Volume 68, Issue 4 Winter 2000-2001

As of this issue, Bill Mitchell is at Siani. The recovery process is not what anyone would wish, and although he is still quite ill, he is improving. He truly appreciates the cards, e-mails and visits. They bolster his spiri ts and let him know that he has not been forgotten by his friends.

BSME BANNER

On the morning of Tuesday, December 19, at 9:40am, the city of Baltimore raised the official Baltimore Society of Model Engineers banner to fly over Maryland Ave. at Preston St., thanks to the efforts of Keith Wood and Doug Albrecht. The banner will remain aloft until January 2, when it will be moved to St. Paul and Mount Royal, and then on to Pratt St. around the 15th. The banner was manufactured by the F.W. Haxel Co., and displays the club name, address and the dates of our upcoming open houses. Thanks again, Doug and Keith.

This Issue

One of the outgrowths of the ongoing discussion about the future of the club has been the decision to construct some modules - first in O scale and then in HO. Doug Albrecht has provided a description and tentative schedule of "events" for the construction of the modules.

We also have another contribution from Ben McKew in this issue of the SWITCHER. Ben writes about his recent rail-fan trip on the Stewartstown RR - sounds like a must do - with a bit of nostalgia of steam days on the Ma. & Pa.

With the December business meeting came the election of the board. Congratulations to Charles Edlow, Ted Leach, Kieth Woods, Bob Jackson, and Nick Costanzi. The board had not met at the time we went to press, so we can't tell you who's who.

Finally, Nick Costanzi has a few last words about Pasadena's Slim Gauge Guild.

Calendar

Jan 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 1pm - 5pm
Open House shows

Jan 27-28, Great Scale Train Show,
Timonium Fair Grounds

THE RETURN OF THE NATIONAL LIMITED

by Doug Albrecht

On Saturday, October 17, 1998, I attended the TCA meet at the State fairgrounds in York, Pennsylvania. For those of you who don't know, this 2-day swap meet occurs twice a year and is probably the largest aggregation of toy and model trains in the world. The volume and variety of trains is mind-boggling. Nine exhibit halls are packed with dealers trying to sell trains and train-related items. Picture the Cow Palace during the Timonium scale show and multiply it five or six times and you'll have some idea of the size of the York TCA event. Aside from size, the other major difference is that the York meet is about 90% tinplate (spelled L-I-O-N-E-L) and tinplate compatibles.

So why does an O-scaler like myself go to a tinplate meet? Why, to look for the odd O-scale piece that nobody wants. The tinplate dealers often want to dump O-scale at a cheap price because they don't know what it's worth and they can't find anyone to buy it. Up until seven or eight years ago, I could count on finding some really interesting O-scale pieces at decent prices. Lately, there seems to be more of a "scale awareness" among the tinplaters, so the bargains are harder to find.

The beginning and ending of my day at the York Fairgrounds were to be highlighted by remarkable coincidences. I arrived at the fairgrounds at 8:00 AM - one hour before opening. Another attendee waited patiently for me to choose my parking space before he parked beside me. When I looked at him, I recognized his face, and asked if he had ever been a member of the BSME. "Yes", he answered. I thus became re-acquainted with George Arndt, an O-division member from 6 or 7 years ago. He left the club when he moved to St. Louis, subsequently moving to northern New Jersey, where he worked for Nabisco and belonged to the NYSME. [Since this encounter, George moved back to Baltimore, rejoined the Club for about six months, then left again for places unknown, somewhere in the American heartland.]

As I was saying, the shortage of "good stuff cheap" seemed to be the rule of the day on this particular visit to York. In fact, there was very little O-scale to be found at any price. This was very frustrating for me since, for the first time in several years, I had some disposable income that I could spend on trains. I had shopped seven of the nine halls, but by 2:00 PM I had not bought one piece - not even a boxcar -- and the dealers were starting to pack up. I rushed over to the Blue and Silver Halls, the two largest halls, for a last-minute whirlwind tour. The second coincidence was about to occur.

Upon entering the Blue Hall, almost immediately my eyes fell on a 5-car set of blue and gray B&O streamlined heavy-weight passenger cars. They were old and appeared to be scratch-built, except for the trucks. For the negotiated price of $250, I thought they would be a welcome addition to the BSME, especially if we could pull them with Carvey Davis' Weaver model of B&O's P-7d, The Cincinnatian. The table holder was Paul Douglas from Sandwich, Massachusetts. He was selling the set for the estate of his friend Barry Monroe, who had recently passed away. After the purchase, we exchanged names and phone numbers, and I was on my way home, happy to have found an O-scale needle in the haystack of Lionel trains.

That evening, I called Carvey to tell him of my purchase. He was as enthusiastic as I was about seeing his Cincinnatian pull a B&O passenger train. He asked me several questions about the cars. In particular, he asked how the full-width diaphragms between the cars were modeled. After I described them to him he said, "That's the way George Nixon modeled them." (The late George Nixon was the founder and first President of the BSME and is Member #1)

For a moment I was stunned. I thought back to the Scale show at Timonium in April 1993. Joe Foehrkolb, Winnie Kehs, and I were selling off pieces from the O-scale collection of the late Ed Householder. One of the items we sold was a 5-car B&O National Limited train. The buyer was a man from Massachusetts. After it was gone, Carvey told me that George Nixon built those cars and that he had wanted to buy them and donate them to the club. Could the train I just bought be the same train I sold five years earlier?

As if in answer to my question, Paul Douglas called me the following week. By now I had checked my records of the items we sold from the collection. I shared this information with Paul and he confirmed that he had been at the Timonium show with Barry when he bought the train. Was this an amazing coincidence, or what?! What do you suppose are the odds of this happening?

Apparently, Barry saw a lot more potential in that train than we ever did. When we sold it, the cars were grimy with years of accumulated dust and mildew and had un-insulated wheelsets. The train that I bought was clean and ready to run, having not only insulated wheelsets, but also brass bearings in the sideframes of the Pullman standard trucks.

By way of an epilogue, I asked the Club membership to approve the purchase of the train on the condition that I could have it back as part of my settlement should the Club ever dissolve. The members agreed and the National Limited is now BSME property. Not only is it an historically significant model to our namesake city of Baltimore, it is also another part of the legacy of George Nixon. Operationally, the train looks and runs well behind Carvey's locomotive. What is fascinating to me is that the roof contour of the cars matches perfectly the contour and height of the tender on the Cincinnatian. Although the two models are separated by fifty years of time and model building technology, both Nixon and Weaver seemed to be working from the same set of blue prints.

A VISIT FROM JIM GOURLEY, JR.

By Doug Albrecht

At our open House on New Year's Day, 1999, we had a visitor from the past. Jim Gourley, Jr. dropped by and left a donation of $50.00 in memory of his father, Jim, Sr., #192. Jim, Sr., became interested in the BSME at the suggestion of Bernard (Bart) Kinlein, #204, his neighbor on Ready Avenue. Bart and Jim were voted into the BSME membership in March of 1952, shortly before the move to Saratoga Street. Bart, a college student, remained active for only a year or so afterwards; however, Jim and Jim Jr. quickly became involved with wiring the new HO layout, most of which is still in place. Although Jim, Jr., was never a full member on account of his age (being only 14 at the time), George Nixon allowed him to participate. He was the first person ever to run 4 trains simultaneously on the HO layout. Jim, Sr., became HO Assistant Superintendent in 1953, Superintendent in 1954-55, and was elected to the BSME Board of Directors in 1956. The Board voted him as President at its meeting on May 16, 1956, succeeding Clyde Gerald. Professionally, he ran his own small parts distribution business. He died of a heart attack in 1975.

Jim, Jr., now age 56, enjoys collecting post-war Lionel (and compatible) trains and operating them on his 24X16-foot layout. He lives at 19613 Middletown Road in Freeland, Maryland, 21053-9412. Anyone wishing to contact him may do so by calling (410) 343-0886. We all thank him for his generosity and we are appreciative of this opportunity to remember his father's contributions and dedication to the BSME. (Back issues of "The Switcher" provided background information for this article.)

GREAT LITTLE RAILROAD

by Ben Mc Knew

Oct. 21 dawned clear, and cool. Patrick, Anne, and I piled into the old buggy, and taking 83 North to Stewartstown Rd., we arrived at Stewartstown, and the Railroad, around 8:00 a.m., and as we did, something looked familiar. To explain I must deviate for a moment.

Back in the early 60s I was running around with a rail fan by the name of Dick Sester. This fellow was interested in the Reading, and the Ma & Pa. He told me that real steam engines were running on the Ma & Pa and that for a little sweat we could get a free ride. This all sounded too good to be true, but I took him up on it. As it happened, shoveling coal onto a conveyer to fill a locomotive tender took more than a little sweat. We also scraped rust and spread paint on an old coach. We got our free ride. We even came back on several more weekends for sweat and fun. I remember 5:00 a.m. in York, being in the cab, watching the fireman lite off the firebox as a large noisy air compressor created an artificial draft in the smoke box.

Our trips to York ended suddenly. It was about 11pm, and we had had a long day on the railroad. We were cruising down I 83, and had yet to cross the state line, when the old buggy starts making those kinds of noises that men, young and old, dread. We were approaching an exit called Stewartstown Rd., we took it, and as luck would have it we headed East - mostly downhill. It was pitch dark as we drifted into this little town, by now the car was popping and spitting we thought it would blow up, Dick turned it off. We surveyed our predicament. How odd it seemed - we had stopped next to a railroad station. Nearby, there were a gas station and a payphone with the phone number of the gas station owner. The whole town was closed, of course, but we had everything we needed for our emergency, and something to look at while we waited for help. By this time it was around midnight, I first called my dad who immediately left Northwood (Baltimore) to rescue us. With my dad's permission I then called the gas station owner who came right down, and proclaimed the car needed major repairs (not news to us). My dad picked us up around 1am, and took us home. As time passed, I forgot what happened to the car, the name of the town, and where it was. So imagine my surprise as we rolled into town this past Oct.

We parked in the lot across from the station, and as it was still quite cool, my family stayed in the car while I got out and looked around. The station wasn't open yet but there was plenty to look at: tracks both buried and exposed, the station itself, and two old coaches. I turned, and there was Bob Jackson his wife, and Bob's dad. Around 8:30 there was at least a dozen people present when a young lady opened the station, and we all piled in. I was second in line. When I got to the front, I asked about my reservation. "Sorry, did you call? Your name is not on our list. A week before the trip I called the Stewartstown R.R. to make a reservation. I got an answering machine, so I left a message for someone to call me. On the eve of the trip I still had not received a reply, so I called again, and left another message. I explained all this, but, " . . . this trip is all booked up. You'll have to wait to see if someone doesn't show." GROAN MUMBLE MUMBLE

So we waited, and at the last minute, "Mr. Mc Knew? Three people didn't show so you're on." Praise the Lord and pass the tickets. The thirty-seven adults and two children that had shown up was all the restaurant could handle. We all boarded, and the train left about five minuets late. The ride was a bit bumpy, but very scenic with the fall foliage and interesting with line side industry. All the industry I saw was dealing in building materials: sand, concrete, lumber, etc. There had to be at least a half dozen busy looking factories, but only one of them had a spur track in Stewartstown. We passed many open fields and barnyards. For a long way it looked like early 20th Century, but I got slammed back to reality as we passed under I 83. As we rolled into what I think was the town of Tolna, we heard the dreadful sound of air brakes going into emergency stop. We were only moving about 5mph, but I had visions of a cornfield meet with the National Limited. The train sat for two minutes, and then we were off again. I asked about this later, and was told that the engineer accidentally hit the train brake.

This was the breakfast train, and as far as I knew, no one abroad had anything to eat. So when we finally got to New Freedom and the restaurant, we were starved. As we filled the room that had been saved for us, ( there wasn't one empty seat ) I noticed that although a buffet had been set up for us, there was no food on it. The cook was new, and had yet to start the eggs! So we waited for about 20 minutes, and the food finally started to trickle out of the kitchen. Eggs, sausage, and buttermilk biscuits. As I looked around the room, I figured just about everybody was violating their diets. I didn't have time to check it out, but I noticed that the restaurant sets right next to the Northern Central main line, with some very interesting equipment parked in front. We ate our fill and staggered back to our train.

There is no run-around or wye available to the railway in New Freedom, so the train had to back all the way to Stewartstown. This requires the conductor to stand on the rear platform of the coach with a very special air hose called a backup hose. Not only does it have an air whistle to blow for the railroad crossings, the conductor can control the brakes of the train. For about the last half of the return trip, Bob and I stood at the rear door watching the scenery go by, and talking about the good old days [Ben must mean steam - ed.]. Up and down small hills, around some very tight curves, crossing over busy roads, and a very old, circa 1870, cast iron bridge. After detraining I went into the station, and showed my wife and son two books about the Stewartstown which would make great anniversary gifts. We could have spent the rest of the day just poking around looking at stuff both at Stewartstown, and at New Freedom, but we had things to do at home. I want to go back some day, and get a closer look at this great little railroad. Overall, a very nice time was had by everyone.

To all the members of the BSME I again apologize for failing to inform everyone in a timely manner to make reservations.

Time Saver Project plan

Ref. Model Railroader, November, 1972, pp 66-69

[What follows is Doug's suggested project plan for the "time Saver" module, now under construction in the club room. Doug has laid out the steps well and thought through the building of this module. Although this is an "O" scale module, all club members are invited to join in. - ed ]

OBJECTIVES/RESTRICTIONS:

I. Follow John Allen's article as closely as possible - both for design and operation

2. To be built in 0-(1/4-inch) Scale. (Not PROT048)

3. Max length for west wall of Doug's basement 11'-6" (using 3- drawer file cabinet as end support) 10'-3" (without file cabinet)

4. Light-weight, portable sections (or "modules") that could be handled, transported and set up by one person

5. (Secondary) Add two mainline tracks at a distance from the front edge and each other as to be compatible with NMRA or other suitable standard(s). Include crossovers and an interchange track as a source of traffic for the Timesaver

6. Use Earl Eshelman No. 6, code 125 switches in Timesaver trackage; No 8 (min), code 148 for Mainline.

7. Use Kay-dee permanent un-coupling magnets placed per article

8. Can be used by BSME for publicity and hands on display at train shows, but remains the property of Dou- Albrecht.

9. Doug Albrecht will provide all materials (Ted Leach offered to contribute rail for trackage.)

PROJECT PLAN: -MAJOR TASKS & MILESTONES

Dec 1, 00 P r e p a r e f u l l -s i ze track plan that will determine overall dimensions and exact placement of track and switches

Dec 22 00 C o n s t r u c t b a re benchwork as two (2) 5 ft by 27 inches lightweight modules.

Dec 27, 00 Transfer trackplan onto benchwork; determine position of switches. Determine scenery objectives and constraints. Prepare marketing plan to include design of display

Feb 28, 01 Lay roadbed (where used) and track ties. Prepare electric schematic

Mar 15,01 Ballast

Apr 15, '01 Lay rail, turnouts, ground throws

May 15, 01 Electrical. Prepare marketing plan

June 15, 01 Scenery

Secretary's Report

Sept 8, 2000

The meeting was called to order by Interim President Keith Wood at 8:30 p.m. with 8 members present.

Secretary's Report

The secretary's report for the business meeting for July 2000 was read, moved, and approved by the membership. (There was no August business meeting.)

Treasures Report

No Treasurer's report.

Open House

Boy Scouts will be at the club on Nov. 5, 2000 time 1-5 PM.. The annual open house schedule is Jan. 1, 7, 14, 21, & 28, 2001 time 1- 5 p.m.

Old Business

Bill sent a letter to the city about the parking situation and finding a new place for the BSME. The letter ended up at the Dept of Housing and Acquisition. Bob Jackson spoke with the head of the dept which handles the buying and selling of properties in the city. They wouldn't lease a property. The 2 hot properties are the 2 firehouses that recently closed. The head of the department suggested the we get in contact with the city dept of parks and recreation or the city real estate dept with facilities with space to rent or lease.

New Business

Publicity for the open house season has been sent out. The fliers need to be made for the open house. The fall edition of the switcher will be coming out in October. Division Reports

HO Division

The HO layout ran beautifully during the Track Ahead filming. The narrow gauge line ran for the first time in a long time. The heralds are back up on the wall. Nick replaced 12 ft. of track on the S curve in both directions. Ben is wiring the interlocking signals for the layout.

O Division

The layout is running.

Membership

Patrick McKnew is a student, he own his own equipment and his interest are scenery, cars and locos. This was his 1st reading. His father is Ben McKnew.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Oct. 6, 2000

The meeting was called to order by Vice President Charles Edlow at 8:40 p.m. with 10 members present.

Secretary's Report

The secretary's report for the business meeting for Sept 2000 was read, moved, and approved by the membership.

Treasures Report

The Treasurer's report for the month business meeting for October 2000 was read, moved, and approved by the membership.

Open House

The open house schedule is Jan. 1, 7, 14, 21, & 28, 2001 time 1- 5 p.m.

Old Business

The open house for the Boy Scouts has been canceled. Owing to Bill's illness, final arrangements were never made.

New Business

Publicity for the open house season has been sent out. The fliers need to be made for the open house. Doug is sending to all members that have been gone from the club the last ten years a cover letter, a switcher and an application. To see if they are interested in rejoining the club. Kevin Hunter made a suggestion to build some modules to get the skill level up in the club. Kevin Hunter said he is interested in building and maintaining a layout to members interest. These modules could be the start of the new layouts. Kevin handed out a survey about the interest in this.

Division Reports

HO Division

Ben is wiring the interlocking signals for the layout.

O Division

The layout is running.

Membership

Patrick McKnew was read for membership a 2nd time.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

Nov. 3, 2000

The meeting was called to order by Vice President Charles Edlow at 8:30 p.m. with 16 members present.

Secretary's Report

The secretary's report for the business meeting for Oct 2000 was read, moved, and approved by the membership.

Treasurer's Report

The Treasurer's report for the month business meeting for Sept 2000 was read, moved, and approved by the membership.

Open House

The open house schedule is Jan. 1, 7, 14, 21, & 28, 2001 time 1- 5 p.m.

Old Business

Keith Wood will contact the banner company for the creation of the street sign. Doug Albrecht will contact with the city about street availability.

New Business

Members will have to petition the board of directors to get a key to come in and work on the layouts. The B&O Museum will be having their annual holiday excursion to New Oxford, PA on Dec 3, 2000. The train will leave the MARC station at Camden station at 8:00. Tickets are 50.00 for non-members and 40.00 for members of the B&O Museum.

Carvey Davis has a contact at the Street Car Museum, who says that they are trying to acquire the firehouse on North Ave right next to the JFX. They want to store their buses in that firehouse. They have no use for the second floor. The club could work with the Streetcar Museum to possibly to use the second floor.

The election committee consists of Rich Randall (chairman) and Kevin Wood. The members nominated are: Charles Edlow, Ted Leach, Keith Wood, Bob Jackson, Jim Berg, and Nick Costanzi.

Division Reports

HO Division

Ben is continuing to wire the interlocking signals for the layout.

O Division

The layout is running.

Membership

This was the 3rd reading for Patrick McKnew, and he was voted in unanimously by the members. A new prospective "O" scaler, David Vaughn had his 1st reading.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

Slim Gauge Guild

by Nick Costanzi

In the last issue of the SWITCHER, I stated that I think the Slim Gauge Guild is an unusual club, and hinted at some of the reasons why I think that is so. Of course, it is a two-scale club, Sn3 and HOn3, but two scales is not all that unusual. That the club is exclusively narrow gauge does make it a member of a select few, but still not that big a deal. What I think makes the Slim Gauge Guild unusual is that as a club, it practically isn't. Let me explain.

When I visited the Slim Gauge Guild this past summer, I was shown around by Dick Sappington. Dick is an engineer - by trade, if not by education. He is the sort of fellow who builds things, and builds them from what is at hand. The adage that the sculpture is inherent in the block of marble, and that the sculpturer brings it out is certainly true in the "art" of engineering that Dick practices. Dick solves the problems at hand by hand - a lot of trial and error, a lot of making it fit. His solutions may not be unique, or most efficient, or even aesthetically pleasing. But he solves problems practically in ways that work.

There is certainly beauty in that. In this regard, Dick may be the quintessential narrow gauge modeler, for that is precisely how the narrow gauge railroads were constructed and operated in this country. And he may also be the quintessential Slim Gauge Guilder, - for that is the essence of the Slim Gauge Guild. The club has a club organization, it has officers, divisions, etc. all the trappings of a club. However, to me, the "club" seemed to be more of a federation, and the primary roll of the officers is to form consensi among the members. There are no dues, and the "club" has no assets - no cash, no property, no budget. Each month, each of the 20 members pays 1/20th of the monthly rent and utility.

The Everything in the layout room, from benchwork to structures, to throttles is "donated," scrounged, or is on long-term loan, and all of it seems to be in one way or another, solutions to particular problems in which the club takes pride. The club is as proud of having moved support pillars and beams to make aisle ways, as it is of its scenic reproductions of Colorado, as it is of the Slim Gauge Guild's version of a USB for its walk around throttles. The imagination and innovation employed by the Slim Gauge Guild members is as impressive as their plans and the results they have achieved so far. But also impressive is the fact that what is there is the vision and energy of the members as individuals. Sure, there is, and must be, cooperative effort at times, but it is the individual members who drive the club, and the various "solutions" are largely individual efforts.

As a practical matter, this means that if you think a wooden trestle would be nice over some scenic gulch, that's great. If you want it, you build it. If you think some realignment of track, or a different scenic feature would be an "improvement," that's fine too - just convince the "super" to get agreement of the others, and, of course - you want it, you do it, again. This philosophy has led to some interesting challenges for the division supers - achieving like mindedness of "improvements" to the layouts or facilities suggested by individual members, whom, as you have surely realized by now, are highly "individualistic." This philosophy has also lead to some very innovative and useful construction techniques. Everything on the layouts is removable, except the track itself. All structures, including bridges, plug in and out - a real boon to maintenance. But it can lead to problems also - if the guy who built this beautiful high trestle over Dead Horse Gulch leaves the club, it is presumed by all that he will take it with him.

Lacking any budget and accompanying capital fund also has lead to innovation with respect to the materials used to build the layouts. Most of the lumber is dunnage - shipping crates and cooperage that have been discarded and subsequently scavenged by the members.

The facie were peach crates in a former life, but a coat of stain has done wonders. The members of the Slim Gauge Guild have become masters of the art of adaption and make-do. This sort of "whatever works" attitude fits well with the railroads that the Slim Gauge Guild is modeling. Narrow gauge railroads were built on the cheap, using whatever was at hand. And they were, of course, rebuilt the same way - again and again. It is, I suppose, this "do it on the fly" philosophy that is the reason that after 15 years the construction of the layouts still looks to be in the early stages. It is why, I suppose, the layouts may never really be completed. But then, that is what draws the Slim Gauge Guild members to model narrow gauge in the first place. The railroads they model reflect the members themselves, which in turn is reflected by the club, and the way the members enjoy it.

Shov'lin' Coal

There is an old Chinese curse - may you live in interesting times! Well, these have been very interesting times of late for the BSME. But I don't think it has been a curse at all. In fact, in recent weeks, there seems to be more activity and vitality than the club has seen in some time. Of course, there is always much to do, and a certain amount of hustle and bustle, at this time of year as ready the ancient layouts for our annual open houses. But more than that, over this last year the club has seemed to have gotten itself up, shaken its head, and set about being what a club should be - a place and circumstance for members to enjoy together the art of model railroading. If we look over this past year, we can see much that shows that even if we are not "there" yet, the club is pointing in the "right" direction. We held a spring open house. The date turned out to be bad (conflict with the B&O Museum, as I recall), but we had fun and bought some lottery tickets with the proceeds (well, somebody's got to win!). We also hosted the crew of the TV show Tracks Ahead, who spent an entire August day filming our layouts and our members. (Fortunately, it was an unusually cool August day.) There was a good turnout, and that was fun too.

Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about building some modules. Doug Albrecht has been heading this effort, having brought in his plans for the John Armstrong Time-Saver. There was lots of discussion, and Doug developed a timetable and steps for building this module. Then a few weeks ago, the first elements were fabricated in the club room. Everyone seemed to enjoy working on building the module.

Is there a theme here? You bet! Fun is what a model railroad club is all about. Sure, you can learn new skills, sharpen old ones, meet new people (we've added two new members), and socialize with old friends, etc. But the reason you do that is to have fun - that's what it's all about, that's what makes it interesting, and that's what we've been doing down on Saratoga St. - having fun playing with trains! And, let's continue to do the same in the next year.