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Landmark Mall 2004
Friday night, March 12, the Army of Northern Virginia descended upon Landmark Mall in Alexandria, for the club’s largest regular layout of the calendar year. Unloading began at 8 p.m., followed by the first phase of set-up, 9:30 - 11:15 p.m. The following morning, members were hard at work by the time this Superintendent arrived at 7:20 a.m., and for the next four hours, we put together a 300' layout and got trains running. Some trains were actually running before the 10:00 AM opening of the Mall, but other lines were delayed by electrical gremlins until a little later. The 75 POFF-equivalents were arranged in three loops, connected by a digital Red Line spine. A small oval contained most of the club’s Mountain Division Modules. [See attached list.] The middle oval contained two yards, several standard modules, and the club lift bridge. The last oval contained two more yards, and the rest of the modules. Each of the seven interior loop of track (including the mountain line) was run on Aristo or Lindsay analog power, and up to six (6) trains ran simultaneously on the 376' digital Red Line Route around the whole layout. Well over 40 members ran trains at some point in the weekend, as we kept trains running until 9:30 p.m. Saturday night, and all day Sunday until the 6 p.m. tear-down. In addition to the trains, we also staffed a table between the two larger loops with material promoting Capitol Limited ‘04, our convention this August. We gave out plenty of convention brochures, club brochures and information about Operation Lifesaver. And we entertained well over 1000 people (some of them future model railroaders?). And that’s the real reason to do a show like Landmark Mall. Mall shows give us plenty of exposure, especially to the non-model-railroader population. There's a lot of overlap in attendance between Greenberg Chantilly, the Scale Show in Timonium, Manassas Railfest, and a lot of other events targeting folks who are already in the hobby. By contrast, mall shows, and other shows like Fairfax Fair and Alexandria Waterfront Festival, catch the uninitiated, the general public. It's no accident that we usually acquire two or three new members after Mall shows. Folks who otherwise would not be exposed to the hobby see our layout, and become hooked. Mall shows get the hobby out of the basement and into the public eye. They expose it to folks, and to entertain even the smallest future model railroaders, without charge to any attendee, so we can give something back to the community - not just model railroaders. We educate the general public about history, and rail safety (which might just save a life or two down the road). And we show that our hobby is a valid, artistic pursuit of one's free time, with darned good results for all the hours we spend at it. Mall shows give us large layouts and lots of time running trains. There are lots of NVNTRAKers who come out to malls (with modules), whom we don't see much at other times. Some folks work weekends, and can only come out early or late on Saturday, or perhaps Sunday morning. And this particular show, the largest layout we had attempted in several years, was a proving ground for the layout at Capitol Limited in August. We found a few glitches in our set-up and tear-down procedures, and a few problems with modules, both new and veteran. We surmounted most of the problems we encountered, and those remaining are on a punch-list to complete prior to August. In all, it was an exhausting, but successful show, which showed the community, and ourselves, the type of public show we can do when we put our minds to it. Many thanks to all those who brought modules, who assisted in set-up, tear-down and trailer packing, who chased away the electrical gremlins, who ran trains, conversed with the public, and publicized our upcoming convention. We could not have done it without you! Next year - a better layout, with even more modules! Till then......Semper Gumby! Participants in the Landmark Mall Layout Jim Altobello: City El (POFF), Scrap-a-ranos (3' corner) Howard Beall: Hobbes's Siding (POFF) and Calvin's Crossing (3' corner) Cotton Bowen: Indiantown Gap (POFF), Wallace, NY (POFF), Neil's Creek (POFF) Edd Braithwood: M&K Yard (24') Mat and Brian Chibbaro: Bikini Bottom (POFF), Cruisin (POFF) John Cook: Possum Point/Quantico Creek (8') Karl Cooke: Rutherford Yard (8') Dave Davies: Brunswick Yard (16') Paul Diley: Kilgore Yard (12'), Wilderness (8' w Mtn) Chauncey Durden: 3rd Hand Lake (POFF) Dave Freshwater: OLI (POFF w Mtn.) Dave Greenacre: Green Lake (POFF) Matt Guey-Lee: Engine Terminal (POFF w Mtn), Reservoir (POFF), Gallitzen Loop (4' x 6') Brad Pedersen: Pine Junction Zoo (POFF) Matthew and Ann Prentice: Triggs Yard (33' x 6') Dale Rinker Natural Pass (POFF), Natural Flats (POFF) Marc Sisk: Pipestone Pass (12' w Mtn) Nick Sklias: Nicksville (POFF), Manata Gap (POFF) John Steitz: Brendel Yard (16'), Cassandra (3' corner) Doug Stuard: Colfax (8') Scott Wahl: Owenville (POFF) Leonard White (Scrapwood Mtn. (POFF w Mtn), Allantown (POFF w Mtn) |