Annual Business Meeting, July 10th

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Highland Pacific:

This is a reminder that our upcoming Annual Business Meeting will be held at 7:30 PM on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

The meeting will be held at the clubhouse located at 854 Broadway, San Gabriel CA, 91776,  If you can not attend please submit your proxy.

This annual meeting will be consequential as all active members in good standing will be voting on a new slate of officers, adopting the annual budget, updates from departments, plans for painting the club building, plans for repairing the building roof, and a discussion of DC, DCC, and a dual layout.

Your voice is critical. Your vote is critical. Be there or be square.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend the meeting, sign the Proxy Form included in your mail from the Chief Clerk and return to at the club’s address: 854 E Broadway, San Gabriel, CA 91776. Important: Your proxy must be in writing, our Bylaws do not allow proxies by phone.

National Model Railroad Association Set to Visit Highland Pacific Railroad

It’s true … the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has added the Highland Pacific Railroad to its tour schedule in early August. The Tour Committee is preparing the tour booklet as we speak.

We have been told that tour buses will visit us on Monday, August 5th or Wednesday, August 7th. We do not know the time as of yet.

More importantly, we need you to be here to put on the best operating show of our well-known model railroad. Adjust your vacation, ask for a day off for tour day, come.to the club on Wednesday evenings and help get the place cleaned up, made ship-shape, are ready to wow.

This is our moment to shine and we need you to be here from now to the August tour date. Come on down. Help get the place ready. Put your mark on the layout. Run a vacuum cleaner. Wrangle a rug cleaner. There are lots of jobs to do and we need lots of members to help get it done.

Let’s put on a good show for the rest of the country. Let’s create the best impression of our favorite model railroad for visitors and give them something positive to remember about the Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers.

76th Anniversary Open House Set for April and November

Pennsy Duplex. Model by Marc Thrasher

It’s official. The 76th Anniversary Open House is set for Saturday, April 6th, from 11 AM to 5 PM. The festivities feature our massive HO-scale layout in full operation: freights, passenger trains, local and peddler freights, commuter, and the famous doodlebugs. You can walk among the trains and observe the trains up close and personal.

There will be a big raffle, food and drinks for purchase, and admission is always FREE. Donations are gratefully accepted.

The gala Open House will be repeated again the first weekend in November, Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd.

Quarterly Business Meeting, January 10, 2024

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Highland Pacific:

This is a friendly reminder for our upcoming Quarterly Business Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 7:30 PM. 

The meeting will be held at the clubhouse located at 854 Broadway, San Gabriel CA, 91776,  If you can not attend please submit your proxy.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend the meeting, click on the link at the right to download a proxy form. Save, print a copy, sign and return to the Chief Clerk at the club’s address above. Our Bylaws do not allow proxies by phone.

Open House Opening a Success!

Photo by Dakotah Russell

The 75th Anniversary Open House opened tonight to a steady stream of visitors during the 3-hour session. All 4 balcony cabs were in use with a steady stream of freight and passenger cars providing interest on both sides of the layout.

Cabs were operated by Marc Thrasher, Arie Korporaal, Ron Merkel, and Chris Rippy who roamed the floor following his train. Incidentally, the 5th balcony cab wasn’t used since it only works with DC power and all locomotives on the high iron tonight were DCC equipped.

Cliff Bender ran the Del Mar panel, Jack Ross operated Vista Yard, Bob Grimm operated the narrow gauge and branchlike, Jerry Duncan manned the front room, and our two newest Active Members, Dakotah Russell and Rey Castillo were active participants too. Dakotah was stationed at Castlegate, and Rey provided our guests with highlights and information about the mighty Highland Pacific. Charly White provided brief tour and commentary on highlights of the massive layout.

The topper for our opening night was our dispatcher, making an appearance from Boise, Idaho, James Keena ran Overview Tower and dispatched trains all evening. James has maintained his dues and is paid up through 2024! Good to have you back Mr Keena!

Open House continues this weekend, Saturday, November 4th and Sunday, November 5th, from 11 am to 5 pm both days. Come on down!

Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc., 854 E Broadway, San Gabriel, CA 91776 • Map link: https://goo.gl/maps/DZukr9EVoGs

Quarterly Business Meeting, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Highland Pacific:

This is a friendly reminder for our upcoming Quarterly Business Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM.  Please note that we have set the start time to 7:30 pm as this earlier start time has been a success.

The meeting will be held at the clubhouse located at 854 Broadway, San Gabriel CA, 91776,  If you can not attend please submit your proxy.

NOTE: If you are unable to attend the meeting, click on the link at the right to download a proxy form. Save, print a copy, sign and return to the Chief Clerk at the club’s address above. Our Bylaws do not allow proxies by phone.

One of our own makes good!

James Keena, longtime member and still an active member of the Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc, was named the Los Angeles Division of the National Model Railroad Association 2022 Member of the Year.

While James toiled quietly, keeping the finances of the club in order, he was also heavily involved in the LA Division as the Chief Clerk/Paymaster for 8 years (and doesn't that make sense?).

Here is the text that accompanied the brief article in Issue #4/2022 of the LA Coupler, the newsletter of the Los Angeles Division of the NMRA:

“First joining the NMRA in 1979, James has long been a “cornerstone” of the Los Angeles Division. Providing countless years of volunteer service, he has been a clinician (How many of you have attended one of his hands-on weathering clinics?), authored numerous articles in the pages of our LA Coupler newsletter, as well a being a frequent Celebration of Model contributor.

James also has served with distinction as the Division’s Chief Clerk/Paymaster for 8 years, chaired both its Contest and Achievement Programs, presided as Registrar at both the 2016 and 2020 annual PSR conventions, and been the primary driver (along with wife, Edna) of multiple SpringRail and FallRail meets.

Congratulations James. Recognition well deserved.

James Keena, LA Division Member of the Year

Memberships available. Call (626) 285-1031