The Abilene Society of Model Railroaders
Welcome to our home page! The ASMR is an officially chartered 501(C)4 non-profit organization, based in Abilene, Texas. The club was established to promote public awareness and appreciation of Abilene's railroad heritage, and the important role played by railroads in national and local history.
The club was founded in 1991, and is currently meeting in facilities at 2043 N. 2nd Street, behind the old Coca-Cola plant. We operate a permanent HO-scale, 18' x 24' "horseshoe" layout, with an 8' x 20' peninsula. This layout has a double track main line, and is equipped for running Digitrax-compliant DCC engines. The club also owns a 16' x 16' HO-scale modular layout, which members take to various community events around Abilene (see below). In addition, several members own portable layouts in various scales, which can be exhibited from time to time.
Trains are controlled with plug-in, walk-around throttles; the layout also has infrared and radio receivers. Wide radius curves and long straight-aways can easily accomodate trains of 25 to 50 cars. The theme is generally the 1950s "transition" era, enabling members to run both steam and diesel-powered freight and passenger trains.
We meet Saturday mornings from 10:00 AM until Noon, with business meetings on the first Saturday of each month, and operating sessions or competitions on the third Saturday of each month. Club members also get together for informal running sessions on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Meetings and operating sessions are always open to the public.
Want more information? You can visit our FAQ page, or download an informative brochure here (pdf format). Click here to download a membership application; you can also send e-mail to asmr@nts-online.net or tp_fan@att.net. You are also welcome to contact these club members:
- President Ken Riediger, (325) 692-8419
- Vice-President Dusty Garison, (325) 672-0284
- Secretary Cody Hilliard, (325) 690-9574
- Treasurer Mel Herwick, (325) 537-9464.
Come Ride Trains with ASMR
On Saturday, May 17, ASMR members and their families will be going to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to ride trains, and we want YOU to be part of the fun! We will travel to the historic T&P Depot (at right) in Downtown Ft. Worth, where we'll board the Trinity Railway Express (shown at left), and ride it to Downtown Dallas. At Dallas Union Station, we will catch the DART light rail train to the "West End" for lunch.
Family members who want to visit the West End's many shops may linger there; the rest of us will hop back aboard DART's modern system and ride it to the Cityplace (subway) station. We'll go up to street level and back a hundred years, to ride the McKinney Avenue Trolley. After the streetcar ride, we'll reverse the process and head home.
An all day transit pass is just $5 ($1.50 for students and seniors), and can be purchased on the platform in Ft. Worth. We will meet at Re/Max Realtors, 2545 S. Danville, and LEAVE AT 6:00 AM. Our planned return to Abilene will be approximately 9:00 PM that evening.
Click
HERE for a detailed itinerary and more information. Don't miss out on a fun day of train watching and riding, and great fellowship with ASMR colleagues and friends.
Out and About with ASMR
On Saturday, March 15, several club members traveled to Brownwood, to visit the Lehnis Transportation Museum. They toured the museum, enjoyed the exhibits and explored the caboose. From left: Dusty Garison, Jim Gibson, Jeffrey Cowen, Steve England, Ken England, Ken Riediger.
Click
HERE for more pictures from this trip.
Club members took another trip on April 12, this time to Fort Worth, to enjoy an operating session on the home layout of Jim Norwood. Here is Mr. Norwood, at right, talking with ASMR members Jim Gibson (left) and Ken England (center), and showing them the oldest original section of the current layout. See additional pictures HERE.
ASMR on the Web
ASMR is now proudly listed with International Railway Links.
On Saturday, May 17, ASMR members and their families will be going to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area to ride trains, and we want YOU to be part of the fun! We will travel to the historic T&P Depot (at right) in Downtown Ft. Worth, where we'll board the Trinity Railway Express (shown at left), and ride it to Downtown Dallas. At Dallas Union Station, we will catch the DART light rail train to the "West End" for lunch.