2017 Western Pacific Historical Convention

"WP in the Biggest Little City"
May 4 - 7, 2017 - Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Hosted by Harrah's Reno - located in Downtown Reno, Nevada

 

Train Photo
 

 

 
• Historic and Modeling Clinics • Archive and Photo Exhibits
• Rare Films from the Virgil Staff Collection • Restored V&T Excursion and NSRM Tour
• Party and Tours at WP / N-C-O Depot • Special WP Night at Reno Aces baseball game
• Our Ever Popular Raffle! • Vendors and Special Guests
• Modeling Displays and Layout Tours • Saturday night Banquet and Guest Speaker
Presentations include: Feather River Lumber, Oroville Line Change, Indian Valley Railway, modeling and more!

Convention update page HERE! updated April 22nd

Information HERE! updated April 20th

More information HERE! updated April 19th

~ Convention Schedule ~

(updated 4/28/17)

(subject to change)

Thurs1:00 PM1:10 PM Opening remarks
1:10 PM 1:40 PM 40 min The Saga of the Z-Scale Western Pacific David Epling
1:45 PM 2:15 PM 30 min Virgil Staff film
2:20 PM 3:00 PM 40 min Creative Railroad PhotographyMichael Clawson
3:00 PM 3:20 PM 20 min BREAK
3:20 PM 4:10 PM 50 min Indian Valley Railroad Eugene Vicknair
4:15 PM 5:00 PM 45 min Feather River Lumber Company Dan Elliot and Scott Lawson - Plumas County Museum
 
5:00 PM 10:00 PM Kevin Caldwell layout tour - Squirrel Valley
6:00 PM 9:00 PM Bob Westphall and Bob Norwich layout tours
7:00 PM 10:00 PM Mixer at NCO Depot
 
Friday 12:00 PM 12:03 PM Opening
12:03 PM 12:40 PM 40 min Working for the WP Todd Bruso and Michael Rush
12:45 PM 1:35 PM 50 min WPRM and the City of Portola Robert Meacher and Steve Habeck
1:35 PM 2:35 PM 60 min BREAK
2:35 PM 3:10 PM 35 min Modeling WP Caboose 484 David Epling and Kevin Caldwell
3:15 PM 3:55 PM 40 min WP's Oroville Line Change Kerry Cochran
3:55 PM 4:10 PM 15 min BREAK
4:10 PM 5:00 PM 50 min Keddie: Western Pacific's Heart narrated by Eugene Vicknair
 
6:00 PM 9:00 PM James Petro layout tour and operations session
5:35 PMGates open for Reno Aces - 6:35 PM game start
 
Saturday 9:30 AM 10:45 AM FRRS Board Meeting
11:00 AM 11:05 AM Opening
11:05 AM 11:50 AM 45 min Orange and Silver Days Gone By Keith Ardinger
12:00 PM 12:30 PM 30 min Virgil Staff film
12:30 PM 1:30 PM 60 min BREAK
1:30 PM 2:15 PM 45 min Story of WP caboose 668 Katy Dickinson
2:20 PM 3:20 PM 60 min California Zephyr films Warren Haack - Catenary Video Productions
3:20 PM 3:35 PM 15 min BREAK
3:35 PM 4:20 PM 45 min Time Flies and the Feather Flows - WP Then and Now Steve Cope
4:25 PM 5:00 PM 35 min Tesla, California, and the Alameda & San Joaquin Railroad Dan Mosier
 
6:30 PM 9:00 PM Banquet Seating starts at 6:00 PM
 
Sunday 8:45 AM 5:15 PM Virginia City and Nevada State Railroad Museum Excursions and Tours.  Please assemble by 8:30 AM.

~ LAYOUT TOURS ~

(updated 4/23/17)

Bob Westphall - HO scale Thursday, May 4th 6 PM to 9 PM
Viewing session
Anyone wishing to visit must email Eugene at info@wplives.org so we can get a head count.

Bob is building a western themed, HO railroad, featuring a lot of Western Pacific equipment.  He has been working on this layout for some time and has a lot of very nice scenery.  There is a Helix up to an upper level logging branch.  An expansion is now in progress with 65 ft of new mainline operating and connecting with the existing trackage over models of the Keddie bridges area of the WP.

Bob Westphall HO Keddie

Bob Norwich Thursday, May 4th 6 PM to 9 PM
Viewing session
Anyone wishing to visit must email Eugene at info@wplives.org so we can get a head count.

Bob is creating a fictional On30 railroad in post war Nevada town that has hit hard times and is using worn out steam engines.  There are over 50 buildings with scenery almost done over half the layout.  The rest is in progress.  A wall has been torn down to make room for more railroad, expanding from the current size of 18' x 30'.  He operates with DCC.

Bob_Norwich_On30_1
Bob_Norwich_On30_2
Bob_Norwich_On30_3

Kevin Caldwell
Thursday, May 4th 5 PM to 10 PM
Viewing session
Anyone wishing to visit must email Eugene at info@wplives.org so we can get a head count.

Kevin's layout is the N Scale Squirrel Valley Railway Company, a 9' x 13' foot garage layout with plans for a lower deck.  The layout has many different sections (all in various degrees of construction, no formal scenery has been completed) that includes the mountainous Donner Pass, coal regions of DRGW Tennessee Pass, a freelanced brewery section, Southern California citrus region with yards, engine facilities and a passenger station.  A 6.5 coil helix has been constructed for the flight down to the proposed lower level.  All 66 turnouts and diamonds are handmade with Code 55 track.  The main era of focus is late 70s to mid 1980s and include the Western Pacific, Southern Pacific, ATSF, DRGW, UP, and his fictional Squirrel Valley.

Squirrel Valley Yard

James Petro
Friday, May 5th 6 PM to 9 PM
Operating and viewing session
Anyone wishing to visit must email Eugene at info@wplives.org so we can get a head count.

Jim's layout is HO scale and models the D&RGW in about 1955.  It is an operation oriented layout with several staging areas.  It starts with the Joint Line, south of Denver, has a large Denver area, then proceeds through Moffat tunnel and goes through Grand Junction.  Car movements are done with car cards.  The layout is dispatcher controlled with CTC and some ABS signaling.

Jim Petro Denver Area
Jim Petro Photo 2

More presentation announcements to follow, as well as the reveal of our banquet speaker.  Also coming is a full itinerary for the Sunday excursions and tours.



Convention Registration Form to mail HERE!

Hotel Information HERE!

Register and Pay Online using PayPal:
(Please note pre-registration is over and prices have
now gone up for the convention.)

Banquet reservations and the V&T / NSRM tour reservations
ended Sunday 4/30/17 at 5:00 PM.

Combo fare
(closed to new registration)

Convention Only
Choose Membership:
FRRS - Plumas/NSRM - Non member

Banquet Only
(closed to new registration)

~ SPECIAL EVENTS ~

Depot Mixer and Tours
(closed to new registration)

Reno Aces Game and Dinner
(closed to new registration)

V&T Excursion and NSRM Tour
(closed to new registration)

FRRS Join or Renewal
(Convention Discount!)