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MODULAR MUMBLINGS
September 2005
Copyright © 2005, Amherst Railway Society
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Sudro Brown |
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Copyright © 2005, Amherst Railway Society
Amherst Belt Lines home Page
Modular Mumblings Index
|
Sudro Brown |
Clark Huber |
Alan Rice |
Your Module Coordinators (that’s us on the banner) hope that you had a great summer. We are looking forward to a busy season of train shows this year and hope that you will be able to attend at least one of the shows coming up! Summer is nearly over as this is being written (September 21 is not far away!) and time seems to have flown by!
We have been going to the Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club’s annual show for as long as your current slate of Module Coordinators can remember – seventeen years to be exact – and until two years ago it was always held in October. Well, now it is being held in September for the third consecutive year and it still sneaks up on us! So here it is, September already and time to kick-off the 2005-2006 Railroad Show season and this newsletter is running late! We have our usual slate of shows coming up, but there are a few twists in the plot (like a really good episode of Law and Order) so here is the news of the season:
Here is what we know about this year’s show schedule. Some of these dates (and shows) are tentative or even speculative, but please mark them down on your calendar so that you can set the date aside.
At this point the Worcester Show is completely speculative. We don’t have any formal information on the show (or a formal invitation for that matter!), but history has had the show held on the last Sunday of February and we have typically been invited. Granted, there is always a first time...!
Last year the usual March show of the NMRA Little Rhody Division was cancelled; we hope to see it return this year, but only time will tell.
Speaking of first times, remember the first time we went to this show? Most of you reading this probably don’t remember, but there are a few of you who do. That first show that we attended was held in October 1987 in Pepperell, Massachusetts, at the Varnum Brook Elementary School. It wasn’t long before the show was moved to the High School in Townsend, Massachusetts – in fact it was right after we figured out how to really fit the layout into the unusually shaped room we had at the Elementary School! In 2003 both the date and venue were changed and the show was held in September in the Hollis/Brookline High School in Hollis, New Hampshire. Why the history lesson? Well, the show is on the road again and has moved back to the Varnum Brook Elementary School in Pepperell, Massachusetts!
Yes, the Eighteenth Annual Model Railroad Show for the Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club will be held September 25, 2005 in the Varnum Brook Elementary School in Pepperell. The show hours will be 10:00AM to 4:00PM on Sunday, with time to setup on Saturday, September 24. We expect to be at the school around 10:00AM on Saturday to start setup. As of this writing, we have already gotten a pretty good response for this show, but all are welcome to participate. We have been allocated a generous space of 24’ by 34’ (same size as last year), and reports are that the coaling operation is probably out of commission until the Amherst show, so we have some room for modules if other owners are interested in displaying what they have. Let Alan know if you plan to bring a module or if you plan to attend the show.
The Varnum Brook Elementary School is about halfway between the Townsend High School and the Hollis/Brookline High School. It is located on 10 Hollis Street in Pepperell, off Route 111. If you need additional directions, contact one of the Coordinators. We look forward to seeing you there.
A show always seems to take on a different character when it is called an “exhibition” rather than a railroad show. The Bedford Boomer’s show is a prime example of that statement. The Boomer’s have been putting on their exhibition for 23 years now and this year will mark the twentieth year that the Belt Lines has been invited to attend. In the 20 years we have been going, not once do we recall a vendor selling his wares at this show…truly unique and always refreshing.
The show is open to the public on Sunday, November 6, 2005 from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. Setup starts on Friday night at 5:00PM, although we usually get there between 6:00 and 7:00PM, and continues through Saturday. (Yes we do get kicked out around 11:00PM on Friday so that we, and the Boomers, can get some sleep!) Setup Saturday starts whenever we have enough people at the school to make doing any work worthwhile, and usually lasts until dinnertime. In past years we have gone back to the Belforti’s home for a home cooked meal and then off to a “local” layout for an operating session. Refreshments and entertainment for Saturday night is still being discussed for this year. The doors open at the school at 7:00AM for final setup on Sunday and then at 10:00AM for the show. The variety of scales, gauges and railroad related “stuff” at the exhibition makes it a “must attend” show.
All the modules participating at the show are judged for the Edward R. Permon award, so spruce up your module so that it can be entered in the contest. One of our group, Stan Slowik, has won this award in the past. If you plan to bring you module, let Alan know right away so that he can plan the layout.
This year the Boomer’s will be hosting their second annual Victor Metoyer Photo Contest. Any amateur photographer is eligible to enter the contest, however all entries must be submitted in person. There are two divisions that will be judged: 16 and Under and Open. In each division there are three categories: Black and White Film, Color Film and Digital. Only prints will be accepted. Subjects should be of a prototype or model railroading nature, although whimsical subjects will be accepted. Additional information can be obtained from Alan upon request.
Security at the show has become a primary concern of the Boomers in past years. As a participating group, the Amherst Belt Lines must supply a list of names to the Show Committee prior to the start of setup. We ask that you let Alan know if you are planning to participate on Friday or Saturday so that he can get the list to the Boomers. He will need to know if you are attending by no later than October 15.
Attendance at the show on Sunday will require only the typical red Amherst Belt Lines badge that identifies our group. Note: If you don’t have a badge, let Sudro know immediately!
One way or another, we hope to see you at this show.
We have been invited to a “new” show this year. Well, the show isn’t new, but attendance would be new to us. The Hub Division of the NMRA has asked us on several occasions if we would be interested in participating in their show in Marlborough, MA. In the past we have declined the invitation based on low Coordinator and owner participation. This year, for some unknown reason, all three Coordinators have the potential to be available on the weekend of the show, so we are currently considering the invitation.
The show is Saturday and Sunday, December 3-4, 2005 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. There will be time Friday afternoon and evening to set up at the show site. We need to know right away if there is interest from the group to attend this show. If you are interested, Alan needs to know if you will be bringing any modules so that he can square away the space requirements for the layout. We need to know of interest in this show right away, with a response not later than September 30, 2005. Please let Sudro or Alan know if you would like to attend this show. If we decide to go, we will provide additional details in a future newsletter.
That brings us up to date for the shows of 2005. We will leave the Big Railroad Hobby Show, and any other shows to follow, to a future Modular Mumblings, as well as an update on the Hub Show. Mark your calendars for 2006, though, just so you don’t forget the dates!
This year the Amherst Railway Society Show Committee has decided to introduce more “hands on” opportunities at the show as a means of sparking more interest in the hobby. The Committee is asking that various displays have some “hands on” opportunity for the public. At smaller venues, the Belt Lines has invited children (of all ages) to take a throttle in hand and take a lap around the layout. This is not really practical at the Amherst Show, only because of the size of the layout and the large numbers attending the Show. This said, however, we would like to come up with some ideas on how to make the Belt Lines more “public friendly” at the Amherst Show and others. If you have some suggestions as to how we could accommodate this request, please let Sudro, Clark or Alan know either by email, telephone or in person at one of the shows. We have a few ideas brewing, but all are welcome to throw out some ideas to meet this goal.
Are you building a module? Will it be “show ready” in the near future? Do you have the current specifications? Does Alan know you are building a module? Do you want to build a module, but need some ideas? Do you have any questions about the modules? Would you like us to stop asking questions?
If you can answer “yes” to any of the above (except the last question, it was rhetorical) please let Sudro, Clark or Alan know about it. We like to keep up-to-date on the module database so that we are aware of what might be coming down the road for a show and what supplies we need to keep in stock. Knowing that a new module is out there, or that an old one is returning, is important to our knowing what kind of space we need to plan for, especially at the Amherst Show. So please, let your Coordinators know what you are up to, even if it isn’t for the immediate term.
Central Valley 3300 Rests Idle at the Shops in Eastside Yard. Models and Module by Jamie and Margo Robinson.
Module Specs to be Revised
We have mentioned this a couple of times in the past, but we are in the process of rewriting portions of the specification for the modules. Most of the standards in place remain unchanged. Much of what is being revised will take into account lightweight construction and DCC requirements. If you are aware of other changes that are required to the specifications, please drop us a line so that we may include it in the revisions. As of this writing, the release date of the revised specification is still unknown, but it will be in the near future.
Layout from 1989 Pepperell Siding Model Railroad Club Show – 27' x 12'
(Click on picture to see enlargement)
Well, that is enough for this edition of the Modular Mumblings. We look forward to hearing from you soon about the shows mentioned above. Remember to mark the dates on you calendar and let Alan know about modules, attendance, etc.
We’ll see you in Pepperell!
Modular Railroading is Fun!
Sudro, Clark and Alan
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