Hi All, nice to see the recent posts.  Always good to see our friends busy on their railroads.  And Jim it is great to see you fully retired and enjoying life and our great hobby.  We sure are happy that you are getting to run trains and giving us great updates!!

I haven't had too much time to work on the Nashville just lately except for Bob and I enjoying an all day op session the last Saturday of each month.  In the middle of a master bathroom remake and more outdoor chores than I think a retired gentleman should have to tackle but when I complain to management, I'm told that there is just one problem, there are no gentlemen involved in those chores!! 

Okay but I am a railroader and you can't take that away from me.  From my cold dead hands, you will have a heck of a time removing my Pro Cab!!

So, I have also been pretty busy working on the Regional Convention that we will be hosting in Oct 2018.  Jim, the dates are 11 to 14, so I hope you can schedule the PT Weekend other than that one so I can make it.

Next week, we have the 2017 Regional Convention in Grand Rapids and I will be presenting 2 clinics on ProTrak.  I just found out that they have given me a 2 hour block each day.  As much as I like to talk, I hope that that is enough time!!  I've decided to bring my laptop and a projector and walk the audience through the program.  Some time at the beginning to show them how the program is used to create their railroad, and an overview of the program itself.  The second half will deal with an op session and how the program is used during the session.  It will be nice to be able to show them all the reports that we use and the information that is available to us in real time as the session proceeds.

Anyways, I will give you all a report on the clinics after the convention and I then hope to get back to working on the railroad.  I have some upgrades waiting to be made and am very happy with the switch upgrade program that I have been doing rebuilding Atlas code 83 switches to the quality of Fast Tracks switches.  Makes a great difference in operations and much more realistic.  Still looking at further trackwork expansion in a few of the towns for better switching capabilities.  Just another of my favorite parts of the hobby.

Joe Brann, I hope you all are battening down the hatches.  Will keep the good people of Florida in my thoughts and prayers.

Best, Andy K