NMRA InfoNet

Welcome to the NMRA InfoNet News (Infoblast) For October, 2015

A message from VP of Administration, Clark Kooning

Well as fall comes upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, most of us turn to our hobby indoors. Some model, all year round, because the climates where we live. However for the majority of us we are dusting off the layout and dreaming of the new modeling season ahead. As the new VP (Admin) of the NMRA I have the same thoughts you do, maybe I should build a new layout and where did I last leave my throttle?  I also think how we at the NMRA can promote the hobby and encourage other modelers to participate with us in a very rewarding hobby and the fellowship that provides. If you’re a member and know another modeler who is not a member, next time your local Division or Region has an event why don’t you take him or her along. This simple introduction to the NMRA can be the start of great lifelong friendships and, of course, our love for the hobby. I know the value in our organization starts with the sole member and those in local divisions and in the fact it is the fellowship and fun that we share at all levels that make us strong.

As I begin to take on my role as the VP (Admin) There are several challenges ahead of us which the NMRA will need to move forward. With good solid leadership from both your executive team and one of the most dynamic group of Board of Directors, I can think of. I will be working with the Headquarters’ staff as needed.  I have been asked by President Getz to work on some projects along with Gerry Leone our other VP. I hope to have some interesting new initiatives you will like in the very near future.

A big "Thank You" to all the members who directly put on NMRA Portland National Convention and those who volunteered their time and effort during the convention to make this year’s convention a lot of fun.  

If you have any questions, I happy to hear from any member.

Umm, has anyone seen my throttle?

Clark Kooning, MMR HLM

NMRA VP ( Admin)

In memoriam – G. William Hammer 1922 - 2015

From Mike Brestel – At Large Worldwide Director

I just learned that Bill Hammer died on Sept. 17 in Lexington, Ky. I found his obituary online and have pasted it below. Many of you knew Bill as a major volunteer for the NMRA for a long, long time, serving in a myriad of positions of the years, most notably as VP and for over 25 years as Legal Counsel. He received an HLM, MMR, DSA, and two PAs over his many years of service to the NMRA.

He moved from Virginia to Lexington, Ky. around ten or twelve years ago, and as a fellow MCR member I was able to connect with him several times before his health deteriorated. I had not seen or talked to him over the past five years or so.

The funeral was on September 24 in Lexington, but unfortunately I just heard about his death today. Given Lexington's proximity to Cincinnati, I would probably have been able to represent the NMRA at the visitation and funeral had I known in time. At this point I don’t know whether anyone from the NMRA was able to attend.

Mike

G. William Hammer

1922 - 2015 Obituary 

HAMMER G. William, 92, of Lexington, KY (formerly of Centreville, VA) and husband of Imogene Murray Hammer, died Sept. 17, 2015. 

He was born Dec. 5. 1922 in Wyandotte, MI to the late Reverends Ernest A. and Jane S. Higley. When he was three weeks old his family moved south to West Virginia and Ohio. He became a Great Lakes sailor and earned his Able Bodied Seaman's certificate in Sept. 1942. He was drafted into the army March 1, 1943. His basic training was a combat engineer and transferred into the Army Corp in the Aviation Cadet program. In early 1944 the Air Corp terminated the program for all of those who transferred from other branches in the army. At that time he volunteered for the paratroops and received his wings in July 1944. He was sent overseas and served in the Philippine Islands and received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant March 10, 1946. 

He graduated from Edgewood High School in Ashtabula, Ohio in 1944. In the fall of 1947 he enrolled at Ball State University, Muncie, IN, on a pre-law curriculum. He graduated with BA honors in March 1950. While at Ball State he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity and Sigma Zeta National Science Honorary. He was Ball State's nominee for a Rhoades Scholarship in 1950. In the fall of 1950 he entered George Washington Law School, Washington, D.C. and graduated with a JD degree with honors in May 1953. He served on the Student Board of Editors of the George Washington University Law Review and a member of Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. 

He was admitted to the bar of District of Columbia in Sept. 1953 and was admitted to the bar of the state of Virginia in Feb. 1954. At that time he opened a law office in private practice in the City of Falls Church, VA. He served as prosecuting attorney for the City of Falls Church on a part-time basis from 1959 to 1961. He was appointed to a part-time judgeship in Falls Church in Jan. 1969 and to a like position in Fairfax County on July 1, 1974. He was elected to a full-time judgeship to the 10th District Court in Virginia on July 1, 1976. He continued to serve in that capacity until he retired on July 1, 1985. While on the bench he authored an article on Preliminary Hearings in Virginia which was published in 1980. From 1981 to 1985 he served on the Committee on District Courts who set policy for the entire District Court system for the state. 

He was an avid model railroader and was a life member of the National Model Railroad Association. He served on several groups including as Legal Counsel from 1963 to 1976 and again from 1985 until 1998, the regional trustee for the Mid-East region on the National Board of Trustees, Eastern Vice President of the association from 1969 to 1971 and later as the Executive Vice President of the association. He was awarded the three highest awards from the association, the President's Award, Distinguished Service Award and the Honorary Life Member, the highest award and designated as a Master Model Railroader. 

Other interests included being a member of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans for over 50 years, Commander of the Robert E. Lee camp of the SCV in Alexandria, VA, Military Order of the Stars and Bars as commander of the Samuel Cooper chapter in Alexandria, VA. He is survived by a daughter Jane Hammer of Lexington, KY from a previous marriage. Gene's son Craig Smith (Hellie) from Paris, IL and daughter Suzanne Adair (Ken) of Lexington, KY and numerous nephews and nieces of Ashtabula County, OH. 

Funeral service will be 12pm Wednesday at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home-Main St. Burial will be in Lexington Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11am-12pm Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the G. William Memorial Scholarship Fund, Ball State University Foundation, PO Box 672, Muncie, IN 47308, account number 30095.

Published in Lexington Herald-Leader on Sept. 20, 2015

In memoriam – Andy Sperandeo

Andy Sperandeo, former Model Railroader editor, dies

By Kevin P. Keefe | October 5, 2015

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Longtime Model Railroader editor Andy Sperandeo died Oct. 3, in Brookfield, after a long illness. He was 70.

Sperandeo joined the Model Railroader staff in 1979. Over the years he worked his up through the ranks, becoming editor in 1993 and, later, executive editor. Most recently he was editor of Model Railroader’s annual Great Model Railroads issue. He was also a prolific author for Kalmbach Books. 

Sperandeo’s expertise extended to all facets of the model-railroad hobby, but he was especially known for his command of realistic train operations, as reflected in his popular column in the magazine, “The Operators.” 

“Andy was an excellent model builder, a diligent researcher, and a meticulous editor,” says Model Railroader Editor Neil Besougloff. “We will remember all of that, but mostly we remember that Andy was our close friend.”

A renowned expert on the Santa Fe, Sperandeo was active in the Santa Fe Railway Historical & Modeling Society, as well as the National Model Railroad Association. His home layout is a faithful interpretation of the Santa Fe’s main line through California’s Cajon Pass in the late 1940s.

Sperandeo was a native of New Orleans. He earned his B.A. in English from Loyola of the South, an M.A. from Louisiana State University, and was working on his Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas when Model Railroader lured him to Milwaukee in 1979.

A burial ceremony is planned for Saturday, with funeral details pending.

From Trains Magazine

Amtrak Derailment

An Amtrak train bound for Washington, D.C., derailed in central Vermont on October 5 after hitting a rock slide, injuring seven of the 102 people aboard, one seriously.  The incident, which was at least the 17th Amtrak derailment so far in 2015, raised fresh concerns about rail safety less than five months after a derailment in Philadelphia killed eight people.

From Time Magazine

Railroads finding hidden freight car trackers

By Justin Franz | September 24, 2015

What's in a picture? In this one a brown-painted automatic equipment identification, or AEI, reader barely pokes out of a slope along a Conrail right-of-way in New Jersey. Railroads are alarmed that the AEI readers might be spread throughout the country, gathering and sharing information on freight moves without their knowledge.

A close-up photo of an automatic equipment identification reader found in New Jersey.

METUCHEN, N.J. — Railroads are uncovering hidden freight car tracking devices near rights-of-way around the country.

The discoveries began earlier this month when a Metuchen, N.J., resident found two people installing boxes near a Conrail Shared Assets Operation right-of-way. Unsatisfied with those persons' answers and the local police response, the person called Norfolk Southern railroad police who investigated and found an automatic equipment identification or AEI reader, used to track freight cars by monitoring their built-in radio beacons.

On Sept. 15, the Association of American Railroads’ Railway Alert Network issued a security warning to members to keep an eye out for the unauthorized devices.Trains NewsWire obtained a copy of the security alert earlier this week. 

According to the eight-page report, railroad police investigated further and found that a company called ClipperData had installed the reader. ClipperData was formed about two years ago and sells comprehensive data regarding the energy industry, including the movement of crude oil and other commodities. According to the report, Norfolk Southern police say they have a copy of a "lease agreement" between a homeowner near the right-of-way and ClipperData which gave the homeowner $500 to use a nearby electrical outlet to power the equipment reader. 

In an interview with Trains News Wire on Wednesday, ClipperData CEO Sterling Lapinski confirmed that his company installed the first AEI reader discovered in New Jersey. He says his company's work is legal and that ClipperData is currently looking at trying to sell data to and about the railroad industry, which is why it installed the AEI reader. Lapinski says his company sells data and information to government agencies, trading groups, and energy companies. 

“We do have devices installed but the network isn’t operational yet,” Lapinski tellsTrains News Wire. “We’re not currently selling data, we’re just trying to see if it’s feasible.”

Railroads around the world use similar equipment reader technology that uses radio waves to automatically identify freight cars at speed. Railroads typically gather the information to update their own records before sharing it with other shippers, such as trucking companies, railroads, or steamship lines, and customers.

Sources close to Class I railroad corporate offices say executives are upset and are ready to take a "scorched earth" approach to dealing with ClipperData and other companies that may have installed readers throughout the country. A second security alert dated Sept. 22, says railroaders have uncovered at least one other equipment reader in New Jersey and one in Sheridan, Wyo. The one in Wyoming reportedly interfered with BNSF Railway track equipment.

The Railway Alert Network report raised concerns that the people who installed the equipment readers trespassed on railroad property to do so. It also raises concerns about selling data on the movement of specific types of rail cars, arguing that the information could be used to “disrupt rail operations through intentional, and potentially destructive, acts.” The security alert asks railroads that find similar AEI readers to inform the alert network immediately so that it can consolidate all of the reports. 

In a statement to Trains News Wire, AAR spokesperson Ed Greenberg says the organization is keeping a close eye on the developing situation. 

“The AAR was aware of this situation and pleased that local law enforcement and railroad police took steps to address the situation as quickly as possibly,” Greenberg says. 

Norfolk Southern declined to comment on this topic. Trains is waiting for a response from BNSF.

From Trains Magazine

If you have any questions or comments about any of the above, please send them directly to a Director or Officer.  You will find those addresses at www.nmra.org or in the NMRA Magazine

If the person holding a region or division office changes, or their email address changes, please contact me at tcdraider@aol.com with the corrected information.

Regards,

Tom Draper – HLM, DSA, FA, MSA, PA

Director – Support Services