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In lugnet.org, Todd Lehman writes:
> I am starting a list of local users group and clubs. I want it to be as
> complete as possible and for the history books (and, aw heck, for charts and
> graphs someday) I'd like to include the official dates of formation of each
> group/club.
>
> 1999-03-05 GMLTC: Greater Midwest LEGO Train Club (U.S.A.)
What date are you looking for here?
If you're looking for the date the 'club' started displaying LEGO trains at
shows, it would be sometime in the mid 1980s. When most of the group started
getting together? 1993. When we started having any sort of 'web' presence?
Maybe 1998, or maybe your 1999/03/05 date...
The GMLTC has been called 'the most informal club' because we don't have dues,
or a charter, or even a roster. We just get together and build. We're not big
into self promotion, we prefer to let our layout impress people.
Of course our layout is currently being taken apart, so it's only impressive
when you see four or five 32quart containers filled with one color of 2x4
bricks. Yea, we have a lot of bricks to play with! And lots of plans for the
next layout... <grin>
JohnG, GMLTC
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In lugnet.org, John Gerlach writes:
> In lugnet.org, Todd Lehman writes:
> > 1999-03-05 GMLTC: Greater Midwest LEGO Train Club (U.S.A.)
>
> What date are you looking for here?
>
> If you're looking for the date the 'club' started displaying LEGO trains at
> shows, it would be sometime in the mid 1980s. When most of the group
> started getting together? 1993.
Would anyone happen to know an exact date for either of those?
> When we started having any sort of 'web'
> presence? Maybe 1998, or maybe your 1999/03/05 date...
>
> The GMLTC has been called 'the most informal club' because we don't have
> dues, or a charter, or even a roster. We just get together and build.
> We're not big into self promotion, we prefer to let our layout impress
> people.
I guess what I'm looking for is the exact date on which GMLTC started calling
itself GMLTC (i.e., that it became that entity, however informally) and also,
if known, the date on which people in the Twin Cities (those who initially
founded GMLTC) started congregating and saying, "Hey, we should make a thing
of this."
Sounds like the history of GMLTC would make a very interesting book. :-)
--Todd
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In lugnet.org, Todd Lehman writes:
> I guess what I'm looking for is the exact date on which GMLTC started calling
> itself GMLTC (i.e., that it became that entity, however informally) and also,
> if known, the date on which people in the Twin Cities (those who initially
> founded GMLTC) started congregating and saying, "Hey, we should make a thing
> of this."
Why exactly? (both senses...) That is, exactly why do you need to know this,
and why does it have to be exact? Would the year be good enough? GMLTC started
from one guy and his uncle who loved LEGO and grew from there. It's the
granddaddy of all LEGO train clubs, leave it at that. Not dissing PNLTC, they
were a clear second historically, and more organised sooner, but they are two
different beasts.
Like John G. said, most GMLTCers could care less (but not very much less)
about promotion, names, club structure, details, they just want to build. The
notable exceptions are John 8wide Neal and myself. We do it mostly for fun,
and I'm only an adjunct member, haven't been to a building session in almost a
year now. <sigh> It was in part 8wide that caused the club even to have a name
and a logo in the first place. That happend well before there was any
statements of club existance on RTL or LUGNET.
My 1.3 pence. (in the lounge at DTW awaiting my LGW flight to be called so
I'll think in Sterling, ok?)
++Lar
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In lugnet.loc.us.mn.msp Todd Lehman <lehman@javanet.com> wrote:
> In lugnet.org, John Gerlach writes:
> >
> > If you're looking for the date the 'club' started displaying LEGO trains at
> > shows, it would be sometime in the mid 1980s. When most of the group
> > started getting together? 1993.
>
> Would anyone happen to know an exact date for either of those?
1985 was the first year a layout was taken to a show. The other date is
much more fluid. (I wasn't around for either; this is based on Conan's
comments today while we were trashing the old layout.)
> I guess what I'm looking for is the exact date on which GMLTC started calling
> itself GMLTC
That is probably much closer to your 3/5/1999 date - I think John Neal gets
the credit for actually giving the club a name.
Steve
--
Barb & Steve Demlow | demlow@visi.com | www.visi.com/~demlow/
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Steve Demlow wrote:
> In lugnet.loc.us.mn.msp Todd Lehman <lehman@javanet.com> wrote:
> > In lugnet.org, John Gerlach writes:
> > >
> > > If you're looking for the date the 'club' started displaying LEGO trains at
> > > shows, it would be sometime in the mid 1980s. When most of the group
> > > started getting together? 1993.
> >
> > Would anyone happen to know an exact date for either of those?
>
> 1985 was the first year a layout was taken to a show. The other date is
> much more fluid. (I wasn't around for either; this is based on Conan's
> comments today while we were trashing the old layout.)
>
> > I guess what I'm looking for is the exact date on which GMLTC started calling
> > itself GMLTC
As for an exact date, I'd use the date J-1 registered gmltc.org.
> That is probably much closer to your 3/5/1999 date - I think John Neal gets
> the credit for actually giving the club a name.
Nope. Can't take it. I had originally thought about the name "Upper Midwest LEGO
Train Club". J-1 had thought about "Greater Minnesota LEGO Train Club", and even
registered gmltc.org. There was a bit of disagreement, but then J-3 suggested
"Greater Midwest LEGO Train Club", and we could still use the domain name. So if
anyone gets credit, it would be John Kelly. The rest, as they say, is history.
-John (J-2)
>
>
> Steve
> --
> Barb & Steve Demlow | demlow@visi.com | www.visi.com/~demlow/
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In lugnet.org, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> Why exactly? (both senses...) That is, exactly why do you need to know this,
> and why does it have to be exact?
I doesn't have to be exact if there isn't an exact date. I think in most
cases there are exact dates...it's just that I'd prefer to know exact dates
if at all possible. If not, that's OK too.
--Todd
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I don't think I've ever more agreed with Larry <grin>
October 1992 or 1994 was when John G and I started to build with Conan and
Chuck. John G a little sooner than I, it was right about the time that Conan
came to work at the Lego Imagination Center and we met them. Since Conan
lived in a house with a few other guys, the gathering was informal, but
frequent.
(Year date is different because I don't remember if I was already married or
not. Oct 93 was in CT as a model builder, cuz that was the year I got
married.)
-John
emails should go to jkelly3@yahoo.com, the other email is just a refuge for
spam, I never check it.
In lugnet.org, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> In lugnet.org, Todd Lehman writes:
>
> > I guess what I'm looking for is the exact date on which GMLTC started calling
> > itself GMLTC (i.e., that it became that entity, however informally) and also,
> > if known, the date on which people in the Twin Cities (those who initially
> > founded GMLTC) started congregating and saying, "Hey, we should make a thing
> > of this."
>
> Why exactly? (both senses...) That is, exactly why do you need to know this,
> and why does it have to be exact? Would the year be good enough? GMLTC started
> from one guy and his uncle who loved LEGO and grew from there. It's the
> granddaddy of all LEGO train clubs, leave it at that. Not dissing PNLTC, they
> were a clear second historically, and more organised sooner, but they are two
> different beasts.
>
> Like John G. said, most GMLTCers could care less (but not very much less)
> about promotion, names, club structure, details, they just want to build. The
> notable exceptions are John 8wide Neal and myself. We do it mostly for fun,
> and I'm only an adjunct member, haven't been to a building session in almost a
> year now. <sigh> It was in part 8wide that caused the club even to have a name
> and a logo in the first place. That happend well before there was any
> statements of club existance on RTL or LUGNET.
>
> My 1.3 pence. (in the lounge at DTW awaiting my LGW flight to be called so
> I'll think in Sterling, ok?)
>
> ++Lar
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