AMHERST BELT LINES
	HO Modular Railroad

December, 1998

Copyright © 1998, Amherst Railway Society

Holiday Greetings!!

Activity Report

We are now well into the annual show season and the Amherst Belt Lines has made promotional appearances at two shows, so far. The ABEL layout made successful appearances at the Pepperell Siding club's annual show in October and the Bedford (NH) Boomer's 16th annual show in November. There are too many involved at these shows to list; so, we will just express our thanks to all.

We had several new modules make their appearance at these shows: Mike Cormier's Cormier's Mill added a large sawmill complex to our industry roster; Doug Lowing's Amherst Station and Norwottuck Jct. sported some very nice rural scenery; and, finally, Stan Slowik displayed his artistry down by the harbor with his Port Arcadia set.

At Bedford we once again connected to the Boomer's large layout in the gym. Unfortunately, interchange was not a high priority so we'll probably be a stand-alone layout next year. We introduced a new car routing system at Bedford which, we believe, will be easy for all to use and will help to keep a good flow of traffic on the layout.

West Springfield Show '99 (WSS99)

Let's talk about our big show in February, er... January. That's right, the show opens on Saturday, January 30, with setup on the Thursday and Friday (Jan 28/29). Show hours will be the same as last year, 9am-5pm on both days.

We need to know if you plan to have a module, or modules, in the layout. We will have the same space as last year that allows greater design flexibility and creativity; but Alan needs to know what he will have to work with. If your module has been in an ABEL layout in the past, contact Alan by January 3 or your module will not be used in the layout. If you have a NEW module (one that's never been in an ABEL layout), or a module that has had significant electrical or mainline trackwork changes since its last show appearance, and want Alan to include it in the layout, you must contact him by December 27. We need this time to allow us to inspect the module before the show to avoid having to deal with problems at the show.

We will not be fixing or repairing modules at the show this year as repair is not efficient use of our resources. New or reworked modules must have a track plan sent as part of your response. Alan puts in a lot of hours designing our layout and we do not want all those hours to occur on January 27; so, please respond early. Remember, we will not assume your module is coming to the show -- if you want Alan to include it in the layout, you MUST contact him by one of the dates above!!

The same policy is in place regarding module delivery as last year. All modules must be in the Better Living Center on Thursday, January 28. New or reconstructed modules must be there no later than 8pm; legacy modules must be there by 10pm. If you have specific reasons why you cannot meet these deadlines, let Alan know immediately. If you have not cleared your module for late arrival, 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. We must be operating by 5pm Friday. If you need help with transportation to meet this deadline, let Alan know when you contact him so that arrangements can be made.

Setup

What can you do to help us setup? We are glad you asked! When you arrive at the show, assemble your module(s) and place them in their approximate position. Next? Hang around. There is plenty of work to do, and a lot of it is gopher or grunt work, but it must be done.

• You can help others unload and assemble their modules.
• We will need at least two crews to level modules and
• two more to put in the rail connections.
• We need people to
  • run DYNATROL 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 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!

Oh! (Or is that HO!?) Industry!

We need to know what you have! In Bedford we started a new car routing system that seems to be working pretty well. There are still some bugs to shake out of it, as would be expected, but traffic seemed to flow on the layout. To make it really work, we need to know what industry is on your module(s). Please send Clark or Alan a listing of what sidings/industries you have, and what car types they take if you know. This will help us to prepare waybills before the show. If you plan to bring rolling stock, we would appreciate that information as well. Please do this soon, as the work involved takes time!

See you in West Springfield! -- Sudro, Clark, Tom and Alan