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AMHERST BELT LINES |
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HO Modular Railroad |
Copyright © 2000, Amherst Railway Society
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Sudro Brown BrownSudro@cs.com |
Clark Huber chuber@charter.net |
Alan Rice abel.planning@comcast.net |
Before we get on to new business, let us review some old business. Over the weekend of October 14 and 15, the Amherst Belt Lines made the trek to Townsend, Massachusetts, for the Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club's 13th Annual Model Railroad Show. We brought a modest layout of 20' x 24' that went together reasonably well. We had the opportunity to welcome Paul Goldey, an Amherst Railway Society member, to our ranks to help with setup, operation and breakdown of the layout. We also had the opportunity to work out a few of the bugs of installing a new control system on the layout, a preview of what to expect in West Springfield, and to review the condition of several of the modules used regularly in the layout. After troubleshooting some DCC issues, the layout ran smoothly, with the only control system problems arising from human error.
November 3, 4 and 5 saw the Belt Lines in Bedford, New Hampshire for the Bedford Boomers' 18th Annual Railroad Exhibition. The 16' x 32' layout was again setup in decent time and connected to the Boomers' layout via Bolton Junction. We load tested the DCC system at this show, and feel confident that we should have reasonably trouble free operation in West Springfield this year. After a chicken dinner Saturday night at the Belforti's, a number of us loaded into various cars for an operating session at Bruce Robinson's HO scale layout. Bruce has packed an incredible amount of dispatcher-controlled operation into a relatively small space without making it look crowded -- an amazing feat in itself! We all had a great time Saturday night and thank Bruce for his hospitality. The show Sunday was well attended, in spite of the weather.
The start of the 2001 show season may prove to be a busy one. Our current schedule through March is listed below:
Details of the Amherst Railway Society Show appear below.
The Worcester Model Railroaders show is a small one-day show held at the Elks Club in Auburn, Massachusetts. The show runs from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. The show is only one day, including setup! The Elks Club is opened at 7:00 am, and we have three hours to get the layout into the hall, on its feet, level and operating. This is a challenge that we have met for the past two years, although last year the clock started a little late for everybody while someone with a key to the building was located! Because of the size of the exhibit hall, the Belt Lines becomes the primary display layout with one or two other smaller layouts in attendance. The Worcester Model Railroaders invite several vendors to fill out the hall, and get a very respectable attendance. This year will mark the third consecutive appearance of the Belt Lines at this show, and our fourth year of attendance overall. Anyone who is up for the challenge of setting up the layout rapidly is welcome to attend. Directions to the Elks Club can be provided upon request. If you want to have your module included in the layout, let Alan know as soon as possible as space will be limited!
The Little Rhody Division NMRA Show in March is a new invitation for the Belt Lines this year. The invitation was extended to us through Justin Maguire, who has been participating with us for a number of years with his fantastic Hog Island module. The show is a two-day event, with setup and other activities for the participants occurring on Saturday, March 17, and the show itself on Sunday, March 18 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The show will be held at the West Warwick Civic Center, which is about 15 minutes south of Providence, Rhode Island. Several events are planned for the participants on Saturday, including layout setup and operation, and the ability to attend various clinics. The Belt Lines will be bringing a relatively small layout to this show, so if you would like to include your module, contact Alan soon. Participation, as always, will not be limited to module owners as we can always use the help! We look forward our first attendance at this new venue.
If you are interested in participating in either the Worcester or Little Rhody show, with or without a module, please contact Alan by not later than the Amherst Railway Society Show as space in the layout will be limited.
The Amherst Railway Society show is Saturday, February 3, and Sunday, February 4, 2001, at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Setup starts on Thursday, February 1 from 1:00 pm to 10:00 pm and continues all day on Friday to 10:30 pm. Show hours will be the same as last year, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The show will once again be in three buildings this year.
All module owners, and other interested parties, are invited to participate at the show, with or without modules. We will be in the same general location in the Better Living Center as we have been for the past few years, but we will be reconfiguring the layout due to some changes in the show layout and some of the anticipated modules coming to the show. Before any planning of the layout can start, we need to know what you plan to bring to the show. Designing a layout the size of our display at the Big E show takes a significant amount of time. We must also submit the layout plan to the West Springfield Fire Department for approval so that we can allow the public access to view all of the modules. To allow enough time for these activities to occur, Alan needs to begin planning the layout as soon as possible. If you would like to have your module, or modules, included in the layout, you must contact Alan by not later than Thursday, December 28, 2000. E-mail and U.S. Mail addresses are at the top of this newsletter, as is the phone number, for your convenience. This "drop dead" date applies to all modules to be included in the layout. If you notified Alan prior to the publication of this newsletter, please contact him again as a reminder. If you have a NEW module (one that's never been in an ABEL layout), or a module that has had significant changes to track configuration, you must send Alan a track plan and the industry or siding information for that module. If you have a NEW module or have made significant electrical changes to your module(s), we will make arrangements to inspect the module before the show to avoid having to fix or repair problems at the show. Please let one of the coordinators know if you require an inspection prior to the show. We would like to avoid fixing or repairing modules at the show this year, as repair is not an efficient use of our resources. Remember, we will not assume your module is coming to the show. If you want Alan to include your module in the layout, you MUST contact him by December 28, 2000!!
Our policy regarding module delivery has been modified slightly this year. All modules must be in the Better Living Center on Thursday, February 1 by 9:00 pm. If you have a new or reconstructed module that has not been inspected, please try to get to the show site as early as possible on Thursday. We would like to have all modules on their legs and in close to final position before we leave the building Thursday night. If you have specific reasons why you cannot meet this deadline, let Alan know when you confirm the use of your module in the layout, or as soon as possible, should your circumstances change. If you have not arranged for the late arrival of your module the space will not be available when you arrive on Friday morning! This is a VERY large layout, and we cannot afford to delay setup. If you need help with transportation to meet this deadline, let Alan know when you contact him so that arrangements can be made.
After you have delivered your module on Thursday, please plan to stay to assist others in setup. There is plenty of work to do and the more hands there are to do it, the faster it goes. You can help others unload and assemble their modules. We will need at least two crews to level modules and two or more to put in the rail connections. We need people to run cables, put up skirting, setup the barrier, etc. - the list goes on. Do not forget to stick around after the show, too. Everything that is done on Thursday and Friday has to be undone on Sunday. Rolling stock must be sorted and stored; the skirting must be removed, folded and stowed; cables must be pulled and coiled, etc. Remember, our goal is to have the layout setup and operating smoothly as soon as possible, and taken down and shipped out as fast as possible on Sunday. If we can have some fun operating trains in between, so much the better!
Last year we tried to bring back some concepts that we had used at past shows. We were not very successful for a number of reasons. This year, we hope to have greater success! We will have a sign-up sheet for operators to try to maintain an even flow of traffic and people. We will include a description of each train and make recommendations of appropriate trains for individuals. The sign-up sheet helps the coordinators and dispatcher to know when people are available and where we have a lack of operators, and allows you the opportunity to get out and see the show without compromising the need to have the layout running. We are going to try to get a dispatcher back into the mix this year, too. We are in the process of writing a rulebook with some tips for operation, as well as methods of resolving problems or disputes on the layout. If we are successful in these areas, we believe that we can all enjoy the show this year.
Many years ago we ordered hats and shirts for the Amherst Belt Lines Crews. You may still have them, or at least recall seeing them at some point in time. Time has passed, and we now feel we should reorder these items. With this new order, we will be making a few changes from what we did last time. The old red and white hat will be abandoned (they got dirty pretty quickly, anyway!) for a new red hat with a black brim. There will be a few changes in the shirt and we will offer short sleeve as well as the long sleeve version this time. The logo will be embroidered on the item, instead of the silk screening we had done previously. We are hopeful that these changes will make our "uniforms" a little more durable this time.
This is what we have in mind:| Hats | Red with black brim, white logo | No Charge | |
| Short Sleeve Polo Shirt | Red with black "cuffs" and collar, white logo, | sizes M, L, XL, 2X | $15.00 ea. |
| Long Sleeve Polo Shirt | All red, white logo, | sizes M, L, XL, 2X | $18.00 ea. |
| Sweat Shirts | Grey with red logo, | size to be specified by individual | $15.50 ea. |
| Jackets | Black with white logo, | size to be specified by individual | $40.00 ea. |
We would like to supply shirts and hats for everyone at the layout. The Amherst Belt Lines will provide hats to all individuals participating with the Belt Lines at no charge. If you would like to order a shirt (or two or three...), sweat shirt and/or jacket, please contact Clark with style and size so that we can order them as soon as possible. You may print and mail the order form, or you can call or email Clark ( 413-589-5519). The deadline for ordering all items is Thursday, December 28, 2000 (same as the modules, hmmm...) so that we can have them for the show in West Springfield. If you do not see your size listed above, let Clark know what size you need and he will see what can be done to accommodate your request. Some items may not be available in the larger sizes and there may be an additional charge for sizes not listed, but that is yet to be determined. Payment will be required upon receipt.
That is all for this edition of the Modular Mumblings. Have a safe and happy holiday, and we will see you in West Springfield. Remember, the deadline for module confirmation, and ordering shirts is Thursday, December 28, 2000!
Happy Holidays! Sudro, Clark and Alan