James Keena, Paymaster for the club, as won several awards at the recently completed National Model Railroad Association annual convention held in Sacramento the first week in July. While the convention attendees have only seen these models for a short time in the contest room, you can seem them up close and personal as these are working models that James runs oner the rails of the Highland Pacific Railroad.
Our own Mr. Keena took a First Place in Kit Passenger Cars for his 60-ft SP Harriman Baggage Car (above) kitbashed from a Model Die Casting kit. Note the unusual double-wide and single doors.
Another First Place was awarded for his Union Pacific Class CA-1 Side Door Caboose #25817 (above) fashioned from an old Revell models kit.
James received a Second Place award for his kitbashed Frisco “door and a half” Automobile Box Car (above).
Another Second Place award was garnered for his tongue-in-cheek rendition of a popular series of post cards from the 1940s with two mammoth oranges on a flat car. This award was in the “Thumbs” category, a long running series of cartoons depicting humorous models and model railroading situations.
If you’ve operated via timetable on a Saturday, you’ve used this award-winning effort from James Keena. James received an Honorable Mention award in the Railroad Passes category for his rendition of a railroad timetable that is based on our own Highland Pacific Railroad operations.
His Baldwin VO 1000 diesel electric locomotive switcher in Pacific Electric livery complete with dual trolley poles (click on the link to see a black and white action photo of the locomotive), and a Gorre & Daphetid Box Car were also entered in the model contest.
Way to go James! You’re a winner and an inspiration to the rest of us to dust of our modeling tools and get cracking.
