Autumn 2007 Vol. XXXV, No. 3

Messages from President Joe Petric... A year's consideration and planning has culminated in the sale last month of restored GM&O caboose no. 2954.  A long-time member of the Monticello Railway Museum has purchased the car with the promise of needed repainting, maintenance, and an understanding of eventual donation to the museum. GM&OHS members will still be able to see the caboose at the museum, but the Society accomplished what it set out to do--save and restore a piece of GM&O history.  The reality is that annual expenses associated with owning the caboose no longer seemed justifiable, as preservation of equipment is beyond what our main charter (and resources) mandate.  Everyone that helped make the preservation of no. 2954 possible in 1988-89 should take pride in the accomplishment.

Enclosed is your ballot for the election of Officers and Board of Directors for the 2008 membership year.  The President's and Vice President's terms are for two years, while all other terms and seats are for one year.  Please take the time to vote, as this is one of your privileges of membership.   Return ballots via one of two methods listed and by the stated deadline.  If mailing the ballot please do not use staples to close, as they get caught in the machining process used by the post office and arrive damaged.

Secretary’s Report by Marc Liberta... As mentioned in my Summer Switchlist notes, the new postal designations and pricing are both impacting our operating budget significantly.  Over the past several years your officers have diligently worked to minimize controllable costs.  A good example is the use of #10 business envelopes for this stand alone mailing of this Switchlist instead of the larger 9x12 envelopes we have used in the past. However, we have little else that we can do to minimize the impact of the postal costs we must pay.  There is, however, something that you as a member can do.  If you are moving, be sure to get a change of address to us when you are taking care of such matters.  When the mailing of the NEWS is returned as undeliverable, it costs the Society postage due charges ($4.53 this past issue).  If that is then re-mailed (should we get a forwarding address), it costs an additional $1.82.  This total of $6.35 is in addition to the original bulk mailing cost of that single issue.  Clearly, this waste of money is something that can easily be avoided by a little foresight.  Life Members should especially take note, as we do not necessarily have year-to-year contact with each other.  Please keep us in mind when you move to a new address and not rely on postal forwarding orders which expire in six month's time.  Including a new phone number and email address (if applicable) is also appreciated.

Members Directories have been mailed to those persons having placed their orders.  The directories are great looking with a nice glossy cover and big red wings on the front.  Thanks to BOD Member Art Richardson for coordinating the compilation, design and printing of these booklets.  If your mailing label has a red “Y” on it, you are eligible to purchase a directory for $3.00, sent to the Secretary at the Marion, IL post office box address.

The 35th Annual Meeting of the Society is fast approaching!  To help plan your Annual Meeting Weekend, use the following checklist of items to help you prepare your visit;

_____ Hotel Reservations: This year's event is being held at The Oaks Hotel and Conference Center, 300 S. Frontage Road, Burr Ridge, IL 60527, 630-325-2900.  Remember to book your rooms early and mention code GM&O/Rock Island since this is a joint meeting with the Rock Island Technical Society.  We expect rooms to go fast, so don’t delay in making your reservations!

_____ Friday Afternoon Metra Fantrip over the former Rock Island from Joliet to LaSalle St. Station in Chicago and return via Metra's Heritage Corridor, former GM&O line, from Union Station to Joliet.

_____ Friday Night Hospitality Suite: This is a very informal get-together starting at 7:00pm in Oaks 1 and 2 in the east end of the hotel.  Admission is free and open to members and non-members alike.  If you would like to show some of your slides, bring them along for all to see.  Member Lane Venardos will be giving us a professional video presentation on the Ringling Brothers Circus Trains.  A little bit of something for everyone!

_____ Saturday Railroadiana Show and Sale will commence at 9:00am and run through 3:00pm.  This show will have over 100 tables of railroadiana, models, books, photos and slides.

_____ Annual Model Contest will be held during the show.  Trophies will be awarded in several classes by popular vote of the members in attendance.  Additional details are in the Modeling Committee Report.  Remember this is a great opportunity to show off your modeling skills whether you are a beginner or an advanced craftsman.

_____ Lake Shore Model Railroad Association visit: Our bus will depart from in front of the hotel no later than 12:15pm for the trip to LSMRA.  We should arrive about 1:00pm and have a little over three hours to operate for those of you inclined to do so.  Remember, if you want to run, you must have a DCC equipped HO-scale locomotive.  We will depart LSMRA no later than 4:30pm in order to arrive back at the hotel for the evening Social Hour.  More details are in the Modeling Committee Report as well.

_____ Saturday Evening Banquet: The Social Hour will begin at 6: 15pm with a cash bar.  Dinner will be served family style at 7:00pm followed at 8:00pm by a brief business meeting.  We will have a short break and about 8:30pm our featured speaker, noted railfan photographer Paul Hunnell will give us a look at both Rock Island and GM&O equipment.  Some very nice door prizes will top off the evening.

_____ Sunday Morning Board of Directors Meeting: The BOD will hold a brief 45-60 minute meeting starting at 8:15am in Room 102.  All members are encouraged to attend.

Publications Committee Report by Dave Wagner... Thanks to all the members for their kind comments concerning Issue 115 of the NEWS.  Issue 116 is currently in production and is scheduled for mailing on or about November 15, 2007 along with your Winter Switchlist.

The 2008 Calendar flyer enclosed in the last mailing regrettably omitted some key pieces of information. First, the deadline for ordering your 2008 calendar is September 30, 2007.  At that time, the printing order will be placed. Since these are being produced matching the quantity of orders received, there will be no residual sales after that date.  Don't miss out, get your order mailed today.  Second, the expected delivery date will be approximately four weeks later, near the end­ of October.  Finally, the space for indicating one's birthday was not present on the form you received.   There is still time to have your calendar customized with your birth date.  Just mail a postcard or send an email to the Secretary providing your date of birth, and it will be added. We apologize for the oversights.

Modeling Committee Report by the staff... Thanks to all the members that supported the Society with their purchase of GM&OHS#32, our white MDT reefers.  The GM&O leased version of this car sold out in late July, however we still have a couple of three car sets of the non-leased MDT scheme available.  If you would like to purchase this supplemental set of cars, the cost is $70.00 postage paid.  We also included decals so that you can letter one or all cars as a leased New York Central version if you desire.

The Annual Meeting Committee in conjunction with the Modeling Committee has commissioned a special run of cars for the 35th Annual Meeting.  This will also be a three car set based on the Bowser 70-ton open sided covered hopper.  The Society is producing only 40 sets of this special offering which will be available for sale at the Annual Meeting.

Though the scheme chosen was previously offered by the manufacturer, their artwork and printing left a lot to be desired when the cars were introduced several years ago.  Once again, Vickey Graphics will create the artwork and Double “R” Graphics will handle the painting and printing of the cars insuring the continued high quality that you have come to expect from all GM&OHS offerings of the past few years.  Remember to stop by the Society's tables at the Annual Meeting and pick up your set of 2007 Convention Cars, and look for Society Special Run Car #33 following next Spring.

Annual Model Contest... Again this year the Society is sponsoring a Model Contest.  The rules are quite simple; 1) The model entry must be from the GM&O or a predecessor road.  2) All gauges are welcomed.  3) The painting, decaling and detailing must be the work of the entrant.  4) You can enter as many models in as many classes as you desire, however previous winners of GM&OHS awards may not be entered.  Awards will be given based upon the popular vote of the membership present.  So remember to pick up a ballot and vote for your favorite model.

The classes will be as follows:

a) Steam Locomotive

b) Diesel

c) Freight Car

d) Caboose

e) Passenger Car

f) Maintenance of Way

g) Structure, scene or miscellaneous (i.e.; truck, trailer, bus, etc.)

A Judges Award will also be given to the model judged Best In Show for prototypical accuracy based on paint, lettering, detail and overall authenticity. ­

We will also have a display area for models that are not entered in the contest or have previously won a GM&OHS award.  We are asking everyone to participate, so regardless of your level of expertise, bring your models out and let everyone have a look at them.

Lake Shore Model Railroad Association: During our visit to LSMRA, GM&OHS and RITS members will have the opportunity to operate on Lake Shore's 1,500 square foot layout.  Your engine must be a DCC equipped locomotive with a four digit address (If your engine has only a two digit address, the Digi-gods at Lake Shore will change it to a four digit address for the afternoon and back to the original address before you depart).  We have a limited number of operating slots during our three hour tour so LSMRA will supply all freight cars, however if you prefer to operate a passenger train you may bring a consist up to ten cars.  This is a great layout to operate whether you wish to run the main, handle yard duties or industry switch.

The Kato SD40 Repainting Program is well underway. This is just a reminder that we will be accepting your Kato SD40's at the Annual Meeting regardless of the current roadname. Expert modeler Ken Donnelly will be at the Society's table on Saturday to receive your units.  Remember the deadline for submitting shells is October 1, 2007.

Global Outlet Corporation of Chicago recently (7/26/07) received their first production run sample of the Ingalls 4-S diesel locomotive.  This author had a chance to see the model up close and personal and was quite impressed. The detail is magnificent and it runs like a Swiss watch.  The unit that arrived was a GM&O two-tone version and there will have to be a couple of minor painting enhancements made before the production run models hit our shores. If you have not already done so, there is still time to reserve one of six versions.  You can contact owner Darius Lachowicz at 773-631-4951 and remember to mention that you are a member of the Society.