January 17, 2015 - Meeting Summary
The San Diego S Gaugers held the January club meeting at the home of Al Keil. Attendees were: Mike Forys, Bob Graves, Alex Sibbald, Ken Sadlock, Les Smith, Raulf Polichar, Wes Noel, Al Keil, Oakley Warren and Mark Reinhard.
Introduction of new faces / Show and Tell:
Mark Reinhard introduced himself to the club and spoke of the American Flyer layout he is constructing. His locomotives are all steam. Mark joined the club and we welcome him aboard.
During show and tell the following items were introduced:
Raulf Polichar brought in lithographed S gauge trains made in Europe and an imported S gauge brass caboose.
Wes Noel displayed a kit-bashed AF Atlantic Steam Locomotive (#635) and unique tender obtained from Ebay.
Ken Sadlock discussed progress on his Chromed Rocket “B” Unit project.
Mike Forys passed around his recently received AF Christmas train cars and Walking Zombie freight car.
Les Smith displayed his new Baltimore & Ohio Calendar.
Al Keil showed us his Lands End Squall Jacket in club color with logo.
Treasurer’s Report:
Bob Graves reported that we now have over $3,000 in our checking account, 1/3 of which is due to the donations collected during our stay at Grossmont Center.
Standards Report:
No report this month.
Publicity Report:
No report this month.
Election of 2015 Officers:
All members present have paid their dues and are eligible to vote. Les Smith nominated the current officers for another year. The motion was seconded. The officers were asked if they were willing to serve another year and they replied affirmative.
Old Business:
Future Clubhouse Status:
Mike Forys received an answer from the two shopping centers in Del Mar, which appeared to have vacancies. They explained their reasons and respectfully declined to supply space for the club. We are continuing to pursue a suitable location.
SDSG Website:
Bob Graves moved the Grossmont Center photos off the front page.
New Clinics:
Bob Graves suggested a topic for a clinic. It would contain information important to consider when starting a layout.
New Business:
Future events:
The February 21st meeting will be held at the home of Les Smith at 2:00 PM. Raulf Polichar has offered his home for our March 21st meeting at 2:PM.
Grossmont Center:
The SDSG club was well received by the public and the management at Grossmont Center. The club managed to collect some cash while informing and educating the public about S Scale and model railroading. During our stay the window layout start button was pressed 4,917 times for a total of 32,681 activations.
The Great Train Expo:
We are scheduled to attend The Great Train Expo in Del Mar on the 14th and 15th of February. Mike Forys discussed a plan to pack the modular layout in a trailer on Thursday and arrive at the show to setup on Friday in the morning.
NMRA Data:
Mike Forys has asked that members who have paid their NMRA dues since July 2014 submit their data to him so that he can update our records for 100% member participation.
Presidents State of the Club Report:
The report is attached below.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:00PM and Al Keil demonstrated his under the tree Flyer layout and showed us the train memorabilia around his house.
January 17th, 2015
President’s annual report
In spite of losing our clubhouse at Liberty Station, 2014 was a good year financially, growing the club with new members, new experiences and an appreciation for shopping malls at Christmas.
2014 brought new modules, improved modules, two open houses, and travel to one event.
The Junior engineer badge continues to be a huge success with the younger crowd.
We continued having engine repair and maintenance clinics and are looking for ideas for new clinics.
The Liberty Loop RR has been a great success. The addition of the dam and spillway, the filling of the upper lake, the lower lake and overlooking mesa continues to lead us in the right direction to have a great window layout. We surpassed the 32,000 mark on button pushing. The goal for 2015 is to get the scenery on the mountain end complete. The outside button is now wireless which helped out at our brief stay at Grossmont Center.
The open house on National Train Day was a success that should be repeated.
The surprise event of the year had to be the unprecedented success of the 7 weekends at Grossmont Center both financially and for the smiles on our visitors’ faces. I would to thank everyone who participated especially those who drove many miles just to get there.
I see 2015 as a year to grow and complete. Complete all the stagnated tasks we have started. Grow the club in members, modules and recognition. Add new clinics and activities.
We added several new members last year and hopefully we can add a similar amount this year.
We will attend the GTE show in February and probably visit the Train Museum for the 6th time.
Recent talk around the club for adding modules to make an L shaped or U shaped layout has me dreaming about the possibilities.
So, as we begin 2015, let all of us resolve to find a club house, complete Liberty Loop RR, our existing modules, recruit new members, and dream the dream of a fabulous yet to be named layout, that we can be proud to show off anywhere and anytime.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Forys
President, San Diego S-Gaugers
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