Alumni member and club co-founder Otto Vondrak welcomed guests and made introductions while club president Matt Glazer ran a steam-powered passenger train from Irondequoit Yard, meeting an R&IT Alco-powered freight train that vice president Elliot Courtney ran from Niagara Falls Yard. The two trains met roughly halfway between CP 373 and Albion, where we had first joined rails back in November. Matt welcomed our guests and said a few words of introduction, explaining how his early interest in trains led to him joining the club and helping to design and build our new model railroad.
The site was prepared with two "golden spikes," and the first one was driven by President Destler and Matt Glazer. The second spike was driven by Matt Glazer and Elliot Courtney. Following the completion of the ceremony and the appropriate photo ops, the freight train was backed into Albion siding so that President Destler could take the throttle of the steam engine and continue with tour with Elliot as his guide. The president was very interested in what we had created, having seen the previous version of the R&IT, and asked many questions. He was also very interested that we were using a DCC system designed and manufactured right here in Rochester by an RIT grad!
We can't thank our club members enough for all of their hard work this year that made this day possible, especially in the weeks leading up to this special event. Thanks also goes out to our alumni and all past members of the club who kept our traditions alive all these years. It is very exciting to see the new layout take shape and make progress each week, and we have much to look forward to over the next few years as we continue to grow and develop the latest, greatest version of the R&IT!
Thank you also to all of our fans and community supporters, we couldn't do what we do without your help! Follow us on our web site and on our Facebook fan page for the latest news and updates.
"SHIP AND TRAVEL GENESEE ROUTE"
