BayLUG News

January 6, 2008: MoAH Holiday display ends
January 13, 2008: member’s only BayLUG meeting
January 26, 2008: BayLTC NMRA meeting
February 24, 2008: BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
March 8, 2008: BayLTC NMRA meeting
March 14-16, 2008: TCA Cal-Stewart Spring Meet
April 20, 2008: BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
May 3-4, 2008: Maker Faire
May 31, 2008: BayLTC NMRA meeting
June 22, 2008: BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
July 13, 2008: BayLTC NMRA meeting
July 18-20, 2008: NMRA NTS in Anaheim
July 26, 2008: BayLTC NMRA meeting
August 3, 2008: VVFF/BayLUG meeting
September 27-28, 2008: Great Train Expo in San Jose (tentative)
October 12, 2008: BayLUG 10th Anniversary meeting @ MoAH
November 2008: Great Train Expo in Pleasanton (tentative)
December 2008: MoAH Holiday display starts

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA - The Bay Area LEGO Users Group (BayLUG) and Train Club (BayLTC) are pleased to announce our 4th Annual “Living LEGO-cy” Holiday Display at the Museum of American Heritage.

Saturday, December 8, 2007 to Sunday, January 6, 2008

Museum of the American Heritage
351 Homer Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
http://www.moah.org

Show Hours:
Friday-Sunday 11am-4pm

Admission: Donation

BayLTC will be presenting a self-running 12′x25′ layout with several loops of trains running through downtown, waterfront, and suburban scenes. The theme of this layout is “Holidays in the Bay Area,” and will feature locally-based scenes with a holiday theme. In addition, BayLUG members will have a variety of other models on display. In addition, you can read the latest newspaper article featuring BayLTC here:

http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_7560504

Once again BayLUG will be taking part in the Vintage Vehicles and Family Fun Festival in Palo Alto, CA. This event, run by the Museum of American Heritage (where most of our BayLUG meetings are held), is a celebration of old vehicles and family activities. It will be held in El Camino Park, just across from the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.

Date: Sunday, August 5, 2007
Time: 10am to 4pm (open to public)
Where: El Camino Park, 100 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA
(across from the Stanford Shopping Center)
Admission: free

Note: Club members please arrive between 8-10am to set up.

The Museum of American Heritage will be closed on this day.

Our club will have three clusters of tables, which need to be provided by us. We will have canopies, but as the event is outdoors, LEGO parts may be subjected to UV rays and other factors. We will be located right next to the main entrance.

Bring your latest models to show off, and/or parts or sets to sell.

More details are becoming available about the club’s schedule for 2007. Keep checking back for updates!

• January 14, 2007 - MoAH Christmas display ends
• January 21, 2007 - members-only BayLUG meeting @ Dave Porter’s house, Woodside
• February 17, 2007 - BayLUG meeting #1 @ Fremont Main Library
• February 25, 2007 - BayLUG meeting #2 @ MoAH
• March 16-18, 2007 - TCA Cal-Stewart Spring Meet @ Santa Clara Conv. Center
• March 24, 2007 - NMRA Preplanning (members only) @ Mtn View Round Table
• April 15, 2007 - BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
• May 19-20, 2007 - Maker Faire @ San Mateo Expo Center
• June 17, 2007 - BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
• June 23, 2007 - NMRA Planning (members only) @ Mtn View Round Table
• August 2007 (date pending) - BayLUG Space meeting/display @ Chabot Science Senter, Berkeley
• August 5, 2007 - Vintage Vehicles and Family Fun, Palo Alto
• September 29-30, 2007 (unconfirmed) - BayLTC train show, Fairgrounds, San Jose
• October 14, 2007 - BayLUG meeting @ MoAH
• November 24-25, 2007 (unconfirmed) - BayLTC train show, Fairgrounds, Pleasanton
• December 8, 2007 through January 6, 2008 - MoAH Christmas display

MoAH - Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto.

For the third consecutive year, BayLUG and BayLTC presents their Annual “Living LEGO-cy” Holiday LEGO train layout and creations show in the Frank Livermore Learning Center at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto. Last year’s show was a door buster, with record museum attendance, and this year’s promises to be even better! The fabulous train layout and members’ displays will run from Saturday, December 16, 2006 through Sunday, January 14, 2007. Come one, come all and check out the LEGO trains and all of the interesting creations on display.

BayLTC will be presenting a self-running train layout with several loops of trains running through town, farming, and suburban scenes. In addition, BayLUG members will have a variety of other models on display.

Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301

Show Hours:

• Friday-Sunday 11am-4pm
• Monday-Thursday closed
• Closed December 25, 2006
• Closed January 1, 2007
• Museum donations are appreciated.

Here’s a sample from last year.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA - The Bay Area LEGO Users Group (BayLUG) and Train Club (BayLTC) is pleased to announce our schedule for the rest of 2006, and a preview of the 2007 schedule.

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October 2006 BayLUG Meeting
Sunday, October 8, 2006
11am-4pm
Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301

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Great Train Expo
Sat-Sun, November 25-26, 2006
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566
10am-4pm both days
Admission: $7 for adults; Kids 11 & under free
Admission is good for both days.

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Palo Alto Museum - “Living LEGO-cy”
December 16, 2006 - January 14, 2007
Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Friday-Sunday 11am-4pm
Monday-Thursday closed
Closed December 25, 2006
Closed January 1, 2007
Admission: Donation

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Preview of the 2007 ScheduleBelow is a preview of our upcoming 2007 schedule. All information is subject to change without notice. Please check back for updates.

• January - Christmas show ends
• February - meeting
• March - train show
• April - meeting
• May - TBD
• June - meeting
• July - TBD
• August - meeting
• September - train show
• October - meeting
• November - train show
• December - Christmas display starts

Please note that this information was updated today.

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Russell Clark
rclark@telis.org
408.605.5412 (cell)

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA - The Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) is
pleased to announce that we will be displaying at “Transportation in the
Valley” at the Museum on Main Street in Pleasanton. Here are the show
details:

Sunday, June 18, 2006 to Sunday, July 30, 2006

Museum on Main Street
603 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Show Hours:
Wednesday-Saturday 11am-4pm
Sunday 1pm-4pm
Monday-Tuesday closed

Admission: Donation

Layout size 12.5′x17.5′

(Set-up on June 17 - members only)

BayLUG is pleased to announce a special event: Exploring Mindstorms NXT with Mark Edelman, NXT Developer and Founder of Playing at Learning, a Northern California FLL affiliate.

Find out all about the new version of LEGO Mindstorms, with its all new motors and sensors, 32-bit processor, and built-in Bluetooth among other great new features.

The event will take place on May 13th, from noon-3:00pm in Byrd Hall at Wesley United Methodist Church, 463 College Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306 [map]

The church sanctuary faces Cambridge Ave, and the social hall entrance faces College Ave. There is some limited parking on College, and a large parking garage at Cambridge Ave & Mimosa Lane. If you park there, you will have to walk through the church courtyard or go down Sedro Lane to get to the social hall.

We have chosen the theme of “micro-scale space” for the May 14 27 meeting at MoAH. (Note: The meeting was rescheduled to avoid a conflict with Mother’s Day.)

Build a model in a futuristic or science fiction setting, in micro-scale. Micro-scale means that a human is about the height of a LEGO brick, or smaller. There are two categories (micro-moonbase modules, and micro-scale spacecraft) and three age groups.

The contest is for members only. If you’re not a member, sign up prior to the meeting and you can participate in the contest.

For more details, see the event announcement.

The Bay Area LEGO Users’ Group will be participating in Maker Faire, along with the creators of MAKE magazine, the MythBusters, and thousands of tech DIY enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, science clubs, students, and authors. This unique event will be held April 22-23 at the San Mateo fairgrounds.

BayLTC will present a 20′ x 30′ train layout and BayLUG members will have various models on display, such as David Wegmuller’s giant Technic crane and demonstrations of controlling LEGO trains using Mindstorms robotics kits.

For more information, or if you have anything to contribute to the exhibit please contact Bill Ward.

A small handful of BayLTC members will be attending the 3rd Annual Bay Area Prototype Modelers Meet on Sunday, April 30, 2006 from 10am-5pm. This event is open to modelers of all abilities, roads, scales, and eras. Steam, diesel, electric, Interurban, freight cars, passenger cars, vehicles, intermodal, MOW equipment, structures, dioramas– you name it, Bring it to BAPM 2006! All are welcome. This is an excellent opportunity to display models to a fairly specialized audience. There will be clinics, displays, raffle prizes, and manufacturers onsite.

It is being held at:
Fremont Marriott
46100 Landing Parkway
Fremont, California 94538 USA
Phone: 1-510-413-3700

Admission is $18 if you bring at least one model to display, or $20 if you do not bring a model. Pre-registration is recommended.

You can view all of the details at their website.

We are pleased to announce the 2006 schedule for meetings of the Bay Area LEGO Users’ Group in the Frank Livermore Learning Center at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto, California. We met there several times in 2005, and had a display there over the holidays which was very popular. We will be meeting on the following days:

• Sunday, April 9, 2006
• Sunday, May 14 Saturday, May 27, 2006 (date changed to avoid conflict with Mother’s Day)
• Sunday, August 13, 2006 (BayLUG will be taking part in the Museum of American Heritage’s Vintage Vehicles & Family Festival at El Camino Park instead of our regular meeting)
• Sunday, October 8, 2006 (BayLUG anniversary meeting)

Each meeting will be open from 11am to 4pm (members-only setup at 10:30am, and tear-down starts at 3:30pm) and will feature members’ models on display, bricks and sets for sale or trade, and a contest (details to be announced). Members who wish to display or sell need to reserve their space in advance, and many members will need to bring their own tables.

Special note: The contests are for members only. If you are not yet a member and wish to participate, please fill out an application form before the meeting.

The BayLUG/BayLTC exhibit at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto over the past few weeks was an amazing success! The weekend of Jan 7-9 saw more visitors to the museum than ever before. More than 2000 LEGO lovers attended over the 3 days. Check out the pictures by Bill Ward.

Attendance was likely helped by the great Palo Alto weekly and Mountain View Voice articles featuring quotes from Club co-founder Russell Clark. We look forward to another even better MoAH Living LEGO-cy event for December 2006!

BayLTC has signed up to exhibit at several train shows as part of the Great Western and Atlantic Train Show (successor to the Great American Train Show) around the bay area in 2006.

We will also be making our third straight appearance at the Train Collector’s Association (TCA) Cal-Stewart spring meet in Santa Clara.

In addition we will be displaying as part of the BayLUG museum exhibits in Pleasanton, Danville, and (tentatively) Palo Alto again this year.

Also we are tentatively scheduled to be part of the Great Train Expo in Pleasanton on Thanksgiving weekend.

For full details, click on “Upcoming Events” in the navigation bar.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA - Below are the details for the upcoming appearances of the Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC).

Sunday, December 18, 2005 to Sunday, January 15, 2006

Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
http://www.moah.org

The Bay Area LEGO Users Group (BayLUG) and Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) are pleased to announce that we will once again be displaying at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto. Set-up is on December 18 and the show officially opens on December 23.

Show Hours:

Friday-Sunday 11am-4pm
Closed Monday-Thursday
Closed December 25, 2005
Closed January 1, 2006
Admission: Donation

BayLTC will be presenting a self-running 12′x25′ layout with several loops of trains running through town, farming, and suburban scenes. The theme of this layout is “Holidays in the Bay Area,” and will feature locally-based scenes with a holiday theme. In addition, BayLUG members will have a variety of other models on display.

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Saturday-Sunday, November 26-27, 2005
Great Western & Atlantic Train Show
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566
http://www.greatamericantrainshow.com

Show Hours:

11am-5pm both days
Admission: $8 for adults; Kids 12 & under free
Admission is good for both days.

The details of this layout are not finalized yet, so please check our Web site periodically for updates.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CA - With the end of 2004 rapidly approaching, the Bay Area LEGO Train Club’s 2005 calendar is already filling up. We have signed up for five shows so far for 2005, and two of them are already confirmed. Plus, we still have one show remaining for 2004. Below is information on our upcoming shows. The details for our 2005 appearances are not finalized yet, so please stay tuned for all of the information.

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Friday, December 10, 2004 to Sunday, January 2, 2005

Museum of American Heritage
351 Homer Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94301

The Bay Area LEGO Users Group (BayLUG) and Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) are pleased to announce that we will be displaying at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto for the month of December, open to the public starting December 10.

Show Hours:
Friday-Sunday 11am-4pm
Monday-Thursday closed

Admission: Donation

BayLTC will be presenting a self-running 12′x25′ layout with several loops of trains running through town, farming, and suburban scenes. The theme of this layout is “Holidays in the Bay Area,” and will feature locally-based scenes with a holiday theme. In addition, BayLUG members will have a variety of other models on display.

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Saturday-Sunday, February 12-13, 2005
Great America Train Show
Cow Palace
Geneva Avenue & Santos Street
Daly City, CA 94104
Status: Hold for Show

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Friday-Sunday, March 18-20, 2005
Train Collectors Association Cal-Stewart Spring Meet
Santa Clara Convention Center
5001 Great America Parkway
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Status: Confirmed for Show

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Monday-Sunday, July 11-17, 2005
Depot Days for Kids
Museum of the San Ramon Valley
Corner of Railroad Avenue & Prospect Avenue
Danville, CA 95426
Status: Confirmed for Show

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Saturday-Sunday, September 24-25, 2005
Great American Train Show
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds
344 Tully Road
San Jose, CA 95111
Status: Hold for Show

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Saturday-Sunday, November 26-27, 2005
Great American Train Show
Alameda County Fairgrounds
4501 Pleasanton Avenue
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Status: Hold for Show

The Museum of American Heritage (MOAH), The Bay Area LEGO® User Group (BayLUG) and Train Club (BayLTC) are combining forces this winter to create spectacular Holiday season fun at MOAH. MOAH visitors can explore a variety of LEGO creations and an operating LEGO train layout featuring a wide variety of creations by club members that range from futuristic spaceships and classic 1960 LEGO constructions to models of large heavy equipment and famous landmarks. How many will you be able to identify? Highlighting it all is Holidays in the Bay Area, a 12 by 25 foot train layout incorporating multiple trains running through city, farm, and suburban scenes.

Living LEGO-cy will be open to the public from December 10, 2004 through January 2, 2005 during normal exhibit hours. Come and find out just how many clever ways LEGO can be used. Club members will be present during weekend hours to answer questions and support the displays.

The Museum of American Heritage, located in the historic Williams House in Palo Alto, operates programs to collect, preserve, and present objects that illustrate the evolution of 19th and 20th century invention and technology. MOAH provides hands-on education to engage and encourage the public, especially youth, to understand and appreciate the history of technology as a stimulus for the creative mind. In addition, the Museum sponsors events that bring together diverse individuals and groups interested in our heritage of ingenuity and invention.

Regular exhibit hours are 11 AM to 4 PM, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (except Christmas Day and New Years Day). Admission is free.

On July 11, the Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) took down our layout which had been on display at the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society and Museum in Pleasanton, California since June 12. This was by far the longest-running display our club has had.

But if you missed this display, do not worry: we will be appearing at the Great American Train Show in San Mateo next weekend, July 17-18. We will have a larger layout than the Pleasanton display, including more modern features.

Tear-down pictures.

During the tear-down, after removing the “sneeze guards” and table skirts we took about 10-15 minutes for photographing the display.

Pictures taken throughout the month-long display are also still avaialble.

Since June 12, the Bay Area LEGO Train Club (BayLTC) has had a layout on display at the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society and Museum in Pleasanton, California. There is one week left until we take it down next weekend on July 11.

This weekend we had a special display for the 4th of July weekend: a parade! Various members of the club built models which we lined up down “Main Street” on the layout. My personal contributions were an old-fashioned fire truck, a John Deere Model B tractor towing a flat bed trailer with a bluegrass band on the back, and a horse-drawn cart with four waving local citizens on it.

Here are some more pictures I took of the display:

Pictures taken June 26, showing models added in the two weeks since it opened.

Pictures showing our 4th of July parade.

The pics I took on June 12 are also still avaialble.

The Bay Area LEGO® Train Club (BayLTC) has opened its latest train layout, at the Amador-Livermore Valley Historical Society and Museum in Pleasanton, California, now through July 11, 2004. This layout represents several “firsts” for the club: first layout in a museum, first automated layout, and first layout attended by non-club members (museum docents). In addition this is by far the longest-running club layout, lasting 32 days.

BayLTC members set up the exhibit Thursday and Friday afternoons, June 10-11, and finished setup on Saturday morning, June 12. Pictures taken just after setup can be seen on Bill Ward’s Web site.

The exhibit follows a theme of “Railroad in the Central Valley”, and features locally-based scenes ranging from the 1850s to the 1950s. Some featured models include a new farm scene by Paul Sinasohn, new Old West town by Russell Clark, downtown area by Kenny Paul and family featuring many new buildings, Ross Benz’s Mission San José, and Bill Ward’s train station. In addition, we have traditional layout elements including a “fantasy area” featuring Thomas the Tank Engine and a static display train yard with rolling stock made from LEGO bricks.

The layout is 15 feet square and features an electrical control system that shuts off the trains for 10 minutes at a time every half-hour to prevent overheating. The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11am to 4pm, and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission: $4 per person (donation to the museum). BayLTC’s layout will be ondisplay through July 11, 2004.

Club members will be on hand much of the time on weekends, along with docents from the Niles Canyon Railway and the regular museum docent volunteers. Our display is one part of a larger railroad history display in the museum which is running all summer long.