(Volume 26, No. 10)
Presidents Soapbox
Here we are two weekends away from the Rail-show and, even though we can see a lot of progress, there is still much to be done. One of the most urgent is connecting some type of control to the track. The missing parts of the mainline are awaiting foam filler along the sides. The track itself will take very little time to lay and the wiring can’t arrive until the track is in place. Some of us having been working overtime to accomplish the foam placement but more assistance is needed. I made a call earlier in the month, suggesting that all scenic finishing cease and all effort be devoted to the foam, track, wiring and cleanup-preparation. I am repeating that plea. We need a thorough cleanup and the curtains hung to hide the material stored under the layout. Even after the layout is ready and the room cleaned up, we need at least one operating session so familiarize everyone with the operation of a single track railroad. This gives us less than two weeks to get the wiring and controls in place.
All of the exchanges from the Board made via e-mail recently point out the value of talking to one another about our joint project. In this regard, we should feel fortunate to have the number of members we currently enjoy. A group of us were working on the layout last week on a non-meeting night, when a previous visitor who knew of our location stopped in to see what we were doing. He told us about the club he belonged to and we had more members there on a non meeting night than they had in their club. I visited a club in western Idaho earlier this year where they had an extensive layout and was surprised to hear they only had two adult and one student members. Clearly, a larger number of members means more opinions to consider and more difficulty in reaching consensus, but this recent exchange between members of the board points out the value of communication in resolving any differences we may have.
While the financial condition of the club should not be considered dire, our policy of mailing the newsletter to interested but unpaid and delinquent former members is coming under consideration. Put in simple terms, the increased cost of copying and postage makes it necessary to pare the mailing list to those who have a genuine interest in our activities. We recently raised the cost of an Associate Membership to $10.00, merely to cover the annual cost of mailing and postage. We continue to believe that this small amount is still a bargain, since in addition to receiving the newsletter, it allows access to the club facility on meeting nights and other operating sessions. The club recently purchased a number of turnouts, the average cost of which was only slightly less than the cost of an associate membership. Of course, we would be even more pleased to welcome you as a full fledged member, which would provide you with keys allowing access any time and voting privileges as well. In addition, we welcome your assistance on Phase two of the Montana Subdivision.
Please review the application on the last page of the newsletter and send or (better still) bring it to the club next Thursday night.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you.
Leo Harker
Timetable
Report on South Staging
The runaround at the south end of the south staging area has all the track laid. There is even a spur which is operable at present. This spur is not isolated electrically from the main line, which means locomotives can not be stored there. At present, the track from the switches onward is not powered, but I plan to wire that so there is all tracks will be operable for the meet. The final wiring will come later.
Once I got the track laid, it was obvious to me that some members do not understand the track arrangements and wiring in that area. I tried moving some trains and cars around and found several things which were not the way I intended. For example, there were several locos parked in either the arrival/departure tracks or in the classification yard which were still turned on. There were also various cars overhanging the switches, as well as locomotives parked on the main line and the yard lead.
Perhaps I shouldn't have used several different types of wiring in the area, but it certainly made my job easier and it will make more sense when more of the layout is finished. Some comments on the intent of that yard:
1. The uncoupling ramps in the classification yard serve two purposes in addition to uncoupling. They mark the clearance point and they are paired on adjacent tracks so they can be found by the end of the cut of cars on the adjacent track.
2. In the arrival/departure yard, the toggles are center off. To the left, the power to that track comes from the left and to the right the power to that track come from the right. They should be left in the center position (OFF) when there are locomotives on the track involved.
3. The rear track at the arrival/departure yard is the main and should be kept clear.
4. The classification tracks are set up with simple on/off power controls. Again, these tracks should be turned off when there are locomotives on those tracks. These tracks are divided into two sections, so two locomotive sets (or trains) can be stored on each track.
5. It would be nice if the runaround tracks at the rear of the classification yard could be kept clear. This is not always possible, but we should try.
6. The yard lead should be used, if possible, for classifying trains. I know it is too short, but that is all the space which is available for it. There is an automatic stop feature when the locomotive gets close to the wall.
It would be best when we start having operating sessions if several others would operate that area, so I can get some feedback. It always helps to have another viewpoint on how the layout operates. What may be obvious to some (me) may be totally different for someone else.
See my notes in the following section for some rules I would like to see followed on the entire railroad. We can discuss and tinker with these at the next meeting.
Doug Herrmann
Suggested Operating Ideas and Rules
The following ideas are mine, and I hope they will be a start on discussion of these issues. They also reflect some things I have noticed in the past, as well as some of my pet peeves.
1. No trains should be left sitting on the main line. These can be very surprising to whoever next runs the layout - whether it is at the next meeting or when showing off the layout to visitors.
2. When locomotives are parked, they should be turned off electrically. Again, they can be very surprising to whoever next runs the layout - whether it is at the next meeting or when showing off the layout to visitors. If there is no locomotive in a block, the power doesn't have to be turned off, although some feel that it should be. I do not care either way, although it is nice to know which is the case.
3. If you don't understand how something is controlled, ask. Those of us involved in wiring and setting up operating panels are always willing to conduct some training. At the last meeting, I observed one of the members trying to operate a switch manually - but it would have worked much better if they had known it had a switch machine.
4. Be sure the two switches below the power panel in the office are turned off if you are the last one to leave. Recently I came down at a different time and noted these were on. There are some items on the layout which are only turned off by these switches (such as a switch machine power supply).
Remember, this is a club, and even though you remember how you left things, you may not be the next one to operate the layout. I feel it is helpful to have some consistency so that the next person to operate the layout will have some idea of what needs to be done to get started. I think it would be helpful to have some standard policies. We may need to talk about this after the meet.
Doug Herrmann
Material Needed
If you have material for a future Eagle Tracks, please send it to the Editor. We need to have more of a selection for future issues.
Fall Meet Poster
The following contains information from the Fall Meet poster for this year. We also have some new signs for use around the city. Look for them around town. Because they don't list specific days, they can be used in coming years also to advertise our meet around town. We hope to have them for many years, as the expense was not small.
RAILSHOW 2002
IDAHO FALLS, IDAH0
Idaho Falls Recreation Center, 520 Memorial Drive
Saturday, Oct. 12th - 9 AM to 5 PM
Sunday, Oct. 13th - 10 AM to 3 PM
Multiple Scale Model Railroads
Swap & Commercial Dealer Tables
Videos shown throughout the day
Modeling Contests - Several Categories, Bring What You Are Proud Of
Door prizes awarded each hour of the show!
HO Modular Railroads, N-Scale, Lionel, S scale, & LGB
Dealer & Swap Tables - $15.00 Each - Reserve Now and put us on your schedule
for next year!
Make checks payable to: Eagle Rock Railroad Historical Society
(or just write ERRHSI)
Payments may be sent to the address shown below.
Admission/Donation $3.00 per person, $5.00 per Family,
12 and under free
Dinner & Speaker, 7 PM Saturday evening, Oct 12th
(not included in admission price)
Dinner Location: Happy's Chinese Restaurant
Speaker: Thornton Wait.~ on the Gilmore & Pittsburg Railroad
For more information contact us at PO Box 2685, Idaho Falls, ID 83404
Phone: (208) 522-3125 ~ E-Mail: errhsi@ida.net
Homepage: www.ida.net/or2/errhsi