The meeting was held at Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church, President Jeff Graybill presiding. 

 Presidents Report:

The business meeting was started with the election of officers for the year 2024. By unanimous consent the current officers are retained for that period.  Dues were collected and also by unanimous consent the amount was reduced from $35 to $30 per year. Dues paying members can vote on any proposal at the meetings and can operate trains during a layout display. 

There were two shows since the last regular meeting. 

The Mt. Lebanon Winter Market and Holiday Celebration went very well.  The trains operated reliably and the crowds were fairly consistent throughout the show. It was noted that the crowds at the previously held Mt. Lebanon Light Night seemed to be larger however that was for a three hour period.  The show this year lasted for five hours so it is reasonable to conclude that there was a similar number this year.  A question was raised about the picture that was taken of our group and where it might be published. Since the photographer didn’t identify himself we will watch for it in future Mt. Lebanon publications. 

The Carnegie Science Center Locomotion Weekend also went very well. The Science Center reported that attendance was over 7,000 people for the weekend.  Setup and tear down went smoothly.  We were allowed to use the regular elevator as in previous years.  Concern was expressed about the lack of sufficient signage in the Science Center to inform people about the location of the show. We can mention it to the Science Center staff next year. 

A proposal was put before the membership that we hold a “work evening” at the United Lutheran Church sometime before the next show.  The event would be held for members to bring their modules to the church to update them for easier setup and teardown at the shows. Each module would have a working Loconet UP7 Panel and an auxiliary bus installed.  This would provide easier setup with shorter Loconet connecting wires and to power any lights or accessories on modules.  Those with already powered modules would need to install the auxiliary bus to make sure all of the modules are connected. The power supplied would be 16 or 19 volts DC that could be reduced at the module for lower needed voltages. The proposal was tabled for discussion at a future meeting. 

Treasurers Report:

The current total in the treasury is $5442.25 which consists of $350 cash on hand and $5092.25 in checking. 

Program:

Information about couplers and trucks was presented and discussed.  Topics covered were coupler height, body and car mounted couplers, trip pins, and coupler lubrication in addition to truck installation, metal wheels, and insulated wheelsets. Discussion included trucks and couplers for all scales. 

Next Meeting:

The next SHMRRC meeting will be at the Mt. Lebanon United Lutheran Church at 7:00 pm on February 27, 2024.