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This weekend, three of my fellow YouTube friends made the trip to Detroit, MI for a fun filled weekend of trains. @Sid's Trains, RJ's Train's (@RJ I) , and Chris's Train & Things (@Cmontagna) all flew out for the weekend.

First stop, the one and only @Norm Charbonneau. As always, his layout was breathtaking and I can't thank him enough for letting us drop by.

Second stop, Stockyard Express in Oberlin, OH. The owner Clyde Lewis, recently underwent hip replacement surgery. His recovery is going very well, he was in great spirits, and happy to have some friends in the shop again. Clyde will officially re-open in a couple weeks.

For dinner, we stopped by the Detroit 3 Railers club house. In my opinion, some of the best people you will ever meet.

Whoops!

Of course, we spent the evening running some trains in my basement.

The next morning, Dave and Don Lambert's layout. This father/son layout is modeling the Juniata shops in Altoona. Needles to say, they're well on their way to re-creating the shops.

Finally, we made a stop at Greg and Daniel Browning's layout. Not only do they have an incredible collection of locomotives, but they put those locomotives to work! We made a 6 engine, yes 6 engine lash-up of Lionel Vision/Legacy articulated locomotives. WOW! Greg and Daniel are awesome hosts and they have an amazing layout.

A big thanks to everyone who opened their doors for us and thanks again to Sid, RJ, and Chris for making the trip out.

THIS IS WHAT THE HOBBY IS ALL ABOUT!

- Jason

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@jdstucks posted:

This weekend, three of my fellow YouTube friends made the trip to Detroit, MI for a fun filled weekend of trains. @Sid's Trains, RJ's Train's (@RJ I) , and Chris's Train & Things (@Cmontagna) all flew out for the weekend.

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...

A big thanks to everyone who opened their doors for us and thanks again to Sid, RJ, and Chris for making the trip out.

THIS IS WHAT THE HOBBY IS ALL ABOUT!

- Jason

Looks like great fun - thanks for sharing.  The last line of your post is so true.

Along with @Chris1985 (and sorry if I'm leaving anyone out), how many of you are going to step into leadership positions in TCA, and how soon?  TCA needs your attitude, energy, and ideas.  Seriously.

Hey @NOT LionelLLC - How can we get these guys into leadership?   

Thanks for all the positivity! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the hobby, visiting layouts, and catching up as friends. These weekends tend to be very busy, but the best parts are just relaxing at Jason’s and catching up. This hobby has helped me gain some wonderful friends, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. We certainly missed @Chris1985.

I have a few videos that will be hitting my channel in the next few weeks, all from this weekend.

@BobbyD posted:

Office Term limits? 🤣

Sorry to hijack... TCA, especially the national BoD and division folks who run York (ED), is too much of an "old boys network" that is resistant to change.  At the local level, we also see the same faces in the same roles year after year, but that's partially due to a lack of people putting themselves forward for leadership positions - that's pretty much what killed the local chapter in my area.  At the presidential level, the term is actually too short IMO - by the time that the officeholder gets the ball rolling, their term comes to an end.  And the president's influence is weak - most control rests with the BoD.

I'm hoping that Stu Rankin will run again as soon as he is eligible.

My local NMRA division faced similar issues - lack of wide membership engagement, same faces in the same positions, etc.  We elected a new superintendent (local president) who brought enthusiasm and new ideas, and he spoke with individual members about their concerns - there's been a huge increase in participation.  The big difference is that he was elected to a 3-year term, so he had time to see his initiatives through to completion.  TCA president Stu Rankin is cut from the same cloth, but isn't given enough time.

@jdstucks posted:

You're all too kind. I know the TCA has been very excited to see some young people get into the hobby lately. We're just enjoying the hobby that we love and trying to spread some inspiration in the process.

- Jason

Yeah, you all inspire us older folks with your exciting vibes. I still have to catch up on quite a few videos including see things from Mr. Muffin's. Keep up the great work.

Hey, Jason. I noticed that your backdrops are installed! They really add some dimension to your layout. Now you need to get the roundhouse and turntable area finished and some scenery added. Looking forward to the next update videos. Keep up the good work, man.

It takes time to get things done and correctly done on a layout.  Jason's layout is shaping up to be fantastic!

Yeah, you all inspire us older folks with your exciting vibes. I still have to catch up on quite a few videos including see things from Mr. Muffin's. Keep up the great work.

I’d drink to that, …..these guys should and could be office holders in the TCA, …I’d think it’d bring a lot of eyes on what’s becoming a dull drum organization…….IMO ….given these fellas backgrounds, it’d be pretty cool to see some technical advances brought to the table …….

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

I’d drink to that, …..these guys should and could be office holders in the TCA, …I’d think it’d bring a lot of eyes on what’s becoming a dull drum organization…….IMO ….given these fellas backgrounds, it’d be pretty cool to see some technical advances brought to the table …….

Pat

Having met Jason, Chris1985(RBP Trains), unofficially RJ I think, and Sean of Sean's Trains at York last October, these guys have got that great train vibe that just gets you excited. I remember before joining the forum I ran across Jason's channel and was sucked in. Granted, Jason doesn't run a lot of steam(that will have to change, haha), but he is very charismatic just like the rest of them. They should definitely run for some TCA offices, they all have a great fascination like we all seem to do as well, that captivates their YouTube audiences.

Having met Jason, Chris1985(RBP Trains), unofficially RJ I think, and Sean of Sean's Trains at York last October, these guys have got that great train vibe that just gets you excited. I remember before joining the forum I ran across Jason's channel and was sucked in. Granted, Jason doesn't run a lot of steam(that will have to change, haha), but he is very charismatic just like the rest of them. They should definitely run for some TCA offices, they all have a great fascination like we all seem to do as well, that captivates their YouTube audiences.

@harmonyards posted:

I’d drink to that, …..these guys should and could be office holders in the TCA, …I’d think it’d bring a lot of eyes on what’s becoming a dull drum organization…….IMO ….given these fellas backgrounds, it’d be pretty cool to see some technical advances brought to the table …….

Pat

I also met Jason and Chris in October, and agree 100%.  In addition to enthusiasm and technical knowledge, what sets them apart is their communication skills - their videos don't waste a lot of time, and the narration is crisp.  I'm also impressed by their energy level - they have demanding jobs, Chris has a family, and Jason has other hobbies and a girlfriend - great juggling acts.

I really like the take on Norm's layout, how it is very photogenic. One thing I have noticed after watching quite a bit of Norm's videos, it always seems like you see something new. I have noticed that just the small areas, seem so much larger when you look at all that is happening in them. Got to see more of what was under that bridge. Heck, I thought there was some water under there, nope, a bunch of junk rusting away.

All the other spots were great too. It is always a good thing to see other places you haven't seen. I like the rest of the folks will be waiting for some of the other videos to come out. I sure hope that big lash up of engines was hauling more than just a few passenger cars.

@Mark Boyce posted:

I finally finished Chris' video.  Excellent job on the video!  That was a fantastic trip for sure!

@Cmontagna posted:

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Mark, remember Chris said he has a whole bunch more videos from out there as well. So, he is going to be busy as a beaver. I really want to see more of the action on Norm's layout, but all of it is just as much enticing. What will be the icing on the cake, time will tell.

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