Bay Area Layout Design & Operations Weekend
January 27, 28, & 29, 2012

Sponsored by:
NMRA Pacific Coast Region
Layout Design Special Interest Group
Operations Special Interest Group

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Welcome to the South Bay Area!

The Pacific Coast Region-NMRA, Layout Design SIG and Operations SIG will hold another joint San Francisco Bay Area Regional Meet in the South Bay Area (about 45 minutes south of San Francisco) Friday, January 27, through Sunday, January 29, 2012.

A terrific three-day program is being planned for your model railroading enjoyment. The agenda for the weekend includes kick-off dinner (no-host), clinics, operations discussions, track planning workshops, layout operations consultations, track planning consultations, and visits to local layouts on Friday and Saturday evenings. There will also be operating sessions at several nearby layouts on Sunday, along with additional layout tours. Don't be surprised if someone puts a throttle in your hand!

The meet and all three days of layout tours are open to all. If you can't join us for the entire meet, at least come out and enjoy some truly wonderful layouts all three evenings.

The 2011 meeting was a big success, and we hope 2012's will be also.

Location

Mountain View Community Center
201 South Rengstorff Avenue
Mountain View, CA, 94040
(MAP)

Layout Descriptions and Maps

The layout tours on Friday and Saturday nights are open to SIG meet attendees and, as a "Coast Tour", are also open to all PCR members, even if they are not participating in the SIG meet.

Get layout descriptions and map here!

Enter your registered email address and NMRA membership number to access the maps. If you have any problems accessing the maps, please contact Steve Williams directly at spwilliams@gmail.com or by phone at (408) 857-6787.

Friday Night Kick-Off Dinner

The weekend's festivities start with a no-host Kick-Off Dinner, 7:00 PM Friday, January 27. You are welcome to join us at Fiorillo's Restaurant, 638 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, for some good food, along with good conversation with friends, both old and new. (MAP)

Be sure to indicate on the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM if you will be joining us so we can make the necessary reservations. Layout tours of several local layouts will follow dinner.

Saturday Schedule

Note later starting time! We cannot get into the building until 8:00 AM to setup chairs and tables. Thanks in advance for your patience.

TIME	TOPIC	PRESENTER
8:30	Registration opens
9:00	Introductions	Seth Neumann, Chairman
9:10	Welcome	Pat LaTorres, PCR President
9:30	More Prototypical Waybills	Tony Thompson / Jeff Aley
10:15	Practical TT &TO For Mid-Sized Layouts	Dave Clemens / Jim Providenza
11:00	Announcements
11:30	Birds of a Feather (BOF) Discussions
12:00	Lunch Break
1:30	What's New in JMRI	Bob Jacobsen
2:15	Modernized South Pacific Coast in G Scale	Gary Siegel / Bruce Morden
3:00	My 3 Layouts	Byron Henderson
3:45	Panel: Issues of Modeling in Different Scales	Bruce Morden
4:45	Closing Remarks	Seth Neumann
5:00	Dinner Break
7:00	Layout Tours Start
10:00	Layout Tours End

Exhibits & Displays

Please bring your display of layout design or operations-related ideas. (Layout mock-ups are particularly interesting). Please indicate what you are bringing and its size in the "Comments" block of the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM.

Track Planning & Layout Operations Consultations

Byron Henderson is again organizing the layout design and operations consultations. If you are planning a layout, bring along your "Givens & Druthers", maps, sketches, and other materials to get a free consultation from group members! They can also help with questions about operating your layout, including how to get started. Please indicate on the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM that you would like a free layout design or operations consultation to facilitate scheduling.

"Birds of a Feather" (BOF)

Would you like to meet with others modeling your region, prototype or era? Interested in DCC, sound, computerized switchlists, or layout CAD programs? Any of these might be a topic for an impromptu "Birds of a Feather" meeting. Let us know if you would like to informally lead a short group discussion on any topic. These are scheduled at the end of the morning session so you can continue your discussion over lunch, if you'd like. Please indicate in the "Comments" section on the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM if there are any BOF discussion topics of interest to you, either as a participant or the leader.

WANTED: Layout Tours

David Parks is arranging for a number of layouts to be available Friday and Saturday evenings to tour and we would like to have more. Remember that SIG groups will be appreciative of seeing your layout in any state of construction, or even completion! If you'd like to make your layout available to us, please use the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM to let David know.

Sunday Op Sessions

David Parks is also coordinating operating sessions for Sunday morning and afternoon at a number of nearby layouts, including many opportunities for those new to operations. Please use the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM if you'd like to sign-up for an operating session.

Cost

• $20.00 covers all events, except Friday's dinner.
• Friday's dinner is no-host, as well as all other meals.

Car Pools

Contact Bob Jacobsen if you need or can offer a carpool seat to a fellow attendee. Past attendees have come from all over the country and would welcome riding with someone familiar with the area.

RSVPs & Registrations

To facilitate planning, please RSVP and register in advance using the ONLINE RSVP & REGISTRATION FORM. Be sure to sign up for the other activities so that we can contact, especially about your preferences for operating sessions.

Contact Us

For more information, to volunteer to help out, get names for car pools, etc., contact:
Bob Jacobsen
Phone: (510) 486-7355
e-mail: jake@physics.berkeley.edu

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Page maintained by Dave Grenier, PCR / LDSIG / OPSIG.