The Sunday, 12 October meeting will be held at Bob Johnson’s home where we will be visiting the West Virginia Midland RR (WVM). This is a stand gauge short line operation that features steep grades and lots of geared engines. The Midland is a “what might have been” railroad inspired by the prototype West Virginia Midland and is set in the early summer of 1954. The only catch is that the real WVM was a narrow-gauge line that went out of business in 1930. In my world the WVM survived the great depression, converted to standard gauge and prospered during World War II. Like the prototype, the WVM is based in and around Webster Springs, WV. It connects with the B&O on the west end and Western Maryland Ry on the east.
As usual, the meeting starts at 2:00PM.
Please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com to obtain the street address.
Park on the street in from of the house walk down the driveway. Enter through the basement door at the rear of the house (directional signage will be posted).
Reminder:
SMD membership meetings are always the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2PM. The only exceptions are for April, when the Mini-Con replaces our business meeting, and in May, which will take place one week later, on the 3rd Sunday.
Please consider hosting a meeting sometime during the 2025 – 2026 program year. Email southmountaindiv@gmail.com. We try to avoid back-to-back repeat visits so if you have never hosted, or it has been a year or so since you did, give it a thought.
The schedule is as follows.
- November 9th – Larry Daily; Shepherdstown, WV.
Hosts Needed:
As of this writing we do not have any meeting hosts signed up for December through May of 2026. We need volunteers to step up as hosts. Your layout doesn’t need to be large, or finished, or even operational. Without hosts we cannot hold our meetings. Repeat hosts (within the past year) are okay but we really would like to see some layouts that we have not visited for a couple of year or never seen at all. If you would like to host, or have any questions concerning hosting please contact your Division superintendent at southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
Mini-Clinics:
It has long been the policy of the SMD to present mini-clinics at each meeting. In some cases clinics are conducted by the host. However, not every host is in a position to do so. We are asking for members to volunteer to develop and present mini-clinics at meetings to fill these gaps. If you can to do a mini-clinic please contact your Division superintendent at southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
