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!
Geoffrey Carter, manager of the Northern Utah Division’s company store emailed asking to spread the word about a limited run of Utah Oil Company, UTOCO, tank cars manufactured for their Division by InterMountain Railway Co. They come in six (6) different road numbers, include Kadee couplers, and have metal wheels. Cost is $45.00 each and includes free shipping.
Remember back in 2019, when we hosted the NMRA National Convention? We were going to offer these tank cars in HO, N, and Z scale but due to unforeseen circumstances in China, we had to cancel that project. Not to fear, we have had a special run of 300 HO tank cars (50 each in six different road numbers) delivered by InterMountain Railway Co.
They come with metal wheel sets and Kadee couplers and the outstanding quality InterMountain is known for.
There will never be another run of these cars so get them while you can.
The monthly meeting of the South Mountain Division (SMD) will be held on Sunday, 10 November at the Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club. The club has their own building located at 440 Nelson St, Chambersburg, PA 17201. Thanks to Division and club member John Pursell for arranging a meeting at this venue. It has been three years since we last visited their location.
The club has multiple layouts in various scales and gauges, with displays of both scale and tinplate models. In order to give us more time to take in all of the various features of the club’s activities they will be opening the doors for us at 1:30 instead of the normal 2PM.
About the Cumberland Valley:
In 1996 a small group of railroad enthusiasts recognized the need for a club in the Chambersburg area, thus in April of that year the Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club was founded. The club derived its name from the Cumberland Valley Railroad. The Cumberland Valley Railroad’s headquarters, which was located in Chambersburg served the Cumberland Valley from 1836 to 1919, when it became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
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.
