Railfest 2002  

1 June 2002

Once again, the legions of NVNTRAK gathered to run trains - this time at the Eighth Annual Manassas Heritage Railway Festival. Breaking custom at this one-day event, the layout setup foreman arrived early, only to find Edd already there, waiting... This year's layout was similar in plan to last year's, though it was three feet shorter along the long axis.  I think we finally got the "C" layout plan figured out.  The operating rule for figuring the displacement of reversed corner pairs is "Check last year's layout" - it works!

We were fortunate in that we got the same location we had last year - right in front of the station!  To get anywhere at the Railfest you pretty much had to pass our tent...  This year the band was in the new pavilion over where we'd set up in years before 2001 - as a result, our entire area was quieter than in years past.  Setup went well and proved once again that a dedicated group of model railroaders can set up a decent layout on time and without hassle despite the best efforts of the Setup Foreman!  We were clamped down and most connecting track was in place before 0930; we were more-or-less operational by 1000 opening time though it was a few minutes before all of the trains were running.  This year our layout included 22 member-owned modules, as well as two club-owned POFFs and six club-owned corners (it's nice when your club can supply that many on demand!).

This time around we got our clear weather order - and more than we bargained for, as the temperatures soared into the 90s during the course of the afternoon.  The breeze was welcome and kept things bearable under the tent though they were frying eggs outside...

Once again, we brought our Operation Lifesaver gear with us to the festival, again putting it into the divot in the side of the layout.  This year saw (and heard) lots of Sly Fox and Birdie - decidedly more up-beat than the graphic Highway or Dieway films we showed last year. Dave Freshwater, as usual, manned the table, and pretty much memorized Sly Fox and Birdie, having sat through about 20 showings of it during the Railfest. Attendance at the OL table was high, as usual, with many kids becoming glued to the TV.

We were well-supported by the railway industry - Amtrak, VRE, and NS all made appearances, with equipment, and kept things moving.

When 4 pm arrived, we were all tired, happy with the day's events, and generally very hot.  Tear-down took place without delay, the proceedings being declared "closed" at 1702.  This year Nick didn't lose his car keys - he a) didn't bring a trailer to lock them in and b) had several club-members witness him stowing them in his pocket. 

Our first order of business for next year is to make sure the Historic Manassas accommodations are as good as they were this year!  Well, perhaps slightly cooler...

I didn't manage to keep a roster of attendees this year - it seemed that most of the club wandered through at one point or another, with many coming simply to help set up or tear down.  Last year's observations about the attendees stand.  We had a great crew, lots of friends stopping by, and plenty of cooperation all around.  Bobby (That's spelt with a "Y" and not an "IE") Richesin made sure we had NVX2 and even brought a corner module (that proved essential to the layout) from NVX1 as well.  To all, thanks!

I say this every year, but if you've not made it to a Manassas Railway Festival - or simply missed this year's show - it's not too early to start planning for the 2003 festival. I'm not positive about the date, but my guess is that it's going to be on 7 June 2002, so plan to be there!

Below are links to two pages of pictures taken at the Railfest.  Please be patient when loading the galleries - they may take awhile...