Trains Are Running At Kempton

Trains are Running Sunday, May 1st Trains are running at Kempton starting Sunday, May 1, 2016. The WK&S Excursion train runs every hour on the hour beginning at 1:00pm and run every hour on the hour with the last train leaving the station at 4:00pm. Each trip lasts approximately 40 minutes and goes from Kempton to Wnnamakers and back. Your ticket is good for every trip the train makes, so go as often as you like. The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Club operates independently from the W,K & S Railroad but follows a similar schedule. The Coach Car opens about 12:30pm and is generally open and running model trains on the layout until 5:00pm. Visiting the Model Train layout is "free" although donations are appreciated. Stop in and visit! The Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout is located directly behind the Kempton Station in Coach Car #72.

Happy New Year 2016

The members of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club wish you and yours a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

For the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club the year 2015 was a very successful and enjoyable year. The number of people that passed through Coach 72 to view the unique layout of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club was at an all-time high. The visitors seemed to have a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the model trains make their designated tour around the layout. I can assure you that the club members running the trains had a great time running trains and chatting it up with the visitors, particularly the kids, that passed through the coach car either before are after their ride on the WK&S Railroad excursion train up to Wanamaker's and back.

We hope you enjoyed your day in Kempton, had a great ride on the WK&S and stopped by the Coach car 72 to check out the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad layout.

We hope to see you all again soon when the trains start running in May, 2016. Be sure to check out the WK&S schedule on their web site; WK&S Railroad website.

The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad will also be posting it's schedule in early April, 2016. Check the 2016 schedule at Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad.

See you in the spring!

Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad, Kempton

YOUR VIEW

 

 

 

 

Railroad overcomes embezzlement, keeps on chugging

 

Volunteers at the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad had an unbelievably difficult operating season in 2014. 

We had to overcome the effects of a massive embezzlement that left the 3 1/2-mile tourist attraction between Kempton in Berks County and Wanamaker (Lynn Township, Lehigh County) reeling from the crippling effects.

Wally Ely

When news of the desperate financial condition that haunted the railroad broke in the spring of 2014, many of us felt it was the end of the line for the WK&S. For most businesses it would have been the end. (James D. Krause of Schnecksvile, the former general manager and treasurer, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to Berks County Prison in December 2014 and is required to make restitution.)  

Operating funds were gone, and savings were down to a few thousand dollars.

The newly elected board of directors and officers had to face enormous past due accounts in seemingly every direction. They discovered overdue bills from vendors and unpaid state sales and income taxes and local real estate taxes. The company negotiated a line of credit from a bank to pay off some of the debts quickly and provide operating funds.  

Railroad officials — all volunteers — determined early on that in defiance of the odds the trains would run all summer on a regular schedule. All scheduled special events would run as planned.

And that is exactly what happened. The train did not miss a day through the season, including the first week in December when, to continue a tradition, a whole weekend full of Santa Claus specials ran on time, with fully reserved trains.  

Railroad President Oliver Blatt told a recent shareholders meeting that the volunteer team running the railroad line intends to return the business to its original prosperity and continue a full schedule with its all-volunteer operation this year and beyond. The railroad website announces an ambitious complete schedule for 2015 trains.  

The railroad is no stranger to adversity. Starting with its founding on Memorial Day 1963, the railroad grew exponentially for a short time, then ran into financial difficulties. In 1970 the line closed in preparation for a sale of assets. Two Allentown businessmen, Harry Schaller of Mack Trucks and Albert Moffa, owner of the Americus Hotel, stepped forward, lent cash and negotiated a lifesaving reorganization for the company. 

With Moffa as the new president, Schaller became the railroad treasurer and acting CEO and reopened the railroad, shepherding it back to health. Schaller made peace with the volunteers, retaining most of them who were dedicated to keeping the trains rolling. Ten years later, when all the debts and loans of the company were paid off and with enough money in the bank to make the line totally solvent, Schaller retired, turning the railroad over to a new generation of volunteers.  

Over the 50-plus years in existence, the railroad struggled through national economic turndowns and seasons of rain and heat, which kept travelers from riding the train.  

Yet, enough out-of-area visitors and local families continued to ride this little railroad; they marveled at its cleanliness and the attitude of its volunteers. WK&S provides a pleasant railroad experience many children will never forget. The train trip with vintage coaches and engines is priced reasonably and the volunteers consider customer comfort and enjoyment as their top priority.  

Kempton railroad volunteers have bounced back from the ultimate challenge, keeping the WK&S rolling. Come and see us for a ride in our 52nd year after reopening in May. 

Wally Ely, who lives in Allentown, has been a volunteer for the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad since it was founded in 1963. His email address is WallyEly1@aol.com  

Slideshows & Videos of Other Club Layouts

On January 18, 2015, three members of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad visited two loyouts belonging to other Model Railroad Clubs.

The first stop was at the Keystone N-Trak Modular Railroad, Dublin TEC Center, 123 N. Main Street, Suite 216 (use rear door), Dublin, Pennsylvania.

As would be expected, this layout is an N scale modular panel layout. The Club has a permanent layout in one room and a display of member owned modular panels in another. From time to time the club takes the member owned modular panels for display at various events. It is an impressive N scale layout as you will see if you visit the Schuylkill and Lehigh web site were you can view the Keystone layout in a slideshow and a video.

The second stop of the day was a visit to the Logan Model Engineers layout, located in the Souderton Station, 2 West Broad St., Souderton, Pennsylvania. This club operates the fictional Logan & Southern Railroad. on a layout located in the 2nd floor of the Souderton Station. This is an impressive HO gauge model railroad with a large equipment roster, much of it owned by members. The clubs web site can be found here:
Logan Model Railroad Club

You can view two slideshows and a video of the Logan layout and a slideshow and video of the Keystone N-Trak layout by visiting the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad web site which can be found here:
Schuylkill and Lehigh MRR web site

The 2015 Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Schedule will be posted soon. Watch for it!

 

Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad - Web Site

If you have never visited the Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad web site, you should definitely check it out. Lots of good stuff is posted to the site periodically. For instance a video of an operating session for Saturday, October 26, 2013, was recently posted. Also, a 5 minute video showing the World's Largest Model Train Layout was posted today.

The model train layout, located in Germany, is amazing. You should take a look and enjoy the wonders of model railroading.

The web site can be found here:

Schuylkill & Lehigh Model Railroad Layout

To view recent videos click on "Videos" in the left navigation bar. While your there you might want to take a ride in the cab of the WK&S diesel train on a run to Wannamakers and back to Kempton.

Hope you will visit the web site soon and be sure to check us out on FaceBook.

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2013 Operating Schedule - Schuylkill & Lehigh MRR

The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club has posted it's 2013 Operating Schedule on the club's web site.

View the schedule and start making plans. May 5th will be here before you know it!

The following link will take you to the website for the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club:

Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club

Hope to see you in Kempton!

New Ceiling for Coach #72

In November, Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club Members installed a new ceiling in Coach #72, the home of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Layout.

This was accomplished at considerable expense, but cost were held in check as the installation was accomplished by club members. In addition to the ceiling, fans equipped with lights were also installed. The fans should circulate cool air in summer and warm air in winter makeing the Coach Car a comfortable place to observe model railroad trains in action. The new lighting arrangement also softens the glare from the over head floresient lights that are still in place but can be turned off during operating sessions.

The WK&S Excursion Train wrapped up its 2012 season with a "special" evening run on November 30th. And concluded the season with a "Santa Claus Special" on December 1 and december 2.

Great Turnout for the year-end sessions.

The Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad was in operation on all three of these dates as it too closed out its season for 2012.

Overall, it was a very succesful season for the Schuylkill and Lehigh Model Railroad Club and the members look forward to 2013 with Coach #72 sporting new carpet, new fans and new lighting. We can hardly wait for the 2013 season to begin!

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