Tag: convention

MER 2027 Convention

By now, we imagine that most of you are aware that the South Mountain Division 10 has been tasked with hosting the 2027 Mid Eastern Region (MER) convention.  The first problem we faced was finding a suitable venue to stage the convention.  The MER provides some fairly specific guidelines for suitable facilities.  Unfortunately, for various reasons, none of the venues that we have used in the past are currently available.  

After a fairly long search we have decided to utilize the Hilton Garden Inn located in Martinsburg, WV.  This  facility is very nice but marginal in terms of convention space.  It is literally the only suitable location that we have found.  The primary issue with the Hilton is the number of convention breakout rooms available.  It meets the MER’s minimum requirements but could present challenges.

Dates

Tentative, 2nd or 3rd week of October, 2027 (MER will finalize date)

Schedule
  • Thursday, afternoon & evening
  • Friday and Saturday, all day
  • Sunday, morning plus going home layout tours in afternoon

A complete draft schedule to be drawn up within the coming weeks.

Leadership
Convention Chair – Alex Polimeni
Convention Manager –Bob Johnson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Going forward we will need a number of additional volunteers for various positions & committees.  As we firm up the draft schedule we will send e-mails detailing open positions.

Immediate Needs

Volunteers (tentative) to host layout tours (schedule, TBD); specially in the Winchester, Martinsburg, and Hagerstown corridor.

In addition, we are asking for the names of non-NMRA members and model railroad clubs who might be willing to be open (schedules are flexible).  

Volunteers to host operating sessions (probably Thursday or Friday evening).  Again, we will welcome non NMRA members to participate.

Prototype Tours (Friday morning & afternoon)

We have already secured a tour of the East Broad Top. This tour will accommodate approximately 40 individuals. Based on the projected attendance figures from the MER, we will require several additional tour locations within the Winchester, Martinsburg, and Hagerstown corridor that utilize significant rail service and may be amenable to hosting a tour of their facilities.  We have identified the following potential locations.

  • Carmease Quarry, Clear Brook (Winchester), VA
  • Argos Martinsburg (quarry), Martinsburg, WV
  • Martin’s Elevator, Inc, Hagerstown, MD
  • U.S. Silica (glass sand quarry), Berkley Springs, WV

If you know of any other locations that would amenable to host a rail-oriented tour or you have a contact at one of the locations listed above, please let us know.

We will provide you with regular updates regarding the convention’s progress and actively seek volunteers throughout the summer.

Kindly direct all responses at this time to the convention manager, Bob Johnson, at rcyrilj@aol.com. He will compile the received information and disseminate it to the designated committee chair.

 

 

 

From the Desk of the Superintendent; May 2026

Daniel Mulhearn NMRA, MER, South Mountain Division Superintendent 2025-2027

Our April Division meeting was quite productive as to getting prepared to host the 2027 Mid East Region annual convention.  Alex will be our Convention Chair dealing with liaison to the Region and the world at large as well as assisting The Convention Manager.  Convention Manager will be the nuts and bolts guy and Bob Johnson has stepped up to assume that role.

Division members who can be available for staffing at the convention, host open house sessions and perhaps op sessions at their home layouts and potential clinic presenters need to be identified.  Steve King has volunteered to help with that.  Layout open houses will be spreads over several days.

Pete and Jane Clarke are working with their fellows at the East Broad Top to provide an event at the EBT during the convention.  That event will be a self drive or carpool event.

Andrew Dodge MMR has volunteered to work on our presentation to be given at this fall’s MER Convention promoting our event.  The Regional Convention Committee does a lot of the work involved in planning for the convention, but there is plenty for us to do.

As was mentioned at the April meeting, I am facing some medical issues.  I’ve consulted with caregivers at Penn State Neurology and will probably undergo their recommended Deep Brain Stimulus (DBS) surgery.  This entails two day surgeries and one involving at least an overnight stay.  I’m told the chances of complications or extended “down” time is minimal.  So I am hoping to be an active participant in our Division activities and especially our hosting of the 2027 convention.

2026 / 2027 Officers Election

The only elected positions on the SMD management staff are the Superintendent (president), Clerk (secretary) and Paymaster (treasurer). The officers elected at the April meeting are as follows.

  • Superintendent – Dan Mulhearn
  • Clerk – Jeff Adams
  • Paymaster – Ray Price

From the Desk of the Superintendent; APR 2026

Daniel Mulhearn NMRA, MER, South Mountain Division Superintendent 2025-2026.

As April approaches, we have finally seen some warm days and I’m sure we are looking forward to many more.  While the season will see us out and about more on trips, chores and other outdoor activities; model railroading will continue to be important.  The April Division meeting will be our annual nominations and elections.  Elected offices are Superintendent, Paymaster and Company Clerk.  In addition, there are appointed positions currently filled by volunteers.  We are grateful for these folks who give of their time and expertise.  These include our AP Rep, webmaster, newsletter editor and publisher.  Should you have an interest in helping or serving in any of these positions, please talk to us.  This is not to say we are not happy with those who are currently serving who wish to remain in their position.

The fall of 2027 is not that far off and we need to get serious on planning for the Division’s role in hosting the 2027 MER Convention.  The Region will provide the Registrar, Convention Treasurer, and handle AP Contest/Judging functions.  There is quite a laundry list of responsibilities for the Local Convention Committee (LCC) to attend to.  To begin, we must identify those Division members willing and able to serve on the LCC.  We need to provide a Convention Chairman, an Assistant Chairman, a Treasurer to work with the MER Treasurer, a Webmaster and of course, volunteers to work the clinic rooms, the outside rail and non-rail activities, contest room staffing and general hosting duties.

Here’s hoping to see you at our April Division meeting.

2026 / 2027 Officers Election

The only elected positions on the SMD management staff are the Superintendent (president), Clerk (secretary) and Paymaster (treasurer).  The current nominated candidates can be found at this link.  Additional candidates can be nominated from the floor at the April meeting.

From the Desk of the Superintendent, NOV 2025

By Dan Mulhearn

Greetings, fellow model railroad enthusiasts. We are gearing up for the holiday season; and remember November is Model Railroad Month! It’s a good time to recruit new folks, if not to the NMRA, at least to our hobby.

Thank you to Bob Johnson for hosting our October meeting, and the opportunity to inspect his outstanding West Virginia Midland. The meeting was well attended, and there were a couple of questions raised which might be discussed in the newsletter.

First, a home layout is not required in order to host a Division meeting. The only thing you need is the space and the willingness to host. This brings us to the topic of clinics at our meetings. Clinics need not be limited to topics related to model railroading. Most, if not all, of us have at least a passing interest in the prototype we model. Clinics on any of the many facets of the prototype would be fine. This could be history, development of a particular car, locomotive, operation, or your visit to a place of interest.

I was able to attend the recent MER regional convention in King of Prussia, PA. The Philly Division did a wonderful job hosting this convention; more on this later.

I was able to attend clinics on Layout Command Control, a subject which fascinates me. There were also “You can do this” clinics on attaining the AP Certificates for cars and locomotives; at least one of which is required to join the ranks of Master Model Railroader.

To repeat, the Philly Division presented a great convention. It bears mention that the New Jersey Division had committed to hosting the 2025 convention, then determined they were unable to host. This resulted in the Philly Division having only one year to pull the convention together.

Our Division has volunteered to host the 2027 MER Convention. It’s time to get serious about preparing for that event. The Region does a lot of the work involved, but there is plenty of responsibility for us. The Region VP plans on visiting one of our upcoming meetings, and the 2027 Regional is high on his agenda.

See you at the November meeting.