June, ARS meeting: June 13, :30 pm. next meeting: Wednesday, June 13, :30 pm Amherst Railway Society clubhouse, Palmer, MA

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1 Eight & Sand June, 2018 Amherst Railway Society 1130 South Main Street Palmer, MA amherstrail.org The mission of the Amherst Railway Society is education regarding and the promotion of hobbies related to railroading Switch List June program - T-TRAK June Clubhouse Hours Hartford Line Begins The 7 1/4 Project Mary-Lynn Belforti SMMSIG Shelburne - Amherst Day a regular publication of the Amherst Railway Society ARS meeting: June 13, :30 pm T-TRAK - a great way to get started with model railroading Fay Chin Membership Dues Memberships expire on the anniversary of your membership term. Regular adult memberships are $60 for one year, $150 for three years, and $240 for five years. Student, Prospective, and Family memberships are also available. Click here for the complete list of membership options. As model railroading becomes more complex, getting started in the hobby can be a somewhat daunting task. The T-TRAK system was developed to help new model railroaders get up and running fairly quickly, and have fun at the same time. T-TRAK is a modular model railroad system based on train-set sectional track and a few construction standards - module size, track placement, and electrical connections. While many T-TRAK modelers work in N-scale using the Kato Unitrack system, there are also T-TRAK standards for Z-scale (MicroTrains track), HOscale (Kato Unitrack), S-scale (MTH S-Trax), and O-Scale (Lionel Fastrack). next meeting: Wednesday, June 13, :30 pm Amherst Railway Society clubhouse, Palmer, MA Notice of meeting changes or cancellations are posted on: Amherst Railway Society web site - amherstrail.org Amherst Railway Society Facebook page 1

2 Eight & Sand June,, 2018 June Clubhouse Hours In June, the Amherst Railway Society clubhouse will be closed on Saturdays while repairs are being made to the lower level. The clubhouse is located at: 1130 South Main Street Palmer, Massachusetts The popularity of T-TRAK modeling is worldwide. On Wednesday, June 13, long-time model railroader Fay Chin will trace the history of the T-TRAK system and demonstrate the way the system helps modelers learn, experiment, and develop their modeling skills. While the key to T-TRAK modeling is ease of entry, the system is not just for beginners. Mr. Chin will also show that T-TRAK layouts can be large, with detailed scenery. Fay Chin is a retired engineer who has been modeling in N-scale for over 40 years. He is a founding member of the Northeast N-TRAK group and has been a coordinator of the Northeast T-TRAK group since Mr. Chin s N-scale T-TRAK modular layout was the focal point of the Kato USA booth at the 2018 Railroad Hobby Show. January 26 & 27, 2019 New Connecticut Commuter Rail Service Begins June 16 Ride a train on Father s Day weekend, courtesy of CTRail The Connecticut Department of Transportation will inaugurate the Hartford Line commuter rail service with an opening event on June 15. Following the special event, CTRail will promote the new service with no-charge weekend trains on Saturday, June 16 and Sunday June 17. Full weekday service will begin on June 18 with trains running approximately every 45 minutes during the morning and evening peak periods. A total of 17 trains a day will operate between New Haven and Hartford and 12 trains will operate daily between Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts. Trains will operate at speeds as high as 110 mph, and a trip from Springfield to New Haven will take 81 minutes. The no-charge weekend applies only to CTRail trains. For more information, including schedules and fares, visit: hartfordline.com. 2

3 Eight & Sand June, 2018 The 7 1/4 Project Work Day: June 23 - Volunteers needed The 7 1/4 inch gauge track has been moved to Palmer - but it needs work. Some of the track is out of gauge and many of the ties need to be replaced or rotated. A track work day has been scheduled for June 23 at the clubhouse in Palmer - weather permitting. Start time is 9:00 am and we plan to be working all day. So come for all day, some of the day, or whatever you can fit into your schedule. If you have a screw-gun, please bring it along. The rails are attached to the ties with screws. in memoriam Mary-Lynn Belforti On May 25, 2018, the Amherst Railway Society lost a good friend. Mary-Lynn Belforti passed away in Merrimack, New Hampshire with her family by her side. In the model railroad community, Mary-Lynn was well known for her wonderful scenery creations, and she loved to teach others her skills. Mary-Lynn was also an avid hockey fan and a regular at Manchester Monarchs games. But above all, Mary-Lynn was devoted to her family. She shared hobbies with her husband Steven, and was exceptionally proud of her children and grandchildren. We will miss you, Mary-Lynn. 3

4 Eight & Sand June, 2018 Leveraging the Railroad Hobby Show The Steel Mill Modelers (SMM) are a special interest group (SIG) of the NMRA, and a relatively new one. The group started as a loose affiliation of model railroaders who also share a keen interest in modeling steel mill operations. About three years ago, they took the step to become a formal NMRA special interest group Starting with about 100 members, the group developed a growth plan that includes attendance at model railroad shows. They also started their own web site - smmsig.org - and began publishing a quarterly journal on steel mill modeling. We knew the Railroad Hobby Show (RHS) could be a real boost for our organization, says SMM Journal editor, Steven Meyer. But we also knew we had to do a good job leveraging the show if our time there was going to be well spent. Meyer was familiar with the RHS having attended the show for years. He recruited fellow SMM member Herb Biegel from Maryland to work the show with him. Together, they worked out a plan to tell the SMM story. The first thing we did was send a notification to the local NMRA region two weeks in advance of the show, advising them that the SMMSIG would be at the Railroad Hobby Show with our recruitment table, says Meyer. That proved to be an effective communications tool. Many modelers we spoke to said they had seen the notice and specifically came looking for us. Once at the show, Meyer and Biegel step up a tag-team sales approach to recruit new members. Herb was the front-man, working the aisle in front of the SMM exhibit, greeting visitors and generating interest in SMM, says Meyer. I was the closer, selling the benefits of SMM membership and helping new members fill out the forms. In reality, my job was pretty easy. Herb really did a good job telling the SMM story. 4

5 Eight & Sand June,, 2018 In the end, Steven and Herb signed up twenty-one new members for the SMMSIG, and sold over $1000 worth of steel mill flow charts and back issues of the SMM Journal. We were pleased with the results, says Meyer,..and you can be sure we will be back in The take-away... The Railroad Hobby Show can be a powerful sales tool for organizations that know how to leverage it, and clearly the SMMSIG knew how to do that. Steven and Herb started with a goal, paved the way with good communications, and used effective sales techniques during the two-day show. Since becoming a NMRA special interest group, the Steel Mill Modelers have tripled their membership. The SMMSIG Annual Meet will be held July 12-14, 2018 in Kent, Ohio. For additional information about the SMMSIG, visit: smmsig.org. Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum Amherst Appreciation Day Saturday, June 9, 2018 In recognition of over 16 years of grants from the Amherst Railway Society, all card-carrying ARS members will receive a free All-Day pass at Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum (SFTM). For additional information about SFTM, visit: sftm.org. 5

6 Eight & Sand June,, 2018 Board of Directors John Sacerdote President Kurt Jellinek President-elect David Royce Treasurer Bill Meier Jr. Secretary Gary Donnell Joe Biagioni Railroad Hobby Show John Sacerdote Director Meaghan Royce Show Office Show Committee Dick Joyce Chair Kurt Jellinek Tom Laware Sr. Tom Laware Jr Rudy Versailles Strategic Planning Ken Harstine Co-chair Kurt Jellinek Co-chair Joe Albano Jr. Dick Joyce Tom Laware Sr. Bill Meier John Randall David Royce John Sacerdote Marketing Committee John Sacerdote Chair. Greg Maas Webmaster Greg Maas Newsletter Membership Committee Tom Laware Sr. Bill Meier John Sacerdote Amherst Belt Lines Robbie Cabrerra Jim Fenner Dry Hill Model Railroad Club Joe Albano, Jr. Reader contributed railroad stories and articles can be considered for publication in EIGHT & SAND. Please discuss article ideas with EIGHT & SAND editor, Greg Maas. Greg can be reached at: photo: Isaiah Manuel A ways from home - Ferromex SD70 leads a Pan Am Southern freight. 6 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.