The Gandy Dancer
The Official Publication of
the Alameda County
Central Railroad Society
The Gandy DancerThe Official Publication of
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In This Issue: |
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Railroad World News
Next Public Operation Session:
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| Home and Garden Show Hours | |
| Saturday, October 2nd: | |
| Sunday, October 3rd: | |
18th Annual Alameda County Fall Home and Garden Show:
October 2 and 3, 2004.
Great American Train Show (GATS):
Saturday, November 27 and Sunday, November 28.
Annual Club Holiday Potluck:
Friday, December 3. The potluck will replace the usual business meeting.
This Month's HO Scale Run Schedule: |
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| Date: | Mode: |
| Friday, September 3rd | Digital |
| Friday, September 10th | Analog |
| Friday, September 17th | Digital |
| Friday, September 24th | Analog |
| Friday, October 1st | Pre-Run |
From the HO Trainmaster:
Hello "HO" Members,
Well, seems it's been a couple of months since our last business and
"HO" meetings. Hope all of you who attended enjoyed our annual Bar-b-que
get-together. We sure had plenty of good eats. Be thinking about some
topics you'd like to bring up at our next "HO" meeting. I know Seth
would like to talk about updating our programing computer and Dennis would
like to discuss our special running in October. Hope you plan to attend our
next business meeting on September 3rd.
See you then.
Andy Herrera
HO Trainmaster
From the O Scale Trainmaster:
Annual O Scale Meet:
On Sunday, August 8, the ACCRS O Scalers hosted our third annual open house, BBQ and swap meet. About 50 club members and visitors attended, the latter from all over the State. I talked to a vendor from the San Diego area, other visitors from Los Angeles, and a guy from Fresno. Plus such regulars as Bob Jaekel and Dave Vialle from Mariposa, Lou Cross from Chowchilla, and a number of our West Bay group friends. O Scale West major domo Rod Miller was one of the latter and chuckled when I called our meet OSW-Lite. And unlike the Union Pacific, he did not threaten to sue us for trademark infringement.
Special thanks to Bill Oborne for handling the Barbeque, and for the food and set-up efforts of Linda Cumming and Mmes. Galli and Jaekel. Plenty of chow was consumed, and donations just about covered our costs.
New Products:
Lou Cross' ever-expanding Right-o-Way line of track components now includes switch points, guard rails and frogs in code 100 nickel silver. The frogs are #5 and #6, both of them great for industrial areas and small yards. Lou also sells Code 100 rail in bundles of 99-feet.
Farewell, John Armstrong
John Armstrong, the dean of model railroad writers and unquestionably the greatest track planner our hobby has ever seen, passed away in Silver Spring, MD in July, just a few days after the O Scale National Convention. I am sure most of you have seen or bought one or another of his many books, or read some of the enormous number of articles John penned for Model Railroader over a 50+ year span.
John was an unreformed, 3-rail O Scale man (3d rail to the side, like BART, not Lionel), but his layout ideas knew no boundaries. They were also way ahead of their time. John's home layout (the Canadaigua Southern), and the SP layout he designed for our own ACCRS member Bill Kennerley, are probably the first examples of the now-popular walk-in, multi-level design. As well, I remember an Armstrong article in MR in the 1960s, which featured a full helix of several levels. Completely hidden, and in O scale.
John's Canandaigua Southern is the subject of a three-part article in MR in 1996, and is covered by one of Allan Keller's layout videos. Well worth enjoying, no matter what your favorite scale.
George A. Cumming, Jr.
O Scale Trainmaster
| Club Officers: | |
| President Gary Lewis |
Vice President Henry Chandler |
| Secretary Dean Lewis |
Treasurer Don Pomplun |
| HO Trainmaster Andy Herrera |
O Trainmaster George Cumming |
| Newsletter Editor Dan Espinosa |
Webmaster Wayne Toigo |
| Visit the ACCRS website | |
| If you have any information that would be of interest to the ACCRS membership please contact Dan Espinosa. The deadline for submitting information for the August issue is 21 September. Members are also encouraged to submit photos, announcements and other club and railroad related material for use on the club website. | |
The Gandy Dancer, a monthly publication of the
Alameda County Central Railroad Society.
Copyright 2004, ACCRS Inc. All rights reserved.
Last Revised 30 August, 2004.
For more information, contact Dan
Espinosa, Editor