Actually, we didn't equate ourselves by the name 'Atlanta/Southeast MSTS Group' on this trip. This was our first get-together and we weren't a group at the time.

It started out with Rob Easterday posting on the Train-Sim forum, mentioning the Museum and asking if anybody in the Atlanta area (or anywhere in the surroundings) would be interested in getting together and visiting it.

Turns out, there were 4 of us that made the trip. Here we are in front of Southern Crescent E-8 #6901.

For more info on #6901, click here

Left to Right

Robert Damon, Daryll LeCroy, Rob Easterday, me

Debbie, my wife, was along on this trip but didn't want to get in the picture. She said it was a guy thing.

Daryll arrived probably about 10 minutes after we entered the gate. He finally found us, about 3 hours later, about time we were ready to leave.

We had a great time getting to know one and other and checking out all the old engines and rolling stock on display at the museum. We even got to go behind the scenes to the maintenance shop, where they had a couple restoration projects in the works (Daryll missed that). I don't recall exactly what they were working on. Heck, that was about 6 years ago, and I've slept a couple times since then. Maybe if Rob gets back in touch, he'll have some more info. Ever since he went to work for Norfolk Southern, he doesn't get much free time anymore. I understand they keep him hopin'.

As we parted ways, after an enjoyable day of rail-faning and camaraderie, we discussed another get-together. Needless to say, we all thought is was a grand idea.

Unfortunately, due to a hard drive crash, this is the only photo I have left of this trip, and only because I salvaged it from the Train-Sim forum. I got it just in time too, before it was deleted to make more space on Nel's server.

Footnotes:

Rob Easterday, a.k.a: Dokkensound, was one of the original developmental team members for TrainsArtisan. Known as "The Magician", Rob's work added the lighting and sounds to most of their earlier releases.

Daryll and I have got back in touch with each other after a couple of years when he posted on the Train-Sim forum looking for a beta tester for a new MSTS utility he's working on; "MSTSAutoLauncherTool" (M.A.L.T.). With the testing from myself and a few others (Paul DeVerter, Herb Kelsey, Tim Muir, Chuck Rickert, Frank Thomas, and JW Titus) he's managed to get all the bugs worked out and it's available on this site in the MSTS Utilities section.