damage to it.“There’s barely a scratch,” Bowen said.

McKinney said the rail had a value of well over $5,000.The case is still under investigation. Union Pacific investigators are also investigating the case. Federal charges could possibly be pressed against Branch, McKinney said.

According to the affidavit prepared by Stephens County Sheriff’s Lt. Lawson Guthrie, the report came into the sheriff’s department at about 8:40 p.m. Deputies stopped the vehicle about 1.25 miles north of Dr Pepper Road on 42nd Street.

According to the affidavit, Branch told deputies he purchased the rail from a man in Addington. But Reserve Deputy Bobby Bowen said he tracked the drag marks left from the rail and they allegedly originated on County Road 186 about a quarter mile east of U.S. Highway 81 next to the railroad tracks.According to the affidavit, Guthrie contacted a Union Pacific investigator who said that a lot of railroad property had been stolen in the area recently.Union Pacific has been repairing and replacing the railroad track in Stephens County.

Supreme Court sends railroad case back to Kanawha
By Justin Anderson - Statehouse Bureau
March 13, 2009 West Virginia Record Charleston, West Virginia
CHARLESTON - The West Virginia Supreme Court has overturned a ruling in Kanawha Circuit Court that said a retired railroad worker released his employer from liability when he took early retirement.

Ohio Circuit Judge Arthur Recht in 2007 granted summary judgment to Norfolk Southern Railway Company in a lawsuit brought on by Freda Marlene Ratliff, whose husband Sparrell Ratliff died shortly after being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Sparrell's diagnosis came some 19 years after he accepted an early retirement package from Norfolk Southern after 40 years with the company and a predecessor, Norfolk & Western Railway Company.

Sparrell started working for the railroad in 1947 at the age of 23. He eventually became a locomotive engineer, court records say.The company offered the early retirement packages as a way to reduce employment costs in the mid-1980s.

After her husband's death in July 2005, Freda filed an action against Norfolk Southern to recover damages under the Federal Employer's Liability Act.

The company argued that the early retirement agreement Sparrell signed in 1986 contained language that exempted it from any future employment-related claims Sparrell might bring, like under the FELA.

But the West Virginia justices, in a unanimous decision, ruled that an early retirement agreement does not exempt a company from future liability.

In its opinion, written by Justice Robin Jean Davis, the court cited two specific federal cases that involved FELA.One of the cases - Babbitt v. Norfolk & Western Company - involved several former rail employees who agreed to an early retirement from the company, but later sued under FELA to recover damages for hearing loss.

The other case - Wicker v. Consolidated Rail Corporation - involved five former rail employees who had taken early retirement during the course of settling one FELA claim before filing another later.

In the Babbitt case, the federal court ruled that a release is only valid under FELA if it relates to a specific injury.

In the Wicker case, the court ruled that the workers realized the risks involved in railroad work.

In an amicus brief filed by the Association of American Railroads in the Ratliff appeal, the association urged the justices to follow the logic in the Wicker case. The association said that under the reasoning in the Babbitt case, railroads wouldn't be able to "buy their peace" with employees through settlement and release of FELA claims.

The association said releases are becoming more important to the industry as it sees a rise in FELA claims for occupational diseases."General releases play an important role in the settlement of these claims," the brief says. "Many occupational diseases are characterized by long latency periods and typically cannot be tied to a specific accident or event. It often is in the interest of both employer and employee to settle any and all occupational disease claims when a settlement is entered into, even if it is not obvious at the time that the employee will ever manifest a released condition."

The employee bargains for more money up front, to compensate for illness which may or may not occur in the future; the railroad, knowing it has satisfied its obligation to the employee, buys its peace. Having done so, should a condition allegedly caused by past exposure to some agent in the workplace become manifest years later, neither party will need to be concerned about addressing the claim in a lawsuit, and producing evidence, many years after the fact."

The justices disagreed. They said the Ratliff circumstances were more similar to the facts in the Babbitt case."A Wicker-type employee is involved in negotiating a FELA claim and, therefore, meets the requirement ... that a controversy exists," Davis wrote. "Under this circumstance, a release does not violate (FELA) so long as the risk released was one known to the parties and was a risk the employee intended to release."

A Babbitt-type employee, on the other hand, is not negotiating the settlement of a claim. A Babbitt employee has merely agreed to a voluntary end to his or her employment. Unlike an employee who is negotiating a FELA claim, an employee who is participating in a voluntary separation program is not engaged in a controversy as to liability ..."Using that logic, the justices ruled that the early retirement agreement Sparrell signed in 1986 did not exempt the company from future FELA claims. The case was reversed and remanded to Kanawha Circuit Court.State Supreme Court case number: 34156

Amtrak ticket system crashes across the country
By Lisa Fleisher
March 13, 2009 The Star-Ledger Newark, New Jersey
Amtrak riders across the country today had to get handwritten tickets when the train company's ticketing system shut down.

The ticketing system went kaput from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., spokesman Cliff Cole said.

Riders with reservations gave their confirmation numbers to the conductors, who were to check them at a later time. Otherwise, riders could buy tickets on the train, and conductors would waive an on-board fee.

"It was a computer system glitch," Cole said. "So it's something I'm sure they'll look into, but like I said, it's very rare."

Train thief took a 120-ton joy ride
By Robert Samuels
The alleged plan was simple yet bold: Steal a locomotive. Drive it to a bar. Toast your daring. But the caper landed a train-loving suspect in jail.
March 14, 2009 The Miami Herald Miami, Florida
The heist from a Kendall sidetrack was revealed on a Sunday, shortly before midnight. A railroad crew came out to crank up locomotive No. 2617 -- a 120-ton blue and yellow behemoth that has snaked up and down the East Coast, hauling loads for CSX. But somehow, it had vanished.

They called 911 with a most unusual and alarming request: We need your help finding our missing locomotive.

Finding it was relatively easy. Trains run on tracks, after all. They located the abandoned locomotive seven miles to the southwest. It was missing its fire extinguisher.

But who took the locomotive and how? Swiping a train isn't like hot-wiring a Camaro. There's a complex choreography of switch-flipping, knob-turning and lever-pulling to start it up.

Someone had to possess some know-how.

Investigators ruled out terrorism. Their conclusion: The trainjacker wanted to take a joy ride. Detectives took pictures, lifted fingerprints. Soon, a clue connecting the heist to fashion and snacks emerged.

A fingerprint taken from the fuel pump belonged to one Brandon Dowdy, a mechanic who lives in Cutler Bay. He did not work for CSX.

Records show that Dowdy had previously been charged with committing a modest crime. On Jan. 23, a week after his 22nd birthday, a security guard spotted him allegedly trying to steal a $32.99 plaid jacket and a $3.79 package of beef jerky from a Kmart. He was charged with petty theft. They put his right thumbprint on file.

Three days after the train caper, police knocked on Dowdy's door. His friend, Alex Johnson-Self, a lanky man with stringy hair and small brown eyes, answered. He told them this story:

On Feb. 22, Johnson-Self and Dowdy saw the locomotive, saw that no one was looking, and decided to climb aboard. They used a hammer to break through the locks that secure all the switches. They started it up.

When they realized that they could actually drive it away, Dowdy instructed his buddy to hop out and drive his silver pickup truck to the Redland Tavern, where they would rendezvous. By car, it's a 20-minute trip.

The Redland Tavern, a place that advertises ''Bikers Welcome'' on the sign out front, is steps away from the tracks near Krome Avenue and 232nd Street. On Sundays, patrons listen to a country and classic-rock band called Big Dick and the Extenders.

The ride -- through a region dotted with strawberry fields, ranches selling rabbits and chickens, and nurseries with signs saying ``no hay trabajo'' (there is no work) -- chugged past subdivisions and a Lexus dealership.

The locomotive passed through several railroad crossings but did not engage the crossing signals, since those are triggered by an operator inside the train. Fortunately, no cars or pedestrians were flattened.

Johnson-Self said he drove Dowdy's silver pickup truck south toward the bar. They eventually did meet up, although it is not clear precisely where. The locomotive was found about a mile north of the watering hole.

The same day that Johnson-Self 'fessed up, police caught up with Dowdy. He was in the silver Ford pickup truck, driving to his father's house in Dunedin, near Tampa. Inside the truck was a telltale piece of evidence: the locomotive's missing fire extinguisher.

When detectives asked Dowdy why he entered the engine, according to the police report, he told them he ``saw the train and wanted to look at it.''

In addition to the pending petty-theft charge, he now faced some not-so-petty charges: grand theft, burglary and illegally interfering with a railroad track. (Johnson-Self was charged with theft and railroad interference for allegedly helping Dowdy start up the locomotive.)

The train industry takes the theft of its locomotives seriously, especially since 9/11. Conceivably, locomotive hauling hazardous materials could crash into a secure site like a port, unleashing a toxic cloud from a tanker.

Dowdy was just heading to a bar, according to his buddy.

CSX, nonetheless, is reviewing its security procedures. ''There are serious consequences to stealing a train,'' CSX spokesman Gary Sease said.

Through his public defender, James Chimera, Dowdy declined to speak to The Miami Herald. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

Dowdy's mother, flight attendant Elizabeth Combs, says her son has always had a thing for railroads.

The family celebrated his eighth birthday party at the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in South Miami-Dade County. Family photos show Dowdy smiling broadly, wearing a blue and white conductor's hat. His vanilla-frosted birthday cake was decorated with multicolored train figurines.

By age 10, he was volunteering in the model-train room at the museum. The director there confirmed that Dowdy was a volunteer, but did not want to say more.

While growing up, Dowdy played with a train simulator computer game, which taught him the ins and outs of working a train.

''I love my son, and he has a good heart and is very bright,'' Combs said. ``I'm not saying what he did was right, but I don't think he meant any harm. He just loves trains.''

Contact Robert Samuels at rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com

Reports of negligence fuel pain after Metrolink crash
Disclosures may help increase compensation awards, experts say. Metrolink and Connex, the company that employed the engineer, are suing each other over which bears liability.
By Rich Connell
March 16, 2009 Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California

The recent drumbeat of news about the reckless behavior and questionable oversight of the Metrolink engineer suspected of causing last year's Chatsworth rail disaster has reverberated painfully for Claudia Souser. She followed media reports as federal investigators publicly questioned rail officials over two days of hearings in Washington earlier this month.

"As each disclosure came, you realized how much the safety of your family was compromised," said the mother of three, who lost her husband of nearly 30 years -- and the family's breadwinner -- when Metrolink 111 collided with a freight train six months ago.

That sort of sentiment, coupled with disturbing details about Metrolink operations and the circumstances surrounding the crash, is spilling into the court battle over who should compensate victims like Souser and her children and how much they are due. Legal experts say findings that Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez sent and received hundreds of on-duty cell phone text messages, allowed teenage rail fans into locomotive cabs, and may have failed to properly call and confirm crucial signals are likely to bolster damage claims expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars. Metrolink's own abrupt decision last week to topple two top managers accused of failing to adequately supervise Sanchez and other rail workers underscored safety problems, experts said.

"We're getting admissions right and left," said Georgene Vairo, a professor at Loyola Law School. "What the train engineer was doing appears to be grossly negligent."

The question now, she said, is: "Who's going to take the fall . . . knowing that money's going to get paid?"

Sanchez was text-messaging about the time he sailed through a red light and hit a Union Pacific freight train head-on, investigators have said. The engineer and 24 passengers were killed. More than 130 were injured and dozens hospitalized, some with serious internal damage.

Metrolink, a five-county, taxpayer-subsidized rail agency, and Connex Railroad, the private company hired to provide engineers and conductors on the commuter system, are suing each other. Each contends the other is required to pay its liability costs. Recent disclosures could put both entities on the hook for losses that could reach -- or challenge and exceed -- a federal $200-million cap on compensation awards for rail accidents, according to liability law experts and victims' lawyers."

All this stuff is important," said attorney Ed Pfiester, who represents relatives of three riders who died and 19 injured passengers. "The more facts that come out about this egregious conduct . . . it makes it easier to show by clear and convincing evidence the lack of oversight of drivers."

Some of the most powerful accusations have come from Metrolink itself. After Sanchez's activities were detailed at the National Transportation Safety Board hearing in Washington, Metrolink removed two Connex employees from duties connected to Metrolink operations.The removal of the managers was essential, Metrolink officials said. "I had zero confidence these people should be out there doing what needs to be done to prevent these things from happening," said Metrolink board Chairman Keith Millhouse. But Metrolink's own role in front-line personnel matters also was called into question. Connex, which defends its managers and insists that it has been diligent about safety, said Metrolink asked it to retain engineers and managers -- including the executives ordered removed last week -- when the firm took over train operations from Amtrak in 2005.

"Metrolink gave the Good Housekeeping seal of approval to all of these people," said attorney Mark O. Hiepler, who represents Souser and 11 other crash victims and relatives. The scope of potential liability won't be known for months. More than 125 claims for damages have been filed with Metrolink, many without a dollar amount attached. At least seven lawsuits already have been filed. Victims now may be better positioned to argue for special punitive damages, said professor John Nockleby, director of Loyola Law School's Civil Justice Program. Federal investigative reports say that Sanchez sent and received about 350 text messages while on duty in the days before the crash. "That seems to be reckless indifference to the safety" of passengers, Nockleby said. Plaintiffs attorneys say they expect to challenge the $200-million liability cap, which Congress imposed to help keep passenger rail afloat. Even if the cap holds, Metrolink's insurance coverage at the time of the accident was for a maximum of $150 million. If the agency is found fully liable for losses or has to cover judgments against Connex, it might have to come up with tens of millions of additional dollars, records and interviews show. Facing rising insurance premiums and concluding that the chances of a catastrophic accident did not justify the extra cost, Metrolink trimmed its coverage from $200 million to $150 million several years ago, records show. After the Chatsworth crash, it boosted coverage back to $200 million, the federal cap level. Connex, a fourth-tier subsidiary of a multibillion-dollar international behemoth, Veolia Environment, has not disclosed the amount of its insurance coverage.

Amtrak to host train day in D.C., three cities
by Tierney Plumb, Staff Reporter
Thursday, March 19, 2009 Washington Business Journal Washington, DC
Amtrak will hold its second annual National Train Day in May to mark the 140th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

On May 9, Amtrak will host free events in four of its gateway stations across the U.S. -- D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles -- from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The transcontinental railroad was officially created on May 10, 1869, when a golden spike was driven into the tie that connected the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways at Promontory Point, Utah.

At Union Station, festivities will include live music, interactive green exhibits, VIP appearances, a kids section, and model train and art exhibits.
Communities across the U.S. will also develop and host their own events.

Members of Amtrak’s loyalty program, which lets frequent train travelers earn points redeemable for free travel, can earn double points for any trip between March 16 and May 8 and quadruple points for any trip taken on May 9.

Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service to more than 500 destinations in 46 states on a 21,000-mile route system.

Model train club small, but dedicated
By Mindy Honey, Society Editor
March 27, 2009 Branson Daily News Branson, Missouri
Like the seven other members of the White River Valley Modular Railroad Club, Tim Townsend loves trains.The model-train club started just more than two years ago.

“We are train nuts,” Townsend said. The club meets twice a month below TPA Hobby Center in Hollister, a place members call White River Valley Depot.

The club has created a mini-railroad to display at shows like the recent Tri-Lakes Building and Home Show. There, the club had a 12-by-12 foot display. “We built all the modulars in one of the club member’s locations until we had (the Hollister location),” Townsend said.

The club’s goal is to share ideas about model building, scenery and safety, including wiring. Members are dedicated to promoting the hobby, as well.

“You don’t want to skimp on it,” Townsend said. Members hope to soon turn the White River Valley Depot into a museum and make it a place people can view the working display. Townsend said members would like to see the museum open by early summer. The owner of TPA Hobby Center is also helping and will be bringing in some of his own items to display in the museum.

Not only are the members looking to share what they enjoy with locals and visitors, but to also attract more members. Townsend said the only thing they ask of members is to be “interested in the hobby of building a train table for themselves and the club. We’ll show them if they want to learn,” he said.

He said the club is a place where anyone who loves model trains can do what they love to do with others. “We are in it for the simple enjoyment,” he said.

Club members take their hobby seriously.

“In the club situation, we are always trying to be on the cutting edge of the industry and that is why we went with the DDC,” he said. DDC, Townsend said, is the remote control the club uses, which can run up to 99 locomotives. The club uses HO-gauge layout, what Townsend described as the most popular size. He said members, though, are welcome to use whatever gauge they like.“We are very happy to find prospective members to share what we know and find out what they know,” Townsend said. “We are finding there are a lot of people out there with layouts we never knew of before.”

Townsend said he hopes others can find the joy in model trains like he has. “I got involved 50 years ago, just by building models,” he said. “It is the freedom of designing and building something to create a scene, a particular memory, a place or a dream.”

He estimates he owns in excess of 2,000 models. “I collect out-of-dates and mistakes the manufacturer would have done in production,” he said. “I like unique designs.”

Caboose to become railroad museum
March 23, 2009 Whitehall Beacon Whitehall, Michigan
The historic railroad caboose displayed on the lawn at the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce office, will soon become a small railroad museum.

The caboose is located on the property of the chamber office which, itself, is a former railroad depot located at 124 E. Hanson St., Whitehall.

In the late 1980s, the railroad track through Whitehall was abandoned, and is now a part of a paved bicycle and walking pathway.

Chamber board member, Helen Fink, is spearheading the railroad museum project. “The caboose has been used for storage (by the chamber) for many years,” says Fink. “We thought it should be used to enhance our community.”

The plans are to restore the interior and exterior of the caboose to their original appearance, and make the interior a small walk through railroad museum. The success of the museum is dependent on community support. The chamber is asking for help to outfit the car.

“We all have things in our attic or garage that are just gathering dust,” says Fink. “It would be wonderful if those who have railroad antiques or memorabilia would donate them to the museum or put them on loan. While we need everything, we especially need a stove, lanterns, seat cushions, an ice box, and other things used by the crew.”

Fink started the project by enlisting the help of the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society, a small group who preserve the memories and mystique of railroading and operate a few model train set-ups in a clubhouse on the second floor of a downtown Muskegon office building. The members offered their enthusiastic support.

They soon provided the serial number for the Chamber's caboose(C&O 90702) and followed up with access to C&O historians in Virginia who are helping to provide a history of the car and an accurate description for restoration.

“We are planning to have a grand opening on June 1,” says Fink. “I won't be surprised if there are many from Muskegon and a few from Virginia in attendance, all dressed in their railroading outfits.”

Anyone with information about the history of the caboose or items that might be useful for the museum is asked to call Fink at 231-893-5323.

CSX upgrade signals end of era
By Dorothy Schneider
March 25, 2009 jconline.com Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana

Pieces of history are being removed from along the CSX railroad in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties.

That's how Randy Rogers of Frankfort views the replacement of the traditional semaphore signals on an 18-mile stretch of railroad between South Raub and Crawfordsville this week.

Semaphores, which have been in use nearly as long as railroads have been around, are mechanical arms mounted on top of posts. The position of the arm tells the train operator whether to stop or go.

Semaphore signals were part of the pole line system that sent railroad signals through telegraph lines connected between towers. They are being replaced by newer technology, which runs communication signals through the rails or through modern towers that show red, yellow and green lights.

Basically, the railroad signals are going wireless.

But the loss of the semaphore signals is sad for enthusiasts like Rogers, who said he's been interested in railroads since age 2 and is president of the North and Central Indiana Railroads group.

"They're living history," Rogers said. "They're magical and kind of mysterious. People are fascinated by the fact that they're still there."

CSX spokesman Gary Sease said the semaphores, some of which have been in place along the area tracks since 1917, have been very reliable.

"But it's time for a change," he said.

The lines that ran to the semaphore signals were susceptible to wind and weather damage, but the new radio technology won't be.

Rogers said he really got into studying the former Monon Railroad and its semaphores after he graduated from Purdue University. Since the 1990s, he has spent time along the tracks getting pictures of trains going through the signals.

He was struck by the fact that the signals were in use at the same time they were on display in local railroad museums, including the Linden Depot Museum, 18 miles south of Lafayette.

There are few semaphore signals used anywhere else in the world today, Rogers said. Sease called the retirement of the semaphore signals the "end of an era."

"It's been a successful era, but one that changes with the times," he said. "Our people are focused on the newest technologies that are even more reliable."

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

Differences between Grandpa's and Grandma's
A friend, who worked away from home all week, always made a special effort with his family on the weekends. Every Sunday morning he would take his 7-year old granddaughter out for a drive in the car for some bonding time. Just he and his granddaughter.One particular Sunday however, he had a bad cold and really didn't feel like being up at all. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their granddaughter out.

When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her grandfather. 'Well, did you enjoy your ride with grandma?'

'Oh yes, Pa Pa' the girl replied, 'and do you know what? We didn't see a single dumb bastard or lousy butthead anywhere we went today!'

Never choke in a restaurant in Arkansas
Two hillbillies walk into a bar. While having a shot of whisky, they talk about their moonshine operation.

Suddenly, a woman at a nearby table, who is eating a sandwich, begins to cough. After a minute or so, it becomes apparent that she is in real distress.

One of the hillbillies looks at her and says, "Kin ya swallar?"

The woman shakes her head no. Then he asks, "Kin ya breathe?"

The woman begins to turn blue and shakes her head no. The hillbilly walks over to the woman, lifts up her dress, yanks down her drawers and quickly gives her right butt cheek a lick with his tongue. The woman is so shocked that she has a violent spasm and the obstruction flies out of her mouth.

As she begins to breathe again, the hillbilly walks slowly back to the bar. His partner says, "Ya know, I'd heerd of that there 'Hind Lick Maneuver' but I ain't niver seed nobody do it!"

What do you want out of life?
A teacher asked her class, "What do you want out of life?"

A little girl in the back row raised her hand and said, "All I want out of life is four little animals."

The teacher asked, "Really and what four little animals would that be sugar?"

The little girl said, "A mink on my back, a jaguar in the garage, a tiger in the bed and a jackass to pay for all of it."

I Just Don’t Understand Why…
…do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front?

…do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke?

...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters?

...do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage?

…do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight?

…do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering?

…does the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

…can’t women put on mascara with their mouth closed?

…do you never see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

…is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

…is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

…is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

…is the man who invests all your money called a ‘broker’?

…is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

…is there no mouse-flavored cat food?

…didn’t Noah just swat those two mosquitoes?

…do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections.

…don’t they make airplanes out of that indestructible material used on the black box?

…don’t sheep shrink when it rains?

…are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

…if con is the opposite of pro, then is Congress the opposite of progress?

…if flying is so safe, do they call the airport the terminal?

…do we park in a driveway, yet drive on a parkway?

…do women wear a pair of panties but only one bra?

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

4th Annual Collis P. Huntington Model Railroad Show – April 3 – 5, 2009, Dunbar Parks & Recreation Center, 2601 Fairlawn Ave (I-64 exit #53), Dunbar WV. Operating layouts, railroad memorabilia, and Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise. Friday 5-8pm, Saturday 9am-7pm, Sunday 11am-4:30pm. Adult $4.00, Children $3.00. For info: 304-523-8192 or 304-523-0364 or email at: cphmodelrailroad@aol.com

Great Scale Model Train Show – April 4-5, 2009, Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 10am-4pm. Adults $9.00, Children under 15, free. For info: email at:hzane1@comcast.net

22nd Annual Upper Valley Model Railroad Show – April 5, 2009, Lebanon High School, Lebanon, NH. 10Am-4pm. Admission: TBD. For info: email at: Eugene.R.Vigneault@Dartmouth.edu

7th Annual Franklin Model & Toy Train Sale & Show – May 3, 2009, Littell Community Center, Rt 23 & 517, Franklin, NJ, 9am-3pm. Adults $4.00, Children under 12 free. For info: John 973-697-6539 or visit www.trainweb.org/sussexctyrrclub

2009-02-28T09:26:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
March 2009 Jeff Shockley, Editor

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be our Twenty-fifth annual meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at the Georgia House Restaurant, Delaware Avenue at Broad Creek Laurel, Delaware.

Cash bar 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Delicious buffet cost $20.00. The speaker will be our President, Rowland Ritte, who has an excellent collection of slides.
Wives and other guests are welcome.

Buffet

Yankee Pot Roast - pepper garlic rub, slow roasted until tender topped with brown gravy onions and carrots.

Buttermilk Chicken - Skinless boneless chicken breast marinated in sweet buttermilk and hand breaded

Mississippi Cajun Catfish - Farm raised filets seasoned with Cajun spices and blackened

Pasta Primavera - Penne Pasta tossed with fresh vegetables in a parmesan cream sauce

SIDES

Sweet Potato Casserole Macaroni & Cheese Redskin Mashed Potatoes Fresh Green Beans Glazed Carrots Creamy Cole Slaw

DESSERT

Homemade Texas Walnut Brownie
Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian

The cataloging and arranging of the books and magazines continues. The next big project will be redesigning the layout for the computer.

Layout News
All groups report things are progressing smoothly on all the layouts

O-Gauge News
Gary Burlingame
We started to clean up the work room last week (2/19). Did you know there are corners in it? Those haven’t seen the light of day for many a year. We put up shelving on the west side and have a place to store plywood. Thursday 26 back at it, found two more corners! Tim brought his truck and we packed it full! Many thanks to the N & HO guys who helped.

HO News
Adam Fleischer
We started the back half of the Parkersburg yard, we completely ripped it up and relayed down new plywood, the new track for the yard itself will be in by Saturday, in time for the March O0p Session.

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Nomination Committee Report
The Nomination Committee reported, at the February meeting, its slate of Club Officers for 2009 – 2010.

President – Adam Fleischer
Vice President – Matt Schramm
Secretary – John Realini
Treasurer – Bill Shehan
Director – Bill Deeter
Director – Bill Latourney
Director – John Steplowski
Director – Tim Burlingame

Pat Mulrooney was nominated from the floor for Vice President.

Ballots will be distributed to members for voting at the Annual Meeting.

Club Website
Elmer McKay

As most of you know, the club's web site was taken down just before our annual open house due to events beyond our control. There was a replacement site that was put up and posted in a bit of a hurry, and of course didn't have too much on it. Elmer McKay has now taken over the task of getting the web site set up in a proper and appealing manner.
What seems to be lacking is photos of the following layouts: N scale DCC; N scale modular; O scale; and Tin Plate. (Basically all of the layouts except HO) Currently there are some off site links to photos of some of these, but it would be nice if we had some recent photos that we could post on our own site. Photos should be of both completed areas, and areas that are under construction with people in them doing some work. Also, there should be some sort of a write up on each of the layouts telling a little something about it. If you have some photos that can be used, please let me know. DO NOT email me your photos right away. Contact me by email first and let me know how many you have and what they show. I will then coordinate with you about how many to send at a time as attachments. The photos should also be of good quality and sharp. I will not post tiny, blurry, or poor lit photos. The web site is our showcase and should reflect good work. If you want credit for taking the photo, put your name and the date IN THE PHOTO at the bottom right corner. There are several photo editing programs that you can do this with. Otherwise there will be a general statement that photos in the section were submitted by club members. My email address is emckay70@member.afa.org. The subject line must pertain to the message and not just "Hi", or something simple like that, because I trash those without reading them, because I get a lot of Spam.

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Metrolink conductor raised concerns about engineer's cell phone use
The attorney for the only surviving crew member in the deadly Chatsworth crash says his client told NTSB investigators that he had complained to a supervisor about it.
By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
February 6, 2009 Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California

The only Metrolink crew member to survive the Chatsworth rail disaster told federal investigators that he had previously complained to a supervisor about improper on-duty cell phone use by the engineer who crashed the commuter train, the crew member's attorney said Thursday.Conductor Robert Heldenbrand recently told investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board that he saw engineer Robert M. Sanchez using a cell phone during a Metrolink station stop "a couple of months" before the Sept. 12 collision that killed 25 people and injured 135, said San Dimas attorney John Gilbert, who attended the formal interview.

Two days before the head-on collision with a freight train, Heldenbrand asked the same supervisor whether he had addressed the issue, Gilbert said. The supervisor said he was planning to take care of the problem, according to the attorney.Heldenbrand "didn't like the use of cell phones. . . . He told a supervisor it wasn't proper for the operating person to be using a cell phone," Gilbert said.The disclosure suggests that investigators are focusing in part on how diligently Metrolink and a contractor that provides the public rail service's train crews enforced a ban on cell phone use.
The conductor was summoned to the NTSB's Gardena offices two weeks ago after investigators heard of his complaints from another employee.A spokesperson for Veolia Transportation, whose subsidiary Connex Railroad LLC provides Metrolink crews, declined to comment, citing the ongoing NTSB investigation.While on duty the day of the crash, Sanchez sent and received 57 text messages, including one just 22 seconds before impact, federal authorities have said. Their preliminary findings show that Sanchez -- who was killed in the crash -- failed to stop at a red light just before hitting the Union Pacific freight train after two tracks merged into a single line just beyond the signalJust how visible that warning signal was remains one of the disputed details surrounding the worst train crash in modern California history.The Times reported late last year that Heldenbrand and three witnesses said the light was actually green -- meaning the engineer didn't have to stop the train. Based on tests performed after the crash, federal investigators said they still believe it was red. However, another Times report quoted one investigator as saying that the red light was not as bright as the green and yellow lights on the same track-side signal pole.Heldenbrand met with NTSB investigators about two weeks after the crash but was not asked about the earlier cell phone incident or his report to the supervisor, Gilbert said. In his follow-up interview, the conductor told investigators that he saw Sanchez using a cell phone only once while on duty, the attorney said.

It is unclear what, if any, action was taken between Heldenbrand's initial complaint and the crash of Metrolink 111. Connex discipline records obtained by The Times for the eight months before the collision show that Sanchez was not written up for any violations of operating rules.Heldenbrand never confronted Sanchez directly about his cell phone use. But he recounted the sequence of events for the NTSB, Gilbert said.Heldenbrand was in a passenger car when the collision occurred. While recovering from injuries at the hospital, he saw the supervisor again, Gilbert said."The supervisor said he had addressed it . . . but the supervisor didn't indicate when he addressed it" or how, the attorney said.The morning of the crash, Heldenbrand recounted his complaint to the supervisor with a fellow conductor, Gilbert said. It was that employee who alerted the NTSB about Heldenbrand's concerns, the attorney said.The NTSB's wide-ranging, multi-agency probe is expected to take months to complete. The safety board and Metrolink have declined to comment on developments in the ongoing investigation.Heldenbrand's comments to the NTSB echo allegations made last month by attorneys representing victims of the Chatsworth crash. They allege that Connex had received complaints before the collision that Sanchez was using his cell phone on duty, but failed to do anything about it. The attorneys based their allegations on comments of an employee they refused to identify.

robert.lopez@latimes.com rich.connell@latimes.com

Railroad trestle fire
February 9, 2009 The Tribune Greeley, Colorado

A brush fire caught a railroad trestle on fire Monday in northwest Greeley, causing an estimated $1 million damage, according to Union Colony fire reports.The fire attracted attention across the county, as a railroad trestle burned, causing a large amount of black smoke from the creosote in the railroad ties.The fire was reported about 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 5200 block of F Street, north of the Dog Run Park.Fire department spokesman Dale Lyman said firefighters were hampered by the lack of access to the area and they had to carry in water to fight the blaze. In the midst of fighting the fire, winds in the area also increased, creating more problems for firefighters.The trestle is over the Cache la Poudre River. Lyman said Burlington Northern Railway officials were at the scene, and said the track was warped by the fire, and it would cost an estimated $1 million to repair. “They told us they’ll probably have to tear down the entire trestle and replace it,” Lyman said.The cause of the initial brush fire hasn’t been found.

Update: Greeley trestle fire stops railroad traffic
February 11, 2009 The Tribune Greeley, Colorado

A fire to a Great Western Railway trestle northwest of Greeley will shut down that area of the tracks for weeks and possibly months, according to company officials.The fire, which is being investigated as an arson, burned part of the trestle Monday. It is located in the 5200 block of F Street, just north of the Rover Run dog park and near the Poudre Trail.Mike Ogborn, a manager for Great Western, said it will take at least seven weeks to get the material needed to repair the burned trestle, then they will start the repair work. “We’ve placed an embargo on the line now,” Ogborn said. “It’s not safe to put any railroad traffic on the trestle.”The 80-mile branch of the railway connects Greeley, Windsor, Fort Collins, Loveland, Johnstown and Longmont.Ogborn said the company has been working with customers to make sure shipments can still be made without the railroad.

Pastor talks railroad safety with FS students
February 11, 2009 Fort Scott Tribune Fort Scott, Kansas

Local pastor Reed Hartford recently taught the students at Eugene Ware Elementary School how to "Look, Listen and Live."

As part of their physical education safety unit, the students learned how to stay safe around railroad tracks. Hartford explained to the students the importance of following specific rules to make sure they are protected from trains that are passing by.

After discussing some of the rules with the children, Hartford cautioned the students against breaking any of the safety guidelines.

To drive his point home, Hartford briefly explained to the students about a motorist who was stopped at a railroad crossing fully equipped with gates and flashing red lights. After the train passed through the crossing, the gates stayed down and the lights continued to flash. Becoming impatient, the motorist drove around the gates. Unfortunately, before the vehicle could make it to the other side of the tracks, a second train smashed into the automobile.

"We need to pay attention," Hartford said. "As long as the lights are flashing and the bell is ringing, it is against the law to go around."

Although the train conductor will try to stop the locomotive if something is in the middle of the track, it is unlikely he or she will be able to halt the train in time. According to Hartford, if a train is driving 55 miles per hour, it will take one mile for the train to come to a complete stop.

According to Kansas Operation Lifesaver, http://www.ksoli.org/, almost 50 percent of the crashes that occur on a railroad crossing happen at a crossing equipped with automatic warning devices.

KSOLI, a non-profit international public education program created in 1972 to put an end to crashes, deaths and injuries which occur on railroad crossings, said that every two hours in the United States there is a collision between a train and a vehicle or a train and a pedestrian. It is more likely a person will die in a collision with a train than as a result of a car wreck, the Web site said. Knowing and following certain safety procedures can save lives, according to the Web site.

It is important for automobiles as well as pedestrians to look both ways before crossing a railroad crossing, the KSOLI Web site said. If a vehicle stalls while driving over a railroad crossing, everyone should get out of the vehicle immediately and move far away from the tracks even if there is no train in sight. Next, it is important to inform local law enforcement of the situation and wait for them to respond, according to the Web site.

In 2007, there were 57 crashes involving trains in Kansas. There were nine fatalities that resulted from those crashes.

Hartford's presentation taught the students several important strategies for staying safe around trains. Summing up the information he gave the students, Hartford and the students shouted, "Stay off. Stay away. Stay alive."

Survivor recounts train crash
Local Kiwanis Club officer tells a group he continues to ride the rails despite the traumatic effects.
By Veronica Rocha
February 13, 2009 Glendale News Press Glendale, California

GLENDALE - Glendale businessman Richard Slavett survived the deadly Sept. 12 Metrolink crash in Chatsworth and continues to ride the train because, he said, it is the safest form of transportation.He still gets shaky and nervous when he rides the train from Glendale to his home in Thousand Oaks because of the crash, which occurred Sept. 12 when Metrolink 111 collided with a southbound Union Pacific freighter, killing 25 people and injuring 135 others, including him.“Traveling in a train is the safest form of transportation there is,” Slavett told the Kiwanis Club of Glendale during a meeting Friday at the Elks Club.Seven days after the crash, the 69-year-old rode a Metrolink train again.“I really wanted to get the fright out of me,” he said.Slavett sat with another passenger, who provided him support as the train rode through tunnels, which he said frightens him, and the spot where the two trains collided.Two weeks after the crash, Slavett rode the train for a second time, and he went into the same passenger car and sat in the same seat that he was in during the crash.“I started to shake,” he said.He wanted to ride in the same seat to determine how he landed from the back of the train to the front train during the crash.Slavett is the lieutenant governor of Kiwanis’ Division 3, which includes Glendale, La Crescenta, Montrose, Verdugo Hills, Eagle Rock, Hollywood, Los Feliz, La Cañada Flintridge, Sunland, Tujunga and Highland Park.Kiwanis member Laurel Patric was in Montana when she found out that Slavett was involved in the crash.“I was really worried about Richard while I was up there in Montana,” she said.The day of the crash, Slavett, who owns Glendale Tire Co., decided to take the earlier 3 p.m. train from Glendale to his home in order to greet his daughter-in-law, who was flying in from New York to Burbank. He usually took the 4.36 p.m. train.He began taking the train instead of driving because gas was expensive, Slavett said.He estimated that he would have saved $4,800 last year if the crash hadn’t enticed him back to his car.When he boarded the train that day, he sat in the third car and last seat, stretched his legs into the aisle and took a nap.“I was totally asleep,” Slavett said.During his sleep, the crash occurred.La Crescenta resident and Metrolink 111 engineer Robert Sanchez sent and received text messages from his cell phone just seconds before the train collided with the freighter at a combined speed of 83 mph, according to federal investigations.“By disregarding the red light, both trains were on the same track,” Slavett said.He woke up lying in the front of the train next to an unconscious woman and a bloodied man.“I collected my thoughts and turned around and looked down the aisle,” he said.Chairs, debris and laptops were scattered throughout the passenger car, Slavett said.He tried to get up, but he said he couldn’t because “the pain was too much.”Slavett called his longtime partner to tell her what had happened, and she advised him to get out of the train.The exit door then opened, and he pushed his briefcase, which he said contained the tire shop’s daily money deposits, outside the train.Slavett moved slowly to the outside of the train, where two men grabbed and carried him to a safe spot, he said.“As I waited, all I saw was body bags and badly injured people passing me by,” Slavett said.He was carried again and placed on a green tarp for less serious victims.Slavett spoke on the phone to his son, who was driving through the San Fernando Valley and saw smoke from the crash. His son and daughter-in-law went to the crash site to be with him, Slavett said.He was eventually placed on an ambulance with two other victims, who had broken ribs and legs, and was taken to Kaiser Permanente.Doctors took X-rays of his body, but they found no broken bones, Slavett said.They found that he had severely pulled his right groin, and it took him about eight weeks to recover from his injury.“I am very lucky because I was in the last train,” he said.Slavett has been coping with the long-term side effects, such as post-traumatic stress, flashbacks, memory loss and back pain caused by a shifted vertebrae, since the crash.But Slavett has begun to look at life differently.. Every . . “I believe everything happens for a reason. moment is precious,” he said.
VERONICA ROCHA covers public safety and the courts. She may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at veronica.rocha@latimes.com.

Rockies by rail: a great idea
By K.C. SUMMERS

February 22, 2009 Monterey County Herald Salinas, California

For some time we've wanted to visit the Canadian Rockies by rail. Probably in June or July we'd fly to Vancouver, then tour by train. But there are so many itineraries and options that it's hard to choose. Can you give some guidance about which railroad and what not to miss?

A The Canadian Rockies offer some of the most jaw-dropping scenery in the world, and traveling by rail is a smart way to see it up close. Three train companies serve the area; choose depending on your budget, your time frame and how much pampering you require. Prices below are in American dollars and include lodging.

Taking it from the top, Royal Canadian Pacific is the luxury offering, with restored vintage train cars and lots of cosseting. The six-day Royal Canadian Rockies Experience starts and ends in Calgary, Alberta, stopping at Banff and Lake Louise, Kicking Horse Pass, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and other marvels. Lodging is on board, in private staterooms. You pay one (whopping) price, but everything is included: airport transfers, all food and beverages, and some pretty spectacular side trips. Two trips are scheduled this year, leaving July 31 and Sept. 14. Cost is $6,563 per person double. Details: 877-665-3044, http://www.royalcanadianpacific.com/.

The Rocky Mountaineer train has three routes through the Canadian West, including Vancouver to Calgary, via Banff. Its six-day Canadian Rockies Highlights trip includes some meals, guides, a glacier helicopter tour and a ranch lunch. Lodging is at hotels along the way. Three levels of service and accommodations are available; costs this summer are $1,886, $2,911 and $3,198 per person double, plus a 5 percent fuel surcharge. Shorter trips are available. 877-460-3200, http://www.rockymountaineer.com/.

VIA Rail, Canada's national railroad, travels the same routes as the sightseeing trains; you can create your own itinerary and stop off at Jasper or Banff for as long as you like, or buy a package tour. The eight-day Rockies Circle West trip, for example, travels from Vancouver to Jasper, then switches to a motor coach to explore the mountains before returning to Vancouver. Two levels of service and accommodations are offered this summer, at $2,593 and $3,364. 888-842-7245, www.viarail.ca.

Still confused? Lori Grant, of Canada's Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, recommends mixing and matching: for example, taking VIA Rail from Vancouver to Jasper, renting a car and driving to Banff, then taking the Rocky Mountaineer back to Vancouver. Driving some of the route, she said, is the best way to have "a true, authentic experience of the Rocky Mountains." Whichever company you choose, don't miss the glacier-studded Icefield Parkway, she said.

Q: Are there any in-the-airport massage services at New York's JFK?
A: Yes, but don't expect an hour-long seaweed wrap. XpresSpa, which has six locations at JFK (terminals 1, 4, 5 and 7), offers 10-minute massages that focus on the head and neck. Foot massages also are available at the same price: $25 for 10 minutes. Details: 718-751-2235.

Q: We're traveling to New Orleans in March. Can you recommend a romantic B&B or boutique hotel in or near the French Quarter?
A: If private balconies, 350-thread-count linens and feather beds do it for you, try the W New Orleans French Quarter, with 98 rooms and four carriage houses (504-581-1200, http://www.starwoodhotels.com/.; from $169).

Another option, a little farther from the Quarter: the House on Bayou Road, a B&B with antique-filled rooms, screened porches, gardens and ponds (504-945-0992, http://www.houseonbayouroad.com/.; from $135).

Long Island Rail Road marks 175th anniversary
February 23, 2009 Newsday New York, New York

NEW YORK – The Long Island Railroad is marking its 175th birthday by giving riders Broadway tickets and other prizes. The railroad has announced monthly customer appreciation days with free prize drawings, starting Tuesday at Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. Railroad officials say free tickets to several Broadway shows are this month's prize. The LIRR was chartered on April 24, 1834. It has become North America's busiest commuter railroad, carrying more than 87 million riders last year. The LIRR says it is also the oldest railroad still operating under its original name.

A ‘model’ citizen: Houma man builds on his hobby of model trains
By Laura McKnight

February 23, 2009 Daily Comet Lafourche Parish, Louisiana

There’s a striking mountain scene in Colorado called Eagle Pass.

But this particular Eagle Pass, and the entirety of its western-style surroundings, exists only in a building behind Arthur Houston’s house in Houma.

Houston, 63, a longtime model-railroad enthusiast, spends most of his days creating and fine-tuning intricate terrains for his miniscule trains to travel.
“It’s creating a miniature world that mimics or copies the real prototype of railroads,” he says.

Beginning modelers often copy prototyped designs to the detail, but Houston’s designs, called “layouts,” represent a more-developed point in the pastime.

“At my stage of the hobby, it’s more about designing and building a layout that exists in my mind,” he says.
Houston, wearing a blue-and-white-striped engineer’s cap decorated with a Southern Pacific Lines logo, a throwback to railroading’s steam-engine days, is just beginning his largest and most complex layout to date.

This also marks the first model railroad Houston designs using a computer program. Until now, Houston used drafting skills learned in high school to draw blueprints.

A combination of retirement and a new building has allowed Houston the time and space to take his hobby to the next level.

This new layout, started in October, is designed to include a mainline track running more than 850 feet in length and covering three tiers circling the inside of “Paw Paw’s Train Room.” The design, modeled after mountainous areas in the western U.S., features more bridges, more-elaborate scenery, such as canyons, and more-detailed trees than his previous work. Houston has worked with model railroad groups on larger layouts, but so far has tackled none of this magnitude on his own.

When finished, the layout should encompass much of the 850-square-foot building housing Houston’s main retirement pastime.

Houston has painted his own landscapes, such as backdrops of forests and mountains, since 1999.
Some advanced modelers replicate certain landscapes to the detail, but Houston prefers to use real places as inspiration and take his own track on the details.
The most daunting part of the hobby comes in the modern electronics involved, he said. Most model railroads are now operated by computer, as are their real counterparts.

“Paw Paw’s Train Room” includes just the beginnings of the large layout, which Houston expects to require at least three years to finish - or mostly finish.

Most model railroads are never completely finished, as their creators are compelled to continually add on or fine-tune, the Houma resident says his last model railroad, completed at his former home in Harahan, took about seven years to build.

The Houstons moved to Houma last November to be near their two grandchildren. Houston retired last February after 37 years as a salesman, more than 20 of those years spent working for tobacco giant Philip-Morris. Houston’s wife retired last June, giving the couple more time to travel, follow their interest in NASCAR and visit Disney World with their grandchildren.

The couple’s 11-year-old grandson enjoys operating the model railroad, and his friends are eager to learn, Houston says.

Houston’s fascination with model railroading began in the 1950s when at 9, he watched his father build a Lionel train in the family’s spare room in the Uptown area of New Orleans.

Houston says he remembers spending a lot of time in that room, watching and helping as his father added on to the toy train’s miniature surroundings.

“The Lionel trains were very common,” he says. “They still are today.”

The toy train company kept modelers like Houston hooked with a steady stream of new additions, such as the coal loader, and trains that produced smoke, an impressive technological feat in that time.

The family’s interest in model railroading springs from a history in real railroading.

Houston’s uncle served as general superintendent of motor power for Southern Pacific Railroad during World War II. The uncle wanted to join the military, but was told his skills would better serve the military through Southern Pacific, one of two main railroads that supplied troops and ammunition to the Pacific Theater of the war, Houston says.

Another of Houston’s uncles served as an engineer for Southern Pacific.

Houston’s father paid his way through college by working on steam engines at night for Southern Pacific.

Houston’s interest in model railroading grew during childhood, but lapsed during high school and the beginning of college, he says.

“Then we got married, and the trains started again,” says Houston’s wife, Carol.

Arthur Houston returned to model railroading, this time using the much-favored H0 Scale Model Train, the type he still uses, while the newlyweds were living in married-student housing at LSU.

Like most, Houston started modeling by imitating designs found in books, but by his college days, had moved on to designing and building his own landscapes.

Houston next built a model railroad in the second bedroom of a “not-so-big two-bedroom apartment” at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas. Houston, then a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, worked with another lieutenant to build the layout during their six months in Killeen.

Houston’s hobby followed him to Harahan, where he and Carol lived from 1972 until their move to Houma.
The house in Harahan had a two-car garage. “We had a car in the garage for only one day,” Houston says.

The garage played host to three different model-train layouts through the years, as Houston would complete one, then tear it down and start over, a habit known as building a “chainsaw railroad.”

The model railroads later moved into the family’s pool house, which Houston eventually remodeled into a train room, before gaining his dream “train room” in Houma last fall.

Houston says he not only enjoys the hobby itself, but likes meeting people through his model railroading hobby.

“It’s brought me a tremendous amount of friends,” he says.

And he’s looking for more, especially those who like to paint western scenery, he adds.

Thomas Visits Tennessee Valley Railroad
Starting April 24
February 24, 2009 The Chattanoogan Chattanooga, TennesseeThomas the Tank Engine is set to roll into Chattanooga for the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour. The event, which takes place April 24, 25, 26 and May 2 and 3, will be hosted by the Tennessee Valley Railroad and presented by HIT Entertainment and sponsored by The LEGO Group. For its 14th consecutive ride on the rails, the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour will visit more than 40 cities in the United States and Canada. Day Out With Thomas is the only place for families to take a ride with a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy Thomas-themed activities at the Imagination Station, including stamps, temporary tattoos and hands-on arts and crafts. Each year the tour grows, traveling to new destinations, adding new activities and welcoming new visitors. In addition, exclusive Thomas & Friends merchandise is available at Day Out With Thomas events including a 2009 Day Out With Thomas passenger car and commemorative T-shirts, pennants, engineer caps, frames, and more.

Thomas the Tank Engine, star of Thomas & Friends, on PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS Sprout will be kicking off his Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour in March and is expected to welcome more than one million passengers through December. During the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour, children will ride with Thomas up steep hills, around deep, blue lakes, and help him rescue his engine friends—if only in their imaginations. Day Out with Thomas 2009 activities include:A 25-minute (approximate) ride with Thomas the Tank Engine.The opportunity to meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway.A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary tattoos, hands-on arts and crafts activities and coloring sheets.Storytelling, video viewing, live music, and more. During the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Hero of the Rails Tour, children will also be provided with a “Tour Map,” that guides them through the four station stops – the Imagination Station, the Meet & Greet with Sir Topham Hatt, the Storytelling/Video Viewing area and the gift shop - after receiving four stamps on their map, each child will receive a 3-D Thomas poster with glasses (while supplies last).The tour provides an interactive family experience at every station, offering a variety of entertaining activities that reflect the local flavor of each stop. At the Tennessee Valley Railroad activities will include: magic shows, mini golf, bouncy tent, crane demonstrations, and much more. The approximately 25-minute train ride with Thomas the Tank Engine will depart every hour, rain or shine, with departure times at 9 a.m. through 6:30 p.m. daily. Tickets for the Day Out With Thomas 2009: The Heroes of the Rail Tour are $18 plus tax for ages two and up.Tickets are on sale now by calling toll-free (866) 468-7630 or logging onto www.ticketweb.com/thomas. For more information and directions contact the Tennessee Valley Railroad at www.tvrail.com or call 894-8028.

Miami-Dade County: Locomotive thieves sought
February 25, 2009 Sun-Sentinel Miami, Florida

Authorities are asking for the public's help to find those who stole a CSX 120-ton locomotive over the weekend, a CSX Railroad spokesman said Tuesday.The diesel locomotive disappeared from the Kendall area late Sunday night, where it was parked in storage while awaiting assignment, CBS 4 reported. Railroad personnel and Miami-Dade County police found the missing train early Monday about 7 miles away, near Homestead, according to the station."We don't know what the intentions were and don't know what the individual or group of individuals planned," CSX spokesman Gary Sease said. "We are appealing for anyone who might've seen anything in the area.Anyone with information is asked to call CSX at 800-232-0144 or

Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

2 Englishmen and 1 Irishman
Two English businessmen in London were sitting down for a break in their soon-to-be new store. As yet, the store wasn't ready, with only a few shelves set up one said to the other, "I bet any minute now some idiot tourist is going to walk by, put his face to the window, and ask what we're selling." No sooner were the words out of his mouth when, sure enough, a curious Irishman walked to the window, had a peek, and in a thick Irish accent asked "What might ye be sellin' here?" One of the men replied sarcastically, "We're selling ass-holes." Without skipping a beat, the Irishman said, "You're doing well.... only two left."

Top Ten Country Western Songs
10. I Hate Every Bone In Her Body But Mine.
9. I Ain't Never Gone To Bed With an Ugly Woman But I Woke Up With a few.
8. If The Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me.
7. I've Missed You, But My Aim's Improvin'.
6. Wouldn't Take Her To A Dogfight 'Cause I'm Scared She'd Win.
5. I'm So Miserable Without You It's Like You're Still Here.
4. My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend And I Miss Him.
3. She Took My Ring and Gave Me the Finger.
2. She's Lookin' Better with Every Beer.

And the Number One Country & Western song is...

1. It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass All Day Long

How to Tell the Sex of a Fly
A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter'What are you doing?' she asked.'Hunting Flies', he responded.'Oh. ! Killing any?' she asked.'Yep, 3 males, 2 females,' he replied.Intrigued, she asked. 'How can you tell them apart?'He responded, '3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone'.

The Super Bowl Tickets
A man had 50 yard line tickets for the Super Bowl. As he sat down, he noticed that the seat next to him was empty. He asked the man on the other side ofthe empty seat whether anyone was sitting there.
"No," the man replied, "The seat is empty.""This is incredible," said the first man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the world,and not use it?"
The second man replied, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This will be the first Super bowl we haven't been to together since we got married in 1967."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else -- a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?"
The man shook his head. "No, they're all at the funeral."

Male vs. Female
If Laurie, Linda, Elizabeth and Barbara go out for lunch, they will call each other Laurie, Linda, Elizabeth and Barbara.

If Mark, Chris, Eric and Tom go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla, Peanut-Head and Scrappy.

EATING OUT

When the bill arrives, Mark, Chris, Eric and Tom will each throw a $20, even thought it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.

When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators. MONEY A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need, but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS

A man has 5 items in his bathroom: a toothbrush, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap and a towel from the Marriott.

The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify most of these items.

ARGUMENTS

A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE

A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.

A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE (Too true to be considered humorous)

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.

A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change and she does.

DRESSING UP

A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the garbage, answer the phone, read a book and get the mail.

A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed (or so they think).

Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

AND FINALLY....

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, jackasses and pigs, the wife asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"

"Yep," the husband replied, "in-laws." The fight is now officially on.

How Was I born
A little boy goes to his father and asks “Daddy, how was I born?”
The father answers, “Well, son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway. Your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on Yahoo. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your Mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to do a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a blessed little popup appeared and said: You've Got Male!”

Married Life According to Rodney Dangerfield
You have two choices in life: You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead.

A woman inserted an ad in the classifieds: "HusbandWanted" Next day she received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."

When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him.

If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say - talk in your sleep.

First guy says, "My wife's an angel!"
Second guy says, "You're lucky. Mine's still alive."

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

Wilmington, DE – Nur Temple Train Show
March 1, 2009 – Nur Temple Hall
http://www.trainshows.com/

Hartly, DE – Hartly VFD Spring Model Train & Toy Show – March 14, 2009. Hartly Fire Hall. 9:00am - 3:00pm $3 (Under 12 Free) Contact: Allen Metheny, Sr 302-492-3755.

Edison, NJ – Greenburg’s Train & Toy Show
March 14 – 15, 2009 – New Jersey Expo Center
Greenberg's Train & Toy Show

Severna Park, MD – National Capital Division TTOS Swap Meet & Train Show – Earleigh Heights VFD, RT 2 & Earleigh Heights Road. March 15, 2009. 9:00am - 2:00pm. $5 (under 12 free). Contact: Bill Dyson 301-621-9728.

East Coast Large Train Show – York Fair Grounds,
York, PA. March 27 – 28, 9:am – 6:pm. $10 kids under
12 free. Contact: (908) 361-2117 or
jjproductions@atlanticbb.net.

Evesham Fire Department – Marlton, NJ. March 28,
2009

Seaford train and toy show

2009-02-27T14:18:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Seaford train and toy show at Seaford fire station it is from 9am to 3pm

Annual Meeting

2009-02-17T10:22:00.000-08:00

Our Twenty fith annual meeting will be held on wenday, march 4, 2009 at the Georgia House
delaware avenue at Broad creek Laural, Delaware
Cash bar 6:30pm 7:00pm dinner Delicious Buffet cost$20.00
The speaker will be our President, Rowland Ritte, who has an excellent collection of slides
Wives and other guests welcomed

R.S.V.P. to John Realini 410-896-3239 or Bill Shehan 410-742-9325 by 2/25/09

map to the Georgia House http://www.mapquest.com/mq/5-4ikD*t_1

Matt

meeting night

2009-02-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Don't for get tomorrow is the monthly business meeting at 7:30pm in the club room

matt

2009-01-28T23:51:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club

February 2009

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held Wednesday, February 4, around 7:30pm in the club meeting room.

Note about the front doors
When exiting the building, please make sure the door at the top of the stairs is unlocked and the front door is closed and locked securely.

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian

This past month saw some big changes in the library. The table in the center of the room was shortened when I took out the two center leafs. I then turned it 90 degrees to make it parallel to the door. The carpet was given a thorough vacuuming. Adam donated a couch for members to use when they want to read in the library.

Open House Attendance Totals
December:
Sat., Dec. 6 470
Sun., Dec. 7 325

-----
795
January:
Sat., Jan. 10 522
Sun., Jan. 11 404

----
926

Sat., Jan. 17 487
Sun., Jan. 18 348

----
835
Total Attendance 2556
Average Per Day 426

Thanks to:
Ed Stogran for, once again, volunteering as our “Mr. Conductor”. It was a big hit with everyone. Mary Deeter for running the Welcome counter and pushing those raffle tickets. Everyone who helped at the front table for your help with the Raffle sales. Finally, to everyone for helping with the layouts and keeping things running smoothly.

Raffle Prize Winners
Speaking of Raffle Tickets, the winners of the train sets are:
3rd Prize (N-Gauge Set) – Rex Mears
2nd Prize (H-O Gauge Set) – Sam Geiser
1st Prize (O-Gauge Set) – Noah Reynolds

License Plate Frames
These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.

Club Shirts
Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL. Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Railroading News
From www.railnews.net

Railroads sue to stop safety program
From staff reports
January 1, 2009 Shreveport Times Shreveport, Louisiana

The railroad industry in Louisiana is suing the Public Service Commission to prevent implementation of a railroad safety program authorized by a unanimous vote of the Legislature earlier this year.

The program, called the Federal Railroad Safety State Participation Program, is in place in 30 states and is jointly administered by the Federal Railroad Administration and participating states.

In December, the Louisiana Railroad Association asked the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge to stop the PSC from starting the program in Louisiana because it unfairly targets the railroads to solely pay for the program, which also will cover nonrailroad entities and facilities. Furthermore the suit, filed on Dec. 18, states the PSC is not authorized to "tax" the railroads.

"This lawsuit is a last-ditch effort by the railroads to obstruct a safety program that is saving lives in 30 states and is badly needed to save lives in Louisiana," said Foster Campbell, of Elm Grove, PSC member from north Louisiana. "Louisiana has one of the worst records in America for accidents at railroad crossings. When this safety program was heard in the Legislature, not a single member voted against it."

According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Louisiana ranks ninth out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for overall railroad accidents in years 2004-2007. Preliminary data from 2007 show that Louisiana ranked second last year in the number of fatal accidents at rail crossings per 100,000 people.

The safety program adopted unanimously by the Legislature authorizes the PSC to hire five inspectors and a supervisor. They would receive Federal Railroad Administration training and work alongside federal agents in routine safety inspections of the railroads.

"At grade crossings, where these tragic accidents are occurring, these safety inspectors are able to ensure that warning devices are working properly and tracks are in good shape," Campbell said.

The new program will not require state funding. To carry it out the PSC will collect fees from railroads operating in Louisiana.

"When I was in the Senate I overcame the opposition of the railroads to simply require them to cut the grass at crossings," Campbell said. "The railroads are virtually unregulated in Louisiana and rail traffic in our state has more than doubled since the passage of NAFTA.

"By filing this suit the railroads are obstructing a unanimous vote of the Legislature and the Public Service Commission. This program will save lives and property and prevent tragic accidents, and is vitally needed."

Boy, 15, held after taking assault weapon on train
January 1, 2009 Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California

SANTA CLARITA - A 15-year-old boy carrying a semiautomatic weapon was arrested on a Metrolink train from the Antelope Valley, authorities said today.The boy, whose name was not released because he is underage, was toting the assault rifle in his backpack Tuesday and bragging to passengers about the gun, said Sgt. Dean Currie of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

A passenger who saw the firearm told the conductor, who called deputies at Metrolink, Currie said. The boy was arrested when the train pulled into the Santa Clarita station at 2:45 p.m., he said. The gun was not loaded and its serial numbers had been scratched off, Currie said.

The boy, who lives in the Antelope Valley, told sheriff's deputies he was headed to downtown Los Angeles, but he did not say why, Currie said.

Investigators did not know why the boy was carrying the gun or where he got it. The boy, who has had run-ins with the law, was booked into Sylmar Juvenile Hall and will soon face illegal weapons possession charges, Currie said.

Descendants of engineer killed in wreck still searching for details
1903 train crash a mystery
By Morris Stephenson – Staff Writer
January 2, 2009 Franklin News-Post Franklin, Virginia

On Jan. 3, 1903, a head-on train crash in Boones Mill killed two engineers, but little is known about the wreck other than the details passed down through relatives of one of the men killed.

Saturday marks the 106th anniversary of the train crash, which happened at 5:33 p.m. on an isolated trestle north of Boones Mill on a section known as "The Pumpkin Vine" that ran from Roanoke to Winston-Salem, N.C.

Two grandchildren of one of the train's engineers marked the occasion with an informal gathering Tuesday evening in Hardy.

Their grandfather, Arthur Tilton Spencer, 26, of Roanoke died 25 days after the crash from burns. Another engineer, C.M. Willey, was killed instantly.
Lillian Howell, 89, of Hardy and her cousin, Thomas Tilton Meador, 88, of Moneta and five other relatives gathered Tuesday at Howell's home to review and discuss the known details of the crash.

Howell and her son, Tom, have spent four years trying to reconstruct the accident.
For some reason, that perhaps will never be known, the two could not find any newspaper accounts of the wreck.

In searching The Roanoke Times archives, all the pair could find was their grandfather's obituary. "Because he was so young, doctors first believed he would recover from the burns, but he didn't," Lillian Howell said.

The obituary reported, "While it was known that Mr. Spencer was in critical condition, the news of his death came as a surprise to his many friends, as owing to his age and splendid physical condition. It was hoped that he would recover."

The obituary also gave them some insight into the wreck, but there were no details of that dark, snowy night's pile-up that sent Spencer's train off the trestle, while leaving the other sitting on what is still known as Wright's Siding.

It is known that the second train, a work train, had arrived in the area first and was backing into the siding when Spencer's freight train, running ahead of schedule heading to Roanoke, barreled into it.

The obituary goes on to report that Spencer had been "in the employ of the railroad 11 years, having entered the service when he was but 15 years old. For some time, he held the position as fireman, but for the past six years he has been an engineer on the Winston-Salem division."

"Mr. Spencer, like many other engineers, has been in wrecks on several previous occasions, but the fascination for the work was such that he continued. He was one of the most popular men in the train service, both here and along the line of the road, and was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, in which he was insured for $3,000," the obituary reported.

That was the only mention of the wreck, leaving the Howells to rely on accounts of the wreck passed down over the years by their widowed grandmother to her children and then on to them.
The obit also noted that Spencer's father, known as Zach, was one of the oldest engineers in service at N&W.

All of the information and photographs they have gathered have been placed in a large framed board, which will be presented to the Franklin County Historical Society at a later date.

The Howells, despite 106 years since the wreck, have recorded all the information they have collected and have been told.

They have an old photograph that N&W gave their grandmother after her husband's death. They also have a copy of the train's schedule from that date. They also have a copy of an old photograph of Arthur Spencer's father, Zacharian or Zachary, sitting in his old wood-burning locomotive.

The photograph is identified as "N&W locomotive that hauled the first train through Franklin County in 1892."

The story goes that Arthur Spencer, a dashing young man with dark hair and a heavy moustache, was trying to get back to Roanoke early that night because it was his wife's birthday. She was the former Essie Tench of Boones Mill, according to Howell.

She recounted the story told to her that the work train had arrived at the siding early, and the conductor had walked up the track with a lantern to see if Spencer's train was approaching.

The conductor was walking back to the work train as it was backing into the siding when Spencer's train came around the curve "balling the jack," according to Howell.

The impact of the crash sent Spencer's locomotive off the high trestle and onto the ground below, apparently rupturing the train's boiler. The escaping steam apparently scalded Spencer badly. It is not clear if the engineer who died at the scene was in the locomotive with Spencer or was in the work train.

Howell also pointed out that A.C. Needles, president of N&W, was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral. Needles later went on to establish the Phoebe Needles Center at Callaway.

Howell said it was during the funeral that relatives learned Mrs. Spencer was pregnant with the couple's third child, who died two months later. He was survived by two daughters, Reba, who was 3, and Mamie, who was one year old at the time of their father's death.

The third child is buried at the father's feet in the Fairlawn Cemetery, off Orange Avenue in Roanoke. His tombstone, paid for by N&W, features an elaborately-carved locomotive and coal car atop the stone, and underneath it is a trestle.

The Howells recently visited the cemetery to see the tombstone.

"Acid rain has eroded some of the finer details of the locomotive and coal car, but it is still a piece of work," Tom Howell commented.

Other relatives attending the gathering Tuesday night along with their spouses were Tammy Meador Webster, granddaughter of Tilton Meador, who now lives in Columbia, S.C., and her daughter, Brittany Michelle Webster; Marie Meador DeLong of Moneta; Author Tilton Meador, son of Tilton, who also lives at Moneta.

While the search by the Howells to get the Pumpkin Vine train wreck did not produce all the details they had hoped, they do have many more facts and accounts from family members to enrich the Pumpkin Vine Room at the Franklin County Historical Society.

Other relatives who were unable to attend Tuesday evening include Dr. William "Ron" Howell of Franklin County, Ann Taylor Lapata of Maryland and Susan Heidorn of Burnt Chimney.

Grant to help G'burg railroad
By ERIN JAMES - Evening Sun Reporter
January 2, 2009 The Evening Sun Hanover, Pennsylvania

A Gettysburg-based rail line is getting nearly $330,000 in state money to improve its tracks.
The upgrade will increase train speeds from 10 to 20 mph on the north end of the Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. line, which runs 25 miles from Gettysburg to Mount Holly Springs.

Increased speeds will provide more competition opportunities for rail service because the line is a link between two nearby railroads, CSX and Norfolk Southern.

Gettysburg & Northern Railroad Co. - owned by Pioneer Railcorp - will be upgraded to a Class 2 railroad when the upgrades are completed, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

According to Pioneer Railcorp's Web site, the Gettysburg railroad primarily transports canned goods, pulpboard, soda ash, grain and scrap paper. In addition to Gettysburg and Mount Holly Springs, other stations along the tracks are in Biglerville, Aspers, Gardners, Peach Glen, Hunters Run and Upper Mill.

The improvements will begin in Gardners and continue to Mount Holly Springs.

The competitive grant was awarded as part of $38.5 million the state recently invested in Pennsylvania railroads.

Officials at Pioneer Railcorp did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Contact Erin James at ejames@evening sun.com.

Model railroad entertains inside retired train car
By Karen Gardner – Staff Reporter
January 5, 2009 Frederick News-Post Frederick, Maryland

Model railroad fans and owners alike have something to celebrate each new year, and that's the opening of the Catoctin Central Railroad, a miniature train layout operated by the Frederick County Society of Model Engineers.

Each Sunday in January and the first Sunday in February, FCSME opens the doors of its genuine rail car, at the rear of 423 E. Patrick St. in Frederick.

Inside the 1940s Chesapeake and Ohio horse car is a model layout, much like the tracks the horse car would have traveled during the train's heyday.

The FCSME consists of 20 members, mostly male, many of whom remember when trains were a main form of transportation in this country.

Children pressed their noses to the glass in front of the model train layout Sunday, watching the HO electric model trains circle through mountains, over bridges, past farms and into large rail yards.

Bob Embrey, a member from Leesburg, Va., greeted visitors at the door. In the first hour, 78 people filed through the rail car to see a bit of bygone American culture.

Embrey explained the rail car was the last of a series that hauled thoroughbreds from racetrack to racetrack. "The car would house six horses, their handlers, feed and hay," Embrey said. Makeshift stalls were formed with still-visible poles.

The club bought the car in 1972 for its scrap value of $900 and had it hauled to East Patrick Street. The model layout has been inside ever since. In 1992, the rail car was shifted a few hundred feet to make room for the Carroll Creek Flood Control Project. Since 1972, the model has entertained and educated children and their parents on the American railroad industry.

The HO designation stands for Half-O, which is the size of the model.

HO is about an eighty-seventh of actual train size, while the scale of an O-gauge train is approximately one-quarter inch to a foot. The layout has two tracks, which each circulate about 120 feet, plus another 100 feet of tracks in rail yards.

A digital command control keeps everything operating smoothly. A steam train chugs along, while a diesel train glides silently over the tracks. There are a mix of local and national train lines, including Western Maryland, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, Genesee Wyoming and CSX.

Brad Eaton, a past president of the club, has been a member since 1989, but became fascinated when he first saw the model many years before that.
"Something always changes," he said. "What you see is a fraction of what we have."

Outside, a G-scale train, or the largest of the traditional model trains, circulated on an outdoor track. FCSME built the garden-sized railroad track for the club's summer gatherings, when it is too hot to stay inside the rail car.

Copyright 2009 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.

History, perception, art part of model railroading
By Sarah Deeth – Staff Writer
January 6, 2009 The Peterborough Examiner Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

There is much more to model railroading than watching a miniature train travel along miniature tracks. It's combining history, perception and art in a realistic, three-dimensional form that accurately captures a town or rail line as it stood decades ago.

For people like Larry Murphy, a member of the Lindsay Model Railroaders Club, there's a certain joy in the tireless collection of maps, historical documents and pictures that eventually lead to the successful completion of a model railroad.

Murphy was one of many model railroaders at the Canadian Canoe Museum yesterday afternoon, proudly showing off his work and answering questions during the museum's open house event.

Murphy had created a model of Fenelon Falls, as it stood in the 1950s.

Everything he used, from the homes to the model cars that lined the miniature streets, was to scale and reflected the era.

"We've let everything go, historically," Murphy said. "People can see, at a glance, how it used to be."

Most of his buildings on his railroad are made from scratch. His projects always begin with a large amount of research, and as many photographs as he can find. "And if I can't find them, I go knocking on doors, to see if anyone else has photos," he said.

Sometimes he's successful, he said. Sometimes, he finds someone he can speak to about what the area used to look like.

Ted Rafuse is fascinated by rail lines, and has written several books on the subject.

His model railroad depicted two eras. One side showed Cobourg as it stood in the 1880s, the other Rice Lake as it looked in the 1850s.

"This is all long gone now," Rafuse said, gesturing to the sparse beginnings of the town.

Part of the rail track was once designed to travel over Rice Lake, he said. But within a week of the rail line opening, the track was washed away by ice.

Rafuse is a retired education, and once taught Canadian history.

For him, model railroading is another tool to teach people about Canada.

He's designed his railroad to be portable, so he can bring it to events.

He's been interested in trains for most of his life, he said, beginning when his uncle gave him a Lionel train set.

"The only time I wasn't interested was in adolescence, when I discovered football and girls," he laughed.
He's met fascinating people through his hobby, he said.

Jim Burchell, host of the event and a member of the Peterborough Model Railroaders Club, greeted and chatted with fellow enthusiasts while explaining the complex hobby to curious onlookers.

Most model railroad enthusiasts have been interested in trains their whole lives, he said, except for a brief period that covers college and the first few years of marriage.

"But once we became established the trains came out again," he said with a smile.

About three years ago the model railroaders were invited to the Canadian Canoe Museum's open house to bring something a little different to the day, he said.

The response from the public, he said, was overwhelming.

"All of a sudden, instead of a couple of hundred people, there were 1,500," he said.

The Peterborough club showed off a model of Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s, so they could run both steam engine and diesel-powered trains on the track.

The trains traveled down the middle of the two-foot wide display, and along a looped, 16-foot track.

It was designed that way, he said, so people would get a sense of peering through the trees, the buildings, and the rocks, just as they would in reality.
"It's as realistic a model as possible on a miniature scale," Burchell said.

Anyone looking to start a model railroad should get in touch with a local club and find a good hobby shop, he said.

Members of the Peterborough Model Railroad club will go to a new member's home and help, he said.

You also need to ensure you have lots of room, he said, because your railroad will inevitably expand.

Locomotive horn stolen from parked train
Associated Press
January 15, 2009 Chicago Tribune Chicago, Illinois

UNION MILLS, Ind. - Authorities believe it may have been a railroad buff who stole a large horn from a locomotive parked in northwestern Indiana. The horn consists of three aluminum trumpets and weighs 10 to 15 pounds.

Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad operations manager Don Wantola says whoever stole the horn had to climb on top of the train engine and remove several half-inch bolts.

LaPorte County police say the theft occurred sometime over the weekend. Footprints were found in the snow around the Chesapeake & Indiana locomotive, which was parked near Union Mills, a rural area about 30 miles east of Gary.

Wantola says a collector of railroad memorabilia was the likely culprit because there were other items on the train with higher scrap value that were untouched.

Information from: The Times, http://nwitimes.com

Utah County railroad club keeps chugging along
By James Davis
January 11, 2009 Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah

OREM - These folks are always going around and around in circles.

But if you think their meetings never get anywhere, think again. They're members of the Ophir, Tintic and Western Model Railroad Club in Orem.

The club, which has existed in Utah County since 1990, focuses its attention and skill on N-scale and HO-scale model railroads.

Larry Carter, club president for the past decade, said his club is a forum for hobbyists to gather and share their talents and interests. It gives members the opportunity to have model railroad discussions with like-minded people.

The club began as an HO-scale club but later expanded to include N-scale model railroads enthusiasts. At Ophir, Tintic and Western, club members individually create a table with a model railroad scenes on top. The tracks on the surface of each table, or module, conform to specific national standards. With each a track entering and leaving at a set place, club members can connect their tables together.

"Because of the structure of our club, having a module — a four-foot table that we make up and then join it with everyone else — it appeals to those people who don't have a home unit," Carter said.

People with setups in their homes don't get into a club setting as much because they don't have to rely on others to bring their tables to complete a full railroad circle.

A few times a year, Carter said, available club members will gather their modules to participate at any of a number of railroad shows throughout the state.

"Say I spend 100 hours building it," Carter said. "Then it's always nice to have a forum to display it."
Just as recently as November, the club participated in a show in Salt Lake City. Shows in 2009 are scheduled in Lehi, Ogden, Helper and Evanston, Wyoming.

"They just issue invites, and if we can get enough people to have some free time during that time," Carter said, "we'll take a group down and assemble them in a circle and have some fun."

In addition to the railroad shows, the club helps maintain a permanent railroad scene at the Orem Heritage Museum at the SCERA Theater.

The scene depicts 1940s life in Orem. And while the club doesn't own the layout, it provides upkeep and maintenance of the set. The club meets on the third Thursday of every month in the theater's board room.
One member of the club, Doug Lamb of Payson, sets up a model railroad display at the historic Peteetneet School in Payson just before Christmas every year.

Carter said Lamb is usually good for a few modules whenever the club puts on a show.

"He will bring 15 of them if we wanted him to," Carter said.

While the members of the Ophir, Tintic and Western Model Railroad Club may not be celebrities, their hobby certainly features one.

British singer Rod Stewart and his 23-by-124 foot model railroad layout were featured in the December 2007 issue of "Model Railroader" magazine, which called Stewart's layout one of the finest in existence.

On Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, the club will host its annual railroad show at Thanksgiving Point. For more information, visit www.thanksgivingpoint.com.

Those interested in learning more about the Ophir, Tintic and Western Model Railroad Club can visit its Web site at www.otwtrainclub.com.

One man's passion for the railroad takes his hobby to the next level
January 19, 2008 WWAY Channel 3 Wilmington, North Carolina

There is something enchanting about the railroad that draws people to make it a hobby with model trains. For one Brunswick County man, he's taken that hobby a step farther than most, making it a big part of his home.

It may look and sound like a railroad yard, but it's really Billy Medlin's bedroom, and his living room and dining room; filled with his passion for model trains.

Back in December 1937, when Billy saw a man burning off along the train tracks that ran nearby his home, the five-year-old had an idea.

"I decided I would burn my right of way off. Of course, I caught on fire," said Medlin. He landed in the hospital for Christmas; a stay that would change his life in a couple of ways.

"Santa Claus brought me a couple trains while I was in the hospital," Medlin said. This included a wind up model, sparking a romance with the railroad; especially the names of the rail lines. "The Great Northern, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Northern Pacific, Western Pacific, ATS&F, Burlington."

And of course the Seaboard and Atlantic Coast that rode the rails he grew up near. While serving in the Coast Guard in the 1950’s, Billy's passion for trains was rekindled during a visit to a Baltimore bar. "The bartender on his bar had a Baltimore & Ohio steam locomotive with a coal tender and a couple of flat cars that he'd bring you milk or beer down to you."

Nowadays, Billy has his own version of the B&O running under his bedroom ceiling. He started hanging tracks with the help of a carpenter in 2006, shortly after his wife died. Now he keeps them on display for all to enjoy, including his daughters.

"I think they think I'm nuts some times," said Billy. His brothers come over and play with them, too; reminding them of treasured childhood memories. "It was just good to live by the railroad," added Billy.

Bowie man creates his own world with model trains
Ever-changing display a staple at senior center
By Andrea Noble – Staff Writer
January 22, 2009 Gazette.net -Maryland Community Newspapers Online

In Ted Tuck's world of model trains, nothing is dated past 1958, the circus is always on its way to town and any street or shop he chooses is named in tribute to his friends and family.

The 69-year-old Bowie resident is an avid model train collector and railroad builder who has been displaying his wacky world annually since the early 1990s, first in his front yard and for the last seven years at the Bowie Senior Center.

"The problem is I live on a cul-de-sac, so nobody saw it except my neighbors," Tuck said.

But now hundreds of people come to the center to see his trains. They have become a hit, prompting seniors to bring their grandchildren multiple times to see each unique display, said center director Kathy White.

"The seniors look forward to it every year," said White, whose husband has his own barbershop in Tuck's latest creation.

Tuck said that like many people his age, he first played with model trains as a child. But joining the Air Force and moving around the world kept him from amassing any sort of train collection.

It was after he retired that he discovered the Washington, Virginia, and Maryland Garden Railway Society, a group that constructs large scale train displays around the region, and returned to the hobby.

"You get to create your own world," said Tuck of the draw to model train displays. "I do my own zoning here. My streets are as wide as I want."

There are also no codes regulating pirate bars or preventing King Kong from hanging out on rooftops, two attractions featured in the current display.

For the last seven years at the center, Tuck typically begins construction the day after Thanksgiving but he returns every few weeks to change up the displays to keep people intrigued. This year the display will remain up through February.

Already Tuck has cycled through a Christmas display and circus train, with a fire department parade and finally "love train" for Valentine's Day rounding out the themes. He modifies everything from the buildings to the railroad tracks for his displays, shaping the tracks to make them fit the 5-foot-by-15-foot space he has at the center. His trains are even emblazoned with his own logo, white letters AWRY on a black oval, which stand for the Abyss Western Railway.

"It's really fascinating, all the variety," said senior Lola Royce of Bowie. Royce said her daughter has brought children she babysits to the senior center several times this year to see the train displays.

"When you start watching [the trains], you sort of get stuck watching them," Royce said.

E-mail Andrea Noble at anoble@gazette.net.

Eight decades later, model railroads keep hold on man’s attention
By Alexia Lang, Special to The Star
January 23, 2009 Kansas City Star Kansas City, Missouri

Childhood dreams sometimes become lifelong passions — at least that was the case for one Prairie Village man who says he has a bit of “railroad fever.”

Some boys want to be baseball players and grow up to be lovers of the game. Bill Foster wanted to be a railroader as a child and instead he grew up to be a Presbyterian minister who now runs a railroad in his back yard — a garden-scale (G-scale), model railway that is.

“Every dream of a boy is to be an engineer,” 82-year-old Foster said. “I got my first set of trains when I was one year old and I still have it. So I have been doing this all my life.”

It wasn’t until about 15 years ago, when Foster retired and moved in with his daughter near 95th Street and Mission Road, that he thought of moving his train sets outside.

“He had filled up my dining room with a Dickens Village and his trains,” said daughter Vickie Sisco. “One day he announced he couldn’t build onto it anymore inside so he offered to give me back the dining room.”

Foster then asked permission to take over the back yard and begin what he calls a never-ending job.

Foster excavated earth and carefully laid the tracks along the fence line of the yard watching closely to maintain the three percent gradient he wanted. Over the years, he has built intricate towns and villages that his trains — the Foster and Sisco Railway — wind through.

He has more than 20 buildings scattered about the yard. Some of the favorite structures include the hobo village, the lumber mill, the farmyard and the school building. Foster purchases all of his moving stock pre-built, but tries his deft hand at building some of the structures found in his garden. While some come in kits, others are built from scratch, as are the fences.

Foster said one problem with constructing the buildings from scratch is that squirrels seem to like the glue and tend to nibble on the wood.

He said a lot of maintenance goes into keeping everything nice. All of the trains are put away and some of the buildings are stored indoors for the winter, giving Foster the chance to get things back into shape.

“Weather is very hard on them,” he said. “I could paint all of the buildings one winter, put it out all summer and they would need it again the next winter.”

“And I know how to be a real railroader,” Foster said, offering pictures of his model towns flooded after storms. “I even have floods and other natural disasters to deal with.”

He has his own little workshop in the basement where he plans his additions and assembles and repairs the various pieces of his railway.

“It’s the planning and building that is my favorite part,” Foster said. “And being able to share it with the kids.”

Foster said being a model railroader isn’t an inexpensive hobby.

He said he pays around $700 per locomotive and then installs a $700 rechargeable, custom-made battery because he does not have an electric system.

The various train cars run anywhere from $40 to $80. And the assembly-required buildings cost from $150 to $200 apiece. He has four locomotives, approximately two dozen cars and three cabooses.

“You do the math,” he said. “It’s not cheap but I do it because I love it.”

The art of building model railroads has become something of a family hobby for the Fosters.

“If you are around, you are most likely going to be out helping dad with the trains,” Sisco said.

Amtrak train is essential link
By Kevin B. Jones
January 24, 2009 Rutland Herald Rutland, Vermont

The Rutland community has come together and shown an extraordinary level of support for preserving the Ethan Allen Express, our daily Amtrak service. The Rutland Chamber of Commerce, local legislators from throughout the county and both sides of the political aisle, the ordinary citizen, Rutland aldermen, Killington Resort, and rail advocates have turned out at rallies and public hearings to collectively voice their support for this essential transportation link.

Importantly, the Rutland Herald through both its eloquent editorials and serious fact-filled news reports has once again demonstrated the relevance and necessity of our independent family-owned daily newspaper to both the Rutland region and Vermont.

It was over a decade ago that as a Rutland alderman I got excited about the idea of daily train service to Rutland as a result of the advocacy of former Rutland Rep. Curt McCormack. Through Curt's tireless advocacy, growing support locally and in Montpelier, and the federal funds that former U.S. Sen. Jeffords was able to bring home, the Ethan Allen Express became a reality.

When train service was finally initiated, I was then working in Manhattan and through good luck rode the first train into Rutland to a welcoming crowd, connecting me from my meeting in Albany to my now second home in Rutland. Over the coming months, I would at week's end make the mad dash from my office to the subway to catch the train back to Rutland for the weekend. More recently I have reversed my commute, returning to live in Chittenden, and earn my living through being connected to the outside world. Of great importance to this connectedness is transportation, especially that which allows one to work, rather than focus on the road.

Over the last decade the working world has changed dramatically allowing many people to live where they choose, connect through technology, and travel to the central office or client when necessary. Places like Rutland County with an outstanding quality of life when connected with good technology and good transportation (e.g. the Ethan Allen Express) have and can continue to benefit economically from this change. Replacing our daily train service with bus service will go against this trend, is economically shortsighted, and would demonstrate a major disconnect between legislative leaders and the future of our region. The Rutland community has come together and demonstrated our support. It is now up to leadership in Montpelier to respond and we will be watching the outcome closely.

Young train victim recovering from injuries
KHOU.com staff report
Monday, January 26, 2009 KHOU.com Houston, Texas

HOUSTON – Houston doctors say that the little girl who lost her legs in a train accident is still in critical condition.

On Friday, 11-year-old Giselle Marroquin and several friends were grabbing onto a slow-moving train near I-10 and the Beltway in Channelview.

Witnesses said the kids were dangling their feet and that’s when Giselle slipped.

The train severed her left leg and partially severed her right, said authorities.

Giselle was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital but doctors weren't able to save either leg.

As the girl recovers, an effort is under way to get a program called “Operation Life Saver” into the Channelview ISD.

The idea is to have volunteers go into schools in the area to inform students about the dangers of trains.

Train your eyes on Nuremberg’s rail museum
By Michael Abrams
January 27, 2009 Stars and Stripes - European Edition

Boys of all ages supposedly have a certain fascination with trains. Many a tale has been told of fathers who buy electric train sets for their sons, only to refuse to hand over the controls once the trains get rolling.

In Nuremberg, Germany, there is a place where fathers and sons — and the rest of the family — can get their fill of railroad lore. It is the DB Museum, dedicated to the history of the German railway system. DB stands for Deutsche Bahn, meaning German rail, and the museum traces its story from its beginnings, through World War II, to the reunification of Germany.

The exhibits begin on the ground floor with the early history of the rail system and the railroad during the Third Reich and the time immediately following. Uniforms are on display, as are maps and official documents pertaining to the Holocaust. After a little history, visitors arrive at the first hall with real trains.

Germany’s fastest train, the ICE 3, which can reach speeds of 205 mph, is on display. Next to it is a 1952 replica of its earliest steam engine, the Adler. It was manufactured in England in 1835, and then transported in pieces by boat and mule to Nuremberg, where it was assembled.

Two opulent railway carriages used by King Ludwig II of Bavaria are among the museum highlights. Parked next to them is a salon car that once ferried Chancellor Otto von Bismarck across the German Empire.

The museum’s second floor features a giant model train set that an engineer runs once an hour on the half-hour. There are smaller models that, with a push of a button, you can set in motion, and you can try your hand at being an engineer on an engine simulator.

Also on this floor are exhibitions on the railway from 1945 to 1989, and the history of train stations.

Across the street there is another hall with electric and steam engines, and an outdoor exhibit that is open from April 1 to the end of October.

Admission to the premises is a two-for-one deal, for on the top floor of the building is the Museum für Kommunikation, or communication museum.

Originally this was a postal museum, as the German post office once ran the mail and telecommunications.
At the entrance to the museum is a post office counter from 1910, and then a walk-through leads past vintage mailboxes, horse-drawn post coaches and even an electric postal delivery van from 1922, showing how the mail was once delivered. As in early America, mail and people once traveled together — think stagecoach here. Farther on there is a telegraph display, with Morse key and telegraph machines.

Interesting exhibits are the mid-20th century telephone operator information desk, the World War II-era switchboard and a large collection of telephones. Check out the Mickey Mouse and Garfield phones, and one with the telephone dial at the bottom of a Coca-Cola bottle.

An Internet station, where visitors can check out sites on the Web, brings the museum into the modern world.

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

How to call the police
George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi was going up to bed when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window.

George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?" and he said "no".

Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available.

George said, "Okay," hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again. "Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people in my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now cause I've just shot them all." Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips’ residence. Of course, the police caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"

George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"

Bubba Applies For A Job
Bubba applied for an engineering position at a Lake Charles refinery. A Yankee applied for the same job and both applicants having the same qualifications were asked to take a test by the manager. Uponcompletion of the test, both men only missed one of the questions.The manager went to Bubba and said: "Thank you for your interest, but we've decided to give the Yankee the job."

Bubba asked: "And why are you giving him the job? We both got nine questions correct. This being Louisiana, and me being a Southern boy I should get the job!"

The manager said: "We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but rather on the one question that you both missed."

Bubba then asked: "And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other?"

The manager replied: “Bubba, it’s like this. On question #4 the Yankee put down; ‘I don't know.’ You put down, ‘Neither do I.’”

5 Miles a Day
I went to the doctor for a complete physical. His only concern was my weight and told me I should walk 5 miles each day. I quit after the first week because I ended up 35 miles from home.

Revenge – Woman Style
An old man and woman were married for many years, even though they hated each other. When they had a confrontation, screaming and yelling could be heard deep into the night.

The old man would shout, "When I die, I will dig my way up and out of the grave and come back and haunt you for the rest of your life!" Neighbors feared him. They believed he practiced black magic because of the many strange occurrences that took place in their neighborhood.

The old man liked the fact that he was feared. To everyone's relief, he died of a heart attack when he was 68. His wife had a closed casket at the wake. After the burial, she went straight to the local bar and began to party as if there was no tomorrow.

Her neighbors, concerned for her safety, asked, "Aren't you afraid that he may indeed be able to dig his way up and out of the grave and come back to haunt you for the rest of your life?"

The wife put down her drink and said, "Let him dig. I had him buried upside down."

Sarah and the Pope
Sarah Palin decided that she needed more exposure to world leaders. She set up an audience with the Pope in Rome.

The Pope took her on a boat ride on the Tiber River where they discussed world affairs cruising down the river.

Suddenly a wind came up and blew the Pope's hat off and it flew into the water. Without missing a beat, Palin took off her high heel shoes and stepped overboard. She proceeded to walk on the water over to the Pope's hat, in full view of the press corps. Returning the hat to the astonished Pope, she continued the discussion as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

The next day the networks and the NY Times reported "Palin can't swim!"

The dangers of drinking
Bud and Jim were A couple of drinking buddies who worked as aircraft mechanics in Philadelphia. One day the airport was fogged in and they were stuck in the hangar with nothing to do.

Bud said, 'Man, I wish we had something to drink!' Jim says, 'Me too. Y'know, I've heard you can drink jet fuel and get a buzz. You wanna try it?'So they pour themselves a couple of glasses of highoctane hootch and got completely smashed.

The next morning Bud wakes up and is surprised at how good he feels. In fact he feels GREAT! NO hangover! NO bad side effects. Nothing! Then the phone rings. It's Jim. Jim says, 'Hey, how do you feel this morning?'

Bud says, 'I feel great. How about you?'

Jim says, 'I feel great, too. You don't have a hangover?'

Bud says, 'No that jet fuel is great stuff – no hangover, nothing. We ought to do this more often.'

'Yeah, well there's just one thing.'

'What's that?'

'Have you farted yet?'

'No '

'Well, DON'T, 'cause I'm in DENVER!

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

Timonium, MD – Great Scale Model Train Show
January 31 – February 1, 2009 – Maryland State Fair Grounds The Great Scale Model Train Show

Annapolis, MD – WB&A Chapter TCA “Winter Train & Toy Meet”

February 14, 2009. Annapolis National Guard Armory, 18 Willow St., Annapolis. 9:00am – 2:00pm. $5 Contact: Art Tate 410-974-0373

Seaford, DE – Seaford VFD Toy & Train Show

February 28, 2009. Seaford Fire Hall.

Wilmington, DE – Nur Temple Train Show
March 1, 2009 – Nur Temple Hall
www.trainshows.com

Hartly, DE – Hartly VFD Spring Model Train & Toy Show

March 14, 2009. Hartly Fire Hall. 9:00am - 3:00pm $3 (Under 12 Free) Contact: Allen Metheny, Sr 302-492-3755.

Edison, NJ – Greenburg’s Train & Toy Show
March 14 – 15, 2009 – New Jersey Expo Center
Greenberg's Train & Toy Show

Severna Park, MD – National Capital Division TTOS Swap Meet & Train Show

Earleigh Heights VFD, RT 2 & Earleigh Heights Road. March 15, 2009. 9:00am - 2:00pm. $5 (under 12 free). Contact: Bill Dyson 301-621-9728.

Sunday 1/18: Open House

2009-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

(Sorry it took so long to get this up.)

On Sunday we had 370-ish people. Thanks everyone.
Every thing was OK. The O Gauge had a transformer blown saturday, but they borrowed one from a person up in Dover. Thanks to that person, they were able to run all their tracks.

N scale went down again on Sunday morning, but we got it fixed before we opened.

HO scale had a great day, too.

Tinplate had some electrical issues, however, they fixed the problem Wednesday night.

To the three winners of the raffle, congratulations who won either the O, HO or N scales train sets.

Stay tuned for more info.

If there is any info you want to put up send it to the club's email delmarvarrclub@yahoo.com

PLEASE NO SPAM

2009-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Curtis Wells' Shay #5 on W&PC RR bridge from Weiland to Logging spur. Photo by Rowland Ritte 1/10/09.

January 17, 2009: Open House

2009-01-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today was a hit: We had 480 people

The HO group took care of the ghost switch problem by disconecting the switch. A big thanks to Bill and Elmer

The N scale group had little problem with their system today. Thank goodness it was late the afternoon. Matt got it running after two hours of working on it.

From what I could tell, the O-scale and the tinplate did well, too.

Photo taken by: Toby Schramm

January Newsletter

2009-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Delmarva Timetable
News of the Delmarva Model Railroad Club
January 2009

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held Wednesday, January 7, around 7:30pm in the club meeting room.

Library News
Jeff Shockley, Librarian

I am just about finished with the reorganization of the magazine collections. I have completed the task of sorting all the magazines, removing any duplicate issues on hand and putting them in the White Elephant collection for sale at the Open Houses. A total of 15 boxes of duplicates were given to the White Elephant table. This includes a 40-year collection of Model Railroader that was donated to the club, of which I was able to incorporate 2 issues into our collection.

I found several 3-ring binders and page protectors in the clean-up and I am currently getting all the paperwork I find organized. I am cutting and pasting some newspaper articles onto 8-1/2” x 11” paper to fit into the binders. Once this is completed, I will go back and sort it all by date.

Bill Deeter has the computer up and running. Still having a couple of issues with it, but they are minor and the computer is usable. It can be used by the HO and N scalers to program their DCC locomotives. I will be using it to catalog the books, magazines, videos, and other items in the Library.

Layout News

With Open House season here, I am going to forego the individual scale reports and just say all layouts are progressing with scenery, track work and other general maintenance.

License Plate Frames

These fit over an automobile license plate. Available in Black or Chrome. The top has “Delmar,
Delaware” engraved on it, the bottom has
“Delmarva Model Railroad Club”. Price for members $15.00, non-members $20.00. Custom orders are accepted.Open House Schedule

The Open House schedule for this month is:

Saturday, January 10 11am – 5 pm
Sunday, January 11 Noon – 5pm
Saturday, January 17 11am – 5pm
Sunday, January 18 Noon – 5pm

For December Open Houses, Saturday saw 470 guests come in and Sunday had 325.

Club Shirts

Bill Shehan is accepting orders for club shirts. Two styles are available and come in sizes Small to 4XL.
Styles, Sizes and Prices are:

Golf Shirts (Short Sleeve Only)
S, M, L, XL $22.75
2XL $26.25
3XL $28.75
4XL $31.25

Broad Cloth (Long and Short Sleeve)
S, M, L, XL $25.00
2XL $27.50
3XL $30.00
4XL $32.50

Railroading News

From www.railnews.net

Santa Claus visits kids at scenic railroad
Children tell jolly old St. Nick their Christmas wish list during Santa in the Caboose
By Patricia A. West-Volland
December 12, 2008 Zanesville Times Recorder Zanesville, Ohio

As the wind whipped the snow around, Santa sat snugly in the caboose greeting children who arrived with their wish lists.

Clay Bradley, 5, asked for a hamster and his sister, Cassidy, 2, was reluctant to talk with Santa. But their cousin, Paige Bradley, 5, had a long list of things she wanted for Christmas. She named several things, including a hamster and a Hannah Montana doll, when she looked at Santa and said, "I can't remember everything."

The children assured Santa there would be cookies for him when he arrived at their house and Clay said there would be "cookies and chocolate milk and reindeer food." Paige assured Santa "I'll put the oats (for the reindeer) on the roof."

Marla Bradley, Clay and Cassidy's mother, saw the Santa in the Caboose event in the newspaper and wanted to take them to visit Santa on a train. "Clay watches the Polar Express everyday even in the summer. He loves trains so this was for him," she said.

Santa gave the children candy canes and as they were about to depart, Paige turned to Santa and said, "I like your colors."

The Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad hosted the Santa in the Caboose and is currently holding a membership drive, too. The group is working to establish scenic train rides from Avondale to Glass Rock in Perry County. They hope to have the first section of the track open and running by next summer.

"It depends on how fast we get money and volunteers. Everything's done on everyone's free time," said Art Ruck of Shawnee.
The Zanesville and Western ran on the same tracks in the 1800s and was nicknamed the "zigzag and wobbly," Gallis said. "This was a major freight line."
While the line will no longer be a freight line, it will carry passengers through some of the small towns of Muskingum and Perry counties, such as White Cottage, East Fultonham and through to Glass Rock.
"We'll have one of the most scenic railroads in Ohio," said Charlie Thomas of East Fultonham and the group's train master. "Eventually we hope to have a turn-around at every station."

A small group from the old Buckeye Scenic Railroad in Hebron formed the new organization and has about 50 members now, but more working members are needed. A person can be an honorary member for a day before becoming a member. Membership levels are $20 associate, $30 adult, $25 youth for ages 13 to 17 and $10 for 12 and younger. Family memberships are $60. All memberships include free train rides.
Currently the train consists of four passenger coaches, one open-air gondola, one locomotive, two cabooses and other equipment.

Mark Smith took his daughter, Jenna Smith, 9, and a friend, Dakota Dilly, 11, to visit with Santa. It was not Jenna's first visit with Santa this year. She has been to the mall and other locations to visit with Santa and leave her wish list.

"We heard about it from a friend ... and she (Jenna) was excited to see him," Mark said.

Jenna's list included an American Girl doll and a karaoke set.

Santa listened to each child's wishes and parents were giving a slight nod or shake of their head, too.
"I played Santa Claus years ago. It's a tough role to play when you realize you're carrying these kids' hopes and dreams. You have to be careful what you say," Santa (Ed Gallis of White Cottage) said.
The Green Shades Garden Center and the Maysville Regional Water District sponsored the Santa in the Caboose.

Children can visit with Santa on the Caboose from noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 13 and 20. The train is located at the intersection of Ohio 93 and Crock Road in Avondale with parking in the Green Shades Garden Center. Admission is $3 and includes a photo of the child with Santa that will be e-mailed to the parents.
Additional information about The Zanesville & Western Scenic Railroad can be found at www.zwsr.org.

Homeless campers asked to leave railroad property
December 15, 2008 Des Moines Register Des Moines, Iowa

Around 10 people living in tents on private railroad property south of downtown Des Moines will be asked to leave the campsite.The action, generally taken on an annual basis, comes from railroad officials, Assistant City Manager Chris Johansen said. "It's not a city-initiated process," Johansen said this morning. "It's no different than any other private property owner enforcing their property rights."

The homeless people have reportedly been living in tents on railroad property near the Raccoon River, Johansen said. The action comes about two weeks after city officials told around nine men to leave an encampment along the Des Moines River on the city's north side. City officials said the huts assembled from pallets and scrap lumber were fire hazards because they contained wood-burning stoves. A homeless man who was sleeping inside one of the shacks sustained minor burns on Dec. 1 when the structure caught fire after a propane heater was knocked over and set the hut ablaze.City crews moved in Thursday to tear down five shacks that remained at the site. Johansen said he does not believe the campsite on railroad property includes any huts similar to the ones the city tore down last week.

Model railroading still building steam in East Texas
By Jamaal E. O’Neal
December 16, 2008 Longview News-Journal Longview, Texas

Among the rows of boxcar construction sets, model train kits and racks of model train magazines, Gregg County Court at Law Judge Alfonso Charles reminisced Thursday about his childhood at Homer's Railroad Supplies and Accessories.

"I used to play with trains when I was younger," Charles said as he examined a Santa Fe boxcar set. "It was really fun when I was a kid."

Though Charles' fascination with model trains has diminished over time, his son's interest appears to be picking up steam. Charles and his wife were looking to purchase a Thomas the Tank Engine train for their 6-year-old son. The toy train comes equipped with a smokestack that blows smoke and lights up when started.

"I used to play with trains when I was a kid," Charles said. "(Our son) told us that he wanted Santa to get him this train. It kind of surprised us."

But according to Homer Fleischer , owner of Homer's on Methvin Street, their son's interest in model trains should not come as a shock. Since Disney's 2004 blockbuster hit "Polar Express," a magical Christmas adventure of a young boy who boards a train to the North Pole, more people are getting into the model railroading hobby, Fleischer said. Technological upgrades in model railroading, such as digital devices that allow simultaneous control of up to 99 engines, have also contributed to the hobby's growing popularity, he added.

"Little kids, and even some adults, are drawn to trains because of the motion," Fleischer said. "Looking at trains as they race by is fascinating to some people, and they want to have a smaller version of it in their homes."

Fleischer admits having an obsession with model railroading. For 79 years, the hobby has been an outlet from his daily pressures and keeps him active during his retirement years.

"I still have the first Lionel Train my parents bought me when I was 6-years-old back in the 1930s," Fleischer said as he pointed to the well-preserved, polished silver train displayed on the top shelf behind the cash register. "(Model) railroading keeps me young."

Fleischer said the many facets of model railroading make it an ideal hobby for families. For children, model railroading is a gateway to careers in engineering, design and art, which has kept the hobby growing for years, he added.

"There is something each family member can do together when model railroading," Fleischer said. "There is a good bit of electrical work, scenery design and layout design that's enough to keep everyone busy."

For the Pleasant family, model railroading has never lost its steam. Traveling through Longview on their way back home to Fort Worth, Bruce Pleasant said he and his son Joshua, 12, have grown closer as a result of model railroading.

"I have a 20-by-20 building with 40 plus locomotives and 300 to 400 boxcars," Pleasant said as he purchased a model railroading magazine at Fleischer's store. "I just love the power and motion of trains, and so does my son. My little girl is getting interested in it too. It's just a hobby that never gets old."

See model trains at Kings Mountain museum
December 17, 2008 Gaston Gazette Gastonia, North Carolina

The Kings Mountain Historical Museum presents the opening of the Sixth Annual Trains, Trains, Trains Exhibit on display through Jan. 4.

The Piedmont Division of the Atlantic Coast ‘S' Gaugers will have their interactive trains running for everyone to enjoy. Several train collectors from the area will exhibit their prized possessions along with great railroad memorabilia.

Moravian Cookies and Cheese Straws from Old Salem are available at the Gift Shop during the Train Exhibit.

The museum is located at 100 E. Mountain St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call 704-739-1019 or visit www.kingsmountainmuseum.org.

Open House Showcases Historic Train Station
By Greg Gross
December 20, 2008 York Sunday News York, PA

The Stewartstown Railroad Station was once again buzzing with activity Saturday.

But, instead of passengers milling about until their train arrived, people checked out the station during an open house hosted by the Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad.

The interior of the station -- which sits at West Pennsylvania Avenue and Hill Street in Stewartstown -- is almost exactly as it looked when it was opened in 1914, said Ray Reter, a member of the Friends' board.
Before the invention of modern shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx, the station served as a post office of sorts.

"If you have a package to send, you brought it to the local train station," Reter said.

Packages that were dropped off at the Stewartstown station were loaded into box cars and shipped west to nearby New Freedom, where they were sorted and once again loaded into cars to be shipped anywhere in the country via a main rail line.
Reter said the roughly seven-mile Stewartstown Railroad line was also used to ferry passengers and freight.

The link offered rural farmers the means to transport their goods to markets in York and Baltimore.

As Reter showed a time schedule from decades ago, he pointed out that some of the stations listed were merely the surnames of farmers whose land the train stopped at. The farm stations still carry the names they were given all those years ago.

"I guess whoever was there first got the honors," Reter said.

Outside the station, two old passenger cars from about the 1940s sat on aging rails. On another set of tracks, a crane train used to lift and replace rails and a self-propelled inspection car was hooked up to other maintenance cars.

The tracks come to an abrupt end at Route 851 within the borough. Decades ago, the tracks were connected to another line that ran east of Stewartstown.

Reter said the crane and maintenance train will be used to refurbish the line.

Kenneth Karlen of Shrewsbury said he'd like to see the tracks put to use someday. His property abuts the line.

"I'm hoping that they get it going again," he said.
The nonprofit Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad hopes to have the line open for excursion trains sometime in the future, Reter said.

For more information about the Stewartstown Railroad and the Friends of the Stewartstown Railroad, check out www.stewartstownrailroad.com.

Stuck on Amtrak, Stuck with Amtrak
By Jim Timmerman
December 25, 208 The Holland Sentinel Holland, Michigan

It’s tough on those of us who believe in the value of passenger rail service when Amtrak is your standard-bearer and sole provider.
The simple four-hour ride that turned into a 16-hour nightmare for passengers between Chicago and Grand Rapids Sunday and Monday encapsulated all that’s wrong with rail travel in America - poor customer service, restrictive labor rules and Amtrak’s lack of control of the tracks it uses.
Of those factors, customer service is the one under Amtrak’s control. Forget the blizzard - a company committed to service, which empowered its employees to make the decisions necessary to provide it, could have avoided the debacle or at least ameliorated the suffering.

The train could have been stopped at an earlier station and a bus called in to take passengers the rest of the way.

But the most glaring failure was the crew’s decision to push on from the Holland station aware passengers would be left stranded. Knowing they were within minutes of their 12-hour shift limit, the Amtrak crew could have given Grand Rapids-bound passengers the option of getting off at the Holland depot and calling their family members to pick them up. Instead, they simply followed the rules and transported the passengers a mile ahead and kept them prisoner in a rail yard for more than three hours.
Amtrak obviously has never had its employees attend the Disney University service school. Throughout the experience, Amtrak failed to communicate fully and candidly with the passengers or provide answers to the people waiting to pick up passengers. (Imagine how frightening this event might have been in a pre-cell phone era.) The TV pictures of passengers falling into two feet of snow on an unshoveled platform as they disembarked in Grand Rapids illustrated the fullness of the indignity.
The question of course is whether anyone in Amtrak cares. The Pere Marquette is not one of Amtrak’s premiere lines. It’s not the kind of scenic, long-distance route enjoyed by the rail aficionados who lobby for Amtrak. It’s not profitable, like the railroad’s busy Northeast routes, which also carry senators and congressmen to Washington.
No, the Pere Marquette is a mundane, short-haul line serving unglamorous West Michigan, and Amtrak has threatened many times to cancel if it didn’t get a hefty state subsidy ($6.4 million this year). The Pere Marquette is frequently delayed, due in large part to the fact that Amtrak controls only a fraction of the tracks on the route, and is at the mercy of CSX and other freight lines in the Chicago area, the nation’s rail bottleneck.
Amtrak does nothing to promote the Pere Marquette - that’s handled by a private consortium. Yet in spite of all that, ridership hit another record level this year, because riding the rails is - on most days - such a pleasant alternative to driving to and from Chicago.
America desperately needs an alternative to driving and flying for short- and mid-range inter-city travel. Rail service is the obvious option. Unfortunately in America, that means Amtrak. Amtrak constantly has to fight in Congress to keep its federal subsidy, which is simply a more direct version of the subsidies that air and car travel receive. Winning support is always a challenge in part because Amtrak keeps shooting itself in the foot with episodes like the Pere Marquette nightmare.
One last point: Yes, there was a blizzard Sunday. And of course safety has to be the highest priority. I’m not a railroad expert, but I do know this: Trains travel in Siberia. Regularly, and in far more brutal weather. I’ve ridden a train over the Alps from Rome to Vienna in a raging blizzard and arrived right on time. Is our rail stock in America that much worse than Europe’s? If so, why?
This week’s debacle was an insult to the people of West Michigan. But then working for Amtrak apparently means never having to say you’re sorry.

jim.timmerman@hollandsentinel.com

Model Train Exhibit Offers Big Dream On A Small Scale
By Kira Goldenbert
December 25, 2008 www.theday.com

North Stonington, CT - Aside from the Jesus-themed artwork on the walls, everything else filling the community room in the Third Baptist Church relates to model trains.

Recent copies of magazines like Model Railroader and Railfan and Railroad were available. And multiple control panels full of switches and wires were erected to run trains around a network of tracks that crisscross one another in a rectangular space that, at 42 feet long and 16 feet wide, fills the room.

”It's a hobby,” Jim DeLany of Norwich said of the Mohegan-Pequot Model Railroad Club's annual Model Train Christmas Spectacular, which they spent seven hours assembling Saturday.

”Some people are into golf,” DeLany said, recalling former coworkers who spent all their spare time comparing courses and clubs.

”But from my perspective,” said North Stonington resident Larry Southwick, picking up his friend's train of thought, “walking around in the rain to hit a little ball in a hole seems silly. There's a lot of technology here.”

”It's accomplishing something when you start with just raw lumber and you build something that works,” Southwick said.

There are buildings, forests, bodies of water and even a 1-inch tall portable toilet resting beside a building. Giving the trains and tracks scenic context, it all evokes Connecticut in autumn during the early 1950s scaled to 1/87th of its actual size. And it was all built lovingly by hand.

Club members said at least 50 people came to see the display Monday and Tuesday, but things were quieter on Christmas Eve. This is the first year the club has assembled a setup in North Stonington.

Southwick, who hosts a weekly club meeting at his house, estimated the total price of the materials in the church to be about $25,000. The club's supplies fill his basement. Club members - there are 54 - take field trips together to observe trains and infrastructure throughout the country.

The Mohegan-Pequot Model Train Club's members will next showcase their skills at the Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Mass., at the end of January.

The train display at the Third Baptist Church, 5 Rocky Hollow Road, is open from noon to 5 p.m. from Dec. 26 through Dec. 31 and then again on Jan. 2. Admission is free.

Experts Say Sequence of Signals May Have Contributed to Metrolink Crash
By Robert J. Lopez and Rich Connell
December 26, 2008 Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, CA

The position of trackside warning signals near the Chatsworth Metrolink station could have increased distractions for the engineer involved in September's deadly collision with a freight train, according to experts who cite the causes of a similar crash a decade ago.Several hundred yards and a few seconds before arriving at the Chatsworth station, Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez passed a critical solid yellow signal that should have warned him to stop at the next light about a mile after the depot, according to federal safety investigators.

Placing the yellow light before a station, experts say, creates an opportunity for distractions for engineers -- who must bring the train to a halt, communicate with conductors and focus on passengers getting on or off. This is especially critical in places like the Chatsworth station, where the signal after the depot is near a point where the main line merges with another track.
"It's certainly not unreasonable to consider that he may have totally forgotten about the yellow," said Barry M. Sweedler, a former investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board who helped probe a Maryland accident a decade ago with similar circumstances. "If you interrupt the sequence [and] passengers get on, a couple of minutes go by. . . . Think of the distractions."Leaving the station, Sanchez accelerated to 54 mph, received and sent text messages and sailed through the stop light, slamming into a Union Pacific freight train, investigators say. The engineer and 24 passengers died in the accident and 135 were injured.
Signal locations have been determined largely by factors such as curves, double track switches and the stopping and movement requirements of longer, heavier freight carriers that share track with Metrolink trains, according to the commuter service.But ideally, key warning signals -- or, at the very least, reminder signs -- should be positioned right after the depot at stations such as Chatsworth, according to the experts.Teams of NTSB investigators are examining signal issues and human factors that could have contributed to the Sept. 12 collision. Signal positions and any potential to increase human error will probably figure into the inquiry, which is expected to take months to complete, Sweedler said.Metrolink officials have declined to discuss the crash, saying they are prohibited from talking because of the ongoing federal investigation.But the agency does not agree that a station stop between signals creates potential distractions, said spokesman Francisco Oaxaca. Keeping signals in mind at all times is "a fundamental part of a passenger engineer's job," he said.Depending on signal settings, any of Metrolink's 55 stations could be between a solid yellow light and a red stop light on the current system, Oaxaca said.As part of a sweeping safety initiative in the wake of the Chatsworth crash, the agency is reexamining signal locations. The criteria for possible changes are being developed, but "obviously visibility and human factors are going to be on that list," Oaxaca said.So-called approach lights -- yellow warnings of a stop signal ahead -- should never be placed before stations such as Chatsworth, said Ron Kaminkow, a veteran engineer and official with Railroad Workers United, a coalition of eight rail employee unions."It doesn't make sense. Logic would dictate that you want to set up a signal system that would allow for as little human error as possible," he said."There's all sorts of things that can happen at station stops," he added. "Whatever it might be, a pause in the action gives opportunity for distraction."A 1996 head-on collision in Maryland was blamed largely on distractions caused by a station stop that a commuter train made after it passed an approach signal, records show. Federal investigators concluded that the engineer forgot about the warning, sped away from the station and then was unable to stop at a junction where an approaching Amtrak train had the right of way.Eight passengers and all three crew members on the commuter train died in the fiery collision."The physical and mental tasks associated with stopping the train at [the] station provided the primary source of interference," the NTSB concluded in its investigation of the crash. These "attention-demanding tasks" included reducing the throttle, applying the brakes and positioning the train properly in the station, investigators found.After that accident, the rail company that operated the commuter train and signal system, CSX Transportation, added reminder signs before and at the station where the crash occurred.The signs are safety enhancements because an engineer's "attention might be diverted picking up passengers," said CSX spokesman Gary Sease.

Metrolink's signal system complies with federal regulations, but no extra reminder signage has been added, said Steve Lantz, the agency's communications director.Oaxaca noted that other safety procedures for passenger trains, including speed restrictions after station stops and signal-announcing requirements for crew members, were added to federal operating rules after the Maryland crash. But both of those regulations appear to have been violated in the Chatsworth disaster, according to preliminary findings by the NTSB.

The overriding distraction in Chatsworth may have been the text messages that federal investigators say Sanchez sent and received that day from his cellphone. The engineer did so despite a Metrolink ban on use of personal electronic devices by crews operating trains.In a little over two minutes, records and interviews indicate, Sanchez received a message shortly after leaving the station and sent a final message seconds before the crash, just after passing the red light.The Metrolink conductor, who survived, and three witnesses have told investigators that the final light before the trains collided was green. But the NTSB says all of its testing indicates that the light was red and that it was visible, although a recent Times report disclosed that it was not as bright as other lights on the same signal post and that one investigator had commented three days after the crash, "Can't hardly see the red."

Safety experts note that research shows human error is reduced when an uninterrupted sequence of warnings or events precedes a crucial task -- such as stopping a train at a red light to let another train pass.The normal sequence of railroad signal lights is intended to alert and remind the engineer and crew of the potential danger ahead, said USC professor Najmedin Meshkati, who studies human behavior related to safety.A station stop between signals increases chances of mistakes, he said."It really puts into question the design of that signal system," he said. Like the rail workers coalition, he questioned why the solid yellow signal -- or at a minimum a reminder light or sign -- was not placed immediately after the station."These things are designed in a very haphazard way," he said.Meshkati, who has followed the Metrolink investigation, has called for the agency to conduct a thorough review of the system's operations with an emphasis on incorporating routines and redundancies that can compensate for human failings."Safety warnings in the proper sequence are the issue," he said. "You should keep all the variables as controlled as you can."Indeed, records show the NTSB concluded that the Maryland accident might have been avoided had officials conducted a comprehensive review of the signal system, including an analysis of "human factors" that could affect its safety.After a two-month review, a panel of experts recently called on Metrolink to increase its focus on potential safety hazards across the five-county commuter system and to step up oversight of train crew behavior.

The agency could start with the signal Sanchez passed just before the Chatsworth station, said Kaminkow of the rail workers coalition. "You need to get rid of it and replace it with one" on the other side of the station.robert.lopez@latimes.com rich.connell@latimes.com

Model Trains Appeal to All Ages at Club's Show
Show will continue today at Manitowoc County Expo grounds
By Cindy Hodgson
December 28, 2008 Herald Times Bloomington, Illinois

MANITOWOC - Saturday was "kind of a rainy, gloomy day" so Jamie North of Manitowoc decided to take his 4-year-old son, Justin, to the Clipper City Model Railroad Club's holiday show.

"He's a real train enthusiast," he said about his son.

This was the first Clipper City model train show for the Norths, who moved to the Lakeshore area about five months ago, although they have been to a couple of similar shows elsewhere, he said.

North, who had model trains when he was a boy, said he is thinking about building a model railroad with Justin. "I'm really kind of anxious to get back into it myself," he said.

The holiday show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

Scott Maves came from Appleton to see the trains Saturday.

"I always come to these kind of things just to get ideas," said Maves, who is working on a layout at his house.

"It's ageless," he said about the hobby. "It's fun to look at all the different detail."

Maves said having a model railroad is something anyone can do.

"You don't have to be an expert at this," he said.
His girlfriend, Heather Holmes of Kaukauna, and her two sons were at the show with Maves. "My 3-year-old loves trains," Holmes said about her son, Ian.

Ian's older brother, 9-year-old Miles, was asked what he likes about trains. "I like how they actually put them together because it looks the same as real trains," Miles said.

The holiday show is one of four times throughout the year the club opens its doors to the public. The facility, called the Iron Horse Barn, is located at the Manitowoc County Expo grounds.

The other occasions are the weekend after Thanksgiving, a spring open house in April or May, and during the Manitowoc County Fair in late August when the building is open every day, according to Dave Burkart, who has been a member of the club since 1978.

Gary L. Boeckman, vice president of the club, said the purpose of the public showings is to educate people. Sometimes people have questions about their own trains or layouts that members of the Clipper City Model Railroad Club can answer.

According to Boeckman and Burkart, those who attend the shows are a combination of serious model train enthusiasts who have their own setups and people who just bring their children to see some trains.

The Iron Horse Barn contains close to 2,000 feet of track, Burkart said. There are three mainlines, and although it's possible to run two trains on one mainline at a time, club members operate only one train per mainline during shows.

Club member Andrew Luchsinger was running the controls Saturday morning. He initially joined the club when he was 16 and then rejoined last year when he moved back to the area.

"I feel like I'm 12 again," he said when asked what he likes about his model railroad hobby.

He said he enjoys being able to make improvements to his setup.

"To me, this is a piece of history," said Luchsinger, who minored in history when he was in college. "The railroads played an important part in history. … It's Americana."

"Some people also look at it as three-dimensional art," Burkart said.

The Clipper City Model Railroad Club formed in 1960, he said. Meetings were held at members' homes.

In 1982, the club began renting space on the third floor of the former North End Drug building, and groundbreaking for the current facility was in 1987.
The club has 15 members, all males, although there have been female members in the past, according to Burkart. The group meets at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Iron Horse Barn. Anyone interested in learning more about membership may attend one of the meetings.

chodgson@htrnews.com

From www.trains.com

LGB trains to be distributed by Walthers
December 23, 2008 Model Railroader

LGB trains will be distributed exclusively in North America by Wm. K. Walthers Inc. effective Jan. 1, 2009, Märklin Inc., the North American subsidiary of Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH of Germany, announced Dec. 23.Walthers will handle sales, warehousing and distribution of the LGB product line. In addition, Walthers will provide warranty and retail service for LGB products, and will stock a full assortment of LGB parts, Märklin Inc. reported.Märklin Inc., of New Berlin, Wis., will provide marketing and product/technical support to Walthers and the North American market.Enthusiasts and dealers and can visit
www.lgb-bahn.de to download the 2008 LGB New Items brochure. LGB's new items for 2009 will be announced in February at the Nürnberg Toy Fair in Germany.

For A Laugh (emails from internet friends)

Newspaper Headlines That Make You Smile
(and Wonder)

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter
So there IS life after death?

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
No…REALLY???

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Taking things a bit too far, wouldn’t you say?

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over
What a guy!

Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Those good-for-nothin' lazy so-and-so's!

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
See if that works any better than a fair trial!

War Dims Hope for Peace
I can see where it might have that effect!

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile

Ya think?!

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Who would have thought!

Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
They may be on to something!

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
You mean there's something stronger than duct tape?!

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge
He probably IS the battery charge

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Weren't they fat enough?!

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

That's what he gets for eating those beans!

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Do they taste like chicken?

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Chainsaw Massacre all over again!

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Boy, are they tall!

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Reported Dead
Did I read that right?

Why Men Shouldn’t Take Messages

Someone from the Gyna Colleges called.

They said the Pabst Beer was normal.
I didn’t even know you liked beer.

Philosophy Of The Wife
I didn’t say it was YOUR fault, I said I was going to BLAME you.

The Blonde Flight Attendant

A man boarded an airplane in New Orleans with a box of frozen crabs. A blond female crew member took the box and promised to put it in the crew's refrigerator, which she did.

The man firmly advised her that he was holding her personally responsible for the crabs staying frozen, and proceeded to rant at her about what would happen if she let them thaw out.

She became annoyed by his behavior.Shortly before landing in New York, she announced over the intercom to the entire cabin 'Would the gentleman who gave me the crabs in New Orleans, please raise your hand?'

Not one hand went up. So she took them home and ate them herself.

Pregnant Turkey Story

One year at Christmas, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store.When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven. She removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven.When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird.

With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you cooked a pregnant bird!"

At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

The Christmas Pageant

My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.

My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line,
"We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes."
But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped
in wrinkled clothes."

My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."

A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.

I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama."

Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived. My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."

The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation. "I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes "For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."

"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said to myself as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.

For The Grandparents Out There
(“Ready…..Set……GO”)

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: 'We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods. ‘The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, 'I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!'

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. 'What's it about?' he asked. 'I don't know,' she replied. 'I can't read.'

When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, 'It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.'

A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, 'Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.' The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. 'That's interesting,' she said, 'how do you make babies?'' It's simple,' replied the girl. 'You just change 'y' to 'i'and add 'e s'.'

Children's Logic: 'Give me a sentence about a public servant,' said a teacher. The small boy wrote: 'The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.' The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. 'Don't you know what pregnant means?' she asked. 'Sure,' said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child.'

A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. 'They use him to keep crowds back,' said one child. 'No,' said another, 'he's just for good luck. 'A third child brought the argument to a close. 'They use the dogs,' she said firmly, 'to find the fire hydrants.

Up-Coming Shows in the Area

Allentown, PA – Great Lehigh Valley Train Meet
January 17 - 18, 2009 – Merchants Square Mall
Great Lehigh Valley Train Meet

Timonium, MD – Great Scale Model Train Show
January 31 – February 1, 2009 – Maryland State Fair Grounds
The Great Scale Model Train Show

Wilmington, DE – Nur Temple Train Show
March 1, 2009 – Nur Temple Hall
www.trainshows.com

Edison, NJ – Greenburg’s Train & Toy Show
March 14 – 15, 2009 –New Jersey Expo Center
Greenberg's Train & Toy Show

Timonium, MD – Great Scale Model Train Show
April 4 - 5, 2009 – Maryland State Fair Grounds
The Great Scale Model Train Show

Allentown, PA – Great Lehigh Valley Train Meet
May 16 – 17, 2009 – Merchants Square Mall
Great Lehigh Valley Train Meet

1/11/2009: Open House

2009-01-12T11:19:00.000-08:00

Due to the Eagles and Giants football game, we didn't have that big of a crowd. But it was still an OK turnout with 404 people. We also have a new member. I don't know anything about him except that he is a new HOer and he has a Norfolk Southern hat ;-D.

On the HO layout, that one switch still isn't fixed yet. Hopefully it will be by this weekend's open house. The PRR GG1 lost it's front leading wheels for reasons I don't know.

On the big N layout, the two Reading C-630's and Trainmasters put on an excellent show; as well as the Norfolk Southern train. On the other N scale layouts, everything was running well except for the Illinois Central/Chicago and Northwestern passenger train. It kept uncoupling all over the modules.

The O gauge and Tinplate were great as well.

1/10/2009: Open House

2009-01-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great day at the Delmarva Model Railroad Club. 520-ish people attended today's open house. A special thanks to all those who attended.

The HO Scale had a switch problem. The computer would always switch one track the wrong way. And as of now, they are trying to fix it. But if they don't, and if you're here at the right time, you might be the one who witnesses a wreck. :-D

On the N Scale layouts, we had a Reading coal drag, Amtrak passenger/trailer train, a Norfolk Southern train with SOU and N&W cars, and tomorrow we'll have a Reading mix freight pulled by two Reading C-630's and two Reading Trainmasters. We also had a PRR passenger pulled by an E-8, and a Southern Pacific passenger pulled by non other then the 4-8-4 4449 Daylight Special.

The O Gauge and Tinplate layouts had some great displays, too. There were Christmas trains, Gold trains, a few GG1's, a PRR centipede, and a lot of other great trains.

Photo taken by: Toby Schramm

Delmarva Model Railroad Club Open House

2009-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

January 10Th & 11Th, 17Th & 18Th, 2009 the Delmarva Model Railroad Club is having their open house for these two weekends. The times are 11AM-5PM on Saturdays, and 12PM-5PM on Sundays. The display features an "O" Gauge layout, three "N" scale platforms, a large "HO" scale platform with operating signals, and a Christmas garden display featuring antique trains, Thomas the Tank Engine, and trolley cars.

Admission is free, though donations are greatly appreciated. The club is located on the second floor at 103 East State St. (Rt.54) in downtown Delmar. One block east of the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks. Free parking in the rear. For more information, call 410-742-9325 or 302-877-0231. And our website is http://www.delmarvamodelrailroadclub.org/

Photo Taken by: Toby Schramm