The major item of business at the Annual Business Meeting was the election of officers for the 2012-2014 term.

Newly elected officers are:

William Chappell, General Superintendent

David Flynn, Assistant Superintendent<

James Keena, Paymaster

Dawson Weber, Chief Clerk

Gary Ashcraft, Member At Large

These men constitute the Board of Directors of our Society. As such, they are empowered by our Bylaws and Standing Rules to conduct business on behalf of the Society between regularly scheduled, quarterly business meetings.

Congratulations to them all!

These boxcars are new additions to the web site and were created by artist Dawson Weber. They are, to be sure, heavily weathered. An example of the artist’s work.

Two probationary members were voted into full Active Membership at tonight's quarterly membership. Dawson Weber and Lindsay Smith, having fulfilled the requirements of probationary membership, were both unanimously approved for Active Membership.

James Keena, our Chief Clerk, entered several of his models at the recent Rails to the Rim convention of the Pacific Southwest Region of the NMRA held in Flagstaff recently.

James won a First Place in the Locomotives category for his excellent model of a Baldwin VO 1000 with trolley poles in Pacific Electric livery. This same model was entered in the NMRA national convention in Sacramento last July.

Model of a Baldwin VO 1000 with trolley poles takes first place in the Locomotives category.

He also took a First Place in the Freight Cars category for his Pittsburgh & Lake Erie gondola. You may have seen this model running on the rails of the Highland Pacific Railroad.

The Non-Revenue rolling stock category entry of a Highland Pacific Railroad tank car for fire service also produced a First Place award.

This convention combined with the NMRA national convention James brought in 9 awards. He is, indeed, a winner!

James Keena, Paymaster for the club, as won several awards at the recently completed National Model Railroad Association annual convention held in Sacramento the first week in July. While the convention attendees have only seen these models for a short time in the contest room, you can seem them up close and personal as these are working models that James runs oner the rails of the Highland Pacific Railroad.

Our own Mr. Keena took a First Place in Kit Passenger Cars for his 60-ft SP Harriman Baggage Car (above) kitbashed from a Model Die Casting kit. Note the unusual double-wide and single doors.

Another First Place was awarded for his Union Pacific Class CA-1 Side Door Caboose #25817 (above) fashioned from an old Revell models kit.

James received a Second Place award for his kitbashed Frisco “door and a half” Automobile Box Car (above).

Another Second Place award was garnered for his tongue-in-cheek rendition of a popular series of post cards from the 1940s with two mammoth oranges on a flat car. This award was in the “Thumbs” category, a long running series of cartoons depicting humorous models and model railroading situations.

If you’ve operated via timetable on a Saturday, you’ve used this award-winning effort from James Keena. James received an Honorable Mention award in the Railroad Passes category for his rendition of a railroad timetable that is based on our own Highland Pacific Railroad operations.

His Baldwin VO 1000 diesel electric locomotive switcher in Pacific Electric livery complete with dual trolley poles (click on the link to see a black and white action photo of the locomotive), and a Gorre & Daphetid Box Car were also entered in the model contest.

Way to go James! You’re a winner and an inspiration to the rest of us to dust of our modeling tools and get cracking.