10th Annual Cotton Belt Symposium

[SSW9389]

Dr. Jason Davis has announced the details of our 10th Cotton Belt Symposium in Commerce, Texas. The event is set for October 2nd and 3rd, see you there.

The 10th Annual Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium will be held
on Friday Evening and Saturday, October 2-3, 2015, in the Sam Rayburn
Student Center on the campus of Texas A&M University-Commerce
(Commerce, TX 75429).

This is a free*, public event to share, document, preserve, and
celebrate rail history and the legacy and experiences of the
employees and families connected to all Ark-La-Tex-oma railroads.

The Friday evening program includes our traditional show & tell mixer
and slide show featuring the first nine years of the symposium. (5:00pm-8:00pm)

Saturday's activities include a variety of rail presentations
including photos from the Cotton Belt Public Relations Department,
Panel/Roundtable Discussion, and Luncheon* with live musical
entertainment by Leo Sykes & Friends. (9:00am~mid-afternoon)

This year's event is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Harley Davis (May
28, 1937 - Sept. 4, 2015), symposium co-founder and Cotton Belt
Fireman (1959-64).

Everyone is invited to bring and display railroad photos and other
rail related artifacts on Friday and Saturday. Contact Jason Davis
to request free table or exhibit space. (Note: This event is not a
swap-meet.)

The proceedings will be videotaped for historic preservation and
entry into the Libraries Collections and Digital Archives.

*Luncheon: RSVP is required for Luncheon Meal (only) by Tuesday,
September 29, 2015 via our reservation
site:
< https://secure.touchnet.com/C20206_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=41>https://secure.touchnet.com/C20206_ustores/web/store_main.jsp?STOREID=41
or RSVP to [e-mail] with name and number of meals
requested. The estimated cost of the luncheon meal is $13-15,
payable by cash or check at registration table when you arrive at
event on Saturday morning. (Sorry, we cannot accept credit card
payments at the event.)

Visit our website at
< http://www.cottonbeltroute.com/>www.CottonBeltRoute.com for
additional event information, schedule, directions, lodging options,
luncheon reservations, sponsorship opportunities, etc.

Many of us are members of the same groups, so you will likely receive
this multiple times. My apologies for the necessary duplication to
reach our full audience. If you know of someone, or some group, who
is interested in the rail history of any line in the Ark-La-Tex-oma
region and is not likely to receive this information, please pass it
along. Thanks!

See you in Commerce on October 2 & 3, 2015 (and mark your calendars
for the 11th annual event on Sept. 30-Oct.1, 2016).

-Jason Lee Davis
Symposium co-founder & host

~~~
Jason Lee Davis, PhD KB5YBP
Associate Professor of Technology Management | TMGT M.S. Program Advisor
Department of Engineering & Technology | Texas A&M University-Commerce
[e-mail] | [e-mail] | http://www.JDavis.us/
~~~
The Annual Cotton Belt Regional Railroad Symposium @ TAMU-Commerce |
Oct. 2-3, 2015.
http://www.CottonBeltRoute.com/ Honoring the Legacy of the
Ark-LaTex-oma area railroads.
Cotton Belt Symposium on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/169986873071642/ 

[Anonymous]

Off the record here at Classic Trains perhaps but I'm going to post this anyway.  Bachmann has announced that they will produce a Cotton Belt GP7 in HO scale.  The SSW rostered the only Geep 7 in the SP Empire!  Originally delivered in full Daylight colors, it was later repainted into a makeshift SSW only Black Widow scheme.  A photo can be found in the Steve Goen book in color published by Four Ways West.

Bachmann's model is shown in full SP BW design and not the unique scheme applied by SSW.  My question is, did the Cotton Belt repaint the unit in full SP BW before it received the Scarlet and Grey scheme or is this a Bachmann Blubber?

Tar and Feather me boys but please don't make me eat crow!

[SSW9389]

I've never seen a photo of #304 in full black widow colors. And have seen photos of it in the early 1960s in modified black widow colors. It was repainted to gray and scarlet in the later 1960s.   The Bachmann GP7 is painted to match Cotton Belt's first order of GP9s. The Cotton Belt's 1959 order for GP9s were delivered in gray and scarlet. See http://espee.railfan.net/sswgp07.html 

[Anonymous]

Looks like Bachmann didn't do their homework afterall.  Atlas released a model of the geep in full Daylight paint a few years ago in HO.  The Golden Empire subsidiaries were full of surprises: SSW rostered the only FTs and single GP7, Northwestern Pacific operated the only RDC, Pacific Electric's trolley pole equipped diesel switchers, Little Giant narrow gauge diesel #1....all in all....a lot of clean machines!

Thanks for the info SSW9389

[charlyadams]

I was at the symposium and was really epectacular , was worth the long hours of travel .

[martagomez]

I loose 10th for a travel but I will be to next Symposium on October for sure.

[BLS53]

I recall SSW Geeps on the combined MoPac/SSW river line south of St. Louis in the late 50's to mid 60's. All I remember is the grey and red. I never saw the Black Widow scheme.

[SSW9389]

There were seven Cotton Belt Geeps in Black Widow colors. The GP7 wore a modified version of BW until about 1968 when it was repainted into gray and red. Then there were the six GP9s #820-825 delivered in October 1957 in BW. By 1959 when Cotton Belt received another six GP9s #826-831 the paint scheme had changed to gray and red. Several of Cotton Belt's BW GP9s lasted in that paint until the early 1970s.

BLS53

I recall SSW Geeps on the combined MoPac/SSW river line south of St. Louis in the late 50's to mid 60's. All I remember is the grey and red. I never saw the Black Widow scheme.