Happy New Year, everyone! We know some people are pleased to put 2016 behind them, but as far as the Pasadena Model Railroad Club is concerned, it was a pretty good year. Among our accomplishments for 2016:
- We completed the DCC conversion on the western half of the railroad, along with Midway yard.
- We completed a major portion of the work to get the east side of the railroad up and running under DCC.
- We built a new iron ore mine (Thanks Dan!) and made other scenery improvements.
- We set up the railroad in TrainController Gold to allow easier dispatching and automated train operation.
- We inspected, repaired, and recertified hundreds of club- and member-owned freight and passenger cars.
- We had our first Open House with the new DCC control system.
- We hosted a handful of film and video shoots, which generated income for the club.
- We restocked on the 70th Anniversary DVDs, as requested by several people on our Facebook page (and we’re halfway to being sold out already!).
- And, most importantly, we welcomed two (almost three!) great new members, Peter Leinhos (#255) and Owen Wagonner (#256). Chris Holt completed nearly twice as many hours as required for his apprenticeship, and we expect him to be voted in as member #257 at our very first business meeting of 2017.
Unfortunately, not all of the news for 2016 was good: We mourned the passing of Larry Helscher, member #150. But we are pleased that his legacy will live on: Larry provided generously for the club in his will, and his legacy will help to ensure the club’s survival. Some of his rolling stock has been passed on or sold to other members, and will continue to roll on the Sierra Pacific Lines.
We’re gearing up for a busy 2017. Among the things on our to-do list:
- Complete the DCC conversion of the eastern end of the railroad.
- Restore functionality of the turntables at Midway and Zion/Alhambra Engine Services.
- Formalize our standards for DCC- and sound-equipped locomotives and our electronic roster.
- Continue operational training under DCC.
- Make repairs and improvements to the club-owned building.
- Hold our first Open House with a fully-operational railroad.
- Welcome more new apprentices and full members.
No doubt we’ll be adding to this list as the year goes on!
We thank all of you who have supported the club — by visiting our Open House, joining us as apprentice members, buying cars, pins, patches, and DVDs, liking our Facebook page, reading our web site, and stopping by to visit. We look forward to your friendship and support as we highball into 2017!