Ok I have decided to put Operation Galesburg RR Days into the 2nd stage. Rather than posting on the previous post, I thought it best to start fresh so we can see what is being planned and how you all can be informed as to the events. I'll be helping out Harry (LittleGiant) as he is swamped with the show details and getting everything done done there. Harry has been comunicating with me on a weekly basis and I'll add information as it becomes available. The first bit of busniess is the Trainboard Member meet up. We have 7 Trainboard members signed up, 13 including our spouses and children. Please note, if your spouse and children would rather shop or do other activities during this time, that is OK. I just want to let them know they are certainly welcome. Tina is trying to do a little something for the kids. We have enough people at this point to make reservations to go to a nice steak house for dinner. I realize that some of you will be leaving Galesburg around 6:00 so I want to have an hour at the college and then go for dinner so those who need to go home can do so. We have a few options as to what we do for dinner: Harry knows the owner of the resturant The Steak House. Yes that is the name of it. Harry can talk to the owner about setting off to one side for the Trainboard crew. It is a steak house so it is a bit pricey, although one could be cheap like me and get a burger. Phooey with the steack house, go to DQ, Wendys, McDonalds and meet up at Thirwell Bridge for railfaning the yard. So far the events planned for the meet up looks like this: 4:00PM meet at the large A/V room across from the gym. Once everyone is introduced we will have a brief slide show and video presentation. 5:00PM dinner ? Depends on food options. We will end the night at Thirwell Bridge to view the Galesburg yard. Please keep in mind these are not set in stone and I value your input as to what we do after the presentations at CSC. After June 9th plans will be set in stone to make things easy for Tina, Harry and myself. I want this to be something we all look forward to every year.
No, no, no, not the large lecture room across from the gym! The place I have reserved for the Trainboard get together as well as Jim's presentation, is located at the opposite end of the show. By the East Entrance, lower level. We are attempting to balance the flow of visitors to the show this year by encouraging greater use of the east entrance. The ONLY bus stop will be at the East Entrance and we hope to have a traffic director moving cars into the East parking lot. This will prevent people parking on the lawn around the West parking lot when it fills up and there are still plenty of paved parking space still available in the East lot. That should also get show visitors to all of the layouts and vendors earlier. In prior years, everyone tended to use the West (gym) entrance and it was 30 to 45 minutes before vendors and exhibitors at the eastern end of the show saw any visitors. It also should just generally smooth out flow through the show. As for dinner at the "Steak House" its about $15.00 for a top of the line menu item. A good meal can be had for around $10.00 (not counting drinks. desert, and tip). The food is WONDERFUL!
Thank you for the correction and and update Harry. Friday's I will be posting more updates until the show.
i don't know about the steak place put it is hard to beat the bbq rib shack on the main drag into town. can't remember the name???
4:00 pm? The show is supposed to go till 5pm on Saturday. If you are talking about Sunday you must count us out. We will have to get packed, loaded and make as mch distance to get back to the shop Monday night.
Friday Galesburg Update OK, only 29 days until Galesburg RR Days and here is your first Friday update. Old Business: Harry, thanks for the correction. Mitch, sounds like a good suggestion. We still have time to suggest dinner places. I want to have a vote and a place settled no later than a week from the show so I can get reservations. George, right you are. I also realize some of our members are dealers and there is no way you are going to make it right at 5:00. The 5:00 is just the time to start showing up and grouping. We will leave the college at 6:00 for dinner. New Business: Harry has informed me that he is near the sell out of tables, this year is going to be a great year! Tina's Busniness JTW Rails & Crafts has just purchased equipment to produce train shirts and is thinking of making Trainboard/Galesburg T-Shirts. They would probably be under $15.00. If you are interested, please let me know.
Friday Galesburg Update continued. New Buisness Cont.. So far the evning looks like this. 5:00 start assembling at the lecture hall. 5:30 Slide presentation on railfaning the BNSF and Galesburg. 6:00 Leave for dinner. 6:30 Reservation time for dinner. Resturant TBA. 7:30, 8:00? Leave for Thirwell Bridge to view the BNSF yards. I have made this very "un-structured" as this is a vacation time for many of us, Tina and I included. I want this to be a casual get together and a fun time for members. We have about six Trainboard members signed up so it should be a good time. Now for the good part. Each week I'll highlight a specific year of RR Days to get everybody in the mood for the event. This week 1998 is the highlight. This was the year that Tina and I came down for our honeymoon. This is why I married Tina, when a girl wants to go to a train show for a honeymoon, you got a good thing:teeth: . Enough of the dribble, onto the trains! Who dat? Here is yours truely before contacts, yeech hate those glasses! Elton John must have had a yard sale when I got those glasses. Tina caught me admiring a few of my favorite locomotives just outside of Galesburg. Ron & Rita Hatch used to have a great Bed & Breakfast for foamers like us. It was right next to the old Santa Fe Main out of Galesburg. Ron is the artist that produces the great RR Days posters each year. Unfortunately Ron & Rita had to give up the B&B for various reasons and have since sold the house .
Friday Galesburg Update continued. Grrr. The picture thing is giving me fits,. Amtrak had an AMD 103 on display this year, never thought that this paint scheme would look old. These were the days that both BNSF, and sometimes Monticello and or IL Railroad Museum would bring display locomotives to the downtown. After 911 the insurance risk was too much for the museums to display. A poor picture, but worth posting for historical signifigance. This was the view from Ron & Rita's deck at their B&B. It was so much fun to sit with Ron & Rita and other railfans sipping Iced Tea and watching trains. Here a pure Santa Fe Dash 9 has just cleared the grade crossing. OK, equal representation here. Here an old SD9 is working the yard still in its Cascade Green. That is me talking with the old had at the throttle. The employee's are usally railfan friendly. I don't remember the conversation exactly but we may have been talking about the Chicago Cubs. These were a dime a dozen until recently. Galesburg has been using alot of SD40-2's for yard service lately. Ok so hopefully these pictures have you fired up for the show. Next week I'll post one of my favorite years! Jim.
harry an off the topic question but how far is alexis from there? i have to go there for a meeting with alexis fire apparatus to possibly become a dealer for them that same weekend.
thanks harry, looks like i will be spending alot of time at the factory trying to wrangle them into letting me sell trucks for them.
June 2 Galesburg Weekly Update 22 days until Galesburg RR Days. No real news this week, however I am working on making a sign and worksheets for the seminars I'm conducting on Saturday and Sunday. Just a note, as Harry stated the seminars will be in the lecture hall and will be at 10:00AM on Saturday and 11:00AM on Sunday. I might post some more tonight as most of my Data is at home.
Update on Galesburg RR Days: I recieved an e-mail from Harry (Littlegiant) last night with some great news. I'll post the highlights here. First, as on Monday June 5th, Harry states that all 300 tables at the show are SOLD! This is going to be a great show as we have many fine dealers showing up from across the country. A Representative from the Department of Homeland Security will have a table at the show on Saturday and will also set up downtown at the Depot on Sunday. This would be a good time for railfans to read up and listen to see how we as hobbiest/railfans can do our part to help in security while enjoying our hobby. The Rock Island Technical Society (RITS) will have a table for those interested in the Rock. This is a great Historical Society with a publication and a great library of information that is of great intrest to any Rock Island modeler. Also the Burlington Route Historical Society will also have a table at the show. Of intrest, Dick Meegan, a retired locomotive engineer for both the CB&Q and BN will be staffing the table. Dick is a great resource to the CB&Q and BN modeler, he told Harry that he was the engineer on the last train to operate on the branch to Fairview Mine in Fulton County. This was the last stretch of track that was part of the old Fulton County Narrow Gauge line. Votes for dinner so far have us meeting at the Steak House. Please keep an eye on this forum for more news on the Trainboard Meet-Up. I'm meeting with a vendor today to discuss T-Shirts for our event. If you have any questions please, PM me or e-mail me at jwiggin@testors.com
Thanks Hemi, you need to come out! Harry and I have been busy working on making this a great show. Harry works year round on this show tirelesly and with a lot of thought. I try to help him in any way I can.
Galesburg RR Days Update for Friday June 9th 15 Days until Galesburg RR Days! Here is your weekly update. Old News: Harry has informed us that the Train show is sold out on tables, lots of good deals to be had so come on out. The Floquil Seminar will be held in the lecture hall just down from the cafeteria and will be Saturday at 10:00AM and Sunday at 11:00AM. The Trainboard meetup will be in the same lecture hall as the seminars and we will start gathering after Saturdays show, at 5:00PM. Dinner will be at the Steak House. Please please please, e-mail Tina and I at jtwrails_crafts.com and let us know if your coming and who is coming with you, we need a final head count for reservations. New News: Tina and I are getting quotes on special Galesburg T-Shirts for Trainboard members. More on that later. The paint seminars will have a special drawing each day for a complete airbrush, compressor and cleaning station to be given to one of the seminar participaints. Tina and I will be in town as early as Wednesday night but I will be checking Trainboard. Unless you are a dealer and have show questions, please use Tina and I as a contact as Harry (Littlegiant) will be extremly busy with show details. Be watching this post as the updates will be coming more and more as we get close to the show. As always if any of you need help or have questions, feel frre to contact us at jtwrails_crafts.com Now to entice you a bit, not a picture from Galesburg, but BNSF nonethless. BNSF 2865, an ex Santa Fe GP39-2 leads a train east bound past West Stratford siding. The Crews seemed to know me so if you remember this shift, let me know who you are. May 27 2006
