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TCA Central
Missouri Chapter
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The October Meeting The
October meeting was a busy one according to the report your scribe
received. One of the more important events that occurred was some
well needed maintenance work done on the modules. It included repair of
the track where moisture had corroded some connections, and a general
track cleaning. Apparently the plastic covering that was being
used to "protect" the trackwork between meetings was actually trapping
moisture under it and causing some problems with electrical contact on
the rails.
Several members were again running trains including Jim's reproduction tinplate train set, and Pete's PRR interurban cars.
An
important subject of the meeting was the purchase of additional bridges
for the layout. Members may remember that some months back the
club authorized the purchase of some sturdy bridges to use to extend
the layout. The steel bridge company that advertises in CTT
announced a "going out of business" sale. President James visited
the owner and found that the club could buy 4' double track steel
bridges for the layout for $65/ea. After consulting with the
officers via cell phone he proceeded to buy four. He had one with
him at the meeting (the rest are on the way) and the report your scribe
received is that they are heavy duty and exceptionally sturdy.
The next effort will be to figure out how to mount them. It's not
likely they will be ready for the swap meet but the bridges and
buildings gang are on it.
To finish off the business meeting,
Hank regaled the group with a rousing report on his adventures learning
to run a steam engine on the Nevada Northern at Ely, Nevada. He
even has the appropriate overalls and shoes (do you suppose he'll ever
want to wash the coal dust off the overalls?). It's hard to tell
who had the most fun: Hank running the engine, or his wife,
Susan, who got to ride along and watch the whole thing. Maybe a
picture or two in the next newsletter?
The New Lionel Catalog Is Out
The
Lionel 2009 Volume II catalog is now out. If you can't find one
anywhere else it is available on-line on the Lionel web site. You
can download it as a .pdf file but be aware that it is a long file and
can take a while, especially if you don't have a high-speed
modem. One of the most interesting items to your scribe was the
new trackmobile. I'm not sure what I'd do with it but it is a
cute little piece of motive power and is complete with TMCC. Now
if they could just figure out how to make it run on the street as well
as the track it would be totally amazing.
-New-Trains Sets from Williams by Bachmann
You
may all remember that Bachmann trains, known primarily for HO gauge and
G gauge trains, recently purchased the Williams line of O gauge
trains. Recent releases have been models previously announced by
Williams. Now comes some new product-two ready to run trains
sets. Both will have Alco type engines and passenger cars.
One set will be Santa Fe and the other will be Pennsylvania. The
sets will come with Atlas Industrial Rail track and an Atlas 80 watt
transformer. The MSRP supposedly is $299.95. A real bargain
at that price. So Bachmann is starting to make its move as a
major player in the O gauge market. So far the Bachmann products
are all conventional control. The next interesting question is if
they are going to bring out some sort of command control, and if so,
will it be TMCC or something else such as the DCC that is used in HO
and G guage. Time will tell!
A Real Electric Locomotive
-from
the internet- Norfolk Southern is the latest company to push a piece of
heavy industrial machinery into green territory with their 100%
electric NS 999 locomotive. The zero-emissions train makes use of
1.080 12-volt batteries that allow it to run for 24 hours on a single
charge-all while carrying the same load as a conventional locomotive
Developed
in conjunction with the Department of Energy, the 1,500 horsepower
machine makes use of regenerative braking for extra power and is also
able to recharge in just two hours. Norfolk Southern says it
costs the same to make as traditional locomotive. Do you think
they can plug that baby into a standard 120 volt outlet?
The Swap Meet
The
swap meet is coming up fast. Be sure to mark your calendars and
don't make any other plans. We need a good turn-out on Friday,
November 13, at 6 PM, to move the modules to the Knight's Hall, and set
up for the meet. We are going to rent a big truck again which
will make the move easier. After the meet we'll also need to move
the modules back to the clubhouse. And for sure there will be
lots of cool O gauge items to tempt your bank account at the
meet. More at the November meeting.
Roy Truesdale is
planning of selling off his collection due to some health
problems. Your scribe will be bringing some of Roy's trains and
accessories to the swap meet so be sure to check them out.
Speaking of Meets
Train related activities are picking up in November and December. Here's a list of the events that your scribe has found:
Ozark Division Convention Planning Committee meeting
November 8
Scenic Regional Library
1 PM
912 S. Hwy 47
Warrenton, MO 63383
Central Missouri Chapter Meet
November 14
Knights of Columbus Hall
2525 N. Stadium Blvd
Columbia, MO
November 28-29
Great Train Expo
Gateway Center
Collinsville, IL
November 29
Mid-America Meet
BTC Exhibit Hall
I-435 and Front St.
1775 Universal Ave
Kansas City, MO
December 5
Ozark Division Great Christmas Meet
Life Christian School
13001 Gravois Rd
Sunset Hills, MO
The November Meeting
The
regular meeting for November will be held at the clubhouse on
Wednesday, November 4th, at the regular time-promptly between 7 and
7:30 PM. There will be more discussion on the final plans for the
upcoming swap meet. We'll need to break down the modules and pack
everything up in anticipation of moving to the meet. See you
there.
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