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How long it the track?
Hesston's 7.5" ga. track is
roughly a mile long figure 8 with a trestle. about 75% of the track is in the
"Hesston Woods" and makes for a very enjoyable ride. The grades are long and
between 2 and 3 %.
Water for steamers is from a
retention pond and is rain water and very gentle on boilers. It's
available at the steaming bays and at the station.
*Bring your FRS two-way radios
if you have 'em.
How many steaming bays are there?
There are 10 steaming bays with
120 volt electric, water and compressed air. 3 bays are 10' long, 3 are
12' long (and covered), one is 14', and 2 are 17' long.
 What
are the loading facilities like?
The transfer table for the
loading bridge is about 28" above the ground. Use the little
"loading bridge" to match your vehicle. In addition to that, we have another loading track with a
scissors jack adjustment for diesels and those with low loading requirements..
How many trains can fit on the main line track?
It should take about 15 min. or
so to do one entire loop. There is an alternate branch to the main loop that's
about the same length as the main. We can get expect to accommodate
around 15 trains on the track at one time if we space them 60 seconds apart.
The station can handle about a
dozen trains with 3 trains on each of 4 station tracks. The yards can take a
couple a dozen trains. We've got measurements on all the track storage.
As long as we get good estimates of train length when you register, we'll have
plenty of room for all.
Tell me about the swap meet!
If you have some items to sell,
bring them along. You can bring your 7.5" cars, couplers, trucks, do-dads,
even full scale memorabilia. Swap Meet will begin Saturday after lunch.
And a last chance swap meet will be held Sunday AM. Items can however, be displayed and sold at any time during the
convention. The official swap meet hours are for those who don't want to
sit at a table all day and may only have a few items to sell. Bring your
own card table or blanket to display your items.
The swap meet is open to all
conventioneers.
What else is there to do at Hesston?
The big advantage for Hesston
over other tracks is that it's a Steam Railroad Museum with exhibits and 2
other trains (14" ga. and 2' 3' dual gauge track) that will be running during
the convention. There will also be a 15" gauge loop of demonstrator track.
Also, Hesston is in a major resort area with beaches, dunes, casinos, and
other tourist things like mini golf and go-carts to keep the wife and the kids
busy while we play with trains.
Cab Ride Raffle
While attending the convention, purchase a raffle
ticket to win a Cab Ride in one of the Museum's Narrow Gauge Locomotives. You
can only purchase raffle tickets at the event. Rides will be given on 2 days of the convention,
Saturday and Sunday. Riders must be able to climb in and out of the cab
and be wearing long pants and closed toe shoes at the time of the ride.
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