UPDATE: 1-6-12..See Ingenerio No1 post.Announcement of Interest to Forum Members....

Alan, thanks for posting this, I have sent you an e-mail.

Why not post your activities for 2012, as I will be in Fort Smith in mid-October and would be interested in seeing what you do. Best, Mark

Thanks Mark for your interest. We are a round robin group with no formal bylaws, officers, or dues. We decided that we would ask members to consider hosting a visit to their layouts but it is not a requirement. One requirement that we do have is to share our love for 3-rail and layouts in particular. All that we ask the members or those that are considering joining our group is to be involved in layout planning and/or building and to be willing to enjoy and share each others abilities and talents. So...since we are new to all of this, we are planning some sort of event 4 times this coming year...one per quarter basically. The first one will be hosted by Alex (Ingenerio No1) and the next one will be hosted by me. We will need two more folks to step up and plan the fall and winter for this year. As far as the fall...it could be back in Springfield in October so you may hit it just right. We have members in various states so we would love to have you join...even if it means you don't get to come to these events, many of us have visited each other and made arrangements to be guests in each others homes!

Thanks!
Alan

Thanks to all of you that have sent e-mails to me!! We welcome anyone on the forum that wants to participate so PLEASE feel free to contact me or one of the others you know that are members of our group.

Thanks!
Alan

I just emailed the MA3R members with information about our February meeting, the Great Train Expo, layout visits, train-related attractions, other attractions, and a list of 22 hotels that are within five miles of the Convention Center.

In case you do not receive my email, please email me with your correct email address and I'll try it again.

Looking forward to seeing you in February!

Alex

I'll be there if I can. I'm not sure of my schedule at this point.

Dennis Brennan

Great Dennis!! I am looking forward to it and hoping to be there too, just don't know what the weather will be like....usually here in the Ozarks, we have our larger winter weather at that time!!

Alan

What a bummer, I moved from St Louis to Connecticut about 6 months ago.

Doug

Doug...not a problem! We would still welcome you. Since we are a round robin group, there is no fee AND we have members in various states. As a matter of fact, Brian (Passenger Train Collector) lives in main and he is a member.

Thanks,
Alan

A couple of days ago I emailed the Mid-America 3-Railers current members with details regarding the upcoming February meeting. I would like to share this information with the forum in case someone would be interested in participating.
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We will be having the second MA3R meeting in February so it coincides with the Great Train Expo in St. Charles, Missouri.

The Great Train Expo will be at the St. Charles Convention Center, just on the west side of the Missouri river, on February 4 and 5. Adjacent to St. Charles, both east and west of the river, there are numerous cities and municipalities with their own shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, and attractions all literally within minutes of the Convention Center.

Hotels
I believe it would be best to leave the overnight accommodation selection to the participants as there are a great number of nice hotels in the area. I have a list of 22 hotels that are no further than about five miles from the Convention Center, and any of them would be fine as far as commuting and surrounding areas. I will gladly email you this list if you would like to have it.

Visits to Other Layouts
On 03 January, I visited two hobby shops that carry O-Gauge trains and accessories: Electric Train Outlet in Overland, and Mark Twain Hobby Center in St. Charles. I spoke with the owners, and both agreed to contact modelers whom they believe would be interested in allowing us to visit their layouts. I will keep you posted on this as soon as I learn anything. (More on the hobby shops, below.)

Planned activities (subject to change depending primarily on whether we may visit other layouts)
Saturday 04 February
10:00 AM Great Train Expo, St. Charles Convention Center
01:00 PM Lunch at nearby restaurant (*)
02:00 PM Meeting
02:30 PM Depart to visit Alex’s layout (**)
03:15 PM Arrive at Alex’s house
00:00 PM No time limit for the visit on Saturday
(*) We need to know the approximate number of club members and spouses that plan to attend and have lunch so we can select and make arrangements with the restaurant.
(**) If we can arrange for visiting other layout(s) in the area, and depending on time and location, we may visit other layouts before proceeding to Alex’s.

Additional Suggested Activities
For those who arrive Friday or stay through Sunday, I recommend any of the following. (Distances are from the St. Charles Convention Center – used simply as a reference point)

Train-Specific
• Mark Twain Hobby Shop (2 miles) This is a full-line hobby shop and they have a little of everything. They normally discount most of the items, and I have bought several O-Gauge buildings, rolling stock, and building supplies at attractive prices.
• Electric Train Outlet (14 miles – closed Sunday) Has one of the largest inventory of Lionel products, as well as accessories, track, etc., from all manufacturers. Yesterday I noticed that they had marked down appreciably several Lionel engines.
• Museum of Transportation (18 miles)

General
• Bass Pro Shops (2 miles)
• Old St Charles (3 miles)
• Hobby Lobby (4 miles)
• Harbor Freight (4 miles)
• Cabela’s (7 miles)
• St. Louis Mills (7 miles)
• Mid Rivers Mall (7 miles)
• Chesterfield Mall (20 miles)
• The Arch (25 miles)
There are many other attractions that I am sure you can find on your own or through a Google search.
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If you would like further information of have any questions, please email me.

Thanks!

Alex

Thanks for the update Alex!

Alan

We are planning on going to the St. Charles Great Train Expo and also seeing Alex's layout and hopefully some other layouts in the St. Louis area on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4th & 5th.

I have a connection with the Embassy Suites in St. Charles. We have contacted the Embassy Suites and have a special room rate for Saturday night, February 4th.

They can discount the king bed rooms from $129 per night to $99 per night. Just ask for the block of rooms listed under the name of Mid America 3-Railers.

Their information is as follows:

Embassy Suites
Two Convention Center Plaza
Saint Charles, Missouri, 63303
Tel: 1-636-946-5544

Please call and ask for Mid America 3-Railers on or before 2/1/12. You can book via 1800EMBASSY, online at St Charles Embassy Suites and input the 3 letter code MAR in the promo code area or call their office direct to April Calloway 636-866-0148 or e-mail April.Calloway@JQH.com

We are looking forward to seeing everyone one of you at St. Charles in February.

quote:

We are planning on going to the St. Charles Great Train Expo and also seeing Alex's layout and hopefully some other layouts in the St. Louis area on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 4th & 5th.

Roger,
That is great news! We have several already who are planning on coming, and I believe we will have a great time!

Let me know if you need any other information or any help.

THX!!

Alex