Mid-Central Live Steamers
History
Russell Pickering, Sr submitted the following article to The Miniature Locomotive, which was published in the January-February 1953 edition.
The new "Midcentral Live Steamers" Club is really going to town and I've been quite busy with my correspondence with the members. Good reason for my delay in answering your nice letter of June 2nd. I've kept it on the unanswered file and now that I have something out of the ordinary to write about I'm going to steal the time it takes to rattle off a few lines and let you know how we have enjoyed reading the issues of our most excellent magazine so far.
The Midcentral Live Steamers club started out having their first meeting at Mr. Haley Stauffer's track April 27th (1952) and have held a meeting the last Sunday in each month up to this time, and are expecting (weather permitting) to hold another meeting the 26th of October. Each gathering was attended by the most prolific model live steam locomotive enthusiasts to be found. I don't believe a nicer cooperative organization of men and women (their wives) could be formed into a club anywhere. Each member has gained new friends interested in the same hobby and I'm sure they are just as happy and proud of the fact as the writer.
To prove the fact that our magazine is thoroughly read by this subscriber, I noticed a letter in the Mixed Freight section of the July-august issue written by Tom W. Harrison in Detroit, Mich., stating that he was a former member of the Huddersfield Model Engineers Society in England; Having resided in the country for two years and was wishing to get in touch with a club in this area. I immediately wrote and told him about our newly organized club and invited him to attend our next meeting. He failed to get my first letter to make the August meeting, but through further correspondence he and his wife made it for the September 28th meet held a week ago today, arriving Saturday afternoon and spending the evening in our home and accompanied us to Continental, Ohio, to our meeting on Sunday. He had his L.B.S.C.'s Bantam Cock, built by himself and brother-in-law in Huddersfield, England, during the war, which performed beautifully on the tracks until the dried out packing gave way for him. I am wondering if any other club can claim the distinction of having an Englishman with an engine built in England, attending their meeting before the club has been organized a year. This being accomplished by our club with the assistance of our fine magazine, volume 1, number 2.
From The North American Live Steamer, Volume 1, Number 4:
I note that our club in Ohio, The Mid-Central Live Steamers, has not been represented in your club news yet so will take this opportunity to make ourselves known. There are a dozen of us or so that meet once a month, April through October. We meet at Halley Stauffer's pike at Continental as well as Russ Pickering and Junior's at Bryan. We also met at Alva Trook's big layout at Lafayette, Indiana last fall. We, like the others, are smoke eaters and are happiest when we are firing up and rollin'.
- A. W. Barkdull
- 33 N. Gamble St
- Shelby, Ohio