The Coalfield Express

Mid Central Region Annual Convention

Charleston, West Virginia

May 13-16 2010

National Model Railroad Association Mid Central Region Division 9, the Coal Division, is proud to host the 2010 Mid Central Region Convention, The Coalfield Express.  While many MCR cities have hosted conventions in recent years, nobody can quite seem to remember when it was last in Charleston.  We do know it has been at least 20 years and likely much longer. 

Charleston, the largest city in West Virginia and the State Capital, is an easily navigated city that is close to power plants, coal mines, and the New River Gorge.  Tours will allow you to see these sights up close.  We’ll visit American Electric Power’s John Amos Plant, Walker Machinery, a supplier of heavy equipment, a surface mine, the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine as well as the New River Bridge and Hawk’s Nest State Park. 

Back at the convention hotel (the Embassy Suites) you will find the usual sorts of activities including the model contest, raffle, silent auction, company store, clinics, hospitality suite, and banquet.  Thursday evening will you will have the opportunity to operate one of three area layouts.  Sunday will find a number of layouts in the immediate Charleston area open for visits. Also, look for layouts in outlying areas on your way home from the convention. 

We think you fill find the Embassy Suites Hotel to be an outstanding venue for the convention. It is conveniently located right in downtown Charleston. The room rate includes an absolutely sumptuous breakfast buffet as well as a late afternoon Manager’s Reception that includes complimentary beverages and snacks.  Meals outside the hotel can be found at the nearby Marriott Hotel, just down the block, or across the street at the Charleston Town Center, one of the largest city center shopping malls in the country.

We will be developing this site in much more detail in the coming days and weeks so check back often for more details.  In the meantime, the registration form is now available.  Just click here to see it. 

We wish to thank Digitrax for supplying neck lanyards that make it easy to hold the badge holders they also supplied.  We also thank NCE for supplying tote bags.  Please keep the companies who support the convention with donations like these or via the raffle in mind as you shop for model railroad merchandise.

March 3, 2010 Update

Now that the Coalfield Express is fast approaching, it is time to start filling all the many on-site jobs. If you want to give us three hours of your time during the convention, please click the Staffing button to see what jobs are open. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

The guest rooms at the Embassy Suites Hotel have all been sold.  If any rooms become available they will be allocated to our convention so check back with the hotel web site often.  In the meantime, the hotel page has a list of nearby hotels that you may wish to try.

March 17, 2010 Update

Banquet ticket sales have been outstanding.  As we approached our initial banquet capacity, we were able to negotiate a larger banquet space.  We should now be able to handle as many banquet ticket buyers as we have convention attendees.  If you are not staying at the Embassy Suites, check the banquet page for details on the availability of beverages at the social hour.

Tours tickets are selling well but there is still room on all tours. If you want to go on one of the tours, we suggest you register sooner rather than later.

April 11 Update

While banquet tickets are selling well, there are many registrants who have not purchased tickets. In addition, there are some out there who have not yet registered.  We have to give the hotel a final count for the banquet on May 7.  We must receive your payment by May 6 in order to guarantee a banquet ticket.  After that date there is no guarantee that banquet tickets will be available. Again, we must have your payment by May 6. A statement of your intentions is not adequate. 

Tour tickets are still available.  We cannot be sure there will be any left for on site sale but unlike the banquet there is no specific time limit for tour ticket orders.

April 21 Update

We are only three weeks from the convention! We are now past the last date to make a reservation at the convention rate at the Embassy Suites even if a room opens up.  If you have not made a hotel reservation yet, look at the hotel page for a list of other nearby hotels. The Charleston Marriott Town Center is right next door and still had some good weekend rates as of April 20.

While we say registration opens at 3 pm on Thursday May 13 we really hope to be open a bit earlier for those of you who arrive early.

We still have tour and banquet tickets available but remember that we need your payment for banquet tickets by May 6 to guarantee a seat at the table. Tour tickets can be bought on site.

April 27 Update

A full convention schedule is now available.

We have just heard that Jerry Ashley will be unable to join us in Charleston.  We have recruited an alternative raffle ticket seller but nothing can replace Jerry’s two clinics.  Let’s hope Jerry and Beth can join us next year in Ohio.