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.

Annual SMD Mini Con – Sat. 05 April

2025 South Mountain Division NMRA Mini Con

Sponsored by Mainline Hobby Supply

South Mountain Division (SMD) Mini Con/Clinics Day is this coming Saturday, 05 April 2025. Doors open at 9:00 AM at the Blue Ridge Mountain Fire Hall; 13063 Monterey Ln, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214. The event is FREE! Plenty of parking along side the fire hall. Food on-site. On going presentations throughout the morning are informal. Sit and chat with clinicians. Learn something new. Meet new friends. Bring the family.

Current presentations:
  • Jeff Adams – Proto Loco Tuneup
  • Frank Benanti – Layout Legacy (What about when you’re gone)
  • Jane Clarke – Scenery using Natural Materials
  • Pete Clarke – Timesaver Module Operations
  • Larry Daily – Prototype Building from Photographs
  • Dan – Railroad Slides
  • Andrew Dodge – Evergreen Trees
  • Bob Johnson – Rolling Stock Tuneup
  • Steve King – Operations 101
  • Bill Martz – Make and Take ( Priority to 16 and under)
  • Alex Poliemi – Fast Clock Operations
  • Dottie Poliemi – Painting Hydrocal and Other Structures
  • Ron Poliemi – Craftsman Kits and Budget Model Railroading
  • John Pursell – Kit Bashing and Mingling for Better Structures
  • Bill Reynolds – All About Tortoise Machines
  • Travers Stavac – Layout Design for Operations

Bonus for Attendees…

Private layout open houses on Sunday. All Saturday attendees may request addresses for several area layouts. This bonus is for Mini Con attendees only. Request details at the registration table in the hall.

  • Theme: N scale heavy coal hauler based on Clinchfield / N&W
  • Scale: N
  • Features: TO/TT Simulation
  • Host: Steve King
  • Location: Fayetteville, PA
  • Time: 1:00 to 4:00 PM

The Virginia Midland Railroad is a large N scale layout that features heavy coal operations with just enough general freight traffic thrown in to make things interesting for the operators. 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 and fun to operate. This is probably one of the largest N scale layouts in the area. All operations are controlled using CVP (Easy DCC) wireless throttles. Crews will be trained in the basics of train order/ time table controlled railroad operation.

  • Theme: East Broad Top Railroad
  • Scale: HOn3
  • Features: Narrow Gauge Railroading
  • Hosts: Jane & Pete Clarke
  • Location: Damascus, MD
  • Time: 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Visit the fully scenicked and operational East Broad Top Railroad without driving to Orbisonia PA. On the Clarke’s basement sized rendition, steam powered brass locomotives haul coal in HOn3 hoppers from the mines in Robertsdale PA to the coal cleaning plant and interchange with the PRR in Mt. Union PA. For added interest, car loads of ganister, iron ore, lumber, agricultural products, and coal move along the Shade Gap Branch between Orbisonia and Neelyton PA.

The railroad was featured in the  publication Great Model Railroads. Trains run on TT/TO with a fast clock. Control is Digitrax DCC using radio throttles. Car cards, timetable, instructions, and an operator’s guide let guest operators know how to run trains.

  • Theme: Moving to a Shelf?
  • Scale: HO
  • Features: Deconstruction 101
  • Host: Frank Benenati
  • Location: Damascus, MD
  • Time: 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Maryland Junction is a 14 by 20 foot room sized modular layout that was built to travel. It has crossed the pond once since it’s 1999 birth. The railroad reached it’s zenith in 2022 when scenery was 95% complete. It’s been in steady decline since the owner began preparation for the move to a smaller living space. Towards that end, individual structures and dioramas have been removed and are being sold off along with excess rolling stock and locomotive power. There has been some track abandonment and removal. Deconstructions/salvage/sale plans hinge on future hobby space limitations.

  • Theme: Central Maine Railroad
  • Scale: O Proto 48
  • Features: Custom Built Models
  • Host: Andrew Dodge
  • Location: Olney, MD
  • Time: 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Watch steam trains move freight cars between Belfast and Camden and onto the car float/tug operation at Camden Junction. Check out the passenger side-2 wheeler that operates between Deer Island and Camden Junction. Visit this museum quality O scale railroad featuring scratch built locomotives, rolling stock, hand laid track, ships, and structures. There’s also more than a thousand hand-made trees and an operating rotary snowplow. The railroad is featured in the 2025 publication Great Model Railroads.

The railroad is powered by NCE DCC and uses NCE hand held radio throttles.

As a bonus, you can also view a small “portable” HO DC powered logging railroad featuring geared engines and a switchback.

  • Theme: Central WV short line operating between the B&O and WM.
  • Scale: HO
  • Features: Geared Locos & Creative Staging
  • Host: Bob Johnson
  • Location: Jefferson, MD
  • Time 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Visit West Virginia in the spring/summer of 1954 and be inspired by the West Virginia Midland Model Railroad. Coal, limestone and lumber are the main source of revenue with a mix of freight from local business. The Midland connects with the B&O at Holly Junction and the Western Maryland at Cherry Falls. The interchanges (staging) represent Grafton (B&O) and Laurel Bank (WM). Midland’s main yard and shop facilities are located in the twin towns of Webster Springs and Cherry Falls, WV.

The main body of the Midland is 12’ x 16’ with an additional 65 feet of around-the-wall running. The scenery is about 95% complete and features discrete scenes that are visually separated by viewing angles and scenic view blocks such as hills and, numerous trees.

  • Theme: Milwaukee Road, Avery ID
  • Scale: O5w
  • Features: 40’x34’ Railroad Under Construction
  • Host: Rich Randall
  • Location: Gettysburg, PA

Visit Avery, Idaho in the fall of 1973 and board the O scale Hiawatha for the trip over the Bitterroot Mountains to Montana. See first hand the challenges of building a mountain railroad. The single track main line is operational and powered by NCE DCC. Avery yard is the central focus of the railroad; although much compressed trackage generally follows the prototype. Several scratch built landmark buildings that are nearly finished will capture the essence of the area. Five industrial areas with sidings are also under development. Scenery has been started in several places. It is anticipated that one day the railroad will feature through freights, through and local passenger trains, a branch line, and blocking of cars at Avery.

Next Business Meeting: 09 March

The March meeting of the South Mountain Division (SMD) will be held on Sunday, 09 March at Jane and Pete Clarke’s home in Damascus, MD. The event officially starts at 2:00 PM with the business meeting starting around 2:45 PM.

Don’t forget that the 9th is the first day of Daylight Savings Time for 2025 so be sure to set your clock ahead an hour Saturday night.

Pete and Jane are rather narrow minded (HOn3 narrow that is) and have a very nice operational layout based on the East Broad Top Railroad. This layout has been featured in Great Model Railroads and is well worth your time to visit. Jane and Pete have provided the following information for your edification.

We model the East Broad Top Railroad in 1926. The EBT was a narrow-gauge line that ran from coal mines in the Robertsdale area of the mountains to an iron furnace in Orbisonia/Rockhill Furnace and then up to Mount Union where there was a coal cleaning plant, refractory brick plants, and an interchange with the Pennsylvania Railroad. By 1926 the iron furnace was long gone, but on our version, it has been re-opened by the current owners, the Madeira Hill Co.

The furnace consumes large amounts of coal (which needs to be coked first), limestone, and iron ore. Its output is pig iron which is then taken to Mt. Union. This has added a great deal of operational interest to the railroad. The fact that the iron furnace has reopened created a renewed need for iron ore and limestone. Both those had been mined along the Shade Gap branch of the EBT. So, the Shade Gap branch, which had fallen on hard times since the furnace closed in 1908, has been rebuilt. In Shade Gap this line serves limestone and iron ore mines. In Neelyton (the end of the Shade Gap branch) it serves the ganister mine for the refractory brick plants in Mt. Union and a lumber mill. Both towns also get miscellaneous freight and have coal dealers for home heating.

The layout is in a 20’ x 26’ basement and is fully scenicked. It’s early fall, so it’s still warm in the valley but cold on the mountain. Both of us work on models. Jane scratchbuilt the Orbisonia station and roundhouse and Pete the company store and houses in Robertsdale. The excellent models of Ewings Mill and Neelyton station were built by Frank Benenati. Other structures are kits (many by White Ground) or kit-bashed. There are still models to be done, but there’s at least a stand-in for every structure so the layout looks complete.

Following the meeting Pete (or Jane) will provide us with an update on the status of the other EBT.

Please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com to obtain the street address.

Note: Park on the street or driveway and enter through the front door. Unfortunately, our basement is not handicapped-accessible

From the Desk of the Superintendent

Robert “Bob” Johnson, Superintendent (2022-24)

It is almost hard to believe that spring is only three weeks away. That means that there are only two more SMD meetings, plus the Mini Con remaining in this program year.

I want to thank Richard Benjamin for hosting the February meeting.

Speaking of meetings, come July our new Superintendent will be busy scheduling these for the 2025 – 2026 program year. They will be looking for SMD members to host. If you have not hosted in the past year (or have never hosted) start giving some thought to volunteering. We are always looking for new layouts to visit.

The SMD did not have a summer activity last year, but I would like to try to get something lined up for 2025. I am asking all of you to give some thought as to a possible rail-related activity we could schedule some time in July.

March Meeting:

The March meeting of the South Mountain Division (SMD) will be held on Sunday, 09 March at Jane and Pete Clarke’s home in Damascus, MD. The event officially starts at 2:00 PM with the business meeting starting around 2:45 PM.

Don’t forget that the 9th is the first day of Daylight Savings Time for 2025 so be sure to set your clock ahead an hour Saturday night.

Please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com to obtain the street address.

Upcoming Meetings:

The meeting schedule for the balance of the year is as follows.

  • 05 April (1st Saturday) – Annual Mini Con, Blue Ridge Summit, PA
  • 18 May  (3rd Sunday, to avoid conflict w/Mother’s Day) – Dan Mulhearn has arranged for us to meet at the Quincy Village model railroad layout room.
2025 Mini-Con:

REMINDER: The 2025 SMD Mini Con is just a little over a month away.

The 2025 SMD Mini-Con will be held on Saturday, 05 April at the Blue Ridge Summit fire hall (across from Mainline Hobby Supply).

As always, Grant will need help with registration, event set-up and of course clinicians. Start thinking now about what sort of table clinic you could present at the event and let Grant know so he can add you to the schedule.

Please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com and we will put you in contact with Grant.

2027 MER Convention:

I now have a couple of volunteers to start a search for a location to hold the 2027 MER convention. I am awaiting a status update.

Model Railroad Equipment Sale:

SMD member Don Florwick will be moving in the near future. As a result he will be dismantling his large HO scale layout. He will be holding a sale at his house on Saturday, 15 March. If you are interested in acquiring anything please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com and we will put you in touch with Don.

New Officer Elections:

We will holding our new officer elections for the 2025 – 2026 program year at the March meeting. Current candidates include:

  • Superintendent – Dan Mulhearn
  • Clerk / Paymaster – Ray Price

We are in need of a volunteer to assume the position of Clerk. If you want to volunteer please let me know as soon as you can.

In addition, the new Super will need a number of volunteers to serve in appointed positions (especially a Wheel Report editor). A listing of the primary positions, along with a description of the associated duties, was published in this Wheel Report and on our web site.

Thanks go out to Alex Polimeni for developing this information.