CLUB OFFICERS President: Fred Alsop Vice-President: John Carter Secretary: Art Daniels Treasurer: Duane Swank Newsletter Editor: Ted Bleck-Doran Webmaster: John Edwards

LOCATION ETSU Campus, George L.

Carter Museum

HOURS Business Meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Meetings

start at 7:00 PM at ETSU Campus,

Brown Hall Science Bldg, Room 312,

Johnson City, TN. - A social gathering is held prior to the business meeting at EL TORITO on State of Franklin near ETSU in the Kroger Plaza starting at 5:45 PM. Visitors and those interested in joining MEMRR are invited to attend. - Work nights are held weekly on Thursday evenings starting at 4:30 PM and lasting until ??? - Open viewing and operating layout is available every Saturday from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE

Volume 16 NEWSLETTER OF THE MOUNTAIN EMPIRE MODEL RAILROADERS CLUB Number 8

AUGUST 2009 ISSUE

THE ROUNDHOUSE SPECIAL Head for the roundhouse! ETSU’s Carter Railroad Museum adds a new exhibit Carol Fox, ETSU News & Information Department August 3, 2009

JOHNSON CITY—East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum has added a new exhibit—a 21-stall model railroad roundhouse, turntable and supporting structures. The display is the culmination of a seven-month effort by volunteers from the Mountain Empire Model Railroaders and features a see-through window, allowing visitors to view the inner workings and floor details.

Inside the roundhouse bay, the light of an arc welder can be seen as miniature work crews appear to make necessary repairs on a model of a Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive. The scale representation honors the historic Big Boys. Only 25 of the massive engines were produced in the early 1940s, and they provided valuable service during World War II by rushing military materials across the nation. Details shown in the exhibit include a tiny light lowered into the Big Boy’s smokestack as repairmen check for problems. Sound chips create a variety of noises, including bells, whistles, coupling cars, and billowing steam. Mike Buster, one of the Mountain Empire Model Railroaders members, is credited with the idea for the project and for contributing some of the initial materials. The 70-member organization plans and builds layouts in addition to providing volunteer assistance during the museum’s hours of operation. The new addition joins HO, N and G scale working layouts, railroad artifacts and related exhibits. Admission is free at the museum, which is open every Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Carter Railroad Museum is located in the ETSU Campus Center Building (Old College of Medicine Building and formerly the Student Union). For further information, contact Dr. Fred Alsop, director of the museum, at fredjalsop@earthlink.net or, after August 10, at (423) 929-3733. Mountain Empire Miniature Railroaders newsletter editor Ted Bleck-Doran may be reached at (423) 753-6056.

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 2

The View from the Engineer’s Side of the Cab: The view from the engineer’s side of the cab: Welcome new members: McCoy Davidson (full membership), Johnson City, and Mike Dowel (assoc. member), Bristol, TN. At the July meeting the Club voted unanimously to grant honorary one-year memberships to Tom McKee and ETSU President, Paul Stanton, for their continued support of the MEMRR and the Carter Railroad Museum. Long-time member, Don Ramey, has recently undergone back surgery and is recuperating. We wish his a speedy and full recovery and hope to see him back on his feet and working on his module soon. Club Organization: There are lots of projects going on at the Carter Railroad Museum these days and the MEMRR has supported an initiative to create divisions to make the work go more smoothly and efficiently. The following focus areas now have coordinators or co-coordinators and we now our club members to continue to sign up for one or more interest groups of their choosing (see the July 2009 issue of The Signal Bridge for some of the suggested/needed projects): HO Layout--- John Carter w/John Edwards & Lyle Montieth (electrical); Bankus N-scale—Tod Evans; McKee G-scale--- Gary Cameron; Cope Traveling Layout--- Jerry Dennis; Rabetoy-HO/Hon3---Gary Rabetoy; Kid’s Playroom---Duane Swank/Gary Cameron; Display Cases--- Jim Pahris; Sales---Duane Swank/Gary Rabetoy; Publicity---Hobie Hyder; Events---Hobie Hyder, Publications--- Ted Bleck-Doran. (Please advise me of any additions or corrections; FJA). I wish to have one meeting monthly with the Club officers and the coordinators as a planning board prior to each regular monthly club meeting. In order to avoid taking additional time from those of you who are already working so hard for the club and the museum I would like to have this meeting last only 30-45 minutes and to use a time and place when most of us are already at the museum. Almost everyone listed above is now coming to Thursday night work sessions and I propose that at least initially we plan to meet at 6:00 p.m. on the Thursday approximately 2 weeks prior to our regular business meeting (our first meeting would be on Sept. 10th). I have a meeting place we can use on the floor just above the Carter Museum so we won’t have to go out of the building for this. The purpose of the meetings will be project coordination and planning and to allow us to suggest some agenda items for the Club’s monthly business meetings. Please plan to be present on September 10th and we will see how this works out. Feel free to discuss it with me at any time of course and all our members are encouraged to provide suggestions to the officers and coordinators whenever they wish to do so.

News around the museum: The roadbed for the G-Scale railroad in the Kid’s Playroom has been hung from the ceiling thanks to George and Duane and the helpful hands of several others. Jim Millhorn has been bending the track for the curves with a rail bender graciously loaded for the job by Tom McKee and that part of the room is really shaping up. Soon the first train will make a run. Jerry has been busy at work on the Cope Traveling Layout and he could use some additional help there with the scenery. The HO roundhouse was put in place on July 4th and the university has issued a press release to all the area media that has resulted in some additional visitors to the railroad museum. The HO wiring crew under the direction of John Edwards and Lyle Montieth, and with lots of help from Bill Hensley and others, is making some real headway towards getting that layout operating better. The G-scale track is in and ready for installation on the McKee layout and our thanks to Tom for furnishing the new, much needed rails and turnouts. The N-Scale gang is also continuing to make progress on rewiring and realigning track and roadbed on the Bankus layout. As indicated earlier, lots of things are going on in the museum and we can really use your help to carry them out. If you have been missing Thursday night work sessions and Saturday operating sessions, you have been missing out, so put those days/nights on your calendar and come and participate in your hobby. Volunteers for Saturday public operating sessions have been adequate to meet our needs, but we can always use more club members present to operate the 3 working layouts and interact with the public on these important days. Our club bylaws state each member is expected to donate one Saturday a week to help us meet our obligation to the university and we will welcome only half a day if that is all you can manage. It’s a great opportunity to come and run your favorite train, or test drive your newest purchase, and to discuss model railroading with our visitors and fellow club members. Remember, if you volunteer for a day and find you cannot not make it for unexpected reasons, you still have an obligation to get on the telephone and find a member who can substitute for you for that time period. We depend on everyone being present that has made that commitment for a Saturday and when we come up short it makes it very difficult for the members who are present to cover all the bases. So, be thoughtful and responsible with our thanks and appreciation for all that you do to make the club and the railroad museum what they are. Looking for a model railroading project? Contact one of the area coordinators listed above in an area you would like to help out with while learning some modeling skills. Want to see your model railroading article or photos in print? Submit your materials to The Signal Bridge editor and he will work with you to make it happen. We could use some technical folks who know how to put together web pages to help construct a home page for the George L. Carter Railroad Museum that would be linked to several web sites including the University’s home page. See you soon at the museum and/or at the August MEMRR business meeting on the 18th. Consider coming to join us at El Toritos Mexican restaurant before the meeting for a good meal and lots of friendly visiting. The view from this side of the cab looks very good indeed. Have fun with your hobby and thanks for all you do for the MEMRR.

Fred Alsop, President, Mountain Empire Model Railroad Club

Director, George L. Carter Railroad Museum

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 3

MOUNTAIN EMPIRE MODEL RAILROAD CLUB MINUTES

MONTHLY MEETING July 31,2009

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM by John Carter Ted Bleck-Doran made a motion to apply Order of the Day to adjourn at 7:45 PM for clinic. Motion was seconded and passed. Officers’ Reports: Secretary’s Report: Minutes from June meeting were accepted as printed in The Signal Bridge. Newsletter Editor’s Report: Ted Bleck-Doran reported that the Newsletter for July was issued Treasurer’s Report: Duane Swank reported as follows:

Balance Forward: $1970.69 Income: $134.00 Expenses: $283.68 Month Ending Balance: $1821.01 Available Balance: $1340.79 Duane has increased the allocation for the Dream, Plan, Build video series. The Treasurer’s report was accepted via motion. Webmaster’s Report: John Edwards reported that the Website is up and functional. Vice President’s Report: John Carter discussed upcoming programs for August and September. John asked for October Program suggestions. President’s Report: There was no report from Fred Alsop because Fred is traveling. OLD BUSINESS: The club has defined plans for the sale of the Clinchfield RR Prints. John Carter explained the revenue stream process set up by ETSU to insure proper tax collection and disbursement. Club/Museum Operating Groups have been formed. Details are in the July Newsletter. During a called special July 6 meeting, various groups were set up to handle the different layouts, events and other museum/club functions. John Carter reviewed several aspects of this program, read the list of existing coordinators and volunteer leaders and asked for additional volunteers to fill the remaining coordinator slots. Slots addressed during the meeting include: HO Layout Coordinator: No volunteers McKee G Gauge Layout: Gary Cameron, coordinator Children’s Layouts: Gary Cameron, coordinator until another member steps forward Gary Rabetoy asked about how the relationship between the club and the museum might be affected by the additional activities made possible by the museum expansion. Ted Bleck-Doran made a motion that The Sales Committee research issues regarding products to be sold and how transactions are to be handled. Jerry Dennis seconded and the motion passed.

Gary Rabetoy requested that the ETSU-MEMRR Memorandum of Understanding be distributed to club members. John Edwards will private email copies, if requested by members. The agenda item “Club Railfan Trip” was skipped to conserve time. The agenda item “Other Old Business” was skipped to conserve time. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Engineers’ running schedules – sharing time: John Edwards

suggested limiting individual running time to 1 hour when needed by demand, etc. The Item was tabled

2. Honorary 1-year memberships: Tom McKee: Motion approved

Paul Stanton: Motion approved 3. Other New Business:

Consignment of old North Coast Equipment item was tabled LAYOUT REPORTS: N-Scale: No report HO Scale: Wiring working. Bridge needs repair G-Scale: No report Kids Room: Overhead Bridge needs modification. VOLUNTEERS FOR SATURDAY MUSEUM OPERATING SESSIONS: Volunteers taken for July 25, August 1, August 8, and August 15 ANNOUNCEMENTS: Tod Eaton announced that the N-scale needs to be run at speeds indicated by markings on transformers. The Watauga Valley Loco on display must stay in the museum – can only be removed by Duane Swank, Jim Pahris, or Mike Tilley PROGRAM: The business portion of the meeting was adjourned a 7:45 PM and interested club members moved to the Museum to participate in the Airbrush Painting and Decaling Clinic, hosted by Jim Millhorn.

Minutes prepared and respectfully submitted by Arthur Daniels, Secretary

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 4

Streamliners

• Although competing railroads in the South were reluctant to make the capital investments needed to streamline their passenger car fleets, Seaboard led the way in 1939 and soon the other roads began to follow. The following trains constituted Seaboard's widely advertised, very popular "Silver Fleet" of streamliners, with lightweight fluted-side stainless steel cars pulled by colorful EMD diesel locomotives:

• Silver Meteor, inaugurated February 2, 1939: Initially an all-coach train (Pullman sleepers added in 1941), first streamliner to serve Florida, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Preserving its reputation as "one of the finest [trains] in the country," the Meteor retained its round-ended observation cars until Amtrak took over operation in 1971. Still in Amtrak service today with updated equipment.

• Silver Comet, May 18, 1947 - June 1969: Streamliner, coach, and Pullman cars, New York to Atlanta and Birmingham. The consist of the Silver Comet included baggage cars, coaches, Pullman sleepers, and a dining car between New York and Birmingham, along with through coaches and Pullmans to or from Portsmouth, Virginia, connecting at Raleigh. According to Schafer and Welsh in Classic American Streamliners, Seaboard had proposed the idea of a New York-Birmingham streamliner in the late 1930s on the heels of the Silver Meteor's successful debut. Partner railroad Pennsylvania was cool to the idea, in part due to resistance from their powerful ally Southern. But after WWII, with new equipment again available, Seaboard launched its New York-Birmingham streamliner on May 18, 1947. The train would debut with older heavyweight sleeping cars; lightweight stainless-steel all-room sleepers were still on order. The new Silver Comet's schedule cut 4½ hours from the time its heavyweight predecessor, the Cotton States Special, had offered in my next previous issue of the Guide (January 1946).

• Silver Star, inaugurated December 12, 1947: Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, New York to Tampa/St. Petersburg and Miami. Still in Amtrak service, with updated equipment.

Although not advertised as part of the Silver Fleet, the following new train was similarly equipped:

• Gulf Wind, July 31, 1949 - April 30, 1971: Streamliner, coach and Pullman cars, Jacksonville to New Orleans. Handled jointly by SAL and the L&N, with motive power changed at Chattahoochee

SILVER COMET Pennsylvania Railroad

Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Seaboard Air Line

May 18, 1947

Connecting Train Number (New Haven) 176

0.0 Boston, MA (South Station) (ET) Ar 9 10P

43.8 Providence, RI 8 08P 156.8 New Haven, CT 5 45P

232.0 New York, NY (Penn Station) (ET) Dp 4 00P

197 Train Number 196

Daily Miles (Pennsylvania) Services Daily

12 45P Dp 0.0 New York, NY (Penn

Station) (ET) C Ar 2 50P

R 1 00P 10.0 Newark, NJ C

D 2 34P

R 1 49P 58.1 Trenton, NJ C

D 1 45P

R 2 19P 85.9 North Philadelphia, PA C

D 1 16P

R 2 30P

Philadelphia, PA (30th St. Station) C

D 1 06P

R 3 00P 118.1 Wilmington, DE C

D12 32P

R 4 03P 186.5 Baltimore, MD C

D11 30A

R 4 45P Ar 226.6 Washington, DC C Dp D10

45A

33 Continuing Train Number (Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac) 34

5 10P Dp 226.6 Washington, DC T C Ar 10 20A

F 6 27P 280.7 Fredericksburg, VA T C

7 54P Ar 343.1 Richmond, VA (Main St. Station) T C Dp 7 27A

(Seaboard Air Line)

7 58P Dp 343.1 Richmond, VA T C Ar 7 24A

8 25P 365.8 Petersburg, VA T C 6 58A

9 58P 456.5 Henderson, NC T C 5 22A

10 40P Ar

500.3 Raleigh, NC T C Dp 4 40A

10 45P Dp Ar 4 35A

12 30A Ar 596.9 Hamlet, NC T C Dp 2 50A

Through Cars Portsmouth-Atlanta

17 Connecting Train Number (Seaboard) 18

3 55P Dp Norfolk, VA (ET) (via Ferry) C Ar 10 30A

4 15P Dp 0.0 Portsmouth, VA T C Ar 10 15A

7 35P Ar 115.8 Norlina, NC T C Dp 6 45A

7 Connecting Train Number (Seaboard) 8

7 50P Dp 115.8 Norlina, NC T C Ar 6 40A

9 00P Ar 174.8 Raleigh, NC T C

Dp 5 30A

9 10P Dp Ar 5 20A

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 5

10 28P Ar 242.8 Southern Pines, NC

(Pinehurst) T C Dp 3 54A

11 10P Ar 271.4 Hamlet, NC T C Dp 3 20A

12 45A Dp 596.9 Hamlet, NC T C Ar 2 35A

1 50A Ar 649.5 Monroe, NC T C

Dp 1 34A

1 55A Dp Ar 1 29A

2 50A 694.5 Chester, SC T C 12 33A

3 44A 740.2 Clinton, SC T C 11 40P

4 18A 768.0 Greenwood, SC T C 11 08P

4 40A 783.1 Abbeville, SC T C 10 50P

5 19A 814.4 Elberton, GA T C 10 08P

6 00A 848.8 Athens, GA T C 9 28P

7 15A 911.4 Emory, GA 8 15P

7 40A Ar 921.7 Atlanta, GA (Terminal

Sta.) T C Dp 7 55P

7 55A Dp Ar 7 40P

9 02A 969.1 Rockmart, GA T C 6 25P

9 17A 981.9 Cedartown, GA (ET) T C 6 10P

8 45A 1005.7 Piedmont, AL (CT) T C 4 39P

9 04A 1024.3 Wellington, AL T C 4 10P

9 12A 1031.1 Ohatchee, AL T 9 28A 1041.0 Ragland, AL T 3 55P

1050.1 Wattsville, AL T 3 43P

10 45A Ar 1106.3 Birmingham, AL (CT) T C Dp 2 45P

LEGEND

Time: A - A.M. D - Train stops only to discharge passengers F - Conditional (Flag) stop I - Customs/Immigration inspection stop M - Meal stop N - Not a passenger stop P - P.M. R - Train stops only to receive passengers

Services: A - Auto loading/unloading facilities (as freight) B - Checked baggage is handled C - Coupon station (Ticket office) I - International border inspection station M - Food service available P - Telephone station R - Rental cars available T - Telegraph station X - Checked baggage NOT handled

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 6

ROUNDHOUSE INSTALLATION – JULY 4, 2009

COME JOIN THE FUN – WORK NIGHTS ARE THURSDAYS 4:30 UNTIL??? OPEN HOUSES FOR THE PUBLIC ARE SATURDAYS 10 am UNTIL 3 pm

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 7

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 8

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 9

This Year’s Fall Excursions Offer Day Trips to Charlottesville, Va. and Asheville, N.C.

SPENCER, N.C. –The N.C. Transportation Museum Foundation and the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society offer a chance to see the beautiful fall foliage, experience a great destination and enjoy the romance of riding the rails this fall. The museum is again hosting fall train excursions. In addition to our traditional Charlottesville, Va. day trip, the museum will also offer a day trip to Asheville NC. After hosting day trips through the 1990s, the museum revived rail excursions in 2007. The past two years have been sell-out crowds and satisfied passengers made those excursions a great success..

The “Virginia Autumn Special” will travel to Charlottesville, Va., Oct. 31, while the “Blue Ridge Special” will travel to Asheville, Nov. 1. Each day’s trip will include spectacular views of fall foliage. Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., Saturday’s “Virginia Autumn Special” will again offer a second passenger pick-up at the Greensboro Amtrak Station at 8 a.m., allowing those living in the Triad a more convenient boarding opportunity. Passing through the North Carolina cities of Thomasville, High Point and Reidsville, and the Virginia cities of Danville, Lynchburg and Oak Ridge, passengers will experience beautiful views of the Piedmont and rolling hills of the Carolinas and the western part of Central Virginia. Spectacular views of the Dan, Roanoke and James Rivers will be seen as the train crosses above. The train will even pass by Schuyler, the mountain town fictionalized in the television show “The Waltons.” At noon, the “Virginia Autumn Special” will arrive in Charlottesville, home of the University of Virginia. Here travelers will have nearly three hours to explore the historic downtown area. A short walk takes you to the downtown outdoor mall, considered one of the finest urban parks in the country. Unique shopping and dining opportunities can be found in boutiques, specialty wine, coffee and tea shops, and outdoor dining spots. Travelers may also enjoy relaxing walks under a lush, leafy tree canopy. Departing Charlottesville at 3 p.m., the train will arrive back in Greensboro at 6:45 p.m. and Spencer at 8 p.m. During Sunday’s trip, the “Blue Ridge Special” will travel through the western Piedmont into the foothills and on to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., the train will roll through the cities of Statesville, Hickory, Morganton, Marion, Black Mountain and Swannanoa. The train will climb the famed "loops" of the Blue Ridge Mountains passing the famous Andrews Geyser and through several tunnels before arriving in Asheville at

noon. Passengers will have nearly three hours for an outing at Biltmore Village. Established in the late 1890s as a planned community near the entrance of the Biltmore estate, Biltmore Village stands near the entrance to Biltmore Estate. Shopping will be available in unique, locally-owned boutiques. Passengers can dine in restaurants and take walks along brick sidewalks that parallel tree lined streets. All of this will be enjoyed alongside spectacular views of the North Carolina mountains. Departing Asheville at 3 p.m., the “Blue Ridge Special” will return to Spencer at 8 p.m. Several different levels of excursion tickets are available. Ticket prices are the same each day. Premium First Class tickets feature comfort seating on private rail cars restored to the height of luxury. Premium First Class passengers will also enjoy an early continental breakfast, newspaper and dinner in the diner on the return trip. Premium First Class tickets are $240 per person. A new offering this year, Deluxe Coach Class tickets feature spacious seating with large windows, lunch on the dining car and light snacks during the trip. Deluxe Coach tickets are $170 per person. Coach tickets feature comfortable seating, air conditioning and heat and restrooms. Coach tickets are $140 per person. Another new feature, an optional box lunch will allow travelers to save time for shopping in Charlottesville or Asheville. The $14 box lunch, served in a souvenir lunch tote, includes include a half turkey wrap, pasta, chips & salsa, a cookie and drink.

Passengers may also take advantage of a shuttle bus at each destination for an additional $2. Tickets are available online at www.nctrans.org or by calling 704-636-2889 ext. 232. The N.C. Transportation Museum, located in historic Spencer Shops, the former Southern Railway repair facility, is part of the Division of State Historic Sites, Department of Cultural Resources. The museum is located just five minutes off I-85 at Exit 79 in Spencer, N.C., and about an hour from Charlotte, Greensboro or Winston-Salem. Visit www.nctrans.org for more information. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is celebrating the 2009 theme of “Treasure N.C. Culture.” For information on the Department of Cultural Resources, call (919) 807-7385 or visit www.ncculture.com.

THE SIGNAL BRIDGE AUGUST 2009 Pg. 10

RAILROAD PICTURE POSTCARDS

FROM THE GEOFF STUNKARD COLLECTION