Category: News

Draft Meeting Minutes – November 11, 2018

Division members met at Bob Johnson’s home.  18 or so were present.  After viewing the layout and socializing, Superintendant Alex Polimeni called the business meeting to order.

South Mountain Division

Mid-East Region – National Model Railroad Association

Draft Meeting Minutes – November 11, 2018

Division members met at Bob Johnson’s home.  18 or so were present.  After viewing the layout and socializing, Superintendant Alex Polimeni called the business meeting to order.

Reports:

18.11-1 Clerk’s Report (Meeting Minutes):  Clerk Harvey Heyser summarized the draft minutes.  Pete Clarke pointed out that Item #17.10-4 should read as follows:  “The SMD gave $140.00 (most of the Mini-Con proceeds) to support Mainline Hobbies’ fall layout tour.  Pete Clarke made the following motion (seconded by Jerry Skeim):

Motion:  That the draft Minutes for the May 2018 meeting be approved as corrected.  The motion passed unanimously.

18.11-2 Paymaster’s Report:  Paymaster Ray Price reported that the Division has $4,017.11 in its bank account including dispersal of $119.40 to Yahoo and deposit of $41.00 from the MER.

Old Business:

17.5-3-d. T-Track Modules:  Richard Benjamin of Hobbytown Frederick thanked the Division for the donation of the modules.

18.10-4 2019 Mini-Con:  The date will be Saturday, April 13, 2019.  Chair Pete Clarke indicated the date was selected to avoid conflicts with the Timonium Show and Easter.  Members willing to give informal clinics should contact Mr. Clarke.

18.10-5 Web Site:  Tom Fedor reported that he and Roy Hoffman are working on a new site format based on Word Press, a blog type web building tool that will allow better ties between the site and the Wheel Report.  The new site format will provide a quicker way to publish (on a weekly basis if desired) but still allow printing of some content for the members receiving the newsletter by mail.  The new format will also allow for easier archiving and will facilitate coordination with future officers.  Finally, the new format will present a fresher web presence and will include more attractive material for potential members.  No interface problems are anticipated with NMRA and MER.

18.10-7 Change of date and/or time of SMD meetings:  Given the fact that the meetings have been held on Sundays at 2 p.m. for a very long time and that the meeting sites are varied throughout the area, the discussion tended toward keeping the day of the week and time as they are.  However, it was suggested and agreed that in the future the social portion of the meeting will start at 1:30 p.m. and the business meeting will start at 2 p.m. giving members the possibility of leaving a bit earlier.  (As this is not a part of the by-laws, no formal action was needed.)

New Business:

18.11-3 Host Bob Johnson welcomed everyone to his HO scale West Virginia Midland Railroad.

18.11-4 Gold Spike Award:  Achievement Program Coordinator Jane Clarke presented Bob Morningstar with his Gold Spike award.  She reported that host Bob Johnson is making progress on his Achievement certificates for MMR.

18.11-5 The Wheel Report Deadline for the winter edition is November 15.

18.11-6 Future notices and updates from the officers will originate from an SMD e-mail address rather than a personal account.

18.11-7 Operating Session:  Herb Biegel reported that Matt Thompson of the Potomac Division has invited SMD members for an operating session on his Oregon Coast Railroad (layout in Gainesville VA) sometime after the holidays.  SMD members interested in participating should contact Don Florwick by e-mail.   donflorwick@gmail.com

Adjournment:  The Chair accepted a motion to adjourn.  Notice of the next SMD meeting will be communicated to the members.

Minutes submitted by Clerk Harvey Heyser

Following the meeting, host Bob Johnson gave an informal clinic on how he makes his layout’s many trees from wild hydrangea gathered at railway and highway cuts as well as from other recently disturbed ground.  He reported that this method of tree making was developed by Harry Clarke.

December Business Meeting

Alex Polimeni, superintendent NMRA South Mountain Division. (Tom Fedor)

I would like to invite everyone to our December meeting at Frank Benenati’s home this coming Sunday, December 9th. Doors open at 2PM for a tour of the layout, with the meeting to follow. If you missed our last meeting, you’ll find our clerk’s impeccably edited minutes attached below.

Afterward, Frank will be demonstrating how to use a Decoder-Pro and a Sprogg to re-program DCC engines and adjust sound levels and other CVs. Frank says, “I’ve had good results with the exception of first generation WOW sound steam.  If anyone wants to bring an HO engine they want to “reprogrammed” we will use it as a demonstrator.  If you have the manufacturer’s decoder information bring it along as that will be of assistance.” Folks are more than welcome to stay and socialize, as well.

Frank models a Western Maryland themed railroad, which he started while living in Germany and is modular in design. His layout uses Digitrax DCC and features Campbell, Bar Mill, Foss and more in addition to scratch built structures. A Timetable, fast clock, and waybill routing to simulate operations, with first generation diesels providing motive power.

Frank’s home is the last house on the left at the end of his street.

Please email southmountaindiv@gmail.com if you need Frank’s street address.

The railroad is in the basement, so if any members would prefer to avoid the indoor flight of stairs, you may walk around the side of the carport, continue around the back of the house, and down the gentle slope to the basement door. There will be a couple of steps inside the door, however. All others are encouraged to use the basement stairs adjacent to the kitchen/carport door.

Furthermore, Frank cautions, “Just about every road into and out of Damascus has a speed camera cleverly located to generate revenue for Montgomery County.  Remember to keep an eye out for “safety corridor” and other warning signs.  Occasionally there are “doubles” placed to catch those who speed up after passing the first camera.”

In other news, I’d like to apologize for not getting this out sooner! I’ve been trying to send only two emails a month- an update and a reminder- a couple of weeks apart, but as it stands, please expect another reminder email this Saturday. This is also the first email from the Division’s new address, so I’m hoping this won’t get “lost in the mail”, so to speak.

I hope to see you all soon,

Alex Polimeni

Superintendent

Liberty Bell Special

by Charles “Chip” Stevens

Come celebrate trains in the cradle of liberty!

The Philadelphia Division, NMRA welcomes you and yours to Liberty Bell Special 2019! The next Convention will be October 10 through October 13, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in King of Prussia, PA. After much deliberation, our committee chose the name Liberty Bell over such other favorites as Cheese Steak Special and some lesser titles. For those of you not familiar with King of Prussia, it is located 20 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia adjacent to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and many nearby highways. In southeast Pennsylvania, all highways lead to Valley Forge.

Since Monday, October 14 is a Federal Holiday, the hotel has agreed to extend the room rates for the convention for an additional 3 days before and into the week following the convention. The hotel is in walking distance to the second largest shopping mall in the United States with shops and dining to meet any tastes. Also, in driving distance are the Valley Forge National Park whose accommodations during the winters of the American Revolution were not as luxurious as our hotel, Longwood Gardens, the gardens of the Dupont family and many more places of interest. More about the area can be found on the hotel’s website, www.cpvalleyforge.com. For those of you who collect hotel stay points, Crowne Plaza is a part of the IHG hotel group. Registration forms for the Convention and hotel reservation information will be published soon

At this time, we have one prototype tour on the Colebrookdale Railroad. The Colebrookdale is part of the former Reading Barto branch in nearby Boyertown, PA that is a short 50-minute drive from the hotel. In addition to the autumn foliage that occurs in early October,there will be the train ride, lunch, and a tour of the railroad’s shops. The committee is working hard on additional tours and will announce them through the Region and Division newsletters as well as on the websites www.libertybellspecial.org or www.mer2019.org.

Currently we have the first four layout tours scheduled, three HO layouts and a traction layout. Efforts are under way to add to the list both with individual and club layouts. We are attempting to keep all tours and open houses to drives of 30 minutes or less. We would also like to hear from owners and superintendents who are willing to open their layouts to those making the trip to Valley Forge, keeping in mind again that Monday, October 14th is a holiday. Those willing should notify Bill Fagan <bfagan777@hotmail.com> of ability to host. Remember, those Open Houses count toward AP Volunteer points.

Liberty Bell Special will begin on Thursday night with clinics which will continue through Sunday morning. We have one tentative, hands-on clinic planned with a noted presenter, as well as many more sessions tentatively planned. Again, check the website for additional or new clinics. If you want to present a clinic, please email John Seibert <johnhseibert@comcast.net> with your topic.

As usual, Saturday will include the Contest Room. Plan now to bring your latest modeling efforts for sharing with other MER members. More AP credits may be available for your efforts.

Sprinkled among all these activities will be opportunities to operate on some truly spectacular individual and club layouts. We’re keeping those AP Dispatcher ours in mind.

All roads lead to King of Prussia, PA. We hope you and yours will take advantage of this opportunity to visit the convention for a truly memorable experience.

2018 MER Convention Report

by Bob Morningstar

The NMRA Mid Eastern Region held their convention at the Rockville Hilton This past October. The following is a recap of my observations as an attendee.  More information on the convention can still be found at http://potomac-nmra.org/MER2018/Main/index.html.

My overall impression was that the convention was well planned and executed. A convention official indicated approximately 200 were in attendance.

I stayed at the convention hotel Thursday and Friday because clinics were scheduled up until 10:00 PM each evening. This was a very nice, typical Hilton property, and the convention chairmen are to be commended for negotiating very favorable pricing. Room rates were almost ½ of what was available on expedia.com for the same location. There was ample free parking on site. The convention center was also accessible via the Twinbrook metro.

The only negative aspect of convention was that layouts on the tour were too far away or conflicted with evening clinics that I wanted to attend.   Some of these layouts were 1-2 hours away (one way travel). I found it hard to believe there were no closer layouts to view.

Many of the clinics were informative and well presented, yet some, while acceptable, were not convention caliber.

SMD member Jay Beckham gave a fine clinic on C/MRI. I learned a lot and now wish I had looked closer at it before I went with a Loconet solution on my layout’s signaling system.

I did spend an extra $5 and attended a 2 ½ hour 3D printing clinic. We were required to bring our laptops for hands on labs.   Using the  SketchUP program we designed and printed a B&O mile post. This clinic was well worth the time and I learned a lot of techniques on how to better use SketchUP.   I intend on taking the 3D design from the convention and printing it on my 3D printer at home.

The contest room had many models, including two that I submitted. I earned 3rd place in “On Line Structures.” I pried my scratch built WM yard light tower off the layout and placed on a piece of pink foam board with some ground cover to give it a finished look. This was my first NMRA competition and I learned quite a bit from the judges score sheets. The comments were helpful to understand their scores. I had no qualms with their ratings.

Bob Morningstar’s Western Maryland (WM) yard light tower is a scratch built rendition of the wooden WM light towers that were located near the yardmasters office at the east end of the Hagerstown (MD) yard.
It is constructed of Northeastern and Mt Albert scale lumber and Grandt Lines nut-bolt-washer castings. The searchlights at the top are non-functional and are made of Plastruct tubing with Canopy Glue lenses. The electrical cabinet at the base is a resin casting made from a latex mold. The master for the mold was constructed out of a block of wood and detailed with hinges and door handle. The timbers were individually stained with a diluted mixture of india ink and iso-propyl alcohol.
Build time was approximately 17 hours.
The scratch build model took third place in the Mid-Eastern Region, NMRA, 2018 convention model contest. (Tom Fedor)

My take away is that they look for contest quality models.  Mine were detailed for a level that I find acceptable for use on the layout but did not meet the grade to take 1st place. If a entry doesn’t have the same level of detail as a Tangent Scale Model, you will not be competitive. My light tower lost marks because I didn’t have the nut-bolt-washer details installed on one side of the tower.  This was a build decision I made, not wanting to super detail a side of the structure a viewer would never see when on the layout. My other entry was a Athearn “blue box” gondola that I had repainted and decaled for the Penn Central.   I got high marks for the paint and decals, but got dinged hard for lack of underbody detail and leaving molded-on ladders in place.

The Prince William Model Railroad Club had their module layout up and running with some really long trains.   They also had the John Allen Timesaver switching layout setup. At first my son, Nicholas and I were able to complete the switching puzzle in 42 moves (the host said the best you can do is 29 moves).  It took us 3 attempts to get it down to 32 moves but was an enjoyable hour spent with Nicholas.

Overall, it was a positive experience which both my son and I enjoyed together. We met many interesting people and the convention was worth the time and investment.

2019 SMD Spring Mini-Convention

On Saturday, April 13, 2019, with the support of Mainline Hobby Supply, the SMD will again host our very popular Mini-Convention at the Blue Ridge Mtn. Fire Co.

Join your fellow South Mountain Division (SMD) members in a day of great fun and fellowship, and spread the joy of model railroading.  On Saturday, April 13, 2019, with the support of Mainline Hobby Supply, the SMD will again host our very popular Mini-Convention at the Blue Ridge Mtn. Fire Co.

Our traditional format will be as follows…

Morning – Informal clinics.  We need 10 folks to volunteer to give one from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and repeat it again from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.  No formal presentations required. Just talk about a model railroading topic that’s of interest to you.  Bring what you want to have as examples or visual aids (no projectors, no loudspeakers).  It’s just you, talking to the attendees as they walk past your table.  The guests are free to stay and talk with you for as long as they like, or move on when they choose. Don’t think of it as a speech. Don’t think of it as public speaking.  It’s just chatting with other interested model railroaders. Note that you have an hour break from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.  That’s to allow you to get a snack, visit the rest room, look around to see what other clinics are doing.  Then, ten other members give their clinics beginning at 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM and repeating from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.

As of this writing, Ron Polimeni, Harvey Heyser, Bill Wilson, Jane Clarke, Jerry Skeim, Jeff Adams, Andrew Dodge, Don Florwick, Bob Johnson, and Jay Beckham have signed up to give an informal clinic.  Jay intends to bring his 3D printer and print items on site.

Afternoon – Formal clinics.  At 1:00 PM Jeff Grove of Carolina Craftsman Kits kicks off the series speaking on Laser Technology in Modeling.  Ira Silverman follows speaking about his new book, The Canadian, the Last of the Great Streamliners. SMD member Alex Polimeni will bring up the markers, speaking on “Model Railroading as Game Design.” 

At 10:00 AM we will also have two “Make and take” clinics.  Jeff Grove of Carolina Craftsman Kits will, again, donate a group of (small, easy) craftsman kits and Mainline Hobby Supply will donate (small, easy) styrene (plastic) kits.  Just like last year we’ll encourage young people by giving them priority on the make & take sign up lists. Another way you can help is by bringing tools to loan for these clinics.  X-Acto knives, glue… Look for a list of items once our build leaders, Brian Greenawalt and David Sweeney, have had time to identify their needs.

SMD plans to have a modular layout or two set up and running as well.  Please contact me, Pete Clarke, at ebtmx5@aol.com or call 301- 253-4913 if you are aware of a modular group and have contact information for that group.

There will be some vendors there with model railroad stuff for sale.  Carolina Craftsman Kits, Nyce Collectables (railroadiana), and SMD member Grant Berry (Misc. stuff) have all signed up. I am waiting to hear back from more.

Of course you can, and should, carefully walk across the road to Mainline Hobby Supply.  Show them your gratitude for supporting this Mini-Con by making a purchase, and while you are talking to them, say “Thanks for sponsoring the Mini” out loud.

Again this year, SMD will purchase a $150 gift certificate from Mainline Hobby Supply and sell raffle tickets ($10 each) throughout the morning.  Also HobbyTown USA – Frederick (Richard Benjamin) has donated a $50 gift certificate that we will give as a door prize.  Both of these drawings will happen at 1:00 PM.

We will have food on site.

All this is just what I already know about!  There’s more in the pipeline. Look for a final update in your Spring Wheel Report.

A call to action! SMD really needs you to make this happen.  Please contact me to offer to help.  Mostly I need folks to give informal clinics.  Everyone who’s done one of these clinics has had a great time.  There are other things you can do. We’ll need extension cords, tools, labor for morning set up and afternoon clean up. Know of a modular group?  I’d love to hear from you. Just can’t do any of those?  Attend, tell others about it!

Did you catch the part about having a working 3D printer on-site? I intend to spend hours just watching that do its thing.  Come on down!