Dr. Jason Davis has announced the details of the 2014 Cotton Belt Symposium. Mr. Joe Strapac will be our keynote speaker this year. Join us in Commerce, Texas.
Greetings Fellow Railroad Enthusiasts,
The 9th Annual Cotton Belt Railroad Symposium will take place at the
Sam Rayburn Student Center on the campus of Texas A&M
University-Commerce (Commerce, Texas 75429) on Friday evening, 5:00pm
- 8:00pm, and Saturday, 8:19am - mid-afternoon, October 3-4, 2014.
This is a free, public event to share, document, preserve, and
celebrate the legacy and experiences of the employees and families
connected to the railroads throughout the Ark-La-Tex-oma region.
This year’s featured speaker is Joe Strapac, renowned railroad author
and historian. He is well known for his book, Cotton Belt
Locomotives, the definitive guide to motive power on the St. Louis
South-western Railway.
Friday, 5:00pm-8:00pm, will feature a presentation by Mr. Strapac on
Cotton Belt’s Diesel Locomotives and our traditional show & tell
mixer. Saturday, registration opens at 8:19am with the program
beginning around 9:00am. Activities include a panel discussion; a
luncheon featuring live musical entertainment; a NETEX/Blacklands
Railroad (former Cotton Belt C-branch) update by Blacklands
president, Wayne Defebaugh; the Keynote Address by Joe Strapac on
Cotton Belt’s Steam Locomotives; and other programs to be announced.
Program admission is free. For additional information, visit the
Symposium website at http://w