RPCA 2011 Conference

The following information regarding the 2011 conference was posted by conference chair Gary Carter on 8/11/2010. To reserve hotel accommodations online that automatically include the RPCA rate please click link below.

Plans for the 2011 RPCA Conference are proceeding along nicely. The Pueblo Conference Center will be the headquarters for the conference with the adjacent Pueblo Marriott serving as the hotel. The RPCA rate for the Marriott is $89 per night and reservations may be made by calling, 1-800-228-9290 or 719-542-3200. Please ask for the “RPCA” rate. In addition, the Cambria Suites is located directly across the street from the Pueblo Conference Center and is offering a rate of $109 per night. Reservations may be made by calling 719-546-1234.
 

Briefly, here is a synopsis of what is planned thus far.
Thursday, Jan. 13th, La Veta Pass excursion on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad.
A pre-conference excursion over the 9500 foot high La Veta Pass, former route of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad with the buses departing Pueblo around 8 AM and returning around 5 PM. Lunch will be available for purchase from the RGSR on board the train.

Friday, Jan. 14th, Activities will be headquartered at the Pueblo Conference Center. After an opening session for the membership, buses will be boarded for a guided tour of the Transportation Technology Center. This tour will leave around 10 AM and will return to Pueblo at 4 PM. The trip to TTCI will include a catered lunch. At 6 PM a buffet dinner will be offered in the historic Pueblo Union Depot followed by a car party comprised of a “Hodge Podge” consist from the Pueblo Railway Foundation and The Colorado Midland Route. The party will offer a glimpse into some of the unique rolling stock in the museum‘s collection.

Saturday, Jan15th, Seminars and sessions encompassing UMLER and insurance updates, a public meeting with Amtrak inspectors, hands on instruction on the oxyacetylene cutting torch as well as the MIG welder. The welding/cutting torch classes will be limited to 10 attendees. A live demonstration on “What to look for when evaluating trucks” will be offered in the Pueblo Railway Foundation shop. Other sessions are still in the works such as food service and vendor‘s products/services. A banquet will follow the activities at 7 PM in the grand ballroom of the Pueblo Conference Center.

Sunday, Jan. 16th, The RPCA Annual meeting and elections followed by seminars which include a live window glazing demonstration as well as a session on an alternative to car body painting.

Monday, Jan.17th, activities are yet to be announced, so stay tuned.

Air brake classes will be offered for both the 101 and 102 courses.

Each evening will offer a chance to socialize and congregate at the “After Hours” Hospitality Room.

Both excursions, as well as the dinners will be available at an additional charge.

 

Getting to Pueblo

By air, Pueblo has a small airport located 6 miles east of town which is serviced by United and Frontier airlines through a regional carrier, Great Lakes Airlines. Colorado Springs is located 50 miles to the north and is serviced by 6 major carriers. This airport is a breeze to get in and out of and is about 1 hour and 15 minutes driving time from Pueblo. Denver International Airport is approximately 130 miles north of Pueblo and does offer service from nearly every carrier. Remember, this is January in the Colorado Rockies and the drive time can be from 2 to 3 hours depending on road conditions over Monument Hill. Rental cars are available at both Colorado Springs and DIA. Shuttle Service of Southern Colorado services both airports and can be contacted at 1-877-545-9435.

By rail, the closest station is La Junta, 60 miles to the east of Pueblo. Currently there is no bus service to Pueblo and there are no rental cars available. The shuttle service mentioned above does offer service to the Amtrak station. Denver is a stop for the California Zephyr and a thruway bus is offered, but please check connections for this service. As of this writing, there is a very long lay over between #5 and the thruway bus. We are looking into chartering a bus for pick up at DUS as well as LAJ. Please contact us if you are considering traveling by Amtrak. We are more than willing to help with the arrangements for getting to Pueblo.

All of the above schedules and sessions are tentative and may be changed without notice. This is a preliminary outline of what is being planned. If you would like to see a particular topic presented in one of the sessions, please contact us.

Please take the time to sign up for the automatic email notification through the RPCA website. Details, announcements and updates will be made on the website and the email notification is the perfect way to stay in touch. Full registration packets will be mailed out in late October. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Gary or Sue Carter at 719-543-5197 or at rpcapueblo2011@yahoo.com. We hope to see everyone in Pueblo!