Eight & Sand is regularly updated with news and information about the Amherst Railway Society, the Railroad Hobby Show, the Amherst Belt Lines modular model railroad, the organizations we support, and other railroad-related topics.
Table of Contents
Commemorative Coal Car
Amherst Board of Directors – openings
New Bridges for the Amherst Garden Railroad
Holyoke Senior Center Model Railroad
Amherst Railway Society – Help Wanted
Upcoming Shows & Events
Commemorative Coal Car
Here’s a unique opportunity to own a special commemorative car. Amherst has commissioned just 100 commemorative G-scale coal cars to celebrate two important events – the ongoing development of the Amherst Garden Railroad and the upcoming Northeast Outdoor Railway Festival in June.
The cars are beautifully done by Bachmann, include Springfield Terminal or Amherst Belt reporting marks.
The cars are available now and can be purchased here.
Amherst Board of Directors – openings
The terms of two at-large members of the Amherst Railway Society Board of Directors expire on June 30, 2026. Nominations for candidates to fill the two positions are now open.
The Amherst Board of Directors is responsible for the overall management of the organization including strategic planning and direction, financial stewardship, legal compliance, fundraising, and community building. Board candidates should have some combination of business management experience at a senior level, financial background, or legal background.
Nominations must be submitted to the Secretary – [email protected] – no later than May 1, 2026 and include a letter of intent and a professional resume. Submissions will be reviewed by the Governance Committee and a slate of candidates will be recommended to the Board of Directors. Elections will be held at the June business meeting.
The Amherst Railway Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation regulated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
New Bridges for the Amherst Garden Railroad
Special thanks this month to Sheet Metal Workers Local 63 in Springfield for the two G-scale bridges they built for the Amherst Garden Railroad.
Local 63 offers training programs for metal workers, and those programs include a community service component. As a nonprofit corporation, Amherst qualified for student work. We supplied the materials and local 63 students built two beautiful bridges for our garden railroad.
Local 63 knows the rail industry well. They work with CRRC in Springfield, a manufacturer of passenger rail cars for public transit agencies.
Photo left to right:
- Scott Demers, (director)
- Ethan Lafluer
- Nick Olivery
- Gerry Vautrain (Amherst)
- Joe Biagioni (Amherst)
- Cody Brouillard
Holyoke Senior Center Model Railroad
In 2012, the donation of model railroad equipment started the Holyoke Senior Center and the Amherst Railway Society on a fascinating journey that resulted in a thoughtfully designed, highly detailed HO-scale model railroad.
With the technical assistance of John Sacerdote, a track plan was drawn to fit the space allocated by the senior center – and construction was underway. In July, 2013, the first train ran. Over the next several years, key features of the town of Holyoke were added to the railroad as well as a miniature amusement park.
Today, the railroad continues to delight senior center visitors. While the railroad can be seen anytime, the model railroad “crew” meets every Thursday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm to operate the railroad.
Additional Amherst members involved in the construction of the railroad included: Ken Harstine, Joe Lepage, and Gerry Vautrain.
The Holyoke Senior Center is located at: 291 Pine, Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts 01040
Help Wanted – the Amherst Railway Society
As the Amherst Railway Society continues to grow, we need people to fill key management roles. Open positions with responsibility descriptions are listed below.
1. Railroad Hobby Show – Lead Floor Manager
reports to: Show Director
Responsible for:
• coordinating all floor manager schedules
• recruiting and training new floor managers
• work with Show Director as part of the show management team
2. Railroad Hobby Show – Volunteer Coordinator
reports to: Show Director
Responsible for:
• coordinating all volunteer schedules
• recruiting and training new volunteers
• work with Show Director as part of the show management team
3. Speaker/Clinics Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• recruiting speakers and presenters for Amherst events and clinics
• coordinating dates, AV needs, and catering
• work with Marketing Director to publicize and promote presentations
4. Event Coordinators
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• managing specific Amherst Special events.
• Amherst sponsors several special events such as Kids ON TRACK programs and the Brunch Express. Event Coordinators manage all details of specific special events.
5. Trip Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• managing all Amherst Railway Society sponsored trips
6. Display Layout Coordinator
reports to: Building Manager
Responsible for:
• setting up and maintaining all scale layouts on the upper level.
7. Special Programs Coordinator
reports to: Executive Director
Responsible for:
• setting up and managing Amherst special programs, including:
• summer camp
• modular sales
• disability program
• scholarships
• T-Trak program
Upcoming Shows & Events
| Date | Event | Location | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
|
May 13-17, 2026 |
Great Lakes Large Scale Train Expo |
Girard, Ohio |
greatlakestrainexpo.com |
|
May 17, 2026 |
TCA Train Show |
Coventry, RI |
snetca.org/ |
|
May 29 & 30, 2026 |
New England Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet |
Springfield, MA |
nerpm.org |
|
July 18, 2026 |
Surplus Assets Sale |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
August 15 & 16, 2026 |
Great Falls Open House |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
August 16, 2026 |
Concord Model Railroad Show |
Concord, NH |
|
|
August 22 & 23 2026 |
Great Falls Open House |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
September 26, 2026 |
Southern New England Open House |
Gardner, MA |
facebook.com/SNEMRR |
|
October 3 & 4, 2026 |
Railfair 2026 |
Boxboro, MA |
nvrra.com |
|
October 17, 2026 |
Great Falls Train Show |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrailroadclub.org |
|
October 31, 2026 |
Great Northern New England Train Show |
Dover Elks – Dover, NH |
[email protected] – 603-363-4300 |
|
November 7, 2026 |
470 Club excursion |
North Conway, NH |
conwayscenic.com/excursions/470-club-excursion |
|
November 21 & 22, 2026 |
ExTRAINaganza |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
November 27, 28, 29, 2026 |
ExTRAINaganza |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
December 12, 2026 |
Surplus Assets Sale |
Auburn, ME |
greatfallsmodelrrclub.org |
|
January 30 & 31, 2027 |
Railroad Hobby Show |
West Springfield, MA |
railroadhobbyshow.com |
|
March 14, 2027 |
Vermont Rails Show |
St. Albans, VT |
nwvrailroad.org/events/ |
|
April 3, 2027 |
Great Northern New England Show |
Dover, NH |