Ed Ives

Overall the 4th Division O Gauge Hi-Rail Modular Group had a successful showing this last weekend (Oct 1st and 2nd) at the Lynden Model Train Show, my personal favorite of the year. Setup took the usual 7 hours but was aided by an early start of noon on Friday. We had but one glitch – an electrical cross-over that took a while to trace down – but eagle eyed Wayne found the issue, an air gap that had closed. We really ought to replace these gaps with hard insulators to stop this re-occurrence, perhaps a topic of a work program next summer. Success, no trains on the floor.

A new member, Gordon, a fellow Brit, paid us a visit with his London and South Western 0-4-4T locomotive and train, a vintage look but a modern train. We hope Gordon will become a regular attendee at the train shows.

Show attendance on Saturday was up compared to last year but not sure how Sunday turned out with the Seahawks playing in New York in the morning. The show seemed busy during the afternoon except for maybe the last hour. The number of dealers seemed to be a bit down on last year but was more than made up by layouts.

As in past years most of the group that stayed over the weekend gathered for dinner Saturday night, ten of us all told and graced by Marlene, Cindy and Judy. Very nice having the ladies present.

Tear down and pack out took a bit over 2 hours thanks in part to more than the usual help. Much appreciated. Now to unpack and start arranging for the next show.

Ah, the next show, The Great Train Show in Puyallup on November 12th and 13th. It will be a similar layout to that at Lynden, perhaps slightly larger.

Please e-mail me at gresley7@gmail.com for additional details or to find out more information about the Hi-Railers Modular Group.