Austin Barr: Difference between revisions

From IBLS
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 4: Line 4:
Austin Barr began constructing locomotive #6568, an 1½" scale Little Engines Pacific, in 1965 while living in White Hall, Arkansas.
Austin Barr began constructing locomotive #6568, an 1½" scale Little Engines Pacific, in 1965 while living in White Hall, Arkansas.


{|
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
  [[File:Austin Barr Photos 1.jpeg|left|thumb|300px|Austin Barr at his track in White Hall, Arkansas, April 1968. Photo by Joe Ed Gaddes, one of Mid South Live Steamers Charter Members. Scanned by Greg Glos.]]
File:Austin Barr Photos 1.jpeg|Austin Barr at his track in White Hall, Arkansas, April 1968. Photo by Joe Ed Gaddes, one of Mid South Live Steamers Charter Members. Scanned by Greg Glos.
|
File:Austin Barr Pacific Whitehall Ark Apr 1968.jpg|Austin Barr's #6568 LE Pacific, April 1968, White Hall, Arkansas
  [[File:Austin Barr Pacific Whitehall Ark Apr 1968.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Austin Barr's #6568 LE Pacific, April 1968, White Hall, Arkansas]]
File:Austin Barr Photos 2.jpeg|Austin Barr and his #6568 LE Pacific, April 1968, White Hall, Arkansas. Photo by Joe Ed Gaddes, scanned by Greg Glos.
|
</gallery>
  [[File:Austin Barr Photos 2.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|Austin Barr and his #6568 LE Pacific, April 1968, White Hall, Arkansas. Photo by Joe Ed Gaddes, scanned by Greg Glos.]]
|}


Barr was a charter member of the Mid-South Live Steamers, organized on 17 December 1966.
Barr was a charter member of the Mid-South Live Steamers, organized on 17 December 1966.
Line 22: Line 20:
::I knew Austin Barr quite well, but not as well as some of the older members now deceased of course. When we first met I was kind of the "kid" of the club. See photo - I am in front. Austin is first row left. Shortly after that picture I went to college, then to sea (Navy) for a while, and then back to college so I rarely saw him after that. He had a 14,000 acre rice & soy bean plantation in Weiner, Arkansas (yes Weiner, as in Oscar Meyer) and built a large track on it where he hosted annual meets. He eventually lost the farm, his shop, and track in a divorce. I don't recall when he passed away but I don't think I saw him more than half a dozen times the last 20 years of his life. He was a very friendly and helpful guy and would help you in any way he could. I'm not sure he had a direct involvement in the development of the BLS standards, which may have already been established before he became Secretary, but he certainly helped promulgate and promote their usage.
::I knew Austin Barr quite well, but not as well as some of the older members now deceased of course. When we first met I was kind of the "kid" of the club. See photo - I am in front. Austin is first row left. Shortly after that picture I went to college, then to sea (Navy) for a while, and then back to college so I rarely saw him after that. He had a 14,000 acre rice & soy bean plantation in Weiner, Arkansas (yes Weiner, as in Oscar Meyer) and built a large track on it where he hosted annual meets. He eventually lost the farm, his shop, and track in a divorce. I don't recall when he passed away but I don't think I saw him more than half a dozen times the last 20 years of his life. He was a very friendly and helpful guy and would help you in any way he could. I'm not sure he had a direct involvement in the development of the BLS standards, which may have already been established before he became Secretary, but he certainly helped promulgate and promote their usage.


[[File:IBLS Meet 1970 LALS.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Bill Fitt, Leo Meyers, Harry Dixon, Austin Bar, and Gordon Sherwood at 1970 IBLS Meet hosted by LALS]]
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
 
File:IBLS Meet 1970 LALS.jpg|Bill Fitt, Leo Meyers, Harry Dixon, Austin Bar, and Gordon Sherwood at 1970 IBLS Meet hosted by LALS
[[File:IBLS Meet 1970 LALS RRS.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Some of the "Older Heads" in the Brotherhood of Live Steam Fraternity. Left to right: Bill Fitt, publisher of 'Modeltec' magazine; Leo Myers, St Louis, Mo; Harry Dixon, past Western Region B.L.S. Secretary; Austin Barr, Midwest Region B.L.S. Secretary; Gordon Sherwood, Past President, LALS.]]
File:IBLS Meet 1970 LALS RRS.jpg|Some of the "Older Heads" in the Brotherhood of Live Steam Fraternity. Left to right: Bill Fitt, publisher of 'Modeltec' magazine; Leo Myers, St Louis, Mo; Harry Dixon, past Western Region B.L.S. Secretary; Austin Barr, Midwest Region B.L.S. Secretary; Gordon Sherwood, Past President, LALS.
 
File:Snub Pollard and Austin Barr.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Here is photo of Austin Barr from Cary Nettles. Austin is on the right and Snub Pollard is on the left. Cary is the senior member of Mid-South Live Steamers at 97 years old! (as of 2013).
[[File:Snub Pollard and Austin Barr.jpg|center|thumb|300px|Here is photo of Austin Barr from Cary Nettles. Austin is on the right and Snub Pollard is on the left. Cary is the senior member of Mid-South Live Steamers at 97 years old! (as of 2013).]]
File:AustinBarr FloridaLiveSteamersYearbook1975 010.jpg|Austin Barr, from Floridan Live Steamers Yearbook 1975. Photo by Bill Koster.
</gallery>


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==

Revision as of 23:32, 5 February 2014


Austin Barr began constructing locomotive #6568, an 1½" scale Little Engines Pacific, in 1965 while living in White Hall, Arkansas.

Barr was a charter member of the Mid-South Live Steamers, organized on 17 December 1966.

Austin Barr, far left, attending charter meeting of Mid-South Live Steamers at Bud Bartholomew's residence in Nashville on December 17, 1966. Harry Wade is the young man at front and center.

Barr finished #6568, along with his track at White Hall, Arkansas, for the first annual spring meet of the Mid-South Live Steamers. Austin continued to host Spring Meets from 1968 through 1973.

Harry Wade, who also attended the inaugural meeting of the Mid-South Live Steamers, provided the following about Austin Bar.

I knew Austin Barr quite well, but not as well as some of the older members now deceased of course. When we first met I was kind of the "kid" of the club. See photo - I am in front. Austin is first row left. Shortly after that picture I went to college, then to sea (Navy) for a while, and then back to college so I rarely saw him after that. He had a 14,000 acre rice & soy bean plantation in Weiner, Arkansas (yes Weiner, as in Oscar Meyer) and built a large track on it where he hosted annual meets. He eventually lost the farm, his shop, and track in a divorce. I don't recall when he passed away but I don't think I saw him more than half a dozen times the last 20 years of his life. He was a very friendly and helpful guy and would help you in any way he could. I'm not sure he had a direct involvement in the development of the BLS standards, which may have already been established before he became Secretary, but he certainly helped promulgate and promote their usage.

Bibliography

  • "Mid-South Live Steamers", Austin F. barr, Live Steam Magazine, Apr 1969
  • "Weed Control", Austin F. barr, Live Steam Magazine, Mar 1974
  • "A Change to report in IBLS Doings", Austin F. Barr, Jr. and Ralph Tucker, Modeltec Magazine, May 1984
  • "Gold Spike Ceremony on Austin Barr’s Weiner & Western", William C. Fitt, Modeltec Magazine, Sept 1986
  • "The Other Guy’s Shop: Austin Barr", William C. Fitt, Modeltec Magazine, Sept 1986
  • "Mid South Live Steamers presents Leo Myers with the 'General' Happy Birthday Leo!", Austin F. Barr, Modeltec Magazine, Aug 1987

References