York 2014

In Thursday’s meeting, the membership approved the adoption of a new wiring harness standard. The new wiring harness will provide improved performance especially for large layouts, such as the upcoming Spring 2014 York TCA meet.

The purpose of this email is to inform the membership that participant modules at the TCA York Meet in April are required to have the new wiring harness.

All modules signed up to participate must have the new harness installed prior to arriving in York for setup on the morning of Wednesday April 23. There will not be extra harnesses available at York, nor will there be time to do retrofits on site. If you do not have the new wiring harness installed prior to arrival we cannot install your module in the layout.  The complexity and size of the layout will require all of the time we have, collectively as a club, to assemble the layout and test it for proper operation. The club’s electrical experts will be occupied with issues related to the setup of the layout.

HARNESS ORDERING

The club is going to place an order for harnesses from a commercial supplier on January 2, 2014. As discussed in the meeting, and in the email sent by Jack dated November 22, 2013, the cost of each harness is $42 (one harness is needed per module), and is payable to the National Capital Trackers, c/o Joe Helsing, Treasurer (see Jack’s email for complete details). Orders are due no later than December 31, 2013.  If you are going to have modules in York, you MUST order the necessary number of harnesses before the deadline to make sure you receive them in time to install before York.

HARNESS INSTALLATION

As discussed in the meeting on Thursday, there will be several scheduled dates where modules can be brought to someone’s house for new harness installation.  Those dates and locations will be announced in the near future. Those members opting to install the club supplied harness themselves, must have the work inspected by a club appointed inspector.  Harness installation is estimated to take 15 – 30 minutes per module.

Additionally, if there are any members with modules in need of other work (track replacement, etc…) that you are unable to do yourself, please contact Justin Krause or George Tsakiris, and we will do our best to get you in contact with someone who is able and willing to assist.

We are putting on a show for our peers, not the general public. The level of expectation is elevated, and our modules will be in top condition.  Preparation and careful setup allows us to put on a show that we can be proud and have fun.

Thank you for your cooperation;

Justin Krause and George Tsakiris

Spring 2014 York TCA Trackmasters

The Trackers have been invited to present a layout at the 2014 TCA Eastern Division York Meet. The dates for the meet are April 24-26, 2014, with setup on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. Due to the size and complexity of setting up the layout, ALL modules must be on site on WEDNESDAY, to ensure there is enough time to assemble and test the layout prior to the show opening on Thursday.

We are currently considering doing 2 layouts. One which is command control, and one which is conventional control. Sign up sheets were passed around at the meeting last night, which yielded a great amount of modules. We are still in need of more modules. If you are interested in participating, please email Justin at justinkrause001@gmail.com with the following info:

The number of modules

How many tracks the modules have

The type of track on the modules (tubular, gargraves, etc…)

If you are interested in doing a conventional only layout, then please let me know that as well. We are trying to gauge if there is enough interest to do that.

Also, this show is an exposure of the club to a large number of people who are well versed in O gauge trains, and the club really needs to put its absolute best foot forward. If your modules are in need of some work, please consider spending the time to touch up the paint, cleanup/re-do scenery, etc… It will go a long way in making the layout look as great as possible.

If you have questions please feel free to contact George Tsakiris (get_tracking@verizon.net) or Justin Krause (justinkrause001@gmail.com).

Thanks!
Justin Krause and George Tsakiris

Co-Trackmasters

PS – As most are aware, Hotels around York book fully, and often book up early. If you are considering participating, make a reservation as soon as possible.

In November the York County Convention and Visitors Bureau will be hosting a meeting of all local hotel/motel business manages. If you had any such experiences or troubles with your room or special good services please email me with the details. Dates, times, place, please. The County will present our findings to the community and see if the power our group has can gain better services.

The York County Convention and Visitors Bureau works very hard to promote their wonderful County and to increase business and visitor activities. For Eastern Division’s York meet they have a booth near the Silver Hall Registration counter and are prepared to help anyone with rooms, tourist information and assistance. Sometimes they have discount coupons for local restaurants. I encourage all to use their services.

During my terms as Eastern Division President we held a meeting with all the local hotel/motel business managers To try and reduce the high room rates and improve relations. At that time rooms were at a premium and the hotels felt they could raise their rates for any Fairgrounds located meeting.  We briefed all on who we are , what we collect and our concerns. The managers did not agree to reduce rates but some tried to lighten our financial load by offering chits, in the food/beverage areas, and  specials in other areas.  This helped and we were very appreciative of the Bureau’s strong efforts on our behalf.

Now the tables have turned. There are plenty of rooms available in the York area and we are not as big a draw as previously.  Plus with programs like Priceline and others, reduced rates are available.  For example a member booked a room locally for XX dollars months before the York meet and a few days out booked the same type of room at the same hotel thru Priceline for considerable savings. He cancelled his pre-booking and saved significant monies.

If you have cogent examples please send me soonest.

Clem Clement

The Trackers are returning to the black hall for the Spring TCA meet at York.