[CBQ] 90 Days to 2018 St. Louis RPM!

["golden1014 via Groups.Io" <golden1014=yahoo.com@groups.io>]

Friends,

The 2018 St. Louis Railroad Prototype Modeler's Meet will happen at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois on 20-21 July, 2018.  We hope to see you there!

Join 550 of your friends and fellow railroad modelers at the nation's largest railroad prototype modeler's event.  St. Louis RPM features 23 clinics and hands-on presentations, 120 tables of hand-picked, scale model vendors (no swap meet stuff!), modular layouts, 20 railroad historical societies, hands-on learning stations and exhibitors, home layout tours, evening social events, and the largest attendee model display in the nation, which usually includes up to 3,500 or more models brought by attendees like you for display.  All this and more in the modern, professional Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois, just 15 minutes east of metro St. Louis.

Want more info?  Google St. Louis RPM and read all about it, and check out our website at http://icg.home.mindspring.com/rpm/stlrpm.htm.

This is a modeler's meet, and the heart of our event is YOUR MODELS.  Bring your models, one or one hundred or more, for our massive model display.  Showing your models is the best way to meet new friends, show your best work, and learn from others.  We'll have at least 70 8 x 2-1/2-foot tables for your models and we want to try and hit the 5,000 models mark, so bring your models and be part of the big show.  Rolling stock, structures and everything else related to railroad modeling--in any scale--is welcome.  Displaying your models is free, easy and safe.  Your fellow modelers want to see your work!

We're proud to provide a great venue for scale model vendors.  This year we're featuring Tangent Scale Models, Speedwitch, Intermountain, ExactRail, Yarmouth, Kadee, Bluford Shops, Protocraft, Rails Unlimited, Mask Island Decals, Plano, True Line Trains, Bethlehem Car Works, Minuteman Models, Central Valley, Oak Hill Model Railroad Supply, SoundTraxx, and many more.  Iowa Scaled Engineering will be here with their complete line, including the much-talked-about Proto-Throttle, so be sure to pull up a chair and check it out.  We've got a big lineup of photo dealers as well, including Bob's Photos, Mainline Photos, Jim Shaw Photos, and John Fuller from Historical Rail Photos.  In addition to offering the latest products, our vendors are coming to meet you and talk to you about new products.  Be sure to tell them thanks for coming!

We've got a lot of cool hands-on exhibitors lined up this year.  Jack Burgess will be here with his CNC machine showing you how to make your own 3D castings.  Jeff Otto of Oak Hill Model Railroad Supply will be here laying turnouts, and of course Protoweathering and The Weathering Shop will be here with hands-on weathering stations.  New This Year: Bob Johnson and the 1/87 Vehicle Group is attending with models and special vehicle vendors to help you power up your vehicle modeling.

 

Want to build models?  We have not one but two HO model-building clinics.  Ted Culotta of Speedwitch will provide an HO scale freight car model, resin parts, decals, and a special clinic, all designed to discuss the prototype and how to kitbash it.  And John Greene of Bethlehem Car Works is building a passenger car clinic and kitbash as well.  We'll give you more details on the models and how to sign up for these special clinics soon.

Want Clinics?  Bob Rivard, Jack Burgess, Jim Dufour, Ted Culotta, Mont Switzer, Brian Banna, Dan Holbrook, David Lehlbach, Trevor Marshall, Randy Laframboise, Tim VanMersbergen, Steve Hile, John Greene and Bill Welch highlight our list of 23 clinics.  Clinics and presentations run from 9:30 to 5:00 on both Friday and Saturday.  Our Friday night slide show will be hosted by prototype modeler and author John Kohlberg, discussing East St. Louis Railroad Operations in the 1970s. 

Want layouts?  Two great layouts will be in house.  The Cincinnati Sipping & Switching Society is bringing a 35-foot HO layout, and Jim Canter will be back with his awesome modular Proto48 Nickel Plate layout.  We'll have home layout tours on Friday night as always--stay tuned for more details.

Want Railroad Historical Societies?  Societies representing the Missouri Pacific, New York Central, C&EI, CNW, L&N, Nickel Plate, Wabash, CB&Q, Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Terminal Railroad Association will be here, along with the National Railway and Locomotive Society.  The MoPac Society is hosting their annual Railroad Historical Society Meeting on Friday evening.  All officers and key players of all railroad historical societies are welcome.  We'll provide more details and a meeting agenda next month.

Want door prizes?  Our ridiculous, never-ending door prize giveaway will happen on Friday evening.

Hotels are on your own.  Our featured hotel is the DoubleTree next door to the convention center, which can be found online at http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/illinois/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-collinsville-st-louis-STLCNDT/index.html.  We've got a special rate there for RPM attendees--just call and tell them you want the "RPM Rate".

The party starts on Thursday, July 19th.  Meet us at Bandana's BBQ on 4 Commerce Drive in Collinsville for our annual and totally unofficial BBQ social and BS session.  It'll be packed so get there early.  Then it's off to the DoubleTree for more eats and more BSing led by our Chief St. Louis RPM BS-er, Mr. Lonnie Bathurst.  

Want more than models?  Come early and visit the National Museum of Transportation http://transportmuseumassociation.org/, the John Barriger National Railroad Library http://www.umsl.edu/mercantile/barriger/index.html and take in some of St. Louis's wonderful attractions like the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Gateway Arch National Park, the St. Louis Zoo, Six Flags, and some great shopping.

All this for just 25 bucks.  No advance reservations are necessary--just show up and enjoy!  And don't forget to BRING YOUR MODELS!

Our thanks to our partners, the Gateway Division, NMRA, for helping us make this happen.

 

Questions?  Contact John Golden at Golden1014@yahoo.com or Lonnie Bathurst at Bathurst@litchfieldil.com.

See you in St. Louis!  

 

Signed, The St. Louis RPM Crew:

Dave Roeder

Brian McQuitty

Mark Lewis

Jeff Kuebler

Lonnie Bathurst

Dan Kohlberg

John Golden

P.S. BRING YOUR MODELS!

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