• Monday, Feb 6, 2012
  New Clinic Presentation!
  Handouts for Eric Eggel's LED Lighting clinic was added to the "Clinic Handouts" page:
  • "LED Lighting" by Eric Eggel
• Thursday, Sept 22, 2011
  New Clinic Presentations and X2011 Photos Added!
  Handouts for two clinics were added to the "Clinic Handouts" page:
  • "Steel Strut Benchwork" by Eric Eggel
  • "Scratchbuilding Crossings in Any Scale" by Dick Karnes
  A link to X2011's Facebook "Wall Photos" page was added to the "Home" page. Anyone can view the 350+ photos and videos without joining Facebook. Enjoy!
• Tuesday, July 26, 2011
  27 New Clinic Handouts and Presentations Added!
  See the 27 new clinic handouts and presentations added to the website on the "Clinic Handouts" page. Also added was the date the file was added to the website to determine the new files.
• Thursday, July 14, 2011
  New Clinics Handout(s) Added to Website!
  Clinic handouts or presentations added to the "Clinic Handouts" page:
  • "Track Planning and Layout Design" by Steve Moore
• Wednesday, July 13, 2011
  New Clinics Handouts Added to Website!
  Handouts for three clinics were added to the "Clinic Handouts" page:
  • "FreeMoN: Modular Railroading" by Dave Falkenburg
  • "How to Run an Effective Division" by Didrik Voss, MMR and Ed Liesse
  • "Model Railroading with Arduino: Introduction" by Dave Falkenburg
• Monday, July 4, 2011
  Layout Added to Self-Guided Colusa Turn!
  Dennis Drury's HO scale California, Oregon & Western was left off the self-guided portion of the Colusa Turn layout tour on Tuesday. The layout will be open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and is located in Plumas Lake, CA.
• Sunday, July 3, 2011
  Goings on at X2011!
  

  PCR President Pat LaTorres enjoys River Cats ballgame. (Cats lost, 7-2.) Photo by Eric Dervinis

  
  
• Friday, July 1, 2011
  New Tour Added!
  Tour DDD to Squeeze Inn in West Sacramento was added today. See the "Tours, Tweaks & Status" page for more information. Tickets for this tour will only be available at the X2011 Tour Desk in Sacramento. The tour price is $15.00.
• Thursday, June 30, 2011
  Advance Section Has Started!
  Seth Neumann reported that they kicked off the Advance Section with an unofficial Op Session at his Union Pacific in Niles Canyon layout. Seven guest operators, including 4 from Australia and several helpers and friends operated for 3 hours. A great time was had by all!
  
  Online e-Store Closed!
  As of 10:00 AM today, the X2011 online e-Store Is CLOSED for all events and merchandise sales. Online registration is still available until 10:00 AM, Saturday, July 2.
  
  Tours and Clinics Status Buttons Added!
  Buttons to get the latest Tours and Clinic status were added to this page, the "Tours, Tweaks & Status" page, and the various tours and clinics listings and details pages.
• Wednesday, June 29, 2011
  S Scale Welcoming Gathering Moved!
  The S Scale Welcoming Gathering, Wednesday 8:00 - 11:30 PM, has outgrown the Falor Room and will now be held in the Tofanelli Room at the Sheraton. For more information about the event, see the "NASG S Scale Activities" page.
• Tuesday, June 28, 2011
  Smartphone Apps Now Available!
  X2011 West now has free smartphone apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphones. For more information and step by step instructions for downloading the apps, see the new "Smartphone Apps" page or, from the main menu, click on the "Schedules" pull-down tab, then select "Smartphone Apps".
• Saturday, June 25, 2011
  OPSIG Op Session Carpools Forming!
  We use carpools to get to and from OPSIG op sessions. If you are driving and have room for passengers, contact Jim Providenza, opsigcoord@x2011west.org. Include session name and date, plus the number of passengers you can take. For more information, see the "Operations SIG Activities & Schedule" page.
• Friday, June 24, 2011
  Tours Status Updated Today!
  See the new "Tours, Tweaks & Status" page added to the website today for the latest status on Layout Tours, Prototype Tours, and General Interest Tours. Some tours are sold out, but many still have seats available.
  
  3rd Union Pacific Roseville Yard Prototype Tour Added!
  Due to overwhelming demand for tour P404, we have added a third tour, P444, of the Union Pacific Roseville Yard. Because the e-Store is closing in a few days (Thursday at 10:00 AM PDT), tickets for this tour will only be available at the X2011 Tour Desk in Sacramento and not sold at the on-line X2011 e-Store.
• Wednesday, June 22, 2011
  Downtown Restaurant List and Map Added!
  A partial list of downtown Sacramento restaurants and a map showing the location of all the restraurants in the downtown area near the Convention was added to the "Restaurants page.
  
  Online X2011 e-Store Closing Announced!
  The online X2011 e-Store will be closing for all events and merchandise purchases, except for registrations, at 10:00 AM PDT, Thursday, June 30, 2011. The X2011 e-Store will be shutdown completely at 10:00 AM PDT, Saturday, July 2, 2011. Registration and all available extra-fare events will be available for purchase on-site at the Convention in Sacramento. See Home page.
  
  Sacramento Weather Link Added!
  A link for the Sacramento weather forecast was added to the "Home page.
• Tuesday, June 21, 2011
  Advance Section Restaurants List and Map Added!
  A list of restaurants, with map, near the Advance Section Hotel was added to the "Restaurants and "Advance Section" pages.
  
  Convention Center Address Corrected!
  The Sacramento Convention Center address is 1400 "J" Street, not 1301 "L" Street, as was previously stated on the "Home" page. The "L" Street address is for the Community Center Box Office, two blocks south and NOT part of the convention. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
• Saturday, June 18, 2011
  "Students as Teachers" Op Session Added!
  The OPSIG added a special "Students as Teachers" two-fer Operating Session today. See "Students as Teachers" page for details.
• Thursday, June 16, 2011
  Video Recording Policy Announced!
  The official Extra 2011 West clinic videotaping and recording poilicy has been finalized. See "Clinic Recording Policy" page for details.
  
  Museum Day at California State Railroad Museum Announced!
  Thursday, July 7 is Museum Day! The museum will be closed to the public and open only for X2011 attendees after 5:00 PM. Come see the museum without the usual crowds. Visit the "Museum Day" page for more information about the day's events, bus schedules, and more.
  
  Extend Your Convention Week!
  If you have time before or after the Convention, check out this collection of day trips, including the weeklong "Ultimate California Road Trip" to visit many of the attractions in Northern California.
• Wednesday, June 15, 2011
  Day Fares For X2011 Announced!
  Day fare is $49.00 per day, for all days (except Advance Section. No day fares for the advance section). No presale, onsite registration only. See "Registration" page.
• Monday, June 13, 2011
  X2011 Clinic Lottery Announced!
  A special hands-on airbrushing clinic has just been added to the X2011 clinic lineup. How special? So special you have to win the lottery to attend it! See the "Airbrushing Hands-On Clinic Lottery" page for more information and to enter the lottery. Good luck!.
  
  Hobo Breakfast Menu Announced!
  The "50^th Anniversary Hobo Breakfast" page was updated with the menu for the Hobo Breakfast. Bon appétit!
  
  Arriving at SFO Airport for Advance Section?
  Be sure to visit the "Advance Section" page for how to get from San Francisco International to the Advance Section hotel in Fremont/Newark via Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains.
  
  New Restaurants Page Added to Website
  The "Restaurants" page was added to the website, starting with a list of restaurants featured on various food shows on TV. More restaurants will be added in the coming days.
  
  New Company Store Page Added to Website, Online Store Renamed
  "The Unconventional Convention Company Store" page was added to the website, showing some of the X2011 convention merchandise you'll be able to purchase at the Convention. Consignment sales items will also be available. The old online Company Store has been renamed the "X2011 e-Store" to differentiate it from the onsite Company Store.
  
  Home Page Updated!
  The "Welcome to Sacramento, California!" page has been updated with current information, including when and where the Convention is! OOPS! We forgot to tell put that on the page until today!
  
  VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
  We need volunteers to help out at X2011. See "Volunteers Wanted!" for more information about helping out at X2011. Volunteers can get Achievement Program Assocation Volunteer "Time Units" for helping in a variety of positions.
  
  CLINIC CANCELLED!
  Bob Jacobsen's clinic, "JMRI: Advanced Decoder Pro", 1:00 PM Wednesday, has been cancelled. Click here for the list of cancelled clinics.
• Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 4:00 PM
  Reservations Transferred to Hotels!
  The X2011West Housing Bureau has closed and reservations made have been transferred to the hotels. All attendees who have made reservations should receive a new confirmation number directly from the hotel. The Sheraton is SOLD OUT, but the Hyatt has expanded and extended their room block. As long as rooms remain, the Hyatt Regency will honor the $109 rate for King and Double rooms (Max two persons, additional people in a room are more). Contact information for the hotels may be found in the right column of the "Accommodations" page.
• Tuesday, June 7, 2011, 2:30 AM
  X2011 Housing Bureau Closed!
  The contract rates with the hotels have expired. All reservations from now until the convention will need to be made with the hotels directly, subject to space and price availability at each hotel. Contact information for the hotels may be found in the right column of the "Accommodations" page.
• Monday, May 30, 2011
  CANCELLED TOURS
  L503 - Comstock Express
  G304 - Cal-Fire Aviation Maintenance Facility, 10:15 AM tour
  • Consolidated into G305 - Cal-Fire Aviation Maintenance Facility, 1:45 PM tour
  
  MODIFIED TOURS
  G102 - River Cats Baseball Game, BBQ, and Fireworks
  • Reduced to $35.00 and restructured:
    – No convention-provided transportation, public transportation available.
    – Convention will assist with carpools.
    – For the energetic, the stadium is a walkable 1.5 miles.
  
  OPSIG Op Sessions Updated!
  Updated list of OPSIG operating sessions with open slots posted today.
• Tuesday, May 24, 2011
  Registration Desk Hours Posted!
  Registration Desk hours of operation posted on "Registration" and "Master Schedules" pages.
• Thursday, May 19, 2011
  Hobo Breakfast Tickets Now Available!
  Tickets for the 50th Annual Hobo Breakfast are now available in the online store. For more information and to order your tickets, visit the "Hobo Breakfast" page.
• Monday, May 2, 2011
  PLEASE NOTE!
  If you have mobility issues and have already signed up or plan to sign up for any bus tours, please see the "Mobility Issues" page for important information. We need to hear from you by May 15th!
  
  CANCELLED TOURS
  P401 - NWP Historical Society and Petaluma Trolley Restoration Shops
  
  • Also available on P413 as a self-guided tour and has been added to the L450 and L451 self-guided layout tours on Wednesday.
  P702 - Carson and Tahoe Flume
  • This tour may be available as a self-guided tour IF there is sufficient interest. See us at the Tour Desk in Sacramento.
  L404 - Modesto Layouts
  • Also available on L450 and L451 self-guided layout tours on Wednesday.
  
  ADDED TOURS
  P305 - Pacific Southwest Container
  • Tuesday - 8:00 AM to 12:45 PM
  • This tour is very limited in capacity, so register quickly if you are interested.
  P504 - Sacramento Regional Transit Light Rail Maintenance Facility
  • Thursday - 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
  • This tour will travel to the facility by bus and return by train.
  Full descriptions of both tours are available on the "Prototype Tours Details" page or by clicking the tour numbers above.
• Saturday, April 30, 2011
  Downloadable Calendars Now Available!
  A new app is now available to download the X2011 events scheduling information into the calendar program on your computer. See the "Calendar Download" page for more information.
  
  Advance Section Price Correction
  The cost for the Advance Section was incorrectly stated as $30 in several places on the website. It has been changed to $20, the correct price. Sorry for any confusion and/or inconvenience. The store's cart price was correctly stated as $20.
• Friday, April 29, 2011
  Third convention hotel added!
  A third convention hotel has been added, The Citizen, considered by many to be the best hotel in Sacramento. Go to the "Accommodations" page to make reservations online.
• Wednesday, April 27, 2011
  More seats on V&T and Virginia City tour!
  More seats have been added to Tour P703, V&T Railroad and Virginia City prototype tour.
• Thursday, April 21, 2011
  Dave Adams Op Session Canceled
  Dave Adams op session on Sunday July 3rd was CANCELED. Dave's op session on Friday evening July 1st will be held as scheduled.
  
  Bob Osborn Op Session Canceled
  Bob Osborn op session on Friday evening July 1st was CANCELED. Bob's op session on Saturday July 2nd will be held as scheduled.
  
  Kermit Paul Op Session Moved
  Kermit Paul op session, previously scheduled for Saturday July 2nd has been MOVED to Sunday July 3rd.
• Friday, April 8, 2011
  Clinics List Title and Presenter Sort Function Added
  New Selection Menu options were added to the "Clinics List" page to sort the list by the presenter's name and the clinic's title.
• Monday, April 4, 2011
  LDSIG Self-Guided LayoutTours Announced
  The LDSIG Self-Guided Layout Tour, L455, information has been added to the "Layout Design SIG Activities & Schedule" page. Some 18 layouts will be open Wednesday, 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
• Tuesday, March 29, 2011
  Kaufman Operating Session Added
  Bill Kaufman's op session on Thursday July 7th is over-subscribed at this time. Bill has agreed to host a second session on Sunday July 10th starting at 1:00 pm. If you have made a request for Bill's Thursday session and did not list it as your first choice you will probably not make the cut for that session. You should log back in to the op session signup page and change your request to Bill's Sunday session or select another op session.
• Friday, March 25, 2011
  Registration & Tours Packet Added
  The X2011 West Registration & Tours Packet has been added to the "Registration" page and is available for downloading.
• Thursday, March 24, 2011
  Houston Operating Session Canceled
  Dave Houston's op session on Sunday July 3rd has been canceled. Dave is still hosting an op session on Tuesday July 5th and you can still request a slot in that op session if you want. See the "Operations SIG Activities & Schedule" page to sign-up.
• Tuesday, March 8, 2011
  Banquet Page Added
  The "Banquet" page has been added to the website, describing X2011's unconventional banquet, or as we call it, a "nonquet".
• Saturday, March 5, 2011
  Modeling With The Masters Page and Tool Lists Added
  The "Modeling With The Masters" page has been added to the website, along with the required tool list for each MWTM clinic.
• Sunday, February 27, 2011
  OPSIG Operating Session Sign-ups Available
  The "Operations SIG Activities & Schedule" page has been updated with online operating session sign-ups.
• Thursday, February 17, 2011
  X2011 West Yahoo! Group Created
  "Click to join the X2011West Attendees Yahoo! Group to get in touch with other X2011 attendees to find a roommate, a car pool, or to just get together in Sacramento.
• Tuesday, February 15, 2011
  Operations SIG Page Added
  "Operations SIG Activities & Schedule" page added to website today.
  
  Tim Costello Joins Committee
  "Tim Costello" joined the X2011 West committee today as the Railroad Prototype Modelers coordinator. Welcome aboard, Tim!
• Sunday, February 13, 2011
  Layout Design SIG Page Added
  "Layout Design SIG Activities & Schedule" page added to website today.
• Friday, February 11, 2011
  Paul Scoles Clinic Cancelled
  Paul Scoles' clinic on building scenery has been cancelled.
• Wednesday, February 2, 2011
  NASG Clinics Cancelled
  Three NASG clinics, one by Michael Eldridge and two by Larry Hanlon, have been cancelled.
• Monday, January 31, 2011
  Bob Smaus Clinic Cancelled
  Bob Smaus' clinic, "Industrial Railroading Deep Inside LA" has been cancelled.
• Thursday, January 27, 2011
  X2011 Company Store Now Open for Business!
  The "X2011 Company Store is now open for business to all registrants. Keep checking back often as new tours are being added almost daily. A main menu button was added right in the middle of the top line of buttons.
  
  New Website Pages Added
  Three new pages were added to the website, along with buttons on the main menu buttons for each page. The new pages are:
  • "Master Schedules", showing overall schedules for all X2011 activities and links to the Layout, Prototype, and General Interest tours, clinics, and other events informational webpages.
  • "Contests", announcing all the NMRA contests to be held during the convention.
  • "HOBOS", describing the formation of the HOBOS at the 1961 PCR convention in Sacramento. It's an interesting read, especially the names of those first HOBOS.
  
  Non-Rail Rail Lunch Announced
  The Non-Rail Committee announced the Non-Rail Lunch, included with all spouse registrations at no additional cost, will be held Tuesday, July 5^th. See the "Non-Rail Acitivities" page for more information. Sign-ups will be at a later date.
  
  Webpages made "Printer-Friendly"
  All the pages for Layout Tours, Prototype Tours, General Interest Tours, Advance Section Tours, Clinics, Contests, NASG, Auction, Accommodations, Transportation, Non-Rail, Hobos, Links, and Committee were made "Printer Friendly", meaning they will print without graphics, menus, and in monochrome. Look for the familiar " Print This Page" in the upper right corner of the page.
  
  The schedule pages can easily be printed by manually changing your printer's orientation to "landscape" mode.
• Thursday, January 20, 2011
  X2011 Tour Sales Opens for Early Registrants
  One of the benefits of registering early for the NMRA convention is the first shot at buying tickets for tours. Effective today, anyone who registered by the end of the 2010 Milwaukee convention has a jump on anyone else to buy tours and extra-fare clinics.
  
  Scheduling Worksheets Available
  X2011 Convention Scheduling Worksheets were made available for printing to help plan your convention experience. Both letter and legal-size worksheets are available as PDFs, or for those who would like to "roll their own", in Excel 97-2003 format: Letter-size PDF, Legal-size PDF, Letter-size Excel, Legal-size Excel
  
  Non-Rail Activities Page Updated
  The Non-Rail Committee announcd today that they will have a book exchange all week during the convention. In addition, a Non-Rail Cookbook will be assembled from recipes collected during the week or e-mailed in ahead of time. See the "Non-Rail Activities" page more information. Menu buttons were also added to display details and listings for the Non-Rail clinics and General Interest tours.
• Wednesday, January 19, 2011
  Silent Auction Hours Revised
  The Silent Auction will now open 3 hours earlier Sunday for Registration of Items and 2 hours earlier Thursday for Buyer Settlement. See the "Silent Auction" page for the full schedule and more information.
  
  X2011 Housing Open to All Registrants
  The X2011 Housing Bureau is now open and accepting hotel reservations for both convention hotels. See the "Accommodations" page for more information and to make hotel reservations.
• Monday, January 17, 2011
  Clinics and Other Events Schedule Pages Added to Website
  Schedules for clinics and other convention events and activities were added to the website today. Use the new "Schedules" button on the main menu bar to locate the schedules.
• Friday, January 14, 2011
  X2011 Layout Tours, Prototype Tours, General Interest Tours and Clinics Pages Added to Website
  New pages for Layout Tours, Prototype Tours, General Interest Tours and Clinics were added to the website using PHP and MySQL technology to show you exactly what you want to see. Every page is created dynamically when you click the "Show Me!" buttons on the various tours and clinics pages. Use the "Clinics" and "Tours" drop down buttons on the main menu bar at the top of all X2011 webpages to access this new, exciting information.
• Monday, January 10, 2011
  X2011 Housing Opens for First 133 Registrants
  One of the benefits of registering early for the NMRA convention is the first shot at making hotel reservations. Effective today, anyone who registered by the end of the 2009 Hartford convention has a headstart on anyone else to make hotel reservations.
• Sunday, December 12, 2010
  New Website Page Added
  "What is RSS?" page added to website today to explain what RSS is and how X2011 is using it to deliver updates and news direct to your inbox.
• Tuesday, December 7, 2010
  AVIS Car Rental Discounts Announced for X2011 Travel
  AVIS is now offering discounted car rentals for X2011 West. Rental discounts are available in Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. See the "Transportation" page for details.
• Monday, December 6, 2010
  NASG Contest Model Pickup Time Changed
  The deadline for picking up models after the NASG model contest has changed from 5:00 PM to 4:00 PM. See the "NASG" page for additional contest information.
• Sunday, December 5, 2010
  New Website Page Added
  "Non-Rail Activities" page added to website, plus a special announcement about something you can do to help out before the convention.
• Tuesday, November 30, 2010
  Airline Discounts Announced for X2011 Travel
  American Airlines is now offering discounted air travel to X2011 West. Includes flights to Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose International Airports. See the "Transportation" page for details.
• Friday, November 26, 2010
  X2011 Store Open for Business!
  The X2011 Store is now open for business, accepting online registrations and credit card payments.
• Thursday, November 18, 2010
  NASG Welcome Gathering Speaker Announced
  Ed Loizeaux, S Scale Coordinator, announced today that Stephen Priest, Editor of NMRA Magazine, would be the guest speaker at the NASG Welcome Gathering. Go to the "NASG" page for more details.
• Monday, November 15, 2010
  Extra 2011 West NMRA Convention RSS Feed Added
  Subscribe to our RSS Feed to receive news and announcements automatically! Your e-mail address is NOT needed, therefore NO SPAM!
  
  New Website Page Added
  "News, Updates & Announcement" page added to website. Check back here often for news and announcements or subscribe to our RSS feed to receive it automatically.
• Sunday, November 14, 2010
  NASG Page Updated
  The "NASG" page has been updated with changes to the following sections: Advance Section, Banquet, Contest, Convention Cars, Registration, S Layout Tours, Swap Meet, and Welcoming Gathering.
• Saturday, November 13, 2010
  New Website Page Added
  "Advance Section" page added to website. Watch for new information coming in the near future. Subscribe to our RSS feed to receive it automatically!
• Friday, November 12, 2010
  New Website Page Added
  "Cancellation & Refund Poilcy" page added to website.

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