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.
