Tag: officers

The April meeting was scheduled to be hosted by Fred L.  Unfortunately, he had to cancel due to medical issues so a call was sent out for a new host.

The April meeting is very important since we will be electing officers and discussing the 2027 convention planning process in detail.  No hosting offers were received so Bob J. has offered to host at his home in Jefferson, Maryland.  Please make a special effort to attend this meeting to elect 2026 / 2027 officers and discuss hosting the 2027 convention.

The April meeting will be a repeat visit this program year. Bob hosted in October of 2025 but assures us that there have been a number of new scenery items added to the West Virginia Midland since then.

West Virginia Midland RR (WVM)

The WVM is a standard 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 Two.  Like the prototype, the WVM is based in and around Webster Springs, W. Va. and connects with the B&O on the west end and the Western Maryland on the east end.

Contact southmountaindiv@gmail.com for the address and directions.  Please park along the street in from of the house walk down the driveway, and enter through the basement door to the rear of the house.  Direction signs will be posted.

Upcoming meeting

• 17 May, Jay Beckham at Berkley Springs, WV.

NOTE: This is the 3rd Sunday  of the month, to avoid Mother’s Day conflict.

Jay will be presenting a clinic addressing the use of AI in model railroading.  This will be the last meeting of the 2025 / 2026 program year.

Reminder:

SMD membership meetings are always the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. The only exception is due to Mother’s Day in May, which will take place one week later, on the 3rd Sunday.

Please consider hosting a meeting sometime during the 2026 – 2027 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.

Meeting Hosts Needed:

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.

The South Mountain Division February meeting was, unfortunately, called due to snow. Parking at the meeting location would have been difficult.

The 08 March Division business meeting will be hosted in Damascus, MD by Pete and Jane Clarke on Sunday at 2:00 PM. I will not be able to attend the meeting as I will be out of town. A very good friend in southern West Virginia has received devastating health news. I was a regular operator on their layout for many years. On Saturday there will be a final op session on the layout. I feel I must attend with many other old friends. I am requesting Bob Johnson to sit in for me.

The MER annual convention handbook has landed in my mailbox. It is quite detailed and extensive, spelling  out what exactly the MER Convention Committee will do and what the Division is required to do. Our first priority is to locate a suitable venue for the event. I have heard from Alan Mende at Susquehanna Division and he feels that Division would have no objection to us considering Gettysburg. Alan feels that would be an excellent venue, however we need to be certain the time of our convention does not conflict with an annual motorcycle enthusiast’s gathering at Gettysburg.

The members of the Division need to be considering officers for the 2026-2027 program year. I am willing to take on another term as superintendent, although I am dealing with slowly increasing symptoms from my Parkinsons. The time may come when I will have to stop driving and that will be that. We need a paymaster (treasurer) and a clerk (secretary) as well. Our current treasurer may be willing to continue; but we know the current volunteer as secretary would like to be relieved of that responsibility. I do feel that we should have an assistant superintendent for situations where the superintendent may be absent or otherwise require assistance.

Spring is ready to arrive with it’s outdoor chores and activities. But, keep enjoying our wonderful hobby also.

February Meeting:

The February SMD meeting will be hosted by Dave T in Winchester, VA. Contact southmountaindiv@gmail.com for his address and directions.

Dave’s 30’x15’ layout represents the Pennsylvania Railroad somewhere along the Middle Division during the steam/diesel transition era. Several distinguishing features of the PRR include a four-track mainline, stone-arch bridges, PRR towers, and a set of prototype signals. The unusual track plan includes a continuous-loop 4-track mainline running through a lower 10-track staging yard, two helixes within mountains, and a branch line.

The Wakanda Valley branch line runs in the foreground of the PRR mainline and features a yard/servicing facility, station connected to the PRR, two villages, several mines and industries, a coal processing plant, and an interchange with the locally famed Barneytown & Scupperville RR. The layout is about 63.5% sceniced.

Following the business portion Dave will present his recent investigation into using switch lists to control operations.

 As usual, the meeting starts at 2:00 p.m.

Reminder:

SMD membership meetings are always the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2 p.m. The only exception is due to Mother’s Day 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.

Meeting Hosts Needed:

As of this writing we do have a tentative meeting host signed up for April 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.

Draft Meeting Minutes – 11 JAN 2026

Division members met at the Western Maryland Historical Society museum in Union Bridge, MD. Superintendent Dan Mulhearn called the meeting to order at 2:23pm with 21 members in attendance. The Superintendent thanked Jeff A and the Museum staff for hosting the Division.

• December minutes were approved with a correction to old business (Pete and Jane Clark were incorrectly cited as hosting the January meeting rather than the March meeting).
• Paymaster provided his report on the treasury, but the amount was not recorded. No significant changes from December’s report, regardless.

Old Business

• Ron Polimeni makes a motion to formally elect Alex Polimeni as clerk for the remainder of the year. The motion is seconded and carried. SMD will still need to elect a new clerk before the 2026-2027 year begins, however.
• Bill M raised the issue of the 2027 MER convention, which SMD has been asked to host. Bill, Alex P, and Steve K had previously volunteered to scout possible venue locations. Bill provided a comprehensive report, citing a catch-22 that hotels require more information than we can provide before gathering enough information to vet a hotel.
• Bill asks if Gettysburg is too far outside of the Division, as Hagerstown is our center point. Discussion followed that Gettysburg is outside of SMD’s boundaries. Consensus appeared to be that the Convention should be in SMD territory. It was also discussed that Gettysburg is more than an hour’s commute from Hagerstown.
• Previous MER convention hotel in Hagerstown has been renovated and split into two hotels, and the convention center on the east side is in good shape.
• Discussion follows about parsing out what responsibilities lie with the Division and with MER. Gary Brown and Kirk Bateman(?) are cited as good points of contact with MER.

New Business

• Superintendent called upon AP Coordinator Jane Clark to provide a report. Jane reported that there has been chatter about an AP category for modules.
• SMD publisher Bob Johnson raised ideas for Wheel Report newsletter content. Suggestions included a “help line” with a single person responsible for sourcing answers from Division membership, as well as articles based on former Mini-Con clinics.
• It was also mentioned that articles can count toward AP certificate progress.
• Articles can be submitted to the Division email address.
• Discussion followed of what constitutes a good article, including prototype historical articles.
• Discussion of remaining SMD meetings and hosts concluded the meeting.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and carried at 2:55. The Superintendent then yielded the floor to the museum for self-guided tours.