Open House Starts Tomorrow!

It’s here! The 71st Annual Open House begins tomorrow at noon. The afternoon session will be followed by a session featuring night operations on the Highland Pacific Railroad. Don’t miss it.

Following tomorrow’s special operating session there will be a repeat of the afternoon session on Sunday. Sunday’s Open House begins at Noon.

If you are unable to attend this once-a-year event, you can attend next weekend on Saturday and Sunday beginning at Noon both days.

All days of Open House will include snacks and drinks for sale, and a big raffle. You do not have to be present to win.

Open House is Approaching—Get Your Equipment Checked

Open House is less than a month away. Members wishing to run their trains during Open House need to bring their equipment in for a Standards Check. The last night for Standards Check is Wednesday, October 23. Bring your rolling stock to James Keena and he will do the inspection. Steve Smith, General Superintendent, says each member can bring two complete trains with locomotives for Open House.

Reminder: Equipment not approved by the Standards Department will not be allowed to run during our 71st Open House.

Train layout of a different sort

Creative, clever, engaging train layout. Enjoy.

Award-worthy caboose on HPRR rails

Marc Thrasher’s award-worthy Overland Models brass UP 25895 caboose makes an appearance during the HPRR Timetable #10 operating session. Here the caboose sits in Vista Yard for clearance before hitting the high iron east to Highland. There it will be assigned to another freight for a trip back west.

Pat Keegan's "Last Train" Makes its Final Run on the HPRR

Pat Keegan, long-tkme member, passed away recently. Several of his locomotives, rolling stock, and cabooses made their final run over the rails of the Highland Pacific Railroad. The Men of the Highland Pacific wish him a peaceful journey.

It Was So Good We're Doing It Again

Operating action on the large layout of the Highland Pacific Railroad.

The 2019 Spring Open House and Swap Meet is scheduled for June 1st and 2nd. A revival of an old Highland Pacific Railroad tradition, two open house weekends each year, is back with the end-of=spring Open House. We will be hosting and on-site swap meet for the first time in many years.

What: 2019 Spring Open House and Swap Meet
When: Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd.
Time: Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm;
Sunday, Noon to 5 pm
Swap meet: Saturday, 7:30 to 10 am
Where: 854 Broadway, San Gabriel
Cost: Always free

In addition to the swap meet and layout operations there will be a special operating Lego train layout on display, big raffle, food sales, and live action video of riding the model trains over the large club layout.

Calling All Members: Quarterly Business Meeting Scheduled for April 10th

The next regularly scheduled business meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

What: Quarterly Business Meeting
When: Wednesday, April 10, 2019, 8 PM
Where: Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc.
854 Broadway, San Gabriel, CA 91776

This meeting could be one of the most consequential business meetings in the past several years. In addition to the usual business reports and department reports, discussions will begin on possible modifications to the east side of the layout. An increasing number of our members are aging and now rarely visit the east side of the layout because of the difficulty in navigating the duck under to Underhill/Greely. This meeting will consider several options to changing the current layout design.

Come join discussion. Remember: this is a discussion not an argument.

Closed! (for now …)

The club rooms of the Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc. are closed. For now.

Non-dues paying termites have taken up residence in the club and are about to be unceremoniously evicted. A professional termite company has “tented” the club house in preparation for gassing the pests.

The clubhouse is closed until tenting is removed on Thursday, December 20th.

Merry Christmas to all.

New Video Documents 2018 Open House

Ray Olesen has done it again. He has provided a comprehensive run on the mighty Highland Pacific Railroad. Ray’s work is a fitting documentation of the 70th Anniversary of the Highland Pacific Railroad.

See the video in the Photos/Videos section of this website.

70th Anniversary Open House A Resounding Success

The Open House Operating Crew on the Final Day of the 70th Anniversary Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc. Open House

Moms, dads, and kids of all ages waited in anticipation of getting in to be able see, up close and personal, the mighty Highland Pacific Railroad.

After 5 days and 25 hours of showing off the Highland Pacific Railroad the 70th Anniversary Open House has come to a close. The extra days and extra hours demonstrated why the Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc. Has one of the better-known, larger model railroad clubs in the greater Los Angeles basin.

Activities included operations, displays, Lego Railroad, food sales, and a big raffle. The schedule of events, getting the layout and clubroom in shape, and detailed planning were the work of Steve Smith, Sr., who served as Open House Chief.

Those in the picture, kneeling from left: Steve Smith, Sr., Assistant Superintendent and Open House Chief, Jack Ross, Marc Thrasher, Pete DeBeers. Standing from left: Gerry Willis, General Superintendent, Bill Chappell, Dave Dodds, James Keena, Paymaster, Dave Flynn, Bruce Turner, Lindsay Smith, Chief Clerk, Cliff Bender, Ray Olesen, Arie Korporaal, Jerry Duncan.