Allentown

Made it with just 2 minutes to spare!

I see my attempt to steer Chuck towards more manly morning comestibles has failed! 

Luke & TedsGG1 @ the train races. More racing on Sunday (12 and under)

The hard core waiting in the snow and wind Sat 7:20am :

Unfortunately a nasty sinus infection killed my plans to attend this excellent event. The spirit was willing but the body wasn't. The thing that I missed most was seeing and meeting the great folks. I'm a bit disappointed but the months will pass quickly to fall York and the "First Frost" show."

Luke & TedsGG1 @ the train races. More racing on Sunday (12 and under) 

This was a challenge thrown down by Luke.  You'll note I only ACT 12 and under!  Luke, a retired train race champion, won!  

Hey Chris! Where's the group pic!

I think Chris (Lehighline) is still in decontamination unit after spending two days near his really nice nuke plant.

He must have gotten bitten by that puppy too if he is in decontamination

Ok, guys, I'm back, decontaminated, out of my Level A HAZMAT suit, and unpacked from the show. I have boat load of wheelsets to clean.( not to mention catching up on all the household items I  let slip while getting ready for the show...)

As mentioned earlier, Ted (TedsGG1) shattered all historical precident by appearing at his first ever OGR Forum Breakfast at the HamFam. Here is a picture of Ted and the coaberating (sp?) witnesses.

That's Ben and Pete Condo with Ted.

I will say that Chuck stood his ground and refused to order his signature Foo foo pancakes. Not that we did not try to pin it on him again.

However, one of our other attendees had no qualms about ordering foo foo frenchtoast. So even though we tried to say the order was Chuck's, in reality, I belonged to this lovely lady. (Sorry, I did not get the name.)

Here are some shots of the attendees. If you are not in one, sorry. Both Ted and I left early for the show.

Here is the eagerly awaited 11:00AM Photo, which was actually shot ~11:20.

Ed Boyle is actually being very brave in this picture, as he was bitten the previous evening by the loveable 18week old Lucky being held next to him.

CUJO!

The Lehigh Valley HiRailers had a 20x60 ft modular layout up and running.The crowd was 2 and 3 deep on all 4 sides of the layout most of the day. Here are some shots.

The debut of my nuclear plant's cooling tower was a big success.

Chris

LVHR

Hi Chris

Thank You for posting the picture

Ed Boyle is such a gentleman and kind soul that he insisted that the lovable and cuddly Lucky be included in the picture, so we had to get permission to get the dog, which is why the photo was taken at 11:20. I was only too glad to hold the "ferocious beast" who was relaxed at first but then started to get a little nervous. All in all a wonderful day. Breakfast was fantastic, thanks to Chuck for making the arrangements. It was great to see many old friends once again.

Before anyone asks the dog is not mine and he seems to have suffered no ill effects from biting Ed.  

Enjoy

Frank

The dog did say that Ed needed a little salt

He seemed to start acting up as the photo group was disbursing and he was being taken away from Ed (or, more specifically, Ed's arm!)

-Aric

I agree: Lucky is definitely cute and lovable. Since he is a puppy, he has not learned that he should not be trying to bite the hand that pets him. He'll learn. I do think his choice of side(arm) dishes is questionable at best. I can think of many arms that are likely to be more tasty than Ed's!

Chris

LVHR

Here are some pics of the Lehigh Valley HiRailers layout. They are on the dark side...one of these days I need to go camera shopping. This is also my first try at posting photos on the new forum, so here goes nothing!

I liked the curved sections...breaks up the straightaways nicely:

Looking down at one end of the yard:

Looking down the other end of the yard, next to the duck-under:

The duck under the duck-under:

I think this is Ted's new acquisition that he mentions in one of the other Allentown threads:

One end of the layout, with most of Chris' cooling tower rising up in the middle. If I had only aimed the camera a big higher...

Sorry I missed the Saturday fun...did not get home from Boston via Amtrak until 5pm. Oh well, at least I got to go over the HellGate Bridge. Went to the show on Sunday, and I was surprised how crowded it was getting by 10am. Did not buy anything, but the trip was worth seeing the roller coaster on the LV modules as well as spending a half hour taking in the details of the "HO" circus display.

Here's another shot of the nuclear plant.....Great job LV HiRailers.

...and another pic of the " beast" that attcked Ed.

I also would like to thank everyone for making a "1st timer" feel welcome.  Thanks especially to Chuck for setting up breakfast.

Peter

Obviously Ted's a riveting personality.

She doesn't mind !

Whew!

That still doesn't excuse you from the fruity pancakes Chuck

What a guy!

He just changed to Blueberry. Maybe it's just foo now.

THey say blueberries are good for the memory. That makes me a Sicilian with a memory. You guys might want to be careful!

Sean suggested we go across the street to the farmer's market and get some chicken pot pies.  We had a turkey dinner there, and I bought 5 pies home.

Unfortunatly, I gave 3 to my girlfirend and her kids, one to my mom, and my daughter says she wants the other one.  Guess next time I'll have to buy six!

Peter, what kind of camera do you have? I can't believe how well-lit this picture came out...even the back wall in the distance!

-Aric

That group photo has a bunch of convicts in there. No wonder why the dog bit Ed!

Anyways, I missed the Saturday am breakfast as I was working already at 6am that day while all of you were chowing down at the Hamfam but Sunday was a good day to go to another great Allentown show.

"one of these days I need to go camera shopping."

Actually, there is nothing wrong with your camera, Aric. You have the flash active, and it has only a short effective range. Once you get beyond range, things get dark, fast! Another way is to turn the flash off, set the shutter speed to a slow setting, and mount the camera on a tripod. The problem with that approach is that anything moving gets blurred. That's why a lot of pictures are "set" shots, with no motion. Lastly is to add more light, which is what professional photographers do. For most people, that last option is the most daunting and least likely to happen. But it also gives the best results.

Chris

LVHR

Wife and I were there. Got there late, about 12:30pm. Spent way too much money, LOL.. But it was worth it. Our first time at a big meet like this. We were overwhelmed by it all. Next week, Scranton. At the Lackawana Hotel.  Tom

Well, no, there is nothing wrong with it...it's a good camera, still works fine. It's just that it's a basic point-and-shoot from 2001 - fixed lens, fixed aperture, fixed shutter speed. Great for things like outdoor family shots, but falls a little short when taking indoor layout pics (or fast moving real trains outdoors). I really need to get something with a bit more bells and whistles than what I have now.

Aric.....I look up the model number when I get home.

Peter

Aric.....

Canon PowerShot SX130IS

Hi Ed

Glad that you and Barbara made it back to Ohio safe and sound. I hope that your arm is well on the way to being mended. Heal Boy Heal!

  Thank you for the kind words and cool title. It will be interesting to go back in November for First Frost and see how big Lucky is then. I don't think that holding him will be an option. Perhaps you should bring him a big bone as a peace offering, he might refrain from wanting a piece of you.

Enjoy

Frank

"Official OGR Puppy Handler"  

Thanks Peter!

-Aric

Thanks Frank. Maybe we can promote you to "Large Canine Handler"

Am healing nicely

Ed