The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society (PRRT&HS) held its 51st annual meeting May 15-19 in Lancaster, Pa. The event was hosted by the Philadelphia Chapter. Attendance was over four hundred.

​The event kicked off on Wednesday evening with several hours of movies. I live too close to warrant a hotel, but too far to warrant the extra trip in, so I did not attend the first night.

The event kicked into full gear on Thursday, with concurrent sessions running from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. with breaks for lunch and dinner. There were 24 unique clinics with most presented twice, so it was relatively easy to work out a schedule.

Peter Forbes treated us to the development and operation of LCL-1, the Pennsy's first, expedited LCL train. Eldon Gatewood provided a dissertation on freight car appliances, geared towards the modeler. Andy Rubbo demonstrated his knack for catenary which earned him the nickname "The Mad Man of Metuchen!"

The vendor room seemed less than spectacular for the second yesr in a row, though MicroMark attended. The highlight for many was Funaro & Camerlengo who released a new Pennsy F25 flat car kit.

The model room was a bit sparse this year, but had some gems. Gus Minardi detailed a beautiful rendition of the 1958 THE GENERAL with amazing interior details. Kirk Fisher displayed many tower models.

There were three model railroad open houses Friday night, of which I attended two (see below).

The highlight of Saturday was the banquet in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania -- over four hours with fellow foamers! The sculpted ice (see below) and choclolate mouse desert (above) were highlights.

On Sunday there around 10 open houses, of which I attended one (see below). The Columbia group has created a marvelous rendition of... Columbia!

I cannot imagine that any other railroad society offers an event of this magnitude.

The annual meeting is always a good time to catch up with friends. Here I am with Dan Cupper. (Dan Cupper photo.)	Clinics are the order of the day. Elden Gatewood enlightened modelers to the intricacies of freight car appliances.
The Model Room:
Gus Foster's Frankford Junction tower.	Gus Foster's Frankford Junction tower.
Kirk Fisher took home the Bob Yagodich award for excellence in modeling for his Pennsy tower collection...	Kirk Fisher's BANKS tower.
Kirk Fisher's MIFFLIN tower.	Kirk FIsher's LEWIS tower.
Kirk Fisher's PORT tower.	Kirk Fisher's JACKS tower.
Yank Yankalonis built the one and only X30 used for fire engine transport.	Richard Collins presented a collection of F30A flat cars with tank loads.
Gus Minardi took home "Best of Show" for his depiction of the 1948 THE GENERAL...
Gus Minardi's THE GENERAL.	Gus Minardi's THE GENERAL.
Gus Minardi's THE GENERAL.
Short Line Model Railroad Club Ephrata, Pennsylvania.
Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania	The O gauge model railroad.
The N scale model railroad.	Not just model railroads!
The HO scale model railroad.	Nice scene!
Banquet At the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
Columbia Historic Preservation Society Columbia, Pennsylvania
Panoramic view of Columbia.