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ALL
ABOARD! Get on track for earning the Railroading Merit Badge with these WWW Railroading
Resources!
by Pete Keppel
Managing Editor
There is a wealth of information available on the Internet to assist you with providing
a Railroading merit badge program to your unit. Turn your Scouts loose on a few of the
sites listed below, and they can easily qualify for several of the requirements in
Railroading merit badge. In less than two-hours time online, one of our staff progressed
through each step of each requirement and located the information necessary to complete
everything except for the “build something” steps. However, it is very easy to
spend more than two hours here, and in fact, one could get seriously
“side-tracked” while riding the hyper-rails.
Railroading Merit Badge Requirements, hosted
by US Scouting Service Project
www.usscouts.scouter.com/mb/mb094.html
Definately your first stop, if you aren’t already familiar with the
requirements. You can also get a listing of other merit badges’ requirements by going
to the advancement links at compass.scouter.com
Merit Badge Resource Links
hosted by meritbadge.com
www.meritbadge.com/mblinks.htm
While there are no known sites dedicated to earning the Railroading merit
badge, you can get a head start at this site. MeritBadge.com maintains resource links for
most merit badges, including Railroading. You’ll find prototype and modeling links
here, as well as publications, associations, and safety organizations.
Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
www.oli.org
Did you know there are roughly 4000 highway-rail grade crossing accidents each
year? Those accidents kill hundreds, and injure thousands each year. Many of the victims
don’t know that a fully-loaded freight train can take over 1.5 miles to stop. Most of
the accidents occur when drivers try to “beat the train” to the crossing, or run
around the gates.
That makes this site and this organization, whose sole purpose is to increase public
awareness and safety around railroads, one of the most important sites your Scouts should
visit. No discussion of railroading should occur without paying attention to safety.
Operation Lifesaver is a nationwide, non-profit program dedicated to improving civil
safety on railroad property, rights-of-way, and railroad-highway grade crossings.
Operation Lifesaver has a team of over 2500 volunteers that deliver the message of safety.
Operation Lifesaver is also one of the sponsors of the Charles Anderson’s Railroading
merit badge booth, which appeared at the 1997 Jambo and numerous events since.
One more tidbit: an average, empty boxcar weighs roughly 30 tons. That’s more than
your house! A modern locomotive weighs between 300,000 and 400,000 pounds. If all the
houses on your block were hooked together, travelling at 60mph, how long do you think it
would take them to stop?
National Model Railroad Association
www.nmra.org
The NMRA is devoted to the development, promotion, and enjoyment of the hobby
of Model Railroading. The NMRA sets many of the standards adhered to by model
manufacturers and hobbyists. Anyone can become a member, and that entitles you to monthly
meetings, awards, modeling clinics, national conventions, and even access to an extensive
library with content material pertaining to model- and prototype-railroading. There’s
even a division of the NMRA for teenagers. From the NMRA’s site, you can find volumes
of resource material to help you get started in the hobby, or enhance your experience.
NMRA Directory of World Wide Rail Sites
The NMRA also maintains a
separate directory of links to prototype and model railroad websites from around the
world. The Directory is a free service, and can be accessed by anyone ... not just
members. Whether your Scouts are trying to find pictures of the newest BNSF C44-9W or
UP SD90MAC, or merely interested in how trains operate in England, they’ll get a
good start here.
Amtrak
www.amtrak.com
If Amtrak were an airline, it would rank third for number of passengers
carried. While Amtrak is not the only passenger service in America, particularily in
larger metropolitan areas on the east and west coasts, it is the most obvious
rail-passenger solution for much of the country. You’ll find timetables, photos and
descriptions of their routes and equipment, press releases, and online fare specials.
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