RPM Update

A few face-to-face Railroad Prototype Modeler (RPM) events are ahead on the calendar. The Reading modelers meet this weekend while the Central Ohio and Carolinas events are next weekend. An RPM in Los Angeles closes the year. Check the RPM calendar for dates, locations, and links.

If you can’t attend those, the Hindsight 20/20 organizers have a couple of virtual meets. The evening of Wednesday September 22nd will be a focused presentation on the Penn Central EMD SW-1200 diesel switcher fleet. The new HO scale Rapido model will also be reviewed. Check the registration page for more detail. You must register in order to receive the meeting connection details. Participation is free.

The other Hindsight 20/20 event is a full Saturday of eleven presentations on October 2nd. The schedule has been posted on the registration page. Again, you must register in order to receive the meeting connection details. Participation is free.

Looking towards 2021, Prototype Rails at Cocoa Beach is set for early January. A one day meet in Copetown, Ontario is scheduled for late February and RPM Valley Forge has a late March weekend in metro Philadelphia. Check the RPM calendar for dates, locations, and links.

A recent announcement from the New England Northeast RPM organizers brings to light a problem affecting other RPM events. Some hotels that have hosted events have been closing. In other cases, hotel management has been giving preferential treatment to weekend wedding events. They want to maximize their profit and weddings bring in more than an RPM.

If you are organizing an RPM event, consider alternative venues to minimize costs. Keep your options open by checking conference centers, small colleges, community centers, fairgrounds, and even church or scout camps. Years ago I attended a New Jersey RPM held in a county 4-H center and had a great time.

Local lodging and restaurants are not far away from these alternate facilities. For many RPM events, the main audience is from the local area. Avoiding a hotel can translate into less stress for organizers who would need to fulfill hotel contract specifications for booked rooms and in-house meals.

Best of luck to all those who are organizing an RPM event in the upcoming months.


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