European Train Enthusiasts Great Lakes - ETEGL News

Welcome to 2021!

1/11/2021

It's 2021, and the ETEGL is ready to return to normal! That's not to say we haven't made the most of the changes 2020 has brought. For example, our monthly chapter meetings have continued, with an average of more than a dozen members joining since July. The development of the new module specification continues, and we have set a date for launching the new layout: Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival in June 2022.

We look forward to resuming our in-person lunches this summer (fingers crossed), as well as continuing the virtual meetings to allow members near and far to join. We also look forward to setting up an 'assembly line' to build the frames for our new modular layout.

Please stay safe, and we look forward to being together again soon!

Bye Bye Yahoo Groups, Hello groups.io

12/8/2020

Want to stay a part of the ETEGL newsgroup? Trying to find us on Yahoo Groups? Well, with Yahoo announcing the end of Yahoo Groups we have moved the chapter email server to groups.io.

If you would like to join us at groups.io, please follow this link to enroll.

Virtual luncheons continue...

8/25/2020

With the Coronavirus not letting up anytime soon, the ETEGL is continuing to meet via ZOOM likely through the end of the year. We have had several meetings already and have even begun recording the presentations and publishing them to the ETEGL YouTube channel (NOTE: these videos are not public-facing. Reach out to Carsten for a copy of the link).

Our virtual meetings take place on the first Saturday of the month at noon, lasting about an hour. We are open to presentations by our members, so please reach out if you have a topic you'd like to present, whether it's a layout tour, a pictorial of your trip across the Alps on the Albula line, or my personal favorite, a slideshow entitled 'KOPLOPERS IN ACTION'.

ETEGL members, keep an eye on your email inbox for call-in and log-in information for our next monthly get-together. We hope to see you in an upcoming Zoom meeting soon!

ETEGL Monthly Meetings are now VIRTUAL

4/28/2020

That's right, just because we can't meet at The Sidetrack Bar doesn't mean we can't get together as a group. All members should have received an email with an invitation to join the May luncheon on Saturday, May 2 at noon. If not, just shoot an email to one of your board members or ask on the email group. You can also let us know you didn't receive an email by clicking here.

We will be using this new virtual format for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, it gives all our remote members the opportunity to join us. The service we have chosen is the popular ZOOM. If you are not familiar with ZOOM and need to install it on your phone, tablet or computer, a detailed set of instructions is available here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697

We look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday at noon!

Great Train Show at Suburban Collection to Feature ETEGL

2/11/2020

The Taj Mahal. The Arc de Triumph. The World's Biggest Ball of Twine. These destinations pale in comparison to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan when the Great Train Show is in town. That goes double when the Great Lakes Chapter of ETE is exhibiting their H.O. scale European-themed layout. Come out and see us the weekend of February 22-23, 2020 and enjoy trains galore!

You can even get a discount on admission by ordering your admission ticket on their website: http://trainshow.com/novi/

We look forward to seeing you there!

Happy Holidays from the ETEGL!

12/5/2019

The Great Lakes Chapter of European Train Enthusiasts wishes all railroad fans around the world a very happy and healthy Holiday Season! May your time with family and friends be merry, and the only ice you encounter be of the variety shown above...

2019 Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival CANCELLATION

6/6/2019

For only the second time in its history, the ETEGL will not be attending the Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival this year. Fischer Hall is usually filled with trains during the coming weekend, but unforeseen issues have caused us to have to cancel our attendance. At this time we still plan to display the layout at Oktoberfest in September, as we usually do. We apologize to anyone who was looking forward to enjoying the display, but look forward to seeing you in September and at next year's Bavarian Festival!

May 4 is National Train Day!

3/29/2019

Keep an eye out for updates coming on a chapter outing to Toledo, Ohio for National Train Day on May 4. This outing will replace our usual monthly luncheon. Instead, we will be treated to a delicious lunch courtesy of Bill and Joni Bosse in Maumee, Ohio.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION!

One Month, Two Shows

2/5/2019

February is a busy month for the Great Lakes Chapter of ETE! We are attending two shows on back-to-back weekends, the first one being the Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club's annual show in Saline, Michigan (http://a2trainshow.com/) on February 16 & 17, followed shortly thereafter by the World's Greatest Hobby On Tour event at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi (http://wghshow.com/nov2019/).

Be sure to stop by and say 'hello'!

NTS Prep Completed- Let the [Train] show begin!

7/5/2018

With apologies to Fats Domino, Kansas City, here we come! The National Train Show is about a month away, and the Great Lakes Chapter of European Train Enthusiasts is ready. The NTS-spec layout was given a 'dry run' at the Frankenmuth Bavarian Festival in June, and with all modules stored in the trailer the trip to Kansas City can begin. A caravan of vehicles will be making the day-long trek from Detroit on August 7, while several ETEGL members have chosen to take the train to the event.

Here is where you can see the ETEGL layout, and many others:
Kansas City Convention Center Hall
301 West 13th St
Kansas City, MO

The National Train Show is open to the public on the following dates / times:
Friday August 10, 2018 – 12:00 NOON to 6:00 PM
Saturday August 11, 2018 – 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday August 12, 2018- 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

We look forward to seeing you there in August!