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The Dakota Southeastern Division of the Thousand Lakes Region, NMRA
The Dakota Southeastern Division (DSED) is located in and around Sioux Falls, with memberships extending across Eastern South Dakota all the way to the Missouri River. Our active membership numbers about 20.
Monthly meetings are typically the first Thursday evening or first Saturday of the month, though we also are flexible in scheduling to accommodate available prototype tours and special events. Our meetings regularly rotate among members’ homes and HobbyTown in Sioux Falls, which allow us a chance to see and learn from fellow members’ layouts or plans.
The DSED sponsored its third annual model train home layout open house tour during October 2008. Over 50 guests enjoyed seeing trains operate at five home layouts plus the Sioux Valley Model Engineers Society club layout at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds.
During the past couple years, DSED activities included clinics conducted by members, as well as prototype tours of Midwest Railcar Repair, the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad operations center, and the local quarry served by the Ellis and Eastern Railroad in Sioux Falls. The group also visited our sister division superintendent’s home in Sibley, Iowa, to operate on the Iowa and Eastern model railroad.
In addition, the club sponsored SiouxRail 2008, a four layout operating session weekend in June that drew 30 guests from five states. Last September, two members entertained nearly 80 guests at the Ronning Library in Sioux Falls, providing clinics and hands on experience in operations and landscaping techniques. We also display and operate our DSED sectional club layout annually at Trains at Christmas, a two day swap meet and display event at the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds. At the end of the year, the club will gather in Harrisburg for the annual family potluck and to enjoy the DM & E layout (Darla, Mark, and Emma) owned and operated by one of our members.
Membership includes basically those NMRA dues paying members in Eastern South Dakota. For 2009, we have an active calendar of events, including visits to several of the above mentioned sites, plus a nearby grain elevator and Prairie Village in Madison, South Dakota. Our programming goals for 2009 aims to provide a variety of model railroading educational opportunities (including the TLR convention at the end of May in Hutchinson Minnesota); increasing participation in the NMRA Achievement Program; continuing our tradition of annual open house(s), operating sessions; clinics; displaying the club layout; and enjoying the fellowship of train hobbyists in our area.
For further information, contact Division Superintendent:
Terry Anderson, topcop@iw.net
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