www.CottonBeltRoute.com
Preserving the Legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway

 

Cotton Belt Depot, Commerce, Texas
Ed Cooper photo | Robert McFatridge engineer  

The 7th Annual
Cotton Belt
Railroad Symposium

Sam Rayburn Student Center
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas

Friday-Saturday
October 5-6, 2012

The 7th Annual Symposium is scheduled for Friday, October 5, 2012, 5:00pm-8:00pm and Saturday, October 6, 2012, 8:45am-3:30pm

Friday evening's activities include an informal "Show-And-Tell"/"Mix-N-Mingle" and a special motorcar operators' screening of the documentary film, "Weekend Railroaders."  Railroad artifacts and information will be displayed by a number of museums, historical societies, and individuals.  If you have items of railroad interest, particularly of significance to the Cotton Belt, you would like to display, please contact Jason Davis so we can arrange for appropriate table or display space.  Please note that this is NOT a swap-meet.

The formal event on Saturday will consist of a panel discussion, a discussion of the restoration and operational testing of the StLSW 819, a luncheon with musical entertainment, and a screening of "Weekend Railroaders" featuring a Q&A session with the filmmaker, Scott Peterson.  Audience participation is encouraged.

Luncheon (RSVP deadline past)

A Luncheon, featuring live musical entertainment, will be held on Saturday.  This year's Luncheon is being generously sponsored by the TAMU-C College of Science, Engineering, & Agriculture.  Sorry, we can no longer accept meal ticket reservations.  The deadline to request tickets was Monday, October 1.  Anyone may still join us for the accompanying musical entertainment, with or without a meal ticket.  Off-campus dining is available locally at a number of Commerce's fine dining establishments.

Presented by

tamuc College of Science, Engineering, & Agriculture

tamuc Department of Engineering & Technology

James G. Gee Library Special Collections

Commerce Public Library

Sponsors

Luncheon Sponsor:

    College of Science, Engineering, & Agriculture

Gold Spike Sponsor:

Wayne Defebaugh, President

Silver Spike Sponsor:

Alliance Bank

Bronze Spike Sponsors:

Mei-Ying Elaine Lin, Doctoral Candidate

Dr. Madeline & James Justice, TAMU-C

Cletis Millsap, Chair, Northeast Texas Rural Rail Transportation District (NETEX)

Iron Spike Sponsor:

Cypress Bank, FSB, Commerce, Texas

Sponsorships Available...

You or your company could appear here and on our printed promotional materials!  Multiple sponsorship levels are available.  All are tax deductable and most include luncheon tickets.  For more information on sponsorship levels or to become a sponsor, please see our fillable Sponsorship Form.

If you chose to become a sponsor, please let us know by sending a note to Jason Davis so that we may plan for your involvement accordingly.

Dedicated to Dr. Otha Cleo Spencer

Dr. Spencer at the 2007 Cotton Belt Symposium | Photo: L.J. Davis
The 2012 Cotton Belt Symposium is dedicated to the memory of our friend, Dr. Otha C. Spencer.
April 27, 1920 - June 1, 2012

Past Symposiums

• The 6th Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  September 23-24, 2011
   2011 Media Gallery
• The 4rd (5th) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  October 8-9, 2010
   2010 Media Gallery
• The 3rd (4th) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium
  August 8, 2009
   2009 Media Gallery
  
• The 2nd (3rd) Annual Cotton Belt Symposium:  Railroad Legacy & Lore
  August 16, 2008
   2008 Media Gallery
  
• The 1st (2nd) Annual Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  April 16, 2007
   2007 Media Gallery
  
• Inaugural (1st) Event
  The Cotton Belt in Commerce Symposium
  November 30, 2006
   2006 Media Gallery
   Abbreviated due to untimely ice storm and rescheduled
   for April 16, 2007.

Everyone Welcome

Please join us for the next free, public event to document and preserve the legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway and the Cotton Belt "Family."

St.L.S-W #517 in Commerce, Texas, circa 1953  |  C.W. Standefer photo Commerce Public Library Collection  |  used with permission

A special invitation is extended to all former and current employees and their families to come and share recollections of their railroad days.  Everyone is encouraged to bring and display historical photos depicting people, places, equipment, and rail operations.  With permission, we would appreciate the opportunity to scan images or photograph artifacts for historic preservation and inclusion in the Digital Library. Staff will be available to photograph or digitize a limited number of artifacts on-site on Saturday.  It may be necessary for us to make arrangements to digitize larger collections at a later date.

Anyone interested in the history of railroading in Commerce, Northeast Texas, or system wide on the Cotton Belt or other area railroads is welcome.  This is also a reunion opportunity for members of the railroad "family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

Agendas

Friday, October 5, 2012 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rms. #213A&B

4:30p    Set-up
5:00      View Displays & visit with old and new friends
6:30      Special motorcar operator's screening of
             Scott Peterson's documentary film,
             Weekend Railroaders

8:00p    Adjourn

Saturday, October 6, 2012 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rms. #213A&B

8:19a    Registration/Displays Open
8:45      Welcome and Opening remarks
9:00      Panel Discussion, Dr. Harley Davis, moderator
              - Lenton Ray Moore
              - Rheba Icenhower
              - John Sands
              - others TBA
10:30    Break
11:00    Restoration and Operations of the Cotton Belt #819
              - Bill Bailey - Road operations of the StLS-W #819.
              - Jason Lee Davis - The #819's 1993 run to Tyler.
12:00    Luncheon w/ Live Musical Entertainment, Rm #213C
              - Prior reservation/ticket required for meal.
1:30      Event Dedication to Dr. Otha C. Spencer
              - Cheryl Westhafer & Dr. James Conrad
1:45      NETEX/Blacklands Railroad Update
              - Wayne Defebaugh, president, Blacklands RR
2:00      Screening of Weekend Railroaders documentary
             film and Q&A session with the filmmaker,
             Scott Peterson.

3:30      Adjourn to Motorcar Display and Open House

3:30-4:30  Railroad Partners, Inc. Motorcar Display at Dyer
                Junction on the Blacklands Railroad in Downtown
                Commerce.

4:00- Open House:  Following the symposium, visitors are invited to an Open House hosted by Steven Pawlow featuring his personal railroad memorabilia collection including numerous Cotton Belt and KCS artifacts, model layout, and railroad "Signal Garden" at 2500 Bryan St., Commerce (SE corner of Bryan & Jackson, 3 blocks south of Student Center).

St.L.S-W #819 at Pittsburg, Texas, October 15, 1993  |  Jason Lee Davis photo

Participants

North Texas T-Trak Modular Railroad Club layout on display Saturday 

Promotional Materials

Event Program (pdf)
Event Flyer (pdf)
Event Poster 11"x17" (pdf)
Event Marquee 24"x36" (pdf)
VideoWall 3x2 Graphic (pdf)
InfoScreen Graphic (pdf)

Lodging Accommodations

View Commerce Lodging information.

Important Notice

As a significant purpose of this event is historic documentation, the events will be video taped and photographed extensively.  Attendees should be aware that they are subject to appearance in video clips and photographs that may appear in library archives, digital library collections, the symposium media galleries, and other vehicles of media dissemination on the Internet.  Attendance at this event signifies voluntary consent to be included in such documentation.