2007 NER Fall Convention: Commodore Vanderbilt

“Who you gonna call? – Host Busters!”

Today, the entire Eastern Seaboard is alive with talk of incidents of paranormal activity. Alleged host sightings and related supernatural occurrences have been reported across the entire Tri-State area. You have an opportunity to be a participant in the biggest interdimensional cross rip since the Tunguska blast of 1909!

On behalf of the organizers, busting their humps, we are happy to report our readiness. Why worry? Each one of us is hiding an unlicensed nuclear accelerator under the layout. Drop your collections of spores, molds, and fungus, and plan to attend.

Host Busters: Whattaya Want?

Coordination with two other local organizations has yielded the following conclusions. The Bridge Line Historical Society is holding their Albany Convention (BLHS BLAST 2007) on October 12-14. The Rensselaer Model Railroad Society’s NEB&W layout is unavailable for visitation during our convention dates.

The Convention Headquarters will be the Best Western Sovereign Hotel, on Western Avenue, not far from Crossgates Mall and Stuyvesant Plaza. [See Map for access from I87 and I-90.] As of mid-May, a dozen of the convention-reserved block of 75 rooms - Double/Doubles: 2 double beds each, at $89 per night (plus taxes and complimentary breakfast each morning – had been booked by “early birds”. [While the rate is lower than what is normal for the area, there is an arrangement with an adjacent hotel for potential overflow bookings.] An extended stay (for the Thursday night before) is also possible at the quoted rate. Rooms must be booked by September 18 to take advantage of this offer.

Registration work (and other on-site activities) should begin on Friday, Oct. 19, in mid-afternoon. The optional (extra-charge) Saturday bag lunches may be reserved (directly with the hotel restaurant staff, only), to expedite personal tour and/or clinics schedules. As can be seen in the Registration Package, the Banquet is being offered at a very reasonable $25.00 per person.

Displays now include the Adirondack Live Steamers, as well as Dominick Bourgeois’ Downtown Schenectady, NY, modules. [Due to insurance concerns, no visits to the ALS facility will be possible.]

General Clinics: With the Bus Tour changes (trip shortening), video clinics will not be offered aboard the Tour Buses. The following line-up will be scheduled, in the tentative order shown below, utilizing 3 or 4 rooms [* New]:

Friday Afternoon

• Mike McNamara (Vermont/New Hampshire Layout Design)
• *CA&B Club (Two-Day Module Construction Process){also with follow-up efforts by Tony Bucca, Gardner Cross, etc.)

Friday Evening

• Jean Harra (Schoharie Valley Ry. Industries)
• Ken Goslett (D&H’s Napierville Jct. Ry. Prototype)
• * Eddie’s Aquarium (Garden Layout Water Features)
• Tony Bucca (Digital Photography & Backdrops)
• Mike Ledley (G-scale Kitbashing)[Schedule permitting] Mike: Not likely!
• Bob Hamm (Helix Design & Construction)
• Jeff English (NYC USRA Box Car - Prototype)
• Rich Smith (Urban Structure Modeling)
• Jen Hathaway (Sports Massage) [Schedule permitting]

Late Friday Evening

• Jim Six (Locomotive and Car Kitbashing)

Saturday Morning

• *Vic Roman (Basic Scenery Techniques)
• Jeff English (NYC Box Car Overview - Prototype)
• Mike Rose (Northeast Prototype Modeling)
• Gardner Cross (Rubber Rocks – a “Hands-On” Workshop)

Saturday Noon

• Dominic Bourgeois (D&H Locomotive and Car Modeling)
• Gustav Verderber (Custom Layout & Backdrop Photography)

Saturday Afternoon

• Paul Hoffman (DCC Locomotive Fine-Tuning Software)
• Jim Cesare (Architecture in Model Railroading)
• Diane Steele (Banquet Floral Centerpieces – a “Hands-On” Workshop)
• *Branchline Trains (Model Production)
• *Ken May (Whatever he wants)[Schedule permitting]

Saturday Night (after Banquet)

• Jim Six (Locomotive and Car Kitbashing)

The “Hands-On”Workshops are limited to 25-30 persons for the Rubber Rocks Clinic and 15 persons for the Banquet Floral Centerpieces Clinic. There are no material charges; the rocks go home, but the flowers stay for the Saturday Evening Banquet.

The Guided Bus Tours (extra-fare) have been reworked. Unfortunately, the CSX Selkirk Yard Tour cannot be offered; due to recent corporate difficulties, outside parties are no longer being invited to visit company facilities.

However, the Saturday Morning Port of Albany Tour is going forward. With the help of the Albany Port Railroad, we hope to see multiple Cargill grain-handling facilities, some fuel-handling terminals, a Heavy-Lift dock, a container barge transfer site, an adjacent Bulk Cargo terminal for barge-related commodities, a scrap yard, a steel fabrication plant, and various warehouses for break-bulk cargoes. There is also the NS intermodal facility at the adjacent D&H/CPRail Kenwood Yard, as well as the remnants of older area industries.

For Saturday Afternoon, we are arranging the Amtrak Turbo Maintenance Facility Tour in Rensselaer, NY. This walking inspection of the Shop and its environs has been a popular attraction at previous conventions. Ready-storage equipment and shuttle-operations within the Shop and Station complex have always provided interest above and beyond the buildings and tracks of the facility itself.

[For both of the above and both of the following, it would be wise to have rain gear, sturdy shoes, and long pants.]

Guided Car-Pool Tours
One Saturday Morning Non-Rail Tour has been arranged (departing around 9:00), to a floral wholesale operation and the Albany Institute of History and Art (and its new wing devoted to the “Hudson River School” of landscape artists). There will be a 10-person minimum for this tour, for a museum docent to be provided.

A Saturday Afternoon tour is being considered, for a minimum of 5 persons, to view local locations and structural remnants of the Erie Canal (1823 and 1840-rebuild) from Watervliet on the Hudson River to Crescent on the Mohawk River. This is obviously weather-dependent, so upon gathering at the Bus Departure Area (Saturday circa 1:00 PM), a final head-count, eye to the clouds, and democratic vote will determine the subsequent actions of the group.

For further Auto-Exotica (vehicular layout scavenger-hunting), we have arranged for a wide-ranging set of destinations, with routes leaping the many local rivers and ‘kills. [“'Scuse me Egon? You said crossing the streams was bad!”] But hang in there, plot your best courses, and you’ll be echoing “I love this plan! I'm excited it could work! LET'S DO IT!”

The Self-Guided Tours, for the model railroad Layout Visits and Operations, require careful planning, to pack as much visitation into the schedules available – considering the time and distances involved. Arrange for advance mailing of the Map Book – with Visiting Times, Zone Maps, Local Maps, Turning Directions, and suggested Strategic Short-cuts (with time and distance) between (somewhat) adjoining layouts.

The following hosts are on board (with layout identity, scale(s), past magazine documentation, and location given). Frank Czubryt (Berkshire Valley castings) has also opened his Colorado-based layout to us, notable for its backdrop artwork and handsome equipment. [* New]

Friday Night - Mohawk River & South

• Jim Cesare’s NYC – Albany (HO) [Niskayuna, NY]
• Andy Clermont‘s Rutland O&LC (HO) [Albany, NY]
• Dick Davis’s ATSF Cajon Pass (HO) [6/04 RMJ; Schenectady, NY]
• John McBride’s Crown Point & Hammondville (G Indoors) [Clifton Park, NY]
• Bill Machesney’s LV (HO) [3/98 RMC; Schenectady, NY]
• Ken Nelson’s Poco Valley (HO) [7/94, 1/91 MR; 10/80 RMC; 2/00 BULL; Scotia, NY]]
• Vic Roman’s NYC Hudson Div. (HO) [Schenectady, NY]
• Lou Sassi’s West Hoosic Div., B&M (HO) [96, 99 GMR; 7/88 MR; Charlton, NY]
• Jack Wright’s Schoharie Valley Railway (HO) [96 GMR; Glenville, NY]

Sunday – Saratoga County & North [and Outlying]

• Tony Bucca’s Adirondack Br. (HO) [Greenfield, NY]
• *Frank Czubryt’s Denver Union (O) [Adams, MA]
• Paul Delasco’s Boston & Albany (O) [Lenoxdale, MA]
• Bill Duffe’s B&M (HO) [98 GMR; Easthampton, MA]
• Dick Elwell’s Hoosac Valley (HO) [f. 10/90 MR; 96 GMR; Adams, MA]
• Glens Falls Club Layouts (HO, N, O, G) [Glens, Falls, NY]
• Bob Hamm’s Iron Gorge & Western (HOn3) [f. 5/85, 7/85 MR; Saratoga Springs, NY]
• Paul Hoffman’s ATSF Albuquerque Div. (HO) [Mechanicville, NY]
• Mike Ledley’s A&LM (G) [8/06 MR; Duanesburg, NY]
• Henry Propst’s NYC Mohawk Div. (HO) [Burnt Hills, NY]
• Schoharie Valley Model RR Club (HO, N, O) [Cobleskill, NY]
• Rich Smith’s Milwaukee Rd (C. of Wauwatoga) (HO) [12/06 MR; Saratoga Springs, NY]
• Jack Smolik’s Not-So-Great-Eastern (O) [Johnstown, NY]
• Diane & Tony Steele’s D&H/Rut (HO) [f. 1-5/89 RMC; 10-11/99 RMJ; Waterford, NY]
• Kevin Surman’s PRR/CNJ NY&LBr (HO) [Saratoga Springs, NY]
• Marcel Zucchino’s Adirondack Northern (HO, G) [Saratoga Springs, NY]

Layout Operations are listed in the Registration Package.