The Second Section – Minutes from the meeting of November 21, 2013

President Bernie Hanmore called the membership meeting to order at 6:30 PM, in the conference room of the Shops @ the Bank, 940 Park Avenue, Meadville, PA. Attending the meeting were Bernie Hanmore, Dennis Mead, Ed Cronin, Jack Sheets, Tom Collard, Denis Manross, Al Reibel, Tom Stewart, and John Snyder

Treasurer's Report

Ed Cronin read the treasurer's report, noting the checking balances and expenses, in addition to income. The Treasurer reports there are only 8 members who have not paid their dues.

Model Railroad Treasurer's Report

There was no report submitted.

Committee Reports

There was no new news to report about the Cambridge Springs depot. Ed Cronin will be meeting with Paris Tennenhouse near State College, PA to discuss details on the proposed museum, including suggested displays to be placed in the facility for public viewing.

Lettering stencils are currently being made for the 518. Lettering will be applied to the engine next year when the weather gets better. Jack Sheets has been busy getting quotes for movement of the boxcar from North East, PA to Meadville. Ed Cronin, Bernie Hanmore and Denny Mead are planning a trip to Silk Road Transport in New York State, for a quote on moving the boxcar solely by their truck(s) without using any rigging equipment. Jack also received quotes for replacement of windows on 518. Clear laminent glass is being suggested, with our people doing the installation. Also, Jack is following up on a party in Titusville capable of coating the Society's baggage car roof.

The 2014 calendars are selling well, with 77 reportedly sold so far. The portable train display is set up in the Shops @ the Bank building, next to Tom's Train Terminal. (After the business meeting members stayed to work on finishing the layout for beginning of operations on Friday, November 29th.) An e-mail will be sent out to the membership recruiting layout operators for the Holiday display season. Jack Sheets has arranged radio and TV coverage of the layout. Al Reibel came to the rescue by donating badly needed locomotives for the layout. The Board thanked Al for the donation.

The Crawford Heritage Community Foundation has requested a contribution from the FCVRRHS. The Board approved a donation of $25.00 to the Foundation.

The model railroad club plans to hold a hands-on session in January. They will discuss making scale trees for your layouts. The club also will be starting up on Wednesdays again. Those interested in joining the work sessions should contact Tom Collard at his hobby shop.

Tom Collard inquired about suggestions on how to solicit new memberships. He would be most willing to hand out membership applications at his store.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Thursday, December 19, 2013 at 6:30 PM, in the conference room of U.S. Bronze Foundry & Machine, located at 18649 Brake Shoe Road, Meadville, PA. A Christmas party will follow the meeting, with requests for members to bring cookies and other treats to enjoy. The spouses are invited to join us for an enjoyable meeting.

Motion for Adjournment

A motion for adjournment was made by Tom Stewart and was seconded by John Snyder. The motion was carried and the meeting was adjourned at 7:46 PM.

Coming Events

There will be a model train display at the Penn Hills Municipal Building, 12245 Frankstown Road, in the Penn Hill suburbs northeast of the city December 1st to the 31st. Admission is $1.00 minimum donation, with the proceeds benefitting the Penn Hills Police Department.

The Christmas Train & Toy Show will be at the Lakeland Community College in Kirkland, OH on December 9th. And, the Great Train Expo will be at the Eastwood Mall, 5555 Youngstown Warren Road, Niles, OH on December 14th and 15th. Hours are 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM each day.

The Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad will be running a Santa Claus train, featuring one engine, a coach car and a cabooseThe train will operate on december 15th, and is expected to arrive in Meadville from the east around 6:00 PM. Santa will be handing out candies to all the little visitors.

One More Thing

Recently, a suggestion was made by the wife of John Snyder, Linda, that we look into the idea of making sweat shirts with the caboose printed on the front. She thought it would be a nice addition for wearing on the colder days of the year. So, I am asking if there is any interest to this suggestion, please contact me. If we could get enough people interested in ordering them, we could then inquire on the costs of such a run for the Society.
 
Denny Mead