This is the official schedule for the 2024 Bay Area Layout Design and Operations meet in Santa Rosa.
Schedule is subject to change, please check back closer to the event for changes.
Visit the Northwestern Pacific Historical Society's archive. The NWP Historical Society Archives and Library is the site where volunteer staff catalog and study documents, photos, plans and blueprints, and other material for the purpose of preserving the history and heritage of this legendary line, from its origins to the present.
Meet in front of the library at 75 Magnolia Ave. in Petaluma at 2:30 pm. You'll be guided through the library, seeing the various worksites and materials involved in preserving railroad history. Attendees may go through in smaller groups depending on space inside the museum.
Meet your fellow attendees and organizers on a virtual get-together on Zoom. Meet some of our panel participants, organizers, modelers and operators for a meet and greet before Saturday's event. We will bring you photos, video and information from our tour at Northwestern Pacific Historical Society Library in Petaluma, California. We will also have technical reminders, help you verify your setup and connection,and some housekeeping notes.
Meet your fellow in-person attendees for a group buffet dinner at the Chevy's restaurant in the old Petaluma and Santa Rosa depot in Santa Rosa's Railroad Square Historic District. Dinner is $42 for the meal and non-alcoholic drinks, or get alcoholic drinks at the bar. Buy your ticket for dinner at the meet registration site on EventBrite. For questions about registering for dinner, contact Cydney Abatecola (cgeorge1314@gmail.com).
LATE CHANGE: Linton Van Beroldingen won't be able to present his clinic on Saturday. Tony Thompson will present instead.
| 8:45 am | Doors open |
| 9:00 am - 9:15 am | Welcome, introduction, news. (Seth Neumann) |
| 9:15 am - 9:30 am | Layout design challenge introduction. (Bruce Morden) |
| 9:30 am - 10:30 am | "Developing Iconic Structures to Set Location and Era". (Doug Nelson) |
| 10:30 am - 10:45 am |
Switching puzzle, break. (Michael Leavell)
(Puzzle description here) |
| 10:45 am - 11:00 am | Layout design challenge #1 (Cal Sexsmith) |
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Evolution of Prototype Model Railroad Operations (Tony Thompson) |
| 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm | Lunch and birds of a feather meetups. |
| 1:30 pm - 1:45 pm | Layout design challenge #2 (Bruce Morden) |
| 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm | Designing a Carolina Piedmont Layout (Ray Freeman) |
| 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm | Layout Design challenge #3 (Brooks Moses) |
| 3:00 pm - 3:15 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm | "Your First Ops Session" Panel (Jim Radkey and his amazing panelists) |
| 4:15 pm - 4:30 pm | Switching puzzle solution (Michael Leavell) |
| 4:30 pm - 4:45 pm | Layout Design Challenge conclusion (Bruce Morden) |
| 4:45 pm - 5:00 pm | Raffle drawing, thanks, closing remarks. |
Layout tours in the Sonoma and Marin County area.
See descriptions and addresses for open layouts.
Operating sessions are by invitation.
If you indicated you wanted to participate in an operating session, then watch your e-mail for the list of available layouts on January 24. Send in your preferences promptly. Assignments to layouts will be sent out the week of January 29.
Contact Jim Radkey (sscotty@att.net) for questions.