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Summer 2009 Vol. XXXVII, No. 2
Message
from President Ken Donnelly
In life, there
are a few things that never fail to get our hearts beating a little faster, and
I mean in a good way. Falling in love is great, as was that first day of summer
vacation. Finding money doesn’t stink, and of course, seeing a GM&O freight car
in a train after all these years always gets the old ticker flutterin’. One
other thing that is nice to see is that big ole white GM&OHS envelope in
the mail, stuffed full with magazines, calendars, special offers, whatever. If
you’re reading this now, you just received one, and there are still a few to
come for 2009. Hurray!
What about
2010, though? As stated in the last Switchlist, the offices of President
and Vice President will be open at the end of this year. So too, will the
Chairs for the Modeling and Publications Committees. Now is the time to make a
complete self-assessment, and decide if any of these positions are something you
would like to take a stab at. None of these positions, even the Presidency,
consume an inordinate amount of time. Furthermore, while I oversaw much of the
operations concerning the NEWS and the modeling, as well as the calendar,
no one other person needs to feel that that is how they need to conduct
business. Just pick one job, and be great at it.
Speaking
strictly for myself, I’m a classic over manager; I couldn’t avoid micro-managing
even if I tried. But I am also a realist, and because of this I do understand
that while I tried to do the best for the Society as I saw it, it is simply
impossible to please everyone. I am sure there were points of view not
reflected in some of my choices. That is why it is time for others to take the
reins, and in so doing, allow the Society to grow and prosper in new directions
that would not be readily apparent to me. With all this being said, let me add
that these jobs are all immensely rewarding, as well as the fact that anyone
coming to them with no prior experience will not be alone. Help is always a
phone call or e-mail away. What is the upshot? The big, white GM&OHS
envelopes keep coming, raising our pulses with anticipation, and keeping the
GM&O alive. So get in the game, you’ll be glad you did!
Messages
from Secretary Marc Liberta
Nominations are
now being accepted for the five seats on the 2010 Board of Directors as well as
for all four offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer (the
offices of President and Vice President are two year terms which are elected in
odd numbered years, all others are one year terms). Please send written
nominations to: Election 2010, P.O. Box 1753, Marion, IL 62959. A simple
statement for the desired candidate and your signature is all that is required
to nominate a willing member. Electronic submissions are acceptable, as well,
and may be directed to marc.liberta@juno.com Current Board Members are
required to submit their names if they wish to run again for a seat on the BOD.
All nominations must be received by August 14, 2009. (Continued on page 3)
37th Annual
Meeting Details
Mark your
calendars!!! We are once again happy to announce that the 37th Annual
Meeting of the Society will be held at the Hampton Inn Centre, 2201
Reelfoot Ave.(U.S. 51), Union City, Tenn. on October 9, 10 and 11, 2009.
Encouraged by the success of last year’s Annual Meeting the decision was made to
once again hold the event in Union City.
The Hampton
Inn Centre is located on the southwest side of Union City. This facility is
less than a dozen years old and the staff is top notch. Last year was one of
the finest meetings that we have ever had and this was due in no small part to
the fine people at the Hampton as well as the residents of Obion County,
Tennessee. Come on down, or up or over to experience some real southern
hospitality.
The weekend
begins with our now traditional Friday Night Hospitality Suite which will
be held in the Conference Center Ballroom from 7 pm to 11 pm. Everyone is
welcome, members and non-members alike, and it is free of charge. Refreshments
and snacks will also be a part of the festivities. If you have some slides,
movies or videos bring them for all to see. This is a great time for visiting
with old acquaintances and making new friends.
On
Saturday, October 10th, we will have our Railroadiana Show and Sale.
Last year we had dealers from all over the country selling everything from model
trains to timetables to slides, to photos and railroad hardware. Come on by and
find that missing treasure to complete your collection. To date, over twenty
tables have been spoken for already and we plan to sell out just as we did last
year (if you are a dealer, get your table reservations in now to avoid any
disappointment). The doors to the swap open at 9 am and the show runs until 3
pm. Dealer set-up begins at 6 am Saturday, though arrangements can be made for
Friday night set-up if required (but this will be after the Hospitality
gathering winds down).
Our 37th
Annual Banquet begins at 6 pm with a Social Hour that will run until
7 pm. Lyricist and former board member Foots Quinn of Bogalusa, La. will
perform some of his railroad ballads between 6:30 and 6:50 pm to put all of us
in a positive mood for a great evening of food and visual entertainment. Dinner
will run from 7 until 8 pm, at which time we will hold the business meeting
portion of the night’s events. This takes about twenty minutes and then after a
brief break we will have our featured presentation, The Story of Old No. 72,
a history of one ten-wheeler and how it survives to this day through the efforts
of several people in the Franklinton, La. area. This will be a special program
of interest to young and old alike. We will complete the evening with member’s
videos and slides, as is our tradition.
On Sunday
morning, beginning at 8:15 am, the Board of Directors will hold a business
meeting. Why not stop by and see how your society is run? This is a great
opportunity, and we think you will find it of great interest especially due to
the transitioning members of the BOD this year. We hope to see as many of you
as possible in attendance.
More weekend
details will follow in the Autumn Switchlist.
Secretary’s
Messages cont.
I
want to speak to GM&OHS Life Members in particular (there are 139 of us),
about serving in one of the capacities that Ken Donnelly mentioned in his
message on page one. There were two open periods where life memberships were
offered. The first occurred at nearly the beginning of the Society from 1975,
and stretched until 1987. The second period spanned from 1995 to 2000. Many
original life members (and some of the newer vintage), are well known figures by
virtue of their involvement throughout the years (and my personal thanks go out
to each and every one of them). Members from both categories helped out either
a fledgling historical society, or one that found itself in financial
difficulties, and took the leap of faith that their decision to ‘pay it forward’
would be a sound investment. It has been. Annual memberships in 1975 were $5
when Life memberships were $100, and in 1995 the figures were $18.50 and $250,
respectively. That means that even the final members to become lifers in 2000,
have now moved to the dividend side of the equation ($45 to the good as of this
year), and the last to join during the initial offering are $526 in the black.
This brings me to my point, in that it is time that every one of the 139 persons
who showed confidence in the Society’s future with their financial backing, now
assess what they have to offer in the sweat equity department. What skill set
can you bring to bear on the workings of our organization? What time can you
devote to the continuation of the Society we all connect through? Like any
enterprise, our Society benefits from fresh ideas and energized participation.
To my fellow 138 life members, how about it…will you step up to the next level?
Modeling Committee Report by the Staff
Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc. has just released their latest run of Alco
RS1’s. MSRP is $139.95. Our compliments to Atlas on the improved shell detail
which features separate grab irons, improved window treatments, color keyed
handrails and Accu-Mate couplers (a nice set of improvements from when the
predecessor to this model was first introduced in 1986-1987). Atlas chose to
give the hobbyist an as-delivered GM&O two-tone RS1 (nos. 1123 or 1125) so we
have been waiting to see just how well they would able to do this scheme.
Overall, not bad, but it could have been much better. The most noticeable flaw
is the shade of maroon which is closer to purple than a GM&O maroon. On the
positive side, the red band is crisp and the color looks pretty good. The
lettering is correctly done in Dulux Gold and the striping is an accurate one
inch scale width.
The
lettering on the engineer’s side is accurately placed right to left and top to
bottom, however, the lettering on the fireman’s side is set about an actual one
quarter inch too far back toward the cab (a very minor error and one that truly
does not detract from the model). The numbers on both sides of the cab are
oddly spaced, as they were on the prototype when delivered from Schenectady.
We believe that
Atlas would have done better to use 21-inch tall numbers on the cab sides rather
than the as-delivered 7 inch tall numbers. By the early 1950’s most units
delivered with 7 inch tall numbers had either been repainted into solid red, or
if they did retain their two-tone schemes (as only a very few units did), they
had the 21-inch tall numbers added to their sides. We wish manufacturers would
consider producing solid colored units (red or maroon as appropriate) and
believe the response would be overwhelmingly positive.
GM&OHS Car
No. 34 in HO Scale
The HO version
of car no. 34, the GAEX-leased, 50 ft. green boxcar, is still available but
supplies are quickly dwindling. Less than twenty of the two-car sets remain in
stock. The price per set is $50.00, postage paid. Don’t delay and miss the
chance of adding these great looking GM&O boxcars to your layout. Order online
using PayPal, or print out an order form at the Society’s website and
mail it in.
2010 GM&OHS
All-Color Calendar
It does seem a
bit early to be talking about 2010, but this is the time of the year when we
begin to put the new calendar together. First, we would like to thank everyone
that has supported this program over the past few years, and we look forward to
your future support. Secondly, if anyone has clear, sharp color prints,
negatives or slides of a GM&O image that they feel is unique, and would like to
share it, now is the time to come forward. Presently, only about half of the
calendar space is filled. Images most desirable are Southern Region color from
the 40’s to the 60’s, and the Western Division (ex-Alton Route to Kansas City).
If you think you have something you’d like to share, please contact Ken
Donnelly at (815) 278-0384, or at kennednn@aol.com. Thank you.
In Memoriam
George W.
Broughton, a founding member of the GM&OHS, passed away April 7th at the
age of 94. George was a long time GM&O/Alton employee, starting as a machinist
apprentice in 1938 and later serving in several capacities including roundhouse
foreman at various points on the former Alton system. He retired in 1974 as
Wheel & Axle Shop foreman at Bloomington. Born into a railroad family, his
father Clarence was a C&A locomotive engineer remembered for always being on
time—no matter what.
Until recently,
George attended most GM&OHS functions and his loud booming voice and
enthusiasm for anything GM&O let us know he was there. He regaled us with many
vivid tales of his GM&O days, some of them possibly true. An avid collector of
railroadiana, his home was decorated with many artifacts, both inside and out.
When he was foreman at the Springfield Ridgely engine house, he had a new home
built in Springfield and had a large cast iron C&A RR manhole cover embedded
into the cement driveway! He will be missed by the many Society members and
railroaders with whom he had contact over the years. To learn more about
George’s railroad days, read pages 121-126 in the book Bloomington’s C&A
Shops, Our Lives Remembered. Our thoughts are with Mildred, wife of nearly
70 years, and his family who survive.
The Switchlist
is a quarterly publication of the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Historical Society,
Inc. and is provided as a benefit of membership. The Switchlist is
produced for the purpose of increasing communication between members and is
edited, except where noted, by Dave Wagner. Members with information suitable
for publication in the Switchlist should forward it to; GM&OHS
Switchlist, P.O. Box 1753, Marion, IL. 62959. |