Great Train Contest Date Set 

The 9^th Annual Great Train Contest, a contest for members of the SBHRS to test their modeling skills against those of other members, is set for Saturday, 15 June at the historic Santa Clara Depot.  The contest will judge members’ skills in creating prototypically accurate trains for operation on the HO and N-scale layouts at the depot. 

 Closing date for entries to the contest is Tuesday, 11 June at 8 pm.  Members submitting entries after that time and date will be penalized for tardiness. 

Winners’ prizes are gift certificates from the Train Shop in Santa Clara. Gift certificates from the Train Shop for amounts of $50 (first place), $25 (second place) and $10 (third place) in each category will be awarded. 

As with the previous contests, plans are to have entries in a least two scales, HO-scale and N-scale.  There may be up to three train categories: passenger, freight, and other, depending on the total number of entries. 

 Contestants must present the documentation that supports their train on the day of the contest.  The train entries will be judged based on accuracy to documentation, accuracy to the represented era, operational reliability, overall visual effect, detailing and weathering, and special effects, such as lighting and sound effects.

 The points scale used for the judging will be similar to previous years.  Judges will use a scale of 0 through 10 in one point increments.  Detailing of model railroad equipment will be judged on a scale of 0-5 and special effects, such as lighting and sound, will continue to be rated 0-2.  Entry forms presented on-time again will receive a 5 point rating.

For more information or questions/answers, contact Al Senzatimore or Joe Hoffmann via e-mail or at the depot.