2018 O Scale National Convention Is Over - Thanks to all who came

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And a big thanks to Martin and the NMRA judges who spent a large amount of time judging all of the models.

You caught me in my last year of doing that sort of stuff. I've run that for the region for a decade and this year is the end

Read the latest issue of OST on the bus ride back up here and was pleasantly surprised to see an article from Kurt.

Everybody gets into the act,

Still going through the material handed out at the convention. Surprised to see the NMRA MER convention at the exact same hotel in a few months.

Apparently it's the one in the area with the best deal combined with location.

[Wolf]

We know Dan got there and maybe Wolf, and Rufus bought traction stuff and precious little about anything else! Guess we'll have to hope Dan hammers it in the "O Scale Resource"!

Make that "maybe Wolf" as a positive in the attendance column. I contributed a slight bit to Rufus' "best sales" "...ever", as I
did plunk down some of the cash that I brought for an item or three.

Did not know that I was expected to deliver a debriefing report , otherwise I would have taken notes...
I do concur with the others that it was a good show, although there were only about 7 or 8 cab forwards there! And traction items
were also a bit on the under-represented side...

[E7]

Make that "maybe Wolf" as a positive in the attendance column. I contributed a slight bit to Rufus' "best sales" "...ever", as I did plunk down some of the cash that I brought for an item or three.

Did not know that I was expected to deliver a debriefing report , otherwise I would have taken notes...
I do concur with the others that it was a good show, although there were only about 7 or 8 cab forwards there! And traction items were also a bit on the under-represented side...

Wolf, You did GOOD if you were able to score an original "Firefly". I hope you had the foresight to have it signed! I just hope you can come up with some viable excuse for allowing 7 to 8 Backup Malleys at an East Coast Show! I am totally appalled that you would permit that to happen!

Rich

[Rufus T. Firefly]

And traction items were also a bit on the under-represented side...

Berkshire Car Shops had a table and a loan officer present; I had a single item on my table and took it home with me (it'll be available in Strasburg in Oct, ) ; Norm Pullen had a nice steeple cab that may or not have had insulated trucks so I left it there. He also had a stack of flat car kits that I had created & sold years ago - nostalgia ain't what it used to be...

[Wolf]

Wasn't able to score an "original Firefly" this time, so nothing to have signed (unless you
count the boxes for the building kits and car parts that I DID buy from Rufus!)...

As for allowing "backup Malleys" in a show on the East Coast...it WAS the NATIONAL
show, after all...or was the question really why I didn't take a slew of them back home with me?
I DO have a weakness for the beasts.

I looked those multi-thousand dollar creations at the MMI (?) table, but I was afraid to ask what
the actual price was to be able to tuck one or two under my arm and carry them home !
That takes care of 3 of the 7 or so AC's, most of the others were Sunset versions that I already had,
so I passed on those as well...no sense in trying to give Bob Turner a run for his money as to having
all the possible iterations as he can probably build his faster than I could find and buy any suitable locos...
plus I'd have to engineer and build a larger roundhouse, maybe even have to enlarge the layout space....
sounds like the proverbial "slippery slope"!

[E7]

That was a lot of excuses, guess we'll give you a pass!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Wasn't able to score an "original Firefly" this time, so nothing to have signed (unless you
count the boxes for the building kits and car parts that I DID buy from Rufus!)...

There were a few of them available on the table,

And there was a bit of traction for sale if you were sharp and fast!

[Chris Webster]

Surprised to see the NMRA MER convention at the exact same hotel in a few months.

Back in the 20th Century, I spent a few months living in an apartment complex across 355 from that hotel. It is in an odd location for a hotel -- not downtown, not close to tourist attractions, not next to a highway, etc., so I presume most guests are business travelers headed to NIH and other nearby suburban office campuses during the work week.

The hotel probably likes hosting weekend conventions since those help keep their rooms off of Priceline.com!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Surprised to see the NMRA MER convention at the exact same hotel in a few months.

Back in the 20th Century, I spent a few months living in an apartment complex across 355 from that hotel. It is in an odd location for a hotel -- not downtown, not close to tourist attractions, not next to a highway, etc., so I presume most guests are business travelers headed to NIH and other nearby suburban office campuses during the work week.

There is a Metro stop right out the back door of that hotel. This hotel gets a lot of use from many Gov't departments - I attended many DOE meetings there in the past. Straight shot down the Red line to the train station and a single transfer will get you to Nat'l airport.

[Chris Webster]

There is a Metro stop right out the back door of that hotel.

I know -- my commute involved walking to and from the Twinbrook station every day!

This hotel gets a lot of use from many Gov't departments - I attended many DOE meetings there in the past.

I understand that....but Gov't agencies generally don't hold meetings over the weekends or in the DC-area during August.

Straight shot down the Red line to the train station and a single transfer will get you to Nat'l airport.

That's how I usually got to and from DCA. The ride over the Potomac was the best part of riding Metro.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

This hotel gets a lot of use from many Gov't departments - I attended many DOE meetings there in the past.

I understand that....but Gov't agencies generally don't hold meetings over the weekends or in the DC-area during August.

Actually, the DOE did. Brutal heat walking to the Metro from my office and then to the hotel at that stop every year. Other place they held meetings was in the Hyatt(?) in Bethesda

And, we just did another of those meetings about 2 weeks ago, but in Shady Grove. Drove to that one....retired and I'm still going to meetings,

But, August is when the ACS used to have its 2nd annual meeting of the year at the DC convention center - cheapest time to get it - weather in DC area makes August the month no one wants to be here; Congress is out of town, and everything else slows to a crawl.

[bob turner]

Mentioning National airport - always thought naming it after George was a good idea. Now I am beginning to respect Reagan. And Kemp. And Will. And Krauthammer. Well, I always respected them, but now more than ever.

What I enjoyed about DCA was the River Approach in a 757. I only had a couple, and thank God for good first officers, but what a beautiful approach, with a 30 degree heading change so low I thought the wing might drag. What a kick!