[Accrs-ho] ACCRS HO-scale Meeting Minutes - 11/01/24

[Wayne Toigo]

ACCRS HO Members,

Here are the minutes from this month's HO business meeting.

HVAC Update
In our General Meeting, Gary said that while we still haven't seen any activity with our HVAC installation. The Fair says the project is still scheduled, but no timeline has been given.

Horse Racing on the Fairgrounds
Now that live Horse Racing has begun, parking and our access to our building on Fridays (and weekends) is limited to after 6pm. This may change now that Daylight Savings Time has ended.

Good Guys - November
The upcoming Good Guys show is this coming Saturday, 11/09 and Sunday, 11/10. Signup sheets are posted at https://accrs.groups.io/g/HOscale/files.

Gary will pick up tickets this Thursday for distribution this Friday, 11/08. Friday will also be for cleanup and setup for the show.

Note that the second shift is scheduled to end at 4pm, however we may have to stay open longer on Saturday if we have a significant number of visitors.

Great American Train Show - December
The last show of this year will be Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15. Watch for signups and further details.

ACCRS General Elections
All the existing ACCRS club officers were re-elected for next year. No other members volunteered or were nominated.

HO-Scale Elections
Both Jorg (Trainmaster) and I (Asst. Trainmaster) were re-elected for next year. No other members volunteered or were nominated.

New Cleaning Train Locomotives
We have all seen that the club locomotives we're currently using are somewhat underpowered and unreliable. Mason presented a proposal to acquire newer locomotives that are more suited for use every session and for pulling our heavy cleaning cars. Additionally, Mason will add "keep-alive" circuits that will improve reliability when running on dirty track (which is typical, especially at the start of the day). Gary Lewis volunteered to donate a couple newer locomotives that may be suitable. Mason will evaluate and report back next time.

Lighted USPS Vehicles
On behalf of Gary Barbano, I presented a proposal to acquire a few of the new lighted USPS vehicles made by East Coast Circuits. The vehicles are nicely detailed and have many small LED lights for the headlights, marker lights, and flashing hazard and caution lights. While the detail is superior, the price is a bit high, at $95 per vehicle. https://www.eastcoastcircuits.com/Vehicles

There was quite a bit of discussion. Concerns were expressed about if the detail would actually be seen and appreciated from the distances from our layout to the public aisle. It was also pointed out that a much less expensive, non-lighted, vehicle is available (for about $16), and that small LED lights could be added for around $.50 each.

After options and opinions were voiced at length, the proposal was voted on and defeated.

New Track Signals
Jere presented simple 3-LED Track Signal that he acquired for about $1. While the unit is just a simple head and pole, additional details can be added to make the unit more prototypical. Jere is interested in improving / updating some of the existing Track Signals on the front of the layout that are in need of repair or replacement. Jere proposed making a prototype unit and then presenting it with an upgrade budget at a future meeting. The prototype project was approved.

Signal Bridges and MSS Signaling
Following the previous discussion, Gary Lewis talked about restarting an old unfinish project to install Signal Bridges in various places on the layout. The concern is that we need "new things" on the layout each year for visitors. Apparently, these Signal Bridges were purchased some years ago, but never finished or installed. We're not sure where those Signal Bridges are, but Jorg may have more information.

Additionally, Jere talked about adding more Tack Signals that are actually tied to a computer / circuit controlled MSS signaling system. This would also add to the visual details of our layout. Jere will investigate and provide further information.

December Holiday Party
We didn't get to discuss this during our general meeting, but our traditional Holiday Party is coming up in December. No date has been announced yet.

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That's it for this month. Thanks to everyone. See you soon!

-Wayne
ACCRS HO Assistant Trainmaster

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