Greetings from Bill Voogd and the 5th Division. Spring is finally here and we are certainly enjoying the warmer weather.
It certainly makes it much easier to travel to the various model railroading events and activities.
5th Division had their annual meeting on April 20th. The event was held at the Inland Northwest Rail Museum in Reardan, Washington. It is a great place to hold such events and they were great hosts. Officer elections were conducted at the
business meeting and there is no change in leadership for the upcoming year.
John Langlot, a retired conductor for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern, presented a history of all the rail
roads which conducted business in the Spokane area. It was fascinating to hear about the numerous railroads of a century
ago, their routing through the Spokane area, and the various takeovers and mergers which significantly reduced their numbers by the 1970s. This is especially significant as this is the 50th anniversary of Expo 74, which significantly changed the
railroad landscape and trackage through Spokane, especially in the downtown area.
We also had short presentations on restoration projects currently being worked on at the Inland Northwest Rail Museum
and a status report on the 2025 PNR Convention, which will be held in Pasco, Washington.
Of particular interest were three members of 5th Division being recognized for achieving Master Model Railroader status. The members are Bill Fassett (MMR #756), Dan Figy (MMR #757), and Jeff Hermann (MMR #758). All three achieved
this through a combination of building home layouts, work done on club layouts, and volunteering in various capacities. Congratulations to all. Job well done!
I look forward to seeing many of you at future 5th Division events.