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From Central Arkansas Model Railroad Club
CAMRC Train Open House Events in 2012
The McGee Center in west Conway has approved our schedule for CY 2012. Set-up for these events will be held on Fridays (the evening beforehand) for participating club members.
- Summer - Saturday, June 16, 2012 Theme: A memory-maker event for fathers and grandfathers
- Fall - Saturday, Sept 22, 2012 Theme: Trains 101 - What newbies need to know
- Winter - Saturday, Dec 1, 2012 Theme: Santa's helpers: Tips on gifting a train for Christmas
Upcoming Club Meetings in 2012
Members gather on the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. for a self-pay dinner at Whole Hog Cafe in Conway (150 E. Oak Street). The club meeting starts at 6 o'clock
- May 7
- June 4
- July 2
- August 6
- September 3
- October 1
- November 5
- December 3
Photo & Video Gallery - Check It Out
Club members and visitors to CAMRC-sponsored events are shown in photos at our companion website. Images of Train Open House events and other activities are available for viewing and can be downloaded. Videos of real railroad activites are posted too. Visit that website with a click here: http://camrc.shutterfly.com/
Minutes of Previous Club Meetings
To view summaries of previous club meetings, click here on MINUTES. The most recent meeting is listed first for convenience; previous meetings are listed in reverse chronological order.
Club Membership Dues for CY 2012
NOTICE TO CLUB MEMBERS: At the October 2011 meeting, the club adopted a new payment schedule for club dues for all members for calendar year 2012. The former dues payment schedule based on the "anniversary date of joining" has been set aside. Dues are now payable no later than November, 30, 2011, for the upcoming year; thus all members will be on the same calendar. Please send your 2012 annual membership dues payment ($40) the club's address cited below. Make your check payable to "CAMRC" with "Club 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 "Club Dues" on the memo line. Mail it to:
Central AR Model RR Club
P.O. Box 1825
Conway, AR 72033-1825
Info about our 8x20-feet HO-scale Modular Layout
Trains for Various Interests and Ages
Don Hansen and Mike Mottler created a four-track, door-top-based layout for HO-scale THOMAS trains with Thomas, Percy, James, and Emily at the point of cars intended for each "very useful engine." This layout was designed for hands-on operation by kids with four separate control stations - one for each track and train. Youngsters who successfully ran the trains during Train Open House events earned a JUNIOR ENGINEER certificate from CAMRC.
Daniel Gladstone has loaned 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.
Don and Mike are now working (Summer, 2011) on a HO-scale, four-feet-long straight module with two mountains above the platform and a waterfall and canyon below the platform. It will be the first multi-level module for the club's layout.
Meet the Module Makers
New members Robert Swain and his son Jamie are working work on a four-feet-long straight module. This may be used to increase the WIDTH of the club's HO-scale modular layout from 8 to 12 feet.
Bill Smith designed and built a four-feet straight module with a faux tunnel, a farmstead with a pond, and a building under construction.
Teenager Katie and her stepdad have created TWO four-feet-long straight modules using foam insulation sheets as the foundation for hills and valleys. Katie has explained her design concept and scenicking process to visitors during recent TOH events.
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 four-feet-long straight modules, one of which is a downtown district.
Mike Mottler designed and built a corner module as a mountain featuring a dam/spillway with "Realistic Water." His corner module includes a bear den, a bike trail with cyclists, fishermen, and a roadside diner built from a kit by Don Hansen for placement on this module. Mike provides Rock Island trains for running.
CAMRC Involvement in the Community
*All Aboard! Lionels at Laman" Event in December, 2011
CAMRC members will join Arkansas members of the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) for the "All Aboard! Lionels at Laman" event at Laman Library in North Little Rock, December 15-31. A large operating O-gauge train layout will be in action during all hours when the library is open to the public. In December, 201, this exhibit attracted 3,522 visitors, Based on #'s from Mike Mottler, this year they topped 5,000
* Delivering on a Three-year Committment to Fun with Trains in the Spirit of the Season
Beginning in 2006 and continuing through 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 installed on the grounds as drive-by exhibits were a major attraction to visitors, and music performances were presented at the site. CAMRC volunteers operated the layout every evening from 6 to 9 p.m. in the club house, and Santa's area was nearby in the same room.
* 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 - Past 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