I was fortunate to attend the 25th Anniversary Narrow Gauge Convention at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan. As many of you may recall, the Dearborn Hyatt Regency was also the convention site for the joint LCCA and LOTS Annual Conventions, in the summer of 2000.

The Narrow Gauge Convention was clearly one of the best conventions that I have ever attended. In addition to dozens of scheduled layout tours each evening,
each day of the Convention was filled with numerous Clinics on virtually every topic regarding narrow gauge railroading, including modeling clinics, and clinics regarding actual operations of narrow gauge railroads in the 1800's and 1900's.

The 29th Annual Narrow Gauge Convention will be held in Colorado Springs, Co., from Sep. 16-19,2009.

Here is the Official Home page for next year's Annual Convention:

http://www.29nng.com/

cordially,

Dennis

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611,

I didn't attend the Deaborn meeting but was at last year's Portland, Maine, meeting and it was certainly the best I have ever attended. Didn't get to this year's meeting in the other Portland but I am already romancing my wife for that trip to Colorado Springs next September [the greater problem is romancing the Dean to let me skip a week of classes ... the students won't mind].

I agrfee the NNGC's are among the best. All of the vendors of narrow gauge are there with their latest. Lots of good layouts and contest entries - interesting clinics and the attendance is large enough to make new friends but small enough so that I don't feel sardine-like.

Jim

Jim, Thanks for the very interesting comments about the National Narrow Gauge Conventions.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611,

You are right, Dennis. They are all outstanding examples of wonderful modeling - way beyond what I have been able to do. I've been a hobbyist photographer for over 40 years. The closeups of the engine house interior, especially of the workbench, really impressed me! It was like a diorama you might see in a fine museum. Really terrific stuff and inspires me to attend the Colorado Springs and St. Louis (only five hours from here) conventions. The list of clinic topics was also impressive and I'm certain enriched attendees with knowledge and inspiration for their own work.

Paul S

Thanks Paul! I attended many of the clinics at the 25th Annual Convention, and virtually all of them were "first class". Given the number of ongoing clinics on any one day, it was actually difficult making selections at times. The historical and prototype clinics were also well done, and many of them were taught by very knowledgeable experts in their fields.

Then followed the layout tours, which were a lot of fun. A number of contests were also held for the modelers, and a large room displayed the different entries.
That was also very enjoyable.

If the timing works, I would love to attend the Convention in Colorado Springs next summer. I had the pleasure of attending the Lionel Collector's Club Convention in Denver, Colorado a few summers ago. The side trips that are available in the area were worth the effort, and I'm sure that the same will be true for the Narrow Gauge Convention.

cordially,

Dennis

The website link now contains a lot more detailed and helpful information, including:

WHAT'S NEW:

# There will be about 45 different clinics by well known clinicians plus unique new and local modelers. These will cover both modeling and prototype subjects.

# Approximately 15 to 20 Model Railroad layouts from HOn3 to G Scale within easy driving distances from the Doubletree Hotel including Castle Rock, Pueblo and Woodland Park.

# Over 100 Vendors at the Doubletree - all on one floor. Several Modular layouts at the Doubletree.

# Hotel Special Women's programs and events.

# Special Train reserved every day for us on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway at 1:20PM (Extra Fare – Limited seating).

# Many Railroad and History oriented attractions in the area such as the Western Museum of Mining with it's fabulous Yellow Jacket Mill, Colorado Springs Trolley Museum with running equipment, Glen Eyrie Castle (Home of General Palmer), the fabled Gold Belt Driving Tour, the Molly Kathleen Mine, the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge RR with 2 foot steam, Victor with it's Lowell Thomas Museum and the Vindicator interpretative trail through the heart of the mining district, and much more!!

# Over 45 Tourist Attractions in the Pikes Peak area including the Air Force Academy, U.S. Olympic Training Center, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Cave of the Winds, Will Rogers Shrine, Cliff Dwellings, Money Museum, etc.

# Pre-Convention Special Events and tours on the C&TS, Rio Grande Scenic RR, Royal Gorge RR, etc – Watch the web site for announcements as arrangements are completed.

# Activities schedule designed for convenience and ability to maximize your participation.

# Convenient Hotels with a shuttle service between them during show hours.


Please check out the link below for more information:

http://www.29nng.com/

Hopefully, no one will mind that I brought this thread back to the top.

cordially,

Dennis

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611,

Dennis,

Thanks for all of the information. I have my wife convinced that this is one of the shows that is worth visiting and she is already planning the places we will visit during the convention as well as the ride on the Cumbres & Toltec and visits to my old home in New Mexico.

Jim

Jim,

That sounds great! When I went to the Lionel Collector's Convention in Denver, Colorado a couple of years ago, I took my wife for a ride on the Durango & Silverton Railroad. I really wanted to include the Cumbres & Toltec during the same trip, but was concerned that my wife wouldn't enjoy them. She really has no interest whatsoever in trains -- whether "real" or model trains.

After finishing the ride on the Durango & Silverton, she said that it was "one of the ten best things that she had done in her life!" Unfortunately, the trip was already planned, and we had to continue making our way to Denver.

I still plan to make it to the Cumbres & Toltec, which is not really that far from the Durango & Silverton.

cordially,

Dennis

Dennis,
You will not regret riding the CAT line. The west end of the ride is IMHO a better ride than the Silverton trip.

Al

Al,

Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely have to make it out there!

cordially, Dennis

You are welcome. I hope my wife and I can attend. I do have a nephew out there that has a cabin in Nathrop.
Al

So, who's thinking of attending?

cordially,

Dennis

I'm planning to attend [I'm scheduled to give a clinic], but a new change in job may cause me to have to cancel. I will know in a while, but for right now, I am looking forward to getting back to my old stomping-grounds.


Jim

I hope you can make it, Jim! I haven't made a commitment yet, but am giving the Convention some serious thought!

cordially, Dennis

Would love to make it out there, but I'll already be in Denver in July for the National Garden Railroad Convention and I'm afraid that two trips to Colorado in the same year just isn't a possibility.

I have noticed that some of the links in the earlier posts are no longer functioning, and I have attempted to delete those that have unduly "aged". In this regard,
the original post, and several the earlier posts, drew most of their information from the 2008 NNG Convention, which had only recently concluded at that time. For those of you that have not recently visited the website for the 2009 Convention, there have been many upgrades, over time, as new information has been added. Here's that link:

http://www.29nng.com/

cordially,

Dennis

quote:

The Narrow Gauge Convention was clearly one of the best conventions that I have ever attended.

I attended one of these a few years back when I was modeling narrow gauge. I totally agree that with the statement above.

The Denver Conventions are always the best, especially if you take in the narrow gauge operations avilable in Colorado.

A bit more than 4 months to go until the Convention. I have to think that Colorado Springs would be gorgeous at that time, and assume that some of the trees will have started changing to fall colors on some of the higher elevations.

cordially,

Dennis

I'm planning on going, and also planning on riding the C&T (my first time riding Colorado narrow gauge).

Dwight,

That's awesome!

cordially,

Dennis

I signed up today for the convention. Any more of you going? My wife (family's chief financial officer) is also going. I believe she'll enjoy seeing some the manufacturer's tables, models, modules and perhaps go along on some of the layout tours. I'm going to take her shopping as well. I'm bringing my GPS unit for the rental car so I can easily navigate around town and to the layouts. I used it recently on a garden tour and it was invaluable. See you there!

Paul S

quote:

I'm bringing my GPS unit for the rental car so I can easily navigate around town and to the layouts. I used it recently on a garden tour and it was invaluable. See you there!

Paul S

Paul,

That is a great idea, and a wonderful suggestion! I do hope that OGR finds a way to publicize your idea in the magazine somehow, if appropriate, as using a GPS would be invaluable for getting around to the various layouts, particularly at the Narrow Gauge Conventions.

For example, when I attended the Convention at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan, we spent much time poring over maps, and still managed to get misdirected a few times, even though this is our "home base", and there were several of us. Hopefully, someone from the Convention is monitoring this Forum, and will see your excellent idea.

As to the Convention, I am still considering going, but have several irons that may be on fire at that time!

cordially,

Dennis

Using the GPS unit for layout tours is becoming more and more popular. My father-in-law and I used mine to find the layouts at the Narrow Gauge Convention in Portland, ME, a few years ago. We thought we were being pretty clever! When my layout was on the Sn3 Convention tour this past February, it seems like just about every visitor had a hand-held GPS on their phones or one in their cars. So, I guess this is becoming pro forma for the layout tours. Anyway ... it's still a great idea!

Jim

Jim193,

Are you going to be able to attend the convention? What clinic are you giving? There are so many topics and so few hours!

Paul S

Closing in on one month till showtime....

cordially,

Dennis

This will be my first convention. Do manufacturers usually have show specials?

Paul S

Paul,

I am sorry to say that I will be missing this one. Was going to be giving a clinic on cardstock modeling but with the change of job to Dean of the College, it has become impossible for me to attend. So ... I will have to wait until next year in St Louis.

Vendors usually do offer discounts at the show, somewhere around 10%, in my experience. The vendor's areas are fabulous. I must admit that it takes me a couple of days to wander through and see everything ... it's ALL narrow gauge. The clinics are great, too, and it's tough to decide what to do. My wife cringes when I go to the conventions ... I promised to spend only $500 at the last one and came home with close to $1200 worth of stuff (fortunately, my wife was the one who encouraged one $500 purchase). It is, indeed, sensory overload!

Jim

Thanks, "Dean" Jim. I'm just as excited about seeing all the vendors as the clinics. My wife likes model structures so I'm going to take her to see these, lobby layouts and some of the layout tours. It will be difficult to resist all those kits softly calling my name!

Paul S

Enjoy!

That should be a great convention, and a wonderful time to be in Colorado in the fall. I was really hoping to attend, but have a conflict with the dates.
Hopefully, those who attend will give us a "head's-up" as to how the convention went.

cordially,

Dennis

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight Ennis:
I'm planning on going, and also planning on riding the C&T (my first time riding Colorado narrow gauge).

Well, my trip went down the tubes. I caught the flu a few weeks back and it knocked me flat on my butt. I was out of work for six days, which took my vacation time down to parade rest. As a result, I had to cancel my trip.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwight Ennis:
Well, my trip went down the tubes. I caught the flu a few weeks back and it knocked me flat on my butt. I was out of work for six days, which took my vacation time down to parade rest. As a result, I had to cancel my trip.

That's too bad. Hopefully things will get going again for you in the near term.

The wife is on board with St. Louis next year (5.5 hrs from here). I'm also looking forward to Hickory the next year...7 hours from here, 7:45 if I go through Tweetsie country and Blowing Rock.

Hickory is a little more than an hour from Spencer, maybe ET&WNC #15 will be presentable by then.

Michael

Dwight,
Those nasty old bugs sure can foul up our best of plans. I plan to be in St. Louis next year which is only 2 to 3 hurs from here. I hope my Daughter and Son-in Law will not get tired of us sleeping in their basement. Also, I hope to meet many of our NG Forum members at that time.
Meanwhile, I will go to St. Louis next Saturday and attend the Boeing Employees Model Railroad meet in Mc Queeny park. I will have a couple of tables with some surplus item to sell. Got the have funds for the 10 wheeler when it comes out with the sounds.
Al

quote:

Originally posted by AL CLAIR:
Got the have funds for the 10 wheeler when it comes out with the sounds.
Al

Since I'll need a complete stemwinder consist for #11, I'm tempted to sell extra castings from my stemwinder train to help fund #11.

Michael

Dwight,

Sorry you had to cancel; getting sick is no fun and takes longer to recover as we get older. I hope you can make St. Louis next year. I'm looking forward to meeting you and other NG forum members in Colorado Springs and St. Louis.

Michael, is that Hickory, NC you are referring to? That would be a beautiful place to visit in the fall.

Paul S

quote:

Originally posted by PRSearls:
Michael, is that Hickory, NC you are referring to? That would be a beautiful place to visit in the fall.

Paul S

From the Mini-bunch page:

Sept 1-5 2010 30th National Narrow Gauge Convention - St. Louis, MO
Sept 7-10 2011 31st National Narrow Gauge Convention - Hickory, NC
2012 32nd National Narrow Gauge Convention - Bellevue (Seattle), WA

Michael

Dwight:

Sorry to hear some nasty bug got to you, old buddy! I imagine the Colorado convention would have been a good one, given the amount of prototype (and modeled) narrow gauge activity in that region.

I'll make plans to be in Hickory for the 2011 convention so we can get together again, hopefully along with others from this forum.

quote:

Originally posted by Allan Miller:
I'll make plans to be in Hickory for the 2011 convention so we can get together again, hopefully along with others from this forum.

Where the heck is Hickory??

About an hour northwest of Charlotte and maybe an hour and a half or so east of Asheville; kind of in the middle of nowhere.

Nice little community for a narrow gauge get-together!

See you there, my friend!

This should be the first day of the Convention. I hope that all Forum Members in attendance are having a splendid time, along with the other attendees of course!

Cordially,

Dennis

Anyone at the convention, could you see if Firebox Models is there and get a TX number for them. Would like to order a Turntable kit, can't seem to get any email replys.
Thanks in advance
Mike P

Have any of you had a chance to inspect the Bmann 10 wheelers. Anxious to hear your comments.
Al

Al,

My ten-wheeler is a beauty! It IS big, however; but because of other obligations and a large project on the workbench, the box is unopened and the engine still wrapped up. This weekend's project is get her up and running, I will post some pictures next week, if it all come together.

Jim

Jim,
Glad you got your birthday present, and am looking forward (and I am sure other forumites as well}to your pics. I am thinking we may have to choose fewer AMS type cars to keep thing in perspective size wise.

Now what kind of project could be more important than playing with you new birthday present.

Glad you had a safe return from the wilds.
Al

Jim:

As far as the size thing is concerned, could you also please post a photo or two of a side-by-side comparison of the ten-wheeler with a Mogul or 4-4-0, or some such?