LA Area Prototype Modelers Meet 2022

We are getting closer to the date. This year we will again have a swap meet in conjunction with the meet. Swap meet setup will start at 7:30 am. Free to sellers and buyers (Buyers must provide their own tables). We ask that buyers contact us to let us know you are coming.

To enter the meet inside, there is a charge of $20.00, it is only $15.00 if you bring a model to display.

What: LA Area Prototype Modelers meet 2022
When: Saturday, Oct 1, 2022, 9 AM to 4 PM
Where: Encounter Christian Church, 10012 Ramona St, Bellflower CA 90706

$20 at the door, $15 with a model to display

Contact jeff Smith at jeff@laapm.org

Visit us on Facebook for our most up-to-date information:
Los Angeles Area Prototype Modelers (LAAPM) | Facebook

We would like to thank the NMRA-PSR-LA Division for assistance with and sponsorship of this event.

— Copy via Jeff Smith, Railmaster Hobbies.

74th Annual Open House Set for November 2022

Western Pacific on the Highland Pacific Railroad. Dave Dodds, Modeler

The Highland Park Society of Model Railroad Engineers, Inc., operators of the mighty Highland Pacific Railroad, will be hosting their 74th Annual Open House on the following dates:

  • Wednesday, November 2, 2022 from 7:00 to 10:00 P.M.

  • Saturday, November 5, 2022 from 11 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

  • Sunday, November 6, 2017 from 11 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

The Open House will feature passenger, freight, commuter, and work trains in action over the large model railroad. You’ll be able to walk among the trains and see them up close Large passenger terminal, arrival and departure yards, manifest freight trains, local peddler freights, unit trains, and scheduled cross-country passenger trains.

Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner Makes Stop at Del Mar

Bruce Turner’s Amtrak Pacific Surfliner stops at Del Mar, a replica of Union Pacific station in Salt Lake City.

The sleek Pacific Surfliner made a rare stop at the Del Mar station. The Surfliner was on a shakedown run over the tracks of the mighty Highland Pacific Railroad. Engineer Bruce Turner says the SC-44 Charger locomotive ran better than expected. Bruce wondered aloud if it was him or the locomotive. In Bruce’s words, “This DCC Bachmann locomotive has all the bells and whistles.”

That’s an understatement. That sound-equipped loco blew that whistle at every grade crossing on its run west to the Del Mar. You wouldn’t think there were that many grade crossings between Highland and Del Mar.

Come on down and see Bruce’s Amtrak Pacific Surfliner in action.

New Officers Elected at Annual Business Meeting

A new Board of Directors was elected at the Annual Business Meeting on July 13, 2022.

The 2022-2024 Board Members are:

The new board takes office on August 1st. Board members serve a term of 2 years.

Other business items included updates from Department Heads. Of note: Standards and Operations announced that standards checks for the 74th Annual November Open House will begin in August. Members can make an appointment now to have their trains checked for running on the layout during the November Open House. Trains not approved by the Standards Department cannot operate on the layout during Open House.

Speaking of which … Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, 7 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, November 5, Noon to 5 p.m.; Sunday, November 6, Noon –5 p.m. Mark your calendars and arrange your schedule now to help show off your railroad to our visitors.

Annual Business Meeting Scheduled for July 13, 2022 at a New Time: 7 PM

The next regularly scheduled Annual Business Meeting is set for Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM in the Club Rooms, 854 E. Broadway, San Gabriel, CA 91776.

Members will have received a copy (via email or US Mail) of the July meeting agenda, minutes of the April 2022 Quarterly Business Meeting (a link to a copy of the minutes is here), and a Meeting Agenda. Also incldued was a copy of a Proxy Form. Please return the signed Proxy Form to Stacy Ross, Chief Clerk, if you are unable to attend the meeting.

NOTE: The new time for the meeting start is 7:PM (not the usual 8 PM start). Be there or be square.

Sunset at Hobart Yard 1982

. . . forty years ago, the sun was setting in the west looking down Santa Fe's Third District main line at Hobart Tower, in Los Angeles, CA, as a Hobart Yard switch job “cabs off" a longer than normal empty piggyback, or "baretable" train, that, because of it's length, was built using the South main. Except for the length, this was a normal weekly occurance. It always amazed me that an empty train would leave both Chicago and Los Angeles every Monday, running the length of the entire system passing somewhere in Kansas. Even back then, they were experimenting with extra long trains as this one extended from Hobart Tower all the way to Eastern Ave, well over ten thousand feet. With nearly a couple hundred feet of slack, not sure I would have enjoyed riding this cab.
Joe Blackwell via Trainorders.com

Miniatur Wunderland Sets Another Guiness World

Miniatur Wunderland, the Hamburg-based attraction that is home to the largest model train set and the largest model train set (scale length) has broken yet another record. 

The attraction has been closed for almost a year due to the Coronavirus lockdown, but the time has given the Miniatur Wunderland team the opportunity to create a new world record for the longest melody played by a model train.

Enjoy this unbelievably creative trip around the world’s largest model railroad. You can visit their site here: Miniatur Wunderland.

Awards Banquet Canceled

The Annual Awards Banquet, scheduled for Saturday, January 15, 2022, has been canceled. The Board, considering several factors including fewer than expected reservations, some members traveling, and concerns related to the ongoing pandemic (the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is reporting upwards of 40,000 new cases over the past several days), the Board recommended canceling the banquet.

Upon the Board’s recommendation the members in attendance at the Quarterl Business Meeting voted overwhelmingly to cancel the banquet. Alternatives were briefly discussed ranging from a catered dinner at the club to a celebratory dinner and operating session on the weekend of the club’s founding date, April 2nd.

Quarterly Business Meeting Scheduled for January 12, 2022

The next regularly scheduled Quarterly Business Meeting is set for Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 8:00 PM in the Club Rooms, 854 E. Broadway, San Gabriel, CA 91776.

Members will have received a copy (via email or US Mail) of the January meeting agenda, minutes of the October 2021 Quarterly Business Meeting, and a Meeting Agenda. Also incldued was a copy of a Proxy Form. Please return the signed Proxy Form to Stacy Ross, Chief Clerk, if you are unable to attend the meeting.

Timetable Operations Set for Wednesday, December 29, 2021

The next regularly scheduled Timetable Operating Session will be for Wednesday, December 29, 2021 starting at 7:00 PM.

James Keena, Standards and Operations Department Head, will have trains, locomotives, and rolling stock staged at various locations around the layout. All trains will run on a schedule outlined in Timetable No. 10.

We need cab operators, West End, Vista, Bayshore, Del Mar, Blue Island and Doering yard operators, as well as Eastside and Westside Brakemen.

There are operating positions for all members. Come on down for the last operating session of the year.



Memberships available. Call (626) 285-1031