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Minutes - January 15, 2019


The 2019 Color Country Model Railroad Club business meeting was called to order at 7:06pm by president Dave Merrill.  In attendance were club officers Al Thorne (VP Lionel Group), Larry Schneider (VP G-Scale Group, Club Treasurer), Rick Guercio, Thomas Eckhardt, Dick and Mary Beth Gibbons, Werner Balsterholt, Terry Schramm, Victor Lorch, Dan Mangiarcina, and Lloyd Thomson (webmaster).

Financial Reporting:
Outgoing expenses for 2018 included building materials for the HO and Lionel Jubilee of Trees layouts, rolling stock for the Veterans Train, and our annual Christmas Party.  2018 paid membership increased from 33 to 37.  Club members who haven’t contacted Larry Schneider with their dues payment are encouraged to do so soon.

2019 Club Organization: The floor was opened for club president nominations.  After a lengthy discussion, the matter was tabled until the Spring Pizza Party when a greater number of members will be present for further discussion and nominations.  Until then, Dave Merrill continues as president.

2019 CLUB ACTIVITIES:
Friday Lunch 
Cracker Barrel
1736 S. Convention Center Drive
St. George, UT 84790
11:30am to 1:00pm

Spring Pizza Party Date: April 13, 2019 
Location: Rick Guercio's Home (pending confirmation) 

Member Layout Tour:  November 1 through 4, 2019
Since total attendance for the 2018 tour decreased approximately 28% over 2017, the group discussed several avenues to publicize this year’s event.  Publicizing the 2019 event will be shared by several club members later this year.
  • St. George News and stgeorgenews.com
  • SunRiver Neighbors Magazine
  • Southern Utah Neighbors Magazine
  • The Independent and suindependent.com
  • Senior Sampler
  • KDXU Radio (AM890)
  • HobbyTown
  • Egg and I
  • Banners (hung near major intersections)
Jubilee of Trees:
Construction materials and railroad equipment was packed and temporarily relocated until another location can be found.  Terry Schramm indicates the Leisure Services Director has been directed by Mayor Jon Pike and City Manager Adam Lenhard to find a location suitable for future JoT layout construction.  Al Thorne continues his discussion with Dixie Regional Medical Center personnel on the same subject.  We trust the City or DRMC can find an appropriate location in a timely manner.     

G scale Railroad for the DRMC Pediatrics Visitation Room:
Planning for the project continues with Al Thorne and members of our G scale group.  Tim Fitch and Joe Zukowski have donated trains.  Joe has also constructed a timer circuit, similar to the unit employed on the Veteran’s Train, which will initiate train operation at the touch of a button.  Al is in contact with Michael Cummings, DRMC Maintenance Manager, to finalize planning and begin construction.

Christmas Party: Scheduled for December 3, 2019
A change of venue was raised and discussed in an attempt to encourage greater attendance of SunRiver club members.  Mary Beth Gibbons indicated Evelyn Wilson was investigating time, date, expense, and menu in SunRiver.  It was suggested a meeting room could be used for the “SunRiver Junction Model Railroad Group” rather than the ballroom.  To ensure a location is available, Thomas Eckhardt will reserve the Sky Mountain HOA Club House.  If suitable arrangements with SunRiver can be made, Thomas will cancel Sky Mountain.

CCMRRC Website:
Each month, the website features a member’s layout on the main page and includes new photos of his railroad in the Member Groups and Layouts section.  Additionally, at least one other railroad-related article is included for member information or enjoyment.  In 2018, these have ranged from layout tours in other states, railfan trips, upcoming events, and layout construction techniques from CCMRRC members.  This year, we look forward to articles from Werner Balsterholt and Richard Gibbins among other member contributions.

Southern Utah Division – NMRA Facebook page:
The content posted on our website is duplicated on Facebook.  However, the FB page has a much greater reach.  Here’s a breakdown of the 1100+ Facebook users who “follow” our page.

Followers by country:
USA (792), Brazil (65), Mexico (57), Argentina (40), Australia (38), Canada (34), United Kingdom (14), Spain (13), Taiwan (6), Belgium (5), Greece (5), Indonesia (5).                                     

Followers by city:
Saint George (19), Buenos Aires (14), Mexico City (13), Sydney (9), Washington (9), New York (8), Colorado Springs (6), Chicago (6), Las Vegas (6), Houston (6), Salt Lake (6), Ivins (5), Phoenix (5), Melbourne (4), Guadalajara (4), Sandy (4), Rio de Janeiro (4), Brisbane (3), Kingman (3), Tucson (3), San Diego (3), Denver (3)                               

To increase awareness of the railroads and modeling capabilities of our members, posts on our FB page are shared on other similar interest pages.  For example, when a HO layout is featured on our page, I duplicate the post on the HO Scale Model Railroading page.  Here are the pages where our posts will be shared.
  • N Scale Model Railroading
  • HO Scale Model Railroading
  • American Flyer Trains
  • 2-Rail O Scale & Proto:48 Model Railroading
  • Lionel Trains
  • G-Scale – Garden Trains
  • National Model Railroad Association
General Discussion Topics:
  • After a 5-year restoration, Union Pacific 4014 makes the journey from Cheyenne to Ogden in May to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion.  CCMRRC members can join the Steam Club (https://www.up.com/heritage/steam/club/index.htm) to receive the latest news and scheduling information about Union Pacific’s legendary steam train program!
  • The 2019 NMRA National Convention is slated for July 7-13 in Salt Lake City.  Complete information about lodging, layout tours, clinics, and the National Train Show can be found at http://www.nmra2019slc.org/.