NPRHA Convention Summary

1st Annual NPRHA Convention
July 19-21, 1985	Gary Wildung, chair 25-30 attendees
Holiday Inn Roseville, MN	Toured to Duluth, then train ride from Duluth to Carlton along Spirit Lake line, etc.
	No banquet, but dinner on return at former NP depot in Center City “because Warren needed his beans.”

2nd Annual NPRHA Convention
July 18-20, 1986	Rick Leach, chair 60-100 attendees
Tacoma Dome Hotel	Train Ride—Lake Whatcom Scenic Railroad.
Tacoma, WA	Toured Stampede Pass, including Lester.
	Warren McGee slide show.

3rd Annual NPRHA Convention
July 17-19, 1987	Duane Durr, chair
Holiday Inn	Toured Dilworth, Stockwood fill and Manitoba Jct.
Fargo, ND

4th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 19-21, 1988	Karl Hammerstrom, chair
Red Lion	Toured Naches branch and lower Yakima yard.
Yakima, WA	Toured Pasco yard tower and visited PS&F Hobby.

5th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 14-16, 1989	Dave Carlson, chair
Radisson Hotel	Toured museum, including dynamometer car, NP observation car No. 390.
Duluth, MN	Bill Kuebler moderated first—and impromptu—Vets panel with Jamestown enginemen Bob Donegan and Gene Gossett, talking mostly about ’66 Blizzard.
	Gary Tarbox was banquet MC. Speaker was former NP Superintendent Don King.

6th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 13-15, 1990	Rufus Cone, chair
Montana State University Bozeman, MT	Toured Bozeman Pass, Hoppers Tunnel and old line between Livingston and Muir.
	Bill Wolverton, Special Apprentice, NP Mechanical Department and Assistant Dynamometer Car Operator discussed testing NP Steam Locomotives with the Dynamometer Car.
	Bill Kuebler moderated the Veterans panel with employees from the Livingston shops.
	Gary Tarbox was banquet MC.Banquet held on Livingston depot platform with live music and trains passing by.

7th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 12-14, 1991	Duane Durr, chair
Gladstone Hotel Jamestown, ND	Train ride—Jamestown to Casselton & back, with Dirk Lenthe’s business car and others.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Jamestown Vets Panel at banquet.

8th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 17-19, 1992	Walt Ainsworth, chair 150 attendees
Lewis & Clark University Portland, OR	Train ride—Lewis and Clark Train Ride on Yacolt Portland, OR Branch.
	SP&S No. 700 fired up at the Brooklyn Street roundhouse, moved around the yard as NP No. 2668.
	Bill Kuebler moderated first Vets Panel held other than during banquet.

9th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 16-18, 1993	Ken Zieska, chair 145 attendees
Kelly Inn	*Four–Dome Train West* convention theme
St. Paul, MN	Train ride to White Bear Lake and return, with Yellowstone River business car in consist.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Como Shop Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was NP Vice President of Operations Norm Lorentzen.

10th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 15-17, 1994	Gene Carlson, chair 170+ attendees
Cavanaugh’s Inn Spokane, WA	Motorcoach tour of Palouse & Lewiston and Camas Spokane Prairie railroads.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Jamestown Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was Elmer Smoak.

11th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 14-16, 1995	Lowell Vomhof, chair
Jordan Hotel Glendive, MT	Toured yards and facilities, including cab ride “at the Glendive throttle” in yard, SD–60 (or 70) MAC.
	DeLonce Synstegard moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was Fargo Division locomotive engineer and Yellowstone Division Road Foreman of Engines Roy Peterson.

12th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 18-21, 1996	Alan Burns, chair 120 attendees
Sheraton Hotel	First 4–day convention
Missoula, MT	Train ride—Montana Daylight over Montana RailLink—Missoula to St. Regis to Paradise (lunch) to Evaro to Missoula.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was Missoula engineman and Tacoma & Idaho Divisions RFE Bud Cain.

13th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 17-20, 1997	DeLonce Synstegard, chair
Bismarck–Mandan, ND	Toured NP museum in northwest Mandan.
	Visited Mike Booth’s layout room.
	Terry Lanz’s whirlwind van ride through Mandan Yard.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Jim Hill. Speaker was former NP Passenger Traffic Representative Ed Rowell.

14th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 16-19, 1998	Warren Broderick, chair
Sheraton Hotel Tacoma, WA	Train rides—Spirit of Washington Dinner Train and Amtrak—Tacoma to Ellensburg (BBQ).
	First vets panel including a Stewardess–Nurse, Loraine Nygaard/Taylor.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet speaker was former Tacoma Division Superintendent John Hertog.

15th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 14-17, 1999	Jim Dick, chair 170 attendees
St. Paul Radisson	Toured Iron Horse Central Museum in Chisago.
St. Paul, MN	Toured model railroad layout in Bandana Square.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was NP Vice President of Operations Norm Lorentzen.

16th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 20-23, 2000	Warren Broderick & Phil Beach, chairs 165 attendees
Helena, MT	Train ride—Montana Daylight over Montana RailLink—Helena to Missoula, (BBQ at MRL Headquarters) and return.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was NP telegrapher Jim Fredrickson and his “Top Ten Reasons Why I Like NP.”

17th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 12-15, 2001	Jon Bratt, chair
Duluth, MN	GNRHS / NPRHA Convention Steam Excursion— No. 328 to Stillwater over Chicago Northwestern for “Lumberjack Days.”
	Unique clinic presentation by Fireman Lee Tuskey, describing a 1950s trip on steam out of Duluth.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler.
	First year for Author Awards, given to Jim Fredrickson for Shutterbug and John Strauss, Jr. for NP Color Pictorial Vol. 4.
	President’s Award to Joy Wildung.

18th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 11-14, 2002	Jim Russell, chair
Holiday Inn Airport	Brooklyn Street Roundhouse tour.
Portland, OR	Shared some activities with SP&S members
	Bill Kuebler moderated first and only all female, all Stewardess–Nurse Vets Panel with Barbara (Person) Hancock in uniform.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was Stewardess–Nurse Supervisor Joan (Reitz) Dolan.
	President’s Award and Service Award given to Larry Schrenk
	Convention car: 5–car set of NP 50’ boxcars by Branchline; 50 sets run.

19th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 16-20, 2003	Jon Bratt, chair
Sheraton Hotel Billings, MT	Train ride—Montana Daylight over Montana RailLink—Billings to Whitehall to Livingston (BBQ on platform before motor coach ride back to Billings).
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler. Speaker was Richard Beulke, NP Personnel Department.
	Author Award to Larry Schrenk for Northern Pacific Classic Steam Era.
	Tribute to Warren McGee.
	Plaque to Ruth Eckes.
	Convention car: 50’ AAR with billboard lettering by Branchline. Artwork produced by NPRHA.

20th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 14-18, 2004	Phil Beach, chair 130 attendees
Red Lion	Toured Pasco yard and visited PF&S Hobby.
Pasco, WA	Shared some activities with SP&S members.
	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler, and speaker was trainman and union representative Charles D. Kilbury.
	President’s Award to Phil Beach.
	Service Awards to Bill Kuebler, Gary Tarbox and Bob McCoy.
	Convention car: 5 different numbers of Hart–Rogers ballast hoppers by Atlas.

21st Annual NPRHA Convention
July 13-17, 2005	Duane Durr, chair 110 attendees
Holiday Inn	Toured John Deere factory.
Fargo, ND	Bill Kuebler moderated Vets Panel.
	Banquet MC was Bill Kuebler, and speaker was NP Vice President of Operations Norm Lorentzen.
	Author Award to Bill Kuebler for The Vista Dome North Coast Limited.
	President’s Award to Art Pew and John Robinson announced. Actual presentation delayed. Convention car: 2–bay PS–2 covered hopper/cement car No. 75280 by Kadee. Also NPRHA–developed motor car shed, fuel shed and scale house kits and “4–Dome Train West” sign by Blair Line.

22nd Annual NPRHA Convention
July 12-16, 2006	Jan Taylor, chair 125 attendees
GranTree Inn	Theme: Lewis and Clark Bicentennial
Bozeman, MT	Train ride—Copper City Express over Rarus Railway Butte to Anaconda and return.
	Phil Beach moderated panel of MRL engineers who operate over former NP tracks.
	Banquet MC was Bill Taylor. Speaker was Washington Transportation Group president Bill Brodsky.
	Convention car: 1926 50’ Single Sheathed Auto boxcar resin kit by Speedwitch Media. Also Third Class, 2–Story combination depot kit, Plan S–26 produced by the NPRHA Modeling Committee.

23rd Annual NPRHA Convention
July 11-14, 2007	Michael Booth, chair
Seven Seas Inn	*Theme: Where the West Begins.*
Mandan, ND

24th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 16-19, 2008	Jerry Pickell, chair
Sheraton Hotel	Theme: Jim Fredrickson Country
Tacoma, WA
25th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 15-18, 2009	Jim Dick, chair
	Theme:
St. Paul MN
26th Annual NPRHA Convention
July 14-17, 2010	Mike Applegate, chair
	Theme:
Spokane, WA