Hi Jr. Members! I want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Patrick Cudzilo and I am the new Jr. Members club coordinator!! I am really excited to start my new position as your director and to keep this the best train club on the planet! Just a little bit about myself. I live in Lake County Indiana (right next to Chicago) I am 30 years old, and a teacher. I teach economics to high school seniors, and this is my 5th year of teaching. (Don’t worry there will not be a test over this) Before I thought seniors, I was teaching middle school students! (Grades 6th- 8th) for about three years.

One other cool thing about me is that I have a huge Lionel Layout and lots of other antique items from Lionel. My layout has seven tracks and two trolley runs! Some of the trains in my collection are a Legacy 611 Norfolk Western, a 1950 773 Hudson, a 1995 Santa Fe Set, a Legacy California Zephyr set, a 1920’s Pre-War 252 eclectic engine and an original 1935 Mickey and Minnie mouse wind up hand car that saved Lionel from the Great Depression! I also have many common and uncommon post war cars. One post war car I have. is a motorboat with a small tube on the bottom where you can put baking powder in it and it moves through the water! 

On the weekends when I am not teaching or working on the layout, I work at a small railroad museum in Monon, Indiana. I give tours at the Monon Connection which is one of the nation's largest private collections of railroad china and other railroad items. For my Florida friends, this is also the home of Flagler #90! Mary Flagler’s private railroad car! A palace car from 1898!!
Before I go, don’t forget kids, along with the Lion Roars, you guys also receive the digital publication of the Lion Cub. This is your special magazine! This is the magazine where you as a Jr. member can write articles and have them published. We publish them in December and May. More information on deadlines and where to send it will be out shortly! To read the publications, just log into the web site and click on Lion Cub issues and you will be able to view them! Also, please watch for special contests and other activities for you guys in the future! Also, if you have an idea or something you want to see done, please have your parents contact me at patrickcudzilo@gmail.com. 

Thanks kids! Nice to meet you all and having the privilege and opportunity to work with you guys! 

-Patrick