NWI CHAPTER
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
January 2025 from
Jerry Pyfer

I failed to make note of the January 24 chapter meeting times in the January newsletter.
The doors open at 2pm with the meeting starting at 3pm.

NWI Holiday Party
The NWI Chapter held the Holiday Party as scheduled. I will let this note from Gilbert Sebenste say it:

“Hey Todd,
First of all, Jerry once told me that I should put together a slideshow that would make people desiring more after it was over. By that principle, I didn't want to go home yesterday.

Out of 5 stars, I gave the banquet a 4.5. The shows were excellent, the pre-dinner snacks and the food all arrived on time, and the dinner was delicious (and piping hot, which surprised me given how cold it was outside!). Bathrooms were adequate, the facility could've been a little bigger for my liking, but I was generally happy with it. Everything was clean, and how the food was set up was excellent. And the attendance? I was expecting it to be a bust, given the fact that Rockford broke a record cold high of just 4° yesterday, and that wind chills were around -10 to -15 throughout the entire event. And yet, people still went out and caught trains!

So, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you for doing this, and well done! And a big thank you to all those that helped!

If we do this again next year, and I hope we do, and if it's in the same venue, may I make a few suggestions for improvement for next time?

We turn the tables 90 degrees so that when we sit across from each other, we only have to turn our heads left or right to see the screen. That way, we can sit and face each other, but one side of the table wouldn't have to turn their chairs all the way around or crank their heads awkwardly to see the shows.
While our projector was bright, the screen was too small for the venue, no offense to Jerry or anybody else. The TV up on the wall should've been used, but to be fair, while that is still bigger than our screen, it still is too small for the venue. For next time, we either use it or get a bigger screen, and since I'm bringing it up, I'm volunteering to look into it and help bring it, if we decide to do this again here.
I give you a standing ovation, Todd, and a hearty thank you. But when I sat on Santa's lap and asked for a SOO Line trainset for Christmas, he threw me out into the parking lot, while everyone cheered. I don't know what that was about.
Gilbert”

To be sure, the Board of Directors will review the party, from costs to making improvements.

I was taken as well by the fact only three folks decided to stay home and to be fair, they did have quite a drive, in extreme temperatures.

The party was more like a party than a meeting. While we had shows and did a little business, I could see many conversations taking place all over the room. That above all is why I like in-person meetings. Now, I figured with such a gathering, I didn’t want anyone to be pinned down by Zooming requirements for the meeting.

The room could comfortably seat 60 guests, we had 38. So we would have room for more if this runs again in 2026.

We offered the opportunity for guests to bring a favorite model train or engine for display. Model trains and Christmas just go together. Sadly I had the only display. Come on guys, bring ’em next time. I know you have them. My two little HO Racine &South Western GP38s and caboose looked so lonely on the eight-foot display track. Maybe I could bring a “Ladd Line” type train next time.

I would like to especially thank Ron Lundstrom, Marilyn and Jon Schwartz for taking on the buffet set up and tear-down. Several folks also brought beverages and deserts to help fill in the gaps of our stuffed tummies.

Finally, when the NWI Board of Directors took office last year, Todd made it known he wanted to start up the Holiday parties of old. I gave him the reigns and away he went. I stayed out of the way and supported him where I could. The culmination of the party is proof; there is a strong desire to bring it back given the right circumstances.

And I agree with Gilbert, we can make it even better. Way to go Todd.

NWI-NRHS Dues renewal Season
The NWI Chapter dues renewal season is in full swing. Our renewal form is enclosed within this issue. Dues will remain the same for both the NWI ($25.00) and the NRHS National dues ($50.00).

Send your NWI portion dues renewal to: NWI-NRHS Dues, P.O. Box 5632, Rockford, Illinois 61125-5632

NWI Meeting Cancellations
The NWI Chapter has dealt with cancelled meetings due to inclement weather in the past. Cancelling is not a problem, we just do it.

However, notifying the membership is the challenge when it gets too close to the meeting date.

We have two websites for you to check for last minute updates. There is our NWI-NRHS.org. Lance also has the Facebook site with updates as well.

You can always contact me if you still need information.

We would hope with a call for a significant weather problem, you would do the safe thing and stay home.

Now there is one more option for a cancelled meeting, we could Zoom the meeting to all.

Rock River Valley Division
Train Show 2026 Staffing
We have received our form to sign-up for the annual Train Show hosted by the RRVD of the National Model Railroad Association.

If you would like to join us on Saturday March 21 or Sunday March 22 or both, we would like to know in that we can acquire a proper name badge for you. I will need to know by our February 28, 2026 meeting, sooner is always better.

The train show will once again be held at the Harlem High School.

We will feature another Rockford railroad on the video monitor, the Milwaukee Road and its successors.

Special Thank You
I would like to say thank you to subscriber Frank Schmitt for a generous donation of $50.00 to the NWI Chapter.

Raffle at the Meeting
After several failed attempts, we will conduct a raffle for the Chapter’s benefit. Several new books and 2026 calendars will be up for grabs. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5.

For more information about the Chapter, see Meetings and Join.