Coming Events - Open to ALL

Updated May 6, 2010 by Jeff Warner
Updated March 28, 2010 by Seth Neumann
These events are up-coming this year, and are open to all interested parties regardless of OPSIG membership, which is of course encouraged but not required. If you would like to attend, you must contact the host and secure an invitation. For changes, corrections and or additions contact Phil at phil@philmonat.com.

CA/BAY AREA - PCR OPSIG/LDSIG MEET: The NMRA Pacific Coast Region and the Layout Design and Operations Special Interest Groups hold a regular joint Regional Meeting in Santa Clara, CA (approx. 45 minutes south of San Francisco), always on the NFL bye week. This usually falls on the last weekend of January. A terrific two- day program is planned. The agenda includes clinics, operations discussions, track planning workshops, and visits to local layouts on Saturday. There will also be operating sessions at a number of nearby layouts on Sunday. Location TBD since we outgrew our traditional home at the South Bay Historical Railroad Society. Information at: www.pcrnmra.org/sigs/ and be sure to rsvp at www.pcrnmra.org/sigs/rsvpform.html

CA/BAY AREA - BayRails - 3^rd weekend in March, odd years. Seth Neumann, website2009@bayrails.com, 650-965-4687. www.bayrails.com. Join us for exceptional operating sessions and a celebration of Western Prototype Railroading in the San Francisco Bay Area. Operating sessions feature some of the best-known layouts in the country and will be held Thursday through Saturday. Go to www.bayrails.com/prereg.php to request an invitation.

CO/Denver-Pueblo - RockyOp, Sept 16-18, 2010 - Northern Colorado Front Range including Denver, September/October odd years - Doug Geiger gmry@comcast.net 303-651-2225; Southern Colorado Springs/Pueblo, September even years - Fred Carlson fredgcarlson@msn.com 719-547-3142

IL/Chicago - AmRail Chicago OPSIG - Normally the first weekend in October, even years - Oct 1, 2nd & 3rd, 2010 this coming. A very large and popular event, come to the Windy City and operate on many large and very operations oriented layouts. For more info, contact: Mike Ritschdorff nwpoca@hotmail.com 773-763-1516. See the great web site at choprail.org (not working when last tested).

LA/ Baton Rouge - Midsouth Model Railroad Club. First Saturday of the even months. Feb, Apr, June, Aug, Oct and Dec. 1-5 pm. Contact Jack Green at jwg3rd@aol.com, club web site: www.midsouthmodelrailroadclub.org

MA - Boston RailRun - March annually. Come run on ten to fifteen layouts in the Boston MA area and enjoy some great railroads while having lots of fun. Contact Carl Senftleben shoalsrr@hotmail.com 781-233-7051

MI/ Grand Rapids and Flint - Live Steam Card Order sessions on the Michigan Central Railroad of Bill & Gisela Hays. All meets are by invitation only, for an invitation contact Bob Hill at upbigboy4004@aol.com (810-238-4512) or Bill at 810-797-4961. Schedule:

Note 1 - If you are interested in attending the June 4 - 6 or July 23 - 25 Card Order Meets, contact Bob Hill at upbigboy4004@aol, Home phone 810-238-4512

Note 2 - If you are interested in attending the Work/Run Meet June 24-27 or Summer Meet Aug 5 - 8,contact Bill Hays at: hays@centurytel.net or 810-797-4961. The June meet will be largely track changes with some running. The August 5 - 8 meet will be fun run for our invited guests from Ohio.

Note 3 - If you are interested in attending the Fall Invitational Meet Sept 11-14 at the Michigan Central Railroad contact Terry Harrison at 828-808-4427 or e-mail him at: NKPMAN@earthlink.net As in previous years, those who have attended the Fall Invitational will be mailed or handed the formal invitation letter and information no later than May 2010. Persons who have never attended the Fall Invitational will be able to register, but their names will not be added to the operators list until Aug. 1, 2010. If you have attended the Fall Invitational in the past you need to get your registration form in as soon as you receive it, in order to guarantee yourself an operating position and not be on the extra board. If you do NOT return the RSVP form, you will be removed from invite mailing list.

MI/Troy - Southeast Michigan Prototype Operators - one of the largest operating events in the country with room for over 100 operators. Held this April 23, 24 & 25, 2010 (even years) - Larry Burk LBurk@rgis.com 248-634-2205 - www.michops.org.

MO - St. Louis - Gateway NMRA Rail Op Weekend 2010 September 17 & 18, 2010 Greater St. Louis MO Area www.gatewaynmra.org/railop.htm Three operating sessions (Friday evening and Saturday Morning and Afternoon) with six layouts participating (5 HO standard gauge, 1 Sn3 narrow gauge). Open to all experience levels. Registration closes August 18, 2010. Must be an NMRA member to participate. Registration is online, www.gatewaynmra.org/railop/sign-up.htm

MO - St. Louis - Run Extra St.Louis 2010 October 15-17. The second year of this invitational event in the Gateway City. Come operate on 12 great layouts in a variety of gauges and designs. For information, contact René LaVoise at rlavoise@swbell.net. Web site is www.runextrastlouis.net.

NJ/Union - The Model RR Club, Inc, at the Mallery Model Railroad Center. Held every May or June, check www.tmrci.org for details. Come operate on this extremely large and very progressive club layout, with over 3,500 square feet of HO gauge railroads and 800 square feet of N Scale. Contact Pete Ezzard pezzard@hotmail.com 212-996-6858.

NC - Greensboro Area NC RailRun 2010. Typically held even years, the year September 3rd-5th, 2010. Operate on seven great operations oriented layouts, from N to O scale. Four of the layouts have been featured in the national press. Centered in the Greensboro North Carolina Hill country, contact OPSIG SE Coordinator Mike Penne at (penniemichael@yahoo.com), or Steve Benezra (steveb919@earthlink.net).

PA - Allentown/Harrisburg/York - Lehigh Susquehanna Operations (LSOPS 2). Held in the early fall, annually. In 2010, set for the first weekend of October (1st & 2nd), check with Jeff Warner (jwarner@susquehannanmra.org) to confirm. Come operate on three large impressive layouts in the Allentown area, and three in the Harrisburg/York area. For further information, www.susquehannanmra.org/lsops/

TX/Priddy - Spring Fling Live Steam Operations, Mid-May annually, held the week after Mothers Day. (May 10-16th, 2010). This will be there 15th year, with over 80 attendees from all over the country. For more information contact: Peter Bryan peterb@pdq.net 832-237-4388

UT/ Salt Lake area - Great Basin Getaway - September, even years; Sep 23-25, 2010, this year, which is the weekend after the RockyOp event in the Denver area. Operate on four beautiful layouts in Central Utah, including Lee's Utah Central Western. Contact: Lee Nicholas leeucwrr@msn.com 435-744-2423 - www.ucwrr.com

VA/Glen Allen/Richmond - Easton & Potomac Railroad - Multi-deck operations oriented layout featuring regular sessions on the 3rd Saturday of every month. For more info visit www.easton-and-potomac.com/. Contact: Keith Stillman kfstillman@comcast.net. Also operations blog at eastonpotomac.blogspot.com.

WI/MI - Winnebagoland Division, Division wide day long operating sessions, held on the first Saturday of November, annually. Due to the Division's size, they rotate the gathering across the geographic area every year. They use this gather to teach, encourage, and share operations while having fun and getting together. For more information, contact: Dave Rickaby wmwestdiv@yahoo.com

WI/ Lacross - RiverRail, annual operations in Lacross. This year last weekend in June. A well-attended and popular event featuring several large layouts, RiverRail offers operations for everybody. For more information, contact Ron Copher LOcoeng@aol.com (608-792-9912).