OGR AND THE NEW JERSEY HI-RAILERS HAD THE PARTY AND YOU WERE INVITED.....!!!....AND MANY OF YOU CAME!!!

Cool, I think it's a winner!   It's on my calendar!

I will be there!!!!!!

Very cool 

Gary

That's going to be busy weekend for a lot of people! Its also York weekend. (York ends 10/19/19.)

Chris

LVHR

lehighline posted:

That's going to be busy weekend for a lot of people! Its also York weekend. (York ends 10/19/19.)

Chris

LVHR

Chris...you are correct and it is one reason why we decided to have the celebration the following day after York since a lot of folks will be planning to travel...it might be easier for them to plan one more day for our event.

I get home Saturday, no problem for Sunday.

Great way to support both organizations.  Terrific idea, hope to see you there.

York, riding behind N&W #611, party at the club - what a great weekend!

-Greg

I’ll definitely be there !!!! 

Alex 

OGR CEO-PUBLISHER posted:

lehighline posted:

That's going to be busy weekend for a lot of people! Its also York weekend. (York ends 10/19/19.)

Chris

LVHR

Chris...you are correct and it is one reason why we decided to have the celebration the following day after York since a lot of folks will be planning to travel...it might be easier for them to plan one more day for our event.

Exactly what I'm thinking.    I usually travel back from York on Friday afternoon.   This October, I've added one more day.   Saturday afternoon is my planned travel day.   

Now with this announcement.   I may have to add another hotel night and attend the party.   Since I travel right through New Jersey on the way back to Maine.  

It’s going to be an awesome time. Eagerly looking forward to OGR’s 50th Anniversary & Birthday party.

This is a great addition to York this October. About 4 or 5 years ago, my wife and I attended York and we went over the following Sunday to see this great layout. Yes we are about 1,200 miles from you all,....but what is another night in a hotel and a few hundred miles to see the largest layout in the country. If you have not seen this layout yet, this October would be great to mark this off of your bucket list. You will not believe it when you see this layout. Plus, the eats and the fellowship is GREAT.

Seriously cool!

Count me in. Sounds like a great event. 

Sounds great!  What a great excuse to finally go visit...

Made it to Trainstocks 1 & 3 I think it was, and would like to pay return visit but it's been a rough year.  Will keep our hopes up. 

I'm trying to convince my coworker Bob to join me for this.

I might make it as I add a day onto the York trip.

We visited the New Jersey Hi-Railers a year or so ago - SPECTACULAR!

Although not yet 100% sure, I will do my best to move heaven and earth to attend this fabulous event and also make it to York on the Friday and Saturday immediately beforehand. Arnold 

count me in!!!!

I'm in!

I will be there. It's things like this that makes the NJ Hi Railers such a special group to belong too.

Farmer_Bill posted:

Made it to Trainstocks 1 & 3 I think it was, and would like to pay return visit but it's been a rough year.  Will keep our hopes up. 

Try and make it Farmer, it would be great to see you.

Don't forget to RSVP. Still working on my coworker Bob about this. Is there any deadline to RSVP by? I know it is still a ways away, but always good to ask the questions before you're at the door and can't get in.

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Don't forget to RSVP. Still working on my coworker Bob about this. Is there any deadline to RSVP by? I know it is still a ways away, but always good to ask the questions before you're at the door and can't get in.

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

bluelinec4 posted:

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Don't forget to RSVP. Still working on my coworker Bob about this. Is there any deadline to RSVP by? I know it is still a ways away, but always good to ask the questions before you're at the door and can't get in.

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

Sort of thought it would be somewhere in that ballpark. I hope you use OScale instead of OGauge, just kidding. I told Bob to talk to his daughter and grandkids about it. We usually go to train shows and have a good time. I told her that this is way different and would be much better for the kids. Good thing is, we got time.

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

bluelinec4 posted:

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Don't forget to RSVP. Still working on my coworker Bob about this. Is there any deadline to RSVP by? I know it is still a ways away, but always good to ask the questions before you're at the door and can't get in.

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

Sort of thought it would be somewhere in that ballpark. I hope you use OScale instead of OGauge, just kidding. I told Bob to talk to his daughter and grandkids about it. We usually go to train shows and have a good time. I told her that this is way different and would be much better for the kids. Good thing is, we got time.

The stunning enormity and beauty of the NJ Hirailers layout makes it ideal for kids.

I am very excited about attending this event, not only because of the layout, but also  because of the people. Arnold

Mike McCutcheon posted:

OGR CEO-PUBLISHER posted:

lehighline posted:

That's going to be busy weekend for a lot of people! Its also York weekend. (York ends 10/19/19.)

Chris

LVHR

Chris...you are correct and it is one reason why we decided to have the celebration the following day after York since a lot of folks will be planning to travel...it might be easier for them to plan one more day for our event.

Exactly what I'm thinking.    I usually travel back from York on Friday afternoon.   This October, I've added one more day.   Saturday afternoon is my planned travel day.   

Now with this announcement.   I may have to add another hotel night and attend the party.   Since I travel right through New Jersey on the way back to Maine.  

It really shouldn't be an option since you practically pass right by us (NJ Hi-Railers) anyway. Come visit and have a lot of fun.

Gerry

I will be there.

I wish that I could be there.  NJ is a long way from CA.  Happy 50th OGR and thanks for this forum, videos and an outstanding magazine.   NH Joe

I will be there.

Erol Gurcan

I just might be able to make it.

Lew Schneider

Put me down for two (my daughter and I).
It is our 35 Wedding Anniversary and my Wife has given me permission to go (Great Wife!)
We will be coming back that day early in the morning from a couple of days Anniversary Celebration out of town.

I hope to attend.

MELGAR

I love it when a plan comes together!  Saw this notice just before making our flight reservations.  Added an extra day to the trip so Lynley and I will be attending.  What a great way to cap off York Week and to celebrate the hobby and the magazine that brought us all together.  It's going to be a week long PARTY!!

And what makes it better is we will be visiting our daughter in Philly on Saturday, so we will stay overnight in Philly and have a shorter drive to Paterson than it would be from York.  Then after the party we'll stay in Philly again and head to BWI Monday morning for our afternoon flight home.  PERFECTION!

This will work for the wife and I. We had hoped to make the trip this past January but had to cancel because of the bad weather. To see a great layout and celebrate OGR's birthday plus meet a lot of the people from the forum wil be  great..................Paul 2

York, The party, friends and trains, does not get any better. Ordered my new OGR Shirt for the event

I'm still after my coworker Bobby. He just had knee surgery last Wednesday and is on the mend. He should come around because he likes seeing all sorts of stuff. I got to send in my RSVP this week so I don't forget to.

I plan to be there on Sunday (my first visit to that fabulous layout). My spouse, Wendy, may or may not be with me. . . it's too early yet to tell what her work schedule will be, plus we have another grandson on the way and due soon.

Traindiesel posted:

I love it when a plan comes together!  Saw this notice just before making our flight reservations.  Added an extra day to the trip so Lynley and I will be attending.  What a great way to cap off York Week and to celebrate the hobby and the magazine that brought us all together.  It's going to be a week long PARTY!!

And what makes it better is we will be visiting our daughter in Philly on Saturday, so we will stay overnight in Philly and have a shorter drive to Paterson than it would be from York.  Then after the party we'll stay in Philly again and head to BWI Monday morning for our afternoon flight home.  PERFECTION!

So glad you and Lynley will be there.

Gerry

bluelinec4 posted:

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Don't forget to RSVP. Still working on my coworker Bob about this. Is there any deadline to RSVP by? I know it is still a ways away, but always good to ask the questions before you're at the door and can't get in.

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

ILL BE THERE ALSO,THANX BEN..........

Allan Miller posted:

I plan to be there on Sunday (my first visit to that fabulous layout). My spouse, Wendy, may or may not be with me. . . it's too early yet to tell what her work schedule will be, plus we have another grandson on the way and due soon.

Congratulations on the grandson, who I'm sure will someday be a master model railroader.

Looking forward to this, what a great idea!

Great idea and planning having it York weekend.  Already put in for my personal days to attend York so staying the extra day won't be a problem.  Even though I have seen tons of pictures and videos of the NJ HiRailers layout it has been on my bucket list to see in person.  I know some people think just seeing a picture will make people not want to visit a layout but that is definitely not me or probably the majority of us in this hobby.  Can't wait until October. 

Alan, what do you think about running one article from very early OGR magazines each issue for a year. I think it might be fun to see how it was done years ago.

Don

scale rail posted:

Alan, what do you think about running one article from very early OGR magazines each issue for a year. I think it might be fun to see how it was done years ago. Don

Don...come on to our party and we can discuss this....

Bryan in Ohio posted:

Great idea and planning having it York weekend.  Already put in for my personal days to attend York so staying the extra day won't be a problem.  Even though I have seen tons of pictures and videos of the NJ HiRailers layout it has been on my bucket list to see in person.  I know some people think just seeing a picture will make people not want to visit a layout but that is definitely not me or probably the majority of us in this hobby.  Can't wait until October. 

Once you've seen it in person, it's much more impressive than the pictures.

scale rail posted:

Alan, what do you think about running one article from very early OGR magazines each issue for a year. I think it might be fun to see how it was done years ago. Don

I love that idea   Its like culture shock looking back over the old issues

bluelinec4 posted:

scale rail posted:

Alan, what do you think about running one article from very early OGR magazines each issue for a year. I think it might be fun to see how it was done years ago. Don

I love that idea   Its like culture shock looking back over the old issues

Funny (ironic) - I just pulled out the first year's issues this past weekend and paged through time for the first time in several years.  It was like opening a time capsule.  I think it's a great idea - similar to what they did with covers in their 200th issue.

-Greg

Alan, how much is a flight from Maui to New Jersey? Or, maybe Rich can pick me up in his plane. Don

If you see this..

maybe you guys could pick me up too?

Uh Oh. Maybe the I love NY site's pictures can't be posted here? 

Joe, we could pick you up but there are no floats on the plane. Don

I still have to RSVP. This weekend for sure, keep forgetting during the week, and the weekends have been somewhat hectic as of late.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Bryan in Ohio posted:

Great idea and planning having it York weekend.  Already put in for my personal days to attend York so staying the extra day won't be a problem.  Even though I have seen tons of pictures and videos of the NJ HiRailers layout it has been on my bucket list to see in person.  I know some people think just seeing a picture will make people not want to visit a layout but that is definitely not me or probably the majority of us in this hobby.  Can't wait until October. 

Once you've seen it in person, it's much more impressive than the pictures.

Truer words have yet to be written.

Engineer-Joe posted:

If you see this..

maybe you guys could pick me up too?

Which one is you? Granted I won't be up that way. 😆

I'm not saying that I will be the best dressed man there, but I just ordered my new O-Gauge 50 year Hoody. With that over my NJHR shirt I will definitely be ready for GQ!

WOW, that's looking great! The dwarfs all the other buildings!

Can I park in the WTC garage again?

scale rail posted:

...Or, maybe Rich can pick me up in his plane. Don

Don, when I was flying, the aircraft I flew was not mine. I flew it for the owner. I was just the airborne bus driver.

I made my last flight on April 28, 2019 and am no longer flying. All done with that. So you’ll have to go the commercial route. Sorry.  😉

This is turning out to be quite the party   We have confirmation from a number of industry leaders that will be attending from Lionel, MTH, Atlas, Metca, and others.  We also have some pretty nice giveaways and raffles.   C'Mon down!!!!!!!!!!!

RSVP in!

Jim

Patterson NJ ......home of Hurricane Carter..

Nessmuck posted:

Patterson NJ ......home of Hurricane Carter..

this guy got famous in Paterson too

and there is a statue for this guy

bluelinec4 posted:

Nessmuck posted:

Patterson NJ ......home of Hurricane Carter..

this guy got famous in Paterson too

and there is a statue for this guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

Who's on first.

Trainmaster04 posted:

bluelinec4 posted:

Nessmuck posted:

Patterson NJ ......home of Hurricane Carter..

this guy got famous in Paterson too

and there is a statue for this guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcRRaXV-fg

Who's on first.

One of the funniest skits ever  

BTW  The other pic is Larry Dobey      There is a baseball field named after him in Paterson  He got his exposure while playing baseball in high school in paterson  First black player in the American league  

bluelinec4 posted:

Weren't those towers inside the helix or am I thinking of a different tower? 

Must be a different one, those are brand new!

Holy Cow, what Helix?  Looks like a bit of work taking place!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Holy Cow, what Helix?  Looks like a bit of work taking place!

Yikes - Somebody call the Batman - It looks like Gotham has been stolen!! 

I was only there once, but its a layout so large it should get a drone flyover!!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Must be a different one, those are brand new!

Ok, I remember seeing a building that looked like those. Oh well wish I could go, but I live in Texas and that is quite aways from New Jersey.

The LCCA will be represented at this Party.

I will be promoting the clubs 50th ANNIV.  TO BE HELD IN OMAHA NEB. NEXT JULY.

SAL GAMBINO

PRES/ELECT LCCA

Well we have a number of speakers and presentations for your listening pleasure at this event along with some special surprises

First up is yours truly  ME  to welcome everybody to the NJ HiRail club and to wish a very Happy Birthday to the OGR family

The next group of dignitaries is the OGR muckity mucks including Myron Biggar

Mike Phillips from Lionel will be next along with Ryan and Dave

We have Sal Gambino and Al Kolis from the LCCA

MTH is sending the very esteemed and affable representive named Andy Edelman

The local division of the TCA called METCA is sending  Stu Rankin

Atlas is sending Steve Horvath along with his cowboy hat

Then we have the forum stars of Skip Natoli and Alex Malliae to share their experiences with us 

We will have some giveaways along with sales of our special run cars and locomotives.  There will be all the birthday festivities including Cake balloons and more.  So Cmon down  I see this as being a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!

We'll be there!

Hi all see you there oct 20th Alan great job o the layout Ben!

My O-Gauge Hoody came the other day. Boy it is really nice. Heavy weight, water resistant with a hidden key pocket in the right hand pocket.

Count me in, looking forward to seeing old friends and the layout with the WTC towers.

Apollo flight controllers, this is Houston. Listen up:

Tomorrow, it will be 10 days and counting until the launch of OGR Magazine's 50th Anniversary/Birthday party hosted by NJ HiRailers Train Club, and all Forum members are invited to this spectacular celebration!

Arnold 

I plan to attend.

MELGAR

Still waiting for my airline tickets Allan. Bags are packed. It would be nice if you could send two tickets so Vicky could go. Looks like all the flight attendance are ready.

Don

I plan to attend with Melgar, and another train friend on the Forum by the name of Ron.

Looking forward to meeting Don from Hawaii and all those gorgeous flight attendants. LOL.

Arnold

And unlike Trainstock, it is guaranteed not to snow. It will be a great party.

Gerry

bluelinec4 posted:

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

If it's not to late to RSVP, I'd like to attend. 

Been a few years since I've seen the layout, and this seems like a good excuse to drive up there right after York!

-Dave

Wendy and I are looking forward to being there. Fortunately, Wendy was able to get off work to accompany me. She won't be at the York Meet, but will be taking the train from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to visit the youngest daughter, who recently transferred from Las Vegas to become Events Coordinator for a casino in Philadelphia. We'll be driving up from Philly on Sunday morning (thankfully, a somewhat shorter drive than driving over from York). It will certainly be nice to see so many OGR supporters gathered at the site of the truly superb Hi-Railers layout.

Dave45681 posted:

bluelinec4 posted:

The deadline to rsvp is the Saturday before. We just want to gauge how many are coming

If it's not to late to RSVP, I'd like to attend. 

Been a few years since I've seen the layout, and this seems like a good excuse to drive up there right after York!

-Dave

No its not too late   We will see you sunday

See y’all next Sunday

Steve Maier

T Minus 3 days and counting!

I'm in if anyone cares?Odd I though I posted that I am coming too.

We do care and we're glad you're coming. 

Gerry

Well it's good to know that at least  one person cares! Il bring some drinks... Since that seems to run out based on Trainstock attendance.

I'm so sorry but I could not make the party due to illness. Last Thursday night when I was leaveing work my legs gave out on me and I had to rest for about a half hour before I could pull myself up. My Doctor ordered an MRI for my lower back. 

I feel okay right now but I did not wont to do all the driving back and forth. so I attached a picture of me in my official party outfit just to show you guys that my heart is with you.

Have Fun!

I had to cancel our trip to the birthday bash. Friday night at York the wife fell in the tube. When that happened I had to make the decision to cancel because just in case something more then bruises and sore muscles showed up it was better to be back home. Hopefully my "good" buddy Bryan will supply me with some great pics.........Paul 2

I dialed into the cameras to check things out and I'm glad to see somany people made it. Of course I was not the only one useing it so everytime I gave a scan command a couple of more came in at the same time so I got out. .

Some OGR Royalty. Current CEO Alan Arnold at the michrophone and also in the picture former CEO Myron Biggar seated to Alan's left. Excellent party, thanks NjHiRailers.

congrats and hope everyone is safe and happy!! I missed another one! Urrggg!

Great event, icing on the cake to a long week. I had a blast, tired out from all the fun. Thanks Chris, Ben, Gerry, Chef Vinnie, and all the other NJ Hi-Railers for hosting this great event. Happy Birthday OGR. O have tons of pictures, a bunch of videos(except the one I accidentally shot while Ben was explaining the cameras in relation to the layout while the video was dead on the control panel). When I get some time I will post pictures and videos after I sort through all the other pictures from both Strasburg and York. Right now I'm finishing my cider and going to conk out for a bit.

gg1man posted:

I'm so sorry but I could not make the party due to illness. Last Thursday night when I was leaveing work my legs gave out on me and I had to rest for about a half hour before I could pull myself up. My Doctor ordered an MRI for my lower back. 

I feel okay right now but I did not wont to do all the driving back and forth. so I attached a picture of me in my official party outfit just to show you guys that my heart is with you.

Have Fun!

I'm so sorry to hear about your misfortune! I empathize as I have back issues myself.  Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery!

-Greg

Quite a bash, and it's always cool to see the NJ-HR layout to check what's new.  Of course, it's always nice to catch up with train friends as well.  After three days at York and then going up to North Jersey, I'm done driving and walking for a spell.

Yes, quite the weekend--visited Strasburg to take a shop tour on Friday and catch a ride behind 611. Hope I left enough in the tank for "the man" on Monday! 

Thanks to all at OGR and the NJHRs for putting this together. I had a great time!

Just got back to Ohio from attending this great event.  I want to echo everyone's comments on the appreciation for everyone involved in putting on this event.  You can tell a ton of effort went into it.  As for the layout this was the first time I have seen it in person and all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!.

Yes, a great time for sure.  It was nice to see everyone for this fun event.  Thanks to OGR and the NJ High-Railers for putting this together.

The layout has had some great changes since I'd last been there a few years back.

Tuscan Jim, it was nice meeting you and chatting a bit.  I hope you got to take in a lot of the layout after we split up.  There is always something else to see for future visits!

-Dave

This was a terrific event and I had a great time. I'm very happy to have been able to attend and meet the OGR staff and the many NJ HiRailers who told me about their club and their immense layout - which is absolutely phenomenal! The only problem is that I saw so many outstanding engines in display/storage cases along the walls that I may not be able to stop myself from going out and buying more trains for myself...

MELGAR

Here are some shots from the party.  I have to say it was a great time and I think it was enjoyed by all.  Thanks to all the guests who donated raffle items.

And thanks to OGR for 50 terrific years

Well, I expected to have a great time, but this event truly exceeded my expectations: great speakers, great food, great music (I could not believe they actually had an organ and organist), and, of course, the layout, IMO, is a Wonder of the World. Any of you folks who hasn't seen it, needs to see it. 

Do yourself a favor and see it. Arnold

Always have a great time at the club with a great bunch of guys! Good seeing the whole OGR crew! Happy birthday here’s to another 50! 🎊🎈 

Thanks for the pics Chris.

The twin towers city scene is great! Really stunning.

Even the Eagles getting thoroughly thrashed last night couldn't put a damper on the last 4 days between York and the OGR Birthday party.   It's putting it mildly to say the hangover from the last 4 days is hitting me hard this morning.   I had a great time meeting new friends and getting to see old friends again - can't put a price on the experience! 

Yesterday was great getting to hear all the speakers and their stories on how they got into the hobby and on the history of OGR.  The sentiment which echoed many times yesterday was how instrumental OGR has been providing a forum to connect hobbyists from all areas and walks of life.  That was on display in full force over the course of the last 4 days! Yesterday, there were people from as far away as California and the Netherlands in attendance! It is a legacy everyone at the magazine from Myron Biggar to the entire current staff can be proud of. 

My thanks to everyone for coming together yesterday to make it a truly wonderful event to be a part of!

In closing, the one future item I really looking forward to from Lionel:  Lionel Ale!!!

- Greg

Wish I didn't have to leave for a family event just as the speakers were hitting their stride.  Congrats to OGR and to Chris Lord on his ascension to the presidency of NJ highrailers.  Ben set the bar pretty high, you seem to have taken up the challenge.  To a person club members were friendly, helpful, pointed out things to see, that's the difference between an average organization and a great one.

Thanks for the pics......sorry I missed it.

Peter

Hey all.......wished I could have made it. I even had a hotel reservation, that I had to cancel.   Reason being that my daughter- in-law was/still is about to give birth to twin boys. So rather than be present at the 50th,  I went straight home on Saturday, after a G R E A T York, and waited on "stand by".

  Still waiting on the twins, ......but I WILL somehow bring my son & his boys to a TrainStock.  The cooks' talents,  (Vinnie) and his chicken marsalla (sp) are worth the trip.  And the bread used in the sandwiches.......they say "it's in the water".

Thanks for all of the photos. We sure missed being there.

I was there is sperit!

It was a great event and great to hear the stories of the speakers. You see them from the prior posts. For me, it's interesting to think about the way our train world has changed. When I got back into it 25 years ago, engines were semi-scale, steamers smoked and diesels didn't, you controlled the trains using the ZW handles and there were two magazines which "pushed" information. Interactive information didn't exist other than person to person. Now, there are lots of scale engines; all of them smoke; engines and cars talk; command control is the thing and we get our information from 2 magazines AND the OGR Forum. A lot of people on this Forum also attend York, and OGR provides us the Grandstand summary of events (on the Forum if you cannot attend in person) and Thursday at Quaker State.

All these changes have enabled many of us (read the posts) to make friends from different geographic areas. IMO, OGR provides us with a lot that they don't get directly paid for, so I believe in supporting OGR because they provide me with benefits which I value.

As a member of the NJ Hi-Railers and a person who helped to organize this event, I would like to give a big shout out to Lionel, MTH, Atlas, METCA (TCA) and LOTS for providing speakers and the great raffle prizes they handed out. We truly appreciate their contributions.

Gerry

Was a fantastic day with lots of fun, train running, food, presentations and train conversation. 

Here are more pictures of our speakers and guests.

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

T Minus 3 days and counting!

Hello Arnold, saw you at the event, wanted to stop anf chat as every time I got near you were quite busy. Maybe next time

Ron

RonH posted:

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

T Minus 3 days and counting!

Hello Arnold, saw you at the event, wanted to stop anf chat as every time I got near you were quite busy. Maybe next time

 

Ron

Looking forward to speaking to you too, Ron.

Everything was wonderful on Sunday, the trains, the food, the music, the people, but what I found most special was the people. Maybe the trains make us all joyful, interesting and fun to be around. Arnold

Never had a bad time visiting the New Jersey Hi-Railers.  Every member is very welcoming and are the best hosts!  When Vinnie is cooking, it's so good sometimes I forget about the trains!!  I didn't win a raffle prize, but I did sample some of the delicious food and a few hot dogs!!  Hot dogs and trains just go together!!

Happy Birthday to "O" Gauge Railroading Magazine.  May they have continued success in the future!

And thank you, New Jersey Hi-Railers for hosting and providing another tremendous event!

One of the few times I actually did win a door prize, but I think almost anyone could have had one if they wanted it.  They called out four or five numbers that weren't there before someone actually took one of the cars.

Hope you held on to your ticket, GRJ--I hear there's an audit pending! 

Dave45681 posted:

...Tuscan Jim, it was nice meeting you and chatting a bit.  I hope you got to take in a lot of the layout after we split up.  There is always something else to see for future visits!

-Dave

Likewise, Dave. I did a full 360, documenting my way with plenty of photographs!  I'm looking forward to a return visit in the future.

Hmm... I actually set the ticket on the G-scale layout there, I figured they couldn't draw it twice.  They didn't seem like they were checking, I should have gotten a second car, I wonder if that would have flown.

It was a truly wonderful and memorable event in every respect. My personal--and professional--thanks to the entire NJ Hi-Railers crew for providing us with an anniversary party that will long be remembered. Wendy and I thoroughly enjoyed both the layout and the people, not to mention Vinny's superb cuisine. Bernie even treated us to a viewing of a very special item in his office.

We had to leave the party a bit early in order to spend some time with daughter Katie in Philadelphia before returning to Ohio, but in one way that was a good thing because we did get to enjoy some family time together. Today we learned that Katie is currently in the emergency room at a Philly hospital with an as-yet-undiagnosed illness. That being the case, I'll be likely be taking Wendy to the train station in Pittsburgh very early tomorrow morning for another Amtrak ride to Philadelphia.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to the NJ Hi-Railers for a great event packed with great people. It doesn't get much better than that!

Allan, very sorry to hear about your daughter's illness, I hope it's nothing major and she's out and around soon!

Yes, likewise, keep us posted.

Glad (as far as I know) everyone safely got to where they needed to be as the rain driving home to Philly was quite intense at times.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Allan, very sorry to hear about your daughter's illness, I hope it's nothing major and she's out and around soon!

Ditto Allan.   (It was good to see you and chat a bit Sunday )

I took a lot of pictures of the layout, and not to many of the people presenting and such. So, here are the OGR Birthday peeps, NJ Hi-Railers, Lionel, MTH, and everyone else who got caught in my phone's eye. Amazingly, there was only one blurry picture that was taken, that was on the layout towards Flushing of one of the bridges. Everything else is clear. Enjoy.

Allan,

I hope your daughter is out of the hospital and feeling better soon.

MELGAR

One other thing that I forget to mention but I want to rectify my omission. 

A huge thank you and appreciation to Matt Horning, who’s desire to run trains at a young age planted the seeds that created this fabulous community that I am very happy to be part of. 

Than you, Matt!!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Hmm... I actually set the ticket on the G-scale layout there, I figured they couldn't draw it twice.  They didn't seem like they were checking, I should have gotten a second car, I wonder if that would have flown.

Hey G.R.J, at least you got the Lionel guy to mark the R.M.T. boxcar "Lionel". Why push your luck?

Allan, best wishes for Katie.

Brian, we don't have any California members yet. That would be cool. Only $87.50 for an associate membership, and next time you and Lynley could come decked out in NJHR attire.

Gerry

It's good to remember that the NJ-HR folks have controllable webcams that you can access and look around the layout.  It's a cool way to leisurely check out all the sights.

Hope your daughter gets better Allan.

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Hope your daughter gets better Allan.

She had an emergency appendectomy last night. Took Wendy to the Pittsburgh Amtrak station early this morning and she is now on her way back to Philadelphia.  Thanks for the kind thoughts.

Glad to hear she's well on her way to recovery!

-Greg

Wow, good to hear that they got that her in before it got really bad. My mom had that done when I was real little.

Allan Miller posted:

Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

Hope your daughter gets better Allan.

She had an emergency appendectomy last night. Took Wendy to the Pittsburgh Amtrak station early this morning and she is now on her way back to Philadelphia.  Thanks for the kind thoughts.

Been there, done that, I arrived and within an hour I was in surgery.  Mine had burst, and I was in the hospital for six days, I hope she's lucky and gets out pronto!  I suspect she's in good hands and will be up and around in no time.  

Allan....sorry to hear about your daughter's illness.

Peter

Myron looks good.....wish I could have been there to speak with him.....

Peter

Putnam Division posted:

Myron looks good.....wish I could have been there to speak with him.....

Peter

Meeting him was a highlight of the day for me!

-Greg

Finally I have had a chance to sit down and make a post in this wonderful thread.... Being away from the daily OGR business for well over a week has had me playing catch up!

I have to say that this York was the most special of the Yorks I have attended because of the fantastic celebration that the NJHR crew arranged, hosted, and paid for in honor of the 50th OGR Birthday Celebration.  While a number of club members were involved in all of this, Gerry Morlitz was my spearhead as far as updates over the months as he and his committee made all of the arrangements for the event.  No one at OGR had a hand in any of this....Gerry and the NJHR took the bull by the horns and made everything happen without a hitch!  As you can see from all of the pictures posted above, they put on a first class act and one that the OGR crew will have always have in our memories!

I could go on and on about every detail and how I and everyone that attended had a fantastic time enjoying the world class layout and Vinny's world class food....but....OGR is planning some special coverage in a future issue and I will be devoting my entire Publisher's Corner in run 310 specifically covering this event so for now I will just say on behalf of myself, my partners, and our entire OGR staff....a heartfelt thanks goes out from all of us to the New Jersey Hi-Railers and to all of the manufacturers and forum members as well as subscribers for making this a great 50 years!  Not only do we celebrate 50 years of continuous publication but we celebrate each and everyone of you for your support of what many believe is THE publication and forum that represents the standard of the hobby today!  My humble gratitude and sincere thanks to you all!!

Alan, one thing you can pretty well count on, the NJ-HR guys are a class bunch and they always do it right.

I wish I could have been there but I had a family party to attend. 

Allan, happy to hear that your daughter is okay. 

Alan,

Beautiful summation.

Amen!

Ed Boyle

A good time was had by all.    Thanks everyone

Alan, I can tell you that we were glad to have the party and celebrate OGR's birthday. A lot of the club members put in a lot of effort to make this the party it was. Only those who were there could really know what a great time and celebration it was. As a club, we are delighted that we were able to participate in this celebration with you.

Gerry

I immensely enjoyed the event and the NJ Hi-Railers fantastic layout. Great thanks to NJHR and congratulations again to OGR on fifty years.

MELGAR