# West Coast Regional Meet 2014



## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Circle the dates, boys and girls. WCRM 2014 will be June 20 - 24, 2014, in Sacramento, CA, location of the 2003 National Garden Railway Convention.


Planning is getting a late start, but we've got many new layouts (since 2003), and some new ideas about the banquet as well.


Stay tuned for updates. If you've got questions just respond on this location.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

When did Sacremento get moved to the coast? 

Just askin' on a slow morn.... 

John


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

Maybe they are expecting a really big earthquake?


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

According to the geographically challenged, anything west of Denver is "the Coast." Just as anything in California is either San Franciso or Hollywood. 

I'm planning on running trains, and hope folks can find us. GPS helps! But it's not infallible. At Portland last month, Magellen and Tom Tom found every layout, I'm told. Garmin, not so much. 

So, Garmins must be geographically (as well as linguistically) challenged.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I'm betting you are not a native Califorian, are you Dick? 
'Cause 'we' natives tend to be more exclusive as our vision stopped at the border. 

I hope you guys have great crowds and all your trains stay on the rails. 
John


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I keep checking my property on the Colorado River and it still isn't Ocean Front yet.


I will have to see if I can scrap up enough cash to come

JJ


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

If you've never been to a Regional Meet, I think you'll enjoy it. These started in 1994 in San Diego and occur periodically when the National Garden Railway Convention is east of the Rockies. Since we've had a run of NGRCs in the East, this one in Sacramento will be the third one in a row, and the last one for a few years. 

The only expenses (once you've arrived here) are for lodging, meals, and the tour booklet. While we are in the preliminary stages of planning, we are optimistic that one will be able to visit more layouts each day than at other Meets, because ours are fairly close together. Traditionally, on Saturday evening there's a communal feed (an extra expense, but we hope to keep it in the $20 - 25 range), with a wider menu than in the past. That dinner will be at the Sacramento Valley Live Steamers in Rancho Cordova, so that day's tours will be along the Highway 50 corridor, to minimize travel time. 

We hope to have a few other surprises too. Stay tuned and ask questions. We're in process of revamping and updating our website to aid in registering etc. Visit it at . And thank you for your support!


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

I'm as close to a native as people of my age are. Had Germany not invaded Poland, and Japan not bombed Pearl Harbor, I'd have been born in California. As it was, as soon as Dad mustered out, we got back to California.

But you are correct. It IS necessary to refer to our region in a more generic way, so the rest of the country might not be confused.

Besides, Sacramento is less than 100 miles from the ocean!


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

We don't live on the coast, but we do live on the west coast! Linguistically "west coast" is a compound word. 

I'm very excited to be hosting the west coast meet next year. My layout will be among the many that are open. I'm hoping to complete quite a few improvements between now and then too. I'm already counting down the days... 332 days until Friday, June 20, 2014!


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## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

Well Dick,
Sacramento has a port, that's about as coastal as you can get.
Where is the link to your web site?
Rick


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

It's really too soon to have much detail yet. When we get information, it will be on Right now, what we know for sure is that it will be three days == June 20 - 22, 2014, with an optional dinner at the Sacramento Valley Live Steamers' layout in Rancho Cordova on Saturday, June 21. 

More layouts than previous West Coast Regional Meets, because ours are closer together. For example, from downtown Sacramento to Folsom (about 20 miles along US 50) we have about half a dozen layouts. In the Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln area perhaps another half dozen. Should be a good show.


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## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

Someone in your club contacted us about having layouts in the Redding area open on Thursday for travelers. 
So we will probably come up with a few. 
Rick


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Yes, Marty, that was our monthly "Flyer" editor. Thanks to him, several members of the Shasta Garden Railway Society will be open on the Thursday before the meet. If I'm done with everything else, I'd be tempted to come up and check out how you guys garden railroad. I'll probably still be ballasting and spreading bark/mulch everywhere!


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

As of yesterday, we have four signed up from the Redding area, and 25 from the Sacramento Area. Plus we've got the location for the Saturday BBQ (Haggin Park in Rancho Cordova, an eastern suburb of Sacramento) plus an ice cream social / train ride Friday evening in Folsom. Booklets will be available after the first of the year.


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Sounds like a lot of fun and good times.
I got it on my calendar.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

The meet has expanded: We've got layouts open in Redding on Thursday, June 19, followed by three days of layout tours in the Sacramento area. On Monday, several (number not quite determined) layouts will be open in Reno, NV. Reno is just about 100 miles NE of Sacramento on I-80, 

Friday afternoon/evening there will be an ice cream social and train ride in Folsom, just east of Sacramento. 
BBQ will be on Saturday with the Sacramento Valley Live Steamers in Hagen Park, Rancho Cordova. 

And if that's not enough trains for a long weekend, there's the State RR Museum in Old Sacramento, trolleys in Rio Vista, Lunch/Dinner trains in Woodland, and the Sierra RR in Jamestown, SE of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills. 

There may be even more. The web site is . Soon we'll have registration on-line on the site.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Registration Open. 

Circle the dates, boys and girls. WCRM 2014 will be June 19 - 23, 2014, in Sacramento, CA, location of the 2003 National Garden Railway Convention. 

Over 30 layouts in Northern California and Reno Nevada will be open. There will be ride-on trains at the BBQ, an ice cream social, and lots of surprises. 

Register now before some of the events sell out! Go online to {http://www.svgrs.org} 

We look forward to seeing you!


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## NathanZ (Apr 10, 2009)

Sounds like tons of fun. Much better information about what to expect. I'll save my money and go West Coast instead of East Coast show, which seems non-existent


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Maybe my browser is not working right, but what i see is: 

The web site is . Soon we'll have registration on-line on the site. 

So ... what's the web site? I want to go!


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## fyrekop (Sep 20, 2011)

Redding to Reno. Now that is a regional meet. Wish I could make it, since I was raised in the Bay Area, a short 120 miles from Sac. I mentioned trains, wife mentioned Med. cruise, needless to say the cruise won. Have a great time, it sounds like you will have a great meet.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Catherine, et al. The website is open for registration, NOW! We've got five days of large scale layout tours, BBQ at Sacramento Valley Live Steamers, an ice cream social and train ride aboard Skagit, commemorative Tee shirts and a tour booklet.

Seats are limited for the Skagit, so time's a-wastin'.


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

It would be helpful if we knew the general locale of each days tours...so that one could figure out where to get room reservations. The site says "our recommendation is to use the various hotel search websites to find hotels close to each day’s activities." OK...I know the first day is in Redding...sorta. The last day is in Reno...sorta. Both of those areas a spread out. The middle three days are in 11 counties around Sacramento. That's a big area too...and I know folks that think Oroville is "near" Sacramento.

I lean towards staying downtown because I-80 and Rt 50 come together there...on the other hand, it likely means the longest drive to the first tour point each day. Further, there is this remark regarding "it starts each day at the Amtrak station"...huh? What's that about?

Since you live there...and you know where the layout tours are day by day, what would you recommend for a location for a hotel? Can you tell us the general locale or central point of each day of the Sacramento tours...like Roseville, or Rancho Cardova, or Auburn, or Elk Grove?


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Mike, I tried to answer you yesterday, but my computer was extremely slow and uncooperative. Who knew?

Thursday is in Reno and Berry Creek (east of Oroville). I'd get to Redding on Wednesday, spend the night, then visit the layouts on Thursday and head to Sacramento that afternoon.

If you want to start each day from downtown Sacramento, which the tour book suggests, there are lots of hotels near Amtrak and Old Sacramento, some of which are even reasonable. But you are not required to stay downtown, or start the tours from there. We felt that Amtrak was a recognizable reference. We could just as easily have said "Cal Exp" or the State Capitol. Whatever you do, you might want to start at the furthest layout and work your way back to Sacramento.

Friday and Saturday, you might want to stay in either Folsom or Rancho Cordova, as the evening activities (Skagit ice cream tour and BBQ) on those days are in Folsom and Rancho Cordova.

Sunday evening you might want to spend in Reno. Since it's only about 100 miles east of Sacramento, you could visit the Sunday layouts, then take I-80 to Reno, where there are scores of hotels in ALL price ranges!

Hope this helps, I'll be happy to answer other questions.


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Details here: http://www.svgrs.org/event/west-coast-regional-meet-2014


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## gra2472 (Mar 1, 2009)

How do I add my layout to the convention tour? I am in Sac.


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

gra2472 said:


> How do I add my layout to the convention tour? I am in Sac.


Thanks for your interest, but the deadline for layout submissions was a couple months. Plus, all hosts need to be club members. Have you considered joining us? Membership is quite inexpensive. If nothing else, I hope you'll consider coming to the meet and getting to know some of the other garden railroaders in the Sacramento area.

The tour schedule has been finalized (see http://www.svgrs.org/west-coast-regional-meet) and the booklets have been printed!


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