James River Division MER NMRA

As we embark on the final week of or so of the holiday season we hope you and yours will have a happy week operating your trains with family and friends or just relaxing with them yourself away from all the activity.  We hope that you will join us on January 9th to hear Steve King talk about Timetable and Train Order operation.  Have a Happy Holiday!

For years now many of us have discussed the need for vertical staging to save space and many ideas were discussed to push the idea forward.  The ideas were usually some variation off a garage door opener or a pully system. None seemed to be satisfactory as such a system needs to be flawless and remotely comtrolable.  Well our British cousins seem to have found the answer.  Pleas watch the following YouTube for Nelevator. https://youtu.be/tyfDjAn_fJI This is a radical improvmwnt even with heavy cost. It not be worth selling a few sound locos you never will use to make the down payment. Improvements like this give me hope for the hobby

The JRD had a great meeting last Saturday.  Frank Walker familiarized us with the various aspects of the history of railroading in Orange.  There were many ideas that could be explored for modeling from the Civil War to the present day in either standard gauge or narrow gauge depending on era.  Our second clinic was given by Andrew Dodge who gave us not only the history of the Colorado Midland but how to make the choices to take the history and topography of the line into a workable model railroad.  In addition, we learned about the need to make choices regarding era to motive power and rolling stock on planning the layout. A hearty Thank You to both clinicians for sharing their time and expertise.  The meeting had an excellent display of 16 Cabooses in multiple scales with many road names.  It was heartening to see such excellent participation.  Congratulations to First Place winner Alan Bibb, Second Place (tie) winners Gerard Fitzgerald and Bob Minnis and Third Place winner Jean Ra

There was a time when almost every train had a caboose or even two when enough crew members were working the train.  A caboose was permanently assigned to one conductor in the early days while later they became part of a pool assigned to a division.  Even today there are many transfer runs or branch lines will have a caboose to protect a back up move at crossings Do you have a special caboose in your collection?  If you have done work on it either building, painting, weathering or detailing bring it for the Modeling Theme.  If you are working on something else no matter the stage of completion then bring it and put it on the In Progress table. We hope to see you not he 14th in Orange for what we expect to be a great meeting

The November 14th Meet at the Historic Southern Station in Orange, VA will include a talk by Orange County Historian Frank Walker.  Most know that Orange County currently hosts both Norfolk Southern and the Buckingham Branch.  How many know that besides predecessor owners Southern and C&O there were two other railroads in Orange County?   The Radian Railroad went West from Orange through Wolftown to the Mountains as a narrow gauge railroad.  The Potomac, Fredericksburg and Piedmont which switched between standard gauge and narrow gauge while only ever making it from Fredericksburg to Orange.  Prior to all this Orange County was significant to the American Civil War in the area of railroading among many other areas.  Frank Walker will inform us about these areas.  If you model either of the two main railroads in the county or are looking for something new to model then come and explore.

Well known O Scale modeler Andrew Dodge comes to the JRD meet in Orange on November 14th at the historic train station in downtown Orange, VA.  Photos of this well known fine scale layout by Gerard Fitzgerald were featured in our Report on the 2013 MER .  The quality of the work on this layout is some of the finest seen today.  Some of you may be unaware that Andrew had a famous On3 layout on the Denver South Park and Pacific in the same space.  His decision to venture into something new caused some consternation initially but those of us who have seen his layout are glad he has inspired us with something new.  We hope that you come to be inspired by this master of the hobby.

The JRD had a good meet last Saturday with Chuck Hladik giving a hands on clinic on the topic of making trees using the fiber material over a crepe myrtle set of branches.   The method is effective and straight forward producing an very nice result that would look good on any layout of the appropriate scale at a relatively inexpensive price.  The crepe myrtle branches might be the toughest thing to find and I may have to seek a source of supply for myself.  The fill that is used for the canopy is usually available in craft stores before Halloween as it is used for decorations.  Perhaps I can persuade to move forward and make some trees.

Remember that we have a meeting this Saturday in Lymchburg. Learn how to make trees for your layout with our hands on clinic with Chuck Hladik.  You will be able to take one home.   The modeling theme is a freight car with graffiti.  If you have one please bring it to share with others your creation.  For those traveling down US 29 please remember there is a music festival in Nelson County and this may cause traffic issues so allow extra time or adjust your route.  Hope to see you there and please check the Meeting Page for details. 

The JRD and Opsig are proud to announce the Central Virginia Weekend Ops 2015 on the weekend of October 9-11th of this year.  There are three days with three sessions and several layouts for each session.  They vary from N to O including narrow gauge.  The method of operations go from sequential to TT&TO and CTC.  For those interested please to to the JRD Website for more details

It is the dog days of Summer and this means hot weather and thunderstorms may force you inside for part of the day.  Do you use this time to bring your layout back to life or make some progress on that car, locomotive, or building that is still on your bench since Spring?  There are several projects in my hopper that reflect all of the above.  Time to make some progress and maybe bring something to show at the next JRD meet.  How about you?

Most of you should have received you June 2015 Crossties through an email.  If you did not please check the Crossties page and click on the link for your copy.

When you work for a railroad one of the first things you realize is that it is an industrial environment. This means that there is dirt and grim everywhere which is not cleaned except for very few places like corporate offices and equipment used in passenger service.  Bring you freight cars and diesels to next months JRD meet to not only learn about weathering but to actually weather your car or diesel locomotive.  The cost will be 2 to 5 dollars per person.  Cost will vary by the scale and number of cars.  All NMRA members are welcome.  Others may join the NRMA at the meeting.

It was announced that Weaver Models is closing June 29, 2015.   The owner is retiring and was unable to find a buyer for the business. This is a huge loss to the O scale community and a big loss for the Model Railroading community in general. Weaver Models started making hopper cars for the two rail O market and expanded into 3 rail.   They made many affordable and reliable locomotives which are the mainstay of many O Scale layouts.   The average model railroader probably knows of Weaver Models through their Scalecoat Paint line which was an affordable and quality paint sold good size bottles at reasonable prices.   Our thanks to Weaver for 50 years of service to the hobby.  

The term RPO usually in model railroad circles is thought to stand for Railway Post Office which is correct for a certain time in railway history.   Today, I would like to propose a new use to describe one of the fastest growing parts of the hobby. This is the operations side.   Operators are constantly trying to be more realistic in their approach to this aspect of modeling the prototype railroads.   What do you call these folks?   If we have Railway Prototype Modelers then I propose we now use the term Railway Prototype Operators.   They are the new RPO.

The JRD had a great meeting last Saturday in Richmond at the old Southern Railway station on Hull Street.  It was a great venue full of atmosphere and history yet plenty of things to see and do.  Many fine exhibits, a gift shop where several good deals were found, and a large HO layout with many fine scenes taking shape every time you look around the corner. The Old Dominion Chapter of the NRHS were great hosts and the JRD wishes to say Thank You. The meeting consisted of four parts with two sections by Kurt Reisweber who is a noted author and photographer with an extensive collection bolstered by his extensive knowledge of the history of the Hampton Roads area.  He was gracious in sharing his knowledge while answering the many questions from the attendees.  We look forward to hopefully hearing from him again The annual meeting of the JRD did decide one major issue in deciding to dissolve the library. The upkeep and sheer size while having very little activity convinced the m

Just a reminder that the James River Division is having a meeting this Saturday the 9th of May.   May 9, 2015 - Richmond, VA Time: Doors open at 9 AM  with first clinic at 930 AM Location:  Hull Street Station  (Old Dominion Chapter NRHS hosts) Clinics: Clinic 1 & 2: Kurt Reisweber - Railfanning around Norfolk Annual Meeting Clinic 3: Larry Hudson - Railroading (RF&P/CSX) from and Engineer Instructors Perspective Layout Tours: Old Domion Club Contest: Super Detailed Steam Locomotive                Super Detailed Diesel Locomotive  Please park toward the rear of the building and enter through the front door Philip Taylor

Double contest at Richmond meet on May 9th -  For those who had models ready for the missed meet the JRD will hold a double contest this time with awards in two categories. super detailed Diesel locomotive and super detailed Steam locomotive.  Enter either one or both contests

Richmond meet is just over a month away. Are you prepared to see photos of Tidewater rails or hear about the RF&P?

The Lynchburg event this Saturday 3/142015 is cancelled due to health issues with Chuck and the cancellation of our afternoon outdoor layout tour due to Weather. Annual meeting will be part of the Richmond meeting. Please keep Chuck in your thoughts and prayers.

Remember our next meeting is next week.  Come and make a tree.   Details as follows: March 14, 2015 - Lynchburg, VA - Annual Meeting Time: Doors open at 9 AM Location:  Fort Hill United Methodist Church Clinics: Making Trees by Chuck Hladik 1130 AM: Annual Meeting Layout Tours: Bruce Boone -  Boone Express Contest: Super Detailed Diesel Locomotive March 14, 2015 - Lynchburg, VA - Annual Meeting Time: Doors open at 9 AM Location:  Fort Hill United Methodist Church Clinics: Making Trees by Chuck Hladik 1130 AM: Annual Meeting Layout Tours: Bruce Boone -  Boone Express Contest: Super Detailed Diesel Locomotive

The JRD is in need of some help in certain areas.  If you feel inspired to assist in these areas please feel free to let Rick or Phil know that you are willing to help Librarian - We need a librarian to step forward to take care of the 11 box library.  The lending library is an idea that we loan out items to help with developing our skills, knowledge or just for fun.  In the past the library was only one box and if that is all you are willing to care for then let us know that interest.  If no one steps forward we will proceed at the annual meeting with a final vote to dissolve the library and sell the contents with proceeds going to the JRD. Crossties Editor - We are looking for a Crossties editor.  This position requires the production of a quarterly newsletter for the membership and the obtaining of the content for the newsletter.  If you are interested in this position please let Phil know soon.

The March meeting is quickly coming upon us and I hope  that you will be able to attend the event.  This meet will include a Hands On Workshop (HOW) with Chuck Hladik on making trees.  Up to 30 folks will be able watch Chuck and them make their own tree to take home.  It always helps to put into practice a technique while you can ask questions.  After Chuck's clinic we will have the annual meeting which will include budget, proposed changes to bylaws and any new business from the floor.   After lunch we will head out to see the Boone Express  which is a large outdoor layout east of Lynchburg.  Click on the link above to see a YouTube of this impressive outdoor layout.

The JRD now has its own web address. www.jrdnmra.org The web site will be updated and new features added. Please check it out and update your bookmarks.

Thanks to all who came last Saturday to our division meet in Fredericksburg. We had a great turnout of 38 including several from neighboring divisions. In addition, I want to thank our 2 fine clinicians and our 3 hosts for open houses. We will meet again in March in Lynchburg.  Photos to follow!

I hope everyone had a good Holiday Season and picked up some new trains!!  We are getting ready to have our first meeting of 2015 in just over a week.  This meeting will mark the JRDs first return to Fredericksburg for a meeting in recent memory.  I hope everyone is ready to get back into their trains.  Paul Dolkos will discuss his new layout which has been in the hobby press and several members of the division have actually operated on with great enjoyment.  Once you are inspired to build or finish your layout then Mike Garber will help you focus on a paint scheme to make those engines and cars look their best.  Hope to see your there. Philip Taylor JRD Superintendent January 10, 2015 - Fredericksburg, VA Time: Doors open at 0900 AM Location:  England Run Library, 806 Lyons Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA Clinics:   0930: Mike Garber - Developing a paint scheme for your free lanced railroad.......or when is a "dip" paint job not the best scheme 1045: Paul Dol