First, I want to remind everyone that there will not be a business meeting in December. The Division will be conducting an NMRA membership recruiting event at HobbyTown – Frederick on Saturday, 14 December. It was agreed that this event would take the place of the regular meeting. The next business meeting will be held on 12 January 2025, at the home of Steve King in Pond Bank, PA.
On to other thoughts…
At the risk of being accused of beating a dead horse, I am again asking you to consider taking a more active role in the management and operation of the Division. It is hard to believe that we need to have candidates for the positions of Superintendent, Clerk, and Paymaster identified by the end of February so that we can follow the prescribed process for nomination and election of officers in time to notify the NMRA as to who our officers will be during the 2025/2026 program year. As of this writing Ray Price has agreed to continue as Paymaster and we have one potential candidate for Superintendent. We are still looking for volunteers to serve as Clerk. If we don’t get one we may have a “work around” but I would prefer that we had a volunteer who is qualified under MER guidelines.
In addition, we need a number of volunteers to serve in appointed positions. A listing of the primary positions, along with a description of the associated duties, can be found here. My thanks to Alex Polimeni for developing this information.
As anybody who’s ever worked on something at a hobby bench before knows, sometimes you don’t see what’s right in front of you. At least, that’s how I felt after our October meeting at Andrew Dodge’s when the question was asked, “are there job descriptions for the Division officers?” I think many of us have been with SMD for so long we don’t always realize there’s folks who haven’t been. So, let’s take a look at the officer positions of South Mountain Division!
To begin, there are elected officers and appointed positions. Each January, the Division assembles an impartial nominating committee to solicit potential officer candidates. The membership then votes on these candidates during the May meeting, who then begin their term in July. Supporting the elected officers are a number of appointed positions, which require only a volunteer and the Superintendent’s formal recognition.
Superintendent (president, elected)
The most important obligations of the “Super” include appointing volunteers, soliciting potential membership meeting hosts, and presiding over the meetings themselves. The Super is also our Division’s point of contact with MER and NMRA national, whom we liaison with for insurance coverage and other support. Having served four years as Super, I would say that outside the meetings themselves, I’ve spent only 2-3 hours per month on my duties and most of that was writing emails. As Super, you can expect to:
Chair a mid-summer meeting of officers to identify meeting hosts to contact and address other concerns before the coming Sept-May season
Reach out to potential meeting hosts, clinicians, and guest speakers
Send reminders by email before each month’s meeting
Chair membership meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order
Coordinate with the other officers and appointed positions to make sure they have the support they need (and are providing the support the Super needs)
Maintain Division property such as the Marv Kershner gratuity boxcar and our projector screen
Liaison with MER regarding NMRA paperwork and conduct a bi-annual review of Division bylaws
Now, all this isn’t to say the Super has to go it alone, as perhaps’ the Super’s greatest power is the power of delegation!
Paymaster (treasurer, elected)
The Paymaster is responsible for maintaining the Division bank account, and is the only member authorized to make deposits or withdrawals. The Paymaster is expected to provide a report of the current balance at each meeting and promptly reimburse members who have made out-of-pocket expenditures on SMD’s behalf.
Clerk (secretary, elected)
The Clerk is responsible for taking minutes at each membership meeting and forwarding them to the Super to be distributed before the next meeting, creating a record of all Division business and helping to keep the membership informed. Currently, I take notes at the meeting and then format them into a pre-made document template afterward.
Assistant Superintendent (appointed)
The Assistant Super ostensibly has all the same responsibilities as the Super when required, and serves to ensure the Super can fulfill his/her duties. It is also customary for the assistant Super to reach out to new and expiring members to welcome them into SMD or ask if there’s anything we can do to bring them back. If the Super is unavailable to chair a meeting, it is typically the Assistant who will do so in their stead.
Achievement Program Coordinator (appointed)
The AP Coordinator is responsible for helping Division members work toward their Master Model Railroader milestones.
Mini-Con Coordinator (appointed)
The Mini-Con Coordinator works with Blue Ridge Hobby Supply, the Blue Ridge Summit fire hall, the Division at large, and guest speakers, food vendors and visitor marketing (such as modular layouts) to organize our annual, April Mini-Convention, which regularly draws 200+ members of the public.
Newsletter editor (appointed)
The editor pulls together information for our monthly newsletter the Wheel Report. Editors have a lot of room to make the WR their own, and it fulfills a vital function in keeping the Division on the same page.
Webmaster (appointed)
The webmaster maintains our online presence, making sure important information is kept up to date and accessible to the public.
Advisory Committee (appointed)
The Super typically asks involved Division members- often former officers or volunteers-to join an advisory committee, which simply weighs in on matters as varied as potential meeting hosts to Christmas cards!
October has been a very eventful month for the Division. For starters, we had a very good meeting at the home of Andrew Dodge. Considering the weather (it was a beautiful fall day with a lot of other activities competing for our membership’s attention). In addition to seeing a beautiful fine-scale layout we had a highly productive business meeting. There was a lot of member interaction, a number of issues and concerns were addressed, and multiple ideas were presented to address the Division membership participation issue.
During the October business meeting we received an offer from a member to serve as Superintendent (president), a tentative offer for Clerk (secretary), and a commitment from Ray Price to continue as Paymaster (treasurer). This is good news for the Division, and I thank those who offered their services. We are still in need of a volunteer to fill the position of Wheel Report editor.
Following the business discussion Andrew made an informative presentation addressing items that you should consider when planning a new layout or updating an existing one.
Shortly after the meeting I received the following email from Andrew. Andrew wrote, “Please pass on to the Division that today was one of the most enjoyable days with model railroading I have had in a long long time. I was delighted to have such a turnout and that everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It made hosting a pleasure.”
November Meeting:
The monthly meeting of the South Mountain Division (SMD) will be held on Sunday, 10 November at the Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club. The club has their own building located at 440 Nelson St, Chambersburg, PA 17201. Thanks to Division and club member John Pursell for arranging a meeting at this venue. It has been three years since we last visited their location.
2025 Mini Con:
Grant Berry has agreed to take the lead on the Division Mini-Con again this coming spring (April) and Mainline Hobby Supply has again offered to support the event. It will be held on a Saturday in April but as of this writing we do not have a scheduled date from the fire company for room availability. As always, Grant will need help with registration, event set-up, and of course clinicians. Start thinking now as to what sort of table clinic you could present at the event.
The Susquehanna Division has expressed interest in participating in the event with us this coming spring but details have not been finalized. More to come on this development.
2027 MER Convention:
We are still looking for two or three volunteers to form an exploratory committee to get things started for the 2027 MER convention which we are scheduled to host. Since the MER handles most of the convention arrangements the committee’s responsibilities at this time will primarily be centered around locating a suitable host hotel, developing a list of potential layout tour hosts, and to identify some sort of rail related prototype tour. Again, if you are interested please let me know. Email southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
SMD Membership Promotion:
There are two initiatives currently being developed to promote Division membership and current membership participation in Division activities.
Membership Participation
In last month’s Wheel Report I noted that NMRA membership in the South Mountain Division area has dropped from 90 plus members to only around 65. Of those 65, only around 30 to 35 are what I would consider to be active in the Division’s activities (monthly meetings, Mini-Con, etc.). A suggestion was made at the October meeting for the officials to reach out to all Division members to encourage more involvement by highlighting the benefits associated with participation. The suggestion was approved and a small group of our members are currently crafting the letter. Once the letter is in its final form a copy will be sent to every member of the Division prior to the end of December.
NMRA Membership Promotion Event
As reported last month, in lieu of a regular December meeting we will be conducting an all-day event at HobbyTown USA (Frederick) to encourage model railroaders to join the NMRA.
This event is scheduled to run from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM. In addition to an information table promoting the benefits of NMRA membership we will have several table clinics (similar to the Mini-Con) with demonstrations of technology in model railroading (DCC, 3-D printing, computers, etc.) We will also be highlighting model railroading as a form of gaming. This approach is targeted to appeal to the younger modelers in the community.
We already have several volunteers for this event but are looking for additional volunteers and/or suggestions for table clinics. If you are interested please let me know as soon as you can. Email southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
Thanks to HobbyTown USA owner and SMD member Richard Benjamin for allowing us to hold this event at his shop.
Meeting Schedule:
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 2024 – 2025 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.
As of this writing, with the exception of May, all of the 2024/2025 meeting dates have been spoken for. The schedule is as follows.
December 14th (Saturday) – Membership promotion meeting @ HobbyTown USA in Frederick, MD
January 12th – Steve King; Pond Bank, PA
February 9th – Richard Benjamin; Frederick, MD
March 9th – Pete and Jane Clarke; Damascus,MD
April (date TBD) – Annual Mini-Con; Blue Ridge Summit, PA
May 18th (3rd Sunday to avoid Mother’s Day conflict) – OPEN
By this time I am sure you have realized that we were not able to schedule a summer activity for the Division. Several options were under consideration but none of them worked out. That failure notwithstanding, it is time to get back into our regular monthly meetings. The first of the program year will be held on Sunday, 08 September.
This coming program year will be a pivotal year for the Division. You are probably tired of hearing this from me but if we do not get more people stepping up to manage the Division and host meetings it may be necessary to declare the Division inactive as of the end of the June, 2025.
This will be my third year as Division Superintendent, and I have already announced that I will not take a fourth year. Our current Clerk (secretary), Alex Polimeni has been serving in various positions for over 8 years and I am sure he would like a break also. In addition to the officer positions there are a number of other supporting officials, named by an incoming Superintendent, that need to be filled. None of these positions require a great deal time or effort but they are all important.
Remember – this is your Division and it cannot function without your support.
Finally, we need hosts for our monthly meetings. Last year it was a struggle to find hosts for the eight meetings that were held. Several of the meetings held last year were repeat locations from the previous year. Generally, we would prefer to have a minimum of two years between visits to any given layout and ideally, we would like to see a three year break. The first two
meetings of this year (2024 / 2025) are two year repeats and as of this writing we do not have any volunteers to host any additional meetings.
Mid-Eastern Region Convention Planning
We have been officially asked to host the 2027 MER convention. The membership voted at the May 2024 meeting to accept this invitation (assuming we are still an active Division). Under the current convention protocols the MER handles a significant portion of the work involved. I would like to form a small (3 to 4 people) exploratory committee to investigate available facilities, possible prototype tour activities, etc. If you would like to participate in this endeavor please contact me at southmountaindiv@gmail.com as soon as possible.
Wheel Report Feature Articles
As previously noted, Alex Polimeni is now working with Division membership (and others) to develop feature articles, layout photo tours, written clinics, etc. to supplement the basic Wheel Report announcements. Please consider reaching out to him at southmountaindiv@gmail.com to provide content.
Remember – this is your Division and it cannot function without your support.
This is your Division and we need your help with Wheel Report features.
Hosting Meetings – another reminder!!
2024 – 2025 program year needs additional meeting hosts.
Remember – this is your Division and it cannot function without your support.
If you would like to host, please let me know. We try to avoid back-to-back repeat visits. So if you have never hosted, if it has been over a year since you did, or if you just want to show off your recent layout progress, then reach out at southmountaindiv@gmail.com.
The May meeting will be hosted by Jay Beckham who lives near Berkeley Springs, WV, on Sunday, 19 May starting at 2:00 PM. Please remember that this meeting is taking place on the third Sunday of the month, as opposed to the normal second Sunday, due to the Mother’s Day holiday.
Déjà vu. When Jay first started a layout in his current location he was modeling the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad in the 1960’s but later changed to the PRR theme.When you arrive at Jay’s location you will see that he is again modeling the South Shore. <https://jaysoscalelayout.blogspot.com>
Jay writes, “My new layout concept is to model in O scale the Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad in the 60s, the time I first saw it in person. I have always had an interest in traction, and interurbans in particular. It was the railroad I modeled when we first moved into this house. I am trying to use as much of the old layout as possible as far as track design but a mid-western railroad is certainly different from the PRR that I was modeling. We have redesigned the CTC to suit the South Shore. Trying to use as many of my many buildings, most of which were scratch built. Also have corrected most of the track to a 60” minimum radius and from #5 to #6 or larger turnouts.”
He says that he hopes to have trains running, by the time of the meeting, partly through some of the old scenery and maybe some of the new.
Following the business meeting Jay will present an overview of the prototype Chicago, South Shore, and South Bend Railroad. This line has an interesting history and parts of it are still in regular use today as a commuter line.
We will be “electing” the division officers at the May meeting.
The candidates are as follows:
Superintendent (president) – Bob Johnson
Clerk (secretary) – Alex Polimeni
Paymaster (treasurer) – Ray Price
These are the only elected positions in the Division. There are numerous other unofficial positions (see listing at end of Wheel Report).
Please note that I have already announced that I will not serve again for the 2025 / 2026 program year, and Alex has stepped up to serve as Clerk, simply because no one else has volunteered. If we cannot get some new candidates for officers for the 2025 / 2026 we will be forced to declare the Division inactive.
