Volume 48 Number 12 - September 2021

[Stuart Taylor]

Everyone

My issue has just arrived. Hopefully no-one has been tempted to throw this one into recycling. A great job by Brian and Peter to get the mailing done this month.

As always, any comments, positive or negative, are welcome.

Stuart

[Hugh Norwood]

I shall listen out for the postie!


{a few minutes later...}

It's arrived! That's me sorted for the rest of the morning. :)

[Peter Boulter]

I await a visit from the postie.  :)

[Hugh Norwood]

What a good magazine!

[MickT]

Arrived in South Wales in the post this morning. Much appreciation to BrianE and everyone else that may have been involved for the prompt, efficient and seamless (to the punter, but probably a great deal of furious paddling under the surface to those involved!) Service, with a capital S

Well done all! I bet Bill is pacing his living room right now wondering how he is going to fill all this time he has suddenly got spare!

Mick

[JulienW]

Build all those models and a layout to put them on that he's never had time to so far?

[Michael Laine]

I was honored to have my Alviso Salt Works layout featured within and on the cover of the September 009 News.  I also wanted to thank Stuart for being a pleasure to work with and helping me get it all together.  I hope members found the California theme interesting and encouraging to others.

We are in the process of adding two new HOn30 operating features to the South Bay Railroad Historical Society museum layout in Santa Clara, CA.  While many are curious about HOn30, which is not common in these parts, some are just bewildered.  Its always an interesting discussion.  We would like to find a few more 009 modelers and possibly form a Northern California group.

Thanks again. Mike Laine

[Hugh Norwood]

I'm aware of the time difference, but you'd be welcome to join the Group Zoom meetings over here; The ScOONS have a regular visitor from the States. And I believe the East Midlands group has a member in Australia (!)

Meeting up online may be a start to beginning a group near where you are.. (You can at least see what we get up to!)

[Paul Alliet]

Let me add that the ScOONS group have been extraordinarily welcoming and helpful to an American who has only the vaguest idea of what he's doing.  Their kindness in sharing and locating information has put me very much in their debt.

Paul

[Jeff Schumaker]

Mike,

I enjoyed your article. A US group of 009 members would be interesting. Unfortunately, I live in NW Oho.

Would it be possible for you to post an overhead view of the layout?

Jeff S.

[Michael Laine]

Jeff - Thanks for comments.  I have a feeling 009 Society members are quite scattered.  While I don't think I actually have an overhead view of the Alviso Salt Works, I'll see what I can do today.  Mike Laine

Mike,

I enjoyed your article. A US group of 009 members would be interesting. Unfortunately, I live in NW Oho.

Would it be possible for you to post an overhead view of the layout?

Jeff S.

[Ian McAulay]

Mike,

I enjoyed your article. A US group of 009 members would be interesting. Unfortunately, I live in NW Oho.

Would it be possible for you to post an overhead view of the layout?

Jeff S.

Hi Jeff

A US group should be entirely feasible using Zoom (or other similar product). Scotland has a relatively low population density and widely scattered Society membership. It's only by having online meetings via Zoom that it has been practical to meet regularly at all. I understand that there have been several failed attempts in the past to get a group going, but were defeated by geography. As Paul mentioned, he has been a long-distance member of the group for several months now and Appleton, WI is quite a long way from Scotland!

(And just to reassure Americans reading this, I know that distances and travel times we Scots think of as quite long are ridiculously short by US standards. Our entire country is about the area of South Carolina, but less compact - we have a lot of islands!)

Ian

[Michael Laine]

A US group should be entirely feasible using Zoom (or other similar product).

Ian - Yeah, good idea.  I'll need to get the word out that we are looking to form a new group here in the San Francisco /Silicon Valley area and see if anybody replies.  Perhaps in the next 009 News.  As you mention, with Zoom, distances become less critical. 

Eventually, I would like to promote the portability of 009/HOn30 layouts for occasional meets.  Small layouts don't have the following here they do in the UK.  But that could change if potential modelers actually see one in action.  Thanks Mike Laine

[Michael Laine]

Would it be possible for you to post an overhead view of the layout?

Jeff S.
[/quote]

Jeff here is an overhead view of the Alviso Salt Works Layout.  You can see the tidal marsh, pump works with its siding, and the salt loading area.   Mike Laine

[Hobby]

That's interesting, I didn't see that other siding in the photos in the News and as there wasn't a track plan I didn't realise it was there! I did wonder how you ran two locos with only one siding!