December 2007 Meet Report and Contest Recap

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December 2007 Meet Report

We had many beautiful models displayed again for all of us to enjoy. We had switching contests, photo contests, and fun was had by all. Thank you to *all* the participants who entered and put on such a good show for the rest of us; we hope you enjoyed our deep admiration and apprection for your sharing it with us.

Click on the links below to see the:
Model Contest
Show and Tell
Switching Contest
Photo Contest

Click here to see the upcoming Coast Division Model Contest and Photo Contest categories for future meets!

You can click on any of the thumbnails below, to see a larger photo of the absolutely gorgeous models presented at the December 2007 Meet..

Model Contest

*Congratulations* to the Model Contest winners by Popular Vote. Thanks to *all* who participated - you are all winners by making a great show for us all.

New web page feature: Closeups! Click on the small thumbnails to see a close-up view of the Model Contest entries.

By Popular Vote, the Model Contest lucky winners were:

Category	1^st Place	2^nd Place	3^rd Place
Favorite Model (any category)	Bob Wirthlin's "Hopper's Cafe" in HO (inspired by the painting "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper): Click the small thumbnails for closeups:	Tom Vanden Bosch's Western Pacific Steel Coil Gondola #4416 in HO Click the small thumbnails for closeups:	Tom Vanden Bosch's Pennsylvania RR 125-ton well car in #470090 in HO Click the small thumbnails for closeups:

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In the end, NMRA contests are not about winning, rather, they are about the fun of participating, about sharing your pride and joy in modeling, and having fun self-inspiring yourself. We all love love to see your pride and joys, and you are all winners for participating. Here is Alf Modine's beautiful entry in the December 2007 Coast Division Model Contest:

Thank You to *all* that entered a model, you put on a great show and inspired the rest of us. We hope you enjoyed our admiration of your work.

So for March 2008, bring an entry and participate! Bring something to share, and enter for the Fun of it in the Coast Division Model Contest.
Click here to see the upcoming Model Contest categories.
:-)

Model Contest and Show and Tell Chair: John Sing

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Show and Tell at December 2007 Coast Division Meet

We also had great participation and wonderful models in our regular quarterly Show and Tell table.

Click on any of the many thumbnails below to see the great models shared by participants in the normal Show and Tell table, including:

Show and Tell slide show of a European US-themed model railroad convention (took place near Frankfurt, Germany in Oct 2007):

Click here to see pictures of the excellent craftsmanship from this convention in Germany

Mike Blumensaadt's Northern Pacific 1959 North Coast Limited in N scale:

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John Sing's Santa Fe Boxcars in N scale:

Jim Eckman's Holiday Cheer structures:

Thanks again to all who participated, and we look forward to seeing you at Show and Tell in upcoming Meets. Bring something that you would like share - a model(s), display about your current project, a work in progress, it's up to you, as any category is always welcome for Show and Tell. We love to see what you're up to!

Coast Division Model Contest and Show and Tell Chair: John Sing

And thanks to our many volunteers, we could not do any of this without each and every one of you!
For example, here our friendly Registrar, John Ameling; a view of our meeting room; and our Switching Contest Chair, Mark Schutzer :

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Results of the December 2007 Switching Contest : (Congratulations to all who participated!)

The winners in the Brakeperson category (5 car problem) are:

First Place	Second Place	Third Place
Steve Williams	Ronnie La Torres	Robert Bowdidge

The winners in the Senior Brakeperson category (6 car problem) are:

First Place	Second Place	Third Place
Bill Burket	Tom Crawford	Pat LaTorres

Congratulations to all, and a special thanks to our Coast Division Switching Contest Chair: Mark Schutzer, who keeps the Allen Fenton Timesaver switching puzzle running smoothly like a (fast) Swiss watch.

The Timesaver :

Is a fun, devilish little switching puzzle devised by the late, great model railroader, John Allen.

Click on these links above to learn more about the Timesaver, about John Allen, or his world famous HO Gorre & Daphetid model railroad, which inspired an entire generation of model railroaders worldwide. John Allen lived in Monterey, California, and was a long time member of the Coast Division until his passing in 1973.

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Results of the December 2007 Photo Contest : (Congratulations to all who participated!)

The theme was: "Prototype Trains in Action":

There were many artistic, noteworthy, and creative entries, and every one is worthy of award and mention. Thank you to all who brought your photo to share, we all love seeing your work.

Click on any of the thumbnails below to see a larger copy of the Photo Contest Entry. By Popular Vote, the lucky Photo Contest winners were:

First Place	Second Place (tie!)	Third Place
"BNSF on Tehachapi" by Seth Neumann	"On the way to San Jose" by Tom Vanden Bosch "UP" by Nick Briscoe

We had many entries, all of them interesting and artistic. Click on a thumbnail below to see our other beautiful entries:

Thank you to *all* who participated. We hope you enjoyed a few minutes of fame and the ongoing admiration, of your fellow NMRA modellers and guests.

Bring a photo to the next Meet's Photo Contest! Click here to see the upcoming categories.

Coast Division Photo Contest Chair: Pat LaTorres

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Upcoming Model Contest categories:

Coast Division Model Contest Results for March 2008 will be determined by Popular Vote. Arrive and enter early to get more votes!

March 2008: Freight Car, Caboose, Maintenance of Way

June 2008: Structure, Display/Diorama, Self-Propelled Cars & Traction

September 2008: Steam Locomotives, Diesel & Other Locomotives, Passenger Car

December 2008: "Favorite Model" (open category)

Optional: NMRA Judging is available at the Coast Division Meet to any Model Contest participant for:

- Achievement Program Merit Points
- Regional/National Contest entry preparation 'dry-run' and friendly expert advice
- Or, just to see how you would have done (smile!)

Please contact the current Coast Division Model Contest Chair, John Sing, or the current Achievement Program chair Kermit Paul, if you would to have your model judged at the upcoming meet.

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Upcoming Photo Contest categories:

March 2008:                "Protoype Diesel Locomotives"

All photos should be matted (inexpensive, resusable mattes can be had at most art supply stores) and should be between 5x7 and 11x14 in size. Hope to see your work there!

Results are determined by Popular Vote. Bring your photos early to get the early votes.

Photo Contest Chair: Pat LaTorres

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