After a short break to accommodate the HobbyTown event in December we will resume our regular meeting schedule on Sunday, 12 January with the meeting starting at 2:00 PM. Our host for this meeting is Steve King who resides in Fayetteville (Pond Bank), PA.
Steve operates the Virginia Midland Railroad which is a large N scale layout which features heavy coal operations with just enough general freight traffic thrown in to make things interesting for the operators. To my mind the Virginia Midland brings back memories of the N&W (post Virginian merger) and features long trains of hoppers, multi-engine power consists, and even independently controlled helpers. Even if you are not personally into heavy freight drag operations this layout is worth seeing. This is probably one of the largest N scale layouts in the area. All operations are controlled using CVP (Easy DCC) wireless throttles.
By now I am sure that most of you know about the membership promotion program that we are undertaking. This program has two objectives. First, to encourage current members of the SMD to become more active in the Division.
Second, to recruit new members by promoting the benefits of membership in the NMRA.
A December promotional event at Hobbytown – Frederick was our first effort to reach out to non-members. I want to again thank Hobbytown – Frederick’s owner, and SMD member Richard Benjamin, for his support in this endeavor. I also want to thank the Division members who participated. The results of the event were not spectacular but we did get one new member and possibly two others. We will have to wait for the January membership report to come out to determine if the two possibles actually follow through.
Being our first effort, we obviously could have done a few things better but overall, I was satisfied. Probably the biggest thing we need to improve on in the future is getting better advance publicity. For unknown reasons, one of the internet publicity efforts did not appear until the actual day of the event.
During a post event critique we have decided that we should do three promotional events each year, including the Mini-Con.
Holiday Mailing:
Following up on a suggestion from a couple of our members we sent a “Happy Holidays” card to every member of the Division, as listed in the most recent NMRA membership report, encouraging all of you to become more active.
The data in this report is not always 100% accurate and two of the cards were returned to me for incorrect addresses. If you did not get your card please let me know so that we can correct our database.
Again, thanks to the informal committee that wrote the card and got it printed.
January Meeting:
After a short break to accommodate the HobbyTown event in December we will resume our regular meeting schedule on Sunday, 12 January with the meeting starting at 2:00 PM. Our host for this meeting is Steve King who resides in Fayetteville (Pond Bank), PA.
We will need to vote on our officers for the 2025 – 2026 program year at the March meeting. As of now we have one candidate for the position of Superintendent and one for Paymaster. We have a possible volunteer for the position of Clerk but it is not definite at this time. If you would like to be considered for any of these positions please let me know and/or attend the upcoming January meeting and volunteer there.
In addition, we need a number of volunteers to serve in appointed positions. A listing of the primary positions, along with a description of the associated duties, was published in the last Wheel Report and on our web site.
Thanks go out to Alex Polimeni for developing this information.
Meeting Schedule:
As previously noted, a number of volunteers have stepped up to host Division meetings. As of this writing, with the exception of May, all of the 2024/2025 meeting dates have been spoken for. The schedule is as follows.
9 February, Richard Benjamin, Frederick, MD
9 March, Pete and Jane Clarke, Damascus, MD
5 April (first Saturday), Annual Mini-Con, Blue Ridge Summit, PA
18 May (3rd Sunday to avoid Mother’s Day conflict) TBD; Volunteer needed
2025 Mini Con:
Grant Berry has agreed to take the lead on the Division Mini-Con again this coming spring (April) and Mainline Hobby Supply has again offered to support the event. It will be held on Saturday, 5 April. As always, Grant will need help with registration, event set-up, and of course clinicians. Start thinking now as to what sort of table clinic you could present at the event.
The Susquehanna Division has expressed interest in participating in the event with us this coming spring but details have not been finalized. More to come on this development.
2027 MER Convention:
We are still looking for two or three volunteers to form an exploratory committee to get things started for the 2027 MER convention which we are scheduled to host. Since the MER handles most of the convention arrangements the committee’s responsibilities at this time will primarily be centered around locating a suitable host hotel, developing a list of potential layout tour hosts, and to identify some sort of rail related prototype tour. Again, if you are interested please let me know. Email southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
On 14 December your Division will be conducting an all-day event to encourage model railroaders to join the NMRA at HobbyTown – Frederick, located at 454 Prospect Blvd, Frederick, MD 21701-6400; (301) 694-7395; htufrederickmd@gmail.com.
This event is scheduled to run from 10:00 AM till 4:00 PM. In addition to an information table promoting the benefits of NMRA membership we will have several table clinics (similar to the Mini-Con) with demonstrations of technology in model railroading (DCC, 3-D printing, computers, etc.) We will also be highlighting model railroading as a form of gaming. This approach is targeted to appeal to the younger modelers in the community.
In conjunction with this event, we have updated our Division brochure and purchased a pull-up promotional banner. These items will also be of value to us at the April Mini-Con.
Thanks to all of you who have volunteered to participate in this activity. The available space is just about filled up but if any of you would like to stop by we would welcome you and maybe even put you to work for an hour or so to give the volunteers a break. HobbyTown – Frederck is operated by Division member Richard Benjamin. We thank Richard for making the space available.
First, I want to remind everyone that there will not be a business meeting in December. The Division will be conducting an NMRA membership recruiting event at HobbyTown – Frederick on Saturday, 14 December. It was agreed that this event would take the place of the regular meeting. The next business meeting will be held on 12 January 2025, at the home of Steve King in Pond Bank, PA.
On to other thoughts…
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse, I am again asking you to consider taking a more active role in the management and operation of the Division. It is hard to believe that we need to have candidates for the positions of Superintendent, Clerk, and Paymaster identified by the end of February so that we can follow the prescribed process for nomination and election of officers in time to notify the NMRA as to who our officers will be during the 2025/2026 program year. As of this writing Ray Price has agreed to continue as Paymaster and we have one potential candidate for Superintendent. We are still looking for volunteers to serve as Clerk. If we don’t get one we may have a “work around” but I would prefer that we had a volunteer who is qualified under MER guidelines.
In addition, we need a number of volunteers to serve in appointed positions. A listing of the primary positions, along with a description of the associated duties, can be found here. My thanks to Alex Polimeni for developing this information.
As anybody who’s ever worked on something at a hobby bench before knows, sometimes you don’t see what’s right in front of you. At least, that’s how I felt after our October meeting at Andrew Dodge’s when the question was asked, “are there job descriptions for the Division officers?” I think many of us have been with SMD for so long we don’t always realize there’s folks who haven’t been. So, let’s take a look at the officer positions of South Mountain Division!
To begin, there are elected officers and appointed positions. Each January, the Division assembles an impartial nominating committee to solicit potential officer candidates. The membership then votes on these candidates during the May meeting, who then begin their term in July. Supporting the elected officers are a number of appointed positions, which require only a volunteer and the Superintendent’s formal recognition.
Superintendent (president, elected)
The most important obligations of the “Super” include appointing volunteers, soliciting potential membership meeting hosts, and presiding over the meetings themselves. The Super is also our Division’s point of contact with MER and NMRA national, whom we liaison with for insurance coverage and other support. Having served four years as Super, I would say that outside the meetings themselves, I’ve spent only 2-3 hours per month on my duties and most of that was writing emails. As Super, you can expect to:
Chair a mid-summer meeting of officers to identify meeting hosts to contact and address other concerns before the coming Sept-May season
Reach out to potential meeting hosts, clinicians, and guest speakers
Send reminders by email before each month’s meeting
Chair membership meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order
Coordinate with the other officers and appointed positions to make sure they have the support they need (and are providing the support the Super needs)
Maintain Division property such as the Marv Kershner gratuity boxcar and our projector screen
Liaison with MER regarding NMRA paperwork and conduct a bi-annual review of Division bylaws
Now, all this isn’t to say the Super has to go it alone, as perhaps’ the Super’s greatest power is the power of delegation!
Paymaster (treasurer, elected)
The Paymaster is responsible for maintaining the Division bank account, and is the only member authorized to make deposits or withdrawals. The Paymaster is expected to provide a report of the current balance at each meeting and promptly reimburse members who have made out-of-pocket expenditures on SMD’s behalf.
Clerk (secretary, elected)
The Clerk is responsible for taking minutes at each membership meeting and forwarding them to the Super to be distributed before the next meeting, creating a record of all Division business and helping to keep the membership informed. Currently, I take notes at the meeting and then format them into a pre-made document template afterward.
Assistant Superintendent (appointed)
The Assistant Super ostensibly has all the same responsibilities as the Super when required, and serves to ensure the Super can fulfill his/her duties. It is also customary for the assistant Super to reach out to new and expiring members to welcome them into SMD or ask if there’s anything we can do to bring them back. If the Super is unavailable to chair a meeting, it is typically the Assistant who will do so in their stead.
Achievement Program Coordinator (appointed)
The AP Coordinator is responsible for helping Division members work toward their Master Model Railroader milestones.
Mini-Con Coordinator (appointed)
The Mini-Con Coordinator works with Blue Ridge Hobby Supply, the Blue Ridge Summit fire hall, the Division at large, and guest speakers, food vendors and visitor marketing (such as modular layouts) to organize our annual, April Mini-Convention, which regularly draws 200+ members of the public.
Newsletter editor (appointed)
The editor pulls together information for our monthly newsletter the Wheel Report. Editors have a lot of room to make the WR their own, and it fulfills a vital function in keeping the Division on the same page.
Webmaster (appointed)
The webmaster maintains our online presence, making sure important information is kept up to date and accessible to the public.
Advisory Committee (appointed)
The Super typically asks involved Division members- often former officers or volunteers-to join an advisory committee, which simply weighs in on matters as varied as potential meeting hosts to Christmas cards!
On 14 December your Division will be conducting an all-day event to encourage model railroaders to join the NMRA at HobbyTown – Frederick, located at 454 Prospect Blvd, Frederick, MD 21701-6400; (301) 694-7395; 
