Hello Everyone, Just a reminder that there is two more layouts having open house Tuesday afternoon and evening. These are not listed on the web site and are free for those with transportation. Details listed in the convention lobby with maps and descriptions. Pacific Great Western from 3PM to 6 PM. Milwaukee Caost Division from 7PM to 10 PM. Any and all invited. Thanks for coming to the Great Northwest N scale Convention Rick Ernest
If anyone is interested in picking up some surplus MT rolling stock...runners and never-out-of-box, (and other mfgs.) please come by the UNW Ntrak layout. I also have several Overland brass P40/42's that are up for sale. Greg, come by the layout. Stanich's sounds interesting. Al Evans
Ok, here we are Day 1...registration and checkin starting in about 4 hours. The 1st layout tour on the way. On Day -1, I did the Oregon Coast Scenic... check this site for more photos: http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/album.php?albumid=589
The layout tour was great! Glen wore my shoulders out, but we both had a ball. Tonite is the welcome reception--see ya'll there! I'm wearing a D&RGW hat, while Glen's wearing *my* Hemi hat. Stop by and say hi!
The voting for the N Scale Vehicle of the Year Awards got underway today at registration. If you are attending the convention and did not get a chance to vote today, be sure to stop by the N Scale Vehicle Association’s table at the Swap-A-Rama on Friday. The winners of the N Scale Vehicle of the Year Awards will be announced on Saturday. Carter
The welcome reception was fun--the MC was a gas, and the dessert table was great stuff. While we had a moment of silence for the dearly departed, my youngest, Isaac, belted out, as loudly as his 8-month-old lungs could, his loudest squeal ever! George, the MC thought it was so adorable, and even came over to hold him. Isaac loved him, and all who saw him wanted to hold the littlest attendee. Russ Straw's wife loved to hold him, too. I got to meet Russel Straw, SecretWeapon, OCengineerJD, and Rick Ernest. As well as others like Rob Carey (who happens to have a fabulous Tennessee Pass layout), Lowell Smith, Kim Saign, and making many great new friends. The proto tour today was a great affair--the highlight of the tour being a 3-way tie in my estimation, a former GN NW-5, SP&S 700, and SP 4449. All 4 of us went this time, and Isaac hitched a ride on daddy's chest in the front carrier. He loved it! Glen was so exhausted, he zonked out for a nap on the hotel couch near the lobby. On the way to the Oregon Pacific Rwy tour today, I spotted 3 former MILW smoothsides in what looked like a faded BN green and white, near downtown, parked on a siding. After the tour, armed with GPS, we retraced our steps, and found the cars, and bagged some pics. Boxcab Ken--the porthole windows were surefire MILW heritage, but who owns them, and why are they in BN colors? What are they doing in Portland? MILW tracks didn't reach this far south, right? I have almost 700 pics to wade thru when I get back to MT.....
Rick's layout was great! Thanks for hosting us! The SP&S landmarks represented on his layout are dead-on for locations I saw from Amtrak a few days before. Very nice. I wish I'd have remembered that these 2 extra layouts were on tues nite, not weds... I forgot! I hope someone got pics, and posts them!
I cannot think of the story. One of the shortlines in that area. But I know our own Fitz has the answer. Perhaps a post in our Railfan Forum areas? Boxcab E50
Were they down next to kind of a dilapidated old viaduct that is getting replaced? If they are the cars I am thinking of they are often used for things like the holiday runs run by either the 4449 or the 700. I have ridden on them a few times. Fitz would know better than I would.
I don't want to steal the convention's thunder at all, but our club's layout will be open Sunday afternoon, 1-4 PM, to the public. It's at Alpenrose Dairy in Southwest Portland. You could get sort of close by bus but on Sundays you really want a car. The open house is free. See our website (below in my signature) for information on location, and if you need more help let me know. I will be there this Sunday, so when you come in and see two kind of tall, big guys, I am the one with the darker hair and no mustache.
Mr. John Sing, our usual shutterbug, is not in Portland this time, to my knowledge. I have 700+ photos to sort thru, but cannot upload and process on my hosts' machine. Besides, I'd be here for a week to go thru them all! I have nearly filled a 4GB card in this trip.... I'm uploading them to my laptop for storage.
Correct, I'm not able to make Portland this year.... so those of you who do have digi cameras... please fill in and feel free to post away! Looking forward to whatever you can offer.
