The owner of the item to be auctioned will bring the item to the auctioneer with the auction form. The owner will fill in the following items on the auction form:

The club member’s bidder/seller number will be included in the February issue of the newsletter. Be sure to bring that sheet of paper with you. It is your bidding number and your seller’s number. You will need it to participate in the auction.

The auction will be conducted in the “classical” format with the auctioneer attempting to sell the item at the highest price possible. He will first read the item description to the club and note the minimum bid, if any. He will hold up the item for the group to see. We will pass the item around to the group if requested.

The bidders will all have their sheet of paper with their bidder/seller number on it that they received with their February issue of the newsletter. They will use this sheet to bid. If interested in an item, the bidder must hold the sheet high in the air so the auctioneer can see the number. KEEP IT IN THE AIR UNTIL YOU WISH TO STOP BIDDING. Do NOT raise and lower your sheet, just keep it up until the price exceeds your comfort zone. The winner is the last bidder with his number in the air.

The auctioneer will note the winning bidder’s (buyer) number on the auction form and the amount of the winning bid. He will subtract the percent of the hold for the club and calculate the remaining amount due the seller. The winner then claims his or her item, pays the price to the buyer’s table, and the seller gets that amount less the percentage that goes to the club.

For example: the seller places a boxcar with a minimum bid of $5.00 and the minimum 10% going to the club with the auctioneer. The boxcar eventually sells for $10.00. The auctioneer notes the winning amount of $10.00 on the auction form and notes the amount of $1.00 (10%) going to the club. The seller receives $9.00 from the seller’s table ($10.00 - $1.00 = $9.00). The club keeps the dollar.

The club member may “check out” anytime. Waiting until the end of the auction is NOT necessary. The seller’s table will have enough cash at the start of the auction to pay off any seller (less the percentage going to the club). Likewise, buyers may bring their money to the buyer’s table any time at their convenience.

Congratulations to all the new executive committee members. They are as follows:

Also on the board: Don Payne and Pat Pritchett (and Randel Bittick) as past president.

You will note that I have not been nagging anyone in the newsletter regarding dues. Well – consider this a nag. Only about ½ of the membership have paid their 2004dues and it is now February. Paying dues is incredibly easy. You can mail me a check (see bottom of the page) or give it to me at the meeting. We take cash, check, or money order. No credit cards. Single membership is STILL $12 and family membership $18 per year. A great deal. Pay now, and it makes my bookkeeping so much easier.

As is my custom, being both LMRA treasurer and editor of the newsletter, I designate February as financial statement month. Page three is our spread sheet analysis for the income and expenditures for all of 2003 Unlike 2002, where we made a little money at years’ end, this year we actually lost $189.44. However, we are soon to receive a large check from the LSR for our participation in the June convention. Don’t worry - be happy!

Many of you probably do not read HubStuff - What’s Going on in Lubbock. In the December 12, 2003 issue there was a great article by Susan E. L. Lake on an interview and layout tour with Randel Bittick. I will produce the article here for those of you who missed it.

It’s the time of year when toy trains are seen everywhere. Most Christmas ads seem to feature an engine and a few cars circling a Christ means tree as the whistle blows. These ads are all shot with a slightly diffused filter to create the image of nostalgia rather than harsh reality.

I always imagined that most trains were sold to satisfy an adult’s past wish rather than because a child actually wanted one. At our house we have a Christmas train that was bought for the old child in our family long after children left the house. It does a lot more than whistle as it is programmed to call out instructions as it passes certain points. It’s set up on the standard circular track that goes nowhere. It’s great fun and we love it. But it’s nothing compared to what I’ve just recently learned.

There are folks out there who love trains in ways that most of us could never imagine. Some of them join organizations such as the Lubbock Model Railroad Association which meets monthly to provide model trains enthusiasts with a chance to discuss their trains and to learn new ways to enhance their hobby through clinics. There are state and national conventions where these people gather to demonstrate their skills and learn from others.

Model railroading has a long history in Lubbock beginning in 1962 when the LMRA was established. Members include a wide range of people coming from every background. Men, women, children and families all participate in this hobby. As you could expect, some model train lovers actually worked on or with real trains, but that’s not always the case. Others just be came fascinated with trains as a child or perhaps as an adult.

By Susan E .L .Lake as published in the December 12, 3002 issue of HubStuff, p. 8

LUBBOCK MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION

PO BOX 53674

LUBBOCK, TX 79453