The Freight Car Summit

I've been spending the morning getting sorted out and reorganized following my return from almost a week in Naperville IL where I was participating in the Railroad Prototype Modelers Conference.
An annual event , now hosted by Joe D'Elia, where prototype modelers from all over the US and Canada get together to discuss trains and how best to model them.
Wandering the halls are such well known modelers like Andy Sperandeo, Tony Koester, Tony Thompson, Richard Hendrickson, etc. Over the course of 3 days 42 separate speakers give clinics on a huge variety of topics, from Freight car trucks to passenger operations on the ATSF.
Frankly I can't say enough about this event. I have attended at least 8 times now, when the personal schedule permits, and have always come away with new knowledge and new modeling friends. It's also an opportunity to renew relationships with people from the other side of the continent. I know that some are scared away by the notion of spending days with a "bunch o rivet counters", but it's much more than that. Just to visit the display room is a treat onto itself. Spectacular modeling and a venue to exchange ideas and techniques.
On the Saturday, after I gave my clinic at 9:00 am, I dashed off to the sales room to man my table. I was selling Wabash stock car kits and etched ladder stiles and eyebolts. Within 1/2 an hour I was sold out of 2 of the 4 ladder styles I had brought. The rest of the ladders were gone by 1:00. Good thing I had ordered more etchings before I had left home. Looks like I got this one right!

The photo shows the table in the afternoon with Al Ferguson anchoring the corner with his decals and my good friend Bill Welch perusing photos on the other side. In the end I came home with only 3 kits from my line and a few of the SC&F tankcar kits I was selling for Jon Cagle.
On that note, I will have a few SC&F tankcar kits available for sale now. Built or unbuilt. As you wish.