the official publication of the southeastern region of the...

Volume 57 #1.5 - The SouthErneR - Winter 2016

Volu me 57 No . 1 .5 www.ser-nmra.org 20 16 Winter

The Official Publication of the Southeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association The Official Publication of the Southeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association

2 Volume 57 #1.5 - The SouthErneR - Winter 2016

SOUTHEASTERN REGION DIRECTORY 12/2015

OFFICERS President: Glen Hall, MMR (850) 982-2795 [email protected] 609 Phyllis Street, Pensacola, FL 32503-2026 Vice-President: Alan Mole 770-315-7244 [email protected] 8370 Colonial Place, Duluth, GA 30097 Secretary: George Gilbert (615) 352-1254 [email protected] 750 Rodney Drive, Nashville, TN 37205-3016 Treasurer: Sally Bando 770-928-2135 [email protected] 1258 Hendon Road, Woodstock, GA 30188-3073

COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AP Program: Randall Watson 770-831-5736 [email protected] 730 Morning Creek Lane, Suwanee, GA 30024-7052 BSA Coordinator: Howard Goodwin, MMR 770-529-2103 [email protected] 79 Cross Branches, Acworth, GA 30101-7705 Contests: * Howard Garner, MMR (864) 878-4705 [email protected] P. O. Box 826, Pickens, SC 29671-0826 Conventions: **Fred Coleman 828-699-0983 [email protected] P. O. Box 361, Naples, NC 28760-0361 Education: Peter Youngblood, MMR 770-966-1661 [email protected] 3563 Memorial Parkway NW, Kennesaw, GA 30152-2435 Education, Asst: James A Black (850)914-0002 [email protected] 429 S. Tyndall Pkwy., Suite S, Panama City, FL 32404-0002 E-Newsletter: Rick V. Coble 770-279-2523 [email protected] 3278 Spring Wind Ct, Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4838 Good & Welfare: **David R Anderson 828-277-9092 [email protected] 69 Ballantree Dr., Asheville, NC 28803-2065 Historian: Joe Nichols, Sr. MMR (770) 396-6447 [email protected] 4554 Chadwell Lane, Atlanta, GA 30338-5604 Honors & Awards: Larry Smith, MMR (205) 988-5365 [email protected] 1774 Wooddale Cir., Pelham, AL 35124-1019 Legal Counsel: **Daniel R. Mason 770-928-8618 [email protected] 3000 Creekside Way, Marietta, GA 30066 Membership: **Rick V. Coble 770-279-2527 [email protected] 3278 Spring Wind Ct, Lawrenceville, GA 30044-4838 Mini-Meets: Alan Mole 770-315-7244 [email protected] P.O. Box 2173, Suwanee, GA 30024-0977 Registrar: Steve Prevette (803) 392-7684 [email protected] 356 Ashley Ct., Graniteville, SC 29829-3940 Webmaster: *Scott Povlot 770-569-4678 [email protected] 13405 Avensong Crossing, Alpharetta, GA 30004-7445 Asst. Webmaster: Steve Prevette (803) 392-7684 [email protected] 356 Ashley Ct., Graniteville, SC 29829-3940

DIRECTORS Exec. Advisor: Bob Beaty, Jr., MMR (205) 987-2385 [email protected] 741 Dividing Ridge Rd, Birmingham, AL 35244-1712 Director (2016): James A Black (850)914-0002 [email protected] 429 S. Tyndall Pkwy., Suite S, Panama City, FL 32404-0002 Director (2016): Jason L Parham 205-534-6529 [email protected] 6935 Meadow Ridge Drive, McCalla, AL 35111-3957 Director (2018): Paul V Voelker 770-530-0966 [email protected] 6438 Paradise Point Road, Flowery Branch, GA 30542-3143 Director (2018): Howard Goodwin, MMR 770-529-2103 [email protected] 79 Cross Branches, Acworth, GA 30101-7705

DIVISIONS 1 Mid-South: William (Sandy) Warrington 541-922-7489 [email protected] 281 Shortleaf Lane, Harvest, AL 35749 2 Steel City: John Stewart 205-901-3790 [email protected] 1103 Lake Forest Circle, Birmingham, AL 35244 3 Dixie: Brett Scott 334-799-3096 [email protected] 803 Durden Rd, Prattville, AL 36067-1534 4 Gulf: Reed Ostrander 850 939 1039 [email protected] 7622 North Shores Dr, Navarre, FL 32566-8411 5 Piedmont: Peter Youngblood, MMR 770-966-1661 [email protected] 3563 Memorial Parkway NW, Kennesaw, GA 30152-2435 6 Empire: Bill Attaway 478-954-9200 [email protected] 118 Lenox Drive, Bonaire, GA 31005-3604 7 Palmetto: Ron Lown 864-845-3260 [email protected] 108 Saddle Horn Ln., Piedmont, SC 29673-9184 8 Atlantic: Carl S Blum 843-559-3757 [email protected] 865 Brownswood Road, Johns Island, SC 29455-3238 9 Central Savannah Steve Prevette (803) 392-7684 [email protected] River 356 Ashley Ct., Graniteville, SC 29829-3940 10 Bluff City: Mike Fleming (901) 467-7138 [email protected] 2676 Satellite Street, Bartlett, TN 38134-4642 11 Cumberland: Bob Hultman (615) 833-5158 [email protected] 1305 Chestnut Drive, Brentwood, TN 37207 12 Smoky Mt.: Larry Burkholder (865) 408-9903 [email protected] 206 Coyatee View, Loudon, TN 37774-2172 13 Headquarters **Hal Crossland 423-344-0697 [email protected] Co-Chairs: P. O. Box 39, Harrison, TN 37341 **Tom Shallcross 931-484-7565 [email protected] 14 Briar Court, Crossville, TN 38558-8810 14 Magnolia: Pat McCarty (601) 955-0510 (cell) [email protected] 3815 Rebecca Ct, Jackson, MS 39216-3719 15 Land O' Sky: Ken O'Brien 828-696-9436 [email protected] 550 Patterson Road, Hendersonville, NC 28739-7846

Don't Miss Out!

Stay up-to-date with the latest news & events - direct to your inbox!

Hobby Shows, Conventions, Railroad Events,

Division Meetings, and more….

Not receiving newsletters now?

Contact membership chair Rick Coble:

[email protected]

To be added to the SER & NMRA mailing lists!

Stay connected to the SER & NMRA!

mailto:[email protected]�

Volume 57 #1.5 - The SouthErneR - Winter 2016 3

Monday thru Saturday

11 am to 6 pm

Sunday - 1 pm to 6 pm

ATHEARN TRAINS MICRO TRAINS THOMAS & FRIENDS

WALTHERS LGB LIONEL

www.trainmastermodels.com

601 East Main Street Buford, GA 30518

678-546-3600

ON THE FRONT COVER: This is one of several modular rail-roads that participated in the 27th Costal Rail Buff’s Model Rail-road & Train Show. This particular layout, composed of several modules built by members residing in the Piedmont Division, made the trip down from north of the Atlanta area. PVV

Winter 2016 Volume 57, Number 1.5

WAYBILL

ADVERTISING: Rates are for electronic-format or scanner-ready ads. Preferred formats are Plain Text, MS Word and JPEG. Include the company name, address, email address and/or a day-time phone number (email preferred). All ads must be prepaid before publication.

Make checks payable to: SER-NMRA

Pike Registry : $16 for 4 issues

ADVERTISING RATES Number of Issues

1 2 3 4 $120 $240 $360 $400 $ 90 $180 $270 $300 $ 60 $120 $180 $200 $ 30 $ 60 $ 90 $100 $ 15 $ 30 $ 45 $ 60 $ 10 $ 20 $ 30 $ 40

Page Size Full 3/4 1/2 1/4 1/8

Crawler

EDITOR

Paul V. Voelker 6438 Paradise Point Road

Flowery Branch, GA 30542-3143

770-530-0966 (cell) [email protected]

Asst. EDITOR Feature Articles:

Joe Gelmini, MMR 770-460-8873

[email protected]

ADVERTISING Sally Bando

770-928-2135 [email protected]

The SouthErneR Official Publication of the

Southeastern Region, NMRA

The SouthErneR is mailed to members of the Southeastern Region & interested parties who have paid the subscription rate of $10.00/year. Material for publication is welcomed! Please send materials to the proper Editor.

All submissions become the property of The SouthErneR unless otherwise contracted. Do not send previously printed materials please!

March 1st DEADLINE!

December 1st (Winter) March 1st (Spring) June 1st (Summer) September 1st (Fall)

Electronic Voting Brandywine & Benedictine Railroad Rocket City Rails Clinics Rocket City Rails Layout & Prototype Tours Rocket City Rails Registration Form Winter BOD Meeting in Savannah 27th Costal Rail Buff’s Train Show Winter Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Piedmont Model Contest Piedmont Photo Contest

9 10 14 16 19 24 34 43 49 62

F e a t u r e s :

Departments: Department Directory Editors Soapbox Education Department Achievement Program Awards The President’s Car Upcoming Events - 1, & Page 42 Upcoming Events - 2 Division News Club Car

2 5 6 7 8

18 20 41


The Crossville Model Railroad Club has produced this unique car in 3 road numbers. It is assembled weighted to NMRA Standards with Steel Wheels and Kadee #5 Couplers. Road numbers are 2001, 2002, 2006.

1 Car Ready To Run: $25 plus $5 Shipping (lower 48)

For information on multiple car sets, road number availabil-ity and to order contact:

Tom Shallcross (931) 484-7565

[email protected]

For more information on this car, go to our web site at: http://www.crossvillemodelrrclub.org/cmrc/

ORDER NOW! LIMITED AVAILABILITY!

Tennessee Club Car CLINICS ON DVD Adding Sound to Model Railroad Scenes

Light Emitting Diodes for Model Railroads

Scratchbuilding Industrial Structures

Scratch-Building a Timber Trestle

DVDs sell for: $10 each OR All 4 for $35

PLUS $3 shipping for up to 3 DVDs, $6 for all 4 DVDs

Make your check payable to:

Southeastern Region

And Mail To: Sally Bando, SER Treasurer

1258 Hendon Road Woodstock, GA 30188

Name

Address

City

Phone

State

Birth Date

Occupation

Zip

Scale

Cell Phone

NMRA Membership and/or Subscription Type (Circle the Option(s) of Your Choice) One Year Two Years Total

Member - All rights and benefits - does not include NMRA Magazine. $44.00 $88.00

NMRA Magazine subscription - Must be an NMRA member to subscribe. $22.00 $44.00

SER The SouthErneR subscription - Must be an NMRA member to subscribe. $10.00 $20.00

Family - Spouse or minor child of above member in good standing. No NMRA Magazine or voting rights. Provide family member’s name and date of birth here: Name: DOB:

$8.00 (each member)

$16.00 (each member)

Student - any person 18 yrs and under or student between the ages of 19 - 25 yrs possessing valid student ID. All rights and benefits and NMRA Magazine.

$32.00 $64.00

Sustaining - Mandatory for group memberships (Clubs, Associations, Businesses). All rights & benefits & NMRA Magazine.

$110.00 $220.00

TOTAL DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS PAYMENT ENCLOSED (Make checks payable to NMRA)

Mail To: NATIONAL MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION, INC., PO Box 1328, Soddy Daisy, TN 37384-1328

Credit Card:

Month Year

Expiration Card # CV #

Signature Issued To (print)

Master Card VISA AMEX Discover Diner’s Club Check

Email

NMRA / SER Membership & Subscription Application

NMRA # SER # Renewal New

Please accept my application for membership Renewal or for New Membership in the National Model Railroad Association, which includes the SouthEastern Region and my local SER Division.


I find myself today on the horns of a dilemma, after years of planning and false starts on my train layout, I am now finally able to visualize how all the pieces will fit together and I am anxious to pursue that course of action. The problem is that I also have a job at Kroger which has taken more of my time lately, and I am also the region’s Editor which takes even more time, but I can’t do all three! I tried doing that early in my Editor’s career when I was building raffle layouts for the division. It was just too much and I stopped doing the raffle layouts. My home layout is another matter though and at 64 I am not getting any younger and I have no plans to retire from Kroger for another six years (at age 70) so something has to give. Back when I took on the role during the October 2002 BOD meeting I had already had some experience with the newsletter earlier in that year helping Scott Perry get it off the ground under his new leadership. At work I was scheduled for 48 hours a week as is the case now, but I was often working 40-42 hours with a job I could do in my sleep! I had no permanent at-home layout as several previous attempts had gone nowhere, and I was both a Piedmont division Director and also heavily involved with division activities which took up some of that extra time. I was also then (and now) the NMRA Photo Contest Chairman, a job I have no intention of letting go for the foreseeable future as I also want to attend all of the future conventions currently on the schedule, particularly the last two! KC in 2018 will mark my 50th year with the NMRA and Salt Lake the following year coincides with the 150th year anniversary of the driving of the Gold Spike on a rail-road that I model so I am very much looking forward to both! However getting things for the newsletter, which has been rough at times, seems to have become more difficult in the last couple of years. As I have shed all of my division responsibilities I don’t have as much to write about locally plus the division has in the meantime moved to a new location that is even farther from home making it tough to attend meetings. While I can and do still have the national contests to write about it, like so much else that has to go into the newsletter, is just one more thing I (me) have to do myself. I would like to get back to doing the online-only NMRA Model Contest PhotoBook series as I have photos from each convention’s contest to use but no time to put them into a document. That is something I could do on the side as there is no set deadline for producing them. At one time doing the newsletter was fun and a way to use my college training in the printing business, but now it is just some-

Editor’s Soapbox thing preventing me from working on my railroad. After all, I got into this hobby because it was fun, an experience I wished to pur-sue. I got into doing the newsletter for the same reason but it is more like work now and I sense that, in my remaining years here, I want to eventually complete and operate just one train layout that I can call my own. I cannot say that the recent passing of my mom has had nothing to do with that desire. She lived a long life, and I might as well, but there are no guarantees in life. Model rail-roading has been my lifelong hobby and given a choice between which one thing I can do, the newsletter or the layout, the layout will have to come first. So basically the job as Editor of what has become one of the best region newsletters in the NMRA is now open to anyone who wishes to take it on. It has been a hard decision to make but the members of the SouthEastern Region deserve an on-time issue filled with more articles than just what I can write about. I will con-tinue on in the role until someone else comes forward to do it. If I complete this year it would have been my fifteenth doing The SouthErneR, that would be 60 print issues with as many or more online issues (some online-only) plus the online-only 2004 to 2010 NMRA Model Contest PhotoBook series which numbers about twenty volumes. Until lately it was a lot of very enjoyable work and I will miss the good times. I will also continue on as an SER Direc-tor for now but I can see the end of those days coming as well. I am sorry this issue was late in arriving as well as the previous Fall 2015 issue. The next issue, Spring 2016, will have both the Official Election Ballot for the 2016 region election plus much more information on the upcoming Huntsville SER convention. Look for it to arrive in April. The expanded online Fall issue should be available now and the online version of this one later this month. The Spring online issue should be available soon after you receive your printed copy.

NO MORE DEADLINES! (Eventually)

Here we have a Log Skidder on a heavy duty flat car which would transport it from one logging site to another. This is one of several pieces of logging equipment preserved at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad’s Museum & Shops in Mineral, Washington. PVV


6408 Lantern Ridge Hoschton, GA 30548

(770) 967-4178 [email protected]

Education Department Peter Youngblood, MMR

Considering Cost Model railroading, as most of us know, isn’t an inexpensive hobby. It never has been, yet the difference between then and now, is the availability of an impressive amount of quality out-of-the-box-ready product limited only by the “what’s in your wallet” popular credit card tv commercial tag line. Cost once amortized over time because we had to build more than buy, made hobby expenditures less dramatic, if not less expensive. If you’re like me building a large basement layout, a size more prevalent today than in the past and again easier to do because of products making it more achievable, you already know you’ve committed yourself to a sizeable financial investment. There are, of course, enjoyable alternatives. Among the most popular are modules. Modules are portable table type sections built to accommodate a variety of track ge-ometry and interfacing standards allowing them to be joined together like so many dominos to form a fully operating layout configured to available space. As long as they’re capable of interfacing at each end, track geometry can deviate between the ends providing the type of operation represented isn’t compromised. Modules can be built either as a removable section(s) of a home layout, or as a stand alone piece(s) interfacing with other modules anywhere in the overall system of a large display adher-ing to the same set of standards. Because basements can be a rarity in some parts of North America, certainly abroad ( i.e. the United Kingdom), modules and modular clubs offer modelers handicapped by space constraints, budget or time, a way to dis-play their work while still having fun operating trains (www.ntrack.org and www.free-mo.org). Sectional layouts, perhaps the grandparent of modules, are another option. Here lay-out sections are built to a transportable size, typically for moving from one place to another if relocation is a possibility. Constructed to be taken apart and reassembled in a similar configuration, interfacing is already established when the layout is reassem-bled like so many pieces of a puzzle. Of course there are occasions when layout reas-sembly may require some modification or new “bridge” pieces built to reconnect sec-tions. Considering costs saved by not starting new layout construction all over again is a strong endorsement for building sectional layouts. Shelf layouts can offer the best attributes of both modular and sectional layouts. Indi-vidual sections can be constructed either as removable modules adhering to an inter-facing standard or as transportable sectional pieces. Commonly built for point-to-point operation, shelf layouts can be constructed along as many walls the builder chooses without restricting room entry (i.e. two wall “L” or three wall “block-C” design). Shelf layouts are an excellent option when available space, budget and time are at a pre-mium. Whether modular, sectional or shelf, faster completion of layout pieces, easier accessi-bility and maintenance, scenes with greater detail, are just some of their tangible as-sets. If a large layout and what it takes to build it isn’t for you, consider these less ex-pensive examples of how you can still enjoy model railroading. Peter Youngblood, MMR SER Education Program Mgr.


Above Our Southeastern Region patches which, in addition to the DVDs, are also available for purchase from our treasurer, Sally Bando. At Right Our four instructional DVD videos which cover subjects on: Building a Timber Trestle; Adding Sound to Scenes; Scratch Building Industrial Buildings out of Styrene; and using LED’s on your layout. To purchase any of the SER merchandise shown contact Sally at:

[email protected]

Achievement Program Gold Spike

Headquarters Division 13

John C. Watson

Chief Dispatcher Piedmont Division 5

Tom Brennison

MASTER MODEL RAILROADER

TOM BRENNISON

MMR #571


ww

w.M

OD

ELT

RA

INS

EL

LE

R.c

om

FULL SERVICE

MODEL TRAIN COLLECTION

SERVICES

DON’T WAIT PRE-ARRANGE YOUR ESTATE!

PERSONALIZED AND DISCREET!

WE PAY CASH FOR YOUR COLLECTION!

SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS AND

CONTACT INFORMATION

SALES

VALUATION

ORGANIZATION

Elections! Yep, It’s that time again and we are doing some-thing new and different this year. Electronic or E-Ballots. If you would, make sure we have a current email address! If it has changed since you renewed your membership, send Steve Prevette or Rick Coble your new address. Their email addresses are listed in the directory. There are other articles in this issue further explaining how this will work. Don’t fret if you don’t have email, we will provide you with a paper one. Our region is one of two that national looks at on how we operate and conduct NMRA business. I believe that success is based on our board of directors. If we continue, as in the past to elect strong leadership, we will remain on top. Read the bio’s for those seeking office carefully, then vote. We had a very successful Mini-Meet in Crossville, TN. Lots of clinics to pick from and of course the Crossville Model Railroad Club’s many layouts in all scales at the Outlet Mall. A big Thank You to Super Tom Shallcross, club members and wives who helped in this effort. Here’s hoping Santa brought you that loco or rolling stock you had been wish-ing for and that the New Year will bring good health and happiness to all.

Keep a steady hand on the throttle and your eyes on the track

The President’s Car Glen Hal l , MMR

In Memoriam

It is a bittersweet task to report the death of longtime Birmingham (Alabama) Master Model Railroader Larry Deagon. He died Monday De-cember 28th after a long illness. Larry’s railroad was the HO scale Delta Central, a beautiful railroad filled with scratch built buildings based on numerous field trips to the Maryland and Pennsylvania countryside by Larry. For several years the railroad was operated on a regular basis by Larry and a group of friends in Bir-mingham. Larry achieved MMR #182 including all but one of the AP cer-tificates. He gained this achievement in the same timeframe as Larry Smith and Bob Beaty, MMR’s 185 and 192 respectively. In recent years, the railroad was undergoing refurbishment by a group of modelers led by the Wrecking Crew, a 100% NMRA Model Railroad Club. It was fun and a privilege to work on a fine model railroad like the Delta Central. There were more Kemtron style switch machines than I ever want to see again (smile). It is always sad to lose a friend but it was sad to see a man of so many talents and accomplishments taken from life by illness long before he was taken in death. Condolences thoughts and prayers to Larry’s wonderful and supportive wife Jane and his family. John Stewart


ELECTRONIC VOTING By Alan Mole, VP, SER/NMRA

At the November 7, 2015 SER Board of Directors meeting in Crossville, TN, the Board reviewed and approved a proposal to introduce electronic voting for future Board elections beginning in 2016.

Background: During discussions about existing election procedures at the 2014 SER Convention in Memphis, TN, a member suggested the introduction of electronic voting using members’ email addresses. Following that meeting Bob Beaty, Buddy Black and I were asked to look into software options that we could use to make our elections more efficient and easy to use. Since then we have looked into available electronic voting software with the view to integrating the option into our bi-annual Board elections. Initially, and at the recommendation of the World Bank 1818 Society, I looked at instant.ly and carried out a number of tests with this software in the Piedmont Division. While working satisfactorily, there were issues with setting up the list of eligible voters (email addresses) and including safeguards to ensure against multiple votes. Sub-sequently, I discovered that the 1818 Society had encountered similar problems and had decided to go with electionbuddy.com. Since the summer I have conducted two tests with the SER Board and have been very satisfied with the results and that the system protects the integrity of the process, i.e. no duplicate entries, as well as providing privacy of the individual voter and ballot information, that is, no one can see how a member voted.

Actions taken:

Glen Hall, SER President, has appointed Rick Coble as the Election Administrator (EA) who in turn would have sole control over the election process and information during the election period.

Bob Beaty has been appointed Nominating Committee chairman.

New Procedures:

The EA will be responsible for setting up the Ballot with the slate of candidates for each position as provided by the Nominating Committee. Candidate bios would be provided in The Southerner – Spring 2016 edition.

In the case of single candidate for a position, the ballot would give a YES or NO option. “Write-in candidate” and/or “Abstain” options may also be included. A specific timeframe would be establish for voting; i.e. beginning and ending dates. During the voting period only the EA would have access to voting information. The system

provides a feature that allows the EA to review the status of voting and follow up with those who have not submitted a vote.

Once the election closes, the EA will be able to print out the election results which will show results in graphic and numeric formats.

In addition, the EA will be able to view (and produce reports, if necessary) of who voted, as well as details of each ballot, but NOT both together. This latter point is important as GA law requires ballot information to be available in case of a recount.

Next steps Since the system relies on up-to-date email information, the EA will be soliciting member confir-mation of email addresses on file (NMRA/SER Roster) and /or updates to existing addresses so that we can update the SER roster to maximize use of the software and reduce the ballot tabula-tion from paper ballots. Prior to the beginning date for the election, the EA will send out a re-minder informing members that they will receive an email inviting a vote from electionbuddy.com. At that time you will be asked to take off any email block or spam control for this addressee. Electronic voting will begin on the same date as The Southerner is mailed and close on the same deadline for receipt of paper ballots. For those who either do not use email or wish to receive a paper ballot, paper ballots will be pro-vided in the Spring 2016 edition of The Southerner as well as on the website for download. All such ballots would be sent to the EA for review and checked against the list of voters under the electronic vote procedure. Duplicate ballots will be discarded. Voting instructions on how to use electionbuddy.com will be available on the SER website. Regular updates may be included in the “Around the NMRA and the Southeastern Region” email bulletins. Alan Mole November 8, 2015

SEE YOUR RAILROAD CARD

HERE

$16/YEAR (FOUR ISSUES)


Norm Stenzel (sitting) is explaining his lay-out’s operations to a visitor during the 2015 Piedmont Pilgrimage last November. Norm is one of several members of JRAG - Joint Railway Association of Georgia, a thirty-plus year long model railroad operating group on the northeast outskirts of Atlanta.

Photos & Story by Editor Paul Voelker


One of the real-life landmarks modeled on this layout is the natural tunnel (at left below and on the previous page) and the short tunnel that precedes it (at left) on the real life Norfolk Southern Railway in Virginia. This natural tunnel was carved out by a river called Stock Creek which passes through Purchase Ridge in the Appalachian Mountains. In the photo above right photo Piedmont member Thomas Lloyd watches a B&B passenger train passing Clearbrook, VA on its way to staging at Martinsville, VA. In the photo below is the B&B Dispatching control panel and the Dispatcher’s Train Record sheet below it.


Three scenes at the Jenkins signal on Norm’s layout. Above right we see an A-B-A set of EMD F7 loco-motives with a freight train in tow while at right we see a pair of EMD Demonstrator SD9s spliced by a Brandywine & Benedictine sister. Note the local wildlife munching on the vegetation along the river bank.

—————————- On the next page can be seen sev-eral of the many coal mines that generate a large amount of the traf-fic on this mountain railroad. At top right is a online coaling facility while in the background (and in the bottom right photo) is the large Alle-gany Coke & Energy complex at Philips.


#1 David Carlton The Art of Soldering (Electrical) This clinic will teach you the fundamentals of hand soldering. Learn tips and tech-niques to improve your skills and help make soldering an enjoyable part of the hobby. This is an Edu-Train clinic. #2 David Carlton Automatic Block Protection Signals (Electrical) The primary function of a signal system is to provide information to the locomotive engineer about the track conditions ahead of him. This clinic describes the block pro-tection scheme used by the Redstone Model RR Club. The control systems for the signals are implemented using several different commercially available components. The design and construction of the system is described, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each of the components. Come see how an automatic, function-ing signal system that really works can be added to any layout at a relatively modest cost. #3 Peter Youngblood, MMR Weathering With Pan Pastels (General) & Perry Lamb ***Extra cost clinic: $10.00*** A hands-on clinic where you’ll learn fast and easy weathering techniques using Pan-Pastel dry pigments. Bring your own freight car (any scale). If it’s plastic, apply a light spray of Testors Dullcote to your freight car before bringing it to the clinic. All other materials will be provided. This clinic requires a pre-registration fee of $10 and is limited to 30 attendees. #4 Larry Smith, MMR Building a Make & Take Laser Kit (Structures) ***Extra cost clinic: $15.00*** The clinic will teach how to build a wooden kit from opening the package to finishing it. The structure can be taken home and either finished or placed on the layout. The clinic will teach new methods of painting and weathering as to new adhesives and materials that you can adapt to your model building. Basic modeling skills are required. This clinic requires a pre-registration fee of $15 and is limited to 30 attendees. #5 Steve Prevette Freight Car Flows (Operations) Have you hosted or attended operating sessions where you spend most of your time waiting to do something? Clogged Yard, clogged Main, waited forever to get permis-sion to do something? This clinic can help you balance the traffic flow on your model railroad, using many of the principles the prototype uses. Handy tips for unclogging your yard will be included, without having to resort to 0-5-0 switching! Practical exam-ples will be included. This is an Edu-Train clinic. #6 Brendan Brosnan Modeling Steel 101 (Heavy Industry) Learn how steel is made, what processes were in use in what era and how to model them. Progressing to current times including mini mills. How to model the steel Indus-try without a lot of space, including traffic and ancillary industries and customers. #7 Don Courtney Using the Golden Spike Requirements (Layout Design) to Build an HO Module Target audience: Beginning to intermediate model railroaders, wanting to improve their basic skills. Participants in the clinic will review the requirements for the NMRA Golden Spike award, and identify various ways to meet the requirements by building a 2’ x 4’ section for a modular layout. The clinic is a broad overview of the Golden Spike re-quirements, and a module will be displayed that was built to demonstrate the stan-dards. Each of the Golden Spike requirements will be discussed, and techniques for meeting the standard will be presented, and the set of modeling skills to achieve these goals identified.

Keheley Lake Southern Connecting Routes with Rex & Clayton Southern and Shamrock Southern

Len Polinsky Mike Callahn, MMR

General Manager Design Engineer

l e n p o l i n s k y @ b e l l s o u t h . n e t


#8 Don Courtney Building an HO Unit Train (General) Target audience: Beginning to intermediate model railroaders. Participants in the clinic will learn how to build, detail, renumber, and weather simple-to-build Accurail cars. The clinic will have examples of multiple cars at different stages in the detailing and weathering process, so that modelers new to detailing and weathering can see the impact of different steps in the process. By the end of the session, participants should have the confidence to try some of the techniques to improve their modeling skills. #9 Tom Gordon Planning Layout Signals (Layout Design) This presentation covers much of what is needed to be done in planning a signaling system for a layout. It is technology agnostic, and creates an orderly approach on what can be a very complex process. #10 Howard Garner, MMR Scratch Building a Wooden Boxcar (General) We will follow the process of selecting the candidates for building by looking at several options and what makes for a reasonable choice. At least one ideal choice will be shown plus several interesting possibilities. The actual research, design and construc-tion will be covered, as well as some of the pitfalls and changes that get made during the process. We will discuss the multiple test builds to verify fit and the construction sequence and some improvements that could have been made, but were not. The cars that have been constructed have met the merit award criteria and have been scored in the 110 point range. #11 Howard Goodwin, MMR What's In the Toolbox? (General) An interesting look at what tools can be found in my model railroad tool box, how they are used and what can be used in their place. Discover some of the oddities that will help make your modeling easier. #12 Howard Goodwin, MMR Ballasting 101 (Track) Methods used by MMR Howard Goodwin to ballast track and switches. How to “make it pretty”. #13 Walt Liles Modeling the Sandersville RR (Layout Design) My presentation will give you a glimpse at the area we call Kaolin Country in and around Sandersville and Gordon, GA. My growing up in Georgia has given me a great respect for this mineral coming out of the ground. It’s a huge economic impact for the state and many industries rely on it worldwide. We will discuss the many railroad cars being used to transport the product to the different industries. I love trains and love talking about this area of railroading. We will have fun. #14 Geoff Duncan Automatic Coupling & Uncoupling (Automation) This clinic will explore the elements of automatic coupling and uncoupling on a com-puter controlled model railroad. The principles described can be applied to all scales using popular automation software such as Train Controller© and JMRI. Several ex-amples of DCC operated HO coupler hardware will be discussed. The presenter will also describe in detail the techniques and procedures used to apply automation to setting out and picking up cars during mainline and industry operations on his Pen-nington Junction layout. #15 Edward Traxler Modeling Using 3D Printing (General) An overview using Sketchup, MeshLab and NetFabb to create 3D objects. This is not a 'how to' as that takes time and study but a look at the concepts, pitfalls and such. #16 Ben Bartlett, MMR Modeling the Sandy River & Rangely Lakes (Scenery) Dickey Road Underpass Clinic will discus some of the wood and styrene techniques the author used to con-struct an On2 model of the SR&RL pony truss bridge at Dickey road. #17 Ken O'Brien Wood Laser Kits 101 (General) Assembling laser cut wood and rolling stock kits. Tools and finishing techniques.


Enjoy a tour of the museum depot and a train ride on vintage equipment over the museum's Mercury & Chase Railroad. The train ride is limited to 50 people. The centerpiece of the museum features the Chase depot, the small-est union depot in the country since it served more than one railroad when in service. Over thirty pieces of passenger and freight rolling stock have been preserved by the museum volunteers. Three locomotives are in the col-lection including an Ingersol-Rand/Alco/GE box cab diesel and an S-2, which will probably be the motive power for the train ride.

The International Intermodal Center (IIC) opened in 1986 in the Global Logistics Park at the Port of Huntsville (airport). The IIC provides a single hub location specializing in receiving, transferring, storing, and distributing international and domestic cargo via air, rail, and highway. the rail and motor carrier terminals are equipped with two 45-ton overhead Gan-try cranes and dedicated stack train ser-vice via the Norfolk Southern. There are two IIC locomotives that move rail cars around the facility including an Alco RS-1. U.S. Customs and Border Protection port inspectors, USDA inspectors, freight forwarders, and customs brokers all on site. The location is highly accessible by the Interstate and highway system.

Huntsville International Intermodal Center

Northern Alabama Railroad Museum (NARM)

More than 15 home layouts are scheduled and all tours are self guided. A complete list is on the convention web site. A GPS or navigation system or self-generated computer maps is recommended. Two layouts are in secured areas with limited public access. One is lo-cated on Redstone Arsenal and the second is in a gated community with strict entry requirements. Red-stone Arsenal require a picture ID card, such as a driver's license, for entry.

Bill Eberle's TM&WC Railroad Dave Richardson's Rio Grande Layout

Operating Sessions Operating Sessions will be on Thursday, June 9 and Sun-day, June 12. The final schedule will be on the convention web site.

http://www.northalabamarailroadmuseum.com/restored.htm�

http://www.northalabamarailroadmuseum.com/equip.htm�





The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is adjacent to the convention hotel. The center features displays inside and outside on the history and future of the American space program. Included are an actual Apollo spacecraft that returned from a moon mission, astronaut spacesuits and equipment. Take a virtual journey inside a motion-based

simulator, and experience the space launch ride. See the massive size of a Saturn V moon rocket and the cut-away view of an actual Saturn V moon rocket. Guests regis-tered at the convention hotel receive a discount on the admission price to the Center.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center

The Huntsville Depot, located on the cur-rent Norfolk Southern Railway line, in downtown Huntsville is the oldest surviv-ing railroad depot in Alabama and one of the oldest in the United States. Com-pleted in 1860, the depot served as the eastern division headquarters for the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. It is listed on both the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and National Register of Historic Places. The Hunts-ville Depot saw its last regularly sched-uled passenger train, Southern Railway's The Tennessean, on March 30, 1968. The City of Huntsville was occupied by Union forces in 1862 during the Civil War as a strategic point on the railroad and the depot was used as a prison for Con-federate soldiers. Names of many of the Confederate soldiers who feared they would be shot by the Union forces were written on the walls as proof-of-life documentation and can still be seen today. The museum has vintage equipment displays, a roundhouse, and turntable.

The Huntsville Depot

The Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority (reporting mark HMCR) was created in 1984 to operate on 14 miles (23 km) of track that was abandoned by the Louisville and Nashville Rail-road. The line was originally constructed by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway which later became part of the L&N. The Alabama Industrial Railroad operated the HMCR from 1984 until February 1985. The HMCR is now operated by the Authority, War-ren P. Jones, Chairman; Karen P. Monroe, General Manager. The HMCRR interchanges with the Norfolk Southern at Huntsville, Ala-bama. The HMCRR purchased CSX 9554, a U23B of L&N heri-tage in February, 2015 to replace SW9 8933.

Huntsville & Madison County Railroad

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Southern_Railway�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville,_Alabama�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Train_station�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_and_Charleston_Railroad�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_Register_of_Landmarks_and_Heritage�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Railway_(U.S.)�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessean_(train)�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Army�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War�

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_Army�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporting_mark�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisville_and_Nashville_Railroad�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville,_Chattanooga_and_St._Louis_Railway�




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_Southern�






UPCOMING EVENTS - 1

Please send in fo on your even t t o t he S o u t h E r ne R a t l ea s t 6 mon ths p r io r t o t he nex t dead l ine fo r i t t o appea r in t ime o r

be fo re y our even t t akes p l ace .

DIVISION MEETS Steel City Division 2 - Regular Meeting

Steel City Division meets the 3rd Thursday of every month (except De-cember), at 6:30 PM in the Hoover Public Library. Call 205-534-6529 for meeting information

Smoky Mountain Division 12 - Regular Meeting 1st & 3rd Sunday of every month Land O' Sky Division 15 - Regular Meeting Quarterly, third Saturday of January, April, July & October. Locations vary. Call (828) 696-9436 for program information and directions. Piedmont Division 5 - Regular Meeting

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church 805 Mt. Vernon Hwy. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30327 Board of Directors Meeting—6pm; Regular meeting—7pm See website for directions: www.piedmont-div.org

Plan to "highball" to Indianapolis, IN July 3-10, 2016 . . .

and enjoy the annual convention & train show of the

National Model Railroad Association!

http://www.nmra2016.org/

The photo above shows our Winter Board of Directors meeting being conducted in Savannah, GA on a very (very!) cold day in January 2016. At the head table sits (L to R) Membership Chair Rick Coble acting as “Secretary”, Vice Prez Alan Mole, and Prez Glen Hall. Seated at the near table at left is Treasurer Sally Bando and Editor & Director Paul Voelker. Behind Sally is Convention Chair Fred Coleman and to his left is Mid-South Div Super Sandy Warrington. At the meeting Sandy displayed a division banner for use at train shows and other division events (seen at right). The cost of the banner and stand is $124.00. The region will pay for the banner. Sandy will coordinate for other divisions. Photo by James Bando


Full Name: ______________________________________ NMRA Number: __________

Street: __________________________________________________

City: _________________________ State: ________ Zip: _______________

Email: __________________________________________ Phone: ______________________

Name on Badge: _____________________________________________

Spouse/Child Name: ______________________________________________________________

“Rocket City Rails” Registration Form

Registration Type / Item Price Quantity Totals

NON-NMRA Member: One time 6 month NMRA membership, add RailPass $9.95 NMRA Member: Before 4/15/2016 $65.00 NMRA Member: After 4/15/2016 $85.00 Spouse/Child: Before 4/15/2016 $45.00 Spouse/Child: After 4/15/2016 $55.00 Extra Fair Tours / Clinics

Huntsville Depot $25.00 NARM Train Ride $35.00 H&MC RR $15.00 Intermodal Center $15.00 Layout Tour $15.00 Youngblood / Lamb Clinic $10.00 Larry Smith Clinic $15.00 Convention Tee Shirts Select Size

Small $15.00 Medium $15.00 Large $15.00 Extra Large (XL) $15.00 Double Extra Large (2XL) $18.00 Triple Extra Large (3XL) $18.00 Total:

____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________

$____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________

$____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________

$____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________ $____________

Please complete this form and mail it along with your check to:

Rocket City Rails 105 River Mill Rd

Huntsville, AL 35811

Make check payable to: Rocket City Rails


Time again to wish all Piedmont Division mem-bers a very healthy and Happy New Year. As we roll into 2016 I can say from my personal perspec-

tive that, yes indeed, tempus does fugit. As kids our youthful impatience didn’t understand that “time flies” and how was it that Christmas and the holidays couldn’t come soon enough? Now, those of us in our senior years, understand the rapid passage of time all too well. We may have gotten slower, the clock hasn’t, so may I wish for all of you to make the most of every day and to live life and the enjoyment our hobby to the fullest in this brand new year. The 4th quarter of 2015 completed another busy and successful year for Division 5. Twenty-nine events or assigned “Action List” tasks were completed. The Achievement Program proved very active once again with 11 AP Certificates earned in the last quarter alone and paperwork submitted for an MMR who will have been properly acknowledged and celebrated by the time you read this. The popular mid-October through late November Piedmont Pilgrimage hosted 77 layouts open free to all comers. Marking its thirteenth year, it continues to draw impressive crowds while serving as a great ambassador both to the model railroading hobby and the NMRA. Tireless Gary Jarabek, George Bloodworth, Bob Wheeler, the rest of the Pilgrimage team, the layout hosts and operator assistants, all contribute voluntarily to make this one of the Division’s premier events. Another, led again by Joe Gelmini, MMR, son David (and by now it would seem most of the Gelmini family!) and the train show volunteers, is the annual “The Model Train Show” coming to Cobb Galleria Center Sat./Sun., March 12-13. With 250+ ven-dors’ tables, a Raffle Layout, White Elephant table, kids’ and modular layouts, don’t miss it and bring the entire family.

Division 5 – Piedmont News Peter Youngblood, MMR - [email protected]

Under the direction of Howard Goodwin, MMR, the Kennesaw and Duluth BSA sessions have been filled to capacity as was the case in the 4th quarter and all year long. Working with so many Scouts is feasible only because of the dedication Division coun-selors give to the program. The annual Division elections were held November 10th. Inau-gurated this year was absentee balloting adopted earlier by the BOD. Nominating Committee Chair, Chuck Hoesch and his com-mittee members were exemplary in developing and implementing a system that worked flawlessly. Candidates volunteering for available positions are all to be commended. Congratulations to newly elected Directors Brian Sandberg, David Gelmini and Bill Raymond also to Norman Lundin, Alan Mole the incumbents re-elected. I encourage those who weren’t to try again this year. A special thanks to those who were term limited and certainly earned and deserve time off. Walt Liles, our Director of Operations, did an outstanding job serving the Division in the past two years. Waving the white flag (just kidding) in need of a rest from DOO duties while still working full time, Walt will be missed, however Matt Coleman, the newly elected DOO is already hard at work gather-ing clinic programs and presenters. Elections this November may also become electronic thanks to the efforts of Director Alan Mole who ran preliminary trials on two systems this past fall. Alan is also enabling electronic voting for Southeastern Region elections. More on this soon. Hosted by the Mid-South Division, “Rocket City Rails” in Hunts-ville, AL is the location for the SER Regional Convention Fri.-Sun ., June 10-12. Register early and plan to attend a fun-filled weekend of railroad activities located next to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Remember, too, the SER has been given a substantial donation so all of its Divisions can purchase a one time, one year, full NMRA membership for any of our military personnel present or past who haven’t been members previously. Information for this and the SER Regional Convention are posted at: www.ser-nmra.org.

Cumberland Division hosted its 34th consecutive Fall Division Meet on Halloween. Weather was reasonably good, all our avail-able dealer tables were sold & we had 2 large HO club model RRs open for self-guided layout tours. Attendance, however, was just less than 200. Historically, attendance at our Spring Meets is greater than the Fall Meets since the Spring Meet is in conjunction with TC Ry Museum's annual Open House. Next up is our HO modular RR setup at WhistleStop Weekend at Adventure Science Center here in Nashville. We set up start-ing Sunday Nov 8 with teardown Sunday afternoon Nov 15. Nashville Ntrak will also set up during the week just before WhistleStop starts on Fri Nov 13. This event is a very popular one at Adventure Science Center and provides an excellent

Division 11 – Cumberland News Bob Hultman - [email protected]

opportunity to promote the model railroading hobby. Our mem-bers always look forward to it each year. We are also exploring with Cheekwood in Nashville the possibility of another HO modular RR Setup at their location. Nothing pinned down yet, but we'll see if we can get a setup out there. Cheekwood has sponsored an event involving G scale trains. Our Spring 2016 Division Meet & TC RY Museum Open House will be Saturday Apr 9. Excursion train schedule causes the Meet to be later than usual (traditionally the 3rd Saturday in March). Self-guided layout tours will not only include the 2 large club HO rail-roads but some private HO railroads also. The 2016 Spring Meet will be our 35th consecutive Spring Meet. Bob Hultman, Div Supt________________________________


The Boy Scout Program Howard Goodwin, MMR

Greetings all! I wanted to take a moment to update you on the Boy Scout Program, both Regionally and Divisionally (is Divi-sionally a word???). Plans are underway, with assistance from John Stevens to update the Railroading Merit Badge program currently being presented in the Division. We are currently us-ing the switching layouts to accomplish one of the requirements for the badge. After some discussion, it is possible to substitute the switching layouts, which are labor intensive, with a “make and take” session in which the scouts would build an HO Scale freight car. This is in part thanks to the large endowment that John Stevens received of several thousand freight car parts which with some help can be made into kit form for the scouts. There would be a trial of course to determine how long it would actually take to assemble and complete. While this too would involve a certain amount of “labor” in the form of guidance and assistance, it may be a better alternative than the switching layouts. We have undergone several repairs on the equipment and container/carriers which has been a minor annoyance and expense. We are hoping that we can get enough support from the existing staff to transition to this change in the program. One of the benefits to the Region is that with the “make and take”, a group can more easily facilitate the merit badge for their local scouts and not have to worry about building or main-taining a switching layout that may or may not get used regu-larly. In the Piedmont Division we have two sets of five switch-ing layouts that we use twice each per year, so we are getting a lot of use out of ours. With the two programs being presented in Duluth and Kennesaw, we are putting approximately 120 scouts through the program each year. With a change in the station (switching layout with make and take) I believe we can put together a program that can be successfully used locally by the Divisions on a smaller scale for those Divisions who would be interested in presenting the Railroading Merit Badge. I will be happy to work with any of those Division’s out there who would like to pursue this. Respectfully Submitted DLVI

Big news for the local operators' group is NMRA member Robin Riley has his new N Scale model railroad up and operating. We are working up the operating sequence for the layout and have conducted an initial operating sessions. That gives three NMRA layouts in the division that are in the round-robin Tuesday night group, Robin, Don Barnes, and myself. We generally operate on Tuesday nights from 7PM to 9PM. If you happen to be visiting the area on a weekend or such, we can also arrange for a special set of session(s), especially if a group wants to come and visit. The division is working on preparations for next Fall's minimeet to be held in Aiken on September 24, 2016. We would like to invite folks who would like to present a clinic. If you are interested, please contact me and we'll add you to the schedule. More infor-mation will be available on the SER website and The South-ErneR as we get into 2016.

Division 9 – Cent. Savannah River News Steve Prevette - [email protected]

Summer and fall activities in the Gulf Division have been nu-merous with shows and other activities throughout. In June the Tallahassee based Big Bend Model Railroad spon-sored their annual train show at the fairgrounds. Not a Gulf Dis-trict event but this show has been growing in recent years and everyone should make it a "must do" on their to do list. More vendors and more layout variety. Good work by the organizers. The Dothan Wiregrass show in early September is the next activity to put on your list. Not strictly in the Gulf region either but well worth the effort of getting there. Lots of vendors and regional layouts. In the Pensacola area the Pensacola Model Railroad Club model train show (Nov. 21 and 22) at the Hadji Temple was a big success. Over a 1000 attendees viewed enlarged PMRC HO and N layouts. Also the Shalimar club (HO), SWARM(O), and the Mossy Head group and others were present so there was operation and action for everyone. A bunch of vendors were present with good prices and variety. In the spring of 2016 look for the Foley Alabama train show to get things rolling. Construction on the CMRX HO club in Pa-nama City is progressing rapidly on a large layout and is ready for a inaugural "ops" session. Keep an eye on this one, it's a big deal! The Pensacola Model Railroad Club HO Division has been building a new 12 x 5 ft (two piece) roundhouse module that ran at the Interstate Fair and the Hadji shows. This module demon-strates another way to go in modular modeling and has the Club working hard to get it finished. The PMRC N Division has been enlarging as well and all (HO, N. Z) PMRC clubs are taking in new members. Finally the Southeastern Region of NMRA is inaugurating elec-tronic voting. This will make voting quick and easy and if you flub it the first time through it is easily corrected. On Saturday, November 21 the executive board of the Gulf Dis-trict met and discussed the possibilities for a mini convention in 2016. If you have any ideas for such an event get them to me soonest. We also discussed developing a Gulf District newslet-ter. An editor for such an endeavor would be greatly appreci-ated. Any volunteers? Keep this in mind - more members mean more talent, more resources and more good stuff from any club. So keep your NMRA membership current and bring in a new member or two. Keep on tracking…. Reed Ostrander Superintendent Gulf Division

Division 4 – Gulf News Reed Ostrander - [email protected]


Our Latest SER Fund-Raising Car Kit

No layout can have enough of these cars!

The Southeastern Region of the NMRA is proud to announce the availability of a limited number of Accurail HO scale ACF 4650 cu. ft. covered hopper kits custom decorated for the SER. The car built date is 5/68 and is lettered for Engelhard. The car, offered in one road number, is injected-molded plastic featuring plastic wheelsets, Accumate couplers and separate brake detail. Orders of two or more cars includes a free easy-to-install replacement decal set, twelve numbers in all. Cars are available at $23 each plus shipping $6.00 for one car. Two cars shipping $7.00. Three or Four cars shipping $8.00.

COST BREAK - when ordering four or more cars only $20 per car plus shipping of $8.00. Orders of more than four cars add an additional $1.00 per car for shipping. Check or money order payable to: SER-NMRA c/o Randall Watson SER Car Project 730 Morning Creek Lane Suwanee, Ga 30024 For additional information contact Region Car Chair Ran-dall Watson at: [email protected]

Gift of NMRA Membership to Members of our Armed Forces

The Southeastern Region of the National Model Railroad Association is offering full introductory memberships to individuals serving in this country’s Armed Forces and US military veterans residing within the boundaries of the Southeastern Region. As an introductory membership, this is not available to current or former members of the NMRA. This opportunity has been made possible through the gen-erosity of Piedmont Division member Ed Delattre and his wife Alice. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, contact your local division superintendent. Additional information is available on the Homepage of the SER website at:

www.ser-nmra.org

If you are a current NMRA member and know someone who may be interested, please have them contact your local division superintendent.


Current membership continues to be around 100. The 2015 SER convention hosted by the Palmetto Division was a great success in June and yielded about $800 for the division.

Our fall division meeting was held on Saturday, October 31. Model Contest and Tips&Techniques winners walked out with cash in their pocket and 2 visitors won 6-month Rail Pass mem-berships. Two clinics (Signs and Scenery) were presented and bi-annual elections were held. The afternoon attraction was a 1,000 sq ft HO home layout in Clinton, SC. This layout is home to over 300 detailed locomotives!

Plans are underway for the spring meeting and other division activities. The 2016-17 officers are: Ron Lown – Superintendent Art Farwell – Assistant Superintendent Steve Todd – Secretary / Web Master Jack Varadi – Treasurer

Division 7 – Palmetto News Ron Lown - r [email protected]

The Division held its July meeting at the Deerfield Retirement Community Center on July 18, 2015. We had twenty NMRA members and no guests present. Clint Smoke, our host, gave a short orientation of the facilities for everyone and Superintendent Ken O’Brien began the meeting at 9:30. Opening remarks: The Southern Railway Historical Association joint meeting for October was cancelled, due to their support for the Railroad Pro-totype Meeting in Kennesaw, GA, on18 and 19 September. The SER will be holding a Board of Directors meeting in Crossville, TN, in conjunction with a mini-meet for the Headquarters Divi-sion. The National Convention will be in Portland, OR at the end of August. Our next Region convention will be in Huntsville, AL in 2016. Fred Coleman proposed the division host the 2018 SER Convention, most likely in Lake Junaluska. A motion was made seconded and passed for approval.

Favorite models/Show and Tell: We had several models for Show and Tell. Ken O’Brien pre-sented his work on a Lackawanna PS-1 boxcar, lowering the car height and narrowing the doors. Jace Kahn showed a brass trac-tion steeple cab that ran on a road he models. Doug Miller was introduced as a new division member; he moved here from New York State.

Club activities: Next, we had some club reports. The Apple Valley Model Rail-road Club continues scenicking the garden railroad out behind the depot. The Western North Carolina Model Railroad Club is working on their scale model of downtown Black Mountain, NC for a display there. The French Broad e’N’pire NTRAK club will host their “Autumn Rails” at the WNC Ag Center on October 9 & 10. We will need members to sign up to staff our recruiting table. No news in the AP. I know some members are working on pro-jects and appropriate documentation for additional certificates.

Clinics: There was one clinic presented. Due to an illness of the sched-uled presenter, Ben Bartlett presented his methodology for the creation of prototype freight cars he would like to model. The clinic was very detailed “How To” for Kitbashing available models into unique cars. The clinic introduced the members present to the term “Dark Side”, a phrase predicated in how far one is will-ing to depart from the available rolling stock kits. The meeting adjourned at 11:50 AM. Operations Sig activities continue. Sig members were busy assisting a number of layout owners to prepare their layouts to host ops sessions for the Region Convention in Greenville, SC. Another Saluda Rails operations meet will occur in the fall, on October 23 through 25.

The Division held its October meeting at the Deerfield Retire-ment Community Center on October 17, 2015. We had fifteen NMRA members and no guests present. Clint Smoke, our host, gave us a short orientation of the facilities and Superintendent Ken O’Brien began the meeting at 9:30. Opening remarks: Several members of the Division have asked about Division shirts. Earl Hall volunteered to organize the effort. He should have a report in January. Elections for Superintendent and Pay-master are coming at January 2016 meeting. Ben Bartlett will head up the nominating committee. Nomination will close De-cember 16, 2015.

Favorite Model/Show and Tell: No models, but recently retired (from the Dayton, OH area) and relocated NMRA member (and N Scaler) Ray Baldwin introduced himself. Ray lives in Henderson County and has been an NMRA member for 14 years. Welcome to the Land O’Sky Division, Ray.

Club Activities: The recent French Broad Club train show at the Ag Center was regarded as a success, even though the attendance was down. The WNC MRRC and Apple Valley MRC will be supporting Rail-road Day in Saluda, NC on November 7, 2015 with their modular layout and switching puzzle. The Headquarters Division in Cross-ville, TN will host a mini meet on November 7, 2015. Next Region Convention, Rocket City Rails, will be in Huntsville, AL on June 10 and 11. Sign up on their website. The next National Convention will be in Indianapolis at the Westin Downtown July 3 to 10, 2016. Rooms are going fast. The Division is proceeding with organizing a committee for the proposed 2018 Region Convention. We will hold a meeting to share out the various jobs to be performed.

Clinics: Dr Dan Lang presented his observations from the National Con-vention in Portland in August. Highlights included pictures of his tours, including some of SP 4449, soon to return to service. Dan said attendance was 1500+, 186 clinics were given along with a large number of tours. He also discussed the latest DCC innova-tion, Layout Command Control or LCC. He felt this new initiative is in its infancy and has a long way to go for acceptance by the mod-eling community. Dave Hull presented his postponed clinic on photographic back-drops for our model railroads. He covered types of backgrounds, tools, selecting scenes, taking photos, image preservation and processing lab selection. He covered panorama creation and where to use it for realistic backdrops. His summary and handout included websites and references for model railroaders. The pres-entation was well planned and presented. Thanks to both clini-cians for their efforts. The meeting adjourned at 12:05 PM.

Saluda Rails, an OpSIG related event, occurred on October 23 through 25. Three division members’ layouts were involved with operating sessions on seven different layouts. Attendees came from as far away as California. Fun was had, old acquaintances were renewed and new friends were made. See y’all in two years.

Division 15 – Land O’Sky News Ken O’Brien - [email protected]


The SouthErneR Southeastern Region, NMRA

6438 Paradise Point Road Flowery Branch, GA

30542-3143


A few photos of the informal dinner in Savannah before the layout tour later that night. The Board of Directors meeting was the following day after which was the train show with dealers plus local and out-of-town modular layouts present. Looks like James Bando was testing his fisheye lens and taking some shots from off of the ceiling!


All Photos By James Bando

The two photos above show the layout of Chuck Elmore seen here in the inset at left above


Shown here in the two photos on this page is the work shop of George Thomas, seen here in the center of the photo below. His layout (seen on the next page) occupies the second floor.


Here in these two photos (and the two on the next page) we see the layout of Wayne Grimes pictured here at center of the photo above. Your Editor missed the layout tour by only an hour, the weather not really cooperating on his drive through Atlanta with snow, and farther south rain, coming down. It was worse for those who ended up not making it to the meeting who would have had to come from Tennessee and North Carolina, unless they had left the day before! The odd thing was that later in February when the NMRA held their mid-year BOD meeting in Atlanta it was a warmer than normal week. Go figure?


SER Vice President Alan Mole (left) does a little cosmetic sur-gery on a module to better fit a structure at a siding. Alan had a couple of his own modules at the show


Here we see a couple of “kid friendly” train layouts at the show, a G scale layout above and 3-rail O scale layout below. It was just a “tad” cold during this Train Show weekend with temperatures in the mid-twenties and a twenty mile an hour wind!


Our Winter 2016 Board of Directors meeting was held in Savannah, GA on the same weekend as the Costal Rail Buffs 27th Annual Model Railroad & Train Show. This hap-pened to be the weekend of the big, history-making blizzard on the east coast so not everyone who had planned to attend could make it to the meeting or the train show. How-ever, other than those who were trapped in North & South Carolina, and Tennessee, most everyone else arrived safe and we had a very good (and short) meeting. The train show seemed to be well attended on Saturday despite a cold 26 degrees tempera-ture when I was there. I went mostly to see the modular train layouts not expecting to run into a group from the north of Atlanta area (front cover photo). Also present was the local Southeast Georgia Freemo layout, one module of which is shown here and on the print version’s back cover (page 24 in this issue).


Land O'Sky Division 15 Hendersonville, NC, Ken O'Brien 828-696-9436 Apple Valley Model Railroad Club, Hendersonville, NC, Ben Bartlett (828) 883-2799

Located in the Hendersonville Station, Open for visitors every Saturday 10 AM—2 PM, We always consider new member candidates. http://AVMRC.com

French Broad e’N’pire NTRAK Club, Henderson, NC http://www.fbe-ntrak.com Chuck Place (828) 685-2726 [email protected] 1396 Spicer Cove, Hendersonville, NC 28792 Western North Carolina Model Railroaders, Fred Coleman (828) 699-0983

Magnolia Division 14 Jackson, MS, Pat McCarty (601) 955-0510 (cell) Central Mississippi Model Railroad Association, Jackson, MS Mississippi Ag and Forestry Museum, 1150 Lakeland Drive, Jackson MS 39216 Nils Larsen 601-432-4500 www.cmmra.org

Mid-South Division 1 Harvest, AL, William (Sandy) Warrington 541-922-7489 http://www.geocities.com/mta136/ Northeast Alabama Model Railroad Club, Guntersville, AL

Charles Dick (205) 878-2537 [email protected] Redstone Model Railroad Club, Huntsville, AL

Palmetto Division 7 Piedmont, SC, Ron Lown 864-845-3260 [email protected] Associated Model Railroads of Columbia (AMROC), Columbia, SC Clark Gregory 803-781-7912 www.amroc.org Central Railway Model and Historical Association (CRM&HA), Central, SC Jim Reece 864-855-3379 www.crmha.org Piedmont N' Southern, Greenville, SC Michael Offik 864-884-2165 www.piedmontnsouthern.org The Carolina Conspiracy (On30 modular club) Andrew Gillette (803)-316-8128 [email protected] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/carolina_on30conspiracy/ Station 187 Model Railroad Club, Greer, SC www.station187.net

Piedmont Division 5 Marietta, GA, Peter Youngblood, MMR 770-966-1661 [email protected] Atlanta Interlocking Model Railroad Club, Charlie Crawford 770-565-1845 http://home.earthlink.net/~wliles/ Atlantic Coast S-Gaugers, Robert “Bob” Lacheen Home: 770-578-9937, Cell: 404-431-8032 ACSG website: www.trainweb.org/acsg Chattahoochee Express Operating Group, Chris White 770-594-2618 Georgia Association of Narrow Gaugers, Pat Turner (423) 744-0429 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/georgiangers [email protected] Georgia Garden Railway Society, Dan Michel [email protected] www.ggrs.info/ Georgia Society of Ferroequinologists, Marietta, Bob Hoenes (770) 422-0081 Jasper Roundhouse, Jasper, GA, Jim Derr [email protected] Metro Atlanta N-Scalers, Atlanta, GA, Charles Leak (404) 262-2969 Model Railroad Club of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, Terry Weldon (770) 979-0473 www.oscale-atlanta.info North Atlanta O-Gauge Railroad Club, Roswell, GA, Jeff Pergl (770) 516-6378 North Atlanta Rail Barons, Howard Goodwin 770-529-2103 North Georgia Lego Train Club, James Trobaugh (770)-844-1076 http://www.ngltc.org OR [email protected] North Georgia Modurail, Jon Cook (770) 993-9620 Northwest Georgia N Track Club - P.E.P.S.I. Lines, 220 Washington Street, Gainesville, GA Railroad Model Club of Atlanta, Bob Peppel, (770) 934-4067 S-COG Southern Crescent Operating Group Joe Gelmini (770) 460-8873 [email protected] Southern O Scalers, Dan Mason, 470-385-6638, [email protected] Tri-State Area Model Railroad, Inc., Thomas Roskelly, (828) 361-2210 [email protected] Volunteer Garden Railroad Club, Vines Botanical Gardens, 3500 Oak Grove Road, Loganville, GA 30052

Smoky Mountain Division 12 Loudon, TN, Larry Burkholder (865) 408-9903 Knoxville Area Model Railroaders, Oak Ridge, TN, Larry Burkholder, (865) 408-9903 Mountain Empire Modular Railroaders, Johnson City, TN East Tennessee State University - George L. Carter Museum. Business meetings held 3rd Tuesday of month at 7pm at ETSU Campus, Brown Hall Science Bldg. Rm. 312 Dr. Fred Alsop, III (423) 929-3733 [email protected] http://memrr07.t35.com

Steel City Division 2 Birmingham, AL, John Stewart 205-989-4889 Black Warrior Model Railroad Society, Tuscaloosa, AL, Bob Way 205-556-3073 Wrecking Crew Model RR Club, Call Jason Parham for information 205-534-6529

This is a list of clubs and organizations in the South Eastern Region. Most have some NMRA members. If you have a club that is accepting new members or visitors, please send the information to the editor at: [email protected]. Please note, you must provide a contact name and phone number! If you have a website you can send us the URL as well! 11/2015

Atlantic Division 8 Johns Island, SC Carl S Blum 843-559-3757 Coastal Rail Buffs, Savannah, GA, Nate Stone, (912) 354-2606 http://www.coastalrailbuffs.org/ Charleston Area Model Railroad Club, Citadel Mall in Charleston, SC http://www.chamrc.com or Phillip E. Euper [email protected] Golden Isles Model Railroad Club, Brunswick, GA Helio Valdes 912-261-2478 [email protected] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GIMRRC/

Bluff City Division 10 Bartlett, TN, Mike Fleming, (901) 467-7138 The Memphis N-Scale Road Railers The Memphis Society of Model Engineers—The 1st Saturday Night Group meets at the Highland Street Church of Christ, at 7:30 PM contact Ned for additional information at: [email protected]

Central Savannah River Division 9 Graniteville, SC, Steve Prevette (803) 392-7684 OFRRA Operators, Tuesday Nights, Aiken SC, Steve Prevette (803) 392-7684

Cumberland Division 11 Brentwood, TN, Bob Hultman (615) 833-5158 Mid-South Live Steamers, Columbia, TN, Hank Sherwood (615) 665-0512 www.midsouthlivesteamers.org [email protected] Nashville NTRAK, Nashville, TN., Mike Curtis (615) 479-7663, 4900 Rucker Christiana Road, Christiana, TN 37037 [email protected] http://www.nashvillentrak.org Nashville Garden Railway Society, Nashville, TN., Ross Evans (615) 292-6555 Tennessee Central Railway Museum, Nashville, TN, Terry Bebout, (615) 244-9001 FAX -2120 [email protected] http://tcry.org

Dixie Division 3 Prattville, AL, Brett Scott 334-799-3096 Central Alabama Model RR. Club, Montgomery/Prattville, AL Phil Hutchinson, (334) 272-1933

Mobile Society of Model Engineers, Alabama Gulf - Chapter, NRHS 2800 Graham Rd., S. Mobile, AL Call Dave Miller (251) 645-2296 for information MGB Model Railroad Club, Prattville, AL Visitors welcome. Meetings every Thurs-day evening and every other Saturday afternoon. Brett Scott (334) 799-3096 www.mgbrr.org Southeast Alabama Model Railroad Club, Dothan, AL

Mike Porterfield, (334) 774-0720 [email protected]

Wiregrass Steel Wheels Sub-Division, Dothan, AL Dan Adams (334) 588-3312 or [email protected]

Empire Division 6 Bonaire, GA, Bill Attaway 478-954-9200 Columbus Model Railroad Club, Columbus, GA, [email protected] Flint River Model Railroad Club, Albany, GA, Jimmy Swinn (299) 883-3517

MGMRC - Middle Georgia Model Railroad Club, Warner Robins, GA Bill Attaway (478) 328-8790 [email protected] http://www.mgmrc.org/ CGMRC - Central Georgia Model Railroad Club, Macon, GA Ken Preston, [email protected] MGRA - Middle Georgia Railroad Association, is a railroad history group that meets in Macon and Gordon, GA Bill Jones, [email protected] www.trainweb.org/mgr

Thomasville Model Railroad Club, Thomasville, GA., Ben Strickland (912) 465-3730

Gulf Division 4 Navarre, FL, Reed Ostrander 850-939-1039 Caboose Club, Foley, AL Charles Ebert Consolidated Model Railroaders (CMRX), Panama City, FL Contact: Buddy Black 850-624-6240 [email protected] Emerald Coast Garden Railway Club monthly meeting usually on third Saturday of the month at Noon in the Diner Car of the West Florida RR Museum, Milton FL, Jack Grill (850) 994-7226 www.ecgrc.com Miracle Strip Model RR Club, Shalimar, FL Ray Follacchio 850-865-8822 http: //miraclestripmodelrrclub.com Mobile Society of Model Engineers. Dave Miller (251) 645-2296 Pensacola Model Railroad Club (PMRC), Pensacola, FL www.PMRC.us HO Division - Steve “Chip” Borona (850) 384-3206 N Division - Terry Tucker (850) 723-5390; Z Division - Glen Hall (850) 982-2795 Southwest Alabama Railroad Modelers (SWARM), Mobile, AL Glen Samuel (205) 914-0693 [email protected] West Florida Model Railroad Club, Milton, FL Tom Augustine (850) 944-0471 West Florida Railroad Museum, Milton, FL www.wfrm.org

Headquarters Division 13 www.grampas-trains.com/headquarters.htm Headquarters Division, Hal Crossland 423-344-0697, Tom Shallcross (931) 484-7565

Chattanooga Area Model Railroad Club, www.camrc.org Ed Juaire (423) 598-9925 [email protected] Chattanooga Society of Model Engineers, Dunlap, TN http://csme.livesteamtrains.com Andy Morrision (423) 344-8502 Crossville Model Railroad Club, Crossville, TN, Tom Shallcross (931) 484-7565

[email protected] www.crossvillemodelrrclub.org

THE CLUB CAR


The Mid-South Division is proud to host the 2016 Southeastern Region Convention June 10 and 11, 2016 at the Huntsville Marriott, 5 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35805 Visit the Rocket City Rails website to register and get more Information on the clinics, prototype tours, layout tours, operating session, non-rail activities, and schedule:

http://midsouthnmra.org/convention.htm

June 9 to 12, 2016 Marriott hotel(s) offering your special group rate:

Huntsville Marriott for 95.00 USD per night

Huntsville Marriott 5 Tranquility Base

Huntsville, AL 35805 (256) 830-2222

Last day to book: May 15, 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS - 2

Please send in fo on your even t t o t he S o u t h E r ne R a t l ea s t 6 mon ths p r io r t o t he nex t dead l ine fo r i t t o appea r in t ime o r

be fo re y our even t t akes p l ace .

DIVISION MEETS Steel City Division 2 - Regular Meeting

Steel City Division meets the 3rd Thursday of every month (except De-cember), at 6:30 PM in the Hoover Public Library. Call 205-534-6529 for meeting information

Smoky Mountain Division 12 - Regular Meeting 1st & 3rd Sunday of every month Land O' Sky Division 15 - Regular Meeting Quarterly, third Saturday of January, April, July & October. Locations vary. Call (828) 696-9436 for program information and directions. Piedmont Division 5 - Regular Meeting

Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church 805 Mt. Vernon Hwy. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30327 Board of Directors Meeting—6pm; Regular meeting—7pm See website for directions: www.piedmont-div.org


The following Board Members were present: Glen Hall, MMR, President; Alan Mole, Vice President; Secretary; Sally Bando, Treas-urer; Howard Goodwin, MMR, Director; Buddy Black, Director; Paul Voelker, Director; Jason Parham, Director The following Division Superintendents were present; Sandy Warrington, Mid South; Larry Burkholder, Smoky Mountain; Tom Shallcross, Headquarters North; Ron Lown, Palmetto The following Committee Chairs were present: Fred Coleman, Convention Chair; Rick Coble, Membership Chair Opening and Introductory Remarks The meeting was called to order at 8:32 a.m., January 23, 2016 by President Glen Hall, MMR. Vice President Alan Mole verified that a quorum was present. Minutes of Fall 2015 Board of Directors Meeting President Hall called for a reading of the minutes from the fall 2015 board meeting. Vice President Mole moved that the Board accept the minutes as published in the fall 2015 SouthErneR. Seconded by Treasurer Bando. Motion passed. Officer and Committee Reports Treasurer's Report: Treasurer Bando summarized the Treasurer's report, previously distributed electroni-cally. Total Bank Accounts $20,791.67 Total Certificates of Deposit $29,256.88 Total cash $50,048.55 Total restricted cash $ 6,829.45 Total non-restricted cash $43,219.10 Vice President Mole moved that the Board approve the Treasurer's report. Seconded by Director Howard Goodwin, MMR. Motion passed. In response to President Hall's question concerning the rollover of CDs, Treasurer Bando replied that all CDs are rolled over upon expiration. Treasurer Bando is pursuing a non-profit mailer certificate that will reduce mailing ex-penses. The costs for a certificate is $220 for an application and if approved, $220 for an annual certificate. Bando asked for approval to spend up to $440 for application and certificate. Director Howard Goodwin moved that the Board approve an amount of up to $440 for a non-profit mailer application and certificate. Seconded by Vice Presi-dent Mole. Motion passed.

SOUTHEASTERN REGION, NMRA

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING JANUARY 23, 2016 SAVANNAH, GA


Vice President's & Superintendents' Reports Vice President Mole presented reports for superintendents received electronically but not in attendance. Vice President Mole turned the floor over to the following divi-sion superintendents in attendance: Palmetto. Superintendent Ron Lown reported on activity in the Palmetto Division. The division seated a new Board of Directors and will hold its next meet in March. Mid-South. Superintendent Sandy Warrington reported on activity in the Mid-South Division. The division recently held elections and is focusing on convention activities. Headquarters - North. Superintendent Tom Shallcross reported on activity in the Headquarters Division - North. The focus is on model railroading classes, open to the public. Smokey Mountain. Superintendent Larry Burkholder reported on activity in the Smokey Mountain Division. The division recently held its annual kickoff dinner, has im-plemented a mentoring program, is working on a building project, and will be at the GATS show in March. The division will meet again in March. Website and Newsletter Report Membership Chair Rick Coble summarized the website and newsletter report, previ-ously distributed electronically. Membership Reports Registrar Steve Prevette was not in attendance. His report was previously distributed electronically. Membership had a net increase of 1 over the last twelve months. The SouthErneR subscriptions had a net increase of 39 during the same period. Membership Chair Coble summarized his report, previously distributed electronically. Based on poor response to expired membership surveys, Prevette and Coble will re-view the survey and make changes if needed. Editor's Report Editor Paul Voelker reported that The SouthErneR Summer and Fall issues are complete and online. The 2016 Winter issue is scheduled to go to the printer the week of January 25. The 2016 Election issue is scheduled to be mailed April 1. It will be mailed to all members. Other Dates: Deadline for newsletter submissions is: March 1st. (Tuesday) SouthErneR and Voting Dates Actual newsletter "Mail-Out" date is: April 6th. Last issue should arrive after three weeks: April 27th Ballot's "Posted By Date" is: May 27th. As reported in Editor Voelker's Editor's Soapbox, previously distributed electronically, he is stepping down as editor. He will work with others during the transition to a new


editor and produce future issues as long as necessary. President Hall thanked Editor Voelker for his hard work and dedication in producing The SouthErneR. This was echoed by the board. Education Report: President Hall summarized the Education Report, previously distributed electroni-cally by Education Chair Peter Youngblood, MMR, not in attendance. The NMRA has placed a member recruitment video on its website. Youngblood helped produce the video. President Hall previously made a formal request to the NMRA board to produce the video. President Hall circulated a membership brochure produced by Youngblood. It will be presented to the NMRA board at the Mid-Year Board Meeting. Boy Scout Merit Badge Coordinator Howard Goodwin summarized his report, previ-ously distributed electronically. The Piedmont Division will assist its 1,000th scout earn the Railroading Merit Badge at next merit badge session. President Hall summarized the Achievement Program report, previously distributed electronically by Chair Randall Watson, not in attendance. Since the last board meet-ing, the SER has one new MMR, Tom Brennison, MMR #571. Good and Welfare President Hall summarized the Good & Welfare report, previously distributed elec-tronically by Chair Dave Anderson, not in attendance. Honors and Awards: President Hall summarized the Honors and Awards report, previously distributed electronically by Chair Larry Smith, not in attendance. The committee has selected a 2016 Yarbrough recipient. Three nominations for the Muller award have been re-ceived. Nominations remain open until March 1.

Old Business Conventions 2016 Huntsville, Mid-South Division. Convention Chair Sandy Warrington pro-vided a status of "Rocket City Rails." Clinic spots are almost filled. The train show is on hold due to venue issues. Sandy is investigating alternative sites. 2017 Birmingham, Steel City Division. Jason Parham provided a status of "Crossroads of Dixie." The convention, train show, and banquet venues remain the same as the 2010 convention. Parham asked for clinicians. 2018 Land O' Sky Division. Fred Coleman provided a status of the 2018 conven-tion. The venue will remain the same as the 2008 convention. SER Convention Chair Coleman is looking for a 2019 host. SER DVD Project Update At the fall board meeting Howard Garner, MMR (not present) volunteered to print the labels. Hall will contact Garner.


SER Car Project Project Chair Randall Watson, not in attendance, previously distributed a status re-port electronically. To date, 42 of 300 cars have been sold. Approximately $3,200 in additional sales is need for the project to break even. Mini-Meets Vice President Mole reports that the 2016 mini-meet will be hosted by the Central Savannah River division and held September 22-23 at the same venue as the previ-ous meet in Aiken. Mole would like to hold the 2017 mini-meet in Mississippi. Clothing Secretary Bando reports no clothing sales since the November board meeting. New Pike Ad Manager There was nothing new to report concerning a new Pike Ad Manager. Division Banners Mid-South Superintendent Sandy Warrington displayed a division banner for use at train shows and other division events. The cost of the banner and stand is $124.00. The region will pay for the banner. Sandy will coordinate for other divisions. Strategic Plan Update Director Parham led a discussion of the January 17, 2016 draft of the SER Strategic Plan, previously distributed electronically. Changes to the plan include: 1. The SouthErneR will remain available to all visitors to the website and will not be placed in a members' only section. Will be removed from the plan. 2. Smartphone app to be replaced by the development of a mobile friendly website. Glen, Jason, and Scott will look into an update of the website. Director Buddy Black suggested a change in the plan’s vision and mission state-ments to provide more attainable objectives for our organization and our members. The current vision is to provide “resources” that the region does not have and cannot reasonably expect to ever obtain. We cannot compete with the national magazines and the internet in providing information or education about our hobby. Director Black suggested we change our focus to using the hobby of model railroading to serve our communities. We could serve children by placing model railroad items such as dio-ramas, Thomas, or wooden locomotives on a string in children’s hospital wards. We could serve youth by expanding the availability of the Railroading merit badge to all divisions. We could serve seniors by building and donating dioramas that remind sen-iors of the town where they grew up. We could serve veterans and wounded warriors by providing portable layouts for therapy and enjoyment. We could serve our commu-nity in general by protecting and presenting our history and our heritage thru model railroads. What city hall would not be more attractive with a model of the railroad de-pot that most likely is the reason the town was established in the first place? Director Black stated that our concept of being the premier source of support for our members


may be the reason the NMRA as a whole is struggling with finding a reason to exist. If we want to do something that is meaningful, challenging, and deserving of our effort, we should consider serving others rather than supporting ourselves. Vision: Use the hobby of model railroading to enrich the people in our community. Mission: Enrich ourselves by exposing as many people as possible to the joy of model railroading. President Hall would like a final draft prior at the 2016 SER convention.

New Business Clinic CD Library and Librarian Update Clinics have been placed on the national website. No action required by the SER. Nomination Results & 2016 Election Candidates for the 2016 Board of Directors elections were reported by Nominations Chair Bob Beaty, MMR, not in attendance. President: Alan Mole Vice President: Buddy Black, Tom Cusker Secretary: George Gilbert Treasurer: Sally Bando Director: Larry Burkholder, Howard Garner Elections Chair Rick Coble will receive and process all paper ballots and administer electronic voting. Results will be verified by Director Voelker. Coble has posted an overview of electronic voting on the SER website. The SouthErneR Transition Vice President Mole led a discussion of the transition to a new editor of The South-ErneR. Current editor Paul Voelker is resigning. Mole thanked Editor Voelker for the years of hard work and dedication to The South-ErneR. Paul took a small newsletter and built it into a top notch magazine, published four times each year, both paper and expanded editions. Meeting attendees agreed and thanked Paul. Mole and Rick Coble summarized an informal meeting with the president of an At-lanta-area printing and design house. Discussed were ideas concerning the produc-tion of the magazine and benefits of using a commercial printer to assist with the tran-sition to a new editor. Also discussed was the integration of the magazine with the website and social media. Treasurer Bando will investigate attracting new advertisers. Voelker will work with the transition team and continue to produce the magazine until the next editor is selected. Mole will solicit input on potential changes to The SouthErneR.


No layout can have enough of these cars!

The Southeastern Region of the NMRA is proud to announce the availability of a limited number of Accurail HO scale ACF 4650 cu. ft. covered hopper kits custom decorated for the SER. The car built date is 5/68 and is lettered for Engelhard. The car, offered in one road number, is injected-molded plastic featuring plastic wheelsets, Accumate couplers and separate brake detail. Orders of two or more cars includes a free easy-to-install replacement decal set, twelve num-bers in all. Cars are available at $23 each plus shipping $6.00 for one car. Two cars shipping $7.00. Three or Four cars shipping $8.00. COST BREAK - when ordering four or more cars only $20 per car plus shipping of $8.00. Orders of more than four cars add an addi-tional $1.00 per car for shipping.

Check or money order payable to:

SER-NMRA c/o Randall Watson SER Car Project

730 Morning Creek Lane Suwanee, Ga 30024

Bluff City Division Superintendent Mike Fleming will remain as Bluff City Superintendent. NMRA Regional Certification and Compliance All but four divisions have completed certification paperwork. Items from BOD and/or Membership at Large There were no new items. Next Meeting President Hall announced that the next board meeting will be held Friday, June 10, 2016 at the Huntsville convention site. Adjourn Vice President Mole moved that the meeting be adjourned. Seconded by Director Goodwin. Meeting adjourned at 10:37 a.m.


Name Construct Detail F&L Conform Scratch Total

Mathew Coleman 28 12 18 20 10 88

Place

1st



Mathew Coleman 25 9 15 18 4 71

Place

2nd



Charles Mason 32 16 24 23 15 110

Place

1st - Tie



Charles Mason 32 18 23 22 15 110

Place

1st - Tie



Charles Mason 32 16 23 20 15 106

Place

3rd



David Rever 28 18 23 21 14 104

Place

1st



Tom Gordon 28 19 18 21 8 94

Place

2nd



John Travis 32 18 24 25 15 114

Place

1st



John Travis 30 18 24 25 15 112

Place

2nd



John Travis 28 18 23 21 14 107

Place

3rd



John Travis 30 18 23 21 14 106

Place

HM


Allan Sayle

Allan Sayle

the official publication of the southeastern region of the...

Documents