The PGE-BCR Modellers Group wishes to announce our intention to host a convention in July 2012 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the charter of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway! The actual anniversary will be on February 27, 2012 but a summer convention is thought to be a better option in terms of scheduling and travel.
The convention will be held on July 13-15, 2012 at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish, B.C. The itinerary has been patterned on our inaugural convention in Squamish during July 1996 and our joint convention with the CN Lines SIG at Prince George in 1999. We will host a wine and cheese reception on the Friday night. The museum’s new Roundhouse & Conference Centre will house our display hall on Saturday and Sunday, featuring operating HO and N Scale layouts with PGE-BCR trains, display tables with what we hope will be the largest collection of PGE-BCR models ever assembled, and a selection of manufacturer and vendor tables. Also present on our display floor will be a selection of full size equipment including troop sleeper/express car PGE 722, boxcar PGE 4182, wide vision caboose BCOL 1859, and Royal Hudson 2860! On Saturday and Sunday we will also host two streams of clinics all day long dedicated to modelling the PGE-BCR. The itinerary on Saturday will include an evening banquet and presentation. There will also be an optional rail excursion around Squamish aboard Budd RDC-3 BC-33, which has been repainted in its original Pacific Great Eastern orange and green scheme.
We will be reserving a block of hotel rooms in Squamish at a special convention rate. For those of you who have not visited Squamish in recent years, there are now numerous hotel options and we will be negotiating with several to secure a competitive rate for our delegates. There is much to see and do in Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler and you might consider including the convention as part of a family vacation to the region.
We hope to host the largest ever gathering of PGE-BCR modellers at this event, and to provide delegates with lots of opportunities to assist them in their modelling efforts. Our previous conventions have drawn modellers from across Canada and the United States, and even as far away as the U.K. and Australia. We sincerely hope you will give serious consideration to attending this event, and to bringing with you a selection of your PGE-BCR models for display.
We are currently in the process of concluding our agreement with the West Coast Railway Association, and we will be making a formal registration announcement on this discussion group sometime during October 2011. Until then, if you are interested in receiving further information and a registration form directly, you are invited to register your interest by contacting co-chair Tim Horton at thorton@telus.net with your name, home town, and email address. We will be sending out a registration newsletter and registration form in October, and convention updates thereafter. If you have an interest in serving on our convention committee, presenting a clinic, or contributing to the success of our convention in some other way, please let us know!
Thank you,
The P.G.E. 100 Centenary Convention Committee
Brian Clogg, Registrar
Tim Horton, Convention Co-Chair
Greg Kennelly, Convention Co-Chair
Trevor Mills, Facilities Coordinator
