CGRS October 2000 Newsletter

	The Columbus Garden Railway Society November 2000 Online Newsletter Volume 9 Number 11 Table Of Contents
	The Plant Manager	Barbara Abler
	Perfect Day for Meeting in Lancaster and Nelsonville	Richard Abler
	POLA Representatives meet with CGRS	Richard Abler
	Photos Wanted of October Meeting	Bob Stetson
	Rail Bender Missing	Richard Abler
	On Tour Again - Steam Engine #2719	Margo and Tom Lemke
	Wisconsin GRS Celebrates Tenth Anniversary	Richard Abler
	Huntington Bank Holiday Train Layout to Open	Richard Abler
	About CGRS and this Newsletter	Richard Abler
	Deadline for Next Issue	Richard Abler

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The Plant Manager

Barbara Abler

The Tu-Mulch-uous Season

You can blame Richard for the horrible pun in the title. I think he has been collecting too many leaves. Which brings us to the topic of this column. We have a horrendous number of leaves every Fall because of the large numbers of large trees on our lot.

Nostalgic views of Fall in the U.S. show homeowners raking leaves into piles and burning them. Today the EPA frowns on this practice since it contributes to air pollutions. So what is a homeowner to do?

Well, you can do what my dad used to do. He never burned leaves. Instead, he raked them up and dug them into the vegetable garden before the ground froze. He always had good crops.

We (well, actually Richard) deal with our leaves in several different ways. Some are raked to the street for the township to collect on specified days. Eventually these will be composted, probably by Kurtz Brothers. Others we compost ourselves.

For many years we just raked the leaves into the ravine where they joined the leaves on the woods floor in letting nature do her thing in composting them. Last year we got ahold of 4 old wooden pallets of roughly the same size and Richard joined them together to make a compost bin. We haven’t been very good about turning the pile, but the once full bin is now only about 1/3 full and ready to have more leaves dumped in it. Eventually I will have good leaf mould for the garden beds.

Other leaves are mulched, i.e., shredded, with either the leaf blower used as a vacuum or by running the lawn mower over them. These shredded leaves are used around the base of plants as winter mulch, to prevent frost heave, and to add nutrients to the soil. I have Richard shred the oak leaves separately so I can use them to mulch acid-loving plants such as the azaleas, rhododendron, and heathers. Oak leaves are good for acidifying the all too alkaline soil of central Ohio.

Why rake the leaves at all? Well, if you don’t the heavy wet leaves will compact and foster growth of fungus and molds and other things that will kill your lawn. Why shred them? Well, that’s because the smaller the particles, the faster they will decompose. Why compost them? Well, that’s because they are a free source of nutrients for the soil. Digging them into the ground will also improve the structure of the heavy clay soils in this region. If you use the compost you won’t need all those chemical fertilizers and you will thereby cut down the pollution of ground water by fertilizers.

Besides, it will give you some good exercise on a beautiful fall day and help to improve your cardiovascular system. Mother Nature thinks of everything.

Perfect Day for Meeting in Lancaster and Nelsonville

Richard Abler

What a great day for riding trains, visiting garden railroads, and just being outdoors with the spectacular fall colors at last months meeting! About 70 folks of all ages got together to enjoy the day.

The day began early with the monthly meeting at the Rising Park park shelter house. Our Lancaster members had hot coffee and fresh donuts to get us started.

We covered a few business issues. 1. First of all we needed to secure a host family for the November meeting. Dave & Judy Cheney volunteered. See separate story.

2. I mentioned briefly that we have been asked to run trains for the Home and Garden Show at the Fairgrounds next February. That show runs nine days. Details have yet to be worked out. The sponsors are hoping to pair us with a regular exhibitor. Stay tuned.

3. We will be running trains again with our "portable garden railroad" at the Great American Train Show at the Fairgrounds on February 24-25. That will overlap with the Home and Garden Show across the street.

4. We had several first time attendees at this meeting and had these folks introduce themselves.

Next Hank Falken showed his rot-resistant, termite-resistant Styrofoam roadbed and his technique for constructing same. It works well on his railroad in Florida, so it should hold up against rot and bugs in Ohio.

After the meeting it was off to Nelsonville for the noon departure to Haydenville on a real train. The railroad reserved a coach for CGRS so we could all ride together. The train stopped for half hour at the restored village of Robbins Crossing. Students from the Hocking Valley Joint Vocational School - in period costume - demonstrated old-time crafts such as blacksmithing. We also saw demonstrations of weaving, wood cutting and cooking as was done more than a hundred years ago. All of the buildings were open for tours.

After the train ride several CGRSers stopped for the bargains at the Garden Accents Store in Logan. The store features terra cotta garden ornaments and pots. Next we visited three garden railroads in Lancaster. This was the first time the railroads were open to CGRS members. We stopped at the home of Richard & Sherry McElfresh, Bob & Pat Stetson, and Hank & Dolores Falken. What great railroads!

This was a full day of railroading and garden railroading. Full days like this don’t just happen. A lot of planning is involved. Thanks to Hank Falken for all the arrangements he made with the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad and for his great directions and map. Thanks to Bob Stetson for the railroad descriptions. And thanks to all three families for getting the shelter house ready for us with coffee and donuts!

Photos Wanted of October Meeting

Richard Abler

We had a great time entertaining CGRS guests at our garden railroad last month. Since we were too busy operating our layouts, we were unable to get a few snapshots of the proceedings on that Sunday.

Would it be possible to get a few snapshots from any of the many CGRS members that were photographing the three layouts? We would like to use them in our NMRA Division 6 model railroad club newsletter and scrapbook.

We prefer hard copy snapshots.

Please give me a call at 740-653-3764 or email to rstetson@greenapple.com

POLA Representatives meet with CGRS

Richard Abler

Last month several CGRS members had the opportunity to meet with two representa-tives of Faller GmbH - the company which bought the POLA line of G-scale structures approx. three years ago. The representatives were Adalbert Schreiber and Heinz Koentopp. Mr. Schreiber is an Export Manager. Mr. Koentopp’s title was in German and I’m not sure of the exact English meaning of "Geschaeftsfuehrer." To me it means "company manager." These gentlemen were in the U.S. to attend a major toy show in the Chicago area. After the show they wanted to meet with some "typical customers" of the POLA line.

The main purposes of their meeting with us were described as wanting to know what customers thought of the POLA line, what problems - if any - we were having, what we liked about their products, and suggestions for improving the products, and suggestions for new additions to the line. The meeting was held Saturday morning, October 21st, in a meeting room at the Worthington Hills Country Club.

After brief opening statements by Mr. Schreiber we encountered what I can only call a bit of "culture shock." Both gentlemen were amazed to learn that CGRS has women members! Not only that, but that some of these women members make decisions about which buildings should be on the layout, and that some women actually buy and construct POLA buildings!

They took a brief "time-out" at this point to have a discussion with each other in German, which I could not follow, but from the head shakings and tones of voice and gestures, they were clearly taken aback by this bit of information.

For the next hour and a half we spoke about our experiences with POLA. We covered the environmental effects of keeping structures outdoors year round, especially freeze-thaw problems. We talked about adhesives and fading and warping. We asked for more American style structures. We covered cost issues and inexpensive alternatives to POLA, like bird houses, bird feeders, mailboxes, and structures built from plastic sheeting.

After this more formal part of the day Bill Logan and I took the gentlemen to see a typical small garden railroad (Ablers), a medium-sized railroad (Babkas) and a large railroad (Easterdays). All the while they took plenty of photos and video footage- mostly focusing on structures.

At about 2pm they headed to the Cleveland area for a Sunday meeting with Northern Ohio GRS, and then back home to Germany.

I can’t report on results of the NOGRS meeting. But, as far as meeting with CGRS, I think they got more information than they expected. I think they now have a better idea of the American market and its significant difference from the German market.

After spending about four hours with them last month I believe Mr. Schreiber and Mr. Koentopp were genuinely interested in learning more about the American market for their products. Time will only tell how they will use the information they gathered here.

On Tour Again - Steam Engine #2719

Margo and Tom Lemke

From Hixton, Wisconsin to the Mississippi River, October 7 & 8, 2000

We learned of this trip from an article in the Wisconsin Garden Railway Society Newsletter, Badger Tracks, written by Marv Nauman. The excursion was named "Green Bay & Western Fall Color Tour" sponsored by the Locomotive & Tower Preservation Fund and the Chippewa Valley Railway. Everyone on the crew knows Marv and Carl Searing.

This 54 mile trip is along the Former Green Bay & Western tracks, now known as the Fox Valley & Western, which is owned by the Wisconsin Central, Ltd. The last steam engine used this line in 1947.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, checked in at the Super 8 Motel in Black River Falls, and headed out to find the #2719 and her train. After 1 1/2 hrs waiting in Taylor, we found her, back early, in Hixton, being serviced for our trip on Sunday.

This was a great time for photos as the passengers had already left and there were not many people around.

The consist was the #2719, six coaches, one concession car, a private car (Soo Line #1000, a beautiful observation car), the Chippewa Valley caboose and a "just-in-case" locomotive, a WC SD 40. The crew was pumping out the holding tanks on each car & we were glad to see this because on several of our excursions, the toilets were out of order by Sunday.

Sunday morning we arrived one hour before the departure time of 9:30am. The crew had heated all the coaches during the night with portable heaters as the overnight low was in the teens. Also dif-ferent was that we would be allowed to board at each car. On some trips only one or two coaches are open for boarding or detraining. As we were boarding we saw WGRS members Torger & Kathy Mikkelson. We sat together and were given a lot of local history, as Torger knows this area very well. Also we received a program of the trip with a map, history of each of the 8 towns we would pass through, and a history of the #2719. Her sister #2714 is on display at our Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac WI.

The #2719 is an ALCO 4-6-2 Pacific, built in 1923. A passenger loco with a top speed of 90mph, she logged over 3 million miles in the upper Midwest for the Soo Line. Out of service in 1955, she rested for 36 years in an Eau Claire park before being restored and run again in 1998. A really beautiful and living locomotive.

We left Hixton and headed west through some Wisconsin fall colors at 25 mph. Every crossing had people waving as we passed. Cars chasing us along the road, deer, cows and horses trying to run away from the noise and the whistles. After 47 miles we had to have the tender refilled with water by the Village of Dodge Fire Department. We were allowed to detrain as this stop was for 45 mins. The local fire Department had food & drink (excellent chili, we heard) available. The whole 150 people in Dodge turned out to witness this event.

After leaving Dodge we had only 7 miles through the Trempealeau marsh to the Mississippi River. Our $75.00 ticket included lunch (ham & cheese croissant, pasta salad, pudding, cookie, drink). The WC crew headed from the steam loco to the SD 40 that now would pull the train back. We again followed the Trempealeau River Valley for our return.

The wildlife we saw on this trip was the best we have seen on any of our train trips: turkeys, sandhill cranes, deer, all kinds of ducks & geese, tundra swans, and best of all, American bald eagles.

This was the besttrain excursion we have been on (excepting the Durango-Silverton, etc.). The former Algoma Central coaches were clean, had large viewing windows, working potties, and the volunteer crew was always ready to assist you and answer questions. They were very friendly & courteous. The scenery was great. The printed program contained a great deal of information.

We arrived back in Hixton two hours early but we stayed around and it paid, as Margo was able to climb up in the cab of the #2719 for a photo.

You can find the locomotive at www.2719.com

Wisconsin GRS Celebrates Tenth Anniversary

Richard Abler

On November 4th Barbara and I were guests of the Wisconsin Garden Railway Society for the group’s tenth anniversary celebration. The fete was held at the Elk’s Club in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Approximately 75 folks from around the state attended the meeting. The Wisconsin GRS is a state-wide organization. The meeting was arranged by Tom & Margo Lemke, Elks members who are also members of CGRS.

The meeting began with a history of the club. Carl Searing read several articles from old club newsletters, much to the delight of all present. This was followed by a brief business meeting.

Then spouse Barbara was introduced as the special guest speaker. She gave a slide-show presentation entitled "My Next Husband will be Normal." This was a somewhat modified version of the presentation she gave at the National convention in San Diego last summer.

After the presentation a dinner of Swiss steak and chicken was served family style. It was yummy! We all had a good time!

Rail Bender Missing

Richard Abler

Does anyone out there know what has become of the club's rail bender? One of our members loaned it to another member and forgot who it was. If you have it give Bob Collins a call (614-436-4003). We have a new member who is ready to lay track and would like to borrow the rail bender.

Thanks.

Huntington Bank Holiday Train Layout to Open

Richard Abler

In just a couple of days the Holiday train layout in the Huntington Bank Building in downtown Columbus will be operating and open to the public. This is a G-gauge layout designed and installed by Paul Busse and his company, Applied Imagination. Several trains operate simultaneously through the European-themed Christmas layout. The bank is located at 17 S. High St., across from the state house.

The layout is open from November 29th through December 31st Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 4pm. On December 9,10, 16, 17 its open from 1 to 5pm. For additional information one may call 614-480-4433 or 614-480-4531.

This is a very nice layout and is definitely worth the trip downtown. The easiest way to get there is to park in the state house underground garage and take the pedestrian tunnel under High St. to the lower level of the Huntington Bank Building. The layout is on the main level in the lobby of the bank.

If you know of any other holiday layouts open around Greater Columbus, let me know and I’ll get an article in the next newsletter, scheduled to be mailed on or about December 7th.

About CGRS and this Newsletter

Richard Abler

This newsletter is intended as a medium in which to air the news and views of CGRS Members in good standing. CGRS is an informal group which meets monthly or thereabouts to share a common interest in garden railroading and to socialize. Membership is open to all interested persons. Most CGRS Member Families are from the Greater Columbus area.

Newsletter-related business, such as articles and classified ads, as well as changes to the membership list, should be directed to the editor:

Richard J. Abler / Puddlefort Press
990 Blind Brook Drive
Worthington OH 43235-1281
Phone 614-885-0351
Fax: Same, call first.
E-mail: abler@infinet.com

Membership dues and financial matters:
Glenn Babka
E-mail: babkag@aol.com

Meetings, programs, and CGRS
principal business contact:
Bill Logan
E-mail: WRLogan@msn.com

Library/Archives/Books/Videos
Cecil Easterday

Webmaster: Peter Wine
1512 Walters Street
Dayton OH 45404-1803
937-228-1491

Contributors to this Issue:
Barbara Abler
Tom & Margo Lemke

Deadline for Next Issue

Richard Abler

The deadline for the next issue of the newsletter is December 1st. Then, on or about December 7th, we will meet at the Abler's to get the newsletter ready for mailing: folding, stapling, labeling, and stamping. The meeting starts at 8pm. All persons are invited (and encouraged) to attend these work sessions.

In addition to newsletter preparations, CGRS business issues are discussed and decisions are made. Call ahead (614-885-0351) so we know how much snackies to have on hand.