a regular publication of the Amherst Railway Society

Eight & Sand

Amherst Railway SocietyP. O. Box 2351

Amherst, MA 01004-2351amherstrail.org

Switch ListUpdate on the Nickel PlateRailroad Hobby Show President’s MessageSalute to Short Lines

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Update on the Nickel PlateTony Koester

On April 19, Model Railroad Planning editor and Model Railroader Trains of Thought columnist, Tony Koester, will provide a update on his HO scale edition of the Nickel Plate Road’s St. Louis Division, circa 1954.

He will discuss multi-deck layout design and construction, layout lighting, kit-bashing vs. scratch-building structures, modeling Granger country, as well as timetable and train-order operation.

Among his many achievements, Koester popularized the idea of freelance modeling with his HO scale Allegheny Midland railroad. He also served as editor of Model Railroad Craftsman.

In 1966, Koester co-founded the Nickel Plate Historical & Technical Society to pre-serve the memory of his favorite railroad.

Koester is a graduate of Purdue University with a degree in electrical engineering. He has authored nine books for Kalmbach Publishing.

Membership DuesMemberships expire on June 30 of the year listed on your memberhip card.Regular adult memberships are $28 for one year, $70 for three years, and $112 for five years. Student member-ships are free, but require an annual update of school attending and expected graduation date. Click here to renew or up-date your membership.

The mission of the Amherst Railway Society is education regarding and the promotion of hobbies related to railroading

next meeting: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - 7:30 pm Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium more on meetings

Meetings are canceled if Amherst Regional Schools are canceled. Notice will be posted at cbs3springfield.com and nbcConnecticut.com

April, 2016

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Eight & Sand April, 2016

Railroad Hobby ShowJohn Sacerdote, Director

Last year, at this time, I was complaining about the 6 inches of snow still in my backyard. I am grateful that the winter this past year was not as harsh as the previous winter as that really allowed us to have a “back to normal” attendance, which will really help us for our next “season.”

The Show Staff usually rests during February and March before we start to prepare for the next Show. It’s not happening this year. We are already well into some of our

early tasks for our 49th Annual Show. These meetings include negotiations with hotels and motels (which get earlier each year because more and more folks are reserving almost a year in advance), as well as our friends at the Eastern States Exposition [who, by the way, will be celebrating their 100th anniversary Show this year!] Also, our vendors and exhibitors that were either happy with their location or not happy have already been contacting us with their requests for the next season. I actually love hearing from them because that is their way of letting us know how well they did each Show and if we can do more for them, as we always are trying to assist.

Our next show will again be one of the latest Show dates in many years…Our January 2017 Show dates are January 28th and 29th, remembering that the dates of our Show precede the Super Bowl by a week.

I only have one other item to report to you for this month: Our Annual Silent Auction and Swap Meet. This year will be our 9th year for this worthwhile, not to mention fun, event (it’s looking like we may need to have a huge 10 year celebration next season). In keeping with our most recent tradition, we will have our si-lent auction during the summer. Last year we added a swap meet portion to the auction as that went over well. We did that because so many folks have asked if they can bring their own items to the Silent Auction. We will be doing that again for this next event.

We will be announcing the date, time and place soon. Last year, our Silent Auction and Swap Meet was held on Friday evening, in late August. Look for a similar time frame for this summer. As soon as we have confirmed a place, we will let you know and we will be getting the word out to all.

This would not be an appropriate newsletter without me giving you a small preview of some of the items: More books (most new), a serious collection of HO locos, a HUGE collection of N-scale equipment, including buildings, over 200 cars and locomotives with many new items still in original boxes. Also, there are electronics, building kits, S and O scale cars, clothing, scenery materials, videos and tons more….watch for those announcements!

As always, I encourage anyone with any ideas, thoughts for the show, possible new vendors – you name it, we would love to hear from you. One final reminder: The 2018 Show will be our 50th anniversary Show….let me know what you think we should do for that 50th anniversary!

Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show – West Springfield, MA January 28 - 29, 2017

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Eight & Sand April, 2016

Message from the PresidentThe Board of Directors is actively preparing for the coming year. Department Heads are being asked to get their budget reports into David Royce so that he can prepare his reports.

The Nominating Committee is preparing a slate of officers for the coming year. Up for election at the next annual meeting are the Secretary and one at large member of the Board of Directors.

There is a lot of activity going on for the June 3 and 4 Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet which will be at the Enfield CT Holiday Inn. We hope to see you there.

In the meantime, this month our speaker will be a well known prototype modeler, Tony Koester who will be talking about his modeling of the Nickel Plate’s St. Louis Division.

Next month will be a program on the Trolley Parks of Maine, and then in June our speaker from the first meeting of the Amherst Railway Society (and the first President of the ARS), Harvey Allen, returns with another program.

One of the things that come up at this time of the year is the cost of membership. While we are reviewing membership dues, we are asking the members to look at their membership. If your membership expires in 2016, it will expire this coming June. Don’t forget to renew.

Bruce MacCullagh, President 2014-2016

Upcoming ARS meeting Dates

April 19, 2016 - Tony Koester - Nickle Plate UpdateMay 17, 2016 - Randy Leclair - Seashore Trolley Museum

June 21, 2016 - Harvey Allen - Former ARS President

Board of Director’s Meetings

April 27, 2016 - proposed busisness for annual meetingMay 18, 2016 - budget meeting

Newsletter Deadlines

April 1, 2016May 1, 2016June 3, 2016

Board of DirectorsBruce MacCullagh PresidentJohn Sacerdote President-ElectDavid Royce TreasurerBill Meier Jr. SecretaryClark HuberKurt JellinekRudy Versailles

Railroad Hobby ShowJohn Sacerdote Director

Show CommitteeDick Joyce ChairClark HuberKurt JellinekTom Laware Sr. Tom Laware JrBrian O’LearyRudy VersaillesBruce MacCullaghDavid Royce

Strategic PlanningKen Harstine Co-chairKurt Jellinek Co-chairJoe Albano Jr.Clark HuberDick JoyceTom Laware Sr.Bill Meier Jr.John RandallDavid RoyceJohn Sacerdote

MembershipJohn Sacerdote ChairJoe Albano Jr.Ted CurtinJoe KurlandTom Laware Sr.Joe LepageGreg Maas

Prototype MeetDavid Owens Chair

The Amherst Railway Society is a group of railroad enthusiasts.

If you like railroads the way we like railroads, the Amherst Railway Society gives you a place to expand your knowledge, make new friends, and simply do what you like doing best.

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Eight & Sand April, 2016

Editorial Comment:

A Salute to Short Line and Regional RailroadsShort line and regional railroads are among the best examples of effective, customer-focused businesses in North America today. Yet, too few people know, understand, and appreciate the signifi-cant contribution that smaller railroads make to our economy.

Here we have over 500 companies, many family-owned, making vital connections between small town and rural businesses and the national rail network. They operate 50,000 miles of track, handle one in every four rail cars traveling on our national sys-tem, and are often the first or last railroad to handle a shipment before it reaches the ultimate consumer.

They support the communities they serve, keeping businesses local, jobs local.

Short line and regional railroads rarely have the luxury of customers that supply 100-car unit trains of anything. Rather, they have to fight for every single carload. And that fight-for-it attitude keeps transportation costs competitive, and responsive customer service at the top of the priority list.

And business relationships matter. Short lines and regionals earn the trust of shippers through reliable operations, open communi-cation, imaginative thinking, and close working relationships.

At the heart of the short line and regional railroad story is a group of people that are dedicated, no, passionate, about the railroad business and the service it provides to our society.

And that passion fuels an entrepreneurial spirit that makes wise use of resources, stimulates creative thinking, and adds flexibility to operations.

The people behind short lines and regionals truly understand customer-focused marketing. They know what shippers expect, and they work hard to meet those expectations. They understand the efficiencies rail transportation offers over other modes, and they make the phone calls and knock on the doors to sell their service.

Short lines and regionals are a growth industry - because of the passionate people behind them.

From the Treasurer

As Amherst Railway Society Inc. is a 501 C(3) tax exempt organization, your donations (of either cash and/or property) may be deducted on your Schedule A, Form 1040 of your Federal income tax.

Consider the Amherst Railway Society in your estate planning. Your gifts can be restricted or non-restricted (you can pre-determine how you want your donation used). Upon request, and proper documentation of course, the Treasurer will issue you a letter to be used as justification for your tax deductions