Dear Marty,
One real problem at many S train meets is the hotel restaurant. It is like
the hotel sales dept. never talks to the hotel restaurant. They seem to fail
to have enough servers so you see empty tables in the restaurant or they fill
the tables and then take forever to wait on you. I know we (Robin, Ron & Susan
Sebastian and myself) purposely left to eat at 7:30 PM at the Holiday Inn
restaurant in hopes that it would be quick so we could get back to our booth
for the evening sales. Two and half hours later we paid for our meals. We
waited 40 minutes to get seated (after we complained to the manager), and the
same 20 minutes to get our check after dessert. By the time I got away, the
room was closed. I am still wondering if our trains ran all night on our
layout as they were still running in the morning when I returned.
Otherwise, this was a wonderful Fest and I am not sure the CASG could have
helped with the problems with the restaurant.
Don
"Marty.Thorin" wrote:
> S-Fest Report
>
> Good morning.
> I attended the 2002 S-Fest in Tingley Park, IL. It was held at the
> Tingley Park convention center. Because of my schedule I was only able to
> attend late on Friday. I left work at 2:00 PM in Milwaukee and got to the
> south side of Chicagoland at 5:30. I was using the directions from the web
> site and this gave no clue if you were to go North or South from the closest
> interchange. The address was so new that Mapquest.com had no idea. It
> guessed South. I, of course, followed this and it was North.
> Coming back over the bridge I really needed to go the bathroom. I
> spotted the Holiday Inn on the right and decided they have bathrooms and I
> can ask for directions there. I drove in to discover the large, attached,
> gray building just to the Holiday Inn's North was the convention center.
> Right now I didn't care: I had a mission. I parked the car, went in, found
> the toilet. When I came out the world was fine again. Smiles all around.
> I was now thinking about supper. I eat by the clock and it was
> suppertime. About that time I was greeted by Dick Kloes, Gary Children, and
> Ray (Raymond) ?Something?. The first two are of Badgerland S Gaugers and I
> didn't know Ray before. The three of us went to Bananas, the restaurant in
> the Holiday Inn. Dick and Gary were disappointed they didn't have catfish
> on the menu. (I told my wife about this later. When Catherine went grocery
> shopping she purchased fresh catfish steaks.)
> We all ended up with the prime rib. Prime rib, clam chowder soup,
> basket of breads, wilted stir-fry vegetables, and a baked potato. A large
> baked potato. A very large baked potato. Each of our potatoes could have
> been carved into a tunnel for N scale. Dick got the whopper of them all.
> It was normal shape but close to a foot long! And soft and fluffy. Whoever
> cooked these knew what they were doing. Good food. Good company.
> After eating, I tried to get away as I knew the trading floor closed at
> 10:00 and I had to go home Friday night. Getting the check took forever.
> $12.00 (with tip) for a Prime Rib dinner in a motel restaurant is a good
> buy. (Of course I left my big cash at home so I had only what was already
> in my wallet.) I left Dick and company here and took off.
> Registration was easy as I had prepaided. I got my packet and started
> in. I enjoyed all of the layouts. As I hadn't ever had a chance to really
> look at the All-Aboard panels, Art Dotes' layout was appreciated. The
> others, as always, are bigger and better every time.
> I got to the trading floor. Jeff Wilson of Hoquat Hobbies was there. I
> purchased the last traction shell he had: CNS&M express motor 314. (Box
> motor with four big doors.) It came without box and almost without anything
> else. But I can figure this out. (Yes, this one too has copies of the AF
> caboose door for all of the doors: just like the North Shore coach and the
> North Shore merchandise dispatch car: Box motor with two big center doors.)
> I stressed again that I wanted to purchase 10 more steeplecab shells.
> Jeff informed me that they are gone. If I can find J. Wolf (who made them),
> maybe I can get more but Jeff's letters have gone unanswered. So I guess my
> project of building 10 (with most for sale) is dead.
> The biggest disappointment was the number of tables that had stuff but
> were covered and did not uncover that evening. Saddest was the NASG table
> as this was one of the reasons I drove a total of six and a half hours to
> get there and back! As an NASG member this was a big disappointment. CASG
> members told me John Foley was responsible for the tables. I got there at
> 6:45 PM and left at 9:45 PM. Not once during those three hours was the
> table uncovered. I wanted to examine the NASG modern building before
> purchasing one (or several). I also wanted to purchase a second standards
> gauge. I hate dealing with the mail and I hate paying shipping. All
> previous S-Fests that I have attended have always had a working NASG table
> and someone with it.
> I got the JAX blocks from S-Helper, Bob Barker's CD book from Port Line
> hobbies, two bags of the 120 MTH people, a couple of trolley books, a few
> parts, and many, many fine conversations. Tom Hodges of American Highrail
> was doing a brisk business and is out of Northern tender shells at this time
> (336). (He had about 20 frames, however.) He still hasn't cut me my water
> tender. (Don't point out Raisin River's masterpiece water tender. That
> work of art would look ridiculous behind a pure AF 336. I love my 336. I
> need something as crude as it is.) American Highrail has a brand-new
> doodlebug which looks much like the Bachman Spectrum in HO. Very nice.
> (No, I did not buy one. If it had been an interurban or MU coach, I would
> have. Probably several...)
> American Models didn't have much at their booth. But it turns out
> Karen bought Ron surprise tickets to the Stones Concert for Saturday night.
> I hope he had a good time because if I had those tickets I know I wouldn't
> have made the S-Fest either! (I can buy from Ron either direct or next
> year. I always get good support from Ron.)
> Des Plaines hobbies was also closed all evening.
>
> When I left I turned in my badge holder. (Someone else I am sure used it on
> Saturday.) I went home to bed. On Saturday I did all of the normal weekend
> stuff except mow the lawn (which is very overdue). When I could, it rained.
> Sunday saw me climb onto a plane for California. And here I am. So I
> could not have stayed for Saturday, I had to pack and catch a plane.
> Tonight (Monday) I visit Ed L's home with my steeplecabs and on Wednesday I
> go to Bill Roberts.
>
> All in all it was another successful S-Fest. If you were there I hope you
> had as much fun as I did.
> Thorin
-- -- Don Thompson
S Helper Service Inc.
http://www.showcaseline.com
1.800.465.0303
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