7th annual Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium
Friday & Saturday, October 5-6, 2012
Sam Rayburn Student Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas
Friday, 5:00pm-8:00pm - Show & Tell Mixer & Documentary Film Screening
Saturday, 8:45am-3:30pm | 8:19am registration - Symposium Programs
This is a free public event to share, document, preserve, and celebrate the legacy and experiences of the employees and families connected to the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and all Ark-La-Tex-oma railroads. All former and current railroad employees, family members, and any interested individuals are encouraged to attend.
The Friday evening program consists of a show & tell mixer, book/art signings, a screening of the documentary film featuring the motorcar hobby, Weekend Railroaders, by Scott Peterson, and a Q&A session with members of the motorcar hobbyist
organization, Railroad Partners, Inc. (RPI), a Texas affiliate of the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA).
Saturday's activities include a panel discussion featuring members of the railroad "family" addressing professional crafts and auxiliary
organizations; presentations on the restoration and operations of the Cotton Belt's Class L-1 Northern Steam Locomotive #819 by the project's original Chief Mechanical Officer, Bill Bailey, and others; a luncheon* featuring live musical entertainment; a NETEX/Blacklands Railroad update by Blacklands president, Wayne Defebaugh; and an encore screening of the documentary film, Weekend Railroaders, featuring a discussion session with the film's director, Scott Peterson.
The North Texas T-Trak Modular Railroad Club will be operating a layout on-site on Saturday and Steve Pawlow will host a display of his signal garden and railroad memorabilia collection at his residence following the event. Many Cotton Belt and railroad artifacts and photos will be on display Friday and Saturday. Everyone is invited to bring and display railroad photos and other artifacts.
The proceedings will be videotaped and extensively photographed for historic preservation and entry into the Libraries' Collections and Digital Archives.
If you would like to display railroad artifacts, photos, etc., please contact me to reserve table space and ensure we have ample display space available. Please note, this is NOT a "swap meet."
The 2012 Symposium is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Otha C. Spencer, April 27, 1920 - June 1, 2012.
*Prior RSVP for Luncheon will be required. Meal cost is estimated to be around $13.00 and is to be confirmed and will be announced on the website once the menu is finalized. All activities are free of charge except for the luncheon. A luncheon ticket is not required for attendance of symposium activities and programs.
To keep up with preparation and plans for the symposium.
visit our website:
http://www.CottonBeltRoute.com/
and join us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/groups/169986873071642
Save the dates and make plans to join us in Commerce for the 2012 Cotton Belt Symposium.
See you in Commerce!