This web page provides a complete description of the O Scale West meet and its activities.
O Scale West was started by Rod Miller in 1991 on the theory that there were many O scalers west of the Mississippi who were not being served by the at that time eastern-only O scale meets. The first meet was successful beyond everyone's expectations.
There has been an O Scale West meet every year starting in 1991:
O Scale West
The OSW meet is designed to provide a spectrum of fun and interesting activities for the O scale model railroader, including a swap meet, contests, clinics, movies, and layout visits.
O Scale West also includes full participation of the S scale community, modelers, dealers, and manufacturers. This has enhanced OSW by the addition of some excellent S models in the model contest, some excellent S layouts on the layout visits, and some excellent modeling clinics presented by S scale modelers.
This activity of the S scale community is called S West. The S West events are numbered, e.g., at OSW 2012 the included S activity is named S West 7, indicating this is the 7th annual S West meet.
Approximately 200 tables are rented by O and S scale modelers, collectors, scale hobbyshops and brass dealers, and manufacturers of O and S scale products.
Winners are determined by popular vote. Some of the categories are:
The O and S scale contests are combined. E.g., there may be both S and O models in the same category. When voting for your favorites in each category, please vote for the best model, not for your scale.
Click here to view photos of O Scale West model contest entries that have been taken over the years.
Winners are determined by popular vote. Some of the categories are:
O Scale West does not provide any organized transportation, such as a bus, for those wishing to visit the layouts, so access to an auto is needed. O Scale West provides in the registration area a ride-to-share/ride-wanted signup board to facilitate connections between those with space to share and those looking for a ride.
Most layouts are open in the evenings; a few are open during the daytime. Most local layouts are open during the meet; some are also open before and after the meet.
Some nice layouts that are within a three to five hour drive (weather permitting) from Santa Clara are usually open Sunday after OSW. Discounts at local motels and restaurants may be available; check with the layout owner.
A packet of maps to the open layouts, including days and hours they are open, can be picked up at the meet. If you are registered for the meet, you can receive this packet when it becomes available during the last half of January by sending to the OSW address (on the newsletters and registration forms) a self-addressed 9 x 12 Priority Mail envelope with postage affixed to it. If you need open layout information well before the meet so that you can plan your itinerary, such as making airline/train reservations, please contact Rod Miller (see below.)
The OSW committee is looking for a replacement activity for Don's presentations and at this time have not located an activity that seems to be a good substitute. If you have suggestions, please let us know. One of the thoughts is to allow individuals to show their layout DVDs using a computer and a projector; the individual will be able to narrate the presentation. Layout DVDs were very popular at the 2011 OSW movies night.
If You Take Amtrak to OSW
Getting to the hotel is somewhat complicated by the number of ways you can come into the San Francisco Bay Area by train.
You can come in from the north on the Coast Starlight. You can come in from the east on the California Zephyr. You can come in from Los Angeles on the Coast Starlight; perhaps continuing on from another train that terminated in Los Angeles.
Things are further complicated by train arrival schedules. You should be prepared to alter your plans if your train is late. Be sure to bring with you schedules for connecting trains such the Capitol Corridor and VTA Light Rail so that you can adjust to an adverse arrival time.
At this time the Coast Starlight does not stop at the Great America station. Trains known as the Capitol Corridor trains do stop there, so you will need to transfer to a Capitol Corridor train. This can be done as early as Sacramento, or at Emeryville.
The California Zephyr terminates at Emeryville (Oakland). You will want to catch a Capitol Corridor train there.
To get a better idea of the Great America
station's location relative to the Hyatt Regency, go to
Amtrak.
Then click on Stations in the bar near the top of the page. At the next page,
enter GAC into the station code box and click go. On the next page there will be a
Where2get>it box. Click View Street Map. In the lower left corner (you may have to use
the zoom slider on the upper left to modify your view) you will see the intersection
of Tasman Drive and Great America Parkway. The Hyatt Regency is on the upper right of this
intersection in the light-colored area between the yellow street lines and the green area.
You are about 3/4 mile from the Hyatt Regency. Your choices from this point are to walk if the weather and the weight of your luggage work for you, or to call the hotel and have them send a cab to pick you up (the hotel does not have a shuttle); the hotel's switchboard number is 1-408-200-1234.
Transfer to Caltrain, ride to Mountain View. Note that in Mountain View, the intermodal (Caltrain, Light Rail, Bus) station is a replica of a Southern Pacific Common Standard station.
At Mountain View, transfer to VTA Light Rail, get off at the Great America stop which is in front of the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The Hyatt Regency will be to your left as you face the direction in which the train was traveling.
Links with more information:
BART info.
Caltrain info.
VTA Light Rail info.
You have two choices for getting to Santa Clara. One is to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) then bus, and then light rail. The other is to take an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train to the Great America Station.
If you prefer and your schedule allows it, the Capital Corridor train is more direct and faster. The Coliseum BART station and Amtrak station are next to each other, so taking AirBART to the COLISEUM BART station will also get you to the Amtrak station. Once there, follow the instructions above for the Southbound Starlight or Westbound California Zephyr to get to the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara.
Following are the instructions on how to get to OSW using BART.
Then: Take BART to the Fremont station (end of the line).
Then: get on the AC Transit #217 bus to the Milpitas/I-880 Light Rail station.
Finally: take VTA light rail west to the Great America stop.
Links with more information:
Oakland Airport and BART
BART info
AC Transit #217 Info
VTA Light Rail Map
Note: shuttles also run from the San Jose airport to the Santa Clara Caltrain station, but this is the opposite side of Santa Clara from where the Hyatt Regency is located, and it would be a pretty roundabout ride to get from there to the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara.
Links with more information:
VTA Light Rail Info
