From Pak Tribune: Modernization of Railways
Railway is a relatively inexpensive and handy mode of traveling for the middle and lower middle classes in Pakistan. But due to neglect and lack of any planning for its improvement this vital medium of traveling has been deteriorating.
A stage has arrived now when the engines are failing, the bogies are breaking down. The diesel is not enough, the trains derail, accidents take place and the delays are frequent. In Pakistan there is no notable improvement in the railway system since 1947 when the British left.
Sadly the successive governments have seldom thought of modernizing the railways that is the major, the most affordable and cheap form of travelling for the common people of Pakistan. Instead that the railways should have improved and expanded keeping in view the needs of growing populations, it has been worsening with the time passage.
Now a dismal stage has arrived where the engines are becoming dysfunctional because of the excessive use. The bogies are getting obsolete and decrepit because there was no addition or replacement of the old and ramshackle carriages.
At some point of time a railway carriage factory was established near Islamabad. But ever since its inception, it has been encountering one problem after another. The necessary initiatives for running it on productive lines or with a deep sense of obligation have always been deficient. This railway carriage factory looks like a dead or dying horse with no signs of revival.
Pakistan can learn from Germany or China how to operate an efficient and flawless railways system. A delegation of experts in locomotives should be sent to Germany to understand and imbibe the mechanism and operational procedures by which they operate their railways. In Germany and also elsewhere in Europe the trains are seldom late or the engines fail. The train would arrive at the railway stations by dot. The doors would automatically open and close. The latrines are clean; the railway stations are immaculately free of any encroachments or surfeit of coolies.
The passengers have the allotted seats. The signals are automatic and the communications between the railways stations is computerized. The carriages or bogies are sparkling and neat. There is always a complete decorum and orderliness at railways stations. There is no solicitation or bribe for buying tickets. There is always plenty of space for parking outside the railway stations.
I have mentioned some of the features of the most remarkable railways system being operated in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The railway tracks are invariably two ways, unlike Pakistan where a train has to wait till the other train clears the other track for the movement. Let us now ponder as to what could be the immediate steps to make Pakistan’s railway workable and truly efficient.
Without fail and further loss of time there should be two tracks laid out between Karachi and Peshawar. There should also be two tracks between the junction lines and the main railway stations.
The delegation should study the railway operations in Germany with entire focus on main railway stations such as Frankfurt, Munich or Hannover. That should serve as a model for the Pakistan Railways to adopt. A model railway station should be created in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi or Peshawar with all the attendant facilities that are provided in Germany or in other cities of Europe.
A Chinese model can also be copied and implemented. Rather it would be more handy and useful for the Chinese experts to put up a model railway station in one of the big cities of Pakistan.
The modern railway system in various countries is operated with the latest technology for signals, for movement of trains between the stations and for ticketing. These railways stations that I have seen and in which I travelled in European cities, are a treat to the eyes. The trains are seldom late whether for arrival or departure because the whole system is automatic and computerized.
The trains to be run under the new system in Pakistan should have air-conditioning and heating systems for summer and winters. There should be no classifications of carriages into first, second or third class as that is the legacy of the imperialist past. One bogie should be for special passengers who should pay more than the normal train fares.
If the state owned railway carriage factory is moribund and is not in full production or is plagued with administrative problems or paucity of funds, it should be sold to the private sector. In that situation the government will be free from financial burden and can purchase the carriages from the buyers of this factory whose owners would ensure optimum output for windfall profits and good business.
If the factories for manufacturing railway engines cannot be set up for the time being these should be imported in bulk, against credit or cash from China and Turkey: the two friendly countries.
The cleanliness in trains and on the platforms should be an article of faith for the managers and operators of the railway system. At present the toilet in trains and on railway stations are invariably and repulsively filthy and kept dirty for days together. These should be equipped with flush and underground sewerage systems.
The carriages should be designed as we can find in developed countries that have separate seats besides restaurants. There should be no turbaned vendors climbing up or alighting from the trains with food trays. That is also a loathsome tradition of the British era. The coolie system should be discarded as it is a disgrace to the humanity.
All the present force of coolies should be provided jobs in various railways departments and no more coolies should be hired. The trolleys system that one sees at various railways stations elsewhere is the best for anyone to move luggage to the train by paying a small amount.
All trains should be run on electricity for which an entire exclusive power generation system should be created for the railways. If main power grids fluctuate or trip then the alternate generation system should be fuel operated or from rental units. But it should provide round the clock and never failing supply of electricity.
The railway stations should be cleared of all vendors and they should run their businesses on a corner or outside the main railway station building so that they do not create obstacles in the movement of the passengers.
Usually the modern railway stations are covered including the places where the trains stop and start. This facility can be created at the first model railway station and depending upon the availability of funds can be gradually expanded to all the major railway stations.
The railway lands that have been grabbed by the land mafias should be retrieved without any hesitation. This land can be disposed off for raising funds to meet the huge expenditure that would be involved in creating a new modern trouble-free railway system in Pakistan.
The railway should be a freeway railway with no cross stops for the vehicles to pass. All the pedestrian crossings and those of vehicles should have automatic barriers that should close before the passing of train and open after it has passed.
The failure and deterioration of the railway system in Pakistan over the years is due largely to the dirty tricks and intrigues of the road transporters who want to capitalize on the failure and dysfunction of a prime cheap system of passengers’ travel in Pakistan. The transporters’ mafia is the strongest in Pakistan as these are people who are top notches in businesses, in government and in power.
As a result of their anti- railway machinations and insidious campaigning, the railway has reached this appalling state of debility and paralysis and acute mal-functioning. Also the steel mafia has been active to buy railway tracks by getting many junction railway lines closed and their steel tracks sold out in the markets.
This criminal anti-people and anti- railway greed perpetrated by the steel mill owners in tandem with the high railway authorities including the successive railway ministers have been going on for years together. The railway lines to such cities as Chakwal were dismantled at the behest of one of the railway ministers who was also a retired army general.
The delegation and the task force on overhauling and modernizing the railways should prepare the plan that should be promptly approved by the government and implemented without wasting further time. This might prove as a feather in the cap of any government that is conscious and concerned about the present awful state of affairs in Pakistan Railways.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Japan: Model railroad buff the must-see guru in Ginza
From Asahi.com: Model railroad buff the must-see guru in Ginza
Shigeru Hatano's grandfather used to take him to Ginza when he was a young boy, where he would admire and yearn for the shiny locomotive models in the store windows.
But they were too expensive to buy, so little Shigeru often spent time poring through catalogs of model trains until they were in tatters.
Today, Hatano, 62, works in a store in the Ginza, and is the guru of model railroading. He said he has about 4,000 sets and pieces of railroad models stored in his memory, including their history.
"I knew their shapes by heart. It's like human faces," Hatano said.
The railroad buff serves as technical adviser for the Tenshodo's Evergreen Shop, which is dedicated to used export-oriented scale models. It's located in Tenshodo, a long-established jewelry and watch store.
Because of Hatano the Evergreen Shop has long been referred to as a must visit for serious model railroaders in Japan.
On this day, a young sales clerk came to Hatano, who was working in the back of the store.
"Are the front and the rear cars of this locomotive from the same product?" the young clerk asked.
He had received an inquiry from an enthusiast who insisted that they were from different lines because the tone of the colors of the locomotive and the tender car seemed to not be the same.
Hatano picked up and studied the gold-colored locomotive model. He placed the two model cars in his hands and took a closer look.
"Yes, they are," Hatano replied. He even named the year and make correctly.
In addition to selling models, Hatano determines the pricing to buy models brought in by customers and accepts their repair requests.
Most of the scale models for sale in the shop were made in Japan for export between the 1950s and the 1970s.
They were hand-produced by Japanese craftsmen at the request of U.S. military officers after World War II. The models won fame worldwide for their precision.
Many are in scales ranging from 1:80 to 1:87, referred to as "HO gauge." A model of a locomotive or other front cars is usually priced at around 100,000 yen ($1,300) each.
They may come in small sizes, but the weight of the brass models feels solid and hefty in the hand.
Hatano indulged in collecting scale models when he grew up, and has about 3,000 models and at least 20,000 parts in his private collection.
He also writes essays for Gekkan Train monthly model railroading magazine.
"He is someone who can give an accurate pricing of scale models even though they were made a half century ago by trying to figure out who made them based on the molds and workmanship," said an editor of the hobby magazine and friend of Hatano's for 20 years.
When he repairs trains, he often reproduces missing parts by hand using photographs as a reference.
When Hatano was asked to repair a locomotive model whose body had been distorted, he broke it down into pieces. He looked into old reference materials to see how a small piping and other details looked. It took him two months to put it back into its original shape.
"I instantly know what is wrong with it as soon as I hold it in my hands," Hatano said.
Most of his customers are model railroad enthusiasts fixated on minor details such as the subtle curve of the parts and painting.
Sometimes Hatano finds himself in a difficult position. From time to time a customer will appear to be dissatisfied with models he had sold them. Invariably those customers mistake poorly built models for good ones, Hatano said.
Hatano will honestly tell them they shouldn't buy such models. But Hatano often sees them snap at him, being blamed for refusing to sell them what they want.
The technical adviser also recommends children and first-timers to buy new trains instead of used ones.
"Used models are delicate. I don't want them to be disappointed and develop a dislike for scale models," he said.
Sometimes Hatano goes out of his way to guarantee customer satisfaction.
One memorable customer visited Tenshodo while on an intravenous drip. The customer, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a year to live, was looking for an old model of a U.S. locomotive.
Hatano visited him at his hospital and laid miniature tracks at his bedside to run the locomotive model for him.
The customer smiled and said, "Thank you for extending my life a little," according to Hatano.
"Getting carried away in something might have helped him to live until the last minute," Hatano said. "I may have made a modest contribution."
When he has free time, Hatano visits stores and shops for cooking utensils, medical equipment and sundry goods in search of items suitable for his repair work. He said he finds dental surgeon tools and medical tweezers particularly useful.
There were many craftsmen who produced model railroad parts from extremely thin brass plates, and their casting skills were incredibly fast and consummate.
Hatano used to visit their studios in town to see their work up close. But now, there are only 10 or so craftsmen left in the country, he said.
"Model railroading is an important form of 'technical heritage.' As a person who has observed handicraft scenes, I want to pass it down from generation to generation," Hatano said.
His motto is "do things only you can do," which he was taught by his grandfather, he added.
Shigeru Hatano's grandfather used to take him to Ginza when he was a young boy, where he would admire and yearn for the shiny locomotive models in the store windows.
But they were too expensive to buy, so little Shigeru often spent time poring through catalogs of model trains until they were in tatters.
Today, Hatano, 62, works in a store in the Ginza, and is the guru of model railroading. He said he has about 4,000 sets and pieces of railroad models stored in his memory, including their history.
"I knew their shapes by heart. It's like human faces," Hatano said.
The railroad buff serves as technical adviser for the Tenshodo's Evergreen Shop, which is dedicated to used export-oriented scale models. It's located in Tenshodo, a long-established jewelry and watch store.
Because of Hatano the Evergreen Shop has long been referred to as a must visit for serious model railroaders in Japan.
On this day, a young sales clerk came to Hatano, who was working in the back of the store.
"Are the front and the rear cars of this locomotive from the same product?" the young clerk asked.
He had received an inquiry from an enthusiast who insisted that they were from different lines because the tone of the colors of the locomotive and the tender car seemed to not be the same.
Hatano picked up and studied the gold-colored locomotive model. He placed the two model cars in his hands and took a closer look.
"Yes, they are," Hatano replied. He even named the year and make correctly.
In addition to selling models, Hatano determines the pricing to buy models brought in by customers and accepts their repair requests.
Most of the scale models for sale in the shop were made in Japan for export between the 1950s and the 1970s.
They were hand-produced by Japanese craftsmen at the request of U.S. military officers after World War II. The models won fame worldwide for their precision.
Many are in scales ranging from 1:80 to 1:87, referred to as "HO gauge." A model of a locomotive or other front cars is usually priced at around 100,000 yen ($1,300) each.
They may come in small sizes, but the weight of the brass models feels solid and hefty in the hand.
Hatano indulged in collecting scale models when he grew up, and has about 3,000 models and at least 20,000 parts in his private collection.
He also writes essays for Gekkan Train monthly model railroading magazine.
"He is someone who can give an accurate pricing of scale models even though they were made a half century ago by trying to figure out who made them based on the molds and workmanship," said an editor of the hobby magazine and friend of Hatano's for 20 years.
When he repairs trains, he often reproduces missing parts by hand using photographs as a reference.
When Hatano was asked to repair a locomotive model whose body had been distorted, he broke it down into pieces. He looked into old reference materials to see how a small piping and other details looked. It took him two months to put it back into its original shape.
"I instantly know what is wrong with it as soon as I hold it in my hands," Hatano said.
Most of his customers are model railroad enthusiasts fixated on minor details such as the subtle curve of the parts and painting.
Sometimes Hatano finds himself in a difficult position. From time to time a customer will appear to be dissatisfied with models he had sold them. Invariably those customers mistake poorly built models for good ones, Hatano said.
Hatano will honestly tell them they shouldn't buy such models. But Hatano often sees them snap at him, being blamed for refusing to sell them what they want.
The technical adviser also recommends children and first-timers to buy new trains instead of used ones.
"Used models are delicate. I don't want them to be disappointed and develop a dislike for scale models," he said.
Sometimes Hatano goes out of his way to guarantee customer satisfaction.
One memorable customer visited Tenshodo while on an intravenous drip. The customer, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given a year to live, was looking for an old model of a U.S. locomotive.
Hatano visited him at his hospital and laid miniature tracks at his bedside to run the locomotive model for him.
The customer smiled and said, "Thank you for extending my life a little," according to Hatano.
"Getting carried away in something might have helped him to live until the last minute," Hatano said. "I may have made a modest contribution."
When he has free time, Hatano visits stores and shops for cooking utensils, medical equipment and sundry goods in search of items suitable for his repair work. He said he finds dental surgeon tools and medical tweezers particularly useful.
There were many craftsmen who produced model railroad parts from extremely thin brass plates, and their casting skills were incredibly fast and consummate.
Hatano used to visit their studios in town to see their work up close. But now, there are only 10 or so craftsmen left in the country, he said.
"Model railroading is an important form of 'technical heritage.' As a person who has observed handicraft scenes, I want to pass it down from generation to generation," Hatano said.
His motto is "do things only you can do," which he was taught by his grandfather, he added.
Sept 23 - Annual Museum Day
Once again I'm a bit late with this news, but mark it on your calendars for next year!
GO San Angelelo: Free events Saturday mark National Museum Day
GO San Angelelo: Free events Saturday mark National Museum Day
SAN ANGELO, Texas — This Saturday, a few local treasures will take a cue from Smithsonian museums' tradition of free admission by showcasing their own exhibits to patrons at no charge.Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and San Angelo Railway Museum are again participating in Smithsonian Magazine's annual Museum Day, held nationwide.
Activities at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, 630 S. Oakes St., begin at 10 a.m. with an 1800s baseball game as well as two programs in the schoolhouse/chapel sponsored by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas: "Feisty Schoolmarms" by local historian and author Barbara Barton, and "One Room Schoolteachers of Texas" by Kathy Fritze, member of the DRT, Fort Concho Chapter.
Fort visitors also can view the exhibit "75th Anniversary of the Great San Angelo Flood of 1936,"a collection of oral histories, newspapers from '36, maps, a model of the city showing where the flood waters reached and photographs. The exhibit will be in Barracks 1 and will be shown through January.
"The photos are very interesting," said site manager Bob Bluthardt. "The town has changed a lot; buildings that are no longer around in downtown were in full flower in 1936. Just areas that people were familiar with, seeing them under 1, 2, 3 feet of water, it's a little upsetting."
More exhibits can be viewed downtown at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St. "Zanne Hochberg: Gifts of Our Time" and "Gifts That Last Forever: Selections From the Museum's Collection" will be on display 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and will continue to be shown through Nov. 6.
Hochberg, now deceased, is known for introducing to Texas an art movement called abstract expressionism. The style, characterized by its bright colors and seemingly haphazard brush strokes, was prevalent on the East Coast in the 1950s but not popular in Texas prior to Hochberg's arrival. "Gifts of Our Time" includes works she created in the 1960s up to the '90s, said Karen Zimmerly, collections manager at SAMFA.
"Gifts That Last Forever" is from the museum's permanent collection and includes early Texas art and Mexican religious art such as retablos, altars and statues that collectors have donated to the museum over the past several years.
Located just blocks from SAMFA, the San Angelo Railway Museum on 703 S. Chadbourne St. also has a large collection of art, albeit in the medium of photography, said David Wood, the museum's president.
"We probably have the largest display of historical photos of any museum or any place in town," he said.
The museum is inside the Historic Orient-Santa Fe Depot and was built in 1909 as the headquarters for the Kansas City, Mexico, & Orient Railway, according to museumsusa.org. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the building in 1928 and operated there until 1985. Operating as a museum since 1997, the depot showcases model trains, artifacts and a caboose Wood said was built in 1956.
"The caboose has just been recently redone, so it's the best it's ever looked," Wood said. "Most people haven't been in it because it's been closed for most of the year."
The museum typically sees about 60 to 80 people on Saturdays, Wood said, but attendance during Museum Day usually increases those numbers about 50 percent.
"A lot of families come out, and it's so convenient with all the free museums (located) within two blocks of each other," he said. "People get out and go from one museum to another."
Wood said museums' participation in Museum Day is optional, but their involvement is an opportunity for self-promotion.
"We take advantage of all the national publicity being put out, and since our sister museums in town do it, too, we've been doing it ever since they started promoting it," Wood said. "We complement each other."
"This is about the only day a year that we're all kind of in a combo situation" because of the museums' different schedules, Bluthardt added. "This is the one day we all say, 'Hey, come and see what we've got.' And for a city this size, having (this many) quality museums is a pretty good thing."
Friday, September 23, 2011
Ottawa, CA, October 15, RAILFAIR
From Nepean/Barrhavan EMC: Train show on track at Algonquin
Model railways, electric trains, layouts, dioramas - whatever you call them, they are endlessly fascinating. There's something about miniaturization that's irresistible. And trains are special because they move.
Almost 2,000 visitors to RAILFAIR each October would certainly agree with you.This year's Rail Fair will be held in the Algonquin College cafeteria building os the seekedn of Saturday, Oct. 15. On show are operating layouts in different scales, from Thomas the Tank Engine about two feet high, to Z scale (1:250).
The Ottawa Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers (OVLSME) display a variety of models, most of which are scratch built, including coal-fired railway locomotives, steam traction engines and steam boats. A very popular exhibit is a city complete with working trains all made of Lego bricks. If you want really tiny, check out a working 00 gauge train for a dollhouse (1:900).
As well as trains, RAILFAIR showcases railroad memorabilia, local hobby shops, Canadian kit manufacturers, out-of-town mail order houses, and second-hand equipment.
Or you could buy a raffle ticket (all proceeds to CHEO) and be lucky enough to win a working layout.
Model railways are more than trains, however. Most layouts are elaborately landscaped with hills, rivers, trees, buildings - in fact, anything you can find in 'real life' has a model equivalent. We even have a village complete with play park, laundry hanging out to dry and kids in a school yard. Interested in war gaming? historical dioramas? Much of what is on show will interest you too.
Sponsored by the Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders (OVAR) website www.ovar.ca and British Railway Modellers of North America (BRMNA) website http://home.ca.inter.net/~brmna/index.html
Model railways, electric trains, layouts, dioramas - whatever you call them, they are endlessly fascinating. There's something about miniaturization that's irresistible. And trains are special because they move.
Almost 2,000 visitors to RAILFAIR each October would certainly agree with you.This year's Rail Fair will be held in the Algonquin College cafeteria building os the seekedn of Saturday, Oct. 15. On show are operating layouts in different scales, from Thomas the Tank Engine about two feet high, to Z scale (1:250).
The Ottawa Valley Live Steamers and Model Engineers (OVLSME) display a variety of models, most of which are scratch built, including coal-fired railway locomotives, steam traction engines and steam boats. A very popular exhibit is a city complete with working trains all made of Lego bricks. If you want really tiny, check out a working 00 gauge train for a dollhouse (1:900).
As well as trains, RAILFAIR showcases railroad memorabilia, local hobby shops, Canadian kit manufacturers, out-of-town mail order houses, and second-hand equipment.
Or you could buy a raffle ticket (all proceeds to CHEO) and be lucky enough to win a working layout.
Model railways are more than trains, however. Most layouts are elaborately landscaped with hills, rivers, trees, buildings - in fact, anything you can find in 'real life' has a model equivalent. We even have a village complete with play park, laundry hanging out to dry and kids in a school yard. Interested in war gaming? historical dioramas? Much of what is on show will interest you too.
Sponsored by the Ottawa Valley Associated Railroaders (OVAR) website www.ovar.ca and British Railway Modellers of North America (BRMNA) website http://home.ca.inter.net/~brmna/index.html
San Angelo, TX: Free events Saturday mark National Museum Day
From Go San Angelo: Free events Saturday mark National Museum Day
SAN ANGELO, Texas — This Saturday, a few local treasures will take a cue from Smithsonian museums' tradition of free admission by showcasing their own exhibits to patrons at no charge.Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and San Angelo Railway Museum are again participating in Smithsonian Magazine's annual Museum Day, held nationwide.
Activities at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, 630 S. Oakes St., begin at 10 a.m. with an 1800s baseball game as well as two programs in the schoolhouse/chapel sponsored by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas: "Feisty Schoolmarms" by local historian and author Barbara Barton, and "One Room Schoolteachers of Texas" by Kathy Fritze, member of the DRT, Fort Concho Chapter.
Fort visitors also can view the exhibit "75th Anniversary of the Great San Angelo Flood of 1936,"a collection of oral histories, newspapers from '36, maps, a model of the city showing where the flood waters reached and photographs. The exhibit will be in Barracks 1 and will be shown through January.
"The photos are very interesting," said site manager Bob Bluthardt. "The town has changed a lot; buildings that are no longer around in downtown were in full flower in 1936. Just areas that people were familiar with, seeing them under 1, 2, 3 feet of water, it's a little upsetting."
More exhibits can be viewed downtown at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St. "Zanne Hochberg: Gifts of Our Time" and "Gifts That Last Forever: Selections From the Museum's Collection" will be on display 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and will continue to be shown through Nov. 6.
Hochberg, now deceased, is known for introducing to Texas an art movement called abstract expressionism. The style, characterized by its bright colors and seemingly haphazard brush strokes, was prevalent on the East Coast in the 1950s but not popular in Texas prior to Hochberg's arrival. "Gifts of Our Time" includes works she created in the 1960s up to the '90s, said Karen Zimmerly, collections manager at SAMFA.
"Gifts That Last Forever" is from the museum's permanent collection and includes early Texas art and Mexican religious art such as retablos, altars and statues that collectors have donated to the museum over the past several years.
Located just blocks from SAMFA, the San Angelo Railway Museum on 703 S. Chadbourne St. also has a large collection of art, albeit in the medium of photography, said David Wood, the museum's president.
"We probably have the largest display of historical photos of any museum or any place in town," he said.
The museum is inside the Historic Orient-Santa Fe Depot and was built in 1909 as the headquarters for the Kansas City, Mexico, & Orient Railway, according to museumsusa.org. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the building in 1928 and operated there until 1985. Operating as a museum since 1997, the depot showcases model trains, artifacts and a caboose Wood said was built in 1956.
"The caboose has just been recently redone, so it's the best it's ever looked," Wood said. "Most people haven't been in it because it's been closed for most of the year."
The museum typically sees about 60 to 80 people on Saturdays, Wood said, but attendance during Museum Day usually increases those numbers about 50 percent.
"A lot of families come out, and it's so convenient with all the free museums (located) within two blocks of each other," he said. "People get out and go from one museum to another."
Wood said museums' participation in Museum Day is optional, but their involvement is an opportunity for self-promotion.
"We take advantage of all the national publicity being put out, and since our sister museums in town do it, too, we've been doing it ever since they started promoting it," Wood said. "We complement each other."
"This is about the only day a year that we're all kind of in a combo situation" because of the museums' different schedules, Bluthardt added. "This is the one day we all say, 'Hey, come and see what we've got.' And for a city this size, having (this many) quality museums is a pretty good thing."
SAN ANGELO, Texas — This Saturday, a few local treasures will take a cue from Smithsonian museums' tradition of free admission by showcasing their own exhibits to patrons at no charge.Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and San Angelo Railway Museum are again participating in Smithsonian Magazine's annual Museum Day, held nationwide.
Activities at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, 630 S. Oakes St., begin at 10 a.m. with an 1800s baseball game as well as two programs in the schoolhouse/chapel sponsored by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas: "Feisty Schoolmarms" by local historian and author Barbara Barton, and "One Room Schoolteachers of Texas" by Kathy Fritze, member of the DRT, Fort Concho Chapter.
Fort visitors also can view the exhibit "75th Anniversary of the Great San Angelo Flood of 1936,"a collection of oral histories, newspapers from '36, maps, a model of the city showing where the flood waters reached and photographs. The exhibit will be in Barracks 1 and will be shown through January.
"The photos are very interesting," said site manager Bob Bluthardt. "The town has changed a lot; buildings that are no longer around in downtown were in full flower in 1936. Just areas that people were familiar with, seeing them under 1, 2, 3 feet of water, it's a little upsetting."
More exhibits can be viewed downtown at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Love St. "Zanne Hochberg: Gifts of Our Time" and "Gifts That Last Forever: Selections From the Museum's Collection" will be on display 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and will continue to be shown through Nov. 6.
Hochberg, now deceased, is known for introducing to Texas an art movement called abstract expressionism. The style, characterized by its bright colors and seemingly haphazard brush strokes, was prevalent on the East Coast in the 1950s but not popular in Texas prior to Hochberg's arrival. "Gifts of Our Time" includes works she created in the 1960s up to the '90s, said Karen Zimmerly, collections manager at SAMFA.
"Gifts That Last Forever" is from the museum's permanent collection and includes early Texas art and Mexican religious art such as retablos, altars and statues that collectors have donated to the museum over the past several years.
Located just blocks from SAMFA, the San Angelo Railway Museum on 703 S. Chadbourne St. also has a large collection of art, albeit in the medium of photography, said David Wood, the museum's president.
"We probably have the largest display of historical photos of any museum or any place in town," he said.
The museum is inside the Historic Orient-Santa Fe Depot and was built in 1909 as the headquarters for the Kansas City, Mexico, & Orient Railway, according to museumsusa.org. The Santa Fe Railroad bought the building in 1928 and operated there until 1985. Operating as a museum since 1997, the depot showcases model trains, artifacts and a caboose Wood said was built in 1956.
"The caboose has just been recently redone, so it's the best it's ever looked," Wood said. "Most people haven't been in it because it's been closed for most of the year."
The museum typically sees about 60 to 80 people on Saturdays, Wood said, but attendance during Museum Day usually increases those numbers about 50 percent.
"A lot of families come out, and it's so convenient with all the free museums (located) within two blocks of each other," he said. "People get out and go from one museum to another."
Wood said museums' participation in Museum Day is optional, but their involvement is an opportunity for self-promotion.
"We take advantage of all the national publicity being put out, and since our sister museums in town do it, too, we've been doing it ever since they started promoting it," Wood said. "We complement each other."
"This is about the only day a year that we're all kind of in a combo situation" because of the museums' different schedules, Bluthardt added. "This is the one day we all say, 'Hey, come and see what we've got.' And for a city this size, having (this many) quality museums is a pretty good thing."
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Austin Texas: Just Train Fun
Their website: http://www.justtrainfun.com/
From their website:
"Just Train Fun!" is a small, home-based business located in beautiful Austin, Texas.
This is apparently a trackless model train company, which runs at a couple of mall in Texas. (I think. The website doesn't really say!)
I think it's trains on wheels that go through the malls.
According to Wikipedia:
A trackless train (or land train, parking lot tram, Dotto train, Tschu-Tschu train) is a road-going articulated vehicle used for the transport of passengers, comprising a driving vehicle pulling one or more carriages connected by drawbar couplings, in the manner of a road going railway train.
Appearance
While some trackless trains are functional or modern in appearance, many are often constructed with false bodywork and are painted to look like a nineteenth century steam trains. Others may feature decorative or fun paint schemes to appeal to children. Certain models of trackless train may look the same as narrow gauge rail guided amusement park trains, due to the common manufacture of both vehicles. Some fifth wheel coupled trailer buses may also be similarly decorated.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
PR: In the UK: Bassett-Lowke Locos
http://www.allsortsmodelshop.co.uk/bassett-lowke/locos
The Bassett-Lowke company was founded in about 1898 by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. The company started life as a mail order business specialising in model railways, boats and construction sets. This was achieved by contracting out the manufacture of models to companies such as Twining Models and Wintringhams of Northampton. Bassett-Lowke did carry out some design work of its products and also some limited manufacture.
The model trains where produced in 15 inch gauge live steam, to Gauge 2, gauge 1 and 0 gauge.
The decline of the company started in the late 50’s. This can be attributed to the fact that the same items could be bought cheaper from other manufacturers and the general decline of interest in technical toys.
In 2008 that famous and household name toy maker Hornby aquired the Corgi brand, so as part of that aquistition meant that Hornby now own the Bassett-Lowke brand.
Original Bassett-Lowke locomotives were often re-named when moved and it is uncertain whether a locomotive is new or an old one with a new name. The list (probably incomplete) is not definitive. The majority of Bassett-Lowke locos were designed by Henry Greenly.
Class 10 Atlantic • Little Giant for Blackpool • Mighty Atom for Sutton Coldfield • Entente Cordiale for the 1909 Exposition Internationale de lEst de France at Nancy • Red Dragon for the Imperial International Exhibition of 1909 at White City, London • Green Dragon same as Red Dragon • King Edward for the 1910 International and Universal Exhibition at Brussels, Belgium • King Albert same as King Edward • King Leopold same as King Edward • George the Fifth for Southport Class 20 Atlantic • Prince of Wales for Southport Class 30 Atlantic • Synolda for Sand Hutton Miniature Railway, then to Belle Vue, Manchester, later Southend-on-Sea, currently Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. • Sans Pareil for Luna Park, Geneva, Switzerland, then to Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. • Count Louis for Count Louis Zborowski, then to Fairbourne Railway. Now (2011) at Evesham Vale Light Railway. Class 60 Pacific • John Anthony for J.E.P. Howey, then (re-named Colossus) to Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. The Class 10 and Class 20 had narrow fireboxes. The Class 30 and Class 60 had wide fireboxes. The range of locos that is now being manufactured by Hornby consists of 0 Gauge electric driven locos which are manufactured from pressed sheet steel and soldered together. This is the same process that was used 100 years ago.
The current models are electric driven and can be used on 2 or 3 rail systems. If you wish to see the current catalogue, why not visit
http://www.allsortsmodelshop.co.uk/bassett-lowke/locos
The Bassett-Lowke company was founded in about 1898 by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke. The company started life as a mail order business specialising in model railways, boats and construction sets. This was achieved by contracting out the manufacture of models to companies such as Twining Models and Wintringhams of Northampton. Bassett-Lowke did carry out some design work of its products and also some limited manufacture.
The model trains where produced in 15 inch gauge live steam, to Gauge 2, gauge 1 and 0 gauge.
The decline of the company started in the late 50’s. This can be attributed to the fact that the same items could be bought cheaper from other manufacturers and the general decline of interest in technical toys.
In 2008 that famous and household name toy maker Hornby aquired the Corgi brand, so as part of that aquistition meant that Hornby now own the Bassett-Lowke brand.
Original Bassett-Lowke locomotives were often re-named when moved and it is uncertain whether a locomotive is new or an old one with a new name. The list (probably incomplete) is not definitive. The majority of Bassett-Lowke locos were designed by Henry Greenly.
Class 10 Atlantic • Little Giant for Blackpool • Mighty Atom for Sutton Coldfield • Entente Cordiale for the 1909 Exposition Internationale de lEst de France at Nancy • Red Dragon for the Imperial International Exhibition of 1909 at White City, London • Green Dragon same as Red Dragon • King Edward for the 1910 International and Universal Exhibition at Brussels, Belgium • King Albert same as King Edward • King Leopold same as King Edward • George the Fifth for Southport Class 20 Atlantic • Prince of Wales for Southport Class 30 Atlantic • Synolda for Sand Hutton Miniature Railway, then to Belle Vue, Manchester, later Southend-on-Sea, currently Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. • Sans Pareil for Luna Park, Geneva, Switzerland, then to Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. • Count Louis for Count Louis Zborowski, then to Fairbourne Railway. Now (2011) at Evesham Vale Light Railway. Class 60 Pacific • John Anthony for J.E.P. Howey, then (re-named Colossus) to Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. The Class 10 and Class 20 had narrow fireboxes. The Class 30 and Class 60 had wide fireboxes. The range of locos that is now being manufactured by Hornby consists of 0 Gauge electric driven locos which are manufactured from pressed sheet steel and soldered together. This is the same process that was used 100 years ago.
The current models are electric driven and can be used on 2 or 3 rail systems. If you wish to see the current catalogue, why not visit
http://www.allsortsmodelshop.co.uk/bassett-lowke/locos
Monday, September 19, 2011
Kansas: DeQuincy Railroad Museum
http://www.dequincyrailroadmuseum.com/home
From their website:
The DeQuincy Railroad Museum Board of Directors is pleased to announce the display of an extensive collection of model steam and diesel engines at the 1923Kansas CitySouthern depot which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is located in downtown DeQuincy. The invaluable collection was donated to theDeQuincyRailroadMuseumin August 2006.
In addition to the permanent display at the museum, there are also items displayed at theDeQuincyCity Hall, the DeQuincy branch of the Calcasieu Parish Library, and two local banks, City Savings Bank and Chase Bank. The items displayed at the banks will alternate and will rotate in the future to Cameron State Bank and Capital One Bank, also in DeQuincy.
The engines on display are exceptional in their detail and craftsmanship. Manufactured by Samhongsa Co Ltd, Row & Co, Adler, and Markin, they are made of high quality brass and contain the standard electric motors associated with toys, but are scale museum-quality models of actual steam and diesel engines. The scale is referred to as Gauge 1, which is similar to G scale, and runs on G scale track, but each is constructed to the exact specifications of their prototypes. Most of these were produced in the 1970’s and 1980’s and very few Gauge 1’s are produced today because of the level of workmanship and the associated costs of their production making these exceptional examples of the art of model making. Each of these engines have special wood and brass cases finished like fine furniture and dense foam interiors to protect the models. These models represent some of the largest and most popular trains of the twentieth century. (Blaine Miller)
Beginning with a design concept by former DeQuincy residentFrankF.Douglasof the Douglas Group inHouston, the planning and execution of the display has evolved over several months. Blaine Miller, Assistant Director of theImperialCalcasieuMuseum, has directed and overseen the technical aspects of the project with the assistance ofGaryW.CooperandHarryMethvin. The display is presented with state-of-the-art museum quality signage and lighting in a large antique wall cabinet donated to the museum several years ago byCandaceW.Cooperin memory of her late father,JakeWillrich. Funding for the project has been provided by the City ofDeQuincy.
The collection may be viewed during regular museum hours, Tuesday through Saturday from9AMto5PM. Call 337-786-2823 for more information or to confirm hours.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Getting Railroaded Into Rapid Rail
A lot of people - myself included - love trains and would love to see a network of passenger rail across the United States. However, can we really afford it? Will enough people ride it? (Of course, once gas is at $5 a gallon, more people will probably want to ride trains...but if we ever hit that point...the world as we know it will have changed.)
Anyway, here's an opposing view:
From The Pilot: Getting Railroaded Into Rapid Rail
Anyway, here's an opposing view:
From The Pilot: Getting Railroaded Into Rapid Rail
We’re getting railroaded! Obama is determined to shove “high speed” trains down our throats. This is insanity!
Consider the following. The administration has allocated $53 billion toward the “rapid rail” project. Want to bet it won’t grow to 300?
Florida turned down $2 1/3 billion for the 84-mile run between Tampa and Orlando. By car it’s four times cheaper, more convenient, and you may save 30 minutes. Who will take the train after their initial joy ride?
The annual deficit is estimated to be in the billions. Obama is insistent on spending Florida’s money, so he will give it to another state. Only problem is that Wisconsin also turned down the money for the 78-mile trip between Madison and Milwaukee.
So, let’s throw the money at Ohio. Ohio turned down the money due to “no need and future deficits.” That leaves California and its proposed San Francisco to Anaheim trip; $5.5 billion is the initial investment, but it may run up to $213 billion. That builds a “speed train” to nowhere. It initially starts at Borden, ending at Corcoran. Where?
Further, deficits will run into billions. Where are the trains manufactured? Germany, France, Spain, Canada, England, not the U.S. Obama says we must be competitive in the world. China is our role model. How are they doing?
Tickets are too expensive, trains are half full, high levels of debt created. There’s a safety problem. The faster the train, the worse the accident. Trains are being slowed down with greater maintenance and repair costs. Work is being suspended on new lines. Yet, we proceed.
This defies common sense, shows ignorance and insanity. For a broke country, we need not throw away billions on a bad dream called a nightmare.
Wake up, America.
Monroe Diefendorf
Pinehurst
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Retired Transit Authority worker Al Palma, long-time model train enthusiast, oversees 25 sets in his basement
From SILive: Retired Transit Authority worker Al Palma, long-time model train enthusiast, oversees 25 sets in his basement
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - ELTINGVILLE - Though Al Palma retired from the city Transit Authority more than 10 years ago, he continues to have trains on the brain.
The Eltingville resident and Brooklyn native is a dedicated model train enthusiast who recently disassembled his entire collection before having his basement refurbished.
"It got so tremendous," the 61-year-old man said. "And I had multi-levels to maximize space on everything. It became a little tough to manage. I kept on expanding and expanding."
Charlie cars, locomotive engines, diesel cars, die-cast cars. You name it. If it's a train, Palma's probably in possession of it.
And it's not just trains.
The scenery that complements his 25 train sets is as meticulous as it gets. Papier-maché was used to mold mountains and hills. A lake was constructed. Hot air balloons dangle from the ceiling and are positioned not far from helicopters and airplanes.
Portions of the 15 tracks show advertisements for Plymouth cars from the 1950s. A lighthouse sits near model ships and fishermen and other pedestrians in the fictional town.
"A lot of the scenery I did myself," he said. "Through the years, I just kept building up. It was very enjoyable. I would never keep it down. I have to put it back up."
Palma plans on positioning the track differently next time around.
Instead of layering the model rails, the Eltingville resident envisions an L-shaped configuration.
"I'll try to make the shelves underneath it and put all my running trains on display on the bottom," he explained.
Palma received his first model train at the age of 9, when he won a train set from a drug store in south Brooklyn.
"I still have that set," he said.
A monorail train circles an amusement park. (Photo Courtesy of Albert Palma)
Over time, mostly in the last 20 years, Palma has been the recipient of countless model train sets. Some come for Christmas, others for birthdays.
When he goes on vacation, Palma winds up picking up a train. He recently acquired a line modeled after an Alaskan train line.
"I kept on adding through the years," he said.
He's acquired numerous valuable sets over the years at shows and flea markets, including a Santa Fe F3 model for $5. He said the top-shape product is worth at least $300.
"It's not about how much money is spent; it's a matter of how much they're worth," Palma explained.
Palma said he's logged more than 200 hours of work on his trains. Easily.
"It's a lot of fun. When I would get started on it, I'd go and go, and suddenly I'd be like, 'Wow, it's 3 o'clock in the morning,' " he said with a laugh.
For now, the set is packed away, but in a matter of months, model trains will again be puffing away as they tour the suburban and country environment that Palma crafted.
"It shows history and everything. It's beautiful," he said.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
News past: UK: Northolt Model Railway's annual show this weekend
Another piece of old news, from Sept 8, 2011. Again I'm sharing it so you can put it on your calendars for next year, as its an annual event. And as always, I'll be more time friendly with this announcement next year!
From the Greenford Ealing Gazette: Don't miss the Northolt Model Railway's annual show this weekend
THE Northolt Model Railway Club's annual exhibition is just the ticket for train enthusiasts.
Returning for its 61st year, the show is open to all at the Northolt Village Community Centre, in Ealing Road, from 10.30am to 5pm on Saturday (10).
Trainspotters and youngsters alike can enjoy the model railway layouts, live steam rides on the outdoor tracks and have a play with radio controlled trains, as hundreds of model railway experts come from around the country to take part.
Ealing Mayor, John Gallagher will be on hand to open the family day out at 10.30am.
Tickets are £3 for adults, £2 for children and pensioners or a family ticket (two adults and two concessions) costs £7.
From the Greenford Ealing Gazette: Don't miss the Northolt Model Railway's annual show this weekend
THE Northolt Model Railway Club's annual exhibition is just the ticket for train enthusiasts.
Returning for its 61st year, the show is open to all at the Northolt Village Community Centre, in Ealing Road, from 10.30am to 5pm on Saturday (10).
Trainspotters and youngsters alike can enjoy the model railway layouts, live steam rides on the outdoor tracks and have a play with radio controlled trains, as hundreds of model railway experts come from around the country to take part.
Ealing Mayor, John Gallagher will be on hand to open the family day out at 10.30am.
Tickets are £3 for adults, £2 for children and pensioners or a family ticket (two adults and two concessions) costs £7.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Kensington, MD: Model Trains Are Coming to Town
This news is from Sept 8, but its's an introduction to the National Capital Trackers, so I share it here.
From the Kensington, MD Patch: Model Trains Are Coming to Town
From the Kensington, MD Patch: Model Trains Are Coming to Town
This weekend, town hall will be transformed into a train station.
A miniature one, at least.
On Saturday and Sunday, the National Capital Trackers will bring a collection of model trains to town for "All Aboard to Kensington," a celebration of the 120th anniversary of the town's train station.
The exhibit is 40 feet wide and 68 feet long, featuring two turntables, five main lines, and numerous trains running at once.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for children and $10 for families. You can see the trains from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
All of the event's proceeds will be split between the Noyes Library Foundation and the Kensington Historical Society.
Kensington, Maryland: National Capital Trackers
Their website: http://trackers2010.org/
From their website:
We are a club of "O" Gauge electric train enthusiasts that enjoy our hobby of running trains and setting up train show layouts at venues in Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. Our layouts are modular. Members build their own table modules, typically 2' X 4' in size. Modules contain two train tracks and are all built to the same specification so that they readily interconnect. An electric bus cable connects to each module to provide electric continuity along the entire layout.
Their schedule for the rest of the year:
Sept. 24 Special Event, VA Garrett
October 1 Fall for Fairfax, Fairfax , Virginia Jack
October 1-2 Brunswick Rail Festival Ed
November 12-13 Rockville Lions Club. Rockville, Maryland George
November 19-20 Enchanted Forest, Tysons Corner, Virginia Joe
October 13 -15 York TCA Show - For Information Only
December 3-4 Fairfax Station Museum Thom
December 3-4 & 10-11 Museum of Eastern Shore Life. Kent Island John H
December 12 KENA Temple WB&A Meet Dan
December 13 - 17 Manassas Winter Model Train Show Frank
December 17-24 Trains & Planes College Park Aviation Museum Rich M
Dec. 24 - Jan. 1, 2012 B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore. Maryland Craig
Dec. 31 -Jan 1, 2012 Greenberg Show, Chantilly, Virginia
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Quad Cities: Trains, 'Pan' at the Botanical Center
From the Quad City Times: Trains, 'Pan' at the Botanical Center
Imagine life on the rails or being taken away to Neverland.
Both dreams will come closer to true this weekend at the Quad-City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Ave., Rock Island.
Neverland takes its place on center stage at 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. and
5 p.m. Saturday. The Center for Living Arts in Rock Island, will present a “traveling theater” version of “Peter Pan” during which audience members follow along through the gardens as the young cast acts out the story, complete with the “walking the plank” scene by the koi pond. It’s free with museum admission.
Little Conductors Day returns from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Children can participate in train games and activities, meet interesting railroad characters, hear locomotive stories, view the Botanical Center’s garden-size railroad run by the Heartland Central Model Railroad Club, enjoy dining car snacks and Dinosaur Train activities from WQPT-TV, and view the Tri-County “N” Scale Club’s model train display. Each child 2-12 years old will receive a train whistle and a bandanna to remember the day. The cost is $10 for those 8 years and older.
The Heartland club will run model trains from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through the end of October.
It’s all free with paid admission: $5 for adults, $4 for children 5-12 years old, $3 for children 2-4 years old and free for children younger than 2 years.
Imagine life on the rails or being taken away to Neverland.
Both dreams will come closer to true this weekend at the Quad-City Botanical Center, 2525 4th Ave., Rock Island.
Neverland takes its place on center stage at 6 p.m. today and 10 a.m. and
5 p.m. Saturday. The Center for Living Arts in Rock Island, will present a “traveling theater” version of “Peter Pan” during which audience members follow along through the gardens as the young cast acts out the story, complete with the “walking the plank” scene by the koi pond. It’s free with museum admission.
Little Conductors Day returns from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Children can participate in train games and activities, meet interesting railroad characters, hear locomotive stories, view the Botanical Center’s garden-size railroad run by the Heartland Central Model Railroad Club, enjoy dining car snacks and Dinosaur Train activities from WQPT-TV, and view the Tri-County “N” Scale Club’s model train display. Each child 2-12 years old will receive a train whistle and a bandanna to remember the day. The cost is $10 for those 8 years and older.
The Heartland club will run model trains from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through the end of October.
It’s all free with paid admission: $5 for adults, $4 for children 5-12 years old, $3 for children 2-4 years old and free for children younger than 2 years.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Garden railway runs through family's joined yards
From the Wichita Eagle: Garden railway runs through family's joined yards
The Dawleys of Wichita are a fortunate family. Mom and Dad have lived in the same house at 2015 E. Blake since 1968, and their son moved into the house next door several years ago, followed by their daughter and her husband in the house next to his a couple of years ago.
All three backyards off Pawnee and Southeast Boulevard form one unbroken territory, with four dachshunds — belonging to daughter Lindalee Defrees — running in between them at will.
The family has a fondness for model trains, and a garden railway that started in Mom and Dad's — er, Larry and Marylou Dawley's — yard eventually will choo-choo all the way down to Lindalee's.
For now, though, you can see the beginnings of this trifecta in Larry and Marylou's backyard when the Wichita Area Garden Railroad Society has its annual tour next weekend. Admission is free, and the trains in seven yards will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17, rain or shine.
Right before I heard about the Dawleys' set-up, I read about the owners of three row houses in Washington, D.C., who had combined their small yards into a single garden.
"The spaces retain their own identity but are connected by two gates and a network of paths," Adrian Higgins wrote in the Post. "The neighbors feel at ease in one another's landscape and, moreover, revel in the psychological linkage of the spaces."
It reminded me of some gardener-neighbors in Derby who had joined landscapes and been on a garden tour together. The yards were different but gave such a sense of space when taken together.
"Shared spaces need neighbors who get along, stay put and aren't territorial," Higgins wrote. "If you need to draw up a contract to make the arrangement work, it's probably not for you."
The Dawleys, of course, don't need a contract, and I love their feeling of close-by family. To the other side of Larry and Marylou, a granddaughter lives two doors down.
Larry and Marylou went on their first garden railway tour four years ago and started to build their own railway three years ago. Son Joe then put down his own tracks, but, for the show, he has moved his layout into his folks' yard. Larry and Marylou have encouraged their son-in-law, Jake, to get his own trains going with gift certificates to Garden Railway Gizmos hobby shop at 1425 N. Broadway. (It's also one of the stops on the tour.)
"Now mature and with most of the construction elements done, the gardens have become a place for relaxation and tinkering," Higgins wrote of the D.C. yards. "The sunny northernmost garden functions as the communal tomato patch, the abundant fruit of the central kiwi vine will end up in everyone's kitchen, and the pets are free range."
As three of the dachshunds barked from Lindalee's backyard, one of them, Lucky Boy, stuck close to Larry and Marylou. Turns out he spends his time at their house until it's time for bed. Then he heads home.
"The shared arrangement comes into its own during parties," Higgins wrote in the Post. "Guests can find a quiet corner to talk or smoke. During one surprise party, they assembled in one garden before entering another.
"For these neighbors, the sense of togetherness was reinforced by their common need to fix up their houses."
The Dawleys are scrambling to get ready for the tour, and it'll be fun to see what future years bring across all three yards on future garden railroad tours.
You may know the garden railroad society from its model train displays at Botanica during the holiday Illuminations event. The group says it is working with Botanica on a permanent display that would be year-round.
In addition to Gizmos and the Dawley stops on the tour, other locations are 2434 N. Amidon, 6356 N. Seneca, 217 Joann, 844 N. Westlink and 200 SW 2nd in Newton.
You can get guides to the tour at many garden centers and hobby shops and at Botanica. Although the tour is free, there will be a place to drop donations to help defray the cost of printing the tour guide and for the club's community outreach programs.
The Dawleys of Wichita are a fortunate family. Mom and Dad have lived in the same house at 2015 E. Blake since 1968, and their son moved into the house next door several years ago, followed by their daughter and her husband in the house next to his a couple of years ago.
All three backyards off Pawnee and Southeast Boulevard form one unbroken territory, with four dachshunds — belonging to daughter Lindalee Defrees — running in between them at will.
The family has a fondness for model trains, and a garden railway that started in Mom and Dad's — er, Larry and Marylou Dawley's — yard eventually will choo-choo all the way down to Lindalee's.
For now, though, you can see the beginnings of this trifecta in Larry and Marylou's backyard when the Wichita Area Garden Railroad Society has its annual tour next weekend. Admission is free, and the trains in seven yards will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17, rain or shine.
Right before I heard about the Dawleys' set-up, I read about the owners of three row houses in Washington, D.C., who had combined their small yards into a single garden.
"The spaces retain their own identity but are connected by two gates and a network of paths," Adrian Higgins wrote in the Post. "The neighbors feel at ease in one another's landscape and, moreover, revel in the psychological linkage of the spaces."
It reminded me of some gardener-neighbors in Derby who had joined landscapes and been on a garden tour together. The yards were different but gave such a sense of space when taken together.
"Shared spaces need neighbors who get along, stay put and aren't territorial," Higgins wrote. "If you need to draw up a contract to make the arrangement work, it's probably not for you."
The Dawleys, of course, don't need a contract, and I love their feeling of close-by family. To the other side of Larry and Marylou, a granddaughter lives two doors down.
Larry and Marylou went on their first garden railway tour four years ago and started to build their own railway three years ago. Son Joe then put down his own tracks, but, for the show, he has moved his layout into his folks' yard. Larry and Marylou have encouraged their son-in-law, Jake, to get his own trains going with gift certificates to Garden Railway Gizmos hobby shop at 1425 N. Broadway. (It's also one of the stops on the tour.)
"Now mature and with most of the construction elements done, the gardens have become a place for relaxation and tinkering," Higgins wrote of the D.C. yards. "The sunny northernmost garden functions as the communal tomato patch, the abundant fruit of the central kiwi vine will end up in everyone's kitchen, and the pets are free range."
As three of the dachshunds barked from Lindalee's backyard, one of them, Lucky Boy, stuck close to Larry and Marylou. Turns out he spends his time at their house until it's time for bed. Then he heads home.
"The shared arrangement comes into its own during parties," Higgins wrote in the Post. "Guests can find a quiet corner to talk or smoke. During one surprise party, they assembled in one garden before entering another.
"For these neighbors, the sense of togetherness was reinforced by their common need to fix up their houses."
The Dawleys are scrambling to get ready for the tour, and it'll be fun to see what future years bring across all three yards on future garden railroad tours.
You may know the garden railroad society from its model train displays at Botanica during the holiday Illuminations event. The group says it is working with Botanica on a permanent display that would be year-round.
In addition to Gizmos and the Dawley stops on the tour, other locations are 2434 N. Amidon, 6356 N. Seneca, 217 Joann, 844 N. Westlink and 200 SW 2nd in Newton.
You can get guides to the tour at many garden centers and hobby shops and at Botanica. Although the tour is free, there will be a place to drop donations to help defray the cost of printing the tour guide and for the club's community outreach programs.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
UK: Northolt Model Railway Club
Their website: http://www.northolt-mrc.org.uk/
From their website:
Northolt Model Railway Club was formed in 1950 and its 60 plus members meet every Friday evening in permanent accommodation situated within the Northolt Village Community Centre. There is a wide range of railway interests within the club and layouts have been constructed in 4mm (OO), and 7mm (O) gauges. An elevated 3½ " and 5 " gauge track within the grounds provides running facilities for the Live Steamers.
Weekly working and running evenings are interspersed with occasional talks, film and slide shows and the Live Steam section provide train rides for the public.(2-5pm on the third Sunday in the month from April to September)
Members activities include:
Providing a stand at the London Model Engineering Exhibition at Alexander Palace in January.
Model and photographic competitions.
Outings arranged each year to model and engineering exhibitions, preserved railways and other places of interest.
Use of our excellent library.
Publishing an in-house magazine "The Thunderer" in the spring and autumn.
Live steam visits to other clubs giving the opertunity to run our engines on different tracks.We have recently included a summer weekend away to reach clubs further afield.
An Annual Exhibition held at the Community Centre on the first or second Saturday in September.
New members will be made very welcome, whether you are an experienced model maker, an absolute beginner or anywhere in between. Adult membership is restricted to those over 16, but juniors (between 14 and 16) are also welcome if accompanied by a parent.
Visitors and potential members are welcome any Friday evening - just turn up!
Rossland, BC: Fall Fair will showcase crafts, food and model trains
Okay, I'm several days late wit hthis piece of news - but mark it on your calendar for next year, as its an annual event, and I'll be publishing a more timely notice next year.
(The railroad stuff is at the bottom of the article).
Fall Fair will showcase crafts, food and model trains
Get your entries ready, the Fall Fair is coming up.
The fair is happening this Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rossland Arena.
"This year, we've done quite a few new categories in the knitting and crocheting section," Laurie Karn, a member of the Rossland Fall Fair organizing committee, says.
"We've also reworked the quilting section in an effort to get people to enter."
The Rossland Fall Fair, a member of the BC Association of Agricultural Fairs & Exhibitions, dates back before the second world war, but has been put on annually for the past 40 years continuously.
Karn explains that the Rossland Art Club, now consisting of six members, has been in existence for approximately 60 years, and is part of the Fall Fair organizing committee and each year at the Fall Fair the members of the Art Club have an art show and sale.
Entries are taken all day tomorrow (Friday) at the arena , then judging is Saturday morning.
"We open to the public at around 10:30-11 a.m. Sort of after the parade," Karn says.
"We just want to encourage everyone in the community to look at the brochure and enter a few things from their photos or crafts or even flowers or vegetables. There are categories for people of all ages and all things that they like to do."
Brochure that can be picked at the library and around town. It lists the various categories that can be entered.
Karn calls the fair a one day celebration of old fashioned community.
This can be seen in exhibits including baking, flowers, fruit, vegetables, canning, beer, wine, jams, arts, crafts, photography, sewing, knitting, crocheting, as well as things like eggs, butter and honey.
Exhibititors should bring their items to the Arena by 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 to enter them in the appropriate category, after which all entries are judged and ribbons and prize money are awarded.
All exhibits are on display during the Fall Fair on Saturday.The Fall Fair will also feature a petting zoo and SPCA display in addition to many information booths and venders selling a variety of items.
"We are pleased to have some new vendors at the Fair this year, one of which will be the Old School Log Furniture manufacturer based out of the old Central School in Trail, B.C." she says.
This year the Fall Fair will have the Golden City Railway Modelers Club displaying their model train exhibit which depicts the history of Rossland from the early days of the mines up until 1950.
The Club consists of 24 members who have diligently and painstakingly built this remarkable display.
The model train display depicts historical Rossland.
"We decided to do the history of the two railroads that came into Rossland and the mines that were here in the early days, plus what the main street would've looked like between 1930 and 1950," says Bob Flegel, president of the club.
One end has the mines and the other has a section of Columbia Avenue, with the train rail doing a loop around them.
Live music and entertainment will also be ongoing in the arena throughout the day, as well as food and beverages
(The railroad stuff is at the bottom of the article).
Fall Fair will showcase crafts, food and model trains
Get your entries ready, the Fall Fair is coming up.
The fair is happening this Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rossland Arena.
"This year, we've done quite a few new categories in the knitting and crocheting section," Laurie Karn, a member of the Rossland Fall Fair organizing committee, says.
"We've also reworked the quilting section in an effort to get people to enter."
The Rossland Fall Fair, a member of the BC Association of Agricultural Fairs & Exhibitions, dates back before the second world war, but has been put on annually for the past 40 years continuously.
Karn explains that the Rossland Art Club, now consisting of six members, has been in existence for approximately 60 years, and is part of the Fall Fair organizing committee and each year at the Fall Fair the members of the Art Club have an art show and sale.
Entries are taken all day tomorrow (Friday) at the arena , then judging is Saturday morning.
"We open to the public at around 10:30-11 a.m. Sort of after the parade," Karn says.
"We just want to encourage everyone in the community to look at the brochure and enter a few things from their photos or crafts or even flowers or vegetables. There are categories for people of all ages and all things that they like to do."
Brochure that can be picked at the library and around town. It lists the various categories that can be entered.
Karn calls the fair a one day celebration of old fashioned community.
This can be seen in exhibits including baking, flowers, fruit, vegetables, canning, beer, wine, jams, arts, crafts, photography, sewing, knitting, crocheting, as well as things like eggs, butter and honey.
Exhibititors should bring their items to the Arena by 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9 to enter them in the appropriate category, after which all entries are judged and ribbons and prize money are awarded.
All exhibits are on display during the Fall Fair on Saturday.The Fall Fair will also feature a petting zoo and SPCA display in addition to many information booths and venders selling a variety of items.
"We are pleased to have some new vendors at the Fair this year, one of which will be the Old School Log Furniture manufacturer based out of the old Central School in Trail, B.C." she says.
This year the Fall Fair will have the Golden City Railway Modelers Club displaying their model train exhibit which depicts the history of Rossland from the early days of the mines up until 1950.
The Club consists of 24 members who have diligently and painstakingly built this remarkable display.
The model train display depicts historical Rossland.
"We decided to do the history of the two railroads that came into Rossland and the mines that were here in the early days, plus what the main street would've looked like between 1930 and 1950," says Bob Flegel, president of the club.
One end has the mines and the other has a section of Columbia Avenue, with the train rail doing a loop around them.
Live music and entertainment will also be ongoing in the arena throughout the day, as well as food and beverages
Sept 17 in Wichita, KS" Wichita Area Garden Railroad Tour
The Wichita area garden railroad tour
What: Tour of model garden railroads in Wichita and Newton
Where: 1425 N. Broadway, 2434 N. Amidon, 6356 N. Seneca, 217 Joann, 844 N. Westlink and 2015 E. Blake in Wichita and 200 SW 2nd in Newton
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17
How much: Free
For more information, pick up a free tour guide at many garden centers and hobby shops and at Botanica
What: Tour of model garden railroads in Wichita and Newton
Where: 1425 N. Broadway, 2434 N. Amidon, 6356 N. Seneca, 217 Joann, 844 N. Westlink and 2015 E. Blake in Wichita and 200 SW 2nd in Newton
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17
How much: Free
For more information, pick up a free tour guide at many garden centers and hobby shops and at Botanica
Elvis footage is genuine, but short and silent
Have you looked in your attics or garages recently?
(OK, not specifically about trains, but interesting)
From Journal Gazette.net: Elvis footage is genuine, but short and silent
He had his gold leaf suit coat.
He whirled his arms like a windmill.
He danced with the microphone stand.
Indeed, a film purported to be of Elvis Presley performing in a 1957 concert at Memorial Coliseum is what the label on the can claims: Elvis live, 54 years ago.
The film surfaced about two weeks ago when a woman who was planning to auction off her late husband’s huge collection of model trains pulled the old Elvis film out of the attic and suggested tossing it into the mix.
The auctioneer, Glen Ellenberger of Ellenberger Brothers Auctions in Bluffton, didn’t think that was a good idea. Toy train buffs aren’t necessarily Elvis fans, and vice versa.
So Ellenberger pulled the film out of the auction with plans to have an auction for the film alone, and he went on the hunt to figure out exactly what his client had.
The problem was that the half-century-old 16 mm film could be brittle. Viewing it on a projector could tear it to shreds in seconds, so Ellenberger contacted Indiana University’s film archives to have it properly evaluated – and finally get a look at exactly what was on the film.
IU’s film archives contain nearly 100,000 old films, about 1,000 made by Indiana University and the rest made by moviemakers and educational filmmakers.
Remember those corny movies you used to see in junior high school where you were lectured on how to behave on a date and the importance of cleaning your fingernails? Almost everybody eventually threw the old movies away – except, it seems, IU, giving the university one of the biggest hoards of old film around.
But we digress.
Rachael Stoeltje, the film archivist with the IU library, gave the old Elvis film a quick inspection and pronounced it in pretty good shape. It had shrunk by only 0.5 percent and it didn’t smell of vinegar, which means the film isn’t deteriorating.
It could stand to be cleaned, and an expert could treat it to increase its flexibility and reduce any brittleness, but its overall condition is good.
But there are some disappointments. The film has no sound. It is just a silent film of the King doing his act before a huge Coliseum crowd, most of them armed with cameras with flashes.
The film was also shot far from the stage where Elvis swiveled his hips. When run at 16 frames per second, which is the normal speed, there is about 4 minutes of Elvis strutting on the stage, singing, dancing and posing for the fans.
That’s not as much as Ellenberger hoped, but it’s a pretty good chunk of footage from Elvis’s early concert days. It never occurred to any of his managers or promoters to record any of his concerts themselves.
Meanwhile, IU is excited the film at least passed through its hands, if only for a few minutes. On Oct. 15, the university will have a home movie day at the IU Cinema, where it will show home movies by Hollywood director John Ford. The school hopes it will also be able to show the Elvis footage during that event, bringing a little attention to itself.
Meanwhile, Ellenberger hopes the showing will bring a little additional attention to his client’s 4 minutes of footage.
In reviewing the film, one of the school’s librarians speculated that the film might actually be a copy, which means there could be another film lurking out there somewhere, perhaps in a stack of additional film reels belonging to the deceased railroad collector.
For now, plans are for an auction, maybe in late October.
(OK, not specifically about trains, but interesting)
From Journal Gazette.net: Elvis footage is genuine, but short and silent
He had his gold leaf suit coat.
He whirled his arms like a windmill.
He danced with the microphone stand.
Indeed, a film purported to be of Elvis Presley performing in a 1957 concert at Memorial Coliseum is what the label on the can claims: Elvis live, 54 years ago.
The film surfaced about two weeks ago when a woman who was planning to auction off her late husband’s huge collection of model trains pulled the old Elvis film out of the attic and suggested tossing it into the mix.
The auctioneer, Glen Ellenberger of Ellenberger Brothers Auctions in Bluffton, didn’t think that was a good idea. Toy train buffs aren’t necessarily Elvis fans, and vice versa.
So Ellenberger pulled the film out of the auction with plans to have an auction for the film alone, and he went on the hunt to figure out exactly what his client had.
The problem was that the half-century-old 16 mm film could be brittle. Viewing it on a projector could tear it to shreds in seconds, so Ellenberger contacted Indiana University’s film archives to have it properly evaluated – and finally get a look at exactly what was on the film.
IU’s film archives contain nearly 100,000 old films, about 1,000 made by Indiana University and the rest made by moviemakers and educational filmmakers.
Remember those corny movies you used to see in junior high school where you were lectured on how to behave on a date and the importance of cleaning your fingernails? Almost everybody eventually threw the old movies away – except, it seems, IU, giving the university one of the biggest hoards of old film around.
But we digress.
Rachael Stoeltje, the film archivist with the IU library, gave the old Elvis film a quick inspection and pronounced it in pretty good shape. It had shrunk by only 0.5 percent and it didn’t smell of vinegar, which means the film isn’t deteriorating.
It could stand to be cleaned, and an expert could treat it to increase its flexibility and reduce any brittleness, but its overall condition is good.
But there are some disappointments. The film has no sound. It is just a silent film of the King doing his act before a huge Coliseum crowd, most of them armed with cameras with flashes.
The film was also shot far from the stage where Elvis swiveled his hips. When run at 16 frames per second, which is the normal speed, there is about 4 minutes of Elvis strutting on the stage, singing, dancing and posing for the fans.
That’s not as much as Ellenberger hoped, but it’s a pretty good chunk of footage from Elvis’s early concert days. It never occurred to any of his managers or promoters to record any of his concerts themselves.
Meanwhile, IU is excited the film at least passed through its hands, if only for a few minutes. On Oct. 15, the university will have a home movie day at the IU Cinema, where it will show home movies by Hollywood director John Ford. The school hopes it will also be able to show the Elvis footage during that event, bringing a little attention to itself.
Meanwhile, Ellenberger hopes the showing will bring a little additional attention to his client’s 4 minutes of footage.
In reviewing the film, one of the school’s librarians speculated that the film might actually be a copy, which means there could be another film lurking out there somewhere, perhaps in a stack of additional film reels belonging to the deceased railroad collector.
For now, plans are for an auction, maybe in late October.
UK: Norwich toy shop marks 25 years in business
From Evening News 24: Norwich toy shop marks 25 years in business
A quarter of a century on, and one of Norwich’s best-loved family run toy stores is full steam ahead and well on track for the future.
Great Eastern Toys and Models, on Plumstead Road, marked 25 years of keeping model railway enthusiasts happy yesterday with a birthday bonanza involving balloons, goodie bags and 25pc off the thousands of goods on offer.
Helen Hockey, 35, runs the store with her brother Robert, 29, and sister Anne, 37, and said that they were overwhlemed by the turnout for their celebrations.
“We’re really excited by it and there was a queue at the door when we opened. The atmosphere has been electric today and really busy, but it’s not all about spending money, it’s also a case of come in and celebrate with us, grab some tea and some cake and just enjoy the occasion.”
The store, which also sells toys including Playmobil, was launched as a hobby by the trio’s father Robert, who had is own road haulage business.
A life-long model railway enthusiast, his family got used to seeing yards and yards of track snaking their way through the house, and his children quickly caught the bug themselves.
Helen, who lives in Saxlingham Nethergate, recalled: “He had a room dedicated to it and we all used to play with the models and come in and help him in the shop on Saturdays. He always said it was a novelty to have girls in a model railway store.”
Soon the business expanded, with an extension increasing the size of the store from one floor to three, and when their father died in 2006, there was no question in the minds of his family about who was going to run the business.
Since taking over, the three of them welcome in enthusiasts ranging from five to 95-years- old, with many having been customers since the very beginning. And after being flooded two years ago due to a broken pipe, they turned what could have been disaster into triumph by redecorating and bringing the store up to date.
“It’s lovely to work with and for your family,” said the mother-of-three, who deals with the accounts and paperwork. “Of course we’ve had a few cross words over the years, but we all get on and we’ve never wanted to do anything else. We hope to be here for the next 25 years, when we’re old and grey.”
Those dropping into the store will find everything from 99p Lego figures through to a £500 Hornby steam powered train set. Elsewhere in the store, those who like things high-tech should be kept happy by model trains with sound chips that allow them to make realistic noises.
Helen’s brother Robert, of Lingwood, added that he was “really pleased” with how everything was going and said that although they had all moved apart and were living their own lives “working in the shop together lets us meet up and have a good chat.
“We just want to keep on going and make sure everyone gets the same good service,” he said. “We’re not here to be millionaires and we’re friends with many of our customers.”
Helen added that she hoped the store had provided some comfort in an uncertain world.
“We’ve been going through some difficult times as a country, but I like to think that even with all the gloom, people’s hobbies give them a bit of joy in the dark times,” she said.
A quarter of a century on, and one of Norwich’s best-loved family run toy stores is full steam ahead and well on track for the future.
Great Eastern Toys and Models, on Plumstead Road, marked 25 years of keeping model railway enthusiasts happy yesterday with a birthday bonanza involving balloons, goodie bags and 25pc off the thousands of goods on offer.
Helen Hockey, 35, runs the store with her brother Robert, 29, and sister Anne, 37, and said that they were overwhlemed by the turnout for their celebrations.
“We’re really excited by it and there was a queue at the door when we opened. The atmosphere has been electric today and really busy, but it’s not all about spending money, it’s also a case of come in and celebrate with us, grab some tea and some cake and just enjoy the occasion.”
The store, which also sells toys including Playmobil, was launched as a hobby by the trio’s father Robert, who had is own road haulage business.
A life-long model railway enthusiast, his family got used to seeing yards and yards of track snaking their way through the house, and his children quickly caught the bug themselves.
Helen, who lives in Saxlingham Nethergate, recalled: “He had a room dedicated to it and we all used to play with the models and come in and help him in the shop on Saturdays. He always said it was a novelty to have girls in a model railway store.”
Soon the business expanded, with an extension increasing the size of the store from one floor to three, and when their father died in 2006, there was no question in the minds of his family about who was going to run the business.
Since taking over, the three of them welcome in enthusiasts ranging from five to 95-years- old, with many having been customers since the very beginning. And after being flooded two years ago due to a broken pipe, they turned what could have been disaster into triumph by redecorating and bringing the store up to date.
“It’s lovely to work with and for your family,” said the mother-of-three, who deals with the accounts and paperwork. “Of course we’ve had a few cross words over the years, but we all get on and we’ve never wanted to do anything else. We hope to be here for the next 25 years, when we’re old and grey.”
Those dropping into the store will find everything from 99p Lego figures through to a £500 Hornby steam powered train set. Elsewhere in the store, those who like things high-tech should be kept happy by model trains with sound chips that allow them to make realistic noises.
Helen’s brother Robert, of Lingwood, added that he was “really pleased” with how everything was going and said that although they had all moved apart and were living their own lives “working in the shop together lets us meet up and have a good chat.
“We just want to keep on going and make sure everyone gets the same good service,” he said. “We’re not here to be millionaires and we’re friends with many of our customers.”
Helen added that she hoped the store had provided some comfort in an uncertain world.
“We’ve been going through some difficult times as a country, but I like to think that even with all the gloom, people’s hobbies give them a bit of joy in the dark times,” she said.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Model trains roll into Kensington
From Gazette.net Maryland Community News Online: Model trains roll into Kensington
At the center of Kensington lies one of its oldest running traditions, the train station, a fixture there since the 19th century.
This Saturday and Sunday, members of the National Capital Trackers will celebrate that tradition, and the 120th anniversary of the Kensington train station, with an exhibition of model trains at Town Hall.
This will be the first time the National Capital Trackers, a Washington, D.C.-area model train club, will host a show in Kensington. Organizers say it will be one of the biggest they put together all year, with 30 members of the group building five main lines complete with train yards.
“This is a new show for us, we want to do it right,” said Rich Myers, the track master, or organizer, of the show.
Admission for this event is $5 for adults and $2 for children. Family admission is $10.
Town Hall is at 3710 Mitchell St.
Proceeds will go to benefit the Kensington Historical Society, as well as the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation, an organization that aims to help keep open the Noyes Library for Young Children in Kensington
Couple sharing sprawling model train layout
From Newark Advocate.com: Couple sharing sprawling model train layout
GRANVILLE -- Model train lovers -- all aboard!
On Sunday, like every year, Granville residents Jerry and Gail Klink will welcome the public to see their Runaway Railroad, a G scale outdoor layout at their home on Goose Lane, southwest of Granville.
Sunday's event is sponsored by the Columbus Garden Railway Society. The Runaway Railroad is one of about 15 on the organization's 2011 Open Garden Tour. The Klinks will have maps to the other locations on the tour.
The Klinks' layout covers about a quarter acre with 10 distinctly different settings in addition to villages and bridges. One of the latest additions is a Disney World exhibit complete with monorail. A Thomas the Tank Engine also has been added in another setting.
"The little kids, in particular, like Thomas," Jerry said.
There's also an 1860s town, a 1950s town, an Indian village, Deadwood with adjoining ghost town, German Village (Columbus style), Jeffersonville with a statue of Thomas Jefferson, Route 66, a village that looks remarkably like downtown Granville, "and, of course, the working carnival and zoo," Gail said.
The trains are equipped with tiny speakers that carry the sound of actual locomotive engines, controlled digitally, Jerry said.
The scenery includes several items the couple has picked up during trips abroad.
The layout is a labor of love for the train enthusiasts. Jerry, 73, a mostly retired mechanical engineer, admits he gets up by 6:30 a.m. and if it's a nice day he'll be out working on the layout by 7:30 a.m. -- and he'll spend the entire day on it if he can. Throughout the years he figures he's invested about $50,000 to $60,000 in the layout and too many hours to count.
Gail, a retired Spanish and English teacher from Newark High School, is only slightly less passionate than her husband.
"I'm not as excited about the rolling stock and the engines as he is," Gail conceded. "I'm more excited about the layout and the scenes."
The two established the Runaway Railroad in 2000 upon their return to Granville from Saudi Arabia, where Jerry did engineering work.
"It's hard to believe adults do this," Gail admitted.
She said the trains have actually strengthened their marriage.
"If my husband played golf, I would play golf," Gail said. "Why do I want to sit by myself? Actually, in the Columbus Garden Railway Society, it's almost all couples. It's very interesting. There's longevity in the marriages maybe because they do things together instead of going off separately."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Gamercast interview Team Train Frontier on Train Frontier Express
From Gamercast: Gamercast interview Team Train Frontier on Train Frontier Express
We've been playing the new Xbox Live Indie games title Train Frontier Express, an innovative new simulator-cum-creator available now on the Xbox Indie Marketplace, for a bit of insight on the creators behind the game, and their inspirations and thoughts behind it, read below;
Gamercast: So for those that don’t know, what is Train Frontier Express?
Eric: Train Frontier Express is a landscape building and rail riding simulator, taking inspiration from model railroading. We feature a what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor, online map sharing and train riding, along with a few other surprises. We launched August 31st on Xbox Live Indie Games, as part of the Indie Games Summer Uprising for a deal at only 240 Microsoft points (around $3 USD).
GC: Who is Team Train Frontier?
Emoks: I'm the artist--I make pictures in the computer. (That's how I explain it to my mother).
Eric: I'm Eric "expartend", the coder.
GC: What background do the two of you come from?
Eric: We have some prior experience working for traditional game studios. This is our first indie title and a large departure from our previous work.
GC: So you aren’t train nerds?
Emoks: Not by default--ending up learning (and still learning) a lot during the experience. I did have a Lionel set my father bought from a garage sale, but I mostly just played with the locomotives by themselves. We tried hooking it up to the tracks once and sparks flew everywhere--I'm thinking that particular set was made before safety standards existed.
Eric: Does making Train Frontier Express qualify me as one? I am a passenger rail supporter, so my love for trains is more practical. I played the Sim City series as a kid and the first thing I'd always do is attempt to make an efficient city with only rail as transport.
GC: When did you decide, “We’re going to make a train game”?
Eric: The idea came up right before the end of last year as a joke almost. We were interested in testing out the Xbox Live Indie Games marketplace for a small game. The game has grown quite a lot since then.
Emoks: Yeah, it seemed like it would be a small project at the time. We ended up needing a bigger boat...
GC: Which came first the editor or the train driving?
Eric: The editor, definitely. We work remotely, so Emoks needs to be able to see his props in game. The editor doubles as his prop viewer. The engine's been built from the ground up, so there's a lot of hidden tech going into it. I left the rail driving mode to the very end -- let me tell you, hooking up multiple connected cars to a player made rail is a lot harder than programming a flying or driving game.
GC: After working on the game, have you become a bit of a train nerd?
Eric: A lot more than when I started. Since the game has a model train inspiration, one of the first things we did was visit a model rail museum for research. We're not trying to be a hyper-accurate simulator, so we can look at many different areas and pick and choose how deep we want to go. We've even used the film Unstoppable as a reference.
Emoks: A few aspects have definitely grown on me. I love a lot of mid century railroad art--especially old rail line posters. I've picked up a couple old Hiawatha and GE ads at flea markets when I find them in nice condition. Oh! I also just discovered Tom Fawell--his work is awesome; so much style in tackling those locomotives!
GC: Do you have a favourite train (in real life)?
Emoks: I don't have a particular one; I'm a sucker for the streamlined engines--any of the Hiawatha locomotives. EMD E4/E5 are some other favorites.
Eric: I'm really jealous of the Japanese Shnikansen lines. The 500 series looks like a rocket and jet fighter combined.
GC: For a 3D Xbox Live Indie game, Train Frontier Express looks very polished, just how long have you been working on it for?
Eric: Thank you, we've been working on it since the start of the year, off and on. We've actually been handicapped in what we can do visually due to the XNA Framework on PC, but our next update will contain some visual enhancements.
GC: Your colour palette is bright and colourful and your UI is very stylish, where did you pull your visual inspiration from?
Emoks: We wanted something fun and visually appealing; from media, movies like Open Season and games like Team Fortress 2 were a starting point for the kind of familiar visual feel we wanted to go with (if you see some of our early UI screens, it might have been a little too TF2...) A lot of our UI has been influenced by WPA posters and other advertising art from mid to mid-late century. Builder mode uses a flat graphic look with mostly monochromatic colors for the different toolsets.
Eric: People recognize a Team Fortress 2 vibe from Train Frontier Express, which is actually great. The creators of TF2 spent a lot of time honing their 3D art direction, and they threw out what didn't work -- trying to avoid everything Valve learned would be a bit foolish.
GC: You’ve got Bullet Trains, Steam Locomotives and Diesels, how many different train setups are there?
Emoks: Setups are numerous; there are currently 10 engines (six locomotive engines with a few paint variations) and 20 train cars of different styles and colors. You can have up to nine train cars hooked up to your locomotive. Updates will include some new locomotives, so the possibilities will grow even more.
Eric: Not accounting for taste and common sense, there's billions of mix and match combinations, but those are numbers only a marketer person would come up with.
GC: The towns made in the trailers look fantastic, and contain more variety than most retail Train Simulators, just how many props have you got in your inventory?
Emoks: I believe around a 140 including variations, but there were a lot of things that didn't make it into the initial release that we want to include in updates. We also get (and encourage) suggestions on our facebook page. Certain railroad signal types that went into the initial release were based on user suggestions (before they'd even played it!)
GC: What can we expect from the team now? Do you have anything in the works?
Eric: Aside from an update to Train Frontier, we don't have any concrete plans. A lot rests on how well Train Frontier Express does sales wise. Without fan support, Team Train Frontier will hang up its conductor hat after this one. Though, I'll continue to work on my own indie projects.
Emoks: For the immediate future supporting TFE as it takes its first steps out amongst the zombie games and dating sims. Long term: sleep.
GC: Thank you for making trains fun with explosions and true derailments!
Eric: Making explosions is also fun, so it's a win-win. Thank you for the interview!
Emoks: Thank you!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Late Fort Worth man's model train layout finds a home at East Texas museum
From the Star Telegram: Late Fort Worth man's model train layout finds a home at East Texas museum
FORT WORTH -- For 25 years, R.D. Moses retreated to his backyard shed, laying the railroad tracks, piece by piece, that sliced through the 1950s West Texas landscape conjured in his mind.
From plaster, wood and wire, Moses built the town of Cochina, where the model locomotive departs from the station. The Texas and Pacific Railway engine roars by hundreds of handmade trees and shoots east to the town of Broken Promises, where locals head to Al's Tavern.
Even as Parkinson's disease caused Moses' hands to shake and his body to tremble, he spent nights tinkering with the model train layout.
When he died, Moses had one request: that the train be donated to a museum or park where people could enjoy it.
After searching for nearly two years, Moses' son, Arthur Moses, has fulfilled the wish. The train layout will be given to the Jefferson Historical Museum in East Texas. This week, employees from the museum and members of the Jefferson Model Railroad Club began dismantling the train and preparing to move it.
"This is what my father would have wanted," Arthur Moses said. "We all have our quirky little passions. This was his."
That passion grew from a health scare in the 1970s when R.D. Moses, in his mid-40s, suffered a mild stroke. A doctor sternly warned him to relax and find a hobby.
Moses had built model trains earlier in his life, but the pastime fell to the wayside as the responsibilities of raising five children and building a family business weighed heavily.
He picked it back up in his spare time, finding solace in tiny details as he worked to capture life in a small West Texas railroad town. But after 10 years of tedious work, he decided to start over.
"He wanted it to be bigger, better," his son said. "He wasn't ready to be finished."
So Moses began working on the town that would be called Cochina, although no one can remember how it got that name. With a deliberate hand, he created detailed small-town scenes, a Fourth of July parade, a child flying a kite, a fireworks stand. A computerized system allows visitors to start or stop a train, make cattle moo or turn a business' lights on.
Broken Promises
Moses often worked until midnight in the backyard shed, which he outfitted with an intercom so his wife could buzz him from the house.
As Cochina neared completion, Moses knew he was not ready to finish and began working on a new town to the east, with a pool hall, pawnshop, library and dentist office. The town became known as Broken Promises because the family joked that he broke his promise to his wife, Beverley, that he would not build on to the train.
"My mother was very tolerant," Arthur Moses said. "It took a special person to put up with this hobby."
People began noticing the layout, which measures 10 by 40 feet. R.D. Moses' home in the Westcliff neighborhood near TCU became a regular stop during statewide conventions of the National Model Railroad Association.
In 2002, Model Railroader Magazine published a feature on him. Moses reveled in showing the train to his grandchildren, who were delighted by the old-fashioned locomotive.
After Moses died of Parkinson's in 2009, Arthur Moses ran an advertisement in Model Railroader Magazine in search of a museum, eventually narrowing it to one in Schenectady, N.Y., and one in Jefferson.
'His life's work'
The Jefferson Historical Museum proved the best fit, Arthur Moses said. Museum workers plan to build a 1950s-style train depot to house the layout and are accepting donations, director Anita Nowell said.
"This is a very exciting part of our state's history," she said. "Texas & Pacific Railway played a major role here."
This week, members of the Jefferson Model Railroad Club, who will be in charge of operating the train, took 122 photographs of the layout to help reconstruct it. They then removed small parts before sawing it into two pieces to make it easier to move.
Professional museum moving crews will arrive next month to lift the layout by crane, load it into a flatbed trailer and transport it to Jefferson.
Norman Buell, a club member, said model train hobbyists find satisfaction in creating landscapes as close to real life as possible. In Cochina and Broken Promises, a dog chases a cat. A repairman fixes a broken window. A sign advertises the upcoming circus.
"The first thing you notice is the attention to detail," Buell said. "That takes a great amount of skill and is unusual for a home layout."
R.D. Moses never tired of tweaking and tinkering with his train, his son said. After he died at age 80, Arthur Moses found a locomotive and tools on his father's workbench.
"This was his life's work," Arthur said. "He was never finished."
FORT WORTH -- For 25 years, R.D. Moses retreated to his backyard shed, laying the railroad tracks, piece by piece, that sliced through the 1950s West Texas landscape conjured in his mind.
From plaster, wood and wire, Moses built the town of Cochina, where the model locomotive departs from the station. The Texas and Pacific Railway engine roars by hundreds of handmade trees and shoots east to the town of Broken Promises, where locals head to Al's Tavern.
Even as Parkinson's disease caused Moses' hands to shake and his body to tremble, he spent nights tinkering with the model train layout.
When he died, Moses had one request: that the train be donated to a museum or park where people could enjoy it.
After searching for nearly two years, Moses' son, Arthur Moses, has fulfilled the wish. The train layout will be given to the Jefferson Historical Museum in East Texas. This week, employees from the museum and members of the Jefferson Model Railroad Club began dismantling the train and preparing to move it.
"This is what my father would have wanted," Arthur Moses said. "We all have our quirky little passions. This was his."
That passion grew from a health scare in the 1970s when R.D. Moses, in his mid-40s, suffered a mild stroke. A doctor sternly warned him to relax and find a hobby.
Moses had built model trains earlier in his life, but the pastime fell to the wayside as the responsibilities of raising five children and building a family business weighed heavily.
He picked it back up in his spare time, finding solace in tiny details as he worked to capture life in a small West Texas railroad town. But after 10 years of tedious work, he decided to start over.
"He wanted it to be bigger, better," his son said. "He wasn't ready to be finished."
So Moses began working on the town that would be called Cochina, although no one can remember how it got that name. With a deliberate hand, he created detailed small-town scenes, a Fourth of July parade, a child flying a kite, a fireworks stand. A computerized system allows visitors to start or stop a train, make cattle moo or turn a business' lights on.
Broken Promises
Moses often worked until midnight in the backyard shed, which he outfitted with an intercom so his wife could buzz him from the house.
As Cochina neared completion, Moses knew he was not ready to finish and began working on a new town to the east, with a pool hall, pawnshop, library and dentist office. The town became known as Broken Promises because the family joked that he broke his promise to his wife, Beverley, that he would not build on to the train.
"My mother was very tolerant," Arthur Moses said. "It took a special person to put up with this hobby."
People began noticing the layout, which measures 10 by 40 feet. R.D. Moses' home in the Westcliff neighborhood near TCU became a regular stop during statewide conventions of the National Model Railroad Association.
In 2002, Model Railroader Magazine published a feature on him. Moses reveled in showing the train to his grandchildren, who were delighted by the old-fashioned locomotive.
After Moses died of Parkinson's in 2009, Arthur Moses ran an advertisement in Model Railroader Magazine in search of a museum, eventually narrowing it to one in Schenectady, N.Y., and one in Jefferson.
'His life's work'
The Jefferson Historical Museum proved the best fit, Arthur Moses said. Museum workers plan to build a 1950s-style train depot to house the layout and are accepting donations, director Anita Nowell said.
"This is a very exciting part of our state's history," she said. "Texas & Pacific Railway played a major role here."
This week, members of the Jefferson Model Railroad Club, who will be in charge of operating the train, took 122 photographs of the layout to help reconstruct it. They then removed small parts before sawing it into two pieces to make it easier to move.
Professional museum moving crews will arrive next month to lift the layout by crane, load it into a flatbed trailer and transport it to Jefferson.
Norman Buell, a club member, said model train hobbyists find satisfaction in creating landscapes as close to real life as possible. In Cochina and Broken Promises, a dog chases a cat. A repairman fixes a broken window. A sign advertises the upcoming circus.
"The first thing you notice is the attention to detail," Buell said. "That takes a great amount of skill and is unusual for a home layout."
R.D. Moses never tired of tweaking and tinkering with his train, his son said. After he died at age 80, Arthur Moses found a locomotive and tools on his father's workbench.
"This was his life's work," Arthur said. "He was never finished."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Train News: China’s Tech Industry Takes a Bullet
From MoneyShow: China’s Tech Industry Takes a Bullet
It has now become the bullet train wreck with a bullet.
The July 23 collision of two bullet trains on the Beijing-to-Shanghai line killed at least 40 people. That’s disaster enough.
But the wreck has turned into a huge setback in China’s drive to become an exporter of complex technology products. It has raised major doubts about China’s ability to innovate, and exposed connections between official corruption and the questionable safety of China’s technology.
The wreck couldn’t have come at a worse time in China’s campaign to be seen as a technology innovator and not just a technology imitator.
The country had filed for more than a dozen international patents for its high-speed train technology. The European and Japanese companies that had joint-ventured with China when the country began building its high-speed rail network cried foul. China had simply slapped some new paint on their technology, they said.
Not so, China countered, our high-speed trains are based on major Chinese innovations. And as proof, China pointed to the increased speed of its trains. Instead of the 200 kilometers-per-hour (124 mph) top speeds of the European and Japanese trains, China’s trains could run at speeds of up to 300 kph.
Nonsense, European and Japanese manufacturers countered. China had just taken existing technology and increased the speed of its trains by cutting safety.
The wreck on the Beijing to Shanghai line certainly gives weight to those European and Japanese claims. But the continuing investigation into the causes of the wreck is turning up even more troubling questions about whether China’s economic system and its flagship companies can deliver world-class technology.
On August 9, for example, train maker China CNR said it had suspended production of one bullet-train model to address technical glitches in the automatic protection system that’s supposed to alert a train and its operators to problems.
Glitches? Not when a wreck resulted when a train slammed into the rear of a stopped train.
In a filing with China’s security regulators, the company said it had reported the problem to the Ministry of Railways. That certainly suggests that the company discovered and reported the problem itself.
But 21st Century Business Herald is reporting that the company had been ordered to improve the train by the ministry. And ministry sources are saying that China CNR was responsible for 19 of the 20 train-related malfunctions on the line since it opened in June.
And then there’s the problem with the axles. A July 15 inspection in Jinan, in Shandong province, discovered a 7 millimeter by 2.4 millimeter crack in a train axel.
The axel was switched out and that train—and a train of a similar model from the same supplier—continued to operate at speeds of up to 300 kilometers an hour on the Beijing to Shanghai line.
Now, as the investigation into the accident has found, the July 15 inspection wasn’t the first indication of axle problems. Equipment supplier Beijing Sheening reported similar defects in June.
Technicians at the Ministry of Railways have told investigators, Caixan reports, that their testing found similar problems in other axles. Three of them were scrapped and four others swapped out.
The treatment of the axle problem would seem to violate Ministry of Railways standards that require any power shaft with a crack of two millimeters of more to be scrapped.
A total of 54 trains were recalled by China CNR on August 11. The company listed the reason for the recall as “sensor false positives.” At this point, it’s not clear if anything is being done about the axel problems.
But it’s the connection between these equipment problems and corruption that may ultimately be most damaging to China’s technology strategy.
The wheels for the CRH380BL models of high-speed trains were supplied by Zhibo Lucchini Railway Equipment, a company formerly headed by Ding Shumiao. Ding currently faces bribery charges in the corruption case of former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun.
A four-year old joint venture, Zhibo Lucchini had secured contracts to manufacture more than 60% of the wheel sets for China’s high-speed trains.
Domestically, the impact of all of this will be to undermine customer confidence in a high-speed rail network already facing financial problems due to high ticket prices and huge cost overruns. Internationally, the effect will be to cut the market for Chinese high-speed train equipment—and to require the government to offer even more favorable financing to customers.
But the effects won’t be limited to that one technology. China’s wind-turbine industry, for example, was already facing questions about the reliability of its equipment, and the country’s telecommunications-equipment makers have been facing an uphill battle to increase sales outside of China.
Different companies and different technologies. But you can be sure potential customers are asking, "If I wouldn’t buy a high-speed train from China, why would I buy…."
It has now become the bullet train wreck with a bullet.
The July 23 collision of two bullet trains on the Beijing-to-Shanghai line killed at least 40 people. That’s disaster enough.
But the wreck has turned into a huge setback in China’s drive to become an exporter of complex technology products. It has raised major doubts about China’s ability to innovate, and exposed connections between official corruption and the questionable safety of China’s technology.
The wreck couldn’t have come at a worse time in China’s campaign to be seen as a technology innovator and not just a technology imitator.
The country had filed for more than a dozen international patents for its high-speed train technology. The European and Japanese companies that had joint-ventured with China when the country began building its high-speed rail network cried foul. China had simply slapped some new paint on their technology, they said.
Not so, China countered, our high-speed trains are based on major Chinese innovations. And as proof, China pointed to the increased speed of its trains. Instead of the 200 kilometers-per-hour (124 mph) top speeds of the European and Japanese trains, China’s trains could run at speeds of up to 300 kph.
Nonsense, European and Japanese manufacturers countered. China had just taken existing technology and increased the speed of its trains by cutting safety.
The wreck on the Beijing to Shanghai line certainly gives weight to those European and Japanese claims. But the continuing investigation into the causes of the wreck is turning up even more troubling questions about whether China’s economic system and its flagship companies can deliver world-class technology.
On August 9, for example, train maker China CNR said it had suspended production of one bullet-train model to address technical glitches in the automatic protection system that’s supposed to alert a train and its operators to problems.
Glitches? Not when a wreck resulted when a train slammed into the rear of a stopped train.
In a filing with China’s security regulators, the company said it had reported the problem to the Ministry of Railways. That certainly suggests that the company discovered and reported the problem itself.
But 21st Century Business Herald is reporting that the company had been ordered to improve the train by the ministry. And ministry sources are saying that China CNR was responsible for 19 of the 20 train-related malfunctions on the line since it opened in June.
And then there’s the problem with the axles. A July 15 inspection in Jinan, in Shandong province, discovered a 7 millimeter by 2.4 millimeter crack in a train axel.
The axel was switched out and that train—and a train of a similar model from the same supplier—continued to operate at speeds of up to 300 kilometers an hour on the Beijing to Shanghai line.
Now, as the investigation into the accident has found, the July 15 inspection wasn’t the first indication of axle problems. Equipment supplier Beijing Sheening reported similar defects in June.
Technicians at the Ministry of Railways have told investigators, Caixan reports, that their testing found similar problems in other axles. Three of them were scrapped and four others swapped out.
The treatment of the axle problem would seem to violate Ministry of Railways standards that require any power shaft with a crack of two millimeters of more to be scrapped.
A total of 54 trains were recalled by China CNR on August 11. The company listed the reason for the recall as “sensor false positives.” At this point, it’s not clear if anything is being done about the axel problems.
But it’s the connection between these equipment problems and corruption that may ultimately be most damaging to China’s technology strategy.
The wheels for the CRH380BL models of high-speed trains were supplied by Zhibo Lucchini Railway Equipment, a company formerly headed by Ding Shumiao. Ding currently faces bribery charges in the corruption case of former Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun.
A four-year old joint venture, Zhibo Lucchini had secured contracts to manufacture more than 60% of the wheel sets for China’s high-speed trains.
Domestically, the impact of all of this will be to undermine customer confidence in a high-speed rail network already facing financial problems due to high ticket prices and huge cost overruns. Internationally, the effect will be to cut the market for Chinese high-speed train equipment—and to require the government to offer even more favorable financing to customers.
But the effects won’t be limited to that one technology. China’s wind-turbine industry, for example, was already facing questions about the reliability of its equipment, and the country’s telecommunications-equipment makers have been facing an uphill battle to increase sales outside of China.
Different companies and different technologies. But you can be sure potential customers are asking, "If I wouldn’t buy a high-speed train from China, why would I buy…."
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