Inside This Month's Issue:
What's up, What's New and What's Going On
HO "Gulf & Northern" Layout Progress
N "Suncoast Lines" Layout Progress
What's up, What's New and What's Going On
Show News!
September 20 and 21, Open House and Train Show, 10 AM to 4 PM
Come and see what’s new. We have a full hall of dealers at the show, and the club railways continue to change and evolve. From our last two events we heard some comments about the food; that it was good, but not quite the same. Earlier this year our friends at Minnreg Hall offered to staff the kitchen for our April show, and we felt it worked out well. Therefore we had them cover our one day show in June, and plan to have them cover all future events at the hall. Why the change? Well, bodies. While we have a solid and active membership of over 45, running the kitchen took several of our people who could be better used elsewhere. From what we have seen, and tasted, Minnreg’s people our doing a great job, providing good food at reasonable cost.
Saturday November 8 th , 10 AM to 3 PM, New - Old Fashioned Swap Meet, at a New Location!
The Suncoast Model Railroad Club finalizing plans to host an old fashioned swap meet, one day only, on Saturday November 8 th. This will be held at Lake Seminole Presbyterian Church at 8505 113 th Street in Seminole, FL, 33772. Seminole is in southwest Pinellas County. 113 th Street is just west of Alternate US 19, and the Church is a couple miles south of Ulmerton Road and about a half mile north of Park Blvd North. In the tradition of the old Happy Hobo swap meet this will be a venue for local modelers and collectors to sell, buy and swap. No dealers will be allowed. If you are interested in selling, contact Bill Middlemas at 727-638-0649 or at the following e-mail: obrbill@hotmail.com. Admission and table fees will be decided soon (they are going to be very, very, low, $1-3). Parking is free and it is likely that food will be available at reasonable expense. Please check back next week for more details, flyers will be available at our Sept 20/21 Open House and Show.
Christmas Moonlit Run Night, Saturday December 20 th, 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
As in past years we will have a special “moonlit” run night open to the public at Christmas. This will be the Saturday night of the big golden Spike train show in Tampa, December 20th. So, after the show and dinner, come on by the club, and see all the building lights on. There should be some snacks and sweets on hand.
The New On30 Railway(s)
An acceptable preliminary plan for the On30 railway has been reviewed by the Board, and club approval for this addition, along with funding, is in the works. The On30 railway will include a sectional portion that will be semi-permanent in the loft, and will have attachable modules to expand loft operation, and to provide modules that can be brought to local shows for display and operation. We hope to see construction start this fall.
General Membership Meetings
As a reminder, our General Membership Meetings run from 8 to 9 PM on the second Thursday of each month
2008 Officers - Update
Here is your 2008 officer roster with primary scale affiliation:
Board Officers:
President: Jim Langston HO
Vice President: Bill Middlemas HO
Secretary: Mike Shirmer HO
Treasurer: Pat Berry N, some HO
Junior Director: Steve Kibort N
Director: Vacant HO
Update: Fred Guillermety is taking a leave of absence
Senior Director: Rey Feldt HO
Directors serve a three year term, all other officers a one year term.
Elected non-officer Positions:
N Scale Superintendent: Bill Knapp
N Scale Asst. Superintendent: Ed Ronshausen
HO Scale Superintendent: John Addison
HO Scale Asst. Superintendent: Carl Marchand
All non-officers serve a one year term.
All of the above positions, except Director and Junior Director will be up for election at the business meeting on November 13 th. The vacant Director position will be filled by appointment of the President, per club by-laws. Pat has indicated he will not stand for re-election to Treasurer. Please contact Steve Kibort to be added to the nomination slate, or nominate yourself from the floor at the October business meeting on October 9 th. The election slate will be set at the general meeting on the 9 th of October.
HO "Gulf & Northern" Layout Progress
Well, progress continues, but on small details. Vehicles, people etc. are popping up everywhere. There has been an invasion of checker cabs at two of the stations. A certain blue loco has been repaired, and is back in service. A new connection between the 2nd and 3rd divisions is in the offing, as is a re-make of Miner Junction, but these will not be done until the fall.
Amtrak’s latest Superliner scheme was recently spotted on the railway, and it is expected that some P32/P42 powered Superliner trains will be in operation at the September Open House, along with a variety of vintage passenger and freight trains. Appearances by the 1959 NP North Coast Limited, and 1952 Hiawatha are likely, and perhaps an ACL West Coast Champion.
Special Work Curfew Notice – As a reminder, the first Thursday of each month is still designated a work night for both railways. This can include signal and track work that will shut down part or all of each railway at the discretion of the superintendents. In particular, signal installation and testing on the HO Gulf & Northern requires a complete shut down of operations, so please cooperate with Tim Maslyn on these work curfews so we can get the signal system up an running sooner rather than later. Tim will also on occasion be working on other days, in particular Saturday afternoon, and has my approval, and that of the HO superintendents, to impose a work curfew when needed, so please be patient while this work is going on.
N "Suncoast Lines" Layout Progress
As with the HO layout, progress is in the details, no major news. I suspect some Broadway Limiteds will be making an appearance soon.
Special Work Curfew Notice – As a reminder, the first Thursday of each month is designated a work night for both railways. This can include signal and track work that will shut down part or all of each railway at the discretion of the superintendents.
DCC Operation Revolution Continues
HO operations are nearing a reality, as a card system for car way billing was recently tested. Many industry tracks are now back in service. First operation should take place this fall.
Welcome New Members
There are a number of new members, welcome to all!
Clinics – Fall 2008
We will be planning to have some clinics this fall. We will start with a mini-clinic on October 9 th, “Fine Tuning HO Passenger Cars” by yours truly. This will cover Walthers, Rapido and Broadway offerings.
Special note on clinics: As we all have other lives, please be aware that a particular clinic may be cancelled or postponed with little or no notice. Any postponements will be posted with adequate lead-time for the new date.
Visitors – Always Welcome!
To those who wish to visit the Suncoast Model Railroad Club, please check our "Meeting Times" tab to find the best time to visit. Visitors are always welcome, but please note we may not be able to host you as well as we would like during our scheduled business meetings. Visitors may approach our members for permission to test run some equipment on a limited basis, and if it is compatible. We reserve the right to withhold permission. Those who are seriously interested in our clinics are invited to attend.
Got a question, just grab one of us and ask it!
Special Group Visits
The Suncoast Model Railroad Club is pleased to announce that by special arrangement and agreement, the club will consider hosting visits by special groups. Please contact one of the board members to see if we can accommodate your group.
In closing, thanks again to everyone in the club for their efforts.
Lastly, remember, model train tracks always lead to
fun!
Sincerely,
W. James Langston, III
President
That's it for Now, See You Again, Right Here Next Month!
Carl
Marchand
Editor and Webmaster
