Upcoming Events
2023-2024 RRVD Schedule
New meet location! Starting this
season, RRVD meets (when held on site, check below) will be at
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle, 6950 Belvidere Rd,
Caledonia, IL 61011 [MAP].
We are providing two
versions of the Events pamphlet. If you simply want a
listing of the events, you can print it out using this version:
Spring
2024 Events Linear Version
If you wish to print out a
"booklet" similar to the hard copies we have provided to our
members, you can print it out here using this version. NOTE:
You have to print it "double-sided," then you can fold it in
half and have a booklet. You may have to re-order the pages
depending on your printer settings.
Spring
2024 Events Booklet Version
August 16, 2023 - Potluck Picnic
Time: 5-7 PM
Meet Location: Tullocks Woods Pow Wow Club, 4525 Stagecoach Trail,
Rockford, IL. [MAP]
Event: This is a potluck picnic for NMRA members only and
a guest. Bring two dishes to pass and tableware. The RRVD will
provide beverage and meat. RSVP Ken Mosny with number attending to
registrar@rrvd-nmra.com so
we can plan food.
September 10, 2023
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: TBD
Presentation: Featuring longtime NMRA [1950] [Life] member
Clarence H. Welte. Clarence is a Rockford Native who was "Born on
the 'HORN', the local East side C&NW industrial spur through
Churchill Park alongside Keith Creek and Eastward along Charles
St. thence South between 22nd. & 23rd. Streets to Broadway.
Clarence was at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM) in Union
Illinois during the 80's and 90's when major expansion of the
trackwork mainline and yards were constructed. His presentation
will relate the challenges and accomplishments achieved during
those years.
Contest: Gondola Models Loaded or not, here they come. Bring a
model of your favorite gondola. This is a contest about the car,
not the load.
Layout Tour: Ron Johnson will have his 1950's-1960's Spokane,
Portland and Seattle Railroad open for business. Come see the
northwest 'scenery.
October 1, 2023
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: Tom Maladecki - Scenery Collages (Both sessions)
Contest: On Line Structures Railroads have huge numbers of
structures on their property and privately owned along the tracks
needed for business. Bring one you have built.
Layout Tour: Barry Betts models a proto-freelanced version of
Rockford, Illinois depicting the Illinois Central and Chicago and
North Western as they meander through the city. He has added lots
of new details and some new track since last visited in 2020.
October 19-22, 2023 - Fort Wayne Rails 2023 Convention
Holiday Inn Purdue-Fort Wayne
For more information please visit here: [LINK]
November 5, 2023
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: Jerry Pyfer - (Both sessions)
Contest: Model Railroad Photos Take a good photo of a model
Railroad and bring it. If you haven't documented your layout with
a set of photos, now is the time to do it.
Layout Tour: Gary Loiselle's Overland
Short Haul & Industrial Transfer
Illinois Railway Museum will have its annual Santa Train
on Friday 11/24, Saturday, 11/25, Sunday 11/26, and every
weekend in December through the 11/17. Go to IRM.org
for ticket information.
December 3, 2023
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: Tom Ose - Arduinos and Electronics for ? Railroads (both
sessions)
Contest: Holiday Displays Once again it is time to bring that
favorite model train holiday display.
Layout Tour: Roger Ruschmeyer's O &
ON3 Duluth & North Eastern
January 7, 2024
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: Brian Sheron - Forty Two Year of Tips and Tricks/Adding
Details to Your Layout
Contest: Boxcars The railroads loved boxcars because they could be
filled with just about anything from merchandise, grain and coal,
to hides and automobiles. Bring one of your boxcar models.
January 7, 2024
Annual Holiday Dinner: Lino's at 5:00 PM
social and 5:30 dinner. RRVD members fare paid by the division.
Significant others and guest will be $35.00. Cash bar.
Click here for reservation
flier.
February 4, 2024
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinic: Ken Honacki of the SCWD will present The Transition
Era--The last steam railroads in China. 2-8-2s and 2-10-2s
along with narrow gauge 0-8-0s running out their last days with
diesels encroaching. Double headed steam, welded rail, concrete
ties, lower quadrant semaphores and manual block operation.
Clinic: Ken Honacki of the SCWD will present Chasing the
Big Boy to the Golden Spike--a TRAINS Magazine photo chase
as Big Boy 4014 leaves Cheyenne for Ogden in conjunction with the
150th Anniversary of the Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory.
Includes the festivities at Promontory on May 10, 2019.
Contest: Offline Structures Not all structures on our layouts are
directly related to the railroad's business. An offline structure
could be a residence, retail business, hotel, manufacturer without
a siding or even a highway bridge.
Layout Tour: Duncan Geddes's N scale
Stone Lake Line
February 17-18, 2024
Mad City Model Railroad Show & Sale - See
Facebook post here for more detail.
March 3, 2024
Monthly Meet
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle
1pm-3pm
Clinics: TBD
Contest: Locomotives Railroads had a huge variety of motive power
to suit every task. There will be three model categories: steam,
diesel and other.
Layout Tour: Ken Peterson's N scale The
Plainfield Line
March 16-17, 2024 - Rock River Valley Train Show
Time: 10am-5pm Saturday, 10am-3pm Sunday
Harlem High School, 9229 North Alpine Road, Machesney Park, IL
Find more info on our facebook page [LINK]
or see the flyer [HERE]
April 7, 2024
1pm-3pm
Annual Meeting: The RRVD Annual meeting will be held at 1pm at the
Paulson's Agriculture Museum of Argyle, 6950 Belvidere Rd,
Caledonia, IL 61011 for RRVD business and election of officers for
the coming year. NMRA non-members will be excluded from the room
during the meeting, but are welcome to attend the rest of the meet
activities when the meeting is over. The Annual Meeting should be
over by 1:30pm to continue with the monthly meet.
Clinics: Rich Mahaney - Potatoes and Railroad Car Traffic.
This new presentation looks at the potato from growing to the
final product in an "audience participation" clinic format.
The students will participate in selecting railroad car needs and
traffic, transporting chemicals, growing products, railroad car
traffic, the making of consumer products from potatoes, potato
industries, and more. Lots of fun, answer questions, fill
out flip charts on the wall and discuss the answers with the group
for comparison answers and different answers.
Contest: Flatcars This is a contest about the car, so leave the
load off.
Layout Tour: TBD
May 2-4, 2024
2024 Midwest Regional Convention - Around the Bend visit
the website here or see the flier
here.
May 5, 2024
Monthly Meet
Joint meet in the Madison, WI area with SCWD
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