Reunion 2015 - Chattanooga

All Aboard for the Reunion

Reunion 2015 meeting, meals, exhibits and presentations will take place in the former National Model Railroad Association building, now a part of TVRM, located at 4121 Cromwell Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421.

Reunion registration is $50 for NCPS members and $60 for non-members. Spouse’s fee is $35. A late fee of $10 per person will be assessed after May 9. Registration includes a buffet meal Friday night and a catered dinner Saturday. There will be an add-on fee of $36 for the Saturday excursion to Chickamauga. Registration form is available here.

Hotel: Mainstay Suites, located a short distance from the meeting location, is host hotel for the Reunion. We have reserved a block of only 12 rooms, so do not procrastinate calling in your reservations to Mainstay, (423) 485-9424. Ask for the NCPS special rate of $63.16 including taxes. This rate, which includes free breakfast, is available only until May 1.

Activities:

Always on the lookout for something new, this year we will feature a night photography session for the professional photographers and shutterbugs among us. The society will rent studio lights Friday night for a rare opportunity to photograph trains and equipment at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Along with the opportunity to capture those nocturnal images, we also will tour the TVRM back shops.

The highlight of our Saturday events will be a 6-hour round trip excursion from TVRM’s Grand Junction station to Chickamauga, Ga. The train will depart at 10 a.m. and return at 4 p.m. There will be a layover in Chickamauga, giving participants time to grab some lunch. (This trip is optional and will cost $36 in addition to the regular Reunion registration fee.)

For those not wishing to take the train excursion, there cannot be a better place to train watch or to explore the local fare than Chattanooga. The city is home of the renowned Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, the Incline, a multitude of art museums, a zoo and a tow truck museum, or you might rather experience the facilities and shorter excursions at TVRM. There is no way to see it all in one day.

We have not forgotten the ladies on this trip, either. They seem to always receive the company of each other with great vigor. Saturday will be filled with antiquing, shopping, sightseeing and lunch at their leisure.

Our meeting, meals, exhibits and presentations will take place in the former National Model Railroad Association building, now a part of TVRM. Included in the price of registration for you and your spouse will be catered meals Friday and Saturday evenings. There will be two presentations after dinner Saturday night. Tom Knowles will present a clinic on modeling NC&StL trains and structures, and your president will present a Power-Point on “Railroads of the Confederacy.” As always, there will be space for displays; please consider bringing your best NC&StL models and railroadiana to share. If you have rail-road-related items or could consider a cash donation as a door prize, we will always welcome the gift.

I always look forward to the Reunions as a time to see each of you and for conversations and fellowship. I have sent in my registration already and hope to see you all on the week-end of May 15.

Reunion registration is $50 for NCPS members and $60 for non-members. Spouse’s fee is $35. A late fee of $10 per person will be assessed after May 9. Registration includes a buffet meal Friday night and a catered dinner Saturday. As indicated above, there will be an add-on fee of $36 for the Saturday excursion to Chickamauga. Registration forms have been mailed to members with the current issue of The Dixie Flyer; form can be downloaded here, or by contacting Secretary David Ellenburg at 931-636-7101 or ncfan@bellsouth.net. I urge you to not postpone completing and mailing in your registration.

Also, please remember that NCPS dues are due May 1 for 2015-2016. Why not go ahead and include your dues payment as well?

Elections
Under the charter of our society, elected officers serve terms of three years. This year’s Reunion marks the third year in the terms of your current administration, so it’s time to elect a new slate of officers. The positions of President, Vice President, Secretary and a determined number of at-large board members are up for election. Profiles of those who expressed interest in standing for elections at the time are listed in the newsletter. I urge you to read the profiles and familiarize yourself with the candidates.

Since the inception of the NCPS in 2002, we have always expressed an interest in attracting new members to the Board of Directors. I want to emphasize that being a member of the board is not a time-consuming venture. Your board typically meets in person only once a year, at the start of the Reunion. If you are interested in running for the board, please notify our 2015 elections manager, Bill Strong, at (901) 484-7498 or williambstrong@bellsouth.net.

Terry L. Coats, President, Nashville Chattanooga & St Louis Ry. Preservation Society