2011 Annual Meeting - Albany, New York

Get ready for our 2011 Annual Meeting in Albany, NY! April 29-May 1, 2011

Get ready for the 2011 Annual Meeting and Convention at the Albany Ramada Plaza Hotel in Albany, New York! A crossroads of the New York Central, featuring the Boston & Albany, as well as the the Hudson, River, and Mohawk Divisions! Albany was once home to large passenger terminals downtown and in nearby Troy. Come join us in this historic city as we celebrate the history and heritage of the New York Central System!
Friday, April 29

10:00am to 8:00pm - Convention Registration at the desk in the hotel lobby
2:00pm to 6:00pm - Tour of HO scale model railroads, incuding Vic Roman's New York Central Hudson Division from Albany to Tivoli; Jim Cesare's Rennselaer Engine Terminal to Amsterdam; and Henry Propst's Mohawk Division from Albany to Utica. Tour of O scale model railroads, including "Rocky's Rambling Railroad" by Harold "Rocky" Rockowitz; Fil Fillion's freelanced railroad; Don Klose's Bellevue & Schenectady Railroad, and Jim Policastro's Central New York Railroad. Directions to visit these layouts will be provided upon registration. Be sure to have your convention ID badge when visiting these layouts.


7:00pm to 9:00pm - Friday evening speakers program
TIME
LOCATION
SPEAKER, TOPIC
7:00pm Conference Room Rich Stoving, "Publishing the Central Headlight"
7:00pm Ampitheatre Len Kilian, "Long Life and Slow Death of the NYC Station in Schenectady"
8:00pm Ampitheatre Dick Steinbrenner, "Alco Historical & Technical Society Future Plans and Goals"
8:00pm Conference Room Shel Lustig, "My Career with the NYC, Penn Central, and Conrail"

Saturday, April 30

7:30 am to 5:45pm - "Adirondack Flyer" excursion on the Adirondack Scenic Railroad. 104 mile round trip from Utica to Thendara, with box lunch. Board buses at hotel at 7:30am.
6:30pm - Annual NYCSHS Banquet, cash bar opens
7:00pm - Annual NYCSHS Banquet, dinner is served
7:45pm - Welcome by NYCSHS president Darwin Simonaitis, followed by brief remarks from NYCSHS officers.
8:00pm - Presentation by Thomas R. Gerbracht, NYCSHS, "Locomotive Building at Erie, PA."
9:00pm - Intermission - Coffee and tea served with dessert
9:15pm - NYCSHS Annal Membership Meeting
10:15pm - Meeting adjourns  

Sunday, May 1

8:30am - Railroadiana Show vendor set up in the Ball Room
10:00am - Railroadiana Show and Sale opens to the public
10:15am - Catskill, Adirondack & Berkshire Railroad Club HO scale modular layout opens for display
11:00am - All-Day Speakers Program
TIME
LOCATION
SPEAKER, TOPIC
11:00am Ampitheatre Carl J. Liba , "New York Central Hudsons and Their Trains "
11:00am Conference Room Ernie Mann , "Railroads of Rennselaer"
12:00pm Ampitheatre Alan Bell , "Modeling the NYC at the Albany Gateway"
12:00pm Conference Room Darwin Simonaitis, "Locomotives of the New York Central System"
1:00pm Ampitheatre Michael Kudish, "Where Did the Tracks Go? The Adirondack and Catskill Lines"
1:00pm Conference Room Ron Parisi, "West Side Freight Line to High Line Park - Part 1"
2:00pm Ampitheatre Jim Shaughnessy, "Remembering the NYC at Troy and Albany"
2:00pm Conference Room Ron Parisi, "West Side Freight Line to High Line Park - Part 2"
3:00pm - Programs end. Thank you for attending!

Registration Fee:

- $154.00 before April 1, 2011

- $179.00 after April 1, 2011
- Non-members may register for $154.00 plus $39.00 extra to cover your one year membership in the New York Central System Historical Society, which provides all the rights and priveldges of membership, including four issues of the Central Headlight.

Convention Lodging

Albany Ramada Plaza Hotel -- You are responsible for making your own accomodation reservations. Rooms can be reserved at the special Convention rate of $89.00, but you must mention "NYCSHS" to get the rate. Early reservations are a must as only 80 rooms have been set aside on a first-come, first-served basis. Call the hotel directly at (518) 438-8431. Complimentary shuttle from Amtrak Albany-Rennselaer Station for hotel guests upon request.