Subject:
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TCLTC ILTCO show at the NMRA in Philly wrap up
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains, lugnet.trains.org
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Date:
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Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:13:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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4087 times
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Well, it has been 2 weeks since the BIG EVENT and so I thought I’d record some
thoughts before I forgot everything. (Pics of our stuff from the show
HERE)
Ross and I finally left MN at about 9pm on July 4th and drove straight thru. We
were building and doing last minute things all day, and finally I thought, “hey,
we need to get going!” I got tired at 8am and pulled over for a little nap, but
at 10am I was awakened by my cell phone (Hi, Steve:-) and it was back on the
road again. We pulled into (finally, after getting way lost) the hotel around
9pm and met up with some AFOLs for a beer (or 2). We made it:-)
Since we only brought what we could bring in our Honda CRV, we only had half a
layout with which to work. It is the best half, however, and thanks to Ross’
excellent engineering skilz, everything mechanical went smoothly. The
ping-ponging trolley system wasn’t optimal, but that was basically a one-time
deal and it worked out well enough. We had hoped to model our own light rail
system, but we ended up not having time to either finish the station or the
light rail cars themselves. So we ran our Excelsior Trolley, and The
Neighborhood Trolley. We also didn’t have time to test out our electrical lines
we brought along; that will have to wait for another show somehow.
The show itself was great. Friday was a bit slow, but Saturday was packed.
Around noon on Saturday, a fellow comes up to me and introduces himself as my
Ashcan brother! What a treat-- Jonathan Lopes took the train down from NY to
see the show. Noshing an authentic philly steak sandwich with him at the
Reading Terminal Market was certainly a highlight of the trip! A surprise visit
from Christina Hitchcock was also a highlight! Heck, riding the SEPTA using my
room card as a ticket was awesome (Philly 1776, ILTOC 1). It was fun renewing
old AFOL acquaintances, and meeting new AFOLs as well (Howdy PennLUG neighbors
Cale, Chris, Mike, & the Matts:-) And of course the raucous Dirty Brickster™ in
the parking lot (just kidding, Steve;-) was nuts (sorry, Lar;-) And it was good
to have TLG representation as well; thanks to Steve Witt for hanging out with us
and buying us all dinner:-d
A BIG thanks to my son, Ross, for carrying the club and making the layout a
total hit. His rigging of the Thomas line is nothing less than brilliant; he is
now working on including a third siding, which will totally increase the fun
we have playing with the minds of tomorrow’s youth;-) Also, Ross’ fountain
created a big splash; one family had heard about it elsewhere and came looking
for it, expecting some giant waterfall or something-- they were a bit
disappointed, but most everyone else enjoyed it. My favorite question (asked
more than once): “Is that real LEGO water?” Ross’
Berkshire and Hogwarts
Express locos were also a hit; I’m just sorry that I didn’t have time to make
proper decals for them:-(
Though the drive was more than brutal (21 hours drive time), but it was worth it
and I will cherish the memories. I know other LTCs suffered some calamities,
but I hope the overall experience was a positive one for everyone involved. I
guess it is now time to get back to building to improve the layout for the
soiree in Motortown! Thanks to all who participated and I hope to see you all
next year!
JOHN
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