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Montgomery Railfest 2006
This year's Annual Meeting was not a large affair,
but a success nonetheless. Those attending Friday's informal
gathering were treated to a wide variety of excellent slides, covering
the GM&O top to bottom. This concluded only when the Sandman
approached.
The Swap Meet actually got underway early, as vendors were beginning
sales by 8:15 AM much to everyone's enjoyment. As the number of
vendors were limited, the decision was made not to charge admittance to
the swap. That unexpected bonus put patrons in a good mood which
translated into brisk sales for all present. Donations were taken
at the door.
 Around
noon, an excursion trip commenced aboard restored
Birmingham & Southeastern railcar #500. Owned by
Royce Kershaw, and operated on about 7
miles of former Seaboard Airline
trackage, the little conveyance was the hit of the weekend for those
making the short 5 minute trip from the hotel. A particularly fun
part of the excursion was the turning of the railcar at the end of the
line on a homemade turntable. Riders hopped out and helped spin
#500 around, Armstrong-style. See additional photos of the trip
here.
 Throughout
the day a terrific HO layout was set up at one end of the swap meet
room. The Smoky City Rails Model Railroad Club from
Birmingham, AL brought down their excellent running and finely detailed
show piece for everyone's enjoyment.
 A
number of excellent GM&O models were displayed, with a few being
eligible for contest consideration. John
Polsgrove of Bardwell, KY had a great O scale diorama of the
Union City, TN depot area where the GM&O crossed the NC&StL,
 and
Jason Parham took the dog that is the
Athearn GP35 and turned it into a thing of beauty.
See more about Jason's modifications and corrections
to the Athearn release in the
Modeler's Corner
area.
The evening banquet started with some great food (and
lots of it), and was followed by our guest speaker,
David Harris of Tulsa, OK. David
lived in, and shot photos around, Montgomery in the early 1970's.
Beginning with an overview of all the lines that served Montgomery,
David gave everyone a lay-of-the-land before going on to show the GM&O
action that centered in Montgomery. After a short break, Society
President Joe Petric presented 'My GM&O',
the show he was asked to share in Cincinnati this past summer.
A one hour Board of Directors meeting Sunday morning
wrapped things up for our 34th annual meeting. A big 'thank you'
to coordinator Patrick Hayes for hosting a great show. |
