ETMRC  RAILNEWS

August 2014 http://etmrc.org

The window opens – Paul F and Rob D wrestle with the window into which the new workroom air conditioner will be installed. Eventually, they did succeed in getting it open. Next is the construction of the support structure. Note the fresh paint on the the entire southeast corner of the workroom and the old, empty shelf that used to cover the window, on the extreme right.

MEETINGS

The official weekly club work sessions are 9:00 to noon on Saturdays. The business meeting is the first Saturday of the month at the same time. Some club members are usually present for work sessions, or just plain lollygagging on Friday mornings, about the same time as the Saturday schedule. For those not yet retired, a group meets starting about 7:00 pm on Tuesday evenings for a couple of hours. We sometimes also have members present on Wednesday mornings, but lately that has sort of become a hit-or-miss time, so it is best to call someone if you want to come on a Wednesday and don’t have a key. Many meet at 8:00 Saturday mornings at McKay’s Restaurant on 1113 Main Street, Commerce for breakfast, and extend an invitation to any who care to join them.

WHERE WE ARE GOING

Yep, there is a new title here, and a slight change in direction for this section to emphasize where we are going, rather than where we’ve been. We’ve made tons of progress, but the new show season is fast approaching and we must continue the push on facility improvements before our open houses. And maybe more importantly, we need to finish our facility improvements so we can get back to playing with trains. After all, that IS what brings us together.

The floor replacement project is at least half done. Bob A got the first 4 x 8 foot sheet of 3/4 inch plywood replacing rotted flooring in the main layout room installed, and what a difference it makes. The ragged, uneven rubble we’ve been hiding under shop rugs is smooth and stable, even the transition between old and new is smooth. For safety, the other rotted section in the walkway between the city and mining peninsulas must be completed before the open house for the Bois d‘arc Bash in late September.

Back in the workroom, giant steps toward restructuring storage to facilitate the installation of an additional air conditioning unit were made. Paul F and Rob D assembled two large shelving units at the blocked double door, scraped the walls, moved all the stuff from the old shelves to the new, and moved or dismantled the old shelves. Not content to stop there, they unblocked the window on the east wall, and got the sash unstuck (it probably had not been moved since the city installed the exterior particle board, and that was years before we moved in). They then cleaned the old shelves uncovered, and repainted them. The difference in brightness is amazing, but we need to get the new a/c installed for our comfort and our visitors comfort before the series of open houses scheduled for the last quarter of the year. We may have a bit more time to relevel and restore the King trolley layout to reliable operation before the Ft. Worth show date in November. This is not a comfort or safety improvement, but the King layout is a subject of interest with our potential show visitors, and we owe them the best we can do.

Exterior improvements? We still need to patch or replace the window coverings outside before winter weather sets in. But the new a/c must be in place before any of the existing particle board window panels are replaced. And of course, the new entry door needs to be ordered and replaced — the list goes on.

Not only facilities — Ron M (right) touches up some of the ballast at the Dexter station platform as Bob A observes. Note the temporary order board signal in front of Ron’s right hand. Yes Virginia, there was some time to work on the layout, along with the facility upgrades.

MMMMM BUSINESS MEETING

The next scheduled business meeting is 9:00 am, Saturday, August 2, 2014. Our business meeting is usually on the first Saturday of each month, unless it isn’t. Changes to scheduled meetings sometimes happen suddenly, so if in doubt call president Paul.

July BUSINESS MEETING SUMMARY

Submitted by Secretary Bob Erwin

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER: 12 July 2014, 9:21 am

PRESENT: Ron M, LeRoy H, Bob T, Bob E, Paul F, Tom B, Rob D, Bob A, George W, Jared P.

PROXIES: None

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: Approved as published.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Submitted by Treasurer Ron M
This section is redacted

COUNCIL MEETING REPORT: Submitted by Council Rep Paul F
Essentially everything was postponed. July meeting was cancelled. Fort Worth table sales are behind last year’s pace at this time, but Plano table sales are almost sold out. Another location for the Ft Worth show was discussed, but prices continue to be too high, square footage too small, and location not suitable. Hard research into fees has not been done, so the show will continue at same location for next year at least and probably into the foreseeable future. The council has approximately $deleted in the bank.

OLD BUSINESS: Paul questioned the progress on the floor project. Bob A said it is stalled. We need to go through lumber on hand to make sure we don’t run out and buy what we already have on hand. Paul went on to say that the computer had been left on overnight sometime dying the month, and we must remember that the last one out is responsible to ensure that all things powered are turned off before departure. Tom B, who must be completely insensitive to temperature, mentioned that the A/C unit seemed to be working better than the last few meetings. It wasn’t. Paul said it still needs to be recharged, but he has not had time to make the necessary call. Rob D explained that the lower humidity we were enjoying made things “feel” better when they really were not.

NEW BUSINESS: Paul brought up that parts of the back (east) side of the King trolley layout are resting on window sills, while most of the rest of it is supposed to be supported by the floor, which is settling. This twists the whole layout out of alignment, which may account for some of the derailment problems that were once thought fixed. The floor has settled to the point that the legs are too short to support the layout without extreme blocking. The layout really needs to be moved off the windowsills so it can be restored to a more or less consistent level. Somewhere during the corporate mumbling that followed this revelation, Rob D mentioned that if we moved the King layout about 4 inches north, there would be no interference with the double doors to the outside. This would allow the installation of inside storm doors for improved seals for improved comfort, as well as allowing the portable N-gauge layout to be removed for display somewhere else if we wanted to do that again. Even better, it would simplify the installation of the workroom air conditioner. Tom B, who is mostly responsible for the existence of the King layout, confessed his being underwhelmed at the prospect of moving and releveling the layout, but that it probably makes sense to do it. But, he insisted, we should do it before any more King track work is done, so it doesn’t have to be done again after the relocation.

Paul also noted that the tool box we got from Dick Schroth's layout is filling up with tools, track supplies and other sundry bits and pieces of stuff. Rather continuing this direction, Paul suggested we decide what we want to use it for. LeRoy suggested we use it for both. Tom wanted to know where we now store tools. Paul's response: Everywhere. Tom thought it better if they were consolidated. LeRoy said most of the tools we use belong to Paul F, so does it make a difference where they're stored? Bob E made a motion to consolidate the storage of tools in the tool box. Rob D seconded. Motion carried.

Paul has additional plastic and wooden shelf units which are very sturdy which makes them suitable for all sorts of items that need a place to rest. The plastic ones are the same as the units already in the south storage room. He will bring them soon. Rob reminded the membership that we already have a couple of shelf units which need assembly. The receding, unlevel floor may present a problem, but using wall anchors that allow vertical movement would probably solve that problem.

Ron M said that he had found a children's book about trains which would be good to have on hand to give to children who visit our layout. He bought all the retailer had and will donate them to the club. Ron also said that Walthers puts out a small coloring book about trains. Perhaps the club could buy some for future visitors.

Bob T suggested moving shelves in front of the opening where the doors will go. That would facilitate the installation of the A/C unit. Paul stated the shelves on the south wall should be taken down and destroyed. There was no objection to the strong point of view or language. The layout in the back room was offered to Jared, who graciously accepted. He will probably accept the layout as soon as he figures a way to move it on his bicycle.

Bob E brought up the fact that LeRoy was late to the meeting because he was smoking in his truck. Erwin thought that since the membership has voted to disallow smoking in the club area due to health reasons for smokers and non-smokers alike, that LeRoy should be disallowed purchase or possession of all tobacco products for the benefit of his health, which is not too healthy. LeRoy sort of appreciated the thought.

MEETING ADJOURNED: 9:51 am.

WHAT THE %*##% --?

A section to list strange happenings that really should be tracked down and fixed:
Anyone? Anything?

Except for the usual vagaries of DCC, nothing newly amiss was reported.

INFORMATION:

The following web sites are excellent sources of supplies (1) and technical data (2). Two of our members also have personal web sites (3) and (4). Site (5) has some interesting photos of Commerce area railroading over the years.

1. Cyberspace World Railroad for supplies
2. http://www.geocities.com/budb3/index.html
3. http://www.coslar.us
4. http://geusnet.com/~rteeter/
5. www.tamu-commerce.edu/library/collections/digital

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

August 21 — LSR 3 – Northeast Texas Division – Nicholson Library, 4845 Broadway Blvd, Garland.
September 27-28 — Commerce Bois d’arc Bash open house
October 5-6 — Cotton Belt Seminar and open house
November 8-9 — Ft. Worth show support and open house
January 17-18, 2015 — Plano show support and open house

REGIONAL RAILROAD PROTOTYPE NEWS

This is just a sampling of that’s going on in our area, which is defined to be whatever I think interesting, so the area can be fairly large. Or not.

KCS in Farmersville — The new bridge over the widened state highway 380 is almost ready for service. the grading for the realignment is complete and new track work from the north is in progress. The apparent approach is to install all the new track, get it aligned and stabilized before connecting it to the existing main line. The work is expected to be complete before years end.

New track – Track workers were building the track along the new alignment of the KCS in Farmersville. Meanwhile, traffic continues on the old alignment slightly to the east (right) of the new track. The KCS route from north Dallas to Farmersville is the last section of the former Santa Fe “Onion Line” between Dallas and Paris that still sees trains.