MER Part 5 of 8

MER Part 5 of 8
by Gerard Fitzgerald

On the other side of the tunnel we find some nifty hand laid track

Tunnels are used as view blocks on John Glabb's C&O layout and also act as a geographic signature of the region.

MER Part 6 of 8

MER Part 6 of 8

by Gerard Fitzgerald

With track operational and scenery in place scratch built structures are the last item needed for the completion of Busk near the Continental Divide on the Colorado Midland.

The yard throat at Arkansaa Junction on Andrew Dodge's Colorado Midland illustrate the possibilities of fine scale handlaid turnouts in Proto48. 

One of a series of scratch built Proto48 steam locomotives in the Colorado Midland fleet constructed in O-Scale by Andrew Dodge.

MER Part 8 of 8

MER Part 8 of 8

by Gerard Fitzgerald

A Virginia Midland caboose anchors a train in staging before heading out on Steve King's TT&TO layout.

MER Part 7 of 8

MER Part 7 of 8

Gerard Fitzgerald

The arrival of the train in Arkansaa Junction brings out others to move material on the Colorado Midland.

One of the many super detailed pieces of Proto48 rolling stock on the Colorado Midland.

MER Clinic:Chemistry and the Iron Horse

Chemistry and the Iron Horse: Water Softening and Engineering Practice on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, 1900-1945

Description:    This clinic will be given at the MER NMRA convention in October 2013 Most modelers are aware that the hills, mountains, and valleys of the nation created a seemingly never ending series of civil engineering challenges for railroads as the country embraced industrialization during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is less well known that as steam technology evolved, the water powering locomotives presented railroads with mechanical engineering and infrastructure problems that were just as complex and which were often solved by railroad chemists. The history of American railroad approaches to water softening, chemistry, and chemical engineering will be reviewed against a detailed study of how the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway adopted a more scientific and economic approach to water softening during the first decades of the 20th century.

CIvil War Road Show at the MER

Did you miss the JRD Civil War open house this summer? Built by Gerry Fitzgerald and Bernie Kempinski If you did not then you will have a chance to see it at the MER and learn more about Civil War Railroading from Bernie Kempinski and his talk about the Aquia Line.

MER Convention coming up

Two Weeks to the C & P Junction Convention. Hop aboard!

                On Columbus Day Weekend, October 10-13, the annual—and big--C & P Junction Convention gets underway. People regret most the things they don’t do. So make the call now and ensure that you’re not going to miss an outstanding event. This convention has three things going for it: substance, timing and location. Substance introduces you to some of the nation’s best clinicians, layouts, operations call boards and contests, capped with a Banquet and Auction. Timing gives you a long weekend to enjoy the convention and an extra day to savor Location: the attractions of Washington and Baltimore.  With 250 registrants from 15 states plus Canada we’ve added more operations layouts and a B&O Museum tour (both require advances registration), a hosted DC sightseeing excursion, and a manufacturer tour. So even if you’ve registered early, it’s not too late to add to your registration. And if your schedule is unsettled, walk in and register the day of the convention! C & P Junction, Crowne Plaza Hotel (www.cprockville.com) with a free shuttle to the Metro and other points. Visit our website: google C & P Junction-Comcast.net or http://home.comcast.net/~CandP2013/. For questions, email CandP2013@comcast.net.
 

Rooms available!

                The Crowne Plaza Hotel has notified us that it has been able to free up some double and King rooms previously reserved for another group.
 

Help Make the Convention Fun!

                In keeping with the tradition of ensuing quality door prizes, we are asking those who are planning to attend or support the Convention to donate new (or –as-new) engines, rolling stock, structures or other items of value to the Mid-Eastern Region. We’ll pick the very best donations for door prizes. Being a nonprofit organization, a tax deduction is appropriate for each donation. Donors of items should email Clint Hyde (chyde@cox.net) in advance of the Convention; when you give your donation to Clint in the Auction/White Elephant Room at the Convention, he will give you a receipt for tax purposes.
 

Call for Volunteers!

                With a nod to the U.S. Marines, C & P Junction, the coming MER Convention in Rockville, Maryland, over Columbus Day Weekend, October 10-13, 2013, is looking for a few good men—and women.  In past conventions, men and women have volunteered to help staff the registration desk, the Contest Room and the Company Store with its accompanying White Elephant Room.  Shifts would be four hours in length or less and only once per convention. Virtue will be your only reward, although a handsome certificate will attest to serving your Region. If you are interested, please contact Bill Day of Potomac Division, billday22@verizon.net or 703/406-4112.

Marshall Abrams, Potomac Division, co-chairman

Kurt Thompson, Chesapeake Division, co-chairman

RPM Part 2

After a delay included below are some more pictures from the first RPM meet held in the JRD. Thank you to Gerard Fitzgerald for the following photos.

Norm Wolf

Norm Wolf

Mike Hart

Mike Hart

Making Trees

The New Jersey Model Railroad Layout Design and Operations Event

The title for this 2 day event November 2nd & 3rd is a mouthful but so is the content of the two days.  Well known names are giving clinics in their areas of expertise.  The full clinic list still is being finalized as of this posting but should give additional food for thought to those who attended the RPM meet in VA last weekend. 

The event is an all day clinic on Saturday and layout tours on Sunday. The tours make the event worthwhile by themselves with many well know layouts.  Look at the list and if you don't know the list then you are truly missing out.  Cost for the 2 days is $10 and a list of local hotels is provided on the web site.  Registration is by mail at the moment.

The event is sponsored by the Garden State Division, NER, NMRA with an LDSIG tie-in.

Link to the website

Mid Atlantic Prototype Modelers Meet Part 1

Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th of September saw the inaugural Mid Atlantic Prototype Modelers  Meet being held in Stafford, VA.  This was the first RPM meet in Virginia and the first in the JRD.  Several JRD members were present and JRD member Gerry Fitzgerald was a presenter.  The Saturday presentations were all solid and a good report was heard about Bernie Kempinski's Civil War talk on Friday.

The venue had its challenges with a boat storage house being used as the clinic room.  There was plenty of space here and the weather was fantastic.  Here the closing clinic is giving and overview of using LED lighting in theory and practice.

Of course, there were more challenges than just the size.  The interruptions were the most unusual ever experienced at an RPM meet.

Yes, the loading and unloading of boats is probably a first for an RPM meet.

Of course, with every bad interruption there are good ones.

All photos are courtesy of Gerry Fitzgerald, text by Philip Taylor

End of part one

Civil War Roadshow Open House for the JRD

 American Civil War comes to Charlottesville

The Civil War Roadshow came to Charlottesville on August 11th thanks to the Bernie Kempinski and Gerry Fitzgerald.  The JRD was invited to the home of Gerry Fitzgerald and Gabriella Petrick where there was not only a world class layout but a delicious spread of summer food.

The roadshow was most recently featured at the NMRA National in Atlanta.  A most appropriate venue for a Civil War Roadshow.  The Roadshow is scheduled for several other appearances later this year.  Stay tuned for more news as it becomes available.

So Charlottesville was for a few hours occupied again by Union forces commanded by our two intrepid builders.  The level of workmanship on the modules is museum grade.  There is always a new previously unseen detail when looking over a scene each successive time.

The display broke down in a few minutes and Bernie Kempinski was able to load his sections in the back of his vehicle.  Pictured above is the loading crew (from left) of Bernie, Gerry, Gabriella, Rick, Phil and Ken (who also manned the door as greeter).

Thanks to everyone who made the day great for the approximately 26 visitors.