Events

The Utah group si setting up for the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour.

The Free-mo group in Utah is considering setting up at the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour in early February.  Set up will be all day Friday February 3rd and run will be Saturday and Sunday with teardown after show closes on Sunday.   This is an event that is attended by many outside the regular train show crowd.  We set up in 2006 and the attendance was over 20,000 not bad for a specialized event in Salt Lake.

http://www.wghshow.com/

http://www.wghshow.com/shows/2012/saltlakecity.html

The National Train Show  a nationally sponsored combined industry trade show and public train show to promote the hobby of model railroading. The National Train Show is held in conjunction with the Natonal Convention of the NMRA. In 2012 it will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

NOTE: The times are an estimate based on past NTS 2011.

http://www.nationaltrainshow.org/2012/grandrapids.html

 This event “The Roundhouse Festival” is held in early August each year and is free to the public (Donations Requested).  The setup is in a restored Machine Shop and a restored portion of the Roundhouse both are air conditioned and the floors are good. They have a good selection of vendors and there are other non train related items.  They are planning on starting restoration on the turn table that still functions.  The facility is on the UP mainline.

http://roundhouserestoration.net/  

There's always the annual Alberta Free-mo set-up in Big Valley AB - 2nd weekend after the August long weekend (16-19 August, 2012). All are invited.

We have an entire hockey arena to ourselves, there's on-site camping, and a whole whack of train-related items in the area - APR usually has live steam running, the railroad museum, interpretive centres for the old roundhouse, ash pits, etc. This past year, we also rented a diesel trainer and got some hands-on experience as engineer and conductor running and switching at 1:1 scale - was an absolutely-amazing weekend!

Free-mo SLO is working with the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum to setup in the Freight House for the Central Coast Railroad Festival (CCRRF).

http://www.slorrm.com/index.html
http://ccrrf.com/

The members of Capitol Free-mo are calling for modules for a large setup in Annapolis, Maryland on Veteran's Day weekend, November 10-11, 2012. This will be a private event – no sales tables, no other layouts, and no crowds to entertain. We have access to a community center gymnasium, where you can help us build the largest Free-mo system on the East Coast.

This is a first time for us, so we're testing the waters early. We're not looking for commitments, but we'd like to know who is interested. We will welcome modules still under construction, so long as the basic track and wiring is done. It will also be an opportunity for you to fine-tune a module you're taking to the National Train Show in Atlanta in July 2013.

At the NMRA National Train Show the summer of 2015 in Portland, Oregon, there will be a multi-group Free-mo set-up. Details are vague at the moment, but will be firmed up in time. Portland is not TOO far away from you, so you may consider joining. Portland is about a 7-hour drive from my house.

It seems I will be the Run Chief for the layout, so if you folks are interested, please keep in touch. Feel free to email directly at sebelley@shaw.ca if you wish.

P.S. The above applies to all the (Western?) Free-mo groups as well.

L.A. (Larry) Sebelley