By Dan Mulhearn
What a wonderful time of year it is to see the snow on the cornfield and the trees shaking in the frigid breeze. Of course I am seeing that out my window as I sit and put road number decals on my Walthers Amtrak passenger cars. It really is a good time of year to be inside working on the railroad. I was remiss in last month’s column in that I didn’t thank Rick K and his lovely wife for hosting us in December. The snacks which we enjoyed were much appreciated. Rick’s layout, which is being built, was most impressive. What Rick has done do far is very well constructed and his plans for what is to come are also well thought out. Rick is contemplating utilizing Layout Command Control (LCC). LCC is a great concept and is as revolutionizing as DCC was for the hobby. Thank you Rick.
The January Division meeting was held at the Western Maryland Historical Society in Union Bridge. Their collection of WM data is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the WM and the area they served. Thank you Jeff A for facilitating our visit. At the January meeting there was discussion of the Division’s participation in the 2027 regional convention. One of the venues suggested is Gettysburg, which is in the Susquehanna Division area. I have reached out to Susquehanna Division Superintendent Alan Mende concerning what his Division might think of the location.
There was some mention of the staffing of the convention by our members; main desk, the celebration (contest) room, facilitating the clinic rooms, and other duties of hosting. I have reached out to Laura Bateman, Region convention chair, as to what the Region does and what is expected of the Division hosts.
The Chesapeake Division has informed us that they will be presenting a Zoom clinic on operations. The presenter will be Paul Weis, VP of the Operations Special Interest Group (OPSIG). The clinic will cover many facets of operating our model railroads in a prototype manner. Operating is my favorite part of the hobby. The presentation will be on February 6th at 7:30PM EST. Chesapeake Division will post the Zoom link, meeting number and passcode as the meeting gets closer [Watch SMDNMRA.org for meeting details-ed].
In the meantime, see you at the February meeting.
Elections:
Hard to believe but it is time to be thinking about our Division officers for the next program year. We need to vote on new officers at the April meeting, which means the slate needs to be introduced at the March meeting. We are seeking nominations for all positions: Superintendent (president) and Clerk/Paymaster (secretary/treasurer). This link https://portal.smdnmra.org/2024/12/08/division-job-board/ provides a list and description of Division leadership roles, as complied by Alex P (who will not be able to continue as acting clerk during the coming program year).
If you want to lead or nominate someone please contact your Division leadership at southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
2027 MER Convention:
The SMD is getting set to host the October 2027 MER convention. The exploratory committee has identified potential hotels in both Hagerstown, MD and Gettysburg, PA. While Gettysburg has nice facilities, it is both outside of our Division (Susquehanna) and a longer distance from most of our members. This could create an issue with layout tours.
We are taking a survey to determine what layouts would be available for convention tours and operations. If you would be willing to open your layout please contact your Division leadership at southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
