Eight & Sand June, 2017 Amherst Railway Society 1130 South Main Street Palmer, MA 01069 amherstrail.org The mission of the Amherst Railway Society is education regarding and the promotion of hobbies related to railroading Switch List Meeting: June 14, 2017 Townsend Auction - recap Holyoke Senior Center Module Corner: John Deere Virginian in Ayer in memoriam - Paul Carver Membership Dues Memberships expire on June 30 of the year listed on your membership card. Regular adult memberships are $28 for one year, $70 for three years, and $112 for five years. Student memberships are free, but require an annual update of school attending and expected graduation date. Click here to renew or update your membership. a regular publication of the Amherst Railway Society Meeting: June 14, 2017, 7:30 pm DODX Heavy-duty Flatcars Dave Owens The US military moves a variety of heavy equipment by rail - everything from tanks to APCs to specialized wheeled vehicles. And the majority of that equipment moves on special 6-axle flatcars designed specifically for military use. Some years ago, Dave Owens saw a model of a World War II military train and decided that he wanted to do something similar. Thus began a yearslong project accumulating information on DODX heavy-duty flatcars. On June 14, Dave will present his findings on military-use flatcars and lead a group discussion about this unique and very important aspect of railroading. Dave is a life-long model railroader with primary interests in the Reading, Pennsylvania, and Penn Central railroads. He is also a member of the Torrington Model Railroaders Professionally, Dave is a reporter for the Hartford Currant. The June meeting is the annual business meeting for the Amherst Railway Society. Elections will be held, financial reports will be presented, and the general status of the society will be discussed. next meeting: Wednesday, June 14, 2017-7:30 pm Amherst Railway Society headquarters more on meetings Notice of meeting changes or cancellations are posted on: Amherst Railway Society web site - amherstrail.org Amherst Railway Society Facebook page 1
Eight & Sand June,, 2017 Townsend Live Auction & Sale - Recap On Saturday, May 6, 2017, The Amherst Railway Society sponsored the live auction and sale of the Townsend railroad collection. Bill Townsend was a long time member of the Amherst Railway Society. He collected, repaired, and ran trains most of his adult life. When Bill passed away, his family asked the Amherst Railway Society to assist in the selling of his collection. Bill was always there to lend a hand for us, especially at his favorite event - the Railroad Hobby Show. On May 6, it was our turn to lend a hand to Bill s family. 2
Eight & Sand June, 2017 Holyoke Comes to Life - in miniature It all started five years ago - with the donation of model railroad equipment and scenery to the Holyoke Senior Center. What came out of that donation looks like a well-done model train display. Look a little closer, though, and you will see some of Holyoke s most familiar landmarks. Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers and the support of the Amherst Railway Society, the Holyoke Senior Center is home to a beautiful model railroad that features trains weaving their way through a miniature Holyoke. The Amherst Railway Society designed the layout and track plan, donated materials, and guided the construction. Amherst members John Sacerdote and the late Joe Lepage donated expertise and many hours of labor to the project. The Holyoke Senior Center is located at 291 Pine Street, Holyoke. Phone: 413-322-5625. 3
Eight & Sand June, 2017 module corner In the world of farm tractors, there are red tractor enthusiasts (International Harvester), and green tractor people (John Deere). Gary Munsey tends to be on the red tractor team. I knew that Gary likes red tractors, says Joe Biagioni. So I put together the John Deere module set to pull Gary s chain a little. The center piece of the module is a John Deere dealership selling not only farm tractors but a variety of heavy equipment, too. And, who owns the dealership? - none other than Jan Munsey, Gary s wife. The module set was built in secret and unveiled at the Marlboro show several years ago, much to Gary s surprise. Yeah, Gary didn t see that one coming, says Biagioni. So, it was good fun to see the expression on his face when he saw the John Deere dealership model - owned by his wife, no less. The John Deere equipment on the module set is relatively rare. Joe spent 2 ½ years collecting the models he needed. However, the module set is much more than the John Deere dealership. The set also includes a DPW garage with a variety of road maintenance trucks, a street scene with vehicles equipped with John Deere by Joe Biagioni EIGHT & SAND - what it means 4 LED lighting, and a wing extension that serves as a rail staging yard. Kids visiting our shows enjoy looking down the street scene and seeing the flashing school bus lights, and the fire truck lights (there s a fender-bender car accident on the street scene). The street is at a good height for kids, says Biagioni. Most Belt Lines people know that I like Alcos and John Deere equipment. So, my mission is to educate people on the value of Alcos and John Deere. I keep chipping away at it, Joe says with a smile. Eight & Sand is a railroad term used to wish train crews a quick, uneventful journey. The term comes from notch 8 - the highest power setting on modern locomotive throttles - and the ability to apply sand to prevent wheel slip.
Eight & Sand June,, 2017 Board of Directors John Sacerdote Bruce MacCullagh Bill Meier Jr. Kurt Jellinek Rudy Versailles President Past President Treasurer Secretary Railroad Hobby Show John Sacerdote Director Show Committee Dick Joyce Chair Kurt Jellinek Tom Laware Jr Brian O Leary Rudy Versailles Bruce MacCullagh Strategic Planning Ken Harstine Co-chair Kurt Jellinek Co-chair Joe Albano Jr. Dick Joyce Bill Meier Jr. John Randall John Sacerdote Membership John Sacerdote Chair Joe Albano Jr. Ted Curtin Joe Kurland Greg Maas NS Virginian Heritage SD-70 Visits Ayer photos: Isaiah Manuel Prototype Meet David Owens Chair in memoriam - Paul Carver Long-time Amherst Railway Society member, Paul Carver, passed away in April. The Amherst Railway Society mourns the loss of our friend, Paul, and extends our condolences to his family. 5 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, the Treasurer will issue a letter to be used as justification for your tax deduction.