Mainline Hobby Supply Seeks Layouts for September Open House/Tours

Good day fellow model railroaders.

We would like to know if you are willing to patriciate in this year’s open house layout tours on September 21 & 22, 2019?

Please let us know as, soon as possible, what days and hours your layout will be open. A brief description will be needed or an update if you have any changes in your layout.

Sharing your hobby and interests with others is one way to bring more people into the hobby.

And in advance, Bonnie and I would like to thank each and everyone of you who have helped us out over all these years by opening your homes and clubs.

Thank you,

Brian Wolfe

mainlinehobby@comcast.net

Mainline Hobby Supply

Colebrookdale RR Tour Added to Liberty Bell Convention

Submitted by Chip Stevens/Philly Division, NMRA

We’ve been battling the cold weather as many of you have been recently, but we have made good progress on Liberty Bell 2019 scheduled for October 2019.

Our clinic schedule has begun to gel. We have a great list of speakers and subjects committed to us or penciled into our draft clinic schedule which will be published later this spring. The highlight so far is a seminar about The Hot Rod Chicken. No, it’s not barbecues nor car racing, but the description looks intriguing. We have also had several well-known manufacturers volunteer to do “Make and Take” clinics carrying a small charge for materials.

But the biggest development firmed up is the Saturday, October 12th Day on the Colebrookdale Railroad. The railroad was a branch line of the former Reading Railroad. Our tentative plans are to meet at the Boyertown, PA yard at 9 AM to review the days plan. We will then have a locomotive tour and go through the actual start up process for a day’s locomotive work. Next, we’ll have an abbreviated explanation of the conductors and brakeman’s duties followed by an Initial Terminal Test and Inspection walk of our train and a crew meeting.

After boarding a passenger coach, there will be a raffle for tickets giving the winners an actual cab ride during the day’s trip. Three photo run by’s are scheduled prior to lunch in the dining car. After arrival in Pottstown, PA, a run-around is slated with a Continuity test scheduled prior to the start of the return trip to Boyertown. There is an additional photo op scheduled during the return trip which should reach Boyertown by 3 PM., in time for the Saturday night banquet. One of our division members is working with the railroad to add additional features to this exciting day. Cost information for this trip should be on the Liberty Bell website by the time you read this summary. Work is under way on additional tours, but so far, this is my favorite.

For updates and additional activities and convention and hotel reservations, please visit the Regional websites LibertyBellSpecial.org, MER2019.org, or LibertyBellSpecail2019.org regularly.