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MODULAR MUMBLINGS
June 2005
Copyright © 2005, Amherst Railway Society
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Sudro Brown |
Clark Huber |
Alan Rice |
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AMHERST BELT LINES |
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HO Modular Railroad |
Copyright © 2005, Amherst Railway Society
Amherst Belt Lines home Page
Modular Mumblings Index
|
Sudro Brown |
Clark Huber |
Alan Rice |
Here it is, June already, the kids are getting out of school, college students have been out for a month and the 2004/2005 show season is long over. This newsletter is long overdue to wrap up the events of the end of our season so we will jump right into it, and then take a relaxing dip in the pool…
Where do we begin? The layout this year was, as always, HUGE! We always seem to have enough participation at this show to fill our allotted space. We had a few problems with configuration this year (sorry, Boomer!) but managed to get it all straightened out before the doors opened on Saturday. All of the modules (and we do mean ALL) were in the Better Living Center and on their feet before we left Thursday night; this was a major first! In fact, a good bit of the layout was level and connected before 11:00PM on Thursday.
A number of new modules made their debut in West Springfield. Jim Mayo introduced us all to Willimantic with the reintroduction of “below track level” trackage. The 8 foot module promises to take on a dense urban feel with some major industry. Jim Fenner and Scott Perrault brought along Colebrook to add another 12 feet to the mainline. Wes Warner’s engine terminal extension to Conn River Yard added a shop module this year to provide all the servicing needs of the Belt Lines. But the best in show goes to Patrick Kubala for his representation of East Deerfield Yard. Pat did a very faithful and credible job of modeling one of the most popular railfan spots in New England. The track plan is a very good compression of the yard, without loosing any of the character. The view from railfan’s bridge is exceptional, with a boarded up tower to add realism to the scene. Pat admits that he took some modeler’s license at the hump, but not much. The Connecticut River bridge crossing has been extremely well represented as well. If you haven’t guessed, we were impressed! Pat is looking to add the shop facility for next year and we look forward to seeing the result.
There were a few other notable additions this year. The coal loader grew in length in order to better handle trains off the main line. The Bocks (and others) certainly kept the crowds entertained by loading and unloading countless loads of coal. Dave and Tommy Kmetz added scenery to CPBN to help decrease our “barren plains” appearance at shows. Thanks for the good work!
As always, the cast of characters involved in this show is too large to thank individually. We are grateful to everyone who helped out during the show in whatever capacity and offer a heartfelt “Thanks” to you all.
See pictures of the Able Layout
The Worcester Model Railroader's held their annual show at the Auburn Elks Club in Auburn, Massachusetts. The Belt Lines arrived early on Sunday to race the clock one more time to the 10:00AM show opening. Thanks to the many dedicated members of the group that showed up at 7:00AM, we had the layout up and operational before the first patrons set foot in the hall. This year the show was on two levels of the Elks Club as the Meat Auction that is usually held at the same time did not happen this year. The expansion provided a little more variety to this very compact show.
The Little Rhody Division of the NMRA cancelled their show this year for various reasons. We were all saddened to hear this news as we all enjoy going to this show. There have been rumors that it will be rescheduled for this fall, but nothing definite is known at this time. We hope that the show will be back again in March of 2006 and look forward to attending again.
The Nashua Valley Railroad Association (a.k.a. – the Bolton Club) held their annual show on Saturday April 23, 2005. The Belt Lines was graciously invited to display a small layout – 18’ x 28’ – at the show and, after much discussion, packed up the trailer and headed for Bolton, MA. Setup started on Friday night for this one day affair and continued early Saturday morning. Amazingly, setup went very smoothly and was done in about 2-1/2 hours! Even more amazingly, the layout was actually put together the way Alan planned it – probably only because he wasn’t able to make it to the show! The layout featured plenty of operation with enough local work to keep up the interest. Coal continued to move across the system, even without a destination! And big steam roamed the rails, just to keep everyone on their toes. Thank you to all that participated in this show to make it a success, and thanks also to the NVRA for inviting us to this show on short notice.
Even though the summer is just beginning, we already have some of the dates for the 2005/2006 show season. Just so you don’t miss them, here are the dates so you can mark you calendars early:
September 25, 2005 Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club 18th Annual Model Railroad Show, Hollis, NH
November 6, 2005 Bedford Boomers 23rd Annual Model Railroad Exhibition, Bedford, NH
January 28 and 29, 2006 Amherst Railway Society's Big Railroad Hobby Show, West Springfield, MA
Our thanks go out to all of you who participated in the shows this year. The list is too long to include here, and if we did, we would probably leave someone out! Without your participation at these shows, we would not be able to so easily accomplish the mammoth task of setting up, operating and breaking down the layout. Thanks to one and all.
Well, that’s a wrap! It is officially summer and time to get out to the pool and cool off, or maybe grab the latest issue of MR, RMC or Trains and a little sun. Whatever you do this summer, make a little time for the modules – maybe it is time to add a few details, or track down that electrical gremlin that was causing trouble at the last show. Perhaps a little rail fanning is in order to get some ideas for a module (hmmm, if we REALLY compress it a LOT, maybe we could fit Horseshoe Curve in 16 feet…) or maybe for that neat line side structure to add in that bear spot at the end of the module. Have a safe and happy summer and remember -Modular Railroading is FUN! Alan, Clark and Sudro
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