Lynchburg Meeting January 11th

I am looking forward to the next meeting in Lynchburg on January 11th, 2020. We have two Chesapeake & Ohio layouts on the tour with Chris Wiley doing an overview of his CTC equipped James River Sub along with lessons he has learned along the way.  I am still looking for the second clinic as my first choice fell through recently.  If you are interested let me know.

Details about the meeting here

November 16th Meetup

November 16, 2019, Modeling Outreach Program Event – A Joint Event with the James River Division

On Saturday the 16th of November, we’re in for a bit of treat as the Potomac Division in company with the James River Division to have a day together for several clinics, some layouts to visit, and lots of time for socialization where we can talk about model railroading together. 

Doors open at 9 am and we’ll gather together in Room 109 for a few words, a cup of coffee, and maybe even a donut or two. After that we’ll have two tracks for clinics where you will have a selection of four clinics before lunch. After the clinics, we are planning to hold an open discussion on the Achievement Program where you can bring your models and we can either do an evaluation for an award or just discuss whatever you want regarding all aspects of the Achievement Program with at least three MMR’s. We’ll have a modeling theme as well so that you can bring your models for display and popular vote – theme is: a scratchbuilt or kitbashedpiece of rolling stock that you built.

Lunch will be on your own – plenty of local options for foragingwithin 20 minutes along Rt. 29/15.  

In the afternoon we’ll have at least two layouts open to visit in thegeneral area. So come on out for our November end of the year fling!

Where?

The Battlefield Baptist Church is located on US 29/15 at 4361 Lee Highway Warrenton, VA 20187 

From the Washington area, take Route 66 West.  Get off on either Rt. 29 South (Exit 43A) or on Rt. 15 South at Hay Market (Exit 40A).  Head South.  The church is ~5 miles from I-66 on the left soon after passing the traffic light at Vint Hill Road.

Clinic Track 1  --  Room 106	Clinic Track 2 --  Room 106
9:30 am	9:30 am
Jerry Stanley  “Building the Building for Building the Layout”	Rod Vance  "Vinegar, Pickles and Railroads... Oh My!"
10:30 am	10:30 am
John Sethian - "Modeling in 2 rail O Scale””	Terry Terrance – “Modeling the B&O West End”
11:30 --  Room 109	11:30 --  Room 109
Achievement Program - an open discussion	Achievement Program - an open discussion
12:00 pm Lunch (on your own)	12:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:00 pm Open House Layout	1:00 pm Open House Layout
Terry Terrance – The M&K Junction Model Railroad	Cam Green - Maine Central Railroad – Lower Road

Clinic Synopses

Jerry Stanley - “Building the Building for Building the Layout”

In the clinic I’ll talk about the process to select a building site. I hope to have a video loop playing of the actual construction drawings of the "Hobby Barn" playing on the flat screen TV. In the clinic I will go throughwhat type of building to build on different terrains, the basic requirements to provide a set of plans for a building permit, and “things to consider”when designing your hobby room building.

Rod Vance - "Vinegar, Pickles and Railroads ... Oh My!"  

This clinic talks about modeling the pickle and vinegar industries during the time period from the late 1800s to the early 1970s. We'll talk about how pickles and vinegar were made and processed, including looking at the typical structures and facilities used in their production. We'll also talk about the special railroad cars used to transport pickles and vinegar. We'll finish by surveying some of the structures and freight car models commercially available that can be used to represent the pickle and vinegar industries.

John Sethian - "Modeling in 2 rail O Scale”
O Scale has many advantages:  The larger size gives the feel of heavy moving machinery, and fine details can be added and seen without heroics.  O Scale is not outrageously expensive, does not require an aircraft hangarsize space, and most equipment is readily available. The talk presents the basics for O Scale modeling, including sources, suppliers, and techniques.  

Terry Terrance – “Modeling the B&O West End”

How does one go about modeling an iconic, yet isolated and obscure part of the Baltimore & Ohio's original main line? This clinic will describe how I went about it.

• The seed of an idea.

• Objectives?

• What to include, what to omit.

• Developing the track plan

• What time period?

• Locomotive roster

• Rolling stock fleet

• How I built the layout: civil engineering, electrical engineering, etc.

While I built my representation of the West End in O Scale, this clinic will be as scale agnostic as possible.

Layouts

We’ll have handouts with directions for each layout from the church available after the open discussion on the Achievement Program

Cam Green - Maine Central Railroad – Lower Road  (HO Scale)  

HO scale double deck layout featuring the “Lower Road” between Yarmouth Junction, ME to Augusta ME. Set in the late 1970’s and operated per prototype with some modelling license. Operations center around Brunswick Yard where several local freights exchange cars and Augusta where several locals worked through from Waterville, Me. DCC Digitrax control system. Train orders are used to govern movements.

Terry Terrance – The M&K Junction Model Railroad (O Scale)

Part of the “double humped” B&O crossing of the Allegheny mountains, the grade on Briery Mountain (Cranberry Grade), the crossing of the Cheat River at Rowlesburg, WV and the grade up Laurel Mountain (Cheat River Grade), is depicted in condensed form on this layout. Rowlesburg was a helper station as trains needed to be pushed up the grades in both directions out of Rowlesburg. The Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad (merged into the B&O after 1922) interchanged with the B&O at Rowlesburg, ergo the railroad's name for Rowlesburg – M&K Junction. The time period is late 1949 through early 1952 – the period when diesels and steam co-existed at M&K. Seven, four-unit F7 diesel sets arrived in 1949 and were so superior in heavy mountain railroading that the subdivision was dieselized in 1952.

The track is designed to create the feel of the prototype with heavy grades and very little tangent (straight) track and to be “scenically sincere”, that is, trains pass through a scene only once. There are few on-line industries on the prototype and few will be included on the model railroad (some have been added for scenic/operational interest). A model of the B&O's 4 stone-arch Tray Run Viaduct is planned. The model will be 2/3 full scale size and over 6’ long. The B&O's crossing of Cheat River is represented with a truncated single span bridge.  

 

The basement is approximately 25 ½ x 36 feet. Minimum mainline radius is 60”, and that is only on the inner track on one curve. The minimum radius elsewhere is 62” or larger. The layout is 2-rail, “O” scale. The layout runs on a Digital Command Control (DCC) system using a combination of Lenz power/command stations; Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) software and computer control; JMRI WiFi throttles running on Android devices; and locomotive and accessory decoders from many different manufacturers

Good Meet in Charlottesville

The JRD had a good meet in Charlottesville today at Rail Tales.  A special Thank You to owner Bret Jones for not only hosting us but doing a hands on clinic for our members and guests.  Most of us weathered a car or two resulting in cars that either looked grimy or toned down the plastic sheen on our cars.  After the clinics we had the privilege of seeing Bob Macionis layout which has really come along far further than many of us thought possible in such a short time.  A real testimony to Bob’s dedication to his layout’s construction and it gives hope to that by years end it might be ready for early operations testing.   Thank you to all who came and I hope to see you in November at the joint meet with Potomac division in the Warrenton-Gainesville area.  Please note this meet will be on November 16th which is a week later than normal for us.

Good News for the Hobby

This good news for the hobby was posted this afternoon

NorthWest Short Line Press Release
For Immediate Release (August 19, 2019)

NorthWest Short Line is pleased to announce that the entire line has been acquired by an NWSL employee, effective September 3rd, 2019. All existing back orders will be filled, and NWSL will be open to new orders as soon as the new websites are rolled out; the primary website nwsl.com will carry forward as the primary contact point. The line is expected to carry forward largely unchanged although the company will no longer offer phone support. NWSL will be headquartered in Kila, Montana, located near Kalispell, and the new address is PO Box 219, Kila, MT 59920. Email contact is through the website.

Summer Layout Tour 2019

It is just under two weeks to the Summer Layout Tour 2019. By the time this posts all JRD members and permanent visitors should have received an email with the details of the meeting.  Please let me know at jrdnmra@gmail.com if you have not seen your email or if you have seen it and plan to come on June 8th.  Come and see Jim Taverna’s Northern Central Division of the PRR and Ed Rappe’s Middle Division. Both of these layouts are O Scale and show the beauty of O Scale when you have the space.

Good Meeting Last Saturday and Future Meets

We had a good meeting this last Saturday in Fredericksburg.  Though delayed due to weather in January it was worth the wait.  We were treated to Mat Thompson discussing tank car history and how he applied it to choosing cars for his layout.  Shannon Crabtree was voted in as Assistant Superintendent to fill in Ross's unexpired term.  Andrew Dodge brought the winning scratch built steam locomotive along with a scratch built Rotary Snowplow with incredible detail.  The tour of Ken Mead's very large HO layout was inspiring and amazing to see such long trains run with a signaling system.

Our next meet will be in Midlothian in May.  This will likely be the first Saturday in May which is a change.  Check back for more details in the coming week.  The next Modeling Theme is a critter which can be steam or diesel.  Please consider bringing one of your models in this category to the May meeting.

The June Layout Tour will replace the July meet.  More details will be forthcoming as we approach the date.

I was glad to see and talk to many last Saturday and those I missed last time I hope to talk to at the next meeting.

Philip Taylor
JRD Superintendent

Next Meeting In Fredericksburg, VA

Our next meeting will be in Fredericksburg, VA

March 9, 2019  Fredericksburg, VA

Time: Doors open at 9 a.m. and we start at 9:30 a.m. 

Location: Central Rappahanock Regional Library: Howell Branch
806 Lyons Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22406

Clinic 1: Mat Thompson on Tank Cars

Annual Meeting

Layout Tours: Ken Meads HO Layout

Meeting Cancelled Today January 12th

Meeting Cancelled due to weather. With the impending snow beginning earlier in the day for our southern division members including Farmville, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg I have decided to cancel todays meeting.  Though I believe we could get to the meeting it is likely from the forecast that many would be driving home in snow.  Also, our layout tour had to cancel last night due to illness.  With all this I feel it best to cancel todays meeting.

Meeting Reminder for this Saturday January 12th

Just a reminder about this weeks meeting on Saturday January 12th.

Our primary speaker will be Mat Thompson about Tank Cars.  No matter the era you model or follow tank cars are an important part of the railroad scene with more diversity than is appreciated by most Model Railroaders.  There will be a short annual meeting followed by lunch and then a tour of Ken Meade's basement filling HO layout. 

January 12, 2019  Fredericksburg, VA 

Time: Doors open at 9 a.m. and we start at 9:30 a.m. 

Location: Central Rappahannock Regional Library Howell Branch 

Clinic 1: Tank Cars - Mat Thompson 

Annual Meeting

Layout Tours: Ken Meade