Traction Action at Pomona Great American Train Show

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            The Southern California Traction Club displayed its HO scale traction modules at the Pomona Fairplex on November 8 - 9, 2002.

Using the current common 16' square display, the module arrangement features a section of Pacific Electric four-track as it existed before the urban sprawl engulfed it. There is a section reminiscent of a downtown section typical of an Eastern city in the 1950s, a suburban area and a very rural section. Four Innovator 3500 throttles, originally developed by the Innovative Train Technology Company, operate the display.  These throttles are available from Alpine Division Scale Models.

            The club has been operating more trains in the last view appearances. During this show, both C&LE box motor 645 and Northern Electric 1010 took turns with the reefer train. The NERy 1010 belongs to the newest member of the SCTC, Pete DeBeers.

            Above is the 645 on track 1 of the 4-track section while LVT Express Motor C-5 passes.

            Another feature recently added to the club display is a section of trolley coach wire, which according to club practice is also "live".

            This was the 37^th appearance for the now seven-year-old club. The members of this club come from all over the Southern California area (and include Byron Brainard, Laguna Beach, CA; Michael DeGhetto (Alpine Division Scale Models), Artesia, CA;  Pete DeBeers, Pasadena, CA; David Garcia, Downey, CA (National Railway Air-Brake Specialist); Bob Hill, Lakewood, CA; Charles Hepperle (Founder-20's & 30's Model Railroad Club) Claremont, CA; George Huckaby (Custom Traxx); George Jones, Culver City; Bill Kift, Long Beach; Toshisuke Matsumoto, Tokyo, Japan; and Akihisa Saitoh, Kyoto, Japan. The club meets on  the 4^th Sunday of each month at their clubhouse in the Baldwin Hills section of Los Angeles. For more information call the club at 323-931-1994. Members of the club can usually be found at the clubhouse on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings working on club projects, testing and certifying cars for operation or improving modules. Prospective members are welcome. No knowledge is necessary, just interest and desire to have fun. For information on the club, contact Bill Kift (562) 429-2627; George Jones (661) 510-8234 or George Huckaby (310) 990-5422!

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Happy Holidays to All!!

The Greatest (Model Train) Show on Earth?

            On eleven Sundays each year, the DuPage County Fairgrounds, in Wheaton, Illinois, just west of Chicago, hosts the Great Midwest Train Show from 9:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. The Times has attended this show twice in the last three years and found it nothing short of amazing. We found the amount of traction in all scales to be much greater than expected and reviewed this show in both the June 2002 and September 1999 editions.

                There are over 550 vendor tables in over four buildings and that does not count those vendors who set up tables in the parking lot. Two things that you should remember about the GMTS. The current staff of the GMTS is the same group of professionals that have been putting on that show for years and know precisely how to serve the public and the vendors. For years these same people put on model train shows all over the United States and Canada. The second thing to remember is the schedule. Don't plan a trip to the Chicago area without checking this schedule. The 2003 schedule is: January 12, February 9, March 9, April 13, May 4, June 1, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 9 and December 14. There is no show in July.

                For more information, check their web site at www.GreatMidwestTrainShow.com. Their E-mail address is info@GreatMidwestTrainShow.com. and their phone number is 630-290-1962. They are always happy to talk to you.

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Trolleyville Merchant Advisory Cancelled

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            We reported to you in the November issue that a check was returned on October 5^th to one of the Trolleyville merchants indicating Non-Sufficient Funds:

            The affected merchant reported to the Times that the merchant received one half of the amount due on November 12 and the second half was received on November 29^th.

This merchant advisory is now cancelled.

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Custom Traxx Expanding Their Decal Line

            In a surprise announcement, Custom Traxx notified the Times that in 2003, they would begin making traction decals in other scales, particularly large scale and O scale. This is a radical departure from their first ten years of operation where they had for the most part concentrated on HO scale only. The first set in 0 scale will be for the New Orleans 800 and 900 series streetcars, including the Riverfront "Painted Ladies" cars.

                To support this major business decision, George Huckaby has resigned from the position of Director, Vendor Relations with the Great American Train Shows, LTD effective December 31, 2002. In this position, he had championed Build-A-Kit and the recent Fun with Miniature Trains programs at Great American Train shows and the National Train Shows.  In an interview with the Times, George said that he felt it was time to devote more time to traction decal making, which at certain times was a real challenge. The Times wishes him the bet of luck.

                Meanwhile, Custom Traxx will be releasing HO scale decals sets for the third Avenue Railway System (New York City; Single Truck Open Cars and Additional Striping for Interurban Passenger Vehicles.

                For up-to-date information on the Custom Traxx decal line, view their web site at www.customtraxx.com.

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Southern California Traction Club Next Appearances

            The Southern California Traction Club will be next operating its model trolley cars from live overhead wires at the Del Mar Great American Train Show on December 7-8, 2002 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, both days.  The next two appearances have been set at the Anaheim Great American Train Show on January 4-5, 2003 and the Model Train Expo at Pomona Fairplex on March 1-2, 2003.

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Richard Orr Visits Southern California

                Richard Orr, well-known by HO scale traction fans for his street track special work, and accompanied by his wife, Martha Ann, finally got to visit Southern California 18-24 November. On their way home from a trip to Australia, they spent a week in Manhattan Beach. During this week, they got to visit Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris; Allied Model Trains in Culver City; The International Printing Museum in Carson; The Original Whistle Stop in Pasadena and the Port of Los Angeles Waterfront Trolley Line in San Pedro. The Orrs are shown below in front of car 501 soon to be operational on the Waterfront Trolley Line.