Weekend at Bernie's..

I was able to attend the first ever Mid Atlantic RPM this past weekend in Stafford VA.  Though a massive migraine headache threatened to sideline me early in the morning, I was able to rest most of the day Friday and head out on the road later in the day.  It was by all means a success and I commend Norm Wolf and crew for doing a great job on their first meet.  Norm says they'll be back bigger and better next year and I can't wait!

Located at the Hope Springs Marina, the meet also had the advantage of being right next to the Old RF&P Mailine.  We saw lots of trains roll by during the meet.

The man, the legend, Ralph DiBlasi. :)  The clinic room was actually a boat storage facility with boats stacked over 10 high!

Every so often the clinics were interrupted by boats being brought into storage by specialized fork lifts.  It was interesting watching how they did this.

Sunday, Craig Bisgeier, Dave Ramos, Amy and I were invited to Bernie Kempinski's to check out his O-Scale US Military RR in person.  The layout is just as beautiful in person as it is in pictures.  Nicely detailed scenes and equipment really show off the advantages of working in a large scale like O-Scale.  Bernie handed Dave Ramos and I throttles and we ran a couple of trains across the layout.  :)

Amy really loved the colorful engines and the detailed scenery. She also was impressed by all the figures that populate the layout.  After spending time by the layout, Bernie and his wife Alicia served lunch.  This was an unexpected treat and we greatly appreciated their hospitality.  :)  It was a great end to a fun weekend!

I think our weekend at Bernie's turned out better than these guy's weekend. :p