The unofficial summer has arrived! Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and FUNTRAK members Greg Brockway, John Fleming, and I have begun a new chapter in FUNTRAK’s future. The HO division has been revived in the form of T-trak HO. The first of eight planned modules were constructed over the weekend, so there are now two corners awaiting track and electrical connections. Plans down the road include finishing two more corners and then building four straight modules. This will provide a minimal layout in HO of approximately four by eight feet. Club members are eager to support this new effort and look forward to the completion of the first layout. As usual, there are some minor issues that accompany any new endeavor. The first is transportation. Although HO is not really huge, it is considerably larger than the N scale modules used in T-trak. The larger size of these modules makes them more difficult to transport, but this is a problem that will eventually have a solution. Hopefully, it will be a simple solution!

Greg has volunteered to be the HO coordinator for the T-trak division and everyone in the club has promised to help him with whatever he may need to get things up and running. If you are interested in the HO side of the model railroad effort, get in touch with Greg or any club member and information, guidance, and help will be forthcoming.

In other FUNTRAK news, Golden Spike Day, May 10, saw FUNTRAK setting up an interesting layout back at Fisher Elementary School. Over four hundred “visitors” got to see FUNTRAK’s handiwork on Friday with more visitors on Saturday when the school hosted a PTA family fair. One of FUNTRAK’s newest members, Tim Brien, provided a beautifully scenicked Lionel layout for the students to enjoy alongside the FUNTRAK T-trak layout. Both of these displays were big hits for everyone from toddlers to senior citizens. This was a great learning experience for the students as well as adults as the importance of railroading was acknowledged in America’s history, both past and present. The miniature world of model railroading provides a hands on experience as well as an academic challenges for all the participants. It is a great way to learn about a myriad of skills, information, and history for both student and teacher alike. If you want to try a new approach to having fun while learning a variety of new things for yourself, your children, and your friends, try model railroading. You won’t be disappointed!

Brian