September Wheel Report Posted

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Notes from the Editor:

By Ron Polimeni

Over the years, I’ve been something of an instigator attempting to encourage others to step up and hold office in our SMD. This year, I figured it was about time I put my money where my mouth is and step up myself. So, I’m now the editor in chief of our Wheel Report newsletter. This year we’re trying something new. There will be three of us assembling the publication. Andrew Dodge, MMR, will be assistant editor and Bob Johnson will be publisher. I will be responsible for collecting articles and material for publication. Andrew will assist with proofreading and editing. Bob will layout and publish the final copy. It’s a new idea and time will tell how well it works out.

That said, I haven’t given up on instigating others to step up. I will be looking for stories wherever I can find them. It is my hope that we can use the Wheel Report to rejuvenate enthusiasm for our organization. Our membership has much to share and it is my hope that we can do so through participation in the Wheel Report. I’m open to all thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to contact me through the Division email, southmountaindiv@gmail.com.

Wheel Report Content:

We are always looking for Wheel Report content from the membership. Articles addressing prototype railroading (including your experiences while visiting a prototype location) and model railroading (how you designed / built your layout, modeling structures, model railroad operations, etc. All of this adds interest to your Wheel Report and builds membership enthusiasm.

In September we are publishing the first of a four-part article written by Division member Andrew Dodge, MMR. Note that Andrew’s feature piece will only be available to members via the emailed distribution of the newsletter.

Your October issue will include an article by Bob Johnson discussing how he developed the concept for his West Virginia Midland and how that development drives operations on the layout.

If you would like to submit an article please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com. Wheel Report editor Ron Polimeni would like articles formatted in a Microsoft Word compatible file or pasted into the body of the email. Please do not submit PDF files. Pictures for articles should be attached to the email, with their corresponding captions clearly labeled with each picture’s file name so they can be matched to each image. Do not paste images into a Word document. All submissions and pictures must be the property of the author to be considered for publication.

From the Desk of the Superintendent

By Dan Mulhearn

Greetings fellow model railroad enthusiasts. I had just gotten home from the NMRA National in Detroit. My plan was to hit the ground running in my new job as SMD Superintendent. Well, hit the ground I did.

“Surgery on that broken right femur,” they said.

“Twelve to fifteen weeks rehab,” they said.

Given the circumstances, I will not be able to attend the September meeting. I am asking that Bob Johnson stand in for me. Which leads me to the thought, the Division could use an Assistant Superintendent position. I do intend to work very hard to attend all future meetings. I am looking forward to working with Division members to keep the Division and our mutual hobby rolling forward.

One important piece of my plan is the Achievement Program (AP). This lineup is an excellent way to gain or improve hobby skills. I encourage all of us to look into AP as a way to advance enjoyment of model railroading. In my case I currently have five certificates. It is time for me to choose one of the remaining two required certificates that will elevate me to Master Model Railroader (MMR). So I have chosen Master Builder – Cars. Then, for my seventh certificate it’s going to be Master Builder – Structures. Both these certificates require scratch building. I’m hoping my Parkinson’s tremors will allow me to get them done. Let me know how you are doing and what you are working on.

The annual MER Convention is also something well worth attending and should be on everyone’s to do list. The Philadelphia Division is hosting, October 16-19 in King of Prussia, PA. Regional conventions are very affordable as compared to the National. You will find interesting clinics on many model railroad and prototype subjects. Rail oriented and non-rail oriented outings are available.There are often opportunities to attend op sessions at area layouts. You may wish to display your work in the display/contest room. I have seen Division members present interesting clinics after our meetings. Many of these could easily be prepared for presentation at an MER convention.

Since I am fairly new to this area I’m looking forward to meeting all of you. I’ll see you at future meetings and hopefully at the MER Convention this fall.

Next Business Meeting: 18 May

The last meeting of the program year will be held on Sunday, 18 May (3rd Sunday), at Quincy Village Presbyterian Senior Living. The May meeting is always pushed out a week to avoid a conflict with Mother’s Day.

The host of the May meeting will be your new Superintendent, Dan Mulhearn. As usual the meeting will start at 2 PM. On the other hand, the venue will be somewhat unusual.

Dan is a resident of the Quincy Village. The Village has an extensive model railroad complex. Dan says that that is the reason he decided to move there and he has arranged for us to visit the complex this month.

Dan has provided the following description of the complex.

We have four layout rooms.

  • Room one is a large fully sceniced HO layout.
  • Room two is a large Lionel layout.
  • Room three has N gauge, HO and a German village.
  • Room four is an HO layout with a helix to elevate the trains up, over the aisle and down the other side.

The address to use to reach the Village is 6596 Orphanage Rd. Waynesboro, PA. That is the main office location of Quincy Village and the Winter Building is on the opposite side of the campus. You approach Orphanage Rd. off PA Route 997 coming north out of Waynesboro or US30 near Chambersburg coming from the north. Once on Orphanage Road you will pass the Quincy post office and the Wesley House apartments, both on your right. Turn right onto Otterbein Rd (the first road after coming off PA997). Make the first right and park in front of the Winter Building. There is a railroad crossing sign and an outdoor layout in front of the building.

From the Desk of the Superintendent

Robert “Bob” Johnson, Superintendent (2022-25)

This post from the desk of the Superintendent will be the last for the 2024/2025 program year. As of this writing there are no suggestions or plans for a summer activity but we remain open to the possibility if a viable opportunity presents itself.

This is also my last communication with the membership as your Superintendent. I have held this position for the past three years. I will be handing over the reigns of the SMD to Dan Mulhearn for the 2025/2026 program year. Thanks to Dan for stepping up to assume the position of Superintendent.

I have mixed feelings about my tenure. We have had some success in rebuilding the SMD’s membership following the steep decline associated with the pandemic. While this is good for the Division, I am somewhat disappointed with the failure of the general membership to participate in our regular monthly meetings. I have seen a number of new faces at our meetings, but these have only served to offset the loss of older members who are no longer participating for various reasons. Overall meeting attendance has been fairly stable, but I was hoping to see it grow. I am confident that your new Superintendent will continue the membership recruiting programs that we have established over the past year.

2025 SMD Mini-Con:

We had a good turnout in terms of presenters and modular layout groups. Unfortunately the public did not respond this year. Publicity was pretty much the same as in past years. For some reason the turnout was the lowest it has been since we restarted the Mini-Con after the COVID hiatus.

Regardless, I want to publicly  offer a huge “Thank You!” to Grant Berry for taking the lead again this year, and to all of the others who helped run the event and share a presentation.

2025/2026 SMD Officials:

New officer elections were held at the March meeting. As previously mentioned Dan Mulhearn is taking over as Superintendent and Ray Price is the official Clerk/Paymaster. We are still looking for someone to take the Clerk’s (secretary) position. Since this is an elected position you need to live within the boundaries of the SMD to officially hold this position. That being said, if one of our many “unofficial” NMRA members living outside of the SMD area would consider assisting Ray with some of the Clerk’s duties please let Dan know.

In addition, we need a number of volunteers to serve in appointed positions (especially Wheel Report editor). You can find a list of positions in a previous post, here.

Upcoming Meetings:

The last meeting of the program year will be held on Sunday, 18 May (3rd Sunday), at Quincy Village Presbyterian Senior Living. The May meeting is always pushed out a week to avoid a conflict with Mother’s Day.

Dan will be looking for volunteers to host the 2025/2026 meetings of the division. Ideally he would prefer volunteers that have not hosted in the past year. That being said – if there is a shortfall we will be wiling to do a repeat visit. Start thinking about it now and let Dan or myself know if you are willing to host by the start of August if possible.