Hello All:
My original thread I posted here a few days ago has been relocated to the ANNOUNCEMENTS Forum as being the proper required location for Event Announcements, etc.
For those interested, here is the LINK to the original Posted Thread, now seen on the Announcements Forum;
https://ogrforum.com/t...-2015-east-penn-show
Regards All ! - Joe F
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Good luck Joe with your Open House Event today! It takes a lot of work just getting ready for such an event and I sure have an appreciation for this as my wife and I have hosted these before and Know first hand what's involved.
Hope it is a huge success!!!!!!!!!! 
Joe,
I hope you have a good turnout and everyone has a good time!
Hello Brian and Mark !
Thanks both for the email support and comments here on this Open House Event. It is NOT the first open house I have had - but the first formal one connected to a huge Model Railway (actually ALL TRACTION) show. Most of the hardcore hands-on active East Penn Members and I know each other for decades now. I will only be at the EPTC Show most of day Friday May 15th
Hoping the weather will be good for that (next) weekend - if it is stormy that will be a nuisance !
Yes, its a lot of work getting all the dormant "Murphy Law" glitches found and fixed in advance -- doing that now and have been so. Tho everything runs fine presently !
Here are some photos of a May 2014 PREVIOUS Open House at my Home and Layout last year - with members of the Long Island Traction Society and its President coming down for the entire day. Lots of fun and great food at my neighborhood local diner before they all departed back to Long Island !
Regards ! - Joe F
Nice photos! You have a very nice traction layout! Looks like everyone had fun!
Joe, thanks for the photos. I'm not a subway/traction guy (at least not yet); but, looking forward to a report and photos of your Open House.
Hello again Carl (Pingman)
Thanks for your interest - and yes, rapid transit (subway/EL/traction) is a sort of gradually developed specialized interest hobby - mainly from big city kids growing up and having that rail transportation format as their only, if not very frequent, exposure. And from riding it frequently. Many times as a joyride past-time ! Great head end toward track views of the subway lines and elevated (and ground level) lines R-o-W's from the front storm door of the subway or El car which can not be gotten from many Commuter Trains, Diesel, Electric or Steam locomotives-hauled fleets !
But I and quite a number of traction people also have a love for, from our youthful general exposure, - and also model - Commuter and Passenger-Freight mainline rail ! I do and always have. But my mainline RAILROAD layout is in HO scale !
Yes, I will post after the, my, Layout Open House, about the event. I am now getting quite a number of people contacting me confirming they are coming to the Open House, and the EPTC show hasn't even opened yet (this weekend) where the Layout Open Houses venues for SUNDAY will be promoted there also.
Regards ! - Joe F
Hello ALL --
Well, my Open House Layout Tour for 2 days, Saturday & Sunday just past, went very well and the entire O Scale EL & Trolley layout worked flawlessly. Had quite a volume of visitors over those 2 days -- am still assembling and collecting my own photos from my Open House Layout event -- including photos my open house attendees are emailng me. So I should have more to show with photos and reporting in a few more days. I was at the EPTC Show Friday 7:30 PM to near closing - and it was pretty quiet with sparse attendance that day thru the evening. Here is one photo so far ! NYC Railfan Giovanni Rescigno of Brooklyn NY holds one of my O-Scale scratchbuilt Third Ave Railway System streetcars.
I have been recovering the past 2 days from Saturday and Sunday open house event !
Regards - Joe F
Hello ALL ----
For those who expressed interest and good luck for my open house layout tour,
here are the first few of many more photos of attendee-visitors to my Open House Layout Tour during Saturday and Sunday, May 16 and 17. I had about 22 visitors !
John Telesca and his wife Ellen, and son Anton, and son's pal Giovanni (blonde long hair) arrived on Saturday and stayed 3 hours ! Visitors are identified in photo captions. More photos of visitors will arrive on a later message. A lot of fun, conversations, photos and videos taken, and operation of EL Trains and streetcars, and even some of the HO Scale Shelf Railroad Layout was operated.
Regards - Joe F
BELOW -- Anton Telesca and pal Giovanni Rescigno stand in Operator's Control Stands center aisle
BELOW -- Anton Telesca with Layout Tour Host Joseph Frank, holding his Peter Witt BMT Streetcar model
BELOW -- Ellen Telesca at right watches her son, Anton Telesca at left, and his pal Giovanni Rescigno, center, operating the Elevated Trains on the Layout
BELOW -- Ellen Telesca studies trains in Layup Yard as Giovanni Rescigno and Anton Telesca study scratchbuilt NYCTA R-127 class Work Box Motor car based on IRT division R-62 type passenger cars.
BELOW - N Y City MTA Bus Driver Ralph Mazzone studies a scale model of an MTA Articulated Hybrid Bus, just like the same ones he operates on the streets of Manhattan
BELOW -- Traction modeler Frank Graham looks over the varied assortment of IRT and BMT Wooden Elevated Passenger trains in Layup Yard next to a Terminal Station of the EL
BELOW -- Unidentified modeler at left seen with Traction modeler Rich Randall watching a train pass by on the EL
Joe,
Three hours! I would say they are really interested! Your layout looks really nice, with lots of equipment! Looks like a good day!
Cangrats Joe on a great open house! I am sure that your visitors were impressed. Anyone who visits Joe's layout has to come away with the impression of his great modelmaking skills. Further, anyone familiar with the wonderful photos Joe posts of his layout will better appreciate the artistry and "eye" that Joe has for making these 1/4" scale models seem REAL! Anyone interested in subways, elevated railroads or traction, in general should take the time to see this fantastic display when Joe opens it to visitors. It's too bad that it hasn't been featured recently in the model magazines. That would allow more people to appreciate the treasure that it is.
Hello Frank G !!!!
Thanks much for your comments on my decades of modeling work. Yes, you well remember my many magazine articles of decades ago, on my HO and later (since 1985) O-Scale NYC EL Layouts. Glad to see you drop by here ! You and I go back, what over 25 years now ! Here is what you wrote about me in your reply to another poster on the old SUB TALK FORUM on April 22, 1998 -
Posted by Frank Gatazka on Wed Apr 22 12:39:35 1998, in response to HELP! For My model subway-Believe me, it's BIG!, posted by Jack on Thu Apr 16 18:41:29 1998.
I have built a small (2' X 16' and growing) HO Scale modular elevated line that is based on NYCTA prototypes. It is entirely elevated, on scratchbuilt structure that is based on the Third Avenue El (Bronx, above 200th St.). Currently there are two stations, a two track, center island terminal, based on the Ditmars Blvd. Sta. in Astoria, and an outside platform local station that is based on the 67th St. Sta. of the Third Avenue El (Manhatten). The structure is detailed with third rails, guard rails, signals, signs, etc.
You can see some photos of my work at Mr. Pat Villani's web site at www.iop.com/~patv/railroad.html. Mr. Villani is also in the process of modeling an elevated railway based on NYC prototypes. Check the list of references on his home page. I provided these to help other modelers.
>>> If you are truly serious about this, you must try to obtain any and all articles by Joseph Frank. Mr. Frank is the undisputed "guru" of rapid transit modeling, having built extensively in HO and O scales. His current O scale layout (now located in Philadelphia) is breath taking! <<<
A subway? Sounds very difficult to do. Perhaps you can model it as a cut section. Try to visit the Vanderbilt Mansion and museum (The Breakers Carriage House) in Newport, RI. The museum model builders did a credible job of modeling the subway under Grand Central Terminal. GOOD LUCK!
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Frank, you may already know of my current Photo websites of my Layout - but if you don't, here they are below:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/44268069@N00 (Main Photostream Site)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/44268069@N00/sets (My Photo ALBUMS Site)
This BELOW personal website for my Layout replaced my old MSN Webtv Website (the one with the poor res photos, heh) back around 2 years ago - with all new digital hi-res computer-loaded photos in the new site:
http://www.wtv-zone.com/NYCity...m/NYCityModelTransit
My Layout Photos Websites get a logged 20,000 + worldwide visits each month !
Likely many readers here are totally unaware of YOUR 20 + years ago first class modeling endeavors in HO Scale per your large NYC EL Layout you built and all those beautiful HO Scale brass and resin subway cars you fully detailed and finished. So I am posting some photos I saved of your great layout, Frank !
I saved these a decade ago from our old and now deceased pal, Pat Villani's old and long defunct Model Sub Talk Forum site. Sadly Pat's site was closed many years ago and Pat died August 27, 2011 of the cancer he previously valiantly fought for a number of years. I will look for other photos of your layout I saved in a different file and perhaps post them.
Again, very GLAD to hear from you Frank ! Keep in touch ! ...... Regards ! - Joe F
It's too bad that it hasn't been featured recently in the model magazines. That would allow more people to appreciate the treasure that it is.
That can be done. Contact me through OST.
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