The coupler volume 3 issue 6

Steel City Coupler Publication of the Steel City Division Southeastern Region - NMRA Volume 3, Issue 6

https://www.facebook.com/birminghammodelrailroading

June 2013

Steel City Division Meeting Please plan to attend the next meeting on

Thursday, June 20th, 2013 7:00pm Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, Room 203

Inside This Issue: Editor Jason Parham (gmo1515@comcast.net) ©2013 The Steel City Division, SER-NMRA The Steel City Coupler is published monthly.

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This Month’s Meeting Layout Tour Along the Line – Prototype Railroad News Superintendent’s Office Clerk’s Desk NMRA and SER News Mystery Image Timetable

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June Meeting: Railroads, Red Ore and Red Hot Metal This presentation was very well received at last year’s National Annual Meeting of the R&LHS and is a unique look at the Red Ore Mines of Birmingham and in particular the transportation system that moved red ore from mine to mill.

Many of the images in this presentation show how the actual underground mine railway system worked and many have not been seen in years. We are indeed fortunate to have Eric’s knowledge and graphics to show how red ore moved both underground and above ground to make steel in the Birmingham Industrial District.

Eric McFerrin is the (First) Park Ranger for the Red Mountain Park. He is an avid photographer (http://ericmcferrin.smugmug.com) and a model railroader of the Rio Grande Western. He is a fervent industrial historian is “in the trenches” of day to day work of preserving Birmingham’s wonderful rail and industrial history. Eric’s job at Red Mountain Park lets him enjoy and discover our industrial heritage every working day.

I urge you to come to our June Division meeting to see Eric’s presentation of mines and railroading in Birmingham. You will see pictures of things that very few have seen unless they worked in the mines and drove the trains, and you won’t be disappointed. Remember to bring a friend!

Model of the Month: As a tie in to our presentation, feel free to bring in any mining related model for show and tell. Structures, motive power, and rolling stock are all fair game and could be related to mining any sort of material (coal, ore, etc.)

Remember, this is YOUR Division – what do YOU want to do?

Tell us what you would like to do or see in our Division activities: The Steel City Coupler – June 2013

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Clinic Topics o I would like to do a presentation about… o I would like to see a presentation about… o I need some help with…

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Road trips

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Layouts to visit (know of one we haven’t seen recently?)

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I would like to see us… (what you wish for)

Please email or call Superintendent John Stewart if you have any suggestions at bhamrails@gmail.com or 205-989-4889.

July Meeting: NMRA National Convention (Woohoo!!!)

NOTE: There will be NO Division meeting or Layout tour in July – go to the NMRA National Convention in Atlanta (This is once in a generation opportunity to have one this close to home – last one was 17 years ago in 1995) Here’s a quick rundown of info:  Sunday July 14 – Sunday July 21  Cobb Center Galleria Center, easy drive, at I-75 north and I-285  Put a link in for the convention site http://nmra2013.org/  Visit the National Train Show http://www.nationaltrainshow.org/2013/atlanta.html July 19 – July 21  Read the 2 page Fact Sheet: http://www.nationaltrainshow.org/2013/NTS%202013%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf  Not up for staying the whole week? o One Day Registration: $59 https://www.nmrastores.com/Company_Store/index.php?cPath=89_90_96 o Two Day $89 o Three Day $119 o Full week $149 https://www.nmrastores.com/Company_Store/index.php?cPath=89_90_95  Clinics by Steel City Division members: Larry Smith MMR, John Stewart, Craig Gardner, Steve Gardner  Over 200 clinics in all on a full range of topics  Layout tours, by bus (cost varies) as well as self-guided ($10)  Separate activities for OPSIG (Operations Special Interest Group, membership $7 per year)  Separate activities for LDSIG (Layout Design Special Interest Group, membership req’d)  If cost is a concern: consider sharing a hotel room and/or a ride to split the cost. Several SCD members are doing just that and there are several others looking for a roommate or carpool partner.

If you are interested, let us know and we will get you in touch with those people.

June Layout Tour: Craig Gardner’s Birmingham Southern Keeping our theme of iron, steel and railroading going for this month, Craig Gardner has graciously offered his HO scale Birmingham Southern layout up for an open house. This is an industrial switching layout based on current operations of the Birmingham Southern Railroad (before Watco’s purchase). Included are The Steel City Coupler – June 2013

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actual industries served by BSRR in Fairfield and Ensley with branch lines to Birmingport on the Warrior River and the Concord Mine. Also featured is a parallel Class I line (mostly NS equipment) that interchanges with BSRR in two places with some switching done on several of it’s own industries.

Model Railroad Name: Birmingham Southern Railroad Owner’s Name: Craig Gardner Street Address: 2128 Pine Crest Dr., Vestavia Hills, AL 35216 Phone Number: 205-979-2666 Brief Description / Synopsis: Prototype /Freelance: Prototype – BSRR Scale: HO peninsula

Era : Modern

Locale: Fairfield, Ensley, west Jefferson County area

Approx. Size/Shape: 15’ x 30’ around the wall shelf with center

Layout Style: Walkaround w/peninsula and lower level reached by two helixes.

Mainline Length: Approx. 260’ open frame Roadbed: Cork on plywood

Height (min – max): 34” – 50”

Trackwork: Code 100

Radius (min): 30” main, 25” spurs

Turnouts: #4 in yards (handthrown), # 6 on mainline (powered) Controls: Digitrax DCC w/radio capability software The Steel City Coupler – June 2013

Benchwork: L-girder and

Scenery: 10% complete

Operating Sessions: Yes, currently informal, using JMRI 3

Directions to house: Get to Vestavia on either I-65 or US 31.

From I-65 North: Exit at Alford Ave. Turn right (east). Go 2.8 miles to Columbiana Road (4-lane).

Continue straight ahead to 2nd stop sign. Turn left at Pine Crest Dr. House is first one on corner on the left.

From I-65 South: Exit at Alford Ave. Turn left (east). Follow previous directions to house.

From US 31 North: Turn left at Canyon Road in Vestavia (Shell Station on corner). Go to 4th stop sign (.7 miles). Turn right at Pine Crest Dr. House is first one on corner on the left.

From US 31 South: Turn right at Canyon Road in Vestavia (Shell Station on corner). Follow previous directions to house.

If coming from US 31, please note that Canyon Road becomes Vestaview Lane at the third stop sign.

Park in driveway (will hold about 6 cars) or on Pine Crest Dr. DO NOT park on Vestaview Lane (main road). Walk through yard around house to the left. Train room door is at south end of house.

Note: Layout is not wheelchair accessible.

Speaking of layouts, SCD Member Eric Taylor dropped me a heads up for anyone visiting the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area the existence of the railroad museum and layout at Foley. Its located in the restored L&N freight depot in Foley (this was the end of a now abandoned branch line). In a new building made to look like the depot is a large O Scale layout. It is well worth the time to stop and spend some time looking at it. Admission is free and the layout is open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Along the Line – Prototype Railroad News Sixty Years Ago This Month On Wednesday, June 17, 1953, at 3:00 p.m., an era on the Southern Railway ended when Mikado #6330 eased to a stop in Chattanooga’s Citico Yard. The engine had finished up her run from Oakdale, TN. "It has taken us 123 years to put out that fire," said then Southern Ry President Harry A. DeButts of the occasion.

That “fire” DeButts referred to the fact that one of the System's predecessor lines on December 25, 1830, put into operation the historic "Best Friend of Charleston," the first steam locomotive to be run in regular, scheduled railway service on the American continent.

For more reading, check out the links to the two outstanding articles which were originally printed in the July 1953 issue of Southern Ry’s company magazine Ties: http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1953/53-7/last.html http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1953/53-7/fire.html

Norfolk Southern, What’s your function?

A great thing we’ve seen happen over the years is the Class 1 railroads getting increasingly involved with public relations and outreach. CSX has launched their “How Tomorrow Moves” campaign of radio and TV ads and Norfolk Southern has launched their 21st Century Steam Program, rolled out a fleet of heritage locomotives, and last year brought out a fantastic TV commercial called “City of Possibilities.” It seems the boys in Roanoke have brought out another gem.

Are you a child of the 70’s or 80’s (or had a kid who was)? Remember the classic Schoolhouse Rock song “Conjunction Junction” that aired in between those Saturday morning cartoons? I sure do. Well, Norfolk Southern has taken that old tune, updated the lyrics a bit, and made it into a really cool commercial. Here it is posted to YouTube. If the link doesn’t work, just enter “Norfolk Southern, What's Your Function?” in YouTube’s search bar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_V_y2zYR4&feature=youtu.be The Steel City Coupler – June 2013

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Birmingham Intermodal Facility AL.com reported last month that downtown’s current Amtrak depot, which currently resembles a bomb shelter more than a railroad station, may soon be getting a much needed replacement. The Birmingham Design Review Committee approved preliminary design plans for the facility back in April, which will be a hub for Amtrak, Greyhound and the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority city buses. No deal has been struck to date with Megabus, a subsidiary of Scotland's Stagecoach Group, though developers said they anticipate it will be included.

The terminal is planned to cost an estimated $30 million and include a half-block long “glass box” 4,700square-foot waiting room, a 60-foot message board, and food service. Bus passengers will arrive and depart from one side of the waiting room (which is about three times the size of the current waiting room) while train passengers will arrive and depart from the other side. The 60-foot message board would announce arrivals and departures and include messages about community events.

Passengers arriving or departing by car will be sheltered by the building’s 38-foot-high roof, which will extend out over the street. A new parking lot is to be monitored by cameras and include “panic” call stations, where authorities could be summoned at the push of a button. An upper floor of the building is to include administrative offices and a board room that could double as a space for community events.

Birmingham’s 13-year-old, copper-domed bus terminal and the Amtrak station across the street are to be demolished to make way for the unified facility. The planned replacement of the current bus terminal has caused delays in the project had been delayed by millions of dollars in federal penalties levied against Birmingham and Jefferson County for demolishing the existing copper-topped terminal, which was built with $4.5 million in federal funds in 1999. Planners demonstrated the necessity of its demolition – it could not accommodate expansion – and the federal government waived most of the penalties.

Eighty percent of the cost of the new facility is to be paid for with federal dollars. The city’s $6.3 million in matching funds is to come from a $150 million bond initiative approved by voters in a referendum last year.

Atlanta Trolley Update WGCL-TV, "CBS Atlanta," reported last month that electrical substation equipment furnished by Siemens has been installed for Atlanta's downtown modern streetcar line. The line will link Centennial Olympic Park and the Martin Luther King Jr. visitor center and will use Siemens S70 units configured for streetcar operation. Each substation is 40 feet long, 14.5 feet wide and 11 feet tall. They were installed at the Atlanta Streetcar Vehicle Maintenance facility, which is across from the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza.

CSX “Crazy Eights” End of the Line?

CINCINNATI – CSX SD40-2 No. 8888, dubbed “Crazy Eights” and made famous by a runaway train incident was en route in mid-May to Huntington, W. Va., rumored to be dismantled. The locomotive was dead-in-tow on train Q900 between Corbin, Ky., and Cincinnati where it would be routed one last time to Huntington.

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No. 8888 was made famous on May 15, 2001, when it powered a runaway train out of CSX's Stanley Yard near Toledo and down the former Conrail main line to Columbus. The incident spawned a Hollywood movie, Unstoppable, released in 2010 and starring Denzel Washington.

Trains Magazine’s News Wire has reached out to CSX for comment and is awaiting a response.

Superintendent’s Office Model Railroading and Demographics

By John Stewart, Superintendent (Editor’s Note: Below is a copy of a letter John recently submitted to the “Mail Car” Column of the NMRA magazine) To the Editor, There is a lot of discussion about the future of the model railroading hobby. One would assume that would also include the NMRA. Many seem to be concerned about our future as a hobby and an organization.

I believe that it is a good thing that the NMRA has chosen to focus on its online presence with the “dot org” aspect of its re-branding and new logo. I think that most would agree that, like it or not, we are in the digital age.

Not all of us are comfortable with change. When I was in the business world, our company would utilize personality alignment testing as a means to find out how folks could work better with people of different personality types. For example, architects and engineers tend to be different. One thing about engineers is that many of that type don’t like change.

I submit that many model railroaders are like many engineers – we don’t necessarily embrace change.

Another thing that many model rail folk seem to do is to long for the “good old days”, and that is not surprising as we seem to be an older part of the population. There are frequently those that express a longing for the “old days” of the hobby and railroading. Today’s railroads are very dynamic industries that are changing every day. I don’t care to model the modern railroads, but it is certainly interesting and thriving.

I have a wise acquaintance who likes to say “These are the good old days.”

Many of our colleagues in the hobby seem to believe that we are a dying breed. I submit that this is our own fault if indeed it happens. Things are changing all the time and some of that change may work in our favor.

One thing that is changing is our nation’s “demographics”. One definition of demographics is “the statistical characteristics of human populations (such as age or income) that may be used to define markets”.

For those that are worried that we model railroaders are dying out – or “aging out” if you will, I suggest that nothing should be further from the truth. Notice the word “should” be further from the truth.

What I mean is in two parts: One, the population over age 60 in this country is predicted to more than double in the next 40 years. So, even if we don’t recruit young folks to the hobby, we as an age based market will double in less than 40 years.

The second part is the “should” part: The best way to assure that we take advantage of this demographic opportunity is to seek out model railroaders among our own age group.

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I was in our local hobby shop recently and saw someone that I had known through business in recent years – BR – before retirement. I re-introduced myself to this fellow and asked if he was into model railroading.

His reply was that he was “going to get back into it”. In other words, he was headed for retirement and looking to re-start his latent interest in model railroading. I certainly encouraged him to attend a Division meeting as well as his interest in the hobby.

So, the “should” part of this opportunity is that we the model railroaders and NMRA members need to be willing to seize this opportunity. Talk to your peers and see if there is a latent interest in model railroading.

That is, are there “trains in the attic?” both literally and figuratively? Spread the word and see if you can identify new or soon to be new retirees who were ever interested in trains.

The demographic data predicts that this is going to be a “target rich environment. We older folks with time and money are a growing segment of the population. If you don’t believe it, just do a Google search for “model railroad club and retirement” and see how many retirement venues have a model railroad group on the premises.

Now, I am also in great favor of finding young folks to recruit to the hobby. Grandchildren of us older folks is certainly a place to start but don’t stop there. Look around at church or other groups and see who can put you in touch with younger folks who have potential interest in model railroading. Talk to youth group leaders in your church or Scout leaders in the community.

I have started an operations session on my home layout and one of our most ardent operators is an 11-year old who comes with his Dad. When the older guys are ready to sit one out, young Josh is at the trainmaster’s desk with his hand out for another assignment.

I just got back from a two week vacation that included visiting my (not quite) three year old granddaughter.

Izzy is still in love with trains and we built a new Brio layout every day of our visit. A well-meaning aunt sent Izzy a baby doll, but she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Just trains.

One of our younger Division members said that his retired Dad was not a computer person at all. But since retiring from the railroad he has gotten into Facebook. One of his hobbies is restoring military vehicles and the local group he belongs to uses Facebook. John Jr. suggested we should have a Division Facebook page, and when asked was willing to set one up. Facebook is an entrée to younger model railroaders. Our local Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Mid-South Chapter also has a Facebook page. When in Rome, and all that.

So, embrace change and realize that our world is changing, our hobby certainly is changing and our “demographic” is changing. We older folks are a growing market, set to double in size. We have time and we generally have some money in our pocket. But “we” have to find “us”. Get out of the basement and find a way to contact new folks and invite them to join you in a model rail activity.

If we maintain the same percentage of our age group in the hobby we should expect the NMRA and the hobby to double in size in coming years. That is if we sit on our “laurels”. If we get off our “laurels” and quit worrying and sending doomsday emails to each other, who knows what will happen? Instead, send a “how about having fun with trains” email to someone you know and see what happens. – John

Clerk’s Desk We’re goin’ live on the world wide web, baby!

By Jason Parham, Secretary Did you notice something new in the header at the top of page 1? No? I’ll let you go and check again. Don’t worry I’ll wait……

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Well, new member John Pate and I have been busy the past couple of weeks on a little project. It’s not a modeling project per se, but it is something that I think you’ll find interesting.

News about the new Birmingham Model Railroading Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/birminghammodelrailroading) which I hope all of you will check out.

Now I will give credit where credit is due. John got the idea for this and was the one who got it up and running. I helped to fill in with material mainly consisting of photos we’ve gathered of local model railroads from around the area.

The primary focus of this effort is to spread awareness of the Steel City Division and prmote the hobby in general.

Some of you may have some misgivings about Facebook and, to be honest, so do I but we can’t ignore the powerful tool that it can be in today’s digital age.

Making websites from scratch and maintaining them can be quite time intensive and we feel this avenue still gets the word across with a lot lower maintenance. As usual with Facebook, there is a photo page which we have posted a fair number of pictures of local modeling efforts. The mainstays were photos we had of local layout. Most of which were seen in this publication over the past year and a half, though there are “new” shots taken by myself, gathered from the modeler’s own websites, or other sources. Let’s take this month’s featured layout for instance. Craig offered to let us use a fair amount of shots off of his website and going to his album will show 11 images of his layout. There is also an album for “Miscellaneous Models” where we want to showcase the efforts of modelers that may not necessarily be on actual layout. We encourage all of you to submit pictures of your models and/or layout to add to the collection. There are a few gaps we would like to fill as we know of some fine work out there that is not on there yet simply because we couldn’t find a pic that we already had.

On the main page, we intend to use it to broadcast upcoming events, meetings, layout open houses, etc. The goal is to increase our outreach to folks in our area who may not get the newsletter currently. We also would like YOU to use it as well as a way to interact with others in the Division 

Ask for help on a project you have going

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Show off your layout or latest modeling project.

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Hook up with a friend to go to the convention – find a ride, find a roomie

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Tell us your interests and find those that share them

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Take a minute and give it a visit. Let us know how you like it.– Jason

News from the NMRA Headquarters Latest Update from the Peachtree Express 2013 NMRA Convention A special note on our tours: While we are offering tours to please every taste, we cannot afford to operate tours that fail to meet minimum break-even levels. If you are interested in any of the tours - either layout, prototype or general interest - please reserve them now. We must notify our bus provider by June 12 if any tours are to be canceled, so please don't depend on buying tour tickets at the convention. If enough people don't show interest by the cut-off date, we have no alternative other than to cancel.

The Atlanta Convention Committee has been hard at work for the last several years preparing a great schedule of events for your enjoyment and education. There is truly something for everyone. For the railoriented group:

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• You can choose from over 200 clinics covering a wide array of topics and including sessions covering basic to advanced topics, even “Modeling with the Masters” clinics.

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Over 60 outstanding layouts in all scales will open their doors for your touring pleasure.

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The silent auction will be filled with bargains in all scales as well as books and railroadiana.

• The model celebration and contest is shaping up to be one of the best, so bring what you've been working on to just show it off, or have it evaluated for AP points.

• A Company Store will feature our unique HO and N scale convention cars, numerous items of logo apparel, and many other rail-related goodies.

• The convention banquet will feature professional family-friendly entertainment in the sidesplitting "Lucy and Desi tribute show" along with Door Prizes.

• The National Train Show is shaping up to be one of the best. All the major manufacturers and vendors will be there, plus modular layouts in all scales.

Atlanta is rich in railroad heritage and we plan to highlight many local attractions. Prototype tours include: •

Visits to CSX Tilford and Hulsey yards and CSX railfanning (pending CSX confirmation).

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The unique operations of short line Georgia Northeastern

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NS intermodal operations and railfanning

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Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit (MARTA) heavy rail maintenance facility

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A ride over the famed L&N "Hook & Eye" route on our very own charter train

• Re-living the Great Locomotive Chase featuring a professional Civil War historian and visits to many of the actual locations where the civil war skirmishes occurred. You'll also be up close and personal with the actual "General" locomotive.

• A look into the future of transportation takes you to American Maglev's test facility and a ride on their prototype maglev train.

• Airplane buffs will not want to miss the tour to the Delta Museum, which is now planned to include a look at the Delta World Ops Center and training simulators.

• Opportunities to visit Atlanta's two premier rail museums--Southern Museum of Locomotive History and Southeastern Railway Museum.

Atlanta is a great family fun location, so bring the family. General Interest Tours include: • An extensive array of non-rail clinics, a special ladies luncheon, an "open early-close late" hospitality suite, continuation of the Project Linus quilting activities, evening movie events featuring "Gone With the Wind" and other southern-flavor classics.

• A special evening at Stone Mountain Park to enjoy all the attractions and culminating in the fabulous Laser & Fireworks Spectacular.

• Tours to the Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, World of Coke, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Atlanta Cyclorama, Carter Library, Martin Luther King birthplace and others.

Our convention venue is convenient and affordable: • Located outside of downtown Atlanta, The Renaissance Waverly is the convention hotel.

Your $139.00 convention rate includes FREE parking and the hotel is directly connected to the Galleria Centre, site of the rail clinics and tour departures.

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You'll enjoy air-conditioned comfort throughout the entire Waverly/Galleria complex.

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• The complex also features a covered walkway to Cumberland Mall, home to 140 stores and numerous restaurants.

For additional convention details, visit: www.nmra2013.org. – Joe Gelmini (Peachtree Express Convention Chairman)

Steel City Division Happenings An Attaboy!

Congratulations are in order to Chuck Lampman who earned his Civil AP Certificate over the Memorial Day Weekend. Here we see George Gilbert (right) presenting Chuck’s certificate to him. This is Chuck’s third certificate and joins the Scenery and Electrical certificates already hanging on his wall.

Sources for Floquil and PollyScale Colors Bob Beaty recently forwarded this and asked me to pass it along to you all. As you may know, the decision recently came down from the parent company of Testors to discontinue production of Floquil and PollyScale brands of paint (both of which were purchased by Testors a few years back). Whether or not another company will step in and purchased the paint lines remains to be seen, but Bob tells me in the interim that he has been assisting Dave at Oak Mtn Hobbies to stock up on remaining inventory of the two brands.

Since those two brands have been a primary supplier for railroad colors for decades, Microscale Industries has also been at work creating a cross reference for you to find substitute paint colors from alternate paint manufacturers. The link to the chart can be found here: http://www.microscale.com/ResourceCntr_Floquil.html If you usually use Floquil "Coach Green", with this chart you will see that Tamiya has an alternate #71 Cockpit Green that will do just fine. Microscale states that while not all colors will be absolutely "bang on dead ringers", hopefully they will get you close enough into the ball park. Subsitute paints are listed from manufacturers like Vallejo, Model Masters, Testors, Gunze Sangyo, Humbrol, Tamiya and Tamiya Spray.

Of course anyone can migrate to a Scalecoat or Tru-Color. The following colors still need to be tested by dipping in the jar and painting a few swatches. The chart is for reference only. Use at your own risk, but they feel pretty confident in the color matches. Hope this helps for future projects.

If anyone would like to contribute to this on-going cross reference, please feel free to email Microscale Industries at railroad@microscale.com.

Mystery Image The boarded up interlocking tower in last month’s issue was located in my hometown of Tuscaloosa.

Correct answers were given by Jack McCraw (a fellow Tuscaloosa native himself), Craig Gardner, and Bob Beaty. The tower stood at the crossing of Southern Railway’s AGS line with the GM&O Montgomery District. Unfortunately, I still do not know who took that shot or when it was taken. My guess is sometime in the 1950’s or 60’s judging by the good condition of the wood covering the windows. I do know the photographer was looking south from a passenger train on the AGS.

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You may have noticed that I mentioned last month that I recognized the tower from my earlier train chasing days. The reason for that is the tower managed to survive until just a couple of years ago. The board coverings on the upper floor windows were long gone by then and the roof was looking quite decrepit in those final days. How shabby did it look? We’ll I’ll let a photo I took (looking roughly the same direction) back in July 2008 do the talking….

Sad looking aint it? I’m sure the fact that the walls were solid brick (and about a foot thick at that) was the main reason the poor thing lasted as long as it did. Even up till the end those walls were in fantastic shape.

The upper floor was also a concrete slab, so I’m sure it was rock solid as well but the exterior stairway going to it had long since been removed. That wooden roof, well, didn’t fair quite so well.

Moving on……..

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This month’s image comes to us from RRPictureArchives.net (man, I love that site). The year was 1983, and a gentleman by the name of Rick Morgan took a little road trip down to Naheola, Alabama, There, he caught the tail end an eastbound freight on the Meridian & Bigbee RR crossing the Tombigbee River on a vertical lift bridge. At first glance, this looks like a very nice, yet very normal looking scene of a train crossing a river. Ah, but things are not always they seem.

Taking a closer look at the bridge reveals a situation you will likely never find anywhere else. My question is what is out of the ordinary about this shot?

Do you see it? Shoot me an email at gmo1515@comcast.net if you think you might know it. – Jason PS: I’m always on the hunt for interesting photos to use for Mystery Images. If you have one you would like to volunteer for future use (either vintage or present day), please let me know.

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Timetable NMRA National Convention - Peachtree Express July 14 thru 20, 2013 Cobb Galleria Center Atlanta, GA Father’s Day Limited Saturday June15, 2013 - 11:00 & 2:00 Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Calera AL (Treat Dad to a train ride through the forests of Shelby County! Dad rides for ½ regular coach fare when accompanied by one or more of his children.)

Stars & Stripes Special Saturday June 29, 2013 - 11:00, 2:00 Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Calera AL (Celebrate the birthday of our country with a good ol’ fashioned train ride through the forests of Shelby County and enjoy a picnic in the pavilion! Everyone with a ticket will enjoy a hot dog lunch and ice cream after or before their train ride!)

Wild West Day Saturday August 3, 2013 - 10:00, 1:00, 3:00 Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Calera AL (Travel back to the 1800s and experience life in the Wild West! Enjoy a train ride through the forests of Shelby County, but hang on to your gold and valuables just in case yer waylaid by desperados! The Black Hat Gang is known to hold up this train! Enjoy old-timey western tunes with Mr. Jim at the depot.

Bring your camera for photos with the outlaws!)

National Train Show Cobb Galleria Center Public Sessions: Friday, July 19, 2013; Noon-6pm Saturday, July 20, 2013; 10am-6pm Sunday, July 21, 2013; 10am-5pm 45th Atlanta Train Show Saturday, August 10, 2013 North Atlanta Trade Center Norcross, GA Steel City Division Meetings for 2013: 1/17, 2/21, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16, 6/20, 7/18, 8/15, 9/19, 10/17, 11/21

Steel City Division Officers Superintendent Assist. Superintendent Secretary Treasurer

John Stewart Jeff Johnson Jason Parham Carey Ketchum

The Steel City Coupler – June 2013

205-989-4889 205-949-9325 205-534-6529 205-871-5495

jstew@bhamrails.info jeffscottjohnson@hotmail.com gmo1515@comcast.net cketchu1@bellsouth.net

If you can receive your “Coupler” via e-mail, you can help save printing and postage costs. Send your e-mail address to gmo1515@comcast.net

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