ATTEND A TRAIN MOUNTAIN MEET FREE

You Are invited to VISIT TRAIN MOUNTAIN for FREE! For those who have never experienced Train Mountain before, you are allowed to attend one Meet without paying any Meet or Membership Fees for FREE in 2014. Any meet of your choice from the Polar Bear through the Fall Colors. RUN YOUR EQUIPMENT FOR FREE! You will have a one-time opportunity to bring your 7.5" gauge equipment to run on any of Train Mountain's 35 miles oftrack. Your visit may last up to 10 days, including any of the Meets. Normally only Train Mountain members are allowed to run their equipment on Train Mountain Track. This is a special opportunity, indeed! Train Mountain is the Worlds Largest Ride-on Model Railroad with over 35 miles of track. Certificate expires Dec 31, 2014. Certificate has no Cash Value. Participants must sign a standard TM Liability Release. Not valid for anyone who has been a member previously. Train Mountain Membership $50 a year individuals, $75 a year for families. Train Mountain wants more people to see Train Mountain and become members. To get your certificate, visit:
http://www.tmrr.org/Resources/forms/A_Gift_For_You.pdf

Membership Made Easy!

Colder weather is on us, and I have been thinking about locomotive maintenance – taking care of all those things I need to get done before I start playing trains again. One of those things that needs to be done is renew my Train Mountain membership – using the new online membership system of course. By going on your computer (which I know you have because you are using it to read this!!), and using your computer to renew your membership, you save the office volunteers a lot of work, save yourself time, and everybody wins. It is an easy process to sign up as a new member, or renew your current membership. You need to grab your computer and credit card or PayPal account. It is safe, using the latest encryption methods, and your credit card information is never stored anywhere by Train Mountain. The transaction goes directly from you, thru an encrypted link, to the TM credit card processing service. The Train Mountain bank account gets credited, Train Mountain get notified you are renewed, and you get to come run trains! It is a good thing for everyone. Go to the Train Mountain web site (http://www.tmrr.org), click the “Join Train Mountain” menu option on the left of the screen, and then click the “Click on this link” to go to the online member portal. Enter your e-mail address as your user ID. You will need to initially ask for the password that was made up for you when the database was created (there is a link on the sign-in page to get it e-mailed to you), and then you are good to go. Dale.

Why do you like trains?

Anyone who has liked (or loved) trains for any length of time has likely been asked "why do you like trains"? It just so happened that on a recent business flight, I sat next to a conversationalist who asked me just that. My response was in the form of a story about how my grandfather took me to a train show every year in Roseville, and how we spent Summers together alongside the famed "Donner Pass" route where we would watch the trains roll by. It was mandatory that I always waited for the caboose. While I am not sure the exact moment trains became important to me, I know the feeling of excitement I get seeing trains developed when I was a young boy. Somehow, 34 years later, it is still with me. Why do I like trains so much? I am not quite sure, but I suspect that relationships have a lot to do with it. First, with my grandfather. Later, with fellow train enthusiasts in the various clubs I associate with. Now, with my children and my wife. For me, I rarely go train watching or take my trains to the live steam club without a friend or family member involved. I don't take off from work to run my train by myself. For me, it is with those who also find joy in trains that I spend my train time with. This Coke commercial got me thinking. Many friends have shared that they love trains because of that Lionel train set they got for Christmas. There are many stories, and we would enjoy hearing about yours.

It is time to CELEBRATE!!!

It is with great jubilation that we announce that Train Mountain Railroad was able to discharge the IRS liens against Train Mountain effective today. That means that Train Mountain is here to stay! Ownership of Train Mountain has now been transferred to the Railroad Institute.

There is incredible detail (7 pages, in fact!) regarding the discharge and transfer of the assets and real estate that make up Train Mountain Railroad. John Black and the TMRR board will be working on a Gazette that will provide detail of the transaction and hopefully answer most of the questions about where Train Mountain will be going from here. It is time to CELEBRATE!!! 

Reminder: our Narrow Gauge Meet is May 10, 11 & 12th!

 

 

Also, this Saturday, May 11th is National Train Day!

 

 

A Rail Bike Tale

by Larry Da Broi

 

Having tried the hand cars that someone had built at Train Mountain, I found they were hard work and inadequate for the distances and hills of TM. Being a lifelong bicycle tourist, I was determined to build something that could be propelled using legs instead of arms (Photos 1 shows my first attempt.)

 

 

I used old bicycle parts, because I didn't know exactly what gearing would be required for the grades at Train Mountain. On the third bike I substituted a front truck for the front axle (Photo 2 shows my third bike.)

 

 

The design modification was made because, with a long wheelbase, there was a noticeable resistance when going around curves. For my fourth bike, I tried to make the frame lighter to help going up the hills. Unfortunately, the lighter bike tends to derail going through trailing switches. I also tried spring suspension on the rear wheels. The idea was to give a smoother ride, however it made the bike a little more tipsy (Photo 3.)

 

 

I just completed my fifth bike. I am trying two trucks in an effort to get a smoother ride, but I haven't had a chance to try it out (Photo 4.)

For me personally, unless I am operating a train to haul passengers or pine needles, I spend more time on the bike than on the train. These were built by the seat of my pants, with no plans. In the "second section" of this article, I will present plans and some specifications on rail bike construction.

The Mountain Gazette

Hot off the press is the Mountain Gazette! It is the newsletter from Train Mountain that is packed full of the latest news from the largest model railroad in the world. Articles include updates with the IRS concerns, financial reports, and the full story with pictures from the Polar Bear meet held last weekend. Check it out: TMRR Gazette 

Welcome to the official Train Mountain Railroad blog!

Exciting changes are happening at Train Mountain! Please follow our blog and stay tuned, we expect to have weekly blog posts by the beginning of March, 2013.

Be sure to "like" our new Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/TrainMountainRailroad

Also, we will be posting video of TM as it becomes available:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TrainMountainRR/videos?view=0

If you have not visited our website recently, be sure to check it out:
http://www.trainmountain.org/

Of course, we can't keep Train Mountain running on our own. You can help us by sharing this blog and our other social media sites with fellow live steamers and train enthusiasts!