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Well 2007 is winding down and the Short Track Railroad can rightfully look back and say, “It’s been a great year!” It’s been a busy and exciting year.

Fall is always a busy time with our club, though not as busy as the summer. In the summer, we log our most “man (and woman)-hours displaying our layout at the San Diego County Fair. It’s wonderful carrying the AGSEM “flag” at the fair, but that particular (and very intensive) effort makes us put our permanent display on the “back-burner”.

I’m happy to report that we have made tremendous progress in our Section House (a.k.a. clubhouse) this fall. Those many AGSEM members and other visitors who visited our layouts at the recent Harvest Fair can readily confirm that, even with the distraction of the latest firestorms in Southern California.

Here are some of the highlights: We built the largest N-Trak layout ever displayed on the museum grounds. It was a U-shaped configuration that featured a route approximately three scale miles! Thanks to member Milt Perkins for the suggestion!

Dave Cobbe ran the affair and decorated with a Halloween Theme. The N trak display also featured the ever popular “scavenger hunt”. We challenge our younger visitors to find various things in or about the layout. Those that successfully find everything win a little gift donated by our members. We even had a few older “kids” play the game because of our fabulous prizes! Thanks to the Wirt Family: Jim, Marty and Miranda! (Some of our guests are still looking for the “Diamond”, come see if you can find it!)

Our permanent layout, the Donner Pass Exhibit (DPE) also made a splash at the Harvest Fair. This is due to our many volunteers who have been working each and every Saturday for the past six months. This layout has progressed to the point of having tunnels and mountains at “Cape Horn” and a functioning train yard in the city of “Colfax”. There are too many members to thank by name for this effort, and although I really, really want to try, I would certainly miss a name or two if I tried. Let it be said once again, thanks to those who have put in the hours on this effort!

The next item on our “docket” is the annual Holiday Party. It will take place at the Section House on December 15 and will be a pot luck affair. Please send us a note if you want to come and meet us!

We are also planning to participate in the “World’s Greatest Hobby” show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds January 12 and 13, 2008. This is a show that tours the country in an effort to introduce model railroading to the public. Interest in model trains has waned over the past years, partly due to kids, computers and other various factors.

This show is designed to introduce the hobby to future generations and encourage those with “trains in a box, in the garage” to dust them off and get involved again. We will proudly represent the AGSEM at this event. Thanks to Pete Steinmetz for volunteering to run this show. Well that’s it for now. As always, we are looking for new members and we want YOU! Come see us soon!

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