Hey Dan, You recovered yet? I still have everything to put away before I can do anything train related. We had too much fun at the convention. There is already talk about the next one. I've been asked to pose the question "where should the next one be?" So, everyone chime in and make your suggestion. It is now time to be thinking of the next convention.
My god! Anywhere where a direct flight can land! Meaning international airport not too far away would be a good choice. Atlanta is a hub, it does not have to be as big of a city, but as long as the chosen city can have some good flight availability. Boston would be cool! only a 5hr drive. And at this distance, Anthony from Zscale Monster could probably be there too! Ben
I agree with the comments about having it in or close to a city with an airport that has international flights. And... maybe some place in the middle of the U.S. My vote would be for the Dallas / Fort Worth area. DFW is a single flight from Japan.
Alex, These are all valid suggestions, however anything in the middle would have to be probably lower portion. Gotta go where the most Z scalers are. Eric will be considering all possibilities. Still a long way off, but "prior planning prevents p--- poor products" )
We can get together a large number of modules in Southern California (Los Angeles), where it is ALWAYS warm and no rain Griffith Park is a great museum and you can ride the monorail in Disneyland. Plus Tehachipi. Maybe time it with the SP's steam excursion from LA to San Diego. The East Coast has a lot of railroads though. .
With regards to the next convention, concur with near (1-2 hrs drive) of a large airport. Middle or eastern US have my votes. Middle doesn't necessarily have to be south. I think there is enough Z action to the North, just not as vocal and modular.
GuyZ, am I naive? Looking for pictures and videos under the thread designated to show pictures and videos?
I am looking for the video of the first Z shay with working gears. I was sure it was impossible to do with just hand tools but I was so wrong. Anyone please post videos.... thankyou Kim
I am working on my video right now. No Shay. No moving Challengers. Mikado - yup. All shot on Robert's module with my lights - the light in there was atrocious!
With respect to the next convention....... the prime directive: The number of attendees is directly proportional to the size of the airport serving the location. Hold the next convention in LA, its cheap for almost everybody to get there. Hold it at an end-of-the-spoke-airport location, and the airlines have fly-ins by the short hairs. the after-we-get-through-trying-to-multitask-it-into a combo conference/vacation decision: the attendees want to see Z trains, lots of them; maybe a few workshops on module building, sceniking, etc, that's it. I may be wrong, but from reading the contributors here, it appears the LA location can draw from the greatest pool of module exhibitioners/workshop conductors in Z scale in the whole of the US. And if the family is drug along, there is Disneyland, universal studios, free tonight show tickets etc. the I want a hotel/exhibition hall that knows what model train aficionados want. Can't beat the Queen Mary: been holding the annual G-Scale Woodstock train-in there for decades; if they can set up G layouts in there, Z mods will be a snap. Mucho other hotels in the Long Beach area for those who don't want to stay on the boat. So, I suggest LA for the next Z convention. I don't live there, I will have to fly over 2,000 miles to get there, but i want to see Z scale, as much as can be crammed into a gigantic exhibition hall, and that is where a critical mass of z scalers call home.
The NTS in Sacramento next year should see the largest grouping of Z scale layouts. More than you would see at a Z Scale convention - unles it was in LA which would work for me!
Cool video David! Who is the music by? I don't know about next year's Z Convention, but I do know I will be running trains at the 2011 NTS in Sacramento!
It's not the best video, but you can see the crank turning on Lajos' shay Shay by Lajos video by craZ13_photo - Photobucket
I probably would of gone to the Z convention if you could take your own module and run trains. It is sad, that was a restriction for most. That is what an open convention is about.
