NWI CHAPTER
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
September 2023 from
Jerry Pyfer

NWI Chapter August Board of Directors’ Meeting

The NWI Chapter Board of Directors’ meeting convened at the Oregon, Illinois train depot on Saturday, August 26th at 6:00pm. All but two members were present, making it a quorum.

First topic was appointing replacements for the late Mark Broman who carried the positions of secretary and program director. Mark was also affiliated with the savings account and post office box account.

Following discussion and with his approval, Ron Lundstrom will hold the positions of vice president and secretary. This is a practice of many NRHS chapters around the country. As a result, I will expect some of you to step up at the board nominations come September 2024.

Following discussion, I decided to work with Lloyd Rinehart as program director. If you would like to present, contact either Lloyd or myself. The same goes if you have a lead on a potential program.

Chapter 2023-2024 season dates are set for the fourth Saturday of each month, except December, through April. There are no conflicting holidays. As we are on the subject, are you willing to present at one of the months? September, October, November 2023and February 2024 have been spoken for.

Chapter finances were the next topic open for discussion. Are you ready? The chapter dues have remained steady at $20 per year. This covers the newsletter costs and hall rental. This rate has been in effect since 2008 when I became president for the second time. We have been vigilant with our finances. When new equipment was needed, we did our homework to acquire the best for our needs and within our budget.

Since 2008, the hall rental doubled to $100 per month. Postage, paper and operating expenses have all increased. I held off as long as we should.

Now it is time address the dreaded dues increase. How much you ask? 2024 chapter dues and subscriptions will increase to $25.00 per year, renewable at the first of the year. I would hope this does not deter you from renewing for 2024.

We discussed how to handle obsolete chapter equipment. Some older electronics should go out, either through sales or out the door. Are you interested? Old musty unimportant paperwork will go into the recycling bin.

August NWI Depot Meeting

The NWI Chapter held our, what has turned out to be annual, August meeting at the Oregon, Illinois former CB&Q depot.

I would say we saw about 11 BNSF trains between some early arriving (2:30pm) guests until closing time. A vast majority were intermodal trains with standard BNSF GE models with a rare EMD in the mix. We had two meets occur here as well. The Illinois Railway had a former NS EMD SD40-2 #411 and former Hudson Bay SD50 #503 tied up in their yard across the main line from the restored depot.

The dome/observation car Silver View was not open but provided some nice backdrop on a few photos.

The sparse crowd filled in nicely once the meeting began. We had 23 in-person visitors and seven viewers via Zoom.

A very nice mix of old and new photography filled the screen as well as attendees. It was nice to see something other than we white hair folks for a change.

September meeting No Zoom

We will have an in-person interview about the YouTube program “Disused Stations of the Chicago Great Western”. This meeting will not be Zoomed.

We do not have the proper equipment to broadcast such a program. The fact is, until we may have such equipment and the expertise to use it, this type of meeting will not be Zoomed.

Rockford O-Scalers Open House

The Rockford O-Scalers’ open house will be held Saturday, November 4, 2023. The doors will be open between 12 Noon and 6:00pm. You can go to 3886 Lookout Drive, Rockford, IL. 61109.

When you arrive, be sure to take in the walls full of O-scale trains of every kind.

You will have to use stairs to enter the basement operating train room.

Rock River Valley Division Train Show 2024

The National Model Railroad Association’s Rock River Valley Division has announced their annual Spring Train Show will take place the weekend of March 16-17, 2024.

The show takes place at the Harlem High School located at 9229 North Alpine Road, Machesney Park, IL.

Doors open Saturday the 16th from 10am to 5pm. Sunday the 17th will have the hours of 10am to 3pm.

This is a week ahead of their usual show weekends. Now is the time for you to help me decide what kind of display the chapter needs to present. I believe the displays of the recent past have lost their appeal. I am open for suggestions. We usually have two eight foot tables of space provided free by the group.

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