Something wonderful about Trainstock and York is that they give us an opportunity to meet in person.
When you are at Trainstock, when my wife and I are not singing, please introduce yourself and tell me your Forum nickname and/or real name (I only have a real one), so we can say hello and shake hands. Arnold
I am planning to attend - I may need a rowboat after this week's storms! Can we bring trains to run?
Yes you can bring trains to run but you have to wait your turn We'll bring our favorite Lionell Vision line second edition 4014 this year were bringing engines to sell! were also bringing Lionell Vision line Niagara Really COOL engine!
Anna and Alan
Yes, I plan to stop in.
@Alan Mancus posted:Yes you can bring trains to run but you have to wait your turn We'll bring our favorite Lionell Vision line second edition 4014 this year were bringing engines to sell! were also bringing Lionell Vision line Niagara Really COOL engine!
Anna and Alan
Hi Anna and Alan,
Since this is literally my first train show and I am bringing my grandson (which is the main reason I want to attend) what is the policy regarding selling trains there?
I have a Menards F3 Version 1 Beta, a six car MPC Southern Lionel passenger car set, and six Gargraves #113 042 manual turnouts I want to sell. Is that too many things to bring along to sell? I can leave them in the trunk I suppose or not bring them at all.
Thanks,
John
Hello Everybody
Let me go over some things for those that have never been to a trainstock at the NJ HiRailers
Yes you can bring some trains to run We have a member named Merrill that will help you getting some run time on one of three lines we leave open for guests You can try to run anything you have
Yes you can bring some trains if you would like to attempt to sell them to other guests We have a number of display cases you can put them on to display We have less of the low display cases now because we replaced them with taller ones but there is about 50 feet of space available We have a couple of extra tables if you wnt to use those too
We ask that adults pay an admission fee of $7.00 We feed you during the day The food goes out at about 12 pm and we call people up in groups to get your food There are some appetizers out before that We also give you soft drinks and we do have beer and some wine too The admission fee is $7.00 whether you eat or not Trust us we lose money on this event and only charge $7.00 to offset some of our costs You will enjoy yourself and the food is great.
Its easier to find our building now that the side has a train mural on it with the address
We have a parking lot that isnt as big as it used to be on 6th avenue across 11th street from our building Our owner has rented most of it out There are also some wrecked cars in the back of the lot that belong to a body shop across the street You can block in those cars They arent going any where If the parking lot is full there is alot of street parking Be careful not to park anywhere that has a curb painted yellow.
Alot of people have been calling me worried about flooding in Paterson from the Passaic river. My advice is to stop listening to the reporters - The world isnt ending - The whole city of Paterson is not under water. There are a total of 10 road closures in the whole city Our club does not have any flooding around it We are protected by hills and railroad right of ways to keep these tsunamis that the reporters are talking about from reaching our block. There is one road closure that may affect anybody driving north on route 20 The corner of route 20 and 5th avenue is closed You will have to turn on 10th avenue instead The streets and avenues are numbered so it will not be hard to make your way around that closure
If you would like to see an awesome sight go look at the Paterson Falls which are about 1 mile from our club They are roaring and they are right across the street from the Rodgers locomotive works which is now the Paterson Museum
This is what it looks like in normal times
Hi Ben et al.
Since you mentioned a few of the local sites nearby, I'll add Hinchliffe Stadium, one of the few ballparks left from the former Negro Leagues. On our first Trainstock visit maybe 13 years ago, we visited the ballpark, which was in rather sad shape; I understand it's had some work done on it since. It's worth a visit for any baseball fan or history buff.
Kathie and I are looking forward to tomorrow's show, despite the impending second storm this week.
Drive safely, everyone.
Chris (and Kathie, too)
@bluelinec4 posted:Hello Everybody
Alot of people have been calling me worried about flooding in Paterson from the Passaic river. My advice is to stop listening to the reporters - The world isnt ending - The whole city of Paterson is not under water. There are a total of 10 road closures in the whole city Our club does not have any flooding around it We are protected by hills and railroad right of ways to keep these tsunamis that the reporters are talking about from reaching our block. There is one road closure that may affect anybody driving north on route 20 The corner of route 20 and 5th avenue is closed You will have to turn on 10th avenue instead The streets and avenues are numbered so it will not be hard to make your way around that closure
Ben - Thank You for the update.
As you know, all the NYC TV News has started with a reporter in Paterson for the last week telling how bad the flooding is, or going to be. Until reading this was going to strap the kayak to my roof so I could attend "Come Heck or High Water." Pun Intended! See Y'all tomorrow!
Another cousin of mine and her boyfriend are also coming. Arnold
What time do things kick off today? Looking forward to attending again with my son.
@LeighL posted:What time do things kick off today? Looking forward to attending again with my son.
10am. Non stop fun!
Arnold rockin it at trainstock!!!
Another fabulous Trainstock. Had the opportunity to say hello to the old friends, and tour the layout with my son & grandchildren.
Can’t forget to mention the delicious food. So good that my granddaughter went back for seconds.😁 I would’ve too, but I felt that I should leave some food for the folks that had green tickets.😇
I wish they had the cameras so us covid patients could have watched the fun.
As always a great time today with the HiRailers. After so many Trainstock events amazing how many acquaintances and friends have forged over the year's, as well as how many others make this a must visit each year. One year to go to Trainstock 16.
Sincere thanks just doesn’t cover it. NJHR, again, busted their collective butts, and put on another terrific Trainstock. Unrivaled hospitality and friendship, and now, we even had live entertainment. Sy was great on the pipes, and Arnold was very good; not sure if the lady was his wife, but she was great, too. Vinny and crew did another masterful job of feeding the masses. What a great way to start off the New Year!
Guess I’ll chime in from my club members. We had 2 members who never been there and were pre-warned of the immense size. Their jaws dropped! Our club has a decent size layout, but nothing near the size of the NJ Hirailers!
I want to thank the crew for hosting Trainstock 15, another annual event for us train geeks to get together.
Met some folks there from the OGR forum, the music from SY and Arnold was a nice compliment to our train entertainment. Saw a friend from our Prodigy/AOL online forum from 30 years. I was Captnkraft and Eliot was Sharebear back. These days we post here as my real name and his is Scrapiron.
Thanks for another train party day!
Thank you NJ Highrailers for a great time you are great ambassadors for this hobby!!!
Thank you very much to ALL the crew at NJ HiRailers for a great event!
Last year was my first time, this my second, it will be an annual event on my calendar (my drive is only 1.5 hours each way). Last year I did a big write-up, this year I just took it all in and tried to connect with other members of the forum.
https://ogrforum.com/...se-that-can-t-attend
The food was excellent once again, and this time knowing there would be desert, didn't fill-up on the main course. A picture of the cake is in a previous post. There were also cookies and other assorted treats. There were new features on the layout, and a different mix of trains. Of course a new feature was the live performance of the Cribari Duo.
For all that couldn't make it this year put it on your calendar for next year, you won't be disappointed.
My wife and I attended today and what a show! This was our second visit to the HiRailers. Everything was first class- the trains, food, entertainment and, of course, all the attendees. The HiRailers really work hard to put on a great show. The veal marsala, eggplant parmesan and rigatoni were delicious. We have been in good Italian restaurants where the veal marsala was not as tender and tasty.
Thanks for a great day and already looking forward to next year.
Thank you so much for such a great day. My grandson and I got there at 10AM and I had to drag him out of there when it was over. He and I absolutely loved it.
The last train show I went to was in the Lionel Building in Manhattan when I was a kid. This show was sensational. The club members are fantastic, the attendees were fantastic, the food was fantastic, and my grandson Connor and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for putting on this event. 
Regards,
John
I had a great time as usual. I got to see some of Arnold’s songs and I enjoyed them. The food was great as usual and of course the layout is incredible. Many thanks to all the NJ Hi Railers who worked so hard to put on a great show.
@Craftech posted:Thank you so much for such a great day. My grandson and I got there at 10AM and I had to drag him out of there when it was over. He and I absolutely loved it.
The last train show I went to was in the Lionel Building in Manhattan when I was a kid. This show was sensational. The club members are fantastic, the attendees were fantastic, the food was fantastic, and my grandson Connor and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for putting on this event.
Regards,
John
It was great meeting you and Connor and seeing how much he enjoyed running his train! It's why we do this.
I hope to see you next year.
-Greg
Thank you everybody for coming I am glad everybody had a good time We really enjoy doing this every year But I would really like to thank Arnold and his lovely wife Shawn for entertaining us today They were great
@bluelinec4 posted:Thank you everybody for coming I am glad everybody had a good time We really enjoy doing this every year But I would really like to thank Arnold and his lovely wife Shawn for entertaining us today They were great
I second that sentiment!!
-Greg
The Time of My Life.
As you may recall, and you can double check the timing by reviewing this thread from the beginning, ever since Ben (Blueliner) invited me to perform my model train song, Who Am I (Rollin' By), I've been salivating and champing at the bit to actually perform this song at Trainstock.
And then I woke up this morning, and said to myself: Today is the Day!
What a day it was!
I'm really a 72 year old little kid at heart (I don't think I'm the only 70+ little kid at heart among us Forum folks).
So what did I do?
I wore a black shirt, black sneakers, and a black raincoat. Does that remind you of a late beloved country and Western singer?
Yes, like a little kid, I was pretending to be the great Johnny Cash.
For my first 30 minute set, I miraculously had Johnny's bass notes when I sang Folsom Prison Blues, and Tenessee Ernie Ford's bass notes when I sang Sixteen Tons. That made me very happy.
What else did this 72 year old little kid at heart say when the day began? I said to my lovely, brilliant and talented wife, Shawn, when she woke up, in the deepest voice I could muster, Good Morning June. LOL.
As we all know, June Carter was the beloved wife of Johnny Cash, and she was also a great singer.
Now, getting back to Trainstock, besides my original model train song, our Playlist included my favorite real train song, City of New Orleans (I will hunt down Illinois Central F3s that are either MTH PS3, Legacy or LC+ with Bluetooth, and Illinois Central passenger cars, and run them at the NJ Hirailers while I sing City of New Orleans), and If I Had a Hammer in which June (I mean Shawn) was lead singer. We finished our set by singing with the audience, accompanied by organist Sy, I've Been Workin' On The Railroad.
I hope I'm entertaining you.
Unlike me (whose main musical talent is songwriting), my wife, Shawn, is a very talented performer. Not only is she a fine singer, she is a great actress, having done acting throughout grade school, high school and college (she was a drama major in college), she has been taking an acting class for the last several years, and she hit it out of the ballpark when she sang If I Had a Hammer at Trainstock.
Speaking of ballparks, when I first heard organist extraordinaire Sy Mendel play the organ at Trainstock several years ago, I said, what is this place, Yankee Stadium? LOL. Moreover, he actually played Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and I said to myself, Holy Cow! I'm a huge fan of the late Phil Rizzuto. Once again, today at Trainstock I heard Sy's organ rendition of Take Me Out to the Ballgame.
This reminds me of the scene in the Field of Dreams movie when Kevin Costner was asked, Is this heaven, and Kevin answered no, this is Iowa.
You see, for me, a train, baseball and music nut, I ask myself, is Trainstock heaven, and I answer, no, this is New Jersey, and more specifically, the New Jersey Hirailers.
Next, I love to eat, especially Italian food, and Trainstock had fabulous Italian food!
Getting back to Ben (Blueliner), this charming, down to earth and brilliant man has, among other great qualities, the best people skills of anyone I've ever met. Moreover, he is the Real Deal, having been a motor man who drove every NYC subway for 10 years, and loved every minute of it. So, with Ben as one of its leaders, NJ Hirailers is in very good hands, and I believe, over time, will continue to make a great contribution to promoting our hobby.
I had such a good time today, that I filled out an application and paid the fee to become an Associate Member of the NJ Hirailers. Why did I do that? I want to continue to visit, run trains and sing in heaven on Earth, the NJ Hirailers.
During the lunch break, June (I mean Shawn) comes up to me and tells me, you're famous! Then, I asked her, what are you talking about? She answered that numerous OGR Forum members at Trainstock told her that they love my Forum posts. When I took my grand tour of the magnificent NJ Hirailers layout, the same thing happened to me. Many of you, my dear Forum folks, told me that they love my Forum posts.
From the bottom from of my heart, I say to all of you: Thank you, and I love you.
One more thing, I had a hugely happy and successful day thanks to A Little Help From My Friends. They include, Eliot Scher (a multi- talented mountain of a man who is a marvelous model railroader, singer, guitar player, songwriter and photographer) and Rick Tota (not on the Forum, but also a marvelous model railroader, singer, drummer and songwriter. Rick is known locally where we live in Westchester County, NY as Ringo Rick, and does gigs playing and singing songs of The Beatles. Eliot and Rick saved me by advising me about, and adjusting, my brand new PA system to amplify my music. Also, Forum member Alan Marcus saved me by advising me about, and adjusting, my PA system. And, of course, Ben, who helped me tremendously with his hand truck moving my amplifier, speakers and wires, etc., from my car to the layout, and later, from the layout back to my car.
What a Day It Was.
Arnold
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:The Time of My Life.
One more thing, I had a hugely happy and successful day thanks to A Little Help From My Friends. They include, Eliot Scher (a multi- talented mountain of a man who is a marvelous model railroader, singer, guitar player, songwriter and photographer) and Rick Tota (not on the Forum, but also a marvelous model railroader, singer, drummer and songwriter. Rick is known locally where we live in Westchester County, NY as Ringo Rick.. Eliot and Rick saved me by advising me about, and adjusting, my brand new PA system to amplify my music. Also, Forum member Alan Marcus saved me by advising me about, and adjusting, my PA system. And, of course, Ben, who helped me tremendously with his hand truck moving my amplifier, speakers and wires, etc., from my car to the layout, and later, from the layout back to my car.
What a Day It Was.
Arnold
Bravo, Arnold!!!!!!!!!!! I really wish that I could have been to Trainstock 15. But the current state of my health prevented me making the 4 + hours' drive. I want to meet you in-person one day and hear you sing. Keep your arm warmed up. The Yankees may need you for their starting rotation.
@Randy Harrison posted:Bravo, Arnold!!!!!!!!!!! I really wish that I could have been to Trainstock 15. But the current state of my health prevented me making the 4 + hours' drive. I want to meet you in-person one day and hear you sing. Keep your arm warmed up. The Yankees may need you for their starting rotation.
Thanks, Randy, looking forward to it.
Johnny (I mean Arnold) LOL
Thank you to all the NJ Hi-Railers and all the visiting Forum members for making Trainstock 15 a great event for all of us. Trains, music, food, fellowship. A terrific event as always.
Chris and Kathie
Believe it or not, I'm not out of my mind, when I say that yesterday at Trainstock went well beyond my wildest dreams.
I can elaborate on this in several pages of text, but will try to distill it with this.
You wonderful people at the NJ Hirailers and in the audience at Trainstock made me feel that yesterday I was Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Elvis, and Tenessee Ernie Ford, all in one! And, for Shawn, June Carter, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Julie Andrews and Grace Slick, all in one. LOL.
And, the OGR Forum members in the audience yesterday, who came up to me and introduced themselves to me and my lovely wife, Shawn, as I had requested, all made us feel that way, too.
So, I hope that at the 2025 Trainstock or maybe sooner, we can all return to Heaven on Earth again for us train and music lovers, include a few other highly talented train loving musicians among us, and have the time of our lives again at the NJ Hirailers, the 3 rail O Gauge Wonder of the World!
Arnold
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Believe it or not, I'm not out of my mind, when I say that yesterday at Trainstock went well beyond my wildest dreams.
I can elaborate on this in several pages of text, but will try to distill it with this.
You wonderful people at the NJ Hirailers and in the audience at Trainstock made me feel that yesterday I was Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Elvis, and Tenessee Ernie Ford, all in one! And, for Shawn, June Carter, Dolly Parton, Faith Hill, Julie Andrews and Grace Slick, all in one. LOL.
And, the OGR Forum members in the audience yesterday, who came up to me and introduced themselves to me and my lovely wife, Shawn, as I had requested, all made us feel that way, too.
So, I hope that at the 2025 Trainstock or maybe sooner, we can all return to Heaven on Earth again for us train and music lovers, include a few other highly talented train loving musicians among us, and have the time of our lives again at the NJ Hirailers, the 3 rail O Gauge Wonder of the World!
Arnold
Bravo, Bravo! Congratulations Arnold. Sounds like a great time was had by all (except me,,,sniff...) I'll try again next year but is seems that life always gets in the way.
Bob
As always, this Trainstock proved to be a day to remember. Another great day. Thanks to the NJ HiRailers.
Hi, you beautiful people. This is Shawn Cribari, Arnold's wife. Huge thanks to the New Jersey HiRailers for your hospitality at Trainstock. This hobby involves so many people from different walks of life -- what a privilege it was to be with you'all yesterday. Thank you!!
PS--and the food was amazing!
Beauty is not only skin deep at NJHR. From the perspective of a 2nd grade and a 3rd grade child.
Where is the video of Arnold singing?
It sure looks as if a great time was had by all. As usual! Sorry I didn't make it but I just can't seem to get trips back to New York to coincide with Trainstock. One of these years I'll make it back. Sorry I missed Arnold's and Shawn's performance.
It was a great time, the layout is just so overwhelming I could have spent all day there finding all the hidden scenes. I got to meet Arnold, Stu, and others. It was also great to hang out with Corey. Already looking forward to next year!
Ran into some old friends, made new ones, and just an overall great experience.
@ogaugenut posted:Where is the video of Arnold singing?
OK Here is the man in black and June
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