Author: Al Lowe

Al Lowe

Remember: you have through April 23rd to cast your vote in this year’s annual election. Search your email for an email and go to ElectionBuddy to cast your vote with a few clicks.

Bill Messecar, Superintendent

This year’s annual meeting of the 4th Division will be held via Zoom on Saturday, May 20, 2023, a week after the PNR convention in Tacoma.

At this meeting, we’ll report the election results for Assistant Superintendent and two Board of Director members, the state of the 4th Division, the winner of the Golden Grab Iron Service Award, and summarize the results of the PNR convention.

Agenda

1. Welcome
2. 4D Officers and Board members
3. Results of recent election
4. Secretary’s report: minutes are always posted online
5. Treasurer’s report: reports are always posted online
6. Results of 2023 PNR Convention
7. Clinic reports
8. Modular group reports
9. 2023 Golden Grab Iron Service Award
10. Member comments & questions

Al Lowe

A Nominating Committee has been appointed to receive nominations for the upcoming election of the ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT and two DIRECTORS. The duties of these positions are as follows:

The current holders of these positions will be asked if they wish to continue and if so, their names will be placed on the ballot together with any others who come forward and are qualified. If you know of someone interested and willing to serve, or if you wish to nominate yourself, contact Al Lowe at 4dPNR@allowe.com.

By Russ Segner

4D member Ron Auletti is moving from his beautiful home in Sequim and giving up his beautifully-finished HO layout. The 2,900 sq ft home has a view of the Olympic Mountains, a spacious great room, a large daylight basement apartment, plus this 600 sq ft, museum-quality HO scale operating model railroad. Located in the Sequim, WA sunbelt, the home is available for a 2023 move-in. For layout details, see this link from the last SoundRails. If you are interested in acquiring this property and layout, email Ron.

Russ Segner

Your 4D Board of Directors will meet Saturday afternoon, June 11, at 2:00 PM via Zoom. As always, all members are welcome at all board meetings.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83348980762?pwd=KzYrK1JEVjdKd1dmZERyTUlJTm8vUT09
Meeting ID: 833 4898 0762
Passcode: 998623

Al Lowe

The results of our recent election are in and, not surprisingly, both of the unopposed candidates won – unanimously! Congratulations to Bill Messecar and Ed Ives who will begin their two-year terms on September 1.

Election data:

407 emails were sent out. 42 paper ballots were mailed to members without an email address on file. We received 96 votes; 90 electronically and 6 via postal mail. Bill Messecar received 94 votes, with 2 abstentions. Ed Ives received 93 votes, with 3 abstentions. There were zero write-in votes.

If you’re calculating, that’s 96 responses out of 449 ballots for a 21% response rate. Not bad, considering they ran unopposed.

Respectfully submitted by your election committee: Dan Kellogg, Burr Stewart and Al Lowe.

Al Lowe

Even if you didn’t preregister, we still want to see you at the 2022 4D Spring Meet! There will be some great clinics, our Annual Meeting, the results of the election, and more. So come anyway. Complete details here – but don’t try to register. You’re too late. Just show up!

And when you come to Everett, don’t come empty-handed — bring a model with you! Any model that began life as a kit. No scratchbuilt. No paperwork. All we need is the name of the kit, your model’s name, and your name. That’s it.

There will be no judging, no ranking, no trophies – just the joy of sharing your hard work with others who appreciate it!

Al Lowe

Don’t come to Everett this Saturday empty-handed — bring a model with you!

It can’t be scratchbuilt. It must be a kit. And bashed.

No paperwork needed. Just tell us the name of the kit, your model’s name, your name, and your NMRA number. That’s it.

Bring anything you want. Something you did thirty years ago? A tank car kit converted to a Vanderbilt tender? A passenger car that’s a diner or a shed or both? A flat car into a bridge? As long as it’s railroad‐related and suitable for a layout.

There will be no judging, no ranking, no trophies — just the joy of sharing your hard work with others who appreciate it!

You have until midnight Monday evening to pre-register at the 4D Spring Meet website. Or you can register at the door Saturday morning and get a non-printed, handwritten badge. Either way, we want to see you. In person!

The 4D’s annual Spring Meet is less than a week away! This is your last chance to register and get a free lunch. If you’ve been putting it off, now’s the time to click here to register now.

If this is still a surprise to you, you can learn all about it here, or here, or here, or here.

Come have a fun day with friends and trains! See you June 4th!

Al Lowe

Yea, verily, thy deadline approacheth!

You have only 10 days left to get your free lunch. Oh, and also to register for a day filled with fun, knowledge, comradery, fellowship, and donuts.

The annual 4D Spring Meet will be held for the first time since Covid on June 4 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Jackson Conference Center on the Everett Community College campus, 2000 Tower Street, Everett. There will be clinics, a model contest with no paperwork(!), and an in-depth FastTracks Make & Take session.

In addition, the 4th Division’s annual meeting will be held during lunch. We’ll announce the 2022 Grab Iron Award winner, some new Master Model Railroaders, the results of the ongoing 4D election (vote now if you haven’t!)  and much more.

Register by Monday, May 30 to get your free lunch! Or register afterward and you can watch the rest of us eat. Or bring your own lunch. Just come!

What are you waiting for? It’s easy to pay online with Paypal. Click here to register now!