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From Central Arkansas Model Railroad Club
Minutes of Club Meetings
Summaries of club meetings are posted in the RESOURCES section of this website. Click on that word above the photo panel on this page to see the list of club meetings. The most recent meetings are listed first for convenience; past meetings are listed in reverse chronological order.
Photos & Videos of Club Events and Layouts of Members
To view a gallery of photos and videos of club events including pix of layouts of several club members, click on this link: http://camrc.shutterfly.com/
Upcoming Club Meetings in 2009
Mark your calendar and plan to attend the monthly club meetings held on the FIRST MONDAY of the month in the Party Room of Mazzio's Pizza in Conway, located near the intersection of Donaghey Avenue and Washington Street.
Join us for dinner on your own at 6 p.m. The club meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Visitors with an interest in model railroading in all its forms are welcome at club meetings! Here's the schedule for upcoming club meetings during the remainder of 2009:
JULY 6
AUGUST 3
SEPTEMBER 8 NOTE: Held on Tuesday to avoid conflicting with Labor Day holiday
OCTOBER 5
NOVEMBER 2
DECEMBER 7 NOTE: Held on site of the Conway Festival of Light in the train layout room
June 27th Train Open House Event at McGee Sports Center
Hobbyists and the public are invited to drop in and "talk trains" during the next scheduled Train Open House event on Saturday, July 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with no admission charge. During the morning of this late-June event, four Thomas trains - THOMAS, PERCY, JAMES, and EMILY - will be running on the 8x20-foot HO-scale modular layout with appropriate passenger or freight cars in tow. In the afternoon hours, American railroad steam and diesel trains will be in operation on the layout.
This will be a great opportunity for train hobby newcomers to learn about model railroading and get involved in CAMRC activities. Photos of recent past events are posted at the club's photo & video website; click on this link: [Modular Event Photos]
Visitors will discover what our club is doing through local train hobby activities and learn how to establish or enhance a HO-scale home train layout. If you know someone who would be interested in these informal and informational (and fun!) activities, please pass this information along to them. Newbies to the hobby are welcome!
In response to growing public participation and interest, the more-or-less monthly Train Open House events will continue during the summer at the McGee Sports Center:
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Club Membership Dues for 2009 Now Payable
NOTICE TO CLUB MEMBERS - A FRIENDLY REMINDER: Please send your membership dues ($40) for calendar year 2009 to the club's address cited below. Make your check payable to "CAMRC" with "2009 Dues" written on the memo line.
NOTICE TO POTENTIAL CLUB MEMBERS - A FRIENDLY INVITATION: Families with an interest in model railroading in all its forms can consider a one-year TRIAL MEMBERSHIP in CAMRC for only $24. This introductory rate allows a helpful "test drive experience" to learn about the club and its activities. Two suggestions to newbies:
1) Click on the MEMBERSHIP tab at the top of this web page for information about joining the club
2) Attend a club meeting and meet club members; then decide whether to exercise this option.
Membership dues can be paid by check with "CAMRC" on the payee line and "2009 Dues" on the memo line. Send it to:
Central AR Model RR Club
P.O. Box 1825
Conway, AR 72033-1825
Our 8x20-feet HO-scale Modular Layout
Recent Contributions:
1) Daniel Gladstone has donated to the club an ATLAS MASTER DCC SYSTEM to be used in conjunction with the club's emerging HO modular layout. Documentation and reviews have been posted on this website. Click here to view them: AtlasDCC.
2) Mike Mottler has acquired several HO-scale THOMAS trains for loaned use on the club's modular layout including the THOMAS tank engine and passenger coaches ANNIE and CLARABEL; JAMES and several "wagon" freight cars; EMILY and matching green passenger coaches; and PERCY with a line-up of various tank cars. Daniel G. has loaned other THOMAS-related items: a TROUBLESOME TRUCK and a green passenger brake coach for EMILY.
3) Mike Mottler has provided a loaner U.S. Army Train Set with a F2A diesel up front and eight Army cars in tow, including a "Big Thunder" cannon, a missile launching car, ammo cars, flat cars with a tank and an armored Bradley vehicle aboard, and others. Mike is now actively gathering USAF military train items also.
The Module Makers:
Daniel G. has a straight four-feet-long module that is highly scenicked with a mountain and a tunnel. He provides C&O trains for running.
Don Hansen designed and built a corner module with a church and other buildings on it. Don has also built and scenicked three 4-feet-long straight modules, one of which is a downtown district.
Don Myers has developed a 4-feet-long straight module with several "Bridges to Nowhere" in place and trains on the tracks.
Doug Krahn has two 4-feet-long modules as an industrial district that includes a large warehouse, factories, and support buildings. He is now adding an elevator house on the roof of the warehouse. Doug provides Union Pacific trains for running, but he has a variety of trains in his collection.
Wil McFadden has two 6-feet-long modules with lots of yard tracks and switches. His DCC equipment now "drives" the DCC-equipped trains on the layout. Will provides Western Pacific trains for running.
Mike Mottler designed and built a corner module as a mountain featuring a dam/spillway with "Realistic Water." His corner module includes a bike trail and the "Pedal Pushers" diner will be placed along this pathway. Mike provides Rock Island trains for running.
CAMRC Projects Benefit the Community as well as Hobbyists
* Celebrating the Holiday Season at the Conway Festival of Light - A Display of Light & O-gauge Trains
The 2008 Conway Festival of Light concluded at the end of December. CAMRC's 18x24-foot, O-gauge modular layout was in operation every evening during this community event. More than 1,000 carloads of visitors attended the festival, which was the highest attendance in its three-year timespan.
This month-long-plus event drew families to the outdoor light displays, music performances, and the CAMRC train layout; plus a visit with Santa. Visiting kids and families enjoyed the rolling TV Camera Car, and their faces lit up when they saw themselves on the closed circuit TV monitor when the train passed by.
Thanks to everyone that participated and made it a success. A special thanks to Mike Mottler for allowing us to use his various Lionel accessories and equipment.
Background: Beginning in 2006 and continuing in 2007 and 2008, the club presented a modular O-gauge operating layout at the Conway Festival of Light event on the grounds of the Soccer Park in west Conway. Beginning on Friday evening after Thanksgiving Day and continuing nightly through the holiday season, this annual event was open to the public. Holiday light displays were installed on the grounds as drive-by exhibits, and music performances were presented at the site. The layout was set up and operated inside the club house, and Santa's area was nearby.
* Refurbishing the NAD "Park Train" at CHDC in Conway
A 1950s vintage “park train” will continue to travel the familiar tracks on the front acreage of the Conway Human Development Center (CHDC) in Conway thanks to a proposal offered to the Center by members of the Central Arkansas Model Railroad Club (CAMRC). The Superintendent of the Center accepted CAMRC's proposal to “adopt” and refurbish this train, which was made in the 1950s by National Amusement Devices (NAD), a manafucturer of roller coasters and amusement park trains. The train at CHDC in Conway is one of only a few surviving NAD units. To date, CAMRC has discoverd about six other NAD trains around the county by Web searches.
As of November 2008, club members have rewired the engine compartment of the locomotive, refurbished the MARS light in the lower nacelle in the nose of the diesel-style loco, rebuilt its carb, repaired a faulty truck, and performed a motor tune-up. In the spring of 2009, CAMRC replaced the fuel pump. The gas-fueled, four-cylinder Ford industrial motor mounted under the hood of the locomotive is now operational for test runs.
With the arrival of pleasant spring weather, on April 7, 2009, members resumed work on the CHDC train. The motor is now running very well, and the train made a test lap around the track. However, there were some minor derailments of the trucks of one of the cars because of out-of-gauge track at certain points along the right of way. Those areas will be repaired and re-gauged in subsequent work sessions. The train will soon be ready for use for the enjoyment of the residents of the Center. For more information about this project, click on CHDC.
* Collaborating with the Faulkner County Museum
A subgroup of the club designed and installed a fully scenicked, HO-scale model railroad exhibit based on the geography of the Conway region. This layout remains in regular operation during normal business hours at the museum in downtown Conway.
* Sharing the Hobby with Families
Members installed and operated a modular HO-scale display at "That Bookstore at Montebanq Place" in downtown Conway during the 1990s.
Description of the Club
CAMRC members are train hobbyists dedicated to the advancement of the world's greatest hobby of model railroading through designing, constructing, and demonstrating train layouts at public sites and events, building local community awareness of the railroad history of this area, and sponsoring educational activities about railroading. Members enjoy traveling by train as rail fans, learning about railroads in this region, and sharing the fascinating history of railroads.
Club members are engaged with many railroads and are involved in several different scales of model railroading – including HO, O, N, and G. CAMRC welcomes new members, and “newbies” (newcomers to the hobby) are welcome at monthly club meetings and club-sponsored activities. Meeting time is invested in sharing club news, planning future events, orienting newbies to the hobby, and arranging train layout learning/working sessions on selected nights and weekends. There is always plenty to do and learn in the world’s greatest hobby, so join the fun!
Families are welcome participants, and parents are expected to accompany their children to activities, become “coaches” to them, and learn about the hobby together. CAMRC is a club of active “doers” – not passive watchers – and there is hands-on work to do for adults and kids. Actually, we believe the work is “play.”
Been There, Done That - Club Activities & Train Excursion Trips
- Visit to private railroad at Dover, AR: May 11, 2009
- Visit to Train Show at Pine Bluff, AR: May 4, 2009
- Operation Life Saver train ride: May 14, 2007