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Train Show Inc Acquires Great Train Expo

Written by Al Lowe
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Al Lowe

Train Show Inc., corporate parent of Greenberg’s Train and Toy Show, Great Midwest Train Show, and World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour, announced that it has acquired the assets of Great Train Expo. Train Show Inc. will sponsor shows in many of the venues formerly used by Great Train Expo.

“This is a natural expansion of our business,” said Randy Bachmann, president of Train Show Inc. “This purchase allows us to sponsor shows from coast to coast.” More information and a new show schedule will be posted online at www.trainshow.com.

Model Train Show, News

Board to Meet June 14 — All 4D members invited

Written by Al Lowe
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Russ Segner

The last Board of Directors meeting ran long and was continued to conclude on June 14 at 11:00 at the Sheraton Hotel in Bellevue. We will focus on completing the budget for the coming year as well as some changes in the BOD and some committees.

We have sufficient information from the modular groups, so they need not attend unless they want to be there. Space is somewhat limited, so I would appreciate knowing ahead of time who will be there for sure.

While I will be away from the area for the next week, I will return on Wednesday. I may be reached by cell at 206 200 2211. I will also check email and respond immediately.

Agenda

Approval of minutes

Approval of Agenda

Superintendent’s report

BOD changes and committee changes

Assistant Superintendent’s report

Recommendation regarding Directors and Officers Insurance

Old Business – continuation of budget discussions

New Business

Adjourn

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1:1 Model Railroading for “The Lone Ranger”

Written by Al Lowe
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Al Lowe

Like many of you, I saw the film The Lone Ranger last year but assumed the train sequences were computer generated. Wrong!

The director, Gore Verbinski, built a five mile oval of track and multiple engines, rail cars, and stations! Plus, they built railcar sets on semi-trucks and drove them on existing highways.

Watch the video below to see the incredible effort and craft that went into it. Too bad the plot wasn’t as believable. (If you can, be sure to watch in high-def.)

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John Novotny Passes

Written by Al Lowe
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Al Lowe

JohnNovotnyJohn Novotny battled a year-long bout with cancer and passed on May 13, 2014 in Tacoma. He is survived by his wife, Jeannine, of 44 years; children, John, Lisa and Scott; and six grandchildren.

John grew up in Flint, Michigan and moved to Tacoma in 1982. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and a great friend to many. He was very generous with his time and resources. John loved people and impacted many lives. He is greatly missed!

John was secure in his faith in Jesus Christ and was a long-time member of Abundant Life Fellowship in Tacoma. A celebration of his life will be held there at 5917 S Thompson St. on Saturday, May 31, at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, John requested donations be made to the Salvation Army.

News

Paul Scoles passes

Written by Al Lowe
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Paul Scoles

Paul Scoles

Al Lowe

Paul Scoles, one of the Fourth Division’s internationally known model railroaders, passed away Friday morning, May 9, 2014 of complications from back surgery.

His Sn3 Pelican Bay Railway & Navigation Company layout has been featured in numerous magazines. He created a series of videos and books about scenery and operations. He was a Vietnam veteran who continued to suffer from shrapnel wounds in his legs.

Paul cared passionately about model railroading as an art form and was one of the great talents of our hobby. He was a man of dignity and humor — both of which could be seen on his layout.

His obituary is here.

Add your remembrances to the comments section below.

Eastside Get-Together (Redmond) Clinic, News

Mail in your 4D ballot!

Written by Al Lowe
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Michael Highsmith, Election Committee Chair

So far, we have received more than 125 ballots, but that’s barely 25% of what we mailed. You can do better! Please take a moment, mark your ballot, and send it in. Ballots are due May 10th, so you still have plenty of time. But get them in soon to avoid confusion over whether your vote counts. Thank you for your time and consideration.

News

4d Board Meeting May 17

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Russ Segner, Superintendent

The next meeting of the 4D Board of Directors will be May 17 at 1:00 PM at Mitzel’s Restaurant in Kent. The major focus of this meeting will be preparation of the budget for the next fiscal year. If you or your group within the Fourth Division has any requests for consideration, please email Sherman Stevens at shermanlss@earthlink.net. Include as much specific information as possible with rationale explaining your request.

As always, any 4th Division member in good standing may attend the meeting.

Mitzel’s American Kitchen
22330 84th Ave S, Kent, WA 98032
(253) 395-3635

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4dPNR Ballots are in the Mail

Written by Al Lowe
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Michael Highsmith

The nominations committee wants all 4dPNR Members to know that your 2014 Election Ballots are in the mail. They are ivory in color and will start arriving as soon as Friday, with many being delivered be-tween Friday and Tuesday. Some of our outlying members may take slightly longer. Please watch for them.

To be official, ballots must be postmarked by May 10th and received via mail no later than June 1. The election results will be announced at the Annual 4d Membership Meeting during the 2014 PNR Conven-tion. Thank you for your time and consideration.

News

4th Division Education Committee Needs Volunteers

Written by Cliff Green
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Alex Brikoff

The 4th Division Education Committee is in need of volunteers to work on the 4th Division Video Library. Stu Rogers, the current video librarian, is stepping down and would like to turn the video library over to someone else. The Education Committee will be taking charge of the library and making some improvements to the service coverage as well as the efficiency of the library. Here’s our plan:

The 4th Division Education Committee has several projects that it will be working on over the next several months. Improving the Video Library is one of them.

1. Find a new Video Library Chairman to work with me to find three additional dedicated volunteers to administer the library. The new video library chairman will take over Stu’s current duties that will include the following:

a. Have overseeing responsibility for the day to day operation of the library.
b. Maintenance of the library to insure there is no damage to the media when returned.
c. Maintain an online method of tracking checkouts and checkins of videos and DVDs.
d. Do periodic research and acquire new movies to keep the collection “fresh” and up to date as necessary within allocated budget.
e. Any other duties that may come up pertaining to the Video Library including communicating with the other three video librarians and setting up a way of transferring videos from a central location.

2. These four volunteers should be able to meet the following requirements:

a. Have the time and desire to work on an ongoing project for the 4th Division. The time commitment shouldn’t be more than a few days each month.
b. Have dependable transportation.
c. Be able to attend local clinics in their respective areas.
d. Have an email account and at least a basic computer proficiency and software knowledge, such as Microsoft Office.

3. Each of these four video librarians should live in each of the four geographic directions with Seattle being at the center. By this I mean, one should live north of Seattle, another east of Seattle and the third and fourth should live in the other two directions respectively.

If you would like to be a part of this project and participate in this 4th Division opportunity, or just to find out more about it, please contact me, 425-466-1490 or abrikoff@frontier.com.

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