www.CottonBeltRoute.com
Preserving the Legacy of the St. Louis Southwestern Railway
and all railroads throughout Ark-La-Tex-oma's Cotton Belt Region

 

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

The 9th Annual
Cotton Belt
Regional Railroad Symposium

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

Fri. - Sat.,  October 3-4, 2014.

The 9th Annual Symposium is scheduled for the first weekend in October, 2014.

The featured Keynote Presenter is acclaimed railroad author and historian, Joseph A Strapac. His many titles feature diesel and steam locomotives on famous fallen-flag railroads including the Southern Pacific, Western Pacific, Rio Grande, Texas & New Orleans, and the St. Louis South-western.  Amongst those titles is a regional favorite, "Cotton Belt Locomotives."

Mr. Strapac will present a program on Friday Evening on Cotton Belt's Diesel Locomotives and the Keynote Program on Saturday on Cotton Belt's Steam Locomotives.
The Keynote address is sponsored by
The North Texas Chapter of the
National Railway Historical Society.

Friday evening's activities include a presentation on Cotton Belt's Diesel Locomotives by Joe Strapac and an informal "Show-And-Tell"/"Mix-N-Mingle."  If you have items of railroad interest you would like to display on Friday and/or Saturday, 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 program on railroad artist, John Winfield, by Tony Wilson; the premier unveiling of Mr. Winfield's latest Cotton Belt Painting; a luncheon; the Keynote Presentation on Cotton Belt's Steam Locomotives by Joe Strapac; an update on NETEX/Blacklands Railroad operations on the Cotton Belt's former C-branch; a presentation by the Museum of the American Railroad; and other activities.  Audience participation is encouraged.  North Texas T-Trak will have an expanded operating model train layout on-site during the event on Saturday.

Luncheon (RSVP Required)

The luncheon will be held at noon on Saturday. 
The meal will feature a deli-style buffet and include sides, desert, and drink.  The estimated cost for the luncheon meal is $10, payable by cash or check at the time of on-site registration at the event.  (No money is collected in advance.  Sorry, credit cards cannot be accepted at the event.)
Reservations are REQUIRED for the luncheon meal and must be made on or before Tuesday, September 30.  Luncheon meal tickets may be requested through our new on-line reservation system here:

LUNCHEON MEAL RESERVATION SUBMISSION

We are obligated to pay for the number of meals submitted to our food service staff, we must secure an accurate count in advance of the event.  If you later learn that will be unable to claim and pay for your requested ticket(s), please notify Jason so the meal count can be adjusted accordingly, prior to the reservation deadline.
The symposium luncheon meal is being subsidized by the symposium, and possibly other underwriters, to minimize the cost to our guests. Final cost will be determined by the availability of additional sponsors, contributors, or underwriters.

Presented by

tamuc Department of Engineering & Technology

tamuc College of Science & Engineering

James G. Gee Library Special Collections

Commerce Public Library

2014 Sponsors

Luncheon Sponsor(s):

Opportunity Available
Contact Jason with inquiries, 903-468-8682.

Keynote Sponsor:

The North Texas Chapter of the
National Railway Historical Society

Gold Spike Sponsors:

Tony Wilson

Wayne Defebaugh, President

Greenville Board of Development

Silver Spike Sponsors:

Dr. Madeline & James Justice

Bronze Spike Sponsors:

Mei-Ying Elaine Lin

Charles Neyman

Commerce

Iron Spike Sponsor:

Sponsorship Opportunities Available...

You or your company can be recognized as a Sympoisum Sponsor for next year's event!  Multiple sponsorship levels are available.  All sponsorship contributions are tax deductable.  For more information on becoming a sponsor, please see our Sponsorship Opportunities page.  Our new MarketPlace makes it easier than ever!!! Sponsorships are accepted anytime, but must be confirmed by three weeks prior to the symposium to ensure inclusion in our major print materials in order to meet printing deadline for the event.
The Symposium Committee reserves the right to decline any sponsorship application.

Symposium History

• Information and medial galleries for Previous Symposium Events
  
  

Everyone Welcome

Please join us for the next free, public event to document and preserve the legacy of the current and "Fallen Flag" railroads and railroad "families" of the Ark-La-Tex-oma region, including, but not limited to, the following railroads:
Atchison, Topika, & Santa Fe (ATSF)
Blacklands (BLR)
Burlington Northern (BN)
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF)
Chaparral
Dallas, Garland, & Northeastern (DGNO)
DeQueen & Eastern (DQ&E)
East Line & Red River Narrow Gauge (EL&RR)
Ft. Worth & Denver (FW&D)
Gulf, Colorado, & Santa Fe (GC&SF)
Houston & Shreveport
Houston & Texas Central (H&TC)
International & Great Northern (IGN)
Kansas City, Pittsburg, & Gulf
Kansas City Southern (KCS)
Kiamichi (KRR)
Louisiana & Arkansas (L&A)
Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT, The Katy)
Missouri Pacific (MoPac)
Paris & Mt. Pleasant (P&MP)
Sherman, Shreveport, & Southern (SS&S)
St. Louis, Arkansas, & Texas
St. Louis, Iron Mountain, & Southern
St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco)
St. Louis South-western (SSW, Cotton Belt Route)
St. Louis, Texas, & Arkansas
Southern Pacific (SP)
Texas Interurban
Texas Midland (TM)
Texas & New Orleans (T&NO)
Texas Northeastern (TNER)
Texas & Pacific (T&P)
Texas & St. Louis
Union Pacific (UP)
Vicksburg, Shreveport, & Pacific

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 and operations of railroads in the Ark-La-Tex-oma region is welcome.  This is also a reunion opportunity for members of the railroad "family."

Commerce Public Library Collection | used with permission

St.L.S-W #819  |  Tony Wilson photo

Agendas

Friday, October 3, 2014 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rm. #213

4:30p    Set-up
5:00      View displays & artifacts, visit with old and new
              friends, etc.
6:00     Joe Strapac on Cotton Belt's Diesel Locomotives
8:00p    Adjourn

Saturday, October 4, 2014 – Sam Rayburn Student Center, Conference Rm. #213

8:19a    Registration/Displays Open
9:00a    Welcome and Opening remarks
9:15a    Panel Discussion
              - Edna Hemphill, Cotton Belt Station Agent
              - others TBA
11:00a  "John Winfield - Premier Railroad Artist of Our Time"
                   - Tony Wilson
                First public premiere of John's newest Cotton Belt
                   painting - Tony Wilson & John Winfield

Noon     Luncheon ($10/meal, RSVP Required by 9/30)
1:00p    Keynote Address - Joe Strapac on Cotton Belt's
              Steam Locomotives
2:15p    Update on the NETEX/Blacklands Railroad
              (former Cotton Belt C-branch)
2:30p    Museum of the American Railroad: Moving Railroad
              History into the Future - William Gibson, vice-chair
3:30p    Adjourn from venue to remote activities...
After     Open House at the East Texas Model Railroad Club
            Railroad Motorcar display by Railroad Partners, Inc.
            Open House at Steven Pawlow's Signal Garden &
              Layout

 Event Participants

North Texas T-Trak Modular Railroad Club
East Texas Model Railroad Club
Grapevine Vintage Railroad
Amtrak

other participants TBA

For information on participation,
please contact Jason Davis

 Lodging Accommodations

View Commerce area 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.