Happy New Year everyone. Welcome to 2026!
An update from me is long overdue.
MTC Calgary finished 2024 with just over 30 members and our finances in good shape.
Early in January 2025 we received an official version of our chapter charter from the MTC international office, some 25 years after the Calgary chapter was first formed. Better late than never I suppose.
In March we held our annual general meeting where discussions ranged from membership to incorporation to goings on at Heritage Park to the MTC line project. The level of interest was great to see. We also submitted our application to be incorporated as a not-for-profit under Alberta’s Society Act. Incorporation will give us formal standing and help in obtaining grants to fund expansion of the line project.
In April we attended Supertrain, Calgary’s premiere annual model railway show. It was held for the first time in the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary. It was well attended and the new venue was enjoyed by all.
We commenced our efforts at Heritage Park in May under our alter egos as the Heritage Park Morse Telegraph Club, working Tuesday’s and Saturday’s. In September we attended Railway Days, the parks annual railway extravaganza. We continued to support and steward the junior telegrapher program as well. We had a busy summer and when the regular season ended at Thanksgiving we had worked over 300 shifts, a truly amazing feat! We finished the year at the park by working several days during their Once Upon A Christmas event. In the end we had handled over 140 telegrams to Santa.
We joined the Historical Society of Alberta and the Canadian Pacific Historical Association as corporate members as part of our networking efforts.
On the outreach front we did a dozen presentations to various groups from BC to Alberta to Saskatchewan, spreading our words on a wire, so to speak.
On the advertising front we appeared in print more than a dozen times in various publications from Dots and Dashes to Canadian Rail to the Summerland Museum newsletter.
The Alberta MTC Line continues to be a defining project of MTC Calgary. We received substantial donations of telegraph equipment from several people and purchased a few surplus items from the CRHA/Exporail museum. We added 5 new stations to the line and ended the year with 10 stations, 7 in Alberta and 3 in BC. Soon we will be welcoming the Grande Prairie Museum and Archives to the fold.
On the membership front we welcomed three new members and said so long to two others. On a sad note two other Calgary chapter members, Clifford Hine and Carmen Wallace, passed away.
As we head into 2026 we look forward to our upcoming annual general meeting. While the date has not yet been determined, I expect it will be held once again at the Nichols public library.
Planning for our booth at Supertrain 2026 is underway with the show scheduled for Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26, again at the Olympic oval. As I write this I heard that there is 106 exhibitors registered asking for over 70,000 square feet of space which might make this the biggest model train show ever held in Calgary.
In conclusion I want to thank all Calgary chapter members for your continuing interest in and dedication to Morse telegraphy and in particular my fellow Board members for the countless hours of time you put in to keep it all running so smoothly. Well done!
And that’s it for now. All the best in this new year.
73
Ken Ashmead, President
Morse Telegraph Club, Calgary “CG" Chapter
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