60 Years at the Crescent City Model Railroad Club
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Volume 61 Number 4 Winter 2016 Signaling page 13 Lessons learned from a lifetime of trains Part Three page 24 In This Issue President’s Message 3 Up the Tracks 6 60 Years at the Train Room Confessions 9 Operations 13 Crescent City Model LSR Convention 22 ...RRRduino... 31 Railroad Club ‘Round Town with Roy 47 page 38 Meeting Minutes 60 Lone Star Region Call Board The Marker Lamp LSR Officers PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT SECRETARY The Official Publication of STEVE BARKLEY, MMR BOB BARNETT JEFF PALMER The Lone Star Region of the 2060 Belvedere Drive 2925 Plumb Street 2806 High Plateau Dr. National Model Railroad Association Beaumont, Texas 77706 Houston, Texas 77005 Garland, Texas 75044 (210) 653-5947 (713) 660`8820 (972) 495-2097 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Volume 61, Number 4 BOARD ADVISOR TREASURER SECRETARY-EMERITUS BILL MCPHERSON DONNA ORR EUNICE LINDA EDITOR 4402 Vista Creek Dr. 2625 Rolling Meadows Dr. 3028 Cumberland RILEY TRIGGS Rowlett, TX 75088 Rockwall, TX 75087 Waco, Texas 76707-1219 1005 Robert E Lee Rd (972) 463-9721 (972) 722-4769 (254) 754-5535 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Austin, Texas 78704-2026 512.636.3521 LSR Directors-At-Large [email protected] DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE DUANE RICHARDSON, MMR CHUCK LIND, MMR ART HOUSTON ASSOCIATE EDITORS 1122 Holland Drive 3680 CR 324 209 Sugar Highland Blvd. GERT “SPEED” MULLER Garland, Texas 75040 Navasota, Texas 77868 Houma, Louisiana 70360 [email protected] (972) 495-6375 E-mail: (979) 219-3305 (504) 723-9290 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] BOB BATSON [email protected] LSR Division Directors (1) COWCATCHER DIVISION (2) BAYOU DIVISION (3)TRINITY RIVER DIVISION ADVERTISING CHRIS ATKINS ROD FREDERICKS JERRY HOVERSON, MMR DONNA ORR 1633 Parkside Trail 640 Chippenham Dr. 52 COUNTRY RIDGE ROAD 2625 Rolling Meadows Dr. Lewisville, Texas 75077 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 MELISSA, TX 75454 Rockwall, TX 75087 (214) 222-1285 (225) 766-8014 (972) 540-5315 972.342.8598 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] (4) CEN-TEX DIVISION (5) DIVISION (6) DIVISION PETER KAZMIR DAVE LAMBERTS KEVIN BERGEMAN 2022 Foothills 3717 95th Street 3318 Windy Ridge Ct Visit the LSR’s web page at: Leander, TX 78641-2376 Lubbock, Texas 79423-3811 San Antonio, TX 78259-2607 (210) www.lonestarregion.com (512) 259-6720 (806) 792-7244 488-4370 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] (7) DIVISION (8) TEXAS GULF DIVISION The editorial policy of The Marker Lamp, the DON P. KIMMELL JIM LEMMOND official publication of The Lone Star Region, 9132 Mansfield Road 2821 Frostwood Circle shall be to contribute, wherever possible, to the Shreveport, Louisiana 71118 Dickinson, Texas 77539 promotion, growth and understanding of the (318) 798-7718 281-534-6179 hobby of Model Railroading, within the confines [email protected] 281-229-0845 of good taste and responsibility. The Marker [email protected] Lamp is published once each quarter by and for the members of The Lone Star Region LSR Chairs of The National Model Railroad Association. Articles appearing in The Marker Lamp are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS- ML EDITOR CONTEST CO-CHAIR reflect the position or policies of the officers or DUANE RICHARDSON, MMR RILEY TRIGGS CHUCK LIND, MMR membership of The Lone Star Region or The 1122 Holland Drive 1005 Robert E Lee Rd 3680 CR 324 National Model Railroad Association. Garland, TX 75040 Austin, Texas 78704 Navasota, Texas 77868 (972) 495-6375 (512) 636-3521 (979) 219-3305 Address all correspondence, news, photos and [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] drawings to the editor. All material will be gladly CONVENTION HISTORIAN CONTEST CO-CHAIR accepted and will be used depending on the JACK MERKEL, MMR JIM LONG, MMR LOREN NEUFELD, MMR availability of space and suitability of material. 2408 Whitewater Drive 2404 Creek Ridge 9821 Oboe Dr. None will be returned unless a stamped, Bertram, Texas 78605 Pearland, Texas 77581-5728 Houston, Texas 77025 self-addressed envelope is provided. Corre- (512) 355-3289 (281) 482-4987 713-666-8451 spondence relating to Pike Ads and Dealer [email protected] (no email) [email protected] Ads should be addressed to Donna Orr, 2625 Rolling Meadows Dr., Rockwall, TX 75087 EVENTS WEB SITE-PUBLIC RELATIONS NOMINATIONS CHAIR (972) 722-4769 [email protected] BILL DRYDEN JEFF PALMER BLAKE BOGS 202 Tallwood Drive 2806 High Plateau Dr. 8202 Pine Thistle Georgetown, Texas 78628 Garland, Texas 75044 Spring, TX 77379 Cover photo by Ken Mason (469) 964-8571 (972) 495-2097 (281) 655-0177 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Maureen Mason takes a turn at the throttle running David Menendez’s Christmas Train MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIRMAN PARLIAMENTARIAN PHOTOGRAPHY CHAIR LARRY SWIGERT JOHN GARFIELD DAVE LAMBERTS at the Crescent City Model Railroad Club. 6548 Clearhaven Circle 3013 Marquise Ct. 3717 95th Street Dallas, Texas 75248 Burleson, TX 76028 Lubbock, Texas 79423-3811 Submission Deadlines & (972) 239-0909 (817) 653-3219 (806) 792-7244 Advertising Closing Dates [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Winter Issue...................................January 15 MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIRMAN NON-RAIL YOUTH CHAIR Spring Issue ........................................April 15 MIKE MACKEY VIRGINIA FREITAG DAVE CUMMINGS Summer Issue ....................................July 15 1700 Desperado Road 1835 Alta Vista 6029 Van Buren St. Fall Issue........................................October 15 Fort Worth, TX 76131 Houston, Texas 77023-2503 Groves, TX 77619-4825 214-460-1329 (409) 962-1183 Internet Post Date: (713) 926-2993 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Approx. 30 Days After Deadline. Materials received after the deadline will be held for the next issue. The Marker Lamp Page 2 President’s Message by Steve Barkley, MMR [email protected] T’S ELECTION TIME! PLEASE VOTE! HOW AND WHEN SHOULD WE BEGIN THINNING OUR I The LSR 2016 election is underway. Electronic voting COLLECTIONS? opened January 15. Voting closes March 5, 2016. Please How many trains are “enough?” I have been thinking vote! about this question after hearing more and more The only contested races are for Directors at Large. questions about how to dispose of a modeler’s trains Four candidates are running to fill three open positions. after his or her death. These days it is common to see an The candidates are: estate sale as part of a train show. I have heard stories Mike Mackey of the Widow disposing of valuable trains for garage Barry Bogs sale prices. I have also known many, many families and Mark LaChey modelers who really did not know the value of their Steve Blackson trains and held inflated opinions as to their worth. You can read their bios here: http://lonestarregion. Not all model trains are valuable. I own several hundred com/content/election-bios-ii plastic cars and kits. I don’t believe that any of them are Please take the time to read their bios and then worth more than a couple dollars each. Unlike with brass vote for the three candidates of your choice. All the models, my experience is that most plastic just does not candidates are highly qualified and dedicated model hold its value. railroaders. Brass is a different story. Brass can be divided into At the last election less than ten percent of LSR two general categories; models in new or mint condition members voted. All the candidates want to serve the that have not been run on the layout and models that LSR. Take the time to review their qualifications and then have been enjoyed and used by their owners and are vote! not in pristine condition. Based on what I see on Ebay, The NMRA 2016 National Election is also underway. unpainted brass is a slow sell these days. The overall Voting began February 1 and will end in March. The price for brass also seems to be falling as the quality of exact dates and candidate bios are in the February, 2016 high end plastic rises and as model railroaders who buy NMRA Magazine and also on the NMRA web site. brass age and pass away. I am one of three candidates nominated to run First, enjoy the trains that you actually run. I for Western District Director. Don Fowler and Stephen personally own a number of brass Northern Pacific Priest are the other two candidates. Please read the bios steam engines that I regularly run on my layout. Most in the February NMRA Magazine and then vote! The have accumulated dings, scratches, missing parts and Western District takes in most of the western half of the wheel wear that will drive down their value when I or my United States, including the Lone Star Region. This is survivors try to dispose of them. I enjoy running them your chance to have a member of the Lone Star Region and maintaining them. That’s a major part of my hobby. on the NMRA Board of Directors. I will appreciate your As my CPA told my wife, many men my age spend more support! money on golf each year! The Marker Lamp Page 3 Second, think about disposing the brass that you will The East Texas and Gulf Rail Modelers Association never run. If you have a mint brass model sitting in your has sale tables at each show where they display their closet, will you ever use it? This is a hard decision to make. modular layout. They move a lot of cars and other models Many of us have dreams of someday having time, space for members and generate money for the club and its and money to construct a layout that will use all of the members.