Amherst Railway Society
Newsletter

I am reporting to you having just completed our first Annual Swap Meet. Held at the Carriage House on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition, it was a wild time. Once all arrived – our final count was 23 – swapping and “horse-trading” abounded. At one point, we all realized that this was nothing more than an exchange of what we did not want. In Clark Huber’s words, “We will be taking everything home again, just in different boxes!” The good news is that some of us had what the others were looking for and that’s what counts. The bad news is that some of us left with more than we came with! At one point, it got so rowdy (laughing and carrying on with the trading) that I turned to Dick Joyce and said, “This is why I love doing these things.” This turned out to be another event that we can get together and have fun with our friends; so many of us having a great time. The fact that we sent this out to the entire Amherst membership, gave us the opportunity to meet folks that we had not seen before as well. On top of it all, we had a continental breakfast and a fantastic lunch. We would love to see this double in size for next year!

While the swap meet has little to do with the Show, I can tell you in that regard that we are about to have our first planning meeting for the 2011 show. We were in the habit of having that meeting in April, but the Show has been running smoothly (knock on wood) for the past couple of years so that we really do not have to have this meeting until the May/June time frame. I can report that the number of requests from NEW exhibitors has dramatically increased, thanks to the success from the 2010 Show. Some of these “new” exhibitors are very interesting, which means we will once again have some new and surprising things at our annual event! Remember, if you have any ideas for the Show, no matter what type of idea (new exhibitor, and other ideas, etc.) please do not hesitate to contact us.

My final note for this month is that of a reminder for the Silent Auction that we will have just before the final meeting of the season (at the June meeting). We have accumulated many great items that will allow you to bid, have some fun, obtain these items at a VERY low price, and we get to add to the grant fund all at the same time. What was great about the swap meet is that many folks donated things for this year’s silent auction. This year’s items include works of art, lots of cars, locos, more vintage Lionel, tons of scenic materials, books, throttles (some new still in the box), clothing and more. Once again, I look forward to the “friendly” bidding that we saw at last year’s silent auction. And, get this: This is our third Annual Silent Auction….times flies when you’re having fun….see you soon!