September Meeting

Sunday, Sept. 12,1999

Jim Maslowskis'

West Allis, Wl

Attendance:

G. Children, A. Doty, S. Jones, D. Kloes, S. Lunde, J. Madden, J. Maslowski, R. Meissner, B. Mosher, A. Pratt, D. Sengenberger, R. Schlicht, D. Smukowski, J. Starosta, J. Young. (15)

Club Expenses as Follows:

a) Newsletter, Stamps & Labels $18.94

b) Swap Meet Supplies

$13.24

c) Swap Meet Dealers Mailing $21.15

d) Club Liability Insurance $312.00

Reports:

Dick Kloes opened the meeting and welcomed the members back from a long, hot, and very dry Summer. Jeff Young gave the treasurers report. Badgerland Train Trade Show was discussed at length. Ads for the show are being placed in various suburban area newspapers, plus the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Art Pratt has made a test track for all, or nearly all of the the gauges. He will be getting track for everything. (Probably not Z, I don't know of anyone who sells Z at our meets). With the cost of the hall, the cost of the tables, a chair charge, an outlet charge, a possible clean up charge, we will have to do a great job of running this meet. As always help is needed. If you know of any hobby shop that doesn't have our flyers get some from Dick and spread them around. We may or may not be increasing the coffee and donut charge. Ron Schlicht gave a brief report on the upcoming Trainfest November 13 & 14. The layout will be smaller than in the past. There will be the Schlicht/Starosta 24 ft.. Stateline will bring 10 ft., Maslowski will have 6 ft on one end, the club will have 6 ft. to cover the other end, and the last showing of Don Hink's 14 ft. will take place. Don will be incorporating his modules into his home.

Jay<3Ut. Erf-day November 12 we will start to set up around noon. I have to know who will be at the show right after you get this newsletter. We only have 15 passes at this time, most of them have been accounted for. We will need some volunteers for the ticket windows to help out the Trainfest committee. If you have a completed module, and want to to part of the show, contact Ron Schlicht. The NASG & NMRA Convention held in Minneapolis Minn., this last Summer, was attended by some of our club members. Dick Kloes brought some pictures of some of the layouts and even some of the real trains in the area. The idea of combining conventions during the same week appears to be a very well received idea. It also means that both conventions can be more successful, with increased attendance. Various members passed on their experiences from these events, all of which were very positive. Combined meeting of BSG & SLSG was discussed, and everyone seemed receptive to the idea. We felt that it was necessary to hold our next general meeting before this years Fall S-Fest It was decided that the third Sunday would be the best. This coincides with the SLSG meeting. They have agreed to have a joint meeting with our club. Dave Smnkowski gave a brief report on the Badgerland 2000 S-Fest. The BSG S-Fest car was discussed. There will be a sample at the St. Louis S-Fest. Hopefully there will be both a Hi-Rail and Scale version. If not, at least we will be able to show the shell. We may or may not be showing the cars at the Spring S-Spree, although this seems like a good idea, considering the proximity to our area. There were a few other areas discussed regarding our hosting of S-Fest. This is a coded message to myself. A____s, B________d, 0_______s - S____t. You may figure it out. Odds are that I will forget what it means. Keep reminding me.

"Editors Comments"

$@ #*%!&?:

Our last meeting of the year was hosted by James Starosta. Jim has finally gotten serious about working on his layout. Most of the track layout has been determined and the roadwork has begun. As soon as the grasswork has been glued down, the roads will be permanently installed. All of the building placements have not been finalized. Jim is mixing Plasticville with some 0 and S scale structures. He has blended new structures with original American Fiver structures and A.F. operating accessories. As usual, whatever was running, had the Milwaukee Road logo on it. We had a

unusually productive meeting and a good time.

Well Summer is almost over which means that I have to start writing this newsletter again. It was a very busy season for me. It seems like everything is breaking at once. I'm not sure that I have more to do than I have had in the past, it's just that, in the past, I was much younger.

There has always been a slight controversy on my letterhead for the newsletter. Come to think about it, there has been .some controversy on a lot of my newsletters. Is it our 24th/25th season ? The very first newsletter was sent out 10/8/75. The first meeting was held. November 20, 1975. Therefore we will have completed 24 years, this November. When we collect the dues for the upcoming season, it will be for the beginning of our 25th year. Maybe someone can come up with a new idea for our letterhead, maybe a subtitle. Perhaps over 24 years of existence, ......followed by, over 25 years serving S Gauge, ......followed by, over 26 years of Bucky, .....followed by over 27 years of............ God knows what. Followed by, ...............someone else writing this news letter.

Everyone knows about our hosting of next years Fall S Fest. Everyone had all Summer to design their ideas for the Fall S Fest patch. Bring your ideas or sketches to the upcoming meeting. They don't have to be perfect, but we want to have an idea on what the patch will look like before this years F&US Fest

We are also looking for some input regarding a theme, catch phrase or slogan for our 2000 meet. This will be the 25th anniversary of the Fall S Fest plus the 25th anniversary of our club. Think Silver. Think 25. Think about our club. Think about anything, preferable. S Gauge.

Most of you should know about the plans for the year 2000 Fall S Fest car. The first cars, off of the initial run, with the special number, for club members only, will be arriving in October. Have your cash ready. This is one

of the ways that we are raising seed money for the car project. You will be receiving information in the near future. Our club will have a table at this years Fall S Fest. We will have some promotional literature there. We would like to have our membership have input in that brochure. Come to a meeting, call a committee member, send a letter, contribute.

I will be attending this years S Fest in St. Louis (don't let that be a deterrent). I hope to see you there.

This is going to be a busy year for our club.

Wanted:

"S" Flex Track not Gargraves of Miller Tie Strip. - Contact Chuck Porter.

I only list items under "Wanted" for two or three newsletters.

Please contact me if you want a listing continued or it will be dropped. The same goes for the "For Sale" column.

In the event your interested in swapping, mention it. (Train Related Items Only)

For Sale:

Nothing to report.

Ron's New Product Report

Nothing to Report.

I'm hoping that some members send me their ideas, or tips, on items that they have purchased. I haven't bought anything since last year.

--------------------------------

Ron Schlicht

The views and opinions expressed in the Badgerland S Gaugers newsletter are those of the editor, unless otherwise credited, and do not necessarily represent that of the club it's officers, directors, or the membership.

The Badgerland S Gaugers do not offer any warranties, guarantees, nor assume any liability from the information contained in this publication.

Ron Schlicht led a discussion of the S-Fest patch. Remember there should be a theme, 25 years of S-Fests & 25 years of the Badgerland S Gangers. Just to get the creative juices going, Ron showed three renderings that he came up with. In your designs remember, Fall S-Fest, location (sponsoring club), year and the other three clubs initials. One of my ideas was made in about 15 minutes, on the morning of the meeting. If you give it a little more thought you should be able to come up with something in the next couple weeks. The club membership will vote on the all of the ideas submitted. A few ideas were kicked around. A lot of people came-up with some ideas that enhanced the sketches that were presented. Let's get going and finalize this as soon as possible. This could also be a combination of various members ideas. This years AFSGLA Fall S-Fest patch is pretty spectacular. Jeff Madden informed the members about some of the many, new, products out on the market. This included model trucks, switch tracks and other items that will enhance your existing S Gauge equipment. Some of these items will appear in the NASG Dispatch.

Art Doty, as always, gave a report on various model railroad activities and other events taking place in the region. Jim Maslowski told us about a recent visit to San Diego and his trip to the railroad museum. Many of us have not been there. With what is already there, and the additions that they plan on making, this is a must for model railroaders and rail fans of all ages. Jim Starosta has purchased the Lionel railroad crossing signals that Jeff Madden had told us about a
short time ago. Not only do they look good but worked well with American Flyer 697 track trips. Rambling and aimless discussions started to break out so the meeting was mercifully adjourned. Next Meeting: Sunday, Oct 17,1999 1:00 pm Location 700 E. Main Street Marshall, Wl We will be holding a joint meeting with members of the State-Line S Gangers. The amusement park portion is closed but the Pumpkin Train will be running, the meeting will be held in the train depot on the East side of the amusement park. I will give directions from Milwaukee. t appears to be about 15 to 20 miles east of Madison. Take 1-94 west towards Madison, Exit Hwy 73 and proceed north (4 miles to Marshall). Turn right at stop sign in Marshall, this is Main Street /Hwy 19. Little A-Merrick-A is a few blocks east of Marshall on Hwy 19 on the south side of the street. For those coming from the south 1-90 would be a good route to Hyw. 73. IMany of you may have a better idea of how to get there. If any of the above directions are in error, this editor takes no responsibility. Fred Vergenz can be tied to the Pumpkin Train track and bear the consequences. The Pumpkin Train is open from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. You can take the scenic ride over Wisconsin countryside to the Pumpkin Patch. The train will depart for the Pumpkin Patch every half-hour. I will not be using the word Pumpkin in any of the rest of this ne'wde'ttf.r

Down the Tracks :

Upcoming Meetings: 
October - Little A-Merrick-A 
November - No Meeting held. 
December - Roy Meissner 
January - Gary Children 
February - Steve Jones 
March - Brad Nelson 
April - Open 

Main criteria for hosting a meeting Not on a swap meet Sunday, Weekdays permissible. 

+++++++++++++++++

"Editors Comments"

$@ ff*%!&?: Our last meeting of the year was hosted by Jim Maslowski. Jim is basically into HO (we all have our faults). However he also has a very nice six foot S gauge module that will be at Trainfest. His (HO) layout is really neat. The main street square reminded me a little of the city square in the movie "Back to the Future". Jim is purchasing a new home which means, crash, boom, bang , there goes the layout. The next one will probably be humongous, since he will have more room. He might even do more in S gauge. We had a pretty good turn out considering the great weather and the Packer game, we also had a good time. Thanks Jim. In the last newsletter I reminded you about the plans for the year 2000 Fall S Fest car. The first cars, off of the initial run, with the special number, for club members only, may already be here at the writing of this newsletter. We had a sneak preview of one of the completed shells. They were GREAT. Some members have already paid for them, especially after seeing the sample. The only problem was keeping the drool off when Mac opened the box. Have your cash ready. The first run is already spoken for. Believe me, they are going to be that good. You will be receiving information in the form of a letter, in the near future. The future of the modular layout is in the hands of the Badgerland club membership. The club no longer has the trailer to haul all of its supplies and "other" stuff. This presents a slight problem. When I say that the future of the layout is in the members hands, it means that we all have to share the load, not just the officers. When I mention a slight problem, I mean slight. I'm hauling 24 feet of modules .and one of the club corners. That's all that I have room for, if I had more room. I'd take more. If some individual, or individuals, would take care of just one or more of each of the following items a) the stanchions, b) the drapery and fixing means, c) power packs, d) the rolling stock, e) scenery materials, f) maintain the engines, g) transport and maintain the backdrops h) take and maintain one or more of the ends, we would have no problem. Most of these items are just couple boxes each. Currently Dick Kloes has stored everything at his house and is running out of room. One other point, he will not be home during the Madison show. One of our members has already taken responsibility for a club four foot module. We are trimming down on the equipment that we possess, in order that we have just enough, to have a complete running circle. We basically attend two major shows a year, Trainfest in West Allis, in November and the Mad City show in Madison, in February. That's not that much. Pitch in. Swap Meet Report (Hereafter to be referred to as the Train Trade Show.) We moved our swap meet from, the Bowling Lanes, to the Waukesha County Fair Grounds across the street. We were in the 4-H building. The surroundings are far superior to anything that we have had in the past and there is plenty of room for expansion. The isles were nice and wide and the feedback from the dealers was very positive. Some signs will have to be made regarding the entrance and exits. Naturally some people went to the bowling alley, some of them made it to our meet and some with a reading impairment missed the meet. We always need some of our members to help out, particularly monitoring the doors. It may take some time to build up the show again, but we did all right for the first time. It was hard to gauge the attendance because there is so much more room. The next three shows will tell us about the potential If the dealers are happy it means, that we will have a successful run. So far, so good. A very special thanks to club member Dennis Young who put up the initial lease money for the new facility. Special Report (from the great north woods) A few days ago I received a card from our relocated, long time member, past president, past secretary, past newsletter editor, past modular layout committeeman, past annual X-mas bash host, past just about everything in our club, Jim Brown. Here is the message that it contained. -Howdy Gents, Greetings from the great north woods ! Things are going along fine with the new house. We are living out of our travel trailer, pumping water by hand, peering into the woods, fishing and having a good time. The beer is as good here as it was down there. We are enjoying the peace and quiet. It's kind of satisfying to see a project that you have drawn up yourself come into being. Miss you guys! (Jim also included a couple pictures of his home under construction and indicated that he will be sending more. I will be bringing them to the next meeting. (We miss him too.)

Jim Brown 2372 Pine Cone Dr. Tomahawk, WI 54487 Phone· I-71~-3X3333 ~c;??3

Just in case you haven't noticed the back page of the newsletter, our Treasurers address changed. For S- Fest car payments, make checks payable to the Badgerland S Gangers. Please note in the memo area what it is for. Jeff Young W150 N8329 Saxony Dr. Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 Phone: 702-4762

I know that there are going to be area code changes for many of our members. Please give me a call (still 414), drop me a letter, or let me know at either a Badgerland Train Trade Show or a general meeting.

"S" Flex Track not Gargraves of Miller Tie Strip. - Contact Chuck Porter. I only list items under "Wanted" for two or three newsletters. Please contact me if you want a listing continued or it will be dropped. The same goes for the "For Sale" column. In the event your interested in swapping, mention it. (Train Related Items Only)

Nothing to report. This could be a touchy area, since many of us sell at various swap meets. Give me some input on your thoughts on this subject. I'm thinking of dropping the For Sale: Column.

a) THINK SILVER.

b) Volunteer (for anything)

c) Modular layout end restoration.

d) Club equipment maintenance.

e) a, b, c, & d were repeats.

f) The Mad City Train Show in Madison in February.

Rail-King (Mikes Train House) is continuing its' line of residential buildings, one of the latest is a two story "row house". I haven't purchased one, but I talked Jim Starosta into getting one for his layout. They are really nice the detail is very good they are lighted and if you are looking for a structure that doesn't take up a lot of space this is it. The house is under 4 inches wide and 71/2 inches long including a decorative front porch and a small stoop for a rear porch. When I placed it next to a Plasticville Cape Cod, there isn't that much difference. I believe that they come in various colors. I measured one of the doors and I believe that, "they arc S gauge". Some of the new structures that have come out lately are geared toward the 0 Gauge market. I believe that MTH is using his head and trying to produce a product that crosses the gauges. This is a great marketing ploy. One other point on interest this is the take it out of the box and pop it in place, light it if you want to hook up the wires. Now there is the price, you can get one of these for under $20.00. Jim got his from Dennis Young at our Train Trade Show. I'm "still" hoping that some of our club members send me their ideas, or tips, on items that they have purchased recently. If yon haven't bought any new interesting products (train related) you're even cheaper than I am. Nominations for club officers will take place at the next meeting.

All of the offices are up for election, plus one director. Terms of Office - Tenure 1. The term of office for President, Vice-President/Program Coordinator, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be for a period of 1 calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. 2.The President and Vice-President Program Coordinator shall not serve more than 2 consecutive elected terms and cannot be reelected until I calendar year has past. 3-There is no limit on consecutive terms for the Secretary and Treasurer. 4.The Board of Directors shall serve 3 year terms. These terms shall rotate each year, with one new member being elected each year. 5.1n the event that an officer is unable to complete their term of office, for whatever reason, the Executive Committee may appoint a replacement to finish out the term, until the next general election. The Secretary & Newsletter Editor have been combined in the last few years. The election will take place at the December meeting being held at Roy Meissner's home. You will receive a ballot in the mail.

The views and opinions expressed in the Badgerland S Gangers newsletter are those of the editor, unless otherwise credited, and do not necessarily represent that of the club, it's officers, directors, or the membership. The Badgerland S Gangers do not offer any warranties, guarantees, nor assume any liability from the information contained in I this publication