Okay.....
Let me give you the back ground. A lot has been happening in my family this year. One of the more difficult issues dealt with my Dad dealing with a brain tumor. He's had the surgery, treatment, chemo, medicine, etc.. At this time I am quite grateful because Stanford said that it appears the treatment is effective. And at the same time, his charachter hasn't changed, and his memory has remained the same.
In the end I still have the same old Dad! 
My Dad wanted to get back to Butte, Montana to see his hometown. I took some time off from work and flew up to Montana to visit him and the rest of my family. Most of the week was spent visiting some family, a close friend of my Dad, and visiting the towns of Anaconda, Deer Lodge, Helena and Butte. And yes...when I saw the Milwaukee Road Litle Joe and E9 I foamed and went into cardiac arrest. My pilgrammage was complete! 
Anyhow...my Dad wanted to do a few things with my Mom and knowing that the Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Association was going to have their convnetion I asked my Dad if we could go to Butte a couple of weeks later, so I could check out some of it.
Let me paraphrase.... Some of you are involved in a railroad historical society, others of you are on the fence. A few of you may be invovled but have never been to a convention. Thsi si all I have to say...
Whatever you like...Santa Fe, Nickel Plate Road, Pennsylvania, Southern, Missouri Pacific...you need to get involved. If you are involved you should go to a convention. This is what I experienced...
1. Historical Presentations in the former Northern Pacific station on Front Street im Butte. Those presentations included
A. Butte Railroad Overview
B. Mining History presentation and Geology understanding
C. Northern Pacific Hisotrical preservation in Butte, and PNW.
D. Stories of railroad discipline on Northern Pacific
E. Northern Pacific Business Operations inclduing Sales & Marketing
F. Butte remembered by Northern Pacific veterans
G. NP Veterans Roundtable Panel... I heard a 92 hear old gentleman who worked in the yard who talked about the A2 steam engines pulling the North Coast Limited
