Crozet Meeting May 16th

 Annual Meeting of the James River Division May 16 2026

Location: Crozet United Methodist Church

We will meet in the church Fellowship Hall.

Details about the Meet 

Time: Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and we start at 10:00 a.m.

JRD Annual Meeting: Election of officers

Clinic: History of the Crozet Tunnel (1849 – 1949) – Gerard Fitzgerald
JRD member Gerard Fitzgerald will present the history of the Blue Ridge Tunnel, better known as the Crozet Tunnel. The clinic will briefly explore the history of the tunnel’s construction by enslaved people and Irish immigrants, the importance of the tunnel for military operations during the American Civil War, the growth of railroads in Virginia and the American South during the late 19th and early 20th century, and the eventual replacement of the original tunnel by an adjacent and larger tunnel by the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad in 1944 during World War II.

Modular Display: Gerard will bring a small modular section of his new Olby layout to the meeting as a display to show what he is building through a modified bookcase design.

Modeling Theme: Pulpwood Car

Other Activities: Door prizes, white elephant table, 50-50 raffle, coffee and donuts. 

Lunch: On your own with a number of restaurants located within a few blocks from the church.

Afternoon Tour of Crozet Tunnel
Gerard will act as our guide for an on-site tour of the eastern end of the Crozet Tunnel. The tour will start at about 1:30 p.m. Participants will meet in the Afton parking lot (Google Maps: “Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail, East Trailhead”). The Afton parking lot is about 15 minutes from the church. The tour will be brief enough to include time to return to visit the layout tour (see below).
Per the “Go Hike Virginia” website ( https://gohikevirginia.com/blue-ridge-tunnel-hike/ ), the hike from the Afton parking lot is mostly flat on a crushed gravel trail and is fully-accessible. There are porta-potties at the trailhead. The hike to the tunnel entrance is about 0.6 miles. On this hike,there will be views of the active railroad line to the left of the trail, which is the re-route to the larger tunnel that replaced the Blue Ridge Tunnel in 1944. The website recommends bringing a flashlight when touring the tunnel, and as we’ve learned from those who have visited the tunnel, expect the tunnel area to be damp/wet.

Layout Tour 
Steve Raque’s Industrial Switching Layout
Steve’s layout will be open from 1:30 until 4:30 to give ample time if people want to go to the tunnel and then come to the layout. There is ample street parking. Please come to the front door.

The layout is an industrial switching layout representing Neville Island, which is just downstream on the Ohio river from Pittsburgh. Timeframe is from the start of Penn Central until the start of Amtrak (1968 - 1971). The island had two industrial railroads serving blast furnaces, a coke plant, chemical plants, steel fabricators, a cement plant, ingot mold foundry, and a ship builder. The P&LE also ran into the interchange yard on the island. All visible track is hand-laid with flex-track in the staging level. 

JRD Virtual Meeting March 19th at 7PM with 1 Clinic on Building a Fire Train.

The JRD will have a virtual meeting with 1 Clinic this coming Thursday the 19th at 7PM. Our featured clinician will be Thomas McHugh who will give a very complete presentation on building a New York Central Fire Train (Yes they had one).  Tom has done a series of articles on this train for the NYC Historical Society.  

After the presentation there will be open time for members to share and chat. 

Please check your email for the Zoom link

Feb Hangout at 7PM on Feb 19th

 The February JRD Hangout is at 7 PM on Thursday February 19th.   See your emails for more details

Still need a meeting place for the March Meeting.

 We are still looking for a place for the March Meeting as we can't use the Orange Station unless you want to meet at 7PM. Ideas are welcome.  

MEETING STILL A GO from 1000 to 1130 AM Plus Open House

 Joint Meeting between JRD and Virginia Central NRail

Location: Gordonsville Library  319 N Main St, Gordonsville, VA 22942

Doors open at 930 AM

1000 AM to 1130 AM - Clinics -  Library closing early so we will finish early

Clinic 1 - JRD  friends- Downsizing and Disposing of a Collection. 

Quick Talk 2 - Gordonsville: A Railway Town - History and Modeling Suggestions.  

Layout Tour - Dave Lutton - 2 Layouts - Portable T- Trak Layout and Large N Scale Home Layout

Modeling Theme - Bridge

Door Prizes, but no Coffee and Donuts

Food - BBQ Exchange, Gordonsville ice House, Patch Brewing, Well Hung Vineyard and Inwood Diner along with Hardees.

Philip Taylor
Superintendent
James River Division, MER, NMRA

January 24, 2026 JRD Meet - NOTE DATE CHANGE

Joint Meeting between JRD and Virginia Central NRail

Location: Gordonsville Library  319 N Main St, Gordonsville, VA 22942

930 AM to Noon - Clinics

Clinic 1 - Ken Montero and friends- Downsizing and Disposing of a Collection. 

Clinic 2 - Gordonsville: A Railway Town - History and Modeling Suggestions.  

Layout Tour - Dave Lutton - 2 Layouts - Portable T- Trak Layout and Large N Scale Home Layout

Modeling Theme - Bridge

Food - BBQ Exchange, Gordonsville ice House, Patch Brewing, Well Hung Vineyard and Inwood Diner along with Hardees.

Philip Taylor
Superintendent
James River Division, MER, NMRA

NMRA 90th Anniversary Article in RMC

 RMC has published an article on the 90th Anniversary of the NMRA by Gerard Fitzgerald, who is a JRD Member

https://rrmodelcraftsman.com/nmras-90th-anniversary/

Zoom Hangout Friday October 24th

 Our next Hangout will be Friday October 24th at 7 PM. Please check your email for login information.

Operating at Peter’s T-Track Layout

Today we are operating at Peter’s home T-Trak Layout.  Yes you can use T-Trak modules to build your home layout. 

It may be storming but we are operating trains

 Best way to spend a stormy Saturday afternoon is runnng some N Scale trains. After playing around we got things humming and looked at Dave’s new industrial complex.  

Meeting this Saturday May 10th in Fredericksburg

Location: Central Rappahannock Regional Library - Porter Branch

930 AM to Noon - Clinics

Loacation: Fredericksburg Area

Workshop 1 - Gerard Fitzgerald   The Origins of the NMRA: A Historical Look Back During Our 90th Anniversary

The clinic will examine the history and early decades of the NMRA in light of the 90th anniversary of the organization's founding in 1935. While the country and the hobby were different in the 1930s and 1940s, there were also similarities to current approaches to model railroading in 2025, especially with respect to modeling the prototype.  While not definitive, the clinic will briefly examine various cultural, organizational, and technological aspects of the early years of the hobby, reflecting the ongoing series of articles by the author commemorating the anniversary in the NMRA Magazine this year.

 
Workshop 2 - Steve Raque -Modeling P&LE Lot 874-H and 875-H Covered Hoppers

Summary of information and photos of the prototype, available models, and some tips on improved details.

Modeling Theme - Gondola

Layout Tour

Shannon Crabtree

Survey on Meetings sent to your Email

 Members and friends should have an email in their inbox that has a Survey on meeting day and content.  Also there is information on the next Zoom meeting.  Please take the survey to help JRD Officers better set things for member participation.  

Next Hangout coming in April 9th

 Our next Zoom hangout will be on April 9th at 7pm.  Details coming the weekend before via email.  

Next Meeting March 8th (This Saturday)

 

Please Note the Reversed Order - Tour in the Morning and Meeting after Lunch!

Layout Tour Location: RF&P Model Railroaders, Ashland, VA
Layout Tour starts at 930 AM Saturday March 8th

Lunch on your own

Meeting starts at 1 PM

Meeting  Location: Ashland Public Library Railroad Ave

Annual Meeting - Agenda - Motion to allow board to move bank account to new bank

Workshop One - Garth Groff - How to make your own Decals

How I use Ghost White Toner to make water-slide decals in a Hewlett-Packard laser printer, with emphasis on using Mac Pages software. Along the way I will explore sources for both free and purchased fonts, recommendations for paper, and hints on how to get the best results from the various tools and materials. Useful prototype lettering information will be included in the handout, but will not be discussed in the interest of time. A selection of my models will be on display.

I might add, this is NOT a hands-on clinic, but more of a lecture with examples and visual aids along with swag

Modeling Theme - Critter

We hope to see you there!!

Lunch & Layout and Zoom Meetings in February

This February will see 2 events. 

The first will a Lunch & Layout on February 8th starting at Noon.  Our starting point will be Fishn' Pig in Farmville - Menu.  Link for directions at Google.  The open house at Tully's will begin at 2 PM.  

The second event with be a Zoom gathering on the 12th at 7pm. Details will come via email a day or two in advance.

Great Meeting on Zoom last Saturday Morning

 We had a great meeting last Saturday I really appreciate Rick stepping up and doing his clinic on the use of signaling and LCC on his large HO Scale Layout.  The presentation generated a lot of questions and the ability to show the layout live throwing turnouts and changing sig We had over 20 participants.  

January Meeting Moved To ZOOM

 The weather forecast for 2-4” of snow early Saturday has lead to changing the January James River Division meeting to Zoom. Check your email for the invitation and the login codes. Room opens at 8am and we start at 930AM  Hope to see you Saturday 

Next Meeting in Farmville on January 11th

 Next Meeting on January 11th in Farmville 

Notice of Annual Meeting

Workshop - Railroads of Farmville - Richard McClintock - Farmville came into existence at a transportation crossroads, where the main north-south trail crossed the navigable Appomattox River. It really blossomed when the South Side Rail Road came through in 1854. But two other railroads later featured in Farmville's history: a north-south road which might have turned Farmville into Ashland, on the dominant north-south route, and a narrow-gauge road that led to an international shipping port on the James River. The town saw five-foot, standard, and narrow gauges. Clinic will explore the history and fates of these three roads, with lots of anecdotes and vintage photos.

Location: Faith Bible Fellowship

207 N. Bridge Street

Farmville, Virginia 23901

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hcqiS2Njx8dQFVQx6

930-945 AM Welcome

945-1045 AM Workshop - Railroads of Farmville

1045-1100 AM - Break to Vote on Modeling Theme

1100-1130 AM- Annual Meeting - 

1130-1145  AM- Drawings for Door Prizes Etc

Noon to 1 - Lunch

1 PM- Tully's Winter Layout

215 PM  - New Visitor Center/ Station Replica at High Bridge Tour with Presentation

Modeling Theme - Flat Car

Next Meeting in Palmyra VA November 16th

 Next Meeting - Palmyra VA November 16th

Location:     Fluvanna County Public Library

Clinics

    1:  Computerize your model railroad data - what it can do for you - Ken Montero

    2:    Heavy Lift - Wayland Moore

            

    3:    T-Trak Overview - Philip Taylor

Layouts

    1.    T-Trak in N Scale in the Library

    2.    Bob Minnis 

Modeling Theme

    Covered Hopper

Next Meeting Sept 21 in Charlottesville at Rail Tales

 Next Meeting

Sept 21 - Charlottesville at Rail Tales

**THIS IS A CHANGE OF OUR NORMAL WEEKEND**

We are heading into the Fall and for the James River Division (JRD) that usually means a trip to

Charlottesville and Rail Tales. For the last several years we have been treated to a make-and-take

workshop by Bret Jones, who owns Rail Tales. By my recollection Bret has had a hand in building

dozens of layouts if not over a hundred layouts. Most of us are lucky to build one or two layouts. If

you build that many layouts, then you pick up a few skills. Add to that all the building of military

models and the tips and tricks learned from that community. This gives Bret quite a depth of

things to choose from for workshops.

For this year’s workshop we will be scratch-building a structure. The JRD will be offering this

clinic to all NMRA members with an advanced registration so Bret can have enough supplies.

The workshop will be available in N, HO, and O. We are not requiring a registration fee, but we

are requesting a donation of $15 for N or HO scale and $30 for O scale. Donations can be made at

the JRD meet in Charlottesville.

Bret says Participants will need: 

1.  Hobby knife with fresh blades 

2.  Metal straight edge (preferably scale ruler!)

3.  Cutting mat/board/surface

4.  Fine natural fiber brush you don’t care about (for glue). We will provide glue as part of the cost. 

5.  Options- Metal squares would be great

Rail Tales is going to include corner braces in the materials.

If you need any tools, you may contact Rail Tales (434) 984-1170. They will be happy to order the tools for you and have them ready for you to pay for and pick up before the meeting starts on Saturday,

September 21.

To register for the workshop during the JRD meet in Charlottesville on September 21, please use

the REGISTRATION LINK below no later than August 30. Again, advanced registration is

required so Bret can have enough

Layout Tours

1. T-Trak Module Setup at Rail Tales Workshop after Lunch

2. Bob Macionis - Rebuilt Layout.  -  Some of you missed this last time and have asked about seeing the revised layout