Marion, OH RPM
golden1014
Gentlemen,
I went to the Marion, OH RPM meet this weekend and had a great time. I haven't been to all the RPM meets, of course, but Denis Blake has gotta have the best location by far. He hosts the meet in the old Marion Union Station, which is now a musem. There's a ton of historical stuff and signal equipment located on the site, including a nice operating layout. The station is surounded by three double-track mainlines and although I'm not much of a modern railfan I thoroughly enjoyed the parade of trains going by the depot. I was only able to attend the meet on Friday but I'm sure I saw 25-30 trains of all types. There's plenty of stuff for the steam era fan to research there too--the Marion Shovel Works, the Erie yard, all the industry that once kept Marion going. One of the best things about the museum is the simulator for the old NYC tower that governed the junction--it works, and you can go into the tower and "play" signalman, working the levers on an actual timed scenario with a totally working model board. It is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. If you're a steam era guy this is something you've gotta come and check out--it is worth the trip. We had a nice time and Denis was a great host. I saw about 400 models of all types and I understand more came on Saturday. We had inpromtu slide shows and the clinics were all excellent and held in an adjacent part of the building. The local restaurant--The Shovel (the name comes from the old Marion Shovel Works which was next door)--had great lunch and dinner specials and was 20 feet from the depot. I spent a lot of time talking with Warren Calloway, Stan Rydarowicz, and others--it was a nice time and I highly recommend it for those that want a break from the ordinary RPM meet. That is, of course, after you come to St. Louis in a few months... John John Golden O'Fallon, IL 2011 St. Louis RPM Meet Info: http://icg.home.mindspring.com/rpm/stlrpm2011.htm
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