History Corner

Seeing as no one else will step forward with some memories of the Region, you are stuck with me again.

My first involvement with the NMRA and Rocky Mountain Region was getting involved with the NMRA National Convention in Denver, in 1977. At that convention, I worked the bus loading dock for five straight days. I put over 5,000 people on bus tours.  I also did one program for the non-rails and went out as the lead guide on the post-convention tour.  That tour had 280 guests in seven buses.

My next involvement was a train show in Aurora in October, 1978.  Prior to that time, there had been a division in Aurora called the Gateway Division but it was basically dead.  At the train show, we had a sign-up sheet for people who were interested in getting together with others in the hobby.  In January, 1979, I hosted a meeting where we formed the Sunrise Division.

The first convention for Sunrise to host was the 1980 Spring Convention. We were a bunch of amateurs, learning how to do things. We must have done something right because, for the first time, the RMR had over 200 people attend a Regional convention.  

In those days, door prizes were handed out at the banquet.  We had 135 prizes and 125 people at the banquet so we arranged the prizes from high to low value.  We placed the drawing tickets on the prizes and when we got to the low value end, we doubled the extra ten back over the others.

One of the prizes was a $100 gift certificate from Caboose Hobbies. When we called the winner, it was a lady from Salt Lake.  She came towards the head table and asked what she was supposed to do with a $100 gift certificate to Caboose Hobbies.  My reply was “trade it to your husband for a mink coat.”

When I set up the banquet, I specified that we have only 8 people at each table, not the usual 10.  And that the food be served hot.  I was real busy and kept leaving the table to take care of something.  I found out later that they had brought my plate out three times to be sure it was hot.

We used the same hotel in 1982 and 1984.  In 1985, they called me to make the arrangement for 1986 because they thought we were doing one every other year.  We weren’t.

So much for my early years in the RMR and NMRA.

Now, it is your turn to tell stories about early years with the RMR.

Dick Hunter