We now have FOUR prototype tours lined up for this convention.  Although these tours are close by, travel will be by motor coach with restroom facilities.

A NEW PROTOTYPE TOUR JOINS OUR CONVENTION

1. ✦ ARDC dispatch center (2 groups of 10 at a time) ~15min tour
   

2. ✦ NEC's shops & round house (20 at a time) ~30min tour
   

 

40 person limit

Friday Sept. 10th, at approx 1:45 to 4:00    [this is the second tour on Friday] 

TOUR GUIDES:

1. ✦ARDC:   Jeffrey M. Parah(Shift Supervisor) & Thomas Murphy ARDC Manager
   

2. ✦NECR:   Stephen Wichmann (CSO)
   

The dispatch office is named: AMERICAN RAIL DISPATCHING CENTER (ARDC) RailAmerica, Inc., owns many short line and regional railroads that service across North America, USA and Canada.
The Company’s 40 affiliated railroads operate in 27 states and 3 Canadian provinces with approximately 7,500 miles of track.
In St. Albans, ARDC dispatches for 32 separate short-line railroads.
It runs 24x7 and uses the GCOR rules.  All personnel are certified annually.
The building they are located in has had Railroad business and dispatch in it since about 1865.  If you have seen a photo of St Albans this building is probably in it.

The New England Central, NEC, which is part of Rail America, operates a repair facility also in St. Albans.
The round house and turntable are the same ones used by the Central Vermont Railway years ago.
The visit will show you how repair needs of the NEC short-line are meet locally.
Locomotives, cars & signals are handled from this shop.  NEC operates tracks in VT, MA & CT.
At most times they maintain 16-35 locomotives & do repair for other shortline roads.
Geep's, SD-7, SD-70 etc.

SAFETY:   

1. ✦Hats & glasses provided by NMRA
   

2. ✦No open toe shoes
   

3. ✦Not wheelchair friendly
   

4. ✦ Must be able to walk uneven ground about 1/2 mile
   
   Tour Cost:  Due to the tight schedule between the earlier McNeil tour return and the St. Albans tour departure, a box lunch can be purchased with this tour for those attending both tours.  The St. Albans tour will

   

   cost $26.00 with the box lunch and $18.00 without the lunch.  If ordering the box lunch, this tour must be paid for at the Registration Desk by 9:00AM on Friday, Sept. 10.”
   

The First tour on FRIDAY, McNeil Generating Station,

will leave the hotel by bus at 11:15AM on Friday and is expected to return by 1:15PM.  Due to the timing and lack of a dining area a light snack and drink will be provided on this tour.  A tour of the McNeil Generating Station is planned for Sept 10, 2010, for a maximum of 50 people. The expected arrival time is 11:30AM.  Once on site everyone will be given hard hats & safety glasses.  People should wear sensible shoes, no open toed shoes or sandals.  Slacks are recommended for women visitors.  Tour participants will be walking on grating floors and stairways.

Here are some of the items the tour groups will see and learn about:

1. •A brief history of the plant & how it came about
   

2. •Hear some of the plant's vital statistics, power output, tons of chips received & how
   

3. •See the control room
   

4. •Learn how daily prices are set
   

5. •See the boiler (hopefully in operation) and the continuous moving grate
   

6. •See the generator/turbine
   

7. •See the arrival of NEC's chip train (due in at noon, but can't guarantee it)
   

8. •See the fuel unloading and conveyer transfer
   

The cost for this tour is $20.00

The third tour will be of the Vermont Railway – ex Rutland Railroad – rail yard in Burlington.  During a guided tour you will see the yard and the yard engine performing the morning’s switching duties.  The tour will include the roundhouse, with its original turntable still used on a daily basis.  There are usually several engines undergoing some type of repairs in the roundhouse at any given time.  The VTR is also making efforts to bring some other interesting railroad equipment to the yard.  Although we don't know the details yet, we suspect MOW or a new low emissions Genset locomotive.  This tour is limited to 50 people and will leave at 8:45AM, returning at 10:15AM on Saturday.  The cost for this tour is $18.00.

Our fourth tour will be a VTR train ride on the old Rutland Railroad on Saturday.  Come along with us as we board at the Burlington Train Station and ramble on down the line south through Shelburne, Charlotte and Ferrisburg to Vergennes and back.  This is not the normal rail trip, but a special extended version by the VTR just for the NMRA.   The tour will include a box lunch - see the Registration Form for the selection.  An optional wine tasting of Vermont wines will also be available on the train for $5.00.  The busses leave the hotel at 10:30AM and are scheduled to return at 2:30PM.  The cost of this train ride and lunch is $45.00.