Moving a Railroad
to Frisco, again!
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American Eagle Railroad Group begin work on the disassembly
and relocation of the Sanders Model Train Layout.
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The long and tedious process of relocating the Sanders G-Scale Model Train Layout to Frisco began today. Workers from American Eagle Railroad Group (AER), under the direction of Andy Wortman, started photographing, cataloging, and removing items from the layout. Rolling stock (locomotives and cars) were carefully removed from tracks and placed in their original boxes
Cincinnati-based AER Group was selected to do the work, having shown great enthusiasm and a willingness to meet the Museum’s budget for the project. They have much experience with constructing and relocating G-Scale layouts for commercial use. They will work in concert with Entertrainment Junction which specializes in state-of-the-art operating systems for model train layouts.
Great care will be taken during every step of the relocation process. The layout will be broken down into manageable pieces in much the same fashion as when it was assembled. Each piece will be carefully transported to Frisco, reassembled, and then meticulously blended together. Electrical systems, including lighting and train control, will be upgraded using the latest technologies. Since the layout will transition from an in-home hobby that saw relatively light use, to a year-round public attraction, new train operating systems will be designed to minimize daily wear and tear.
Work will continue through the summer. The Museum is officially a tenant at the Frisco Discovery Center, with Special Events Room #2 now dedicated to housing and presenting the Layout. We are very grateful to the City of Frisco and its Community Development Corporation for making the Discovery Center space available. Watch for periodic updates as we build this exciting, new attraction at the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco!
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Journalist Donates a Look into Amtrak's Past
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Arch Campbell aboard Amtrak's Broadway Limited, 1974.
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Our good friend Arch Campbell recently donated some gems from his years at Channel 8 television in Dallas. Arch was a feature reporter for the ABC affiliate back in the 1970s. As part of his work, he covered Amtrak’s early operations following its assumption of intercity passenger rail operations in 1971.
Arch rode the rails on Amtrak in 1974 and again in 1978, logging many miles in the Midwest and Northeast. His itinerary included Amtrak’s Lone Star (formerly Santa Fe’s Texas Chief), and the Broadway Limited. Both trains were subsequently discontinued. He prepared mini-documentaries for Channel 8, filming (yes, real film) and photographing trains, passengers, and employees along the way. He generously donated the actual film reel and over 100 slides of his travels. They provide a rare, candid glimpse of early Amtrak service, a time of transition that is now part of the carrier's history.
Campbell’s images capture an ambitious effort to preserve the vanishing passenger train, and the seasoned employees that worked aboard aging equipment originally purchased by the railroads in the 1950s. He also featured another local railroad subject, a hand-built O-Gauge model train layout constructed by Burt C. Blanton of Highland Park. His layout is captured in several Kodachrome slides. Arch went on to work for a television affiliate in Washington, D.C. where he recently retired from his long career in journalism. He and his wife travel the country and continue to discover the diverse ways of life just as he did in journalism.
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Sleeping Car Attendant (left) and Conductor (right) aboard Amtrak's Lone Star, 1974. The train operated from Houston to Chicago via Fort Worth.
Amtrak ran a connecting train from Dallas to Fort Worth until the
Lone Star's discontinuance in 1979.
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From Arkansas to Texas, a Speeder Finds a New Home
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Bauxite & Northern track "speeder" reposes at the Museum of the American Railroad shortly after arrival - saved from the scrapper's torch.
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Trains come in all sizes! Perhaps the smallest is represented here in this circa 1960s Fairmount track speeder. This example was donated by the Bauxite & Northern Railway in Arkansas. Its fate was in jeopardy, but the line’s general manager saw to it that the speeder was spared. “I just didn’t have the heart to cut it up,” said Gene Cox
Used for inspection and maintenance, track speeders were a common sight on railroads for decades. The Bauxite & Northern was chartered in 1907 for the purpose of hauling raw materials used for aluminum production. The line is now part of Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. which owns or maintains interest in over 100 short line railroads.
The speeder has been enclosed using common building materials and doubled as a deer blind according to employees. It is powered by a 4-cylinder gasoline engine and could be found roaming the 3-mile line near Little Rock, Arkansas.
Our thanks to the employees of Bauxite & Northern. Before moving to the line, Gene Cox was an Operations Manager at Dallas, Garland & Northeastern during the Museum’s big move from Fair Park to Frisco. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for helping make that massive project possible. Special thanks also to longtime Museum volunteer Dick Thompson for transporting the speeder from Bauxite, AR to Frisco.
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Make a Difference!
Consider making a financial contribution to the Museum of the American Railroad to ensure continued quality programming for North Texas. Become a stakeholder in creating the Premiere Museum of Railroad History & Technology in the Southwest.
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The Museum of the American Railroad is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable corporation chartered in the state of Texas in 1962. The mission of the Museum is to enrich the lives of others through meaningful, relevant programs and exhibits that relate the history & technology of the Railroad and its profound impact on American life and culture.
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