Spring Creek Model Railroad Club
Meeting Minutes for August 15, 2011
Home of Glenn Diefenbach
Club Attendance:
· Skip Bynum, Michael Calleia, Bob Coker, Mike Crawford, Glenn Diefenbach, Leo Gregg, Dave Griffith, Jim Hallmark, Jeff Liedl, Tom Matthews, Shawn McCaffrey, Dane Ridenour, Chris Siemantel, Leonard Siemantel, Bill Warner, Hank Whyte
· Kevin Buchanan & Alex Buchanan attended their 2nd meeting. Ron Smith attended as a guest.
Reports of the Officers:
Secretary: Leonard highlighted entries in the minutes covering members who had volunteered for certain tasks and polled the members for corrections to the July meeting minutes. There were no corrections needed.
Treasury: Tom
· Monthly expenses since July 18th were $50 for third NG throttle conversion and Go-Daddy fees.
· Current Balance: $330
· $200 check for the previous two Longview shows was presented to Tom by Skip
· Reminder made that the $25 assessment is due on 9/1. ($10 additional for new members)
VP Corner: Chris
· Website has been updated to reflect public times published in the Garland paper
· Website email was tested successfully
· Details of the Garland setup were covered
· Jeff passed out sheets with dates and times
· Any necessary module repairs will be done on Wednesday at the show.
New Member Recruitment: Dave
· No new prospects were reported
Committee and Project Reports:
North Texas Council: Dave
· Advertising for the upcoming shows is in full swing
· Work assignments for the Ft Worth show will be decided on 8/16.
DCC Committee: Glenn
· CAB06 wireless throttles have been delayed again and will not ship in time for the Garland show.
· Leonard will prepare the Easy DCC system for use at the Garland show.
· The Switch-it stationary decoders will be installed at the Garland show if time permits.
HOn3 DCC Committee: Leonard
· 3 DT300 throttles that were sent to Digitrax for conversion have returned and have been tested. All 3 performed flawlessly.
· Stationary decoders on Module 28 were re-programmed and work great.
Plans going forward are to install stationary decoders on remaining turnouts and fix the turntable on Module 28 before Frisco.
Operations Committee: Jim
· Jim outlined some of the plans for Garland that will get us ready for operations in the future. They are
o Define products and name industries on each module.
o Define which sidings could be automated
o Define how many cars each siding could hold
o Members participating in operations need to decide on colors for rolling stock.
· Members willing to participate in joint operating sessions with Southside and Great Western should be thinking about acceptable dates and times.
· The Club voted on and passed a motion to add Spring Creek as an entry to the Club roster for the purpose of securing the colors green and yellow as the colors for Club owned rolling stock.
Venues / Advertising: Tom
· Everything a go for Garland and Carrollton setups with detailed dates and times listed below and on the Website. Display case at the library has been configured.
· Glenn will print and take venue flyers to Discount Model Trains.
· Tom proposed a new possible narrow gauge venue at the Central Garland Library for sometime in the spring of 2012. More details to follow.
Old Business:
Railfan Trip: Glenn
· Waiting for temperatures to moderate.
Available Modules – Transportation, Storage, Ownership
· Modules 12 & 17 are still available.
· Dane Ridenour was granted permission to own modules 2 and 3 and convert them into 3 four-foot modules. Timetable will be defined.
· Repairs to module 2 will be made at the Garland show as needed.
· The old panel inserts will be used on modules 8 & 9, populated with buildings supplied by Michael Calleia for the Garland show.
Next Club Setup: Tom
Garland Train Show
Location: South Garland Library, 4845 Broadway Blvd at Oates Dr.
· Dates: Aug 23rd – Aug 27th
· Setup: Tuesday, 23rd 1:00 - 9:00 pm
· Continued setup: Wednesday 24th, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
· Thursday 25th, 1:00 – 9:00 pm (Public 5 – 8:30)
· Friday 26th, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Public 1 – 5:30)
· Saturday 27th, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (Public Noon - 4)
· Teardown: Saturday, 27th, from 4:00 – 6:00
· No stanchions will be used and signs (No Touching) will be used.
· No Club meeting will be held at this show.
· Kevin will transport modules 2 and 3.
· Chris will supply sign-up sheets at the show.
Jeff’s comments:
· No one under 18 will be allowed to handle modules to prevent injuries.
· Finger tighten bolts first / don’t push on bolts while using power driver to prevent T-bolts from dislodging.
· When removing skyboards, place in transport box immediately to prevent damage. Store top down and pictures face-to-face.
· Please participate in crowd control when not running trains.
· Please sign up prior to running.
Upcoming Show Calendar:
Aug 23rd – 27th Garland Show
Oct 21st – 23rd Carrollton Show – Location and hours will be the same as last year
Nov 12th – 13th Ft Worth Show – Work hours only – Dave to supply
Nov – Dec Frisco Show
· Setup on 11-20
· Teardown on 12-18
Jan 21st – 22nd, 2012 Plano
Next Club Meeting: Home of Jim Hallmark
September 19th at 7:00PM
2011 Upcoming Meeting Calendar:
Oct 17th Open Meeting prior to Carrollton Show
Nov 14th Tom Matthews, Meeting prior to Frisco Show (2nd Monday)
Dec 12th FRISCO Meeting prior to Plano Show
New Business:
· Jeff passed out inventory sheet of items donated to the Club by Chris Sawyer. These items will be presented in a silent auction at the next Club meeting at the home of Jim Hallmark. Please plan to be at Jim’s house at 7 pm, prior to the meeting to view the items up for auction and place your bids. You can also bid after the meeting is over until the cutoff time. Proceeds go to the treasury.
· Don’t forget that assessments are due 9/1.
Train Time: Jeff
A quick overview on radio usage and considerations:
· Perform a radio check after turning it on to ensure good communications with fellow members.
· Always announce your intensions when entering or leaving the yard.
· Always announce when your train is stopped on the train and give the location.
· Wear a radio even if you are alone on a mainline. A derailment by your train may spill over onto the other main and this should be communicated to fellow members.
· Check your train occasionally to make sure you haven’t lost any cars.
· Set yard turnouts back to the way you found them after passing through.
Close: