rhensley@anderson.cioe.co
August 7th, 2000, 04:51 PM
A while back someone asked me, "What are the 'Railroad Passes'I've been reading about? And what exactly is a, Electronic Rail Pass?" Since I haven't seen this topic raised here, I thought I'd bring it up.
The railroads used to issue rail passes to employees and certain special VIPs. A rail pass gave the bearer rights to ride the company's trains (when there were passenger
trains) with certain restrictions. Generally, they went to other railroaders and the family of railroaders, with a few going to 'friends of the railroad' etc., etc., etc. Many of these passes have become sought after by collectors.
Now, a model railroad is not something that you can ride. Well, maybe you can....
A large number of model railroaders created a rail pass to mimic the operation of the prototype. They are given to other model rrs or exchanged with other model rrs just as they were done with the prototype railroads in years past.
Many times, the recipient will call and visit the railroad when they are in the area. It is just one more point in common with those who love the rails and try to re-create them in their own layouts. The passes are collected by some just as the real ones are/were and just as the QSL card is collected by radio amateurs.
The NMRA has had a pass exchange for years where individuals have created rail passes for their railroad and wish to exchange them with other modelers. If you are an NMRA member, you can find more information on that program at: http://www.getnet.com/~dickg/nmra/sigs/PassExchange.html
and in the NMRA Bulletin.
An electronic (or virtual) pass is exactly the same as the others. It represents the model railroad and gives you passenger rights (the right to visit) on that railroad. It may be displayed electronically on screen, or printed out in an appropriate size for display in the layout room, etc. They may be exchanged and collected. As with QSL cards, you exchange with or request from the originating railroad and do not get a copy from someone who has one. They are collectables. That's all. It just gives us another way to enjoy the hobby.
There are a number of sites that have Electronic Rail Passes. Too many to list and I certainly don't know them all. I have sent out 50 E-Passes since I created one. If you go to http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html you
may see a sample of my pass as well as those that I have received. My pass is about 550 x 300 or so in size and can be printed on a color printer should you wish a hard copy.
It is a fun addition to the hobby that crosses all scales, but it is not necessarily for everyone.
Roger
Roger Hensley - rhensley@anderson.cioe.com
== http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html ==
== East Central Indiana Railroad ==
The railroads used to issue rail passes to employees and certain special VIPs. A rail pass gave the bearer rights to ride the company's trains (when there were passenger
trains) with certain restrictions. Generally, they went to other railroaders and the family of railroaders, with a few going to 'friends of the railroad' etc., etc., etc. Many of these passes have become sought after by collectors.
Now, a model railroad is not something that you can ride. Well, maybe you can....
A large number of model railroaders created a rail pass to mimic the operation of the prototype. They are given to other model rrs or exchanged with other model rrs just as they were done with the prototype railroads in years past.
Many times, the recipient will call and visit the railroad when they are in the area. It is just one more point in common with those who love the rails and try to re-create them in their own layouts. The passes are collected by some just as the real ones are/were and just as the QSL card is collected by radio amateurs.
The NMRA has had a pass exchange for years where individuals have created rail passes for their railroad and wish to exchange them with other modelers. If you are an NMRA member, you can find more information on that program at: http://www.getnet.com/~dickg/nmra/sigs/PassExchange.html
and in the NMRA Bulletin.
An electronic (or virtual) pass is exactly the same as the others. It represents the model railroad and gives you passenger rights (the right to visit) on that railroad. It may be displayed electronically on screen, or printed out in an appropriate size for display in the layout room, etc. They may be exchanged and collected. As with QSL cards, you exchange with or request from the originating railroad and do not get a copy from someone who has one. They are collectables. That's all. It just gives us another way to enjoy the hobby.
There are a number of sites that have Electronic Rail Passes. Too many to list and I certainly don't know them all. I have sent out 50 E-Passes since I created one. If you go to http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html you
may see a sample of my pass as well as those that I have received. My pass is about 550 x 300 or so in size and can be printed on a color printer should you wish a hard copy.
It is a fun addition to the hobby that crosses all scales, but it is not necessarily for everyone.
Roger
Roger Hensley - rhensley@anderson.cioe.com
== http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html ==
== East Central Indiana Railroad ==