2008 Convention NMRA Mid-Eastern Region
Prototype Tours
Potomac Junction II
Sheraton Reston Hotel, October 16 - 19, 2008
Vulcan Quarry Tour — We'll be touring on Friday, experiencing the loading of rail cars and tour of the pit of Vulcan's Manassas Limestone quarry.  We're repeating this popular tour showing the rail enthusiast actual crushed stone flood loading in rail cars by a remote controlled engine and siding placement for future local train pick-up.  Our tour is guided.  Extra fare $35.  Registration code 201.      more
Both tours require substantial closed toe shoes and long pants (men and women). No shorts, tennis shoes or sandals are permitted.
Both tours departs promptly at 7:30 am.
Amtrak Ivy City Maintenance Facility — Walking tour.  Saturday.  The Ivy City Yard, just north of Union Station, houses a large Amtrak maintenance facility. This includes the new maintenance facility for the Acela high speed train sets. Amtrak also does contract work for MARC's electric locomotives.  Click here to view photographs from the Amtrak Historical Society 3rd Annual Conference May 1997.  Extra fare $50.  Registration code 202. Tour departs promptly at 7:30 am.
The Vulcan Quarry Tour

Touring one of Vulcan Quarries http://www.vulcanmaterials.com/ is a grand opportunity.  From the industrial standpoint and its modeling possibilities, many interesting ideas may be noted.  One most important sight is the flood aggregate loader of railcars.  This a remote controlled operation, all controlled by an employee from high atop an observation tower.

Upon arrival, dressed in "correct" clothing, that being all pants/slacks and closed toe shoes, we'll embark on our tour of the pit overview, the flood loader, a guided driving tour of the complex, a walking tour of the mid pit level(that's 200 feet down) and primary rock crusher.  We'll see large Terex and Komatsu dump trucks hauling rough large aggregate from the pit bottom up to midstation dumping and first crushing.  We'll see this material conveyor belted up and out of the pit on three or four conveyor lifts to the sorting and crushing mills for distribution to sized aggregate piles for storage.  Watching as dump trucks self load at their load out, we'll survey their driven paths towards the quarry office and scales.

This is an enjoyable trip and one worth seeing for it's use of the railroad and their contribution to our society, economy and the ecology of area.  Hope to see you there!     top

Mark Andersen, Prototype Tour Coordinator

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