I would like to start off by saying  thank you to all  the members who made it to the February planning meeting, one of the most important meetings of the year. It gives us an outline and working plan for the year.  March is the only month that we don’t have something planned.

 A big thank you to John and Tina Weimer for being our hosts at Saint Matthias Lutheran Church. We had seventeen members in attendance.  I don’t think anyone went away hungry.  John and Tina provided pizza, and our members filled out the balance of the menu with snacks, salad, and dessert. (Please see minutes and photos from the meeting.)

Our calendar includes a lot of information.  We included information about some other train shows, conventions, and trips that some  members may like to do. We are hoping this will be a help to everyone. Events with dates in red are the main meetings for the club.  We’ll try to update the information on the calendar in the newsletter as we get it.  For us to update the calendar we’ll need the help of all our members.  If you hear of some event please pass the information on to me. 

  Our next regular meeting will be Thursday, April 11, 2024, noon-3PM.  It will be hosted by Bruce and Reggie Watkins, 1522 Buena Vista Street,   Pittsburgh, Pa 15212. We’ll have the details for the meeting in the April newsletter.

I have been receiving many calls and emails about the closing of the Monroeville Convention Center, asking what will happen with the Greenberg’s Train and Toy Show.  All I can say is that I hope the Greenberg’s people will be able to work something out.  I wish them good luck in finding a new location for the show. With this in mind, the PGRS will be looking into other events that we may be able to participate in. 

We agreed to participate with the TCA,  April 6, 2024,  at the Washington County Fairgrounds, 9AM-3PM. This is a one day event  The PGRS will  do a small floor layout, 12X16. Set-up for the Saturday show will be Friday, April 5th. We are looking for volunteers for this event. When we get close to the show, we’ll send out emails to get a firm commitment from our members. 

Our next big show is at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum for their “Anything on Wheels” weekend. Please mark your calendar and save the dates, June 6-9.  The club will need all the help we can get for this show.  Our display will be in the new museum that just opened this  September.    

Under Trips I have information on two trips that Lenzner Tour and Travel is offering this year, “Boxcar Escapade on Horseshoe Curve” and “Train, Wine, and Chocolate” If you are interested in the trips, you can call Lenzner to make the arrangements.  They are offering three different dates for each trip. The club has done both of the trips and they are very nice.