Building the Yellow Banks Railroad
By Carl Davis
Kathy Olson contacted my in late summer of 2012 asking if the Owensboro and Elsewhere Railroad Club would be interested in building a layout in the front window of the Museum.
The first person I called was Darryl Morris. Darryl had built several layouts in his homes, helped numerous people build layouts in the homes and constructed layouts for shows at the Mall and the I and M Power Plant Information Center in Rockport so I knew he was the person to speak to. He immediately jumped on board and we began to contact club members to help.
Paul Walker, Editor if the Club’s White Flag Extra Newsletter, agreed to publicize it in the monthly publication and club President Wes Eakin said he would design the track plan. The concept would be far more than just something to look at. Rather, it would be interactive so that visitors could push buttons to operate the trains and other layout features themselves.
We were able to complete a small winter themed layout in time for the Holidays and in January 2013 the real work began on the much larger permanent layout.
The tablework and dedicated electric circuits were completed by Museum staff.
One day while we were working on the project, a fellow was walking down Second Street and saw us in the window. He came into the museum and said “Looks like a railroad is being built here!” That man was Charles Lentz. He became vice president of the club and kept trains running for everyone’s enjoyment.
As we were finishing the construction, the aforementioned Darryl Morris spent many hours preparing an operation manual describing the maintenance procedures required for the trains and accessories.
By the time the project was finished, 13 members of the club had worked on it, investing countless hours in its constructions over a six-month period. At the time, estimated for construction by companies specializing in model railroad constructions were in the $50,000-$75,000 range. The result has been an attraction similar to those that can be found only in much larger cities, such as Cincinnati or Chicago.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Train Collectors Association, Tandem Associates, Greenberg Publishing Co., The White Flag Extra, Paul B. Walker, Editor, Darryl Morris, Charles Lentz.
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