Amherst Railway Society

The Amherst Railway Society is a society of railway enthusiasts in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. The society puts on an annual big Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds in West Springfield, Massachusetts in late January or early February every year.

They also have a modular HO scale subdivision, the Amherst BElt Lines, which uses ABEL as the motive power markers.

The Amherst Railway Society has about 500 members who share some aspect of railroading as a common interest. Monthly meetings cover current topics in railroad news and offer slide shows, movies or a prominent speaker on a railroading topic. The Society also sponsors and participates in several train train trips each year.

The annual "Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show" has become the biggest railroad show in the Northeast. In 1993 and 1994 the Amherst Railway Society received the Walthers Showmanship Award for sponsoring the event. As a member of the Society you are entitled to receive a free admission ticket for one day of the show. (Members who work at the show can come both days, as well as Thursday and Friday to set up.)

Proceeds from the show are used to promote interest in railroads. Donations have been made to various railroad museums, historical societies, restoration projects and scholarship funds. Organizations that have received donations include: the Fall River and Old Colony Museum, the 470 Club's Boston and Maine diesel locomotive restoration project, the Boston and Maine Historical Society, the Chester Foundation Station Project, the Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington Building and Car Fund as well as trolley museums in Shelburne Falls, MA, Warehouse Point, CT, Branford, CT and Kennebunk, ME.

Grants

Year	Requesting Organization	Project	ARS Grant
2008	Railways to Yesterday/Rockhill Trolley Museum, Rockhill Furnace PA	Johnstown Traction Co #311 Restoration	$1,000
2008	Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley NRHS Chapter, Scranton PA	Restoration of B & M #3713	$2,000
2008	Bay State Model Railroad Museum Roslindale MA	Interior Renovations	$900
2008	Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum Inc Lennox MA	Coach#341 Restoration	$3,000
2008	Boothbay ME Railway Village	Carhouse construction	$2,000
2008	Branford Electric Railway Association/Shoreline Trolley Museum Branford CT	Connecticut Company #865 renovations (1905 Wason Car)	$4,000
2008	Central New York Chapter NRHS	Library Relocation Project	$750
2008	Chester MA Foundation	Roofwalk restoration on vintage freight cars	$3,106
2008	Connecticut Eastern Chapter NRHS Willimantic CT	Repair/Restoration of McWilliams Spot Tamper	$1,500
2008	Danbury CT Railway Museum	Turntable repairs/restoration	$3,000
2008	Flying Yankee Restoration Group Lincoln NH	Restoration of Flying Yankee	$2,500
2008	Fostoria OH Rail Preservation Society	Relocation of T&OC Depot to Fostoria Iron Triangle Rail Park	$2,000
2008	Friends of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Chama NM	Antonito Car Barn construction	$1,800
2008	Friends of the Keystone Arches, Huntington MA	Keystone Arch Bridges Trail Maps	$1,000
2008	New England Electric Railway Historical Society/ Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport ME	1906 Manchester Street Railway Car #38 restoration/repair	$1,500
2008	Old Colony & Newport Railway Middletown RI	Door replacement on part car #74	$675
2008	Palmer MA Public Library	Digital microfilm scanner	$4,860
2008	Railroad Museum of New England Thomaston CT	Restoration of Naugatuck Coach 5046	$3,000
2008	Rochester Chapter NRHS Rush NY	Restoration of WA&G X3710 snowplow (nee-B&M#3710)	$650
2008	Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad, Phillips ME	Restoration of P&R coach #4	$3,000
2008	Windsor Locks CT Preservation Association	Preservation and Restoration of Windsor Locks Station	$1,000
2008	Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway Museum Alna ME	Restoration Shop Construction	$2,000

External links

* [http://www.amherstrail.org/ Amherst Railway Society home page]
* [http://www.railroadhobbyshow.com/ Railroad Hobby Show home page]
* [http://www.sftm.org Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum]